Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Founder and CEO of Motivating the Masses, Inc., Lisa Nichols was once a single mom relying on public assistance to help make ends meet. Now a motivational speaker and best-selling author, Nichols says she feels grateful to be able to help others. The 49-year-old California resident’s latest book is “Abundance Now: Amplify Your Life and Achieve Prosperity Today” (Dey Street Books, $25.99).
Sold as a romantic comedy, “My Love From Another Star” definitely delivers on that front. But it’s also a wonderful story about true love, alienation and sacrifice.
Born in New York and raised in North Carolina, where she played basketball for the Tar Heels, Jessica Breland has overcome so much to get to where she is today. The summer before her senior year of college, Breland was excited thinking about all the places she wanted to visit before school started. Instead, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and spent the next half-year undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
On the surface, “Coffee Prince” is your standard boy-meets-girl romantic comedy with a few roadblocks thrown in for good measure. Thanks to the chemistry shared by the attractive leads (Gong Yoo and Yoo Eun Hye), the series is highly watchable and I understand why so many fans are repeat viewers. But beneath the cute exterior, the series deals with issues such as sexual confusion, gender roles and poverty.
For the early part of his career, Ralph Covert was known for his rock band, the Bad Examples. These days, his fans span a wider age range, thanks to his children’s music group Ralph’s World. “It’s fun performing for audiences whether they are four years old or grandparents,” says the Chicago-based musician. “When they get up and sing and dance along, it makes the concerts so much more fun.”
One of the things that I really enjoy about the “Answer Me” trilogy is the lifelong friendships that that characters share. Whereas the first two series focused primarily on the teenagers, “Answer Me 1988” delves into the backstories of their parents as well. And that, to me, made this chapter a standout. The parents’ storylines were as interesting–if not more–than the who-will-she-marry premise that is predominant in each of the “Answer Me” installments.
Grammy Award-winning musician Angelique Kidjo says that being named UNICEF’s International Goodwill ambassador in 2002 has been a fulfilling part of her life. “It gave me the opportunity to travel to all the other continents and meet incredible women who carry the continents on their shoulders,” says the New York-based artist. “They are the main inspiration behind my songs.”
“Answer Me 1994” aims to leave viewers guessing as to which man Na Jung will marry. But more interesting is the lifelong friendship that these seven college roommates share.
Chef and restaurateur Tim Love is one of the stars of CNBC’s series “Restaurant Startup.” The reality show helps potential restaurateurs by investing money in new restaurants. He says one way he keeps on top of culinary trends is via travel. “Cooking is really not the hard part,” says Love, 44. “When you travel, you experience different cultures and see how they do different things. This inspires me to incorporate new ideas and experiment with different cuisines, ingredients and flavors.”
Everything that “How I Met Your Mother” did wrong (including its series finale), “Answer Me 1997” does right. Funny and poignant with superb acting by the entire cast, the series tells the story of 6 childhood friends whose lives are intertwined through adulthood. Kudos to K-pop Hoya (of the group Infinite) for his thoughtful (and unstereotypical) portrayal of a gay teenager who is in love with his best friend; and to the writers for not portraying it as “weird.”