Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“When I was three years old, my mom picked me up from daycare and surprised me with a trip to Disney World,” said “Turner & Hooch” actress Carra Patterson. “We were living in Florida at the time, so it was a short road trip for us. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to go on a spontaneous road trip to meet Mickey Mouse and Cinderella in person.”
“You can hear these influences a lot in my music wrapped up in a little pop bow, of course,” said musician Kentö. “I grew up listening to singers from all over the world like Freddie Mercury, Ivete Sangalo, Ayumi Hamasaki and Sylvie Vartan. (They’re) very different artists, but all iconic voices that I tried to emulate growing up and, in my own way, shaped the style and tone of my voice today.”
“My father was a sailor from Singapore who met my mum in the United Kingdom,” said “The Suicide Squad” actress Mayling Ng. “(When I was a child), he took us to Singapore and it changed who I was and how I saw the world. I really connected to my culture and started to actively do martial arts and watched more Hong Kong cinema than Western growing up.”
“I don’t necessarily remember the best shows, because the bombs always hit so much harder,” said stand-up comic and “Black Monday” actor Yassir Lester. “There’s plenty of fun shows, but my worst one was in a place called Mesquite, Nevada. A woman ran up to the stage to give me the middle finger during my set and said, ‘You f—— suck!’ That, and in Long Beach one time a dude heckled me just by saying, ‘Look at you with all that acne on ya face!’ Crowd loved it and I was devastated.”
“My whole life, I have heard the word American as shorthand for white, Black and white Hispanic (or) Latinx,” said Nobody’s Girl singer/songwriter, BettySoo. “As a kid who never grasped fluency with the Korean language, I very much felt like a person without a homeland to claim and without a homeland to claim me. I have always felt like a Texan and an American, but as I get older, I become less convinced I will ever be seen as fully Texan nor American by others.”
Tanaye White has put aside her career in defense and aerospace to concentrate on modeling, which includes a photoshoot for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.
“I really feel like the pandemic gave me a chance to grow and get to know myself more,” said “Blindspotting” actress Jaylen Barron. “I’ve discovered things about myself that a year and a half ago I wouldn’t even think I would like or dislike.”
“The worst vacations are the ones where they’re so packed full of excursions and things to do that you need to book a recovery vacation after your first vacation,” according to “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals” host Megan Batoon.
“You have to be willing to try new things and experiment (when traveling),” said “All American” actress Alondra Delgado. “I am very picky with food, but now I’ve learned to just give things a try, because every place has its own thing and food connects you a lot to the culture.”
“My wife and I have taken frequent road trips in order to ensure our sanity during this tumultuous time,” said actor Gregg Daniel (“True Blood,” “7th and Union”). “There are several places heading due north we love visiting, especially the coastal communities – Ventura, Ojai, Summerland, Montecito and Santa Barbara.”