Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Last week, Yoo Ji-tae – who portrays the mastermind of a group of thieves – and “Squid Game” star Park Hae-soo – who plays the gang’s charming but deadly leader – participated in this interview from Seoul and Los Angeles, respectively, to talk about “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area” – the Korean adaptation of the hit Spanish series “La Casa de Papel.”
“We just went on a little mini tour of the coast of California and I had so much fun,” said Scout LaRue Willis. “I’ve been in the studio and then I’ve been working on a lot of music videos, so I haven’t done a lot of touring. I will go anywhere. I said recently I want my career to make my life a vacation.”
“Living in a pretty socially conservative part of Texas for most of my life, I was surrounded by a lot of prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community,” said “The Quest” actor Braeden De La Garza. “And because of that, I wanted to do what I could to support them.”
“Being in the desert felt like the safest place to be during the pandemic,” said Grammy-nominated songwriter Hollis Wong-Wear of her trip to Joshua Tree. “I could go on walks without a mask and not feel like I was endangering anyone.”
Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s linguistic skills and travels play a prominent role in her latest novel “The Evening Hero” (Simon & Schuster, $28.99), which centers on a septuagenarian doctor whose past in Korea threatens to upend his perfect American life.
“I may be biased but I swear every time I go to Puerto Rico, I keep finding new things to see and do,” said “The Time Traveler’s Wife” actress Natasha López. “If you are staying in the San Juan area you must visit El Yunque National Forest and Old San Juan.”
At the time of our Zoom interview, AleXa had no idea that she would win NBC’s “American Song Contest.” “I’m just grateful for this experience,” she said. “I performed for a huge American network in front of a live audience. Hopefully, I can take this positive energy and move forward with it.”
“My father really pushed me to travel the world,” photographer/musician Isné Bobo Nuyent recalled. “He said, ‘You need to train your mind and understand other people and cultures and what they go through. So go travel.'”
For 15-year-old actress Aria Brooks, playing Libby in the Disney+ film “Better Nate Than Ever” was like being with a good friend. “I think Libby and I are similar in a lot of ways. We stand for a lot of the same things, like feminism and Black power. I feel like my self-confidence developed more after playing Libby.”
“When I was 12, I went on a trip with my mom to Disney World,” said “The Fallout” actor Will Ropp. “Her health was failing and it ended up being the last trip we would take together. And in that way, it was both the best and worst (vacation).”
“My husband and I plan to visit Krakow and make the trip to Auschwitz (this May),” said singer/songwriter Rain Perry. “It’s almost too awful to conceive that our visit to a site of such atrocities depends on the status of a war with many similarities raging just a few hours away (in Ukraine).”
“Vermont is one of my favorite places ever,” said “The Hyperions” actress Indi Star. “I was born in and lived on the East Coast in Massachusetts for eight years. We had an amazing ski house at Mount Snow in Vermont. It always feels like home whenever I think of it. I miss visiting there.”
The Angad Arts Hotel is one of the more unique properties I’ve stayed at. Located in a vibrant theatre and arts district, it’s equal parts art gallery and trendy hotel. It’s also the first hotel of its kind where guests select their rooms not just by the number of beds they’ll need, but by the color and emotion they want to feel during their stay. No, for real!
“I was flying from Los Angeles to Florida a couple of years back and they had to make an emergency landing at an airport in Lubbock, Texas,” said “Tall Girl 2” actress Johanna Liauw. “The plane was nose-diving and it was the most terrifying experience I’ve ever had on a flight.”
“The United States is an immigrant country,” said chef Martin Yan. “Only native Americans were here first. We all came over to fulfill a dream and maybe get away from political or religious persecution. Basically, America is a melting pot. I think of it as a hot pot, where you can put anything in it and the more you put into it, the better it is.”
“I’m biased, but I love going to Spain for a vacation,” said model Tasha Franken. “I grew up there. Ever since I left, I realized how amazing it is and wish I appreciated it more while living there.”
“I want to fly to somewhere that I’ve never been before like Greece,” said The Rose frontman Woosung. “The pictures (I’ve seen) are beautiful. I like nature. I don’t like hiking, but I like the fresh air. Greece has a lot of cool architecture. Yeah, I want to go there.”
“I’m an only child, so I have a lot of memories of being very solitary and entertaining myself,” said “Batwoman” star Nicole Kang. “I liked doing anything creative to entertain myself. I liked to lose myself in my imagination.”
“I have a tattoo on my arm of the state flower of each state I’ve lived in,” said “American Siege” actress Anna Hindman. “New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and California. But I need to add a few now!”
“I had a beautiful childhood in California and my parents worked very hard and provided a lot of opportunities for us,” said Mariel Molino of ABC’s “Promised Land.” ” Because of this, some of the kids in our community would sometimes ask me if my parents were drug dealers or in the Mexican Mafia. It took me some time to be proud of my heritage. I wanted so badly to be all American – whatever that meant – because it would mean we wouldn’t stick out.”