Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
With more than 30 million records sold worldwide, Richard Marx’s first seven singles, including “Don’t Mean Nothing,” “Right Here Waiting” and “Should’ve Known Better,” hit the Top Five on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. A savvy businessman, Marx, 48, has made a second career as a songwriter and producer for other artists.
As a little girl, Shannon Lee grew up in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The only surviving child of Bruce Lee — who would’ve celebrated his 71st birthday this year — Shannon is the CEO of Bruce Lee Enterprises and president of the board of directors for the Bruce Lee Foundation. Based out of L.A., the 42-year-old actress/singer/entrepreneur may be seen next in “I Am Bruce Lee,” a feature-length documentary that will soon air on Spike TV.
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“I love being exposed to different cultures,” says singer Dionne Warwick. “And traveling is a learning experience. It’s something we should all do more of. And as Americans we’re very fortunate because the entire world speaks English.” Warwick received her first Grammy in 1968 for “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” Her hit singles include “Walk on By,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Alfie.”
Born and raised in Greenwich Village, N.Y., author Eric Van Lustbader once lived in the same building as Lauren Bacall. Two years after Robert Ludlum died in 2001, Lustbader was chosen by Ludlum’s estate to continue the popular Jason Bourne series. The latest is “The Bourne Dominion” (Grand Central Publishing, $27.99). Lustbader counts Paris, Venice and New York — where he resides with his wife — amongst his favorite cities.
I never met Aaron Hawkins, but I knew that he occasionally mentioned me on his blog, Uppity-Negro.com. Once, the fansite title on his blog was my name. Granted, this was during a period when he was doing this to be cheeky more than anything else. Hawkins was one of the first African-American bloggers. He was smart, thought-provoking and funny. I used to pop over to his blog every so often to see what he was up to.
“I’m the nonfiction answer to ‘Glee’ and ‘High School Musical,’” says Benjamin Utecht. “I was the star athlete and homecoming king in high school. But I was also in choir and a thespian, and I really got a kick out of all that.” Utecht is currently on tour promoting his album “Christmas Hope.” Keep tabs on his latest concert dates at benjaminutecht.com.
Sung-Bong Choi, 22, didn’t end up winning “Korea’s Got Talent,” but he won over thousands of fans with his talent and courage. Orphaned at the age of 3 and beaten at the orphanage he was left at, he ran away and lived on the streets.
My toddler likes this K-pop boy band called Boyfriend. He insists on watching the video for the group’s signature song, “Boyfriend,” at least a zillion times a day and is getting pretty good at imitating the dance moves.
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“I’m from Hawaii, so visiting the Big Island is one of my favorite places,” says “The Walking Dead” actress Sarah Wayne Callies. “It’s the most relaxing place for me to go and kick back. My aunt’s house is there and I like to get back as much as I can.”
As the lead anchor on HLN’s “Morning Express with Robin Meade,” Meade is known for her reporting and interviewing skills. What may surprise some viewers is that she’s a singer, too. Her debut country CD “Brand New Day” is available at Target and on iTunes. “I spent a lot of weekends and vacation days driving from Atlanta to Nashville to write and record my album,” says Meade.
Our father’s goal in bringing his family from South Korea to the United States was to ensure that his children would receive a good education. He and our mother instilled in us the idea that studying hard would be our ticket to having a better life than they had. And they were right. But while the three of us are well educated, we lack our father’s endless thirst for knowledge.
Born in Paris and raised in New York, cellist Yo-Yo Ma is one of the world’s most famous classical musicians. But with his latest CD “The Goat Rodeo Sessions,” Ma tackles a different genre: Americana. The record is a collaborative effort with fiddler Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer and mandolinist Chris Thile. Ma, 56, has won several Grammy Awards. He has also been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ma resides with his wife in Cambridge, Mass.
You’ve probably seen — or heard — Alexandra Breckenridge on some of your favorite television series. She portrays Katerina on HBO’s “True Blood” and spent six years doing voice work for such shows as Fox’s “Family Guy” and “American Dad.” Her latest role is playing Moira on the new FX series “American Horror Story,” which is the brainchild of “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy. Born and raised in Connecticut, Breckenridge and her mother moved to California when she was 12.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Richard Wiese, field scientist and host of ABC’s travel program “Born to Explore,” based on his 2009 book of the same name, was born to explore. His father was the first man to fly solo around the Pacific Ocean. At the age of 11, Wiese and his father climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and when he got older, Wiese led numerous expeditions there. Wiese, who’s been to all seven continents, lives in Connecticut with his wife and three young children.
A bona-fide foodie, Emeril Lagasse picks New Orleans as one of the all-time great food destinations. “We have unbelievable food here in New Orleans,” says Lagasse, 51. “There is a season for everything down here — shrimp, oysters, strawberries, crabs. No other place has such a direct connection to the farms and fisheries. You can’t beat going to Jazz Fest and getting a soft-shell crab po’ boy, or jambalaya at Mardi Gras or making a big pot of seafood gumbo on football weekends.
Born in Rockledge, Fla., Scott Thompson did his first stand-up routine while still a freshman in college. These days, the redheaded comic goes by the moniker Carrot Top. The 46-year-old comedian and actor has a multi-year deal with the Luxor Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, where — this fall — he will perform his 1,500th show. “I live in Las Vegas where we’ve got gambling, smoking and prostitution,” jokes Carrot Top. “Bring the kids!”
