Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Kristin Bauer portrays Pam on HBO’s hit series “True Blood.” Pam, a bloodthirsty vampire, will do whatever it takes to protect her maker Eric (Alexander Skarsgard). In real life, the actress — who was born in Racine, Wis. — resides in Los Angeles with her husband Abri van Straten, their two dogs and two cats.
HGTV designer Monica Pedersen can be seen regularly on programs such as “Bang for Your Buck,” where she shows homeowners how to maximize their living space and beautify their homes. A well-seasoned traveler, Pedersen — who resides in the Midwest — sees the potential in taking trips to Wisconsin, as well as heading overseas for a longer family vacation.
“Music is a byproduct of experience and if I have an experience, it’s usually musical,” says Cory Chisel, 27. “To me, traveling goes hand in hand with music. Travel is just an intriguing aspect of music itself, and I’m not just talking about the touring part. It’s hard to explain. I’ve been to so many places, but I think that if I wasn’t a musician, I might never have left my hometown.”
Guns N’ Roses, kicking off its first-ever headlining tour Friday night at Alpine Valley, negated the oft-repeated and seemingly true tale that today’s musicians have forgotten what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Three years after its debut LP “Appetite for Destruction” clawed its way to the top of the album charts, the controversial Los Angeles band gave an aggressive, testosterone-laced performance before an almost sold-out crowd of 40,000 fans, showing that while its members’ tumultuous private lives and business idiosyncrasies are the stuff that keeps gossip columnists in business, their music contains all the elements that make rock ‘n’ roll vital.