Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“I am not one of those people that must have an itinerary and visit the must-sees when I travel,” said “The Housewives of the North Pole” actress Tetona Jackson. “I like to obviously research different areas and the best places to stay and the best places to eat, but I kind of just go with the flow.”
“I am a Disney fanatic,” said Lynn Chen, who portrays Dr. Michelle Lin on the ABC medical series, “Grey’s Anatomy.” “(My dream trip would be) visiting all the Disneylands outside of the United States with my entire family – the nieces, nephews, in-laws, everyone.”
“When I shot ‘The Last Son’ in Montana, I actually chose to drive there all the way from Nashville instead of flying in for filming,” said Emily Marie Palmer. “I’ll take any excuse to get out on the open road!”
“My family traveled every year to the great American West, as my mom called it,” said Kate Siegel, who’s currently filming the HBO series “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” “We explored Moab, Utah, Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and many more. I remember it fondly now, but as a child I was very grumpy about all the hiking and driving.”
“We were going to go to Mexico to see Phish, but that got postponed (due to the pandemic),” said Katie Rich, the co-creator of the Netflix animated series “Chicago Party Aunt.” “I actually think we ended up traveling more than ever just in the Midwest, tooling around in our little Honda Fit.”
“Having diverse characters leads to endless possibilities for storytelling. And there are infinite ways to tell an adoptee’s story…”
“When I was a kid, my family would take me to Isla Margarita,” said “Ayar” actress Ariana Ron Pedrique. “We would go to all these beautiful beaches and eat empanadas for breakfast down at the seashore. This is by far one of the best memories I have of growing up in Venezuela.”
“’Five More Minutes’ is a movie about hope and faith in the face of loss and grief,” said Nikki DeLoach, who stars in the Hallmark movie inspired by Scotty McCreery’s hit song of the same name. “I lost my dad three months ago, so while this movie was emotionally hard for me, it was very healing and a way to honor my dad.”
“I always follow the food, because if you go to an interesting restaurant or street vendor, you will find yourself in an interesting square, and that square could be a palace, or a store or an art gallery,” said soprano Sarah Brightman.
“I walked in one park every day and watched it change with the seasons,” said singer-songwriter Dar Williams. “I’m a big walker but watching one place go through all these changes was very meaningful to me. Also, the wildlife really came out in force. I felt like we were all sharing the world.”
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, Misty Copeland understands her role as a trailblazer in the classical dance world. She is the first Black female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.
“Being a part of a Disney blockbuster wasn’t anything I thought I could ever dream of,” said “Jungle Cruise” actor Philipp Maximilian. “Jean-Vincent Puzos built the most incredible sets for us, so filming this movie was like being a kid in a candy store for a Disneyland nerd like me. Jesse Plemons (Prince Joachim) and I had so much fun playing around with my character, Axel, and coming up with a lot of silly stuff.”
NPR asked me to share my thoughts about the Korean series, “Squid Game,” for their Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. We discussed the controversy about the subtitles, whether the Western actors in Episodes 7 lended anything to the series and whether a Season 2 would be a good thing or not.
“I think I’d like to go camping with Agatha – maybe Yosemite,” said Laurie Fortier, the actress who plays the character on “The Walking Dead.” “I imagine she’d know how to pitch a tent, fish and make a fire.”
Trial attorney by day and content creator by night, Joanne Lee Molinaro is known to her millions of social media followers as the Korean Vegan. In her social media posts, she delivers beautifully crafted videos showing her cook, while she shares personal stories about her life and that of her parents, who had escaped North Korea as children before immigrating to the United States as adults.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked both in Mexico and the United States,” said Cristina Rodlo, star of Netflix’s horror film, “No One Gets Out Alive.” “Honestly, the biggest difference is the budget. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same.”
With his latest movie, “Blue Bayou,” award-winning filmmaker Justin Chon (“Gook,” “Ms. Purple”) explores the plight of Antonio LeBlanc, a New Orleans man who was adopted as a baby and is facing deportation, due to his lack of U.S. citizenship. Based on the real-life cases of adults who literally were sent back to “where they came from,” the movie had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, before its September 17, 2021 theatrical release.
“One of my objectives in filmmaking is to bring empathy and understanding to our community,” said “Blue Bayou” writer, director and star, Justin Chon.
Jocko Sims portrays Dr. Floyd Reynolds on the NBC medical series, “New Amsterdam.” An avid traveler, Sims said before he sets out to explore a new city or country, “I absolutely look up restaurants. I want to go to the best of the best, from very cheap to most expensive. What built the town or the culture? What place is impossible to get into? That floats my boat.”
“My grandfather is from Sicily and I heard the story of his childhood,” said Rachael Ray. “All I’ve ever done is daydream about living in Italy. I think the air smells sweeter and I feel completely relaxed and at home there.”