Hey, Camp Fans!

A handful of years ago, we talked about former summer camper and famous actor Zach Braff here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. We looked into his time spent at Stage Door Manor in New York as well as his childhood and the path he took that led to his acting career. We covered a lot in his previous post, but there’s still a lot we could learn about this guy.  

Let’s dig a little deeper beyond the surface and learn a bit more about Braff. Check it out:

Braff’s Creek?
Did you know that Zach auditioned for the hit drama from the late 90’s ‘Dawson’s Creek’? The show would have likely kept the title we all know had Zach landed a role on it, but you never know the avalanche of changes that could have been spawned by a different casting job. Of course, Zach didn’t get the job and we know him for a multitude of other roles like J.D. on ‘Scrubs’!

Put One Foot a Few Extra Centimeters in Front of the Other
Zach’s right leg is actually a bit longer than his left. A condition that’s uncommon, but not unheard of, a slightly longer leg typically goes unreported or maybe even unnoticed unless it causes an issue. However, Zach was unfortunate enough to have suffered a herniated disc because of his slightly longer right leg.

We Don’t Want No Scrubs
Zach has gone on to play a number of other memorable roles, but his time on ‘Scrubs’ was very special to him. It seems there were just as many laughs behind the scenes as there were on the show itself. He’s held onto a number of friendships that he created with the cast and crew of the medical comedy-drama series. In fact, he’s best friends with Donald Faison in real life who played Turk, Zach’s best friend on the show!

For many people, ‘Scrubs’ is the role they remember most when they think of Zach, but he has since gone far beyond the TV show with starring roles in films and even directorial credit in his movie ‘Garden State’ which he shot in his home state of New Jersey. Check out his previous post by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Team Tucker!

Today’s post isn’t the first time we’ve talked about former summer camper and famous actor, Jonathon Tucker. In his first post, we learned about his summer days spent at Camp Chingachgook in Kattskill Bay, New York. We covered his home life growing up. And we took a look at the path toward his acting career.

For our follow-up post about him, let’s take a deeper dive and learn a little more about what makes Tucker tick. Check it out:

Bulletproof Boy
Tucker is a huge fan of Bulletproof Coffee. Bulletproof Coffee is made with a tablespoon of both butter and oil (such as coconut oil), stirred into your morning coffee. I too was once a daily Bulletproofer. It’s essentially breakfast all on its own containing fats that come recommended by some health advisors.

My Benign Addiction
In the past, Jonathon has confessed to his addiction…to dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Feeling powerless against his intense cup cravings, Jonathon has noted that his relationship with peanut butter cups helps him understand the many addictions the world faces. If he can hardly resist candy which is “out of this world”, as he puts it, then it must be pretty tough for people who suffer heavier addictions.

Work-outs to Worship
Among a wide range of music that inspires him at the gym including Avicii and Kanye West, Jonathon enjoys Christian rock worship songs. With no explanation as to why, Jonathon isn’t sure why he likes it so much, but offers the background of his Jewish mom, Irish Catholic dad, and his wife’s Hindu and Muslim family that has all influenced his eclectic appreciation for music.

An interesting guy to say the least, I hope you enjoyed this closer look at Mr. Tucker and these three loves in his life: Bulletproof Coffee, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and working out to worship songs. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

Jake Gyllenhaal

We’ve previously covered former summer camper Jake Gyllenhaal before here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. We discussed his camp history with his sister, Maggie, at Camp Walt Whitman as well as her path that led her to the big screen. But that previous post only scratched the surface about this star! Let’s dig a bit deeper about Mr. Gyllenhaal right here on today’s post:

All in the Family
As we covered in his last post (as well as the posts we’ve published about his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal), Maggie and Jake are siblings who have acted in lots of movies—one that starred them together! Most people know that they’re brother and sister, but did you know that the whole family is in the biz? His mom produces and his dad directs. His godmother is Jamie Lee Curtis and his godfather is Paul Newman. Jake is close to Paul Newman who took Jake out for his first drive.

What Kind of Bird was That?
A self-proclaimed bookworm, Jake reads a lot! He’s shared with folks in the past that the classic novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is his favorite book. It meant enough to him that he named his two adopted hound dogs after characters from the story: Atticus and Boo.

The Peeing Hero
Though he started acting as early as ten years old, Jake held a number of jobs before his acting career really took off. He was a lifeguard on a busy beach for one of his jobs. He never faced anything too dangerous, but on one of his more exciting days he had to rush over to a woman who’d been stung by a jellyfish and pee on her leg—which is exactly what you should do for someone in that situation. Well done, Jake!

Hopefully, you learned a little more about this cool actor and the life he leads. If you haven’t already read it, you can hop over to the first post I wrote about him by clicking right here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John

Hey, Foley Fans!

Not the first time I’ve posted about Mr. Scott Foley, we looked into Scott a handful of years ago on this Blog and learned about the time he spent at Red Arrow Camp when he was a kid as well as his acting career in which he’s portrayed television roles such as Bob Brown from ‘The Unit’, Henry Burton from ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, and Sean Kelly from ‘Scrubs’.

But we only scratched the surface in that last Blog post. Let’s dig a little deeper and talk some more about former summer camper Scott Foley! What makes this man tick?!

If Scott had a Hammer
Like only a few other famous celebrities such as Harrison Ford and Nick Offerman, Scott Foley has an affinity for woodworking. “I love working with my hands,” he’s said. “If it's broken, I can usually fix it.” Sounds like another natural talent he has along with acting!

Home Depot Away from Home
Where do you go when you need to get away? The park maybe? The beach? Scott Foley enjoys escaping to the home improvement retail giant, Home Depot. “Sometimes,” he’s mentioned, “I go to Home Depot just to walk around.” We all have our sanctuaries…

Habitat for Who?
Putting those carpentry skills to good use, Scott traveled to Thailand after the tsunami in 2004 and stayed for a month, building houses with Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit organization that helps put up affordable housing for families and communities.

These tidbits about Scott maybe aren’t quite what you expected of a famous actor, but I think they make him a pretty interesting guy. I wonder if he took the Woodworking activity offered at Red Arrow Camp back in the day! Check out Red Arrow Camp for yourself by clicking here and, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

People my age remember Kirk Cameron from his long-running role as Mike Seaver on the classic television sitcom, ‘Growing Pains’. And this isn’t the first time I’ve posted about him here on the Blog. In his first post, we explained that though he never attended camp, he obviously knows what a positive influence camp is since he launched his own Camp Firefly!

That last post, however, only got things started with Kirk. Let’s take a second look at the more spiritual side of this TV star.

Now Kirk’s a Believer
Though he wasn’t raised with any specific religion and adamantly denied any existence of God, it all changed when he agreed join a friend at church one day. The service made him ask a lot of hard questions he never thought of before like ‘Who created the world?’ ‘What happens when you die?’ ‘Does anything besides survival of the fittest matter here on Earth?’ Now Kirk’s a believer!

Cameron Christian Ministry
Kirk was 17 by the time he left atheism behind him. His sister, Candace Cameron, however, was around 12 years old when she joined Kirk and accepted God into her life. You may know his little sister from her highly recognizable role as DJ Tanner on ‘Full House’—a character she recently reprised in ‘Fuller House’. She operates her own ministry while Kirk also co-founded an evangelical ministry.

Why Must I Play a Teenager in Love?
On ‘Growing Pains’, Kirk’s character Mike started dating a girl played by Chelsea Noble. In real life, Kirk ended up marrying Chelsea and, together, the two have a family of six kids—four of whom were adopted!

A big salute to Kirk for starting up Camp Firefly and everything else he’s achieved throughout his life. And, to everybody else, thanks for reading!

- John