Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Modeling runs in Hunter McGrady’s family. Her mother, aunt and grandmother all modeled. And she, too, started modeling when she was 16. At nearly 6-foot tall, McGrady grew disheartened when agents told her she should trim a little fat from her already gaunt, size two body. Now 23, McGrady is one of the most popular “plus size” models, having recently appeared in Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue.
Moviegoers have watched Christina Ricci grow up on screen. After earning rave reviews for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in 1991’s “The Addams Family,” she transitioned into more mature parts in films such as “Sleepy Hollow,” “Prozac Nation” and “Monster.” Her latest role is portraying Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald in Amazon Prime Video’s “Z: The Beginning of Everything.”
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.
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.”
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).”
Though Sterling K. Brown has been acting for 15 years, he earned “overnight sensation” status with his Emmy-winning performance as Chris Darden in the FX miniseries, “The People v. O.J. Simpson.” He returns to television in the new NBC series “This Is Us,” which premieres on Sept. 20. The actor also will appear in the films “Marshall” later this year, and, in 2017, M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split.”
Sixteen years after Tia Mowry became a household name on the sitcom, “Sister, Sister,” the busy actress stars in two series. She appears on TV Land’s “Instant Mom” and “Tia Mowry at Home,” her own lifestyle show on the Cooking Channel. Married to actor Cory Hardrict, she says her family travels all the time and never tires of it.
Cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri are the hosts of the HGTV television series “America’s Most Desperate Kitchens.” Based out of New Jersey, Carrino, 36, and Colaneri, 34, travel constantly for work. Despite this, they say that they still enjoy traveling for fun. Carrino just returned from a motorcycle trip around Italy. And Colaneri says he looks forward to taking another road trip, like the kind he took as a kid with his parents. “Experience and do as much as you can while traveling,” Colaneri says. “This is the time to get adventurous and immerse in the culture.”
“Traveling opens your eyes to different cultures,” says “UnREAL” actress Constance Zimmer. “I have learned that there are many, many people living in countries with so much less than what we have and they sometimes seem much happier (than us).”
“There is nothing I love more than to travel,” says actress Bellamy Young, who portrays the first lady of the United States of America, Melody Grant, on the ABC drama “Scandal.” “I want to see everything before my hips stop working. If I had two months off, I would work my way right around the world. That’s what I would do. I always have a spinning kind of globe in my house and have been really lucky to have visited a lot of places around the world. But there’s still so much more out there that I want to see.”
“When I was 11, I went to Puerto Rico for a month to stay with my grandmother,” says Andrea Navedo of “Jane the Virgin.” “To see the way people lived there and experience my own culture was wonderful. It helped give me insight into my own cultural identity. I remember that the food and coffee there was amazing.”
“Wild Card” actress Dominik Garcia-Lorido remembers spending time in Italy while her father, Andy Garcia, filmed “The Godfather: Part III”: “I still remember the school I went to and what the hallway looked like, what our house was like and all that. I went to an American school, so I didn’t learn to speak Italian, which is a shame. But, Italy is still my favorite place to go.”
British mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins is known for her beautiful voice. Over the past decade, she has performed with opera legends such as Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Jenkins — who also was a runner-up on “Dancing with the Stars” — spends much of her time touring and has performed in South Africa, China, Abu Dhabi, Europe and the United States.
“I didn’t make it to Perth, but I went all over Australia,” says actress Carla Renata. “I was working over there long enough that I could take vacations. If I could figure out a way to make a living there, I would move there. The food is to die for. Everything is fresh and prepared spectacularly and the people are really loving and warm. The theater and arts scene is wonderful.”
Author Dianne Hales says, “If you were to offer me a ticket almost anywhere, but I had to leave in an hour, I wouldn’t hesitate. There’s nothing I need that can’t be bought somewhere.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to travel from a young age,” says actress and jewelry designer Katie Barberi. “I’ve grown up seeing so much diversity and beauty in different cultures. I draw inspiration from that all the time.”
“My favorite trip to Italy was my post-college backpacking trip and my best friend and I ended up in Cinque Terre,” says “Family Guy” actress Alex Borstein. “It’s a small stretch on the Italian coast that’s made up of five magical-looking villages.”
As a child, Sarah Piampiano dreamed of being an Olympian. But, as an adult, she figured her life as an investment banker would prevent her from becoming a full-time athlete. Five years ago, she made a lifestyle switch, quitting her job, moving to the West Coast and devoting all her time and energy into becoming a pro triathlete. Piampiano, 34, says that switching from finance to the world of elite athletes hasn’t been the easiest transition, but one for which she has a passion.
Best known for her roles on “JAG” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” Zoe McLellan stars as Meredith Brody in the hit CBS series “NCIS: New Orleans.” The actress, who was born in California and raised in Washington, is based out of Louisiana, where her series is filmed. “I currently reside in New Orleans and have never felt more at home anywhere in my life,” McLellan says. ‘It’s in my blood now.”
In her new book, “The Beat of My Own Drum: A Memoir,” musician Sheila E. talks candidly about her rise to fame, her engagement to Prince and the backstory to how Lionel Richie ended up adopting her niece, Nicole.