Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Phillip Keene lived in England, Holland and Miami before moving back to California 20 years ago. The actor is recognizable to television viewers as Buzz Watson, the character he portrays on TNT’s crime procedural, “Major Crimes.” He also played the same role in the long-running Kyra Sedgwick series, “The Closer.” A fun fact about the actor: He worked as a flight attendant before landing his best known role.
Born in Paris, New York-based author Anka Muhlstein has written biographies of James Mayer de Rothschild, Robert Chevalier de la Salle and Queen Victoria. Winner of the Academie Francaise and the Goncourt Prize for Biography, she and her husband, Louis Begley, co-authored “Venice for Lovers.” In her latest book — “The Pen and the Brush: How Passion for Art Shaped Nineteenth-Century French Novels” (Other Press, $18.95) — Muhlstein take readers into the world of an elite artistic community that included Proust, Cezanne and Balzac.
As the daughter of Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and former Playboy model Shannon Tweed, Sophie Simmons is no stranger to the limelight. Simmons, 24, appeared with her family on the A&E reality series, “Family Jewels,” auditioned on “X-Factor” and (along with Rebel) released a cover of “Kiss Me.” The Los Angeles-based host of Refinery 29’s “Body Image School” digital series and the face of Adore Me’s inclusive lingerie campaign, Simmons also advocates for child abuse victims with Sophie’s Place in Vancouver.
Many fans of reality TV are familiar with Mandana Dayani from her days on “The Rachel Zoe Project.” A former attorney and vice president of Zoe’s fashion empire, she offered a cool and calm presence on the sometimes frenetic series. Dayani has parlayed her love of vintage pieces, fashion and antiques into a new career with the tech start-up, Everything But the House (ebth.com), which makes estate sales accessible online.
Moviegoers have watched Christina Ricci grow up on screen. After earning rave reviews for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in 1991’s “The Addams Family,” she transitioned into more mature parts in films such as “Sleepy Hollow,” “Prozac Nation” and “Monster.” Her latest role is portraying Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald in Amazon Prime Video’s “Z: The Beginning of Everything.”
Based out of a small village 40 minutes outside of Paris, French film producer and “Mon amie americaine” author Michèle Halberstadt says, “I live in a house that used to be an old farm. Although it’s close to the city, I’m surrounded by nature. I’m 60 years old and I’ve read from an Italian writer that 50 is the old age of youth, and 60 is the youth of old age. I like that.”
Grammy Award-winning musician Angelique Kidjo says that being named UNICEF’s International Goodwill ambassador in 2002 has been a fulfilling part of her life. “It gave me the opportunity to travel to all the other continents and meet incredible women who carry the continents on their shoulders,” says the New York-based artist. “They are the main inspiration behind my songs.”
Fans love to hate Joe Morton’s portrayal of Rowan (Olivia Pope’s father) on the hit ABC drama, “Scandal.” The actor, 68, remembers, “I was in Williamstown, Mass., to see some plays and this woman came up to me and said, ‘I didn’t recognize you right away, but I knew I hated you!’” Laughing, he adds, “We had a lovely long conversation after that. But people do react to my role on ‘Scandal.’”
“Many of the winemakers crush the grapes in the streets in front of their houses,” says David Baker, the author of “Vintage.” “They make the wine in their basements.” Where is this magical place that only seems to exist on “I Love Lucy”? Read my interview with the Oregonain to find out.
“The first trip I took with my family was to Disney World and I absolutely loved it!” says actress Tamera Mowry. “I was 16 years old and we did the Mickey Mouse Club tour and I got to meet Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. I hope to share a Disney experience with my family in the coming years. It’s such a fun and exciting trip for the whole family!”