Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“I’ve spent a couple holiday seasons in London when my dad [the actor Jon Jon Briones] was doing “Miss Saigon” in the West End,” said “Goosebumps” actress Isa Briones. “Christmas in London is so magical. Walking the Christmas light covered streets at night is … chef’s kiss.”
“I definitely don’t get to explore as much as I would like, but I try to get one thing in per city,” said Zurin Villanueva, who stars in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.” “I went to Paisley Park – home of the late Prince – in Minneapolis. I left invigorated and very inspired. His moxy to be exactly who he wanted to be, his love for his craft and his generosity is still striking.”
“I speak Arabic and Hebrew, they’re my main languages,” says Nuseir Yassin. “English was my third language and is my foreign language. I don’t think I pick up new languages too easily. I trained for over 10 years by speaking English repeatedly to myself, just to make sure that I didn’t have an accent.”
The “Pretty Little Liars” series finale is airing later this summer, but Shay Mitchell (who plays |Emily Fields) doesn’t have time to mourn. She has finished work on the horror film “Cadaver,” has plans to write a follow-up to her book, “Bliss,” and is working on Fullscreen’s reality series, “Shades of Shay.” Mitchell was born in Mississauga (near Toronto) to a Filipina mother (who is the cousin of Broadway star Lea Salonga) and an Irish-Scottish father.
Broadway star Lea Salonga’s latest role is in “Allegiance.” Starring opposite George Takei, she portrays an American woman of Japanese descent whose family is locked away in an internment camp during World War II. Based out of Manila, Salonga has relocated to New York for the production’s run. Just 17 when she auditioned for “Miss Saigon” — a role that would win her a Tony Award — Salonga has gone on to star in musicals such as “Les Miserables.”
Born in the Philippines and raised in Ohio, Reggie Lee currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Portland, where he has a co-starring role as Sgt. Wu on the NBC hit series “Grimm.” Lee’s film credits include “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Fast and the Furious “ and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.” Lee says he loves shooting on location in Oregon, but he’s looking forward to doing some traveling soon. “I generally like to stay home and be with family for the holidays. But, right after Christmas, I’m headed to London and then Paris for New Year’s.”
Though Dan Lauria has traveled to numerous destinations, the actor said he has never taken a proper holiday. “I’ve never taken a vacation,” says Lauria, who is best known for playing Fred Savage’s father on “The Wonder Years.” “I’ve never been to Europe. Every time I planned to do something big, I got a job and I could never pass that up.”
Comedian Jamie Kennedy is used to getting laughs in the United States, thanks to his work in the “Scream” films and his TV show “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.” But making foreign audiences laugh wasn’t something he felt confident he could accomplish.