Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Brian d’Arcy James said that when he was a young actor, he couldn’t have imagined landing prominent roles in three major projects in one year. “You never really aim to try to orchestrate these kinds of things,” said James, who this year is promoting a film (“The Family McMullen”), a series (“The Copenhagen Test”) and an off-Broadway show (“Anna Christie”).”
Actress Maria Sten moved from Copenhagen to New York City when she was 18. Her latest role is as journalist Liz Tremayne in the new DC Universe series, “Swamp Thing.” “Liz is incredibly scrappy and she never backs down from a challenge,” says Sten, 29. “She’s also overly curious by nature and always wants to know everything that’s going on around her. You’d probably get no sleep at all (traveling with her), but you’d have a hell of an adventure.”
An avid traveler who has written for television (“American Dad,” “The Office,” “30 Rock”) and received an Emmy nomination (“Late Show with David Letterman”), Steve Hely also hosts the popular podcast, “The Great Debates.” His latest project is “The Wonder Trail: True Stories from Los Angeles to the End of the World,” where he writes about his adventures traveling from his home in Los Angeles to Patagonia.
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.”
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.