Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
At just 19, Jacob Buster’s resume includes playing a vampire on Showtime’s “Let the Right One In” and portraying the high school protagonist searching for his family in “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out,” which had its premiere recently at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Jessica Jones” actress Susie Abromeit (“King Richard,” “Chicago Med”) said Utah is the perfect place for her home base, because she loves “being in nature by the mountains and lakes. I feel my best when I’m living in nature.” That said, Abromeit – who’ll next be seen in the Great American Family network movie “Love in Bloom” – said she often gets the itch to travel. “I think I was made to travel,” she said. “I usually just have the best time being in another country exploring new cultures and eating delicious food. Even when I would have challenging moments, I’m still learning about myself and others. So even the tough moments are great, because you learn something from it about yourself and humanity.”
“It was very painful sometimes getting to see everyone else do badass karate moves, while I duck and cover,” said Gianni Decenzo, one of the few actors on “Cobra Kai” who had combat training experience. The 19-year-old actor is pleased that his character gets to show off some martial arts skills on this third season.
David Archuleta was just 16 years old when he became the runner-up (to David Cook) on “American Idol.” Since then, the singer — now 28 — has released a steady stream of music, including his brand-new single “Paralyzed.” A perk of his career is getting to travel. “I’ve recently gotten to see Russia for my first time for a youth conference,” says Archuleta, who resides in Nashville.
“I read lists and guides, I email friends with experience for suggestions and I’m all over TripAdvisor,” says Rati Gupta, who plays Anu, Raj’s love interest on “The Big Bang Theory.” “But it’s less to build a perfect set-in-stone itinerary and more to build a wealth of knowledge about the destination. Because life happens, nothing ever goes exactly as planned and it’s easier to bounce back in those moments if you know what your options are.”
More famous than many of the celebrities with whom he is paired on “Dancing with the Stars,” professional dancer Derek Hough is a star in his own right. Hough, 29, has won an Emmy Award for his choreography on the series, as well as an unprecedented five Mirror Ball Trophies for his work on the show.
“On our first trip to Guatemala, one of our [mission] members had a heart attack and passed away,” recalls actor Lucas Grabeel. “That was devastating. My parents were giving him CPR for an hour and a half while we waited for the ambulance to come. It was pretty traumatizing for a 12 year old. The next year, we brought a monument for him. I’m definitely going to go back and look for it and help people again. I’d also like time to explore the country as well. We did a little bit of that, but our job was to help people when we were there. Guatemala’s really a beautiful country.”
On “Blais Off,” chef Richard Blais takes a scientific approach to cooking. That’s fitting, since the series airs on the Science Channel. “I’m not a scientist so I have to do a lot of fact-checking to make sure everything’s correct,” says Blais, 38.
Having music legends as parents can be daunting. But Benjamin Taylor takes it all in stride. The son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, the 31-year-old singer-songwriter has his own successful career. Currently promoting his latest album “The Legend of Kung Folk Part 1,” Taylor’s eclectic musical style actually pays homage to David Bowie and the Roots than to his own lineage.