One of Us
6 ABC’s Alicia Vitarelli on Living in South Philly and Raising an Eagles Fan When You’re a Native New Yorker
My full name is … Alicia Marie Vitarelli Pantaleno. Lots of vowels. I grew up in … Staten Island, which is very much like South […]
Ugly Betty’s Ana Ortiz on Meeting Tom Hanks, Swimming in Swann Fountain, and Having a Dad on City Council
My full name is … Ana Louise Ortiz. My grandmother is Louise, my mother’s middle name is Louise, and my father’s middle name is Luis, […]
Zola Star Colman Domingo Talks Cooking, Coming Out, and Going to High School With Will Smith
My full name is … Colman Jason Domingo. There’s no “e” in Colman. I have to tell you that because it always winds up in […]
Author R. Eric Thomas on How Living in Philly Was “Life-Giving, Vibrant and Weird”
The “R” stands for … Robert. I used to tell people it stood for Romeo, which was a deranged choice. When I shortened Robert to […]
Jazmine Sullivan on Going Vegan, Her Biggest Musical Influences, and Her New Album, Heaux Tales
The spelling of my first name … came from my mother’s love of jazz. I grew up in … Strawberry Mansion. Went to CAPA. Didn’t […]
Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin on His Unused Peloton and What He Thinks of IPA Drinkers
I was born at … Holy Redeemer, in 1979. Grew up in Oreland, which is basically just down the road from Glenside. I’ve lived in […]
Master Illusionist Teller on the Return of His CW Show and What He Misses Most About Philly
My full name is … Teller. It actually says that on my passport and driver’s license, but the driver’s-license people felt obliged to put a […]
Chef Jennifer “Fear” Zavala on Watermelon Radishes, Uno, and the Best and Worst Things About South Philly
My full name is … Jennifer Doreen Feher-Zavala. My nickname is … Jen Fear. My husband’s last name is Feher — it’s German — but […]
City Council’s Curtis Jones Jr. Talks Dangerous Missions, Closing Prisons and His Green Thumb
My full name is … Curtis Joseph Jones Jr. I have to put the Jr. on because my father doesn’t want his reputation sullied. I […]
Fresh Air Host Terry Gross on Her Hardest Interviews and Her Secret Twitter Account
My full name is … just Terry Gross. People think it’s short for Teresa, but it’s just Terry. I grew up in … Brooklyn, before […]
Rebecca Rhynhart on Her Political Aspirations and the One Book Everyone Should Read
I was born in … Madison, Wisconsin. My parents were at school there. And then I grew up in Abington, went to Abington High School, […]
Tamala Edwards on Broadcasting From Her Living Room and Inspiring the Next Generation
My full name is … Tamala Edwards Lugrine. My sons were just asking me why “Edwards” is in there. They said, “Get rid of that. […]
Jose Garces on Restaurant Critics and the Strangest Thing He’s Ever Eaten
My full name is … Jose Alonso Garces. There are accents on it, but I don’t use them. I was named after my grandfather, who […]
City Council’s Kendra Brooks on the Big Change She’d Like to See at City Hall
My full name is … Kendra Nicole Brooks. I was named after Angela Davis’s friend Kendra, who was mentioned in the New York Times in […]
Mummers Parade Host Steve Highsmith Talks Inclusivity and $10,000 Costumes
I was born in … Fort Gordon, a United States Army installation outside of Augusta, Georgia. I grew up in a military family. I got […]