Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
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!”
There is no doubt that Kristin Chenoweth works hard at her career. But the 4-foot-11-inch actress and singer makes it all seem effortless. She originated the role of Glinda in the musical “Wicked,” won an Emmy for her work on “Pushing Daisies” and earned critical praise for her CDs. Her latest album, “Some Lessons Learned,” hits stores on Sept. 13.
Ultimate Fighting fans know Chuck Liddell as The Iceman. But since retiring last year, the 41-year-old mixed marital artist is now known as The EVP—the executive vice president of business development for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He’s also featured in the new DVD and Blu-ray release, “UFC: Bad Blood — Liddell vs. Ortiz,” which documents Liddell’s longstanding rivalry with fellow MMA superstar Tito Ortiz.
Diane Farr says she got a late start in traveling and didn’t leave the country until she was 15 years old. But since then, the 41-year-old actress (“Californication,” “Rescue Me,” “Numb3rs”) has more than made up for it by traveling all around the world, primarily alone. That exposure to other cultures — as well as her marriage to a man of different ethnicity — inspired her to write the very funny and astute memoir “Kissing Outside the Lines: A True Story of Love and Race and Happily Ever After” (Seal Press, $24.95).
“There is no difference between my job and my life,” says “Top Chef Just Desserts” host Gail Simmons. “It’s one big blur and it’s all delicious. I travel and seek out great food. That’s kind of how I plan my trips, and my life.” Born in Toronto and currently residing in New York City, the 35-year-old TV personality — who also handles special projects for Food and Wine magazine — studied at the Institute of Culinary Education and worked in the kitchens of the Vong restaurants and Le Cirque 2000. Her memoir, “Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater,” will hit stores next year.
Elinor Donahue enjoyed television success playing Robert Young’s eldest daughter Betty Anderson (also known as “Princess”) in the 1950s series “Father Knows Best.” The actress had a slew of fans that wanted to emulate her beauty, grace and character, but for the most part they let her be.
“There were people who had been there for 30 years and I asked myself, ‘Is this something that makes me happy?’” says Loni Love. “I wanted to be laid off and save someone else’s job. I had been doing stand-up all along, and now I was free to do it full time. Being good to yourself and not getting too caught up in life goes along with traveling and taking vacations in my view. You need a good balance to keep you happy.”
Kristin Bauer portrays Pam on HBO’s hit series “True Blood.” Pam, a bloodthirsty vampire, will do whatever it takes to protect her maker Eric (Alexander Skarsgard). In real life, the actress — who was born in Racine, Wis. — resides in Los Angeles with her husband Abri van Straten, their two dogs and two cats.
With more than 60 gold albums and 24 platinum records, Engelbert Humperdinck has a voice (and name) that is known to generations of fans. The 75-year-old musician’s repertoire of No. 1 hits includes “Release Me,” “There Goes My Everything” and “After the Lovin’.” He’s currently on tour to support his latest CD, “released.”
Kenneth Choi has two high-profile films in the hopper. First, he portrays Jim Morita, one of the Howling Commandos in the action film “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which opens July 22. He has also finished shooting the remake of “Red Dawn.” Currently a resident of Los Angeles, the 39-year-old actor talks about some of his favorite places and also explains why he wants to revisit a destination that holds nothing but bad memories for him.
Born in Utah and raised in Alaska, singer Jewel Kilcher — known professionally simply as Jewel — has laid down her roots in Texas with her husband, Ty Murray. She debuted in 1995 with her album “Pieces of You,” which sold more than 15 million copies, thanks to her hits “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me” and “Foolish Games.” Fittingly, she is the host of the Bravo singer-songwriter competition, “Platinum Hit,” where she also serves as one of the judges.
Fashion designer Amsale Aberra — known professionally simply as Amsale — is synonymous with upscale wedding gowns that can cost brides $75,000. Aberra stars in the WE tv reality series “Amsale Girls,” which focuses on the brides who frequent her New York boutique and the women who help them pick out their fantasy dresses.
Christopher Gorham has a good theory about stardom: “When people ask me, ‘Are you famous?’ I’m like, ‘Well, I guess, no.” The 36-year-old California-based actor is shooting the second season of the spy series “Covert Affairs,” which airs on the USA Network. He portrays a former CIA operative named Auggie, who was blinded during a mission.
Diana Nyad is back in the news. In the next few weeks, the swimming legend is going to attempt a 103-mile swim from Cuba to Florida — a feat she failed to accomplish in 1978 when she was in her late 20s. When Nyad turned 60, she began thinking about the swim that eluded her.
Landon Donovan is the face of American soccer. An all-time leader in scoring and assists for the U.S. National Soccer team, which currently is competing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 29 year old is also a star player for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Donovan, who is based out of Southern California, is a four-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year.
People know who Bobby Flay is because he is everywhere. The celebrity restaurateur (Mesa Grill) is the Food Network’s face of grilling, an Iron Chef and host of the network’s biggest show “Food Network Star,” which premieres this season on Sunday, June 5. Though Flay loves traveling overseas, the 46-year-old culinary artist says if he were forced to pick between visiting domestic or international locales, he’d pick the United States.
“Some people are surprised that I speak English and assume that I must be a foreigner,” says Gbenga Akinnagbe, 32, a Brooklyn resident. “When I was younger, my mother wanted me to change it because she worried that I wouldn’t be able to find employment. There was a time I wanted to change my name and I was ashamed of it and I’d have people call me DJ. But I do love it now.”
Eden Sher does such a good job portraying Patricia Heaton’s awkward teenage daughter Sue Heck on the ABC series “The Middle” that people often don’t recognize her in public. “That’s good, right?” says the 19-year-old actress. “On a good day, I probably look about 16, but when the makeup and wardrobe folks are done with me, I probably look about 13.”
On his latest project “Sinbad: It’s Just Family,” the comedian takes a stab at reality television. The 54-year-old actor let the WE tv cameras into his home to tape the reality of life in his household. The stars of the show also include his wife Meredith Fuller (whom he divorced and remarried) and their two grown children.
With multiple best-selling books under the belt, Kyung-sook Shin has rock star status in her native South Korea. Now the 48-year-old author is ready to enter the international market with her latest book, “Please Look After Mom” (Knopf, $24.95). The touching novel — about a family that doesn’t appreciate their mother until after she has mysteriously disappeared — sold more than a million copies in Korea. It has since been released in more than 20 countries and debuted May 1 at number 14 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.