LaReeca Rucker has been a journalist for more than 30 years, and her work has appeared in newspapers across the nation. She spent a decade as a features writer and multimedia journalist with The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was also a USA TODAY contributor. She is a freelance journalist and adjunct instructional assistant professor at the University of Mississippi's School of Journalism and New Media in Oxford, Mississippi.

Celebrities from Mississippi to follow on Twitter: Can't miss list

LaReeca Rucker
The Clarion-Ledger

If you use Twitter to keep up with the random thoughts of your favorite celebrities, here's a list of celebs with Mississippi ties that you may want to follow. You may even find it a little surprising that some of them have roots in The 'Sip.

Hayley Williams — The lead singer in the band Paramore was born in Meridian. @ParamoreOFC

Allie Grant — Born in Tupelo, Grant was a cast member of "Weeds" and is currently on the TV show "Suburgatory." @AllieGrant_

Lacey Chabert — She was a child star in "Party of Five" and a mean girl in "Mean Girls." Born in Purvis, her Twitter description reads "Actress in L.A., Southern girl at heart." Check out her movie "Thirst" that's been airing on cable lately. @IamLaceyChabert

Taylor Spreitler — Born in Hattiesburg, she was a cast member of "Days of Our Lives" for a while. Now she plays Lennox Scanlon on "Melissa & Joey." @TaylorSpreitler

Britney Spears — This superceleb singer and "XFactor" judge was born in McComb. @britneyspears

Jamie Lynn Spears — Britney's little sister was also born in McComb. @jamielynnspears

Gary Grubbs — Not sure if this is the official Gary Grubbs Twitter account, but the Amory native has appeared in virtually every TV show ever made, and had a role in "JFK" among many other films. @GaryGrubbs

Shepard Smith — This Fox News anchor, who owns a home in Oxford and is a big Ole Miss fan, was born in Holly Springs. @shepsmith1

Eric Roberts — This Biloxi native is another actor who has also been in almost every movie and TV show ever made. There's simply too many to name. Check out IMDB.com for a list. Oh, and he's also Juilia's brother and Emma's dad. @EricRoberts

Diane Ladd — You may know this Meridian native best from the film "Wild at Heart," but she was also in "Ghosts of Mississippi." She's actress Laura Dern's mom. @Diane_Ladd

Vivica A. Fox — You've seen her in "Independence Day" and "Kill Bill" among other movies and TV shows. Fox was born in Indiana, but according to Internet reports, lived in West Point for a while, so we'll claim her. @MsVivicaFox

Parker Posey — She gained fame as the "Indie Queen" because she starred in a slew of independent films. Now, she's a topbilling actress who has appeared in many movies, including "Best of Show" and several other Christopher Guest mockumentary films. You'll also remember her from "Scream 3," but like some of the other actors on this list, she's been in everything. Posey was born in Maryland, but her family later moved to Laurel, where her mom worked as a chef and culinary instructor for the Viking Range Corporation in Greenwood and her dad was a car dealer. I don't think she has a Twitter account, but this is a fan site. @ParkerPoseyorg

Sela Ward — This Meridian native has also been in too many TV shows and movies to name. The show "Sisters" and the movie "The Fugitive" with Harrison Ford are two that come to mind. She currently plays Jo Danville on "CSI:NY." @sela_ward

Kermit the Frog — Possibly the world's most famous Muppet or celebrity, aside from the late Elvis Presley , Kermit was created by Greenville native Jim Henson. It's known by many that Kermit's birthplace was in a creek in Leland. @KermitOfficial

Lisa Marie Presley — OK. She's not a Mississippian, but her dad is. And she was born in Memphis, which is just a hop, skip and a jump away. @LisaPresley

Cat Cora — One of the most well-known chefs in the nation, the first and only female Iron Chef and cohost of Bravo's "Around the World in 80 Plates," is a Mississippi girl born in Jackson. @catcora

Katherine Bailess — Born in Vicksburg, she's an up-and-coming actress who had a starring role in the film "From Justin to Kelly" following Kelly Clarkson's "American Idol" win. She's also appeared on "Gilmore Girls" and "One Tree Hill." @KatBailess

Lance Bass — This Laurel native rose to fame in the boy band 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake and others. @LanceBass

Faith Hill — This country star from Star has had many hits, including "Mississippi Girl," in which she sings about her roots. She's married to country singer Tim McGraw. @FaithHill

Brandy Norwood — Like the Spears sisters, this singer was also born in McComb. She starred in the television series "Moesha" and is still cranking out R&B hits. She's the sister of Ray J, also born in McComb, who had some fame with Kim Kardashian that we won't mention. @4everBrandy

Rosie Pope — Nope, she's not from Mississippi. She's from England. But her husband was born here, and her father-in-law once coached for the Rebels. He's now a New York Giants coach. @RosiePope

Channing Tatum — Magic Mike, himself, was born in Alabama, but his family moved to Mississippi when he was 6. So yep, he's one of us. @channingtatum

Delta Burke — She was born in Florida, but married Mississippi native Gerald McRaney, who apparently doesn't have a Twitter account. Some of her family is also from North Mississippi, and she played Suzanne Sugarbaker, an Ole Miss grad, on "Designing Women." I think that's enough Mississippi to qualify for Twitter following. @MsDeltaBurke

LeAnn Rimes Cibrian — Like Faith Hill, LeAnn was also born in Star according to the Internet. There must be something in the water in Star and McComb that helps create superstar singers. @leannrimes

Oprah Winfrey — I don't think this Kosciusko native needs an introduction. @Oprah

Sam Haskell — This Amory native is an author and former worldwide head of TV for The William Morris Agency. He and wife Mary live in Oxford. He's also chairman of the Miss America organization and develops series at Warner Brothers. @samhaskell

Billy B. Brasfield — This Aberdeen native is a makeup artist to the stars, who include Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. He also had his own reality show called "Hometown Renovation" in which he worked to revitalize many run down houses in his hometown. @MrbillyB

Charlie Mars — This Laurel native and Oxford resident just released an album called "Blackberry Light." He's also known for dating Mary Louise Parker, of "Weeds" and "Fried Green Tomatoes." @CharlieMars

Josh Kelley — This Georgia boy went to Ole Miss. He's married to actress Katherine Heigl. @JoshBKelleyMrbillyB

 

The Journalism Portfolio of LaReeca Rucker