Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Based out of Miami, journalist Kimberly Brooks is co-anchor of “Nightline on Fusion.” The TV personality — who got her start working at Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios — is also the host of Fusion’s latest documentary, “O Girls,” which checks in on the progress of five of the young women who were amongst the first to graduate from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
Joe Mantegna won a Tony Award for his performance in David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Glengarry Glen Ross,” co-starred in “The Godfather Part III” and is the voice of Fat Tony on “The Simpsons.” But television viewers know him best as FBI agent David Rossi on the CBS procedural “Criminal Minds,” which airs Wednesdays. Born and raised in Chicago, he resides in the Los Angeles area, where he and his wife, Arlene, own a restaurant called Taste Chicago.
Olympian Kelsey Robinson helped Team USA win the bronze medal in volleyball at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, but her love of basketball is evident by the number on the back of her team jersey — 23. The number, of course, is in honor of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, but it also makes her feel close to her Chicago-area roots, says Robinson, 24.
Actor Russell Hornsby is technically based out of Los Angeles, but he has lived in Portland for the past six years working on the NBC series “Grimm.” His latest role is opposite Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in the feature film adaptation of “Fences,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by August Wilson: “We filmed in Pittsburgh, which is the setting for ‘Fences.’ It added a level of authenticity and the city became another character. My father is from there and I had been there as a young child, but it felt like this was my first real time in Pittsburgh. It’s a burgeoning city that came out of the rubble of the steel mill and created a new identity. The city offers so much and has also become a very foodie-friendly city that embraces artists. I look forward to returning.”
Nelufar Hedayat, 28, was just 6 years old when she and her family fled the Taliban and war-torn Afghanistan. Her experiences as a refugee and immigrant helped shape her desire to make a difference. While working for the BBC, she interviewed Malala Yousafzai for the TV documentary, “Shot for Going to School.” Hedayat’s current project is the Fusion docuseries “The Traffickers,” where she delves into subjects such as the illegal selling of human organs and sex.
Lauren Blumenfeld is working on two series, including “Nightcap,” the latest from Pop and Lionsgate. In 2017, you may see her on CBS in the Katherine Heigl legal procedural “Doubt.” When she gets some time off from work, the busy actress says she’d like to head to Tennessee: “I’m a big Dolly Parton fan, so Dollywood is definitely on my list (of places to visit).”
Joan Benedict Steiger lived a glamorous life during Hollywood’s golden era. The resilient actress has survived the deaths of two husbands, including Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger. Still, she has fond memories of her life that she reflects upon in her memoir, “Brooklyn Baby: A Hollywood Star’s Amazing Journey through Love, Loss and Laughter” (BearManor Media, $24.95).
Broadway star Megan Hilty won rave reviews for her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch in “Wicked” and was nominated for a Tony Award for her characterization of Brooke Ashton in “Noises Off.” Her latest projects include a holiday CD, “A Merry Little Christmas,” and a co-starring role in the Warren Beatty film, “Rules Don’t Apply.”
Blogger Karen Alpert details the day-to-day humor (and struggles) of raising young children on her Baby Sideburns website. For instance, her son got a painful ear infection during a recent family getaway, “because when you pay thousands and thousands of dollars for a vacation, it’s mandatory that one of your rugrats gets sick.”
“Impastor” actor Michael Rosenbaum says, “I always remember going to New York for the holidays with the family. It was always hell, but there were a lot of good times. Just waking up at my grandmother Ruthy’s house in Long Island on Christmas morning and driving into a rarely empty Manhattan was pretty memorable. There’s nothing like New York during Christmastime — ice-skating, Central Park, hot chocolate, Macy’s, FAO Schwarz. I bought a fake Rolex on the street. It didn’t work then and it doesn’t now.”