Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Born in Texas and raised in Florida, Candice Accola is best known for her portrayal of Caroline Forbes on the CW series “The Vampire Diaries.” An avid traveler who counts her passport as one of her prized possessions, the 25-year-old actress says, “I don’t think I could have a genuine relationship with someone who didn’t love to travel and appreciate new foods. Traveling is a big part of my life, and I want to share that with the people close to me.”
“I like to travel to places you’d expect a 10-year-old kid to like,” says author R.L. Stine. “I love big, crazy resort places like Disney World. This is so bad for my horror image, but I would like to live at Disney World! I love being with thousands of people walking around there. My other favorite place is the Atlantis (in the Bahamas). I try to go at least once a year. It’s so much fun and it’s crazy. Everything’s twice as big as it needs to be. There’s all these swimming pools and restaurants, with beaches everywhere, a huge aquarium, that enormous casino … it’s just amazing.”
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jonny Moseley first saw snow when his family moved to Northern California. The mogul skier would go on to compete at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where he won the first American gold of the Games. Since then, he’s hosted shows for MTV, was named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, got married and became a father. He has also added the title of “guru” to his resume. Moseley is one of ZOZI.com’s celebrity guides, who lead everyday folks on adventures.
Best road trip ever for comic actor Seth Rogen? “When I was 16, my mom and I rented a car in Israel and drove around for a couple weeks. It was fun. I’m pretty easy maintenance, which is a good thing, since I have to travel so much for work.”
Naming her current CD “33 1/3” came easily for Shemekia Copeland. The title refers to her love of vinyl records, the number of revolutions an album makes per minute on a turntable and her age when the CD was released this past September. Having spent more than half her life in the music business, Copeland has performed with notable artists such as Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger and B.B. King, but says singing at the White House for President Obama and the first lady easily was one of her proudest moments.
One of Pat Benatar’s best-known songs is “Love is a Battlefield.” But for the four-time Grammy-winning singer and her long-time husband, guitarist Neil Giraldo, 57, love is hardly a struggle. The couple has collaborated for more than three decades, with Giraldo writing and arranging some of her biggest hits. Thanks to a prolific touring schedule, the twosome has been around the world and say they get along famously, whether on tour or on vacation. Benatar, 59, and Giraldo are so in tune with each other that they often speak as one, finishing each other’s sentences. For upcoming tour information, check out http://benatargiraldo.com.
Though she was born into rock royalty, Wendy Wilson says she never felt she deserved fame. That was reserved for her superstar father, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. But neither she nor her older sister, Carnie, could resist pursuing a career in music. As one third of the sing group Wilson Phillips, Wendy toured the world. The group’s latest effort is the DVD “Live From Infinity Hall,” which includes covers of such songs as “Monday Monday,” “California Dreamin’” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Wilson, 43, resides in California’s San Fernando Valley with her husband and four children.
Jai Rodriguez became a household name as the culture vulture on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” The 33-year-old entertainer, however, has gone back to his acting roots and is co-starring in the ABC sitcom “Malibu Country,” starring Reba McEntire. In the series, Rodriguez plays a record label employee who befriends McEntire’s character. Rodriguez is also the co-creator and co-executive producer of Logo’s reality series “Bad Sex,” which is currently in production for its second season.
Marti Frederiksen has written songs with an array of artists, including Carrie Underwood, Gavin Rossdale and Buckcherry. But it’s his long-time collaborations with Steven Tyler that stand out. On Aerosmith’s latest album, “Music From Another Dimension,” Frederiksen wrote “Can’t Stop Loving You” with Tyler, who sings duet on the song with Underwood. “It’s really amazing to think about some of these amazing artists I’ve worked with,” says Frederiksen, 50. “Each of them has such a distinct style and I got to be a part of that.”
Los Angeles-based actress Tracey Heggins knows how fortunate she is. Besides appearing in Common’s indie film “LUV,” the statuesque actress also plays Senna — one of the Amazonian vampires — in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.” “It was so much fun shooting ‘Twilight’ in Squamish (which is halfway between Whistler and Vancouver, B.C.),” says Heggins. “It was a really amazing experience. Then we shot in Baton Rouge going up to New Orleans. There’s no city like New Orleans. We went into all these little voodoo stores, which were interesting. I love the French Quarter. They did a great job of making the French Quarter look like France. I remember when I was in France; I kept thinking how much it reminded me of New Orleans!”