Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
My theory about ice cream (and most desserts) is that if I’m going to consume all those empty calories, I want it to be reallllllllly good and worthwhile. I’m really lucky, because one of our friends works for Häagen-Dazs and is very generous sharing ice cream with his friends. But my family really enjoys making our own.
To be honest, I didn’t know food tents like this even existed. The first time I saw anything like this was on “Oh My Venus.” One of the characters makes food for her boyfriend and leaves it under a small food tent for him. I thought, “What a great idea!” And then I forgot about it. I’m not sure how durable these things are yet. But, if and when it breaks, I will come back and report what made it snap.
“You don’t have to give up carbs to lose weight,” says celebrity dietician Tanya Zuckerbrot. “I try to impart on my clients that fresh, unprocessed food and smaller portion sizes have a huge impact on healthy weight management.”
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.
We first met Lauren Conrad when she was a teenager on MTV’s reality series, “Laguna Beach” and its spinoff series, “The Hills.” Since then, Conrad, has translated her on-air popularity into the real world. A best-selling author (“L.A. Candy”), she has launched beauty and fashion lines, including Paper Crown. Her latest endeavor with co-founder Hannah Skvarla is The Little Market, an online store where the entrepreneurs promote fair trade for the artisans who provide their handmade products.
The main characters in K-dramas often demonstrate their love by attaching personalized padlocks on a fence on the tower’s observation deck. Tens of thousands of “love locks” can be found here. It’s a trend well established in cities such as Paris and Prague, but the tradition has taken on an added dimension in Seoul. While couples still attach locks to declare their love for one another, the fence has become a popular spot for adoptees and their adoptive parents to leave padlocks honoring the day they became a family.
“Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Cameron Mathison says that living in California makes it easy for his family to take mini vacations throughout the year. “We have so many options for an easy weekend getaway,” says the 46-year-old actor. “We have the ocean, mountain, forest and desert choices — all within a few hours.”
Asked to pick a favorite destination, Joanna Going didn’t hesitate: Newport (Rhode Island), where she grew up. “When I was 18, I took it for granted and was eager to move on to the bigger cities like Boston and then New York,” says the Los Angeles-based actress. “But I’ve been to enough places to have gained a greater appreciation for the beauty and rich culture of all of Rhode Island. I am grateful for all that it offered during my childhood.”
Author Allison Amend took her first trip as a baby, studied for a year at a Barcelona high school and came home speaking Catalan and then — after graduating from Stanford University — moved to Lyon (France) on a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship. Now based out of New York City, Amend, 41, counts the Big Apple, Chicago and Barcelona as three of her favorite cities. Her latest book is “Enchanted Islands” (Nan A. Talese, $26.95).
Andi Dorfman, formerly of “The Bachelorette” says, “My best vacation memory was eating at a hole-in-the-wall Korean barbecue restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It was one of my favorite meals. My worst memory has to be when I got food poisoning on a trip to Mexico. That was my first and last time drinking tap water there.”
If you commit a crime against a system that is gender biased, is it really a crime? And, just as importantly, should you be punished?
“There’s nothing better than getting paid to see my country and connect with the fans who gave me a career,” says Iliza Shlesinger, host of TBS’ relationship-based game show “Separation Anxiety” and a former winner of “Last Comic Standing.” The savvy world traveler says she is up for going anywhere, anytime: “I’m a travel fiend. If I’m in love, I want to go to Paris. And if I want to eat everything and get lost in someone’s culture, I’ll take anywhere in Asia. I loved Cambodia and I can’t wait to go back to Japan. I also loved Europe.”
“I admit I really only travel to places that have strong culinary cultures,” says chef Judy Joo. ? Word!
Production on “Descendants of the Sun” began just three months after Song Joong-Ki finished his mandatory two-year military duty in Korea. He displays an easygoing flair in the role of the charismatic leader of the Alpha Team. Even bulked up (for him), Song is slight of build and baby faced. At times, I wondered whether someone like So Ji-Sub would’ve been better cast in the role. But, what he lacks in brawn, Song makes up with magnetism. He has one of those faces that the camera loves.
As the daughter of Eagles rocker Joe Walsh, Lucy Walsh grew up with music. It didn’t surprise her famous family (her uncle via marriage is Ringo Starr) when she launched her own musical career. But, like her father, Lucy has also delved into acting. After roles in “Criminal Minds” and “NCIS,” she appears opposite Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston in the feature film, “Mother’s Day.” Her song, “On My Way,” is also featured in the soundtrack.
Author John Preston resides in London, England. Having traveled the world, he says that trips become more meaningful when you don’t set unrealistic expectations. “People often have this strange idea that if you go on holiday, you’ll leave all your problems behind,” says the 62-year-old author of “The Dig” (Other Press, $16.95). “You won’t, of course, and you may well find yourself with more time than usual to brood on them. It’s best not to set your sights too high, and simply bask in the unfamiliarity of it all.”
If you were given the opportunity to be reunited with your childhood love, would you do it? Hye-Jin jumps at the chance, because she has nothing but good memories of Sung-Joon.
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.”
“Cheese in the Trap” is a love story disguised as a psychological drama. Or, vice versa. The core of the story is about a group of damaged people who are struggling to survive.
Originally from Melbourne, Australia, designer Aimee Kestenberg moved to New York in 2007 to attend Parsons School for Design at the New School. “I am very proud to say that last year, I earned my U.S. citizenship!” says the 29-year-old entrepreneur. “(I return home) to Australia to be with my family during the holidays. It’s always really special and it’s summer time (there) during Christmas and Hanukkah!”