Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Tanna Frederick thrives when she’s juggling multiple projects. A co-founder of the Iowa Film Festival and creator of the nonprofit Project Save Our Surf, she is also an avid surfer and holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. Frederick, who co-starred opposite James Denton in “Ovation,” recently won positive reviews for her work in Carl Weathers’ stage production of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.”
Not too long ago, I fell down and ripped the top layer of skin off my knee. As the wound started to heal, the scab, too, started to fall off. But enough of it was still dangling from my knee to be uncomfortable. To many people who don’t want to hear about white privilege, I am that scab. My experiences, words and I are annoying reminders that life isn’t always what you want it to be.
“Everyone in England is very snobbish about Los Angeles, saying there’s no culture, it’s movie orientated (and you have to) drive everywhere,” says author Charles Elton. “A few years ago, I rented a house in the Hollywood Hills for the summer and took my children. People were amazed I didn’t rent a villa in Tuscany like everybody in England does. My answer was that the Hollywood Hills look like Tuscany, the food is better, there are first-run movies and shopping malls. What’s not to like?”
The heroine of this Korean drama is the epitome of a long-suffering doormat, whose life would’ve been so much better if she grew a spine and stood up for herself. Instead of being guilted into giving up her hard-earned money — that she had ear-marked for returning to college — to her ungrateful older half-sister, who is “studying” overseas in the United States; or giving up her own body, so that she can pay for her father’s surgery; or letting virtually everyone treat her like a servant … Eun-Nim just swallows her pride and accepts it as her life.
Born in Iowa and raised in Hawaii, actress Kiersten Warren (“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” “13 Going on 30,” “Bunheads”) spent her youth traveling the world, singing in Baptist churches with her parents. After modeling in Japan for the likes of Fuji Film, Warren returned to the United States to launch her acting career. Her first role was on “Magnum P.I.” Warren resides in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter and has recently completed work on the horror film, “The Invisible Mother.”
“I live in sunny Mountain View, California — the best place on earth,” says Emmy Award-winning journalist Carlos Watson. “It’s home to Google, Linkedin, What’s App, 23 and Me and, of course, OZY!” As the CEO of OZY, Watson takes pride in producing programs such as “Third Rail with OZY.”
I do believe that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. But it’s clear that for many people, who say these offensive things, they refuse to see beauty in men who they view as inferior. More than a decade ago, I wrote a piece about Asian-American actors. And the response from women was overwhelmingly positive. But several men felt compelled to e-mail the newspaper to inform us that Asian men are ugly and that no one in their right mind would find them sexy.
White men have been preternaturally obsessed with trying to emasculate Asian men since forever. I want my Asian-American son to know: It is their issue to deal with. Not yours.
When we lived in Korea, my mother used to pack beautiful and delicious dosiraks (도시락) for my siblings to eat at school. By the time I started school, we had already immigrated to the United States, and I was sent to school with my lunch in either a brown paper sack or my favorite Archies lunch box.
Comic Kendra Cunningham says, “The worst trip I ever took was with my family. We went to Maine. We got there and the hotel was really scary. Light fixtures missing bulbs, people hanging out in the hallways, the rooms seemed dirty. We barricaded the door, but we never made it through the night. We packed up around 2 a.m. and drove home.”
The first Korean film to be shot in the Caribbean, “Way Back Home” was shot in a real women’s prison, with some of the actual guards and detainees serving as background characters. The filmmakers clearly believe that while Jang Mi-Jeong (the woman on whom the movie is based) may have been guilty, her crime was less egregious than the way the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handled her case.
I am really lucky. My son has been a great traveler from the get-go, whether we’re flying or taking a looooooooong road trip. My husband and I started taking him on trips with us when he was a baby, and I believe that helped him adapt easily to being on the road. Traveling with children doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Sure, changes of environment can be tough, but bringing the comforts of home with you can make a tremendous difference.
Before Stephanie Hollman landed a starring role on Bravo’s reality series, “The Real Housewives of Dallas,” she was a social worker, helping homeless women and children, as well as victims of domestic violence. Hollman resides in Dallas with her husband, Travis, and their two sons, Chance and Cruz.
Located near Bourbon Street and Jackson Square, the W New Orleans is located in a great area that made it easy to walk to restaurants, music venues and sites.
Former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski is a physician, inventor and once ranked among the top 10 American luge competitors during the 1988 Olympics Trials. He may now add author to his impressive resume, thanks to his memoir, “The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed” (Little A, $24.95).
“I am always deeply influenced when I go to Korea. It is an endless source of inspiration for me. I have ties there, so it is special. But I also approach it as an outsider and learn new techniques and cooking traditions. I always look forward to going back again and again.” — Chef Edward Lee, star of “Culinary Genius” and “Fermented.”
A Krispy Kreme donut and Elvis Presley dancing. If you can think of a better way to wake up in Memphis, do let me know! It felt really special visiting Graceland and staying overnight at the Guest House at Graceland. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was so excited to be there, that I selfied my way through the visit. I don’t need to share those photos publicly though.
“I live in Manly, (near) Sydney,” says Australian filmmaker Mark Lamprell, one of the co-writers of “Babe: Pig in the City.” “It’s a magical part of the world — a spit of land with an ocean beach on one side and Sydney Harbour on the other. You can catch a ferry into the city center in 20 minutes.” Lamprell is also the author of the book, “One Summer Day in Rome” (Flatiron Books, $24.99). We talked with him about his travels in general and Rome in particular.
