Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Growing up in New York, actor Kirk Acevedo says he learned early on to be self-reliant. “Having lived on my own since I was 16 in a big city taught me to be very self-sufficient,” says Acevedo, who portrays Ricardo Diaz — aka The Dragon — on the CW series “Arrow.” “I trust people very slowly. And then I suffer no fools. And for these skills I have to thank New York City. I always know who’s walking 20 yards behind me and then who’s 20 yards ahead.”
“I didn’t really know what hip hop and rap was when I was in (South) Korea,” San E says. “And then I moved to Atlanta when I was in middle school and just naturally started paying attention to it, because it was everywhere. I was lucky, even though I didn’t think so as a kid. Atlanta has a lot of great musicians. The music scene is pretty diverse and I was just going with it.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to travel from a young age,” says actress and jewelry designer Katie Barberi. “I’ve grown up seeing so much diversity and beauty in different cultures. I draw inspiration from that all the time.”
Born in Seattle, Wash., Maiara Walsh was 2 when she and her family moved to her mother’s native Sao Paulo, Brazil. In her tweens, she moved back to the United States to pursue an acting career. After roles on series such as “Desperate Housewives,” “Switched at Birth” and “Cory in the House,” the 25-year-old actress portrays Katniss Evershot in the feature film parody “The Starving Games.” “I love to travel and experience the culture and meet new people,” says Walsh. “I feel like I expand my mind every time I get on a plane to go somewhere new. Honestly? I can’t imagine life without travel.”
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.