Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Guitar legend Joe Satriani and his wife, Rubina, are big fans of traveling, whether it’s a quick flight to Vancouver or an exotic vacation on Tioman Island. Though he enjoys the peace and tranquility of villas that offer little distraction by way of phones and televisions, he also admits he’s partial to having access to the Internet, especially when he’s on tour.
The tweens have Justin Bieber. The toddlers have Laurie Berkner. A former preschool teacher who taught music to kids by day and rocked out with her bands Lois Lane and Red Onion by night, Berkner writes smart music that gets kids to think as well as dance. A staple on the Nick Jr. cable channel, the 41-year-old performer’s latest DVD “Let’s Hear It for the Laurie Berkner Band” features some of her most popular music videos and hits stores on Sept. 28.
On the seventh season of the Emmy-winning sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” the majority of the episodes revolve around love. And the man nursing a heartache isn’t who you’d suspect. Charlie (Charlie Sheen) has always been a love-’em and leave-’em kind of guy. But now engaged to Chelsea, he wants to settle down. Wait, make that he wants to want to settle down.
Some colleges live for football games. At Atlanta’s tony Truth University, it’s all about stepping. In Stomp the Yard: Homecoming–the straight-to-DVD sequel to 2007’s Stomp the Yard–the film focuses on a young student named Chance Harris (Collins Pennie). Chance is an exceptional dancer who got involved with the wrong group of people.
Scott Simon, National Public Radio host and author, chose a subject close to home for his latest book, “Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other: In Praise of Adoption” (Random House, $22). He and his French wife, former film producer Caroline Richard, have adopted two daughters from China and his poignant and witty memoir speaks not only of their family’s experiences, but also those of other adoptive parents, such as “Freakonomics” author Steven Levitt. Simon, 58, resides on the East Coast with Richard and their daughters Elise and Lina. Currently on a nationwide book tour, Simon’s tour dates are available on his website (www.scottsimonbooks.com).
Here are some .pdf files of my stories. FYI: some of the files are very large, so they may take a while to open.
For children’s author Ginger Rue, the best trips are the ones where she can spend time with her two young children. Based in Northport, Ala., Rue, 39, says the best vacation memory she has is of “seeing the unadulterated joy on my daughters’ faces when we took them to Disney World. I’ll always treasure that.” As for the worst? “When my younger daughter got a stomach bug during a car trip to Dallas,” she recalls. Rue’s latest book “Jump” (Tricycle Press, $15.99) chronicles the life of a high school Mean Girl who develops some empathy when she unexpectedly jumps into the bodies of some of the kids she has bullied. “Jump” hits stores on Sept. 14.