Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Less than seven months after xikers debuted, the 10-man Korean pop group has already released two EPs and is currently on their first headlining world tour – which includes a Chicago concert at the Patio Theater on October 24.
“When I was younger, touring sometimes resembled a party that you never had to clean up after,” Tom Heyman said from his San Francisco home. “The first time I went to Europe, we had a driver/road manager, and it was a revelation to be rolling down the road and drinking before and after the gig, not having to worry about who was sober enough to drive. When I got older and stopped drinking, touring became much more about trying to get enough sleep, eat right and to really try and connect with the audience in a meaningful way.”
Known for originating the role of Girl Scout in the Broadway production of “Beetlejuice,” Dana Steingold is one of the stars of Jason Alexander’s directorial debut, “The Cottage.”
It is a stiflingly hot day in Seoul. But when Kim Jin-kwon – known professionally as Jinkwon – arrives for an interview at the Somerset Palace in the heart of the city, he appears cool in every sense of the word. The college student, 22, has a lot on his plate. Besides being the leader of the K-pop group Newkidd, he’s an actor who’s currently filming a new series.
After touring and playing guitar for Firefall for just shy of 50 years, founding member Jock Bartley knows a thing or two about making travel more pleasant: “Don’t fight what’s going on, accept and deal with whatever comes on the road and be polite and mild-mannered – but have good boundaries.”
Eric Nam graduated from Boston College, worked as a business analyst at Deloitte Consulting in New York, co-founded the platforms DIVE Studios and Mindset … and is set to embark on a 7-month world tour to promote his latest album “House on a Hill.”
“Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nischelle Turner said, “I don’t consider anywhere I go for work a vacation. When I’m off, I’m off!”
“It’s fun to write lyrics inspired by travel because I feel like the concept of travel is quite similar to life in terms of new challenges,” said “The Uncanny Counter” star Kim Sejeong. “I’ve written tracks for this album over the past two years, so I believe my trips have been blended into the lyrics.”
Carla Patullo’s latest album “So She Howls” was borne out of tragedy. Years ago, her mother died in a car accident after having dinner at her apartment. “I struggled with the guilt of her visiting me that night,” said Patullo. “It was very hard to process.”
Jose Llana is excited to reprise his role in the David Byrne and Fatboy Slim Broadway musical “Here Lies Love.” “I play President Ferdinand Marcos [who was] the husband of Imelda Marcos,” said Llana, who had previously earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his portrayal of Marcos during the show’s Off-Broadway run.
For viewers wondering whether Daniel Augustin’s “Rap Sh!t” character will show any growth in the second season of the HBO Max series, the actor himself offered his opinion in an interview conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
When the pandemic derailed Beth Bombara’s plans to tour, she took that time to concentrate on new music. It was then that she rediscovered a neglected guitar she had stored away, which became instrumental in her songwriting process. It was a classical guitar, “[which] means it looks like an acoustic guitar, but it has nylon strings and a nice warm tone,” she said
It is midnight in Seoul when Shownu and Hyungwon log on for our Zoom interview. Despite the late hour – which they chose, rather than asking western media to stay up late for them – the two members of the South Korean group Monsta X show no signs of fatigue. They are dressed in immaculate white T-shirts and easily riff off each other as they share their views about their music and life in general.
For her upcoming novel “The Apology” (Little, Brown and Company) – which releases on Aug. 1 – Jimin Han culled on years of memories for parts of her book. “I’ve had fragments of it written out on my laptop for years but never knew what to do with them,” said Han, who resides with her family outside of New York City.
In the Netflix series “XO, Kitty” – which has been renewed for a second season – Peter Thurnwald plays the role of a high school teacher who happens to be a Korean adoptee who grew up in Australia. In real life, Thurnwald also was adopted from South Korea to Australian parents.
“The first show I did with the Go-Go’s was in 1978 at a legendary punk club called the Masque,” Belinda Carlisle said from her Mexico City home. “We played three songs – well, one song actually twice. The stage was about 12 inches off the ground. It was packed with kids. When we started in ’77, the punk scene (in Los Angeles) was small, but it grew really quickly. Everybody knew each other and was very supportive.”
For Molly Leary, giving up her music career in Austin to move back to California’s Gold Country was a no brainer. Both her young daughters had been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and California had the kind of resources to treat children with special needs that weren’t available to them in Texas. Another bonus was that Leary’s family lived nearby. Though she still performs occasionally when her boyfriend – the guitarist and songwriter Charlie Sexton – asks her to join him on stage, the entrepreneur said she’s fulfilled curating her one-of-a-kind online clothing store Squash Blossom Vintage.
With her first memoir “All You Can Ever Know,” Nicole Chung candidly offered personal reflections on being a transracial adoptee. The bestselling author’s latest book “A Living Remedy” (Ecco) deals with grief, classism and America’s broken healthcare system, which contributed to the deaths of both her adoptive parents.
“I’m Black and I grew up in the South, so I can only say that I’ve heard certain countries aren’t friendly to minorities,” said “Walker” actress Kearran Giovanni. “But honestly, I’ve felt unwelcome in places within my own country my whole life so nothing can shock me at this point. It wouldn’t stop me.”
A rapper, singer, songwriter and producer, Kim Han-bin has been known professionally as B.I since his 2015 debut with the South Korean group iKON. The multi-hyphenate musician is a solo artist now and is promoting his latest album, “To Die For.” That title along with the promotional poster’s YOLO message – dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today – may lead people to speculate that the 26-year-old musician’s own mortality was on his mind when he composed his songs.