Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“Broadway has a long legacy connected to so many generations of groundbreaking talent,” said “Just in Time” choreographer Shannon Lewis. “New musicals are born on Broadway that have influence around the world. Also, the talents involved at every level are literally the best of the best. I have a 30-year career that spans from performing, to now choreographing, these special shows. I’m so honored to be a part of the history and the future.”
“Between filming and traveling, I mostly just go home to water my plants and check on my avocado tree,” said Eloise Mumford, who will next be seen in the Prime Video series “Cross.” “[The show] takes place in Washington, D.C., and the city is a huge part of the fabric of the series,” she said. “We filmed pivotal exteriors there. But as often is the case, the majority of the show was filmed somewhere else to double as D.C.”
“As a kid, many times we used to visit Puerto Rico to visit our grandparents for Christmas and New Year’s,” said “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Wilson Cruz. “But the trip that I remember the most was when we drove from Michigan to California in a U-Haul and a car.”
Most people have nothing nice to say about airline meals, but “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jaicy Elliot loves them. “I know most people hate it,” said the actress. “But I eat healthy all year long, so when I travel I enjoy some heavily-processed airplane food with a twist.”
“I turned 24 back in March and flew home from London, where I was most recently traveling, to make it back in time to co-celebrate my birthday with my twin sister,” said “The Hardy Boys” actress Keana Lyn. “We’ve never spent a birthday apart. As twins, we have quite the fixed rule about that.”
“When I was younger, I spent a month living in Belgrade, Serbia,” says “Shrill” actor Luka Jones. “But all I can recall from that time are some curse words!”
Best known as Isabelle Lightwood in “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments,” Mexican-Lebanese actress Emeraude Toubia says she thinks her television alter ego would have been a great travel companion. “She would be so fun,” says Toubia. “I am more of a stay at home and watch a movie kind of girl. But Isabelle would definitely drag me out of bed to explore and have a fun time.”
As CIA analyst Joe Turner in the new AT&T AUDIENCE Network series, “Condor,” Max Irons plays the role made famous by Robert Redford in “Three Days of the Condor.” The actor says that filming in Toronto reminds him a bit of home. “I used to live in New York and I live in London now and you can see elements of both cities in Toronto,” says Irons, who’s the son of actor Jeremy Irons. “It’s a wonderful place to film, because you’ve got skyscrapers and smaller neighborhoods that have a Brooklyn feel. You’ve also got beautiful nature surrounding you.”
“I’ve been really fortunate to get to see a good part of the world through dance,” says choreographer and dancer Travis Wall, 28. “One of my favorite places was Australia, which just felt like home. It was one of the nicest places and the people were so nice to Americans! I’m really looking forward to touring there next year.”
LeAnn Rimes will be the first one to tell you that she likes to be in control of just about every aspect of her life, including travel. “I’m very hands on when it comes to planning trips,” the 30-year-old singer says, laughing. “I really would love to go on a safari. That’s the next thing I want to do, and I’ve been planning it for a couple years now. I’m looking forward to going away with my husband (actor Eddie Cibrian).” But first, Rimes will tour to promote her new CD “Spitfire.”
I recently did a fun interview with Helio Castroneves. I asked if he was a backseat driver, and he said, “I’m OK with being in the backseat but, yes, I can be. I’m mostly concerned when people try to show off. That’s when I get a little uncomfortable. People don’t realize that with ordinary cars, you can’t go fast like you can in a racecar and still be safe.”
Actor Noah Bean advises travelers to always know the route they’re traveling. Case in point: “When I was in college, a friend and I were bumming around Europe on a Eurorail pass. We were traveling overnight by train from Budapest to Venice. The conductor looked at our tickets, then looked at us and said, “Problem.” What happened was that we had left the European Union and gone into a place where our pass wasn’t valid … and they were ready to dump us off the train.”
Andrew Friedman’s knowledge and love of food and sports comes through loud and clear in his latest book, Knives at Dawn: The American Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d’Or Competition (Free Press, $26). The 42-year-old author covers the rigorous international competition — which by comparison, makes “The Iron Chef” look like a kiddie cooking show — with gusto, flair and suspense.