For the past 16 years, actor Charles Ross has been performing his One Man Star Wars Trilogy. “Every time I think that the show is going to dry up, Star Wars just keeps on putting new things out and making new generations of fans,” he says.

If you’re using Oscar nominations as a reference, La La Land is one of the best films in history, with 14 nominations. Only two other films — All About Eve and Titanic — have been nominated 14 times by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Frank Pahl is a different kind of composer. What other people see as toys or junk, Frank sees as music-making potential. “I didn’t grow to appreciate Tinker Toys until I was, wow, pushing 40,” he says.

Jetty Rae is a singer-songwriter who used to live in Charlevoix. Lately she’s been traveling the country in an Airstream and working on a new sound. She recorded her new album in Nashville— it’s called Can’t Curse the Free .

Anne and John Hoyt own Leelanau Cheese Company in Suttons Bay. Leelanau Cheese is famous for it’s raclette. “When people ask what it tastes like, I often say it’s between a gouda and a gruyere,” says Anne.

Rebecca Reynolds and her husband, Jim Carpenter are filmmakers from Leland, Michigan. About two years ago, Rebecca had a conversation with a friend in Los Angeles. Together, they came up with the concept for a true crime and Hollywood show.

Jack Kerkhoff grew up Traverse City. And he remembers walking past the state hospital as a kid. “How many times I had scampered up that driveway with my gang, fearful yet curious. How many times we had wandered outside the bleak tower-topped buildings that had iron bars at the windows, and shouted at the men and women behind the bars and giggled over the obscenities they tossed back at us.”

Maybe you recognize Aaron Stander as the voice of Michigan Writers on the Air . The show airs on IPR about every three months, and features Michigan authors and their books. Aaron, too, is an author himself, and he just released a new mystery in his Ray Elkins series .

John Robert Williams has been a professional photographer in Northern Michigan for over 40 years. Recently, he donated his film collection to the Traverse Area District Library. It includes portraits of people, scenic landscapes, fine art shots, architecture, and much more.

Red and green are the traditional Christmas colors. But why? How did those colors get that distinction? “Because Holly was red and green, we’ve accepted those as the two Christmas colors,” says Coggin Heeringa.