Colin Hanks, All Things Must Pass interview for People.com, Oct. 15, 2015

I received a pitch about Colin Hanks and his labor of love and wanted to catch up with him about it. I had done a brief interview with Hanks for People in 2010 but he seemed so much older and wiser now. Glad this turned out so well. Scroll through to read the online interview.

Isaac Caldiero Wins American Ninja Warrior, Sept. 15, 2015

Some people are just fun to talk to, especially when they possess talents and abilities that go beyond average. Here's to Isaac and his terrific accomplishment.

5 Seconds of Summer, People Magazine special issue, October 2014

I got to travel to Riverstone and Rouse Hill, NSW, to find out more about 5SOS, and Matt got some photos in the issue, too! Many thanks to the band's first manager, Adam Wilkinson, for being so generous with his time.

Michelle Kwan and Clay Pell Wed

I would have loved to see Michelle Kwan walk down the aisle in person but the next best thing was covering her wedding to Clay Pell for People. We first met before Michelle competed in the 1998 Nagano Winter Games and I have had the pleasure of following her career and becoming colleagues with her since. What was interesting about this wedding story was how easy it was to conduct interviews via Skype. I also had to parcel out material for the magazine article, the website, and the tablet. 

"A Skating Champ Says 'I Do,'" People Feb. 3, 2014. Photos by Caitlin Maloney.

Talking Decor

For People's Stars At Home subscriber-only issue, I spoke with dancer Cheryl Burke about her Hollywood Hills retreat. I always appreciate a person's trust in welcoming a reporter into his or her house, so I thank Cheryl for her hospitality. 

"Single in the City," People Hollywood at Home, October 2010. Photos by Roger Davies. 

Brave Heart

Mark and Dana Feuerstein are amazing and dedicated parents. They came forward to talk about the harrowing first months of their daughter's Addie's life, hoping to bring attention to ALPCA and honor the doctors and nurses who tended to Addie's care.

"A Mighty Heart," People Jan. 24, 2011. Photos by Alison Dyer.

A Fishing Tale

Pure love of Discovery's Deadliest Catch led me to cover the lives of the fisherman featured on the reality series but when real tragedy befell the crew on the Cornelia Marie, the need to be compassionate yet accurate came to the fore.

In a series of magazine and online stories, I followed Jake and Josh Harris as they worked through the death of their larger-than-life dad, Captain Phil Harris. Scroll through on the left to see all the stories; for more photos, go to Behind the Scenes in the Experiences tab.

Along with reporting and writing about the Harrises, I also shot FlipCam video of the brothers at Seattle's Fisherman's Memorial. It's one of my first "multi-media" assignments.

"The Sons Also Rise," People, April 18, 2011. Photos by Corey Arnold. 

Hot Potato!

My first People feature after moving to Sydney involved one of Australia's cultural icons — the Wiggles. Thanks to Greg Page for opening up to us. This was also the first time I worked with photographer Damian Bennett, who is fantastic.

"Battling My Way Back to the Wiggles," People, April 2, 2012. Photos by Damian Bennett.

Home Production

How strange to be speaking to Mark and Roma in their tranquil home on the Pacific coastline when we're usually chatting on a humid little island, or at a thumping rock concert, or on a television set. Yet the Burnetts are gracious hosts. Although more of Ian's photos are included in this slideshow, for more details, see the Behind the Scenes gallery.

"At Home with Roma Downey & Mark Burnett," People July 6, 2009. Photos by Ian White.

Gracious Host

I've been fortunate to do a few features on Jimmy Kimmel for People and enjoyed going back to his office in the El Capitan for this one, catching up with him and talking about his new sous vide machines and mutant Elmo, which you can see up close within this slideshow as I have also added a couple pix I took on my Blackberry during our scout for the shoot.

"In My Office: Jimmy Kimmel," People June 20, 2011. Photos by Justin Stephens.

A Friend Indeed

I've known Lisa Ling as a colleague and 'celebrity' since her public debut on The View. Telling her story and the stories of her family has been a privilege but also a test of objectivity. I'm thankful that she and Paul now have a beautiful daughter, Jett, and a strong relationship, and am grateful they let me in on a more difficult time in their lives as well.

"Life After Loss," People Feb. 28, 2011. Photos by Patrick Fraser.

Geek love rules

The thing you must know about Seth Green is that he is a workaholic who is passionate about his passions. So the fact that he will toil full-on for a week but come back to the studio on a day off to take a reporter on a detailed tour of the making of Robot Chicken Star Wars, Episode III is humbling. That he would then also take the time, along with the great Clare Grant, to go over their wedding day not long after it happened, puts me over the moon (the third moon of Endor). 

"A Happy Day," People May 11, 2010. Photo by Jonathan Payne.

So Glad We Had That Time Together

My parents and I used to watch the Carol Burnett Show and laugh ourselves silly. Being able to share my thanks to Carol and hear her stories about Tim Conway was a total treat.

"My Life in Pictures," People, April 19, 2010. Photo by Marc Royce.

Nice Guys Finish First

In doing a bit of research on Michael Weatherly before our interview, I found a lot of previous stories revolved around his busy busy dating life, so it was nice to see him settled, so much so he kept apologizing for it and saying how he felt for me as a reporter having to fill up pages on him. In years following this story, Michael and Bojana now have kids of their own, so it seems he has an exciting new chapter to build on.

"Weatherly Report," People, May 24, 2010. Photos by Patrick Fraser.

A Remarkable Woman

Jenn Lyon, a sweet nanny and all-around good girl, stepped out of her comfort zone to earn her way to fourth place on Survivor: Palau. While I covered her the same way I did all other reality show contestants back then, I got to know her better when I started reporting her battle with breast cancer. She was brave, bright, remarkable and only a year younger than me, which hit very hard when she died. She was gone too soon. 

"A Survivor Succums to Breast Cancer," People, Feb. 8, 2010. Photo by Coral Von Zumwalt.

Soft Shoe, Soft Heart

First, Carol Burnett. Then, Dick Van Dyke. Now this was People at its best! How fun to meet Mr. Van Dyke and spend a day with him at his home. For a photo of me with the legend himself, and a bit more detail about the shoot, go to the Behind the Scenes gallery under the Experiences tab.

"My Life in Pictures," People April 29, 2011. Photos by Gregg Segal.

Role Model

On CSI, she was tough as nails, but in real life, Marg Helgenberger was candid, funny and very upfront. I enjoyed spending the day with her and getting to know her better. The photographer for the shoot was Andrew Southam, who shot Marg's "Most Beautiful" pic a few years before (I interviewed her for that, too!)

"Fresh Start," People, March 7, 2011. Photos by Andrew Southam.

A Star On Ice

I first met Michael Vartan when Alias was a shiny new J.J. Abrams show and Jennifer Garner a fresh face on TV. He was polite and gracious then and years later nothing had changed. For another photo and some more details of the shoot, go to the Behind the Scenes gallery under the Experiences tab.

"That Other Thing I Do," People July 8, 2011. Photo by Emily Shur.

Chatter

Boxes

The Morning Buzz

From December 2013 to November 2015, I was a contributing editor for People's Morning Buzz, a wrap-up of overnight celebrity gossip and news for the morning work hour exclusive to People Premium subscribers. The Buzz came out as a newsletter as well as going live on the website. Although the columns are no longer live on People’s site, I've given two examples of items from November 2015, including my mom's favorite — the Pastafarian! 

More from the Archives

American Idol Hometown Visits

As America gets closer to choosing its favorite singer on American Idol, the top three finalists do a whirlwind visit to their hometown. I got to trail Crystal Bowersox as she made an emotional trip home to Toledo, Ohio, during season 9 of the series. I took some photos while on the road with Crystal, the first two from her performance in the town's city center, and then on to her favorite haunt of Papa's Tavern, her dad's house in Elliston, and her singing the anthem at the Toledo Mud Hen's minor league baseball game.

Jay Z's People Debut

How quaint it must seem now that at the time I interviewed Jay Z for his first feature in People, rap stars were a rarity in the magazine and his debut marked a pop culture turning point. Following this feature is an article my colleague Dawn Baskerville wrote about how this story came to be.

Meeting Your Heroes

I got to have lunch with Tom Yohe, the advertising-director-turned-pop-culture-artist behind Schoolhouse Rock, the interstitials I and many in my generation watched religiously every Saturday morning between cartoons. We had lunch at Clarke's Bar in Manhattan and shared many laughs. He then asked the waitress for one of her bill sheets and drew a Bill for me. What a lovely memory.