Month: March 2010

“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” — Season One

Jae-Ha Kim

The conceit of Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise is to showcase women who make the fictional characters on ABC’s Desperate Housewives seem like amateurs. And in that sense, The Real Housewives of New Jersey is successful. The women certainly are colorful, but as interesting? No. Still, it’s easy to see why this series is popular. The women are pretty enough, plenty catty, and some are even downright diabolical. They’re kind of what Heidi from The Hills might grow up to become 10 or 15 years down the line.

Go Away With … Todd Rundgren

Jae-Ha Kim

Rock legend Todd Rundgren has been performing for more than 40 years. Best known for hits such as “Hello It’s Me,” “I Saw the Light” and “Bang the Drum All Day,” Rundgren is currently on tour. The 61-year-old Pennsylvania-born musician now resides in Hawaii. “I used to live in Upstate New York where we got incredibly bitter cold for weeks on end,” Rundgren says. “And I remember the winters from growing up in Pennsylvania. I have no desire to relive them.”

Go Away With … Larry Miller

Jae-Ha Kim

Actor-comedian Larry Miller is well known for his appearances on “Seinfeld,” “Mad About You” and the feature film “10 Things I Hate About You.” He also co-stars in the ABC Family television series based on the movie, which begins its second season on Monday, March 29. Of his travel schedule, Miller, 53, says, “Once you get married and have kids, and the kids have teams that play on the weekends, and I do shows on the weekends. … If my wife and I get one lone Saturday night free? Believe me, a fire and a drink and holding hands downstairs for 10 minutes is the best getaway possible.” Still, he’d love to get away to Hawaii one day.

Go Away With … Shutterfly’s Jeff Housenbold

Jae-Ha Kim

Jeff Housenbold uses Shutterfly to process all the pictures he takes on vacation. Of course, he gets a little break since he’s the president and CEO of the online photo company. A resident of Atherton, Calif., where he resides with his wife and three sons, Housenbold, 40, travels often for business and pleasure. While the warm islands of Hawaii are family favorites, the Housenbolds look forward to upcoming trips to Israel and Ireland.

Go Away With … Marilu Henner

Jae-Ha Kim

Actress and bestselling author Marilu Henner is an avid traveler who isn’t afraid to go away alone, or with a plane full of relatives. These days, though, she enjoys taking road trips with her husband and two sons. “There’s something about being on the road — taking turns putting on different CDs — that really bonds a family together,” says Henner, 57. “You also get some of the best pictures from these types of vacations.”

Go Away With … Larenz Tate

Jae-Ha Kim

Larenz Tate has been in Oscar-winning films and critically-acclaimed TV shows (“Ray,” “Crash,” “Rescue Me”), but to his young children, he’s just the “blueberry pancake guy.” “They have no idea what I do for a living,” says the 34-year-old actor, who resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. “They just know that I make the best pancakes.” Tate loves to travel with his family and talks about a recent trip to paradise — the Dominican Republic.

“Tell Them Anything You Want”

Jae-Ha Kim

Tell Them Anything You Want is an intriguing documentary focusing on Maurice Sendak, the curmudgeonly children’s author who wrote Where the Wild Things Are. Filmmakers Spike Jonze (who directed the film version of that book) and Lance Bangs have a compelling subject to work with in Tell Them Anything You Want. Viewers don’t have to be fans of Sendak’s books to enjoy this film.