Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Born in Calgary, Alberta, sisters Tegan Rain and Sara Keirsten Quin are better known as the musical duo of Tegan and Sara. The twins, 33, won three Juno Awards earlier this year in Canada for their work on their seventh studio album, “Heartthrob.” But the song that has helped earn them a new (and young!) fan base is “Everything is Awesome.” They recorded the infectiously catchy song for “The LEGO Movie.”
Talk show host Wendy Williams’ idea of a vacation doesn’t include sightseeing: “We’re that family that doesn’t care about seeing ancient ruins or centuries old landmarks. All we want to do is lay down on the beach and eat $12 M&M’s from the minibar.”
Musician James Durbin remembers taking “road trips to visit with my oma and opa (grandparents). We’d load up the RV and see the country with them. It was their RV. We rode on a ferry when I was three or four years old in Kentucky. I also remember going to Kentucky to stay at my great aunt’s house for a month and that was cool.”
Back in the day, Joseph Simmons was best known to music fans as DJ Run, one of the founding members of Run-D.M.C. Now 49 and a practicing minister, Simmons is familiar to a new generation of fans as Rev Run, the television personality. He and his wife, Justine, star in their current HGTV reality series “Rev Run’s Renovation.”
“Raising Hope” star Lucas Neff says he prefers traveling to “someplace new. I hate returning to the same place. I always feel like I’m missing out. The unknown offers far more. I’m less about vacation, more about experience. I try to avoid places where beheadings are popular though.”
“Greece is unbelievable, and not just because it’s the motherland,” laughs Maria Menounos. “The food there is amazing. I was eating so much homemade food that had fresh ingredients in it.”
Ballerina Misty Copeland has the distinction of being one of the few African-American soloists in the world of ballet. In her newly released memoir “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” (Touchstone Hardcover, $24.99), Copeland chronicles her tumultuous childhood, a late start in dance (she was 13) and joining the American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet as a teenager.
I asked “Survivorman” Les Stroud if he ever felt he wouldn’t make it out of a situation. He said, “No. There are areas like in the middle of the Amazon jungle that have more than their fair share of dangerous moments. But I’ve done this a long time. I’m careful. I’m prepared and know how to survive.”
RuPaul talks to me about some of his travels, including his early trips: “Well, my father was a gambler. We lived in San Diego at the time. He’d take us down to the race tracks. He’d take us to Tijuana. I would’ve preferred to do something else at the time. But looking back, they were good memories.”
Surfer Alana Blanchard says the food in Sri Lanka was amazing: “We went to this town and went to this little restaurant that used to be a house and paid something like $2 for all-you-can-eat vegetables with spices. It was such a treat for me, because I’m vegan.”
“I’ve definitely taken favorite bits and pieces of the places I love and reworked them into the stories I write,” says Tahereh Mafi, author of the popular “Shatter Me” series. Her latest, “Ignite Me,” in stores now.
Super rookie K-pop boy band EXO continues to raise eyebrows, in a good way. The 12-member boy band was nominated for song of the year, new artist of the year, and top song for dance and electronic music with “Growl” at the Korean Music Awards. The group made its mark in the music industry where its first full-length album “XOXO” (Kiss&Hug) became a million-seller for the first time in 12 years.
As John Hughes’ muse, Molly Ringwald starred in a trilogy of films (“Sixteen Candles,” “Breakfast Club,” “Pretty in Pink”) that sweetly encapsulated the teen angst of the ’80s. Now 45, Ringwald (who played the mother of the lead character in the series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) is also an author.
Julie Chu is the forward for the U.S. Women’s National Ice Hockey Team. A seasoned hockey veteran, the Harvard graduate is proud to be representing the United States at the Sochi Olympics, which will be her fourth Winter Games. Chu, 31 — who already has won a bronze and two silver medals — is hoping to win a gold medal this year.
On the Travel Channel’s “Dangerous Grounds,” adventurer Todd Carmichael scours the world looking for the best coffee beans to supply his high-end clients. His line of work ensures that he visits some beautiful, but also perilous destinations.
At 25, Nathan Adrian has already competed in two Olympics, where he won 3 gold (and 1 silver) medals. He’s a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and wants to spend more time with his baby nephew. And, he looks like this. Ladies and gentlemen: meet the perfect man.
What does singer Rosanne Cash bring in her carryon? “Really good moisturizer, good headphones, a warm scarf — even in summer — for airplanes, a bag of almonds in my handbag in case there is no time for a meal and my phone.”
Iron Chef Cat Cora says she would advise people to travel to Greece: “I would tell them to visit Athens first and go to the many historical sites — Acropolis and Acropolis Museum, Olympic Stadium and the many other incredible sites spread throughout the city.”
Famous for his documentaries “The Civil War,” “Mark Twain” and “Baseball,” among others, filmmaker Ken Burns has a new film ready to roll out in 2014: “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.”
“Life is a road trip,” says celebrity chef Guy Fieri. “It’s a continuous process where the destination can be secondary. It’s fun and educational and is a great way to learn about your country.”