Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Fans love to hate Joe Morton’s portrayal of Rowan (Olivia Pope’s father) on the hit ABC drama, “Scandal.” The actor, 68, remembers, “I was in Williamstown, Mass., to see some plays and this woman came up to me and said, ‘I didn’t recognize you right away, but I knew I hated you!’” Laughing, he adds, “We had a lovely long conversation after that. But people do react to my role on ‘Scandal.’”
“Many of the winemakers crush the grapes in the streets in front of their houses,” says David Baker, the author of “Vintage.” “They make the wine in their basements.” Where is this magical place that only seems to exist on “I Love Lucy”? Read my interview with the Oregonain to find out.
“The first trip I took with my family was to Disney World and I absolutely loved it!” says actress Tamera Mowry. “I was 16 years old and we did the Mickey Mouse Club tour and I got to meet Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. I hope to share a Disney experience with my family in the coming years. It’s such a fun and exciting trip for the whole family!”
Besides acting, Nicole Ari Parker co-founded Sophie’s Voice Foundation (www.sophiesvoicefoundation.org), to raise awareness for global health and wellness initiatives in multicultural communities. The fashionista also created Save Your Do, a stylish headband for women who work out.
James Wilder may best be known for his acting skills (“Melrose Place,” “Murder One,” “Equal Justice”), but he’s also an architect and designer whose work was featured on HGTV. Wilder designs leather jackets. And he can still juggle things on fire, like he used to when he was a teenage street performer. Wilder, 46, costars in the upcoming indie thriller “3 Holes and a Smoking Gun.”
“It’s hard not to be changed by traveling to India,” says “Anger Management” actress Noureen DeWulf. “My trips there have really impacted me as a person. I have gratitude in very a deep way for my life and my career. When you see the kind of poverty that exists there, and people struggling on such a primal level, it stays with you forever.”
Best known for her roles on “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “What I Like About You,” Jennie Garth is showing fans another side of herself in “The Jennie Garth Project,” a new reality series in which the 42-year-old actress works with a contractor to remodel an outdated California house. Based out of Los Angeles, where she resides with her three children, Garth released her memoir, “Deep Thoughts from a Hollywood Blonde” earlier this year.
For ESPN sportscaster Chris Fowler and his wife, Jennifer Dempster, travel is a way of life. “We never get sick of it,” says Fowler, 51. “Travel really is our vice, moreso than any possessions. We will spend money to enjoy a nice trip and see a place we haven’t visited before.” Fowler, whose duties include hosting “College GameDay” and ESPN’s tennis coverage, also is Brent Musburger’s play-by-play replacement for ABC’s “Saturday Night Football.”
Three years ago, musician Brian Culbertson and his wife started the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway. “It’s what I call a lifestyle event where you come in for several days and listen to great jazz concerts, enjoy meals and hang out late at night,” says Culbertson, who splits his time between the West Coast and Chicago.
Back in the day, Joseph Simmons was best known to music fans as DJ Run, one of the founding members of Run-D.M.C. Now 49 and a practicing minister, Simmons is familiar to a new generation of fans as Rev Run, the television personality. He and his wife, Justine, star in their current HGTV reality series “Rev Run’s Renovation.”