Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Actress, producer and wellness entrepreneur Zina Wilde is used to traveling the world. Born in London and raised in Thessaloniki [Greece], she currently splits her time between homes in New York and Los Angeles. Wilde said that one of the things she has learned over the years is to go with the flow.
On her latest album “soft winds and roses,” two-time Juno winner Diana Panton offers her interpretation of classic songs like the Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere,” Elton John’s “Your Song” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” Showcasing her beautiful, evocative vocals, the artist said her Scottish father’s record collection introduced her to jazz.
“Charlie is the kindest, most level-headed, ever-patient husband you could ask for,” Devin Kawaoka said of the character he plays on the new Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.” “He feels deeply, sees the best in people and is always up for adventure – or some quality time over a glass of wine. He’s easy! If that’s not a good travel partner, then I don’t know what is.”
For Sung J. Woo (“Everything Asian,” “Love Love,” “Skin Deep”), favorite locations often make appearances in his books. His upcoming novel “Lines” – which deftly weaves a story of love, loss and forgotten possibilities – is set in suburban New Jersey, downtown Manhattan, Waimea (Hawaii), Portland and Breitenbush (Oregon).
“I have filmed most in New York. The good is that New York is really its own character and that can change the shape of a project in such a beautiful way,” said “This is Me…Now” actress Ashley Versher. “But as for the bad, I mean it’s New York, so wild things can happen at any moment of the day.”
“We always love to tour in Japan,” said Pentatonix’s Mitch Grassi. “The Japanese culture itself is so beautiful and welcoming to us, and the crowds are so full of love.”
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.
“My wife and I have taken frequent road trips in order to ensure our sanity during this tumultuous time,” said actor Gregg Daniel (“True Blood,” “7th and Union”). “There are several places heading due north we love visiting, especially the coastal communities – Ventura, Ojai, Summerland, Montecito and Santa Barbara.”
“I love camping,” says “The Vanishing” actress Lily Anne Harrison. “I’m from Oregon, so I love anything that takes me outside. I grew up appreciating the outdoors. Also, I just love the adventure of an RV trip.”
In the hit film “Love, Simon,” Clark Moore plays a high school student named Ethan, who — unlike the titular character — is out and self-aware of his sexuality.
Actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman says, “Years ago I read a quote that I fell in love with that said, ‘I can’t think of anything more pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you enjoy something, there’s nothing guilty about it.’”
Los Angeles-based actress Mickaëlle X. Bizet (“American Crime,” “Diary of the MadMan”) formerly lived in Martinique, Paris, Viry-Châtillon and Boston. An avid traveler who speaks French, Creole and Spanish — in addition to English — she says her knowledge of foreign languages has helped her as a tourist. “My favorite travel memory isn’t fancy,” X. Bizet says. “It’s when I got lost by myself in San Juan and I used my Spanish to ask for help and find my way. People I spoke to understood me and I understood them. I was so proud of myself. I didn’t even have a GPS.”
Actor Richard Short says, “Everyone knows the best establishments to dine at when traveling are street carts by the side of the road. I’ve eaten in Michelin star restaurants that, while delicious, haven’t come close to the sensory experience of a simple piece of fruit hand delivered on the Panamanian roadside.”
Born in Kansas, raised in New York and currently a resident of California, actress Emily Wickersham portrays Special Agent Eleanor Bishop on the popular CBS series, “NCIS.” An avid proponent of exploring the world, she says, “Every time I travel, a little piece of that trip comes back with me and it becomes a part of me. Experience is something that adds to anyone’s life and work. For actors, I think the more you know and learn, the more you’re able to add to the richness of the characters you play.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Phillip Keene lived in England, Holland and Miami before moving back to California 20 years ago. The actor is recognizable to television viewers as Buzz Watson, the character he portrays on TNT’s crime procedural, “Major Crimes.” He also played the same role in the long-running Kyra Sedgwick series, “The Closer.” A fun fact about the actor: He worked as a flight attendant before landing his best known role.
Born in Paris, New York-based author Anka Muhlstein has written biographies of James Mayer de Rothschild, Robert Chevalier de la Salle and Queen Victoria. Winner of the Academie Francaise and the Goncourt Prize for Biography, she and her husband, Louis Begley, co-authored “Venice for Lovers.” In her latest book — “The Pen and the Brush: How Passion for Art Shaped Nineteenth-Century French Novels” (Other Press, $18.95) — Muhlstein take readers into the world of an elite artistic community that included Proust, Cezanne and Balzac.
As the daughter of Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and former Playboy model Shannon Tweed, Sophie Simmons is no stranger to the limelight. Simmons, 24, appeared with her family on the A&E reality series, “Family Jewels,” auditioned on “X-Factor” and (along with Rebel) released a cover of “Kiss Me.” The Los Angeles-based host of Refinery 29’s “Body Image School” digital series and the face of Adore Me’s inclusive lingerie campaign, Simmons also advocates for child abuse victims with Sophie’s Place in Vancouver.
Many fans of reality TV are familiar with Mandana Dayani from her days on “The Rachel Zoe Project.” A former attorney and vice president of Zoe’s fashion empire, she offered a cool and calm presence on the sometimes frenetic series. Dayani has parlayed her love of vintage pieces, fashion and antiques into a new career with the tech start-up, Everything But the House (ebth.com), which makes estate sales accessible online.
Moviegoers have watched Christina Ricci grow up on screen. After earning rave reviews for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in 1991’s “The Addams Family,” she transitioned into more mature parts in films such as “Sleepy Hollow,” “Prozac Nation” and “Monster.” Her latest role is portraying Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald in Amazon Prime Video’s “Z: The Beginning of Everything.”
Based out of a small village 40 minutes outside of Paris, French film producer and “Mon amie americaine” author Michèle Halberstadt says, “I live in a house that used to be an old farm. Although it’s close to the city, I’m surrounded by nature. I’m 60 years old and I’ve read from an Italian writer that 50 is the old age of youth, and 60 is the youth of old age. I like that.”