Press Passes

I have a slew of press passes from concerts and red carpet events. The event that I was thrilled to cover was the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. John Kennedy Jr. was there and, as could be expected, he was very charismatic and charming. But the celebrity I was most excited to see was…Chris Rock! He and his date were alone behind a roped off area.

Go Away With … Misty Copeland

Ballerina Misty Copeland has the distinction of being one of the few African-American soloists in the world of ballet. In her newly released memoir “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina” (Touchstone Hardcover, $24.99), Copeland chronicles her tumultuous childhood, a late start in dance (she was 13) and joining the American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet as a teenager.

Go Away With … RuPaul

RuPaul talks to me about some of his travels, including his early trips: “Well, my father was a gambler. We lived in San Diego at the time. He’d take us down to the race tracks. He’d take us to Tijuana. I would’ve preferred to do something else at the time. But looking back, they were good memories.”

Go Away With … Alana Blanchard

Surfer Alana Blanchard says the food in Sri Lanka was amazing: “We went to this town and went to this little restaurant that used to be a house and paid something like $2 for all-you-can-eat vegetables with spices. It was such a treat for me, because I’m vegan.”