The Grauman Chinese Theatre is one of the most popular attractions in Hollywood. The great thing about this theatre is that its popularity is not only due to its “star record” but also because of its architecture. In fact the theatre is has been a historic-cultural landmark since 1968. Thanks to this status the theatre has been kept well preserved undergoing several facelifts and much needed earthquake retrofits to ensure that future generations will still have a Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to visit and enjoy when going to Hollywood.

The Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was first opened in May 18, 1927 with Cecil B. DeMille’s “The King of Kings” premiering that night. From the opening the theatre has already been popular and been making history as attested to by the thousands of fans, that turned out to see both the celebrities and the theatre, and then went ahead and rioted.

As mentioned earlier the theatre is also very special due to the architecture and the interior design. Quite obviously the theatre is of Chinese architecture, but what makes it really special is its legendary forecourt better known as the “Forecourt of the Stars”. The intricate artistry, from the fountains to the statues, displayed in the forecourt is actually the work of real Chinese artisans. Lots of the other artifacts that dot the theatre, such as the giant Heaven Dogs guarding the entrance of the theatre, are genuine Chinese artifacts imported from China. Of course, to the fans the emphasis goes to the stars part of the “Forecourt of the STARS” since it is there where you’ll find the hand and footprints of more than 200 celebrities. The very first hand and footprints belong to Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in April 30, 1927 with more and more stars adding to the A-List each year.

The theatre, though a tourist attraction, is also still very much a real theatre serving as the venue for premieres of the best shows in Hollywood.

Hollywood is synonymous to the entertainment industry and the stars that have shaped the glamorous it made it into the tinseltown everyone loves. To represent the glamour of Hollywood is the world famous sign HOLLYWOOD that can be spied from quite a distance not just across the city but continents away thanks to the numerous films the sign appears in! However, did you know that the original HOLLYWOOD sign actually read HOLLYWOODLAND?

The first HOLLYWOODLAND “billboard” was put up by Los Angeles Times Publisher Harry Chandler in 1923 to advertise his upscale real estate development. The huge billboard was lit up at night and blinked one syllable/word after the next ending with a huge dot/period. The sign was supposed to last only for about 6 months but was such a huge hit and came to embody the spirit of the whole city that it was maintained with great care until the depression hit and the real estate company went under in 1944.

In 1949 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce took pity on the neglected sign and got it to look more like the sign we now know by shortening the word to denote just eh city and not the real estate company as well as doing necessary repairs to give the sign a badly needed face lift. During the 1970s the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided that it was time to say goodbye to the decades old sign and build a new one. They had a hard time raising the amount needed to build the new sign ($.025 million!) until Hugh Hefner (yes Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner) came to the rescue by holding an gala to auction of each letter and the new sign was torn down and rebuilt by 1978.

Nowadays the sign, with all the prestige and history attached to it, lacks no sponsors when it needs a little facelift. In 1995 it got a new coat of paint thanks to Dutch Boy Paints. In 2000 it went hi-tech and was installed with a security system. In 2005 the security system was upgraded. And in 2005, a year after its 80th birthday it got another fresh coat of paint. Whatever happens, it seems that we’ll be seeing that HOLLYWOOD sign for a long long time. And that it a good thing….

Although I usually veer away from politics this year’s election is turning out to be an exciting one in terms of who’s supporting who. So far Barack Obama is proving to be the big Hollywood magnet with Hillary Clinton following and John McCain having just a few celebrity endorsers.

For those interested here are some of the endorsers for each candidate:

Big Names Behind Barack
Oprah Winfrey
Bruce Sprinsteen
George Clooney
Scarlett Johansson
Edward Norton
Larry David
Kal Penn
Jamie Foxx
Garry Shandling
Linda Ronstadt
Paul Newman
Will Smith
Geena Davis
Ellen Pompeo,
Isaiah Washington
Laurence Fishburne
Matt Damon
Emilio Esteves
Sharon Stone
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Halle Berry
Charles Barkley
Ben Affleck
Sinbad (Yes this is the same Sinbad who blew open the lid when Sen Clinton “misspoke” about her Bosnia travel)
and so many more…

Celebrities for Clinton
Barbra Streisand
Ted Danson
America Ferrera
Magic Johnson
Tom Hanks
Billy Crystal
Bette Midler
Chevy Chase
Elizabeth Taylor
Martha Stewart
Michael Douglas
Heidi Fleiss
Melissa Etheridge
Janet Jackson
and of course hubby Bill Clinton

McCain Supporters
Heidi Montag
Sylvester Stallone
Andy Williams
Clint Eastwood
Jon Voight

The Hollywood writers strike gets even more complicated as The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists breaks connections with its more powerful sister union, the Screen Actors Guild.

AFTRA’s board of directors voted Saturday to separately negotiate its upcoming prime-time television contract with the major studios — without SAG at the bargaining table.

While each group has its own list of grievances against each other — and agendas to pursue the big question is:

when will this strike be over, already???

Some of Hollywood’s hotels can be considered as historical as Hollywood itself — like the Knickerbocker.

It was built in 1925 as a luxury apartment building, and its Renaissance Revival bar was a favorite hang out of the stars. Rudolph Valentino loved to tango here. FIlm director D. W. Griffith spent many hours at the bar, especially after he was “dismissed” by Hollywood after years of pioneering the industry. He was was walking in the lobby when he had a stroke, and died under the huge crystal chandelier.

Another Knickerbocker patron was Frances Farmer, who enjoyed an intense, but brief, career. She appeared in 18 films, three Broadway plays, thirty major radio shows and seven stock company productions, but alcohol, drugs, and weight problems had her career in shambles before she was 28. In 1943 she was arrested while she was at the Knickerbocker, and had to be dragged (half naked) out of her room. Famous costume designer Irene Gibbons also committed suicide here, checking in under another name, then trying to slit her wrists. When that didn’t work she jumped from the window.

The Knickerbocker was also the “lovenest” of William Faulkner and Meta Carpenter, a script girl from the Fox studios, Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimaggio. Other celebrity guests were Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mae West, Lana Turner, Cecil B. DeMille, Frank Sinatra, Laurel and Hardy and many others.

The Knickerbocker was also the stage for the last Houdini seance. After an hour, a violent thunderstorm drenched participants and ended their attempts. They later discovered that the storm didn’t occur anywhere else in Hollywood — only above the hotel!

Today a coffee shop called “The All-Star Theatre Café & Speakeasy” stands where the bar used to be, and is frequented by celebrities like Sandra Bullock and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Preparing for a trip to Hollywood? Get a sneak peak with audio books that you can download into your iPod or laptop. These one-minute vignettes can give you an insight on the city’s colorful history. Very educational and full of trivia you may not hear on a standard tour.

It looks harmless. Even boring. Just an office building, with names of production companies, which don’t even leave much impact to the average tourist.

Until they know the story behind the street.

8439 Sunset Boulevard, now called Piazze del Sol, used to be the site of Hollywood’s most exclusive brothel, called “House of Francis.” People would go here for a different kind of networking, and whatever happened behind its doors stayed behind those doors.

Today there are still brothels, but they are typically held in private houses.

Want to get into the Hollywood industry? or just interested in knowing what it’s like behind the scenes — the drama, the intrigue, the million-dollar deals?

Then look at this
list of books about the real Hollywood and how to survive in it.

The list includes advice for those who want entertainment careers to social and historical commentaries.

What do Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, the Marx Brothers, Clara Bow, Tallulah Bankhead, and Humphrey Bogart have in common?

These Hollywood stars were all residents of the apartment called Garden of Allah, which stood on Sunset and Crescent Heights. This was right in front of Schwab’s Pharmacy, and due to the location and prestigious residents, was a Hollywood hub. Celebrities gathered here for parties, lunches, private and very exclusive get-togethers. Get an invitation to the Garden of Allah, and you know you’ve arrived.

Unfortunately the apartment was torn down, a tragedy that Joni Mitchell sung about in her song “Big Yellow Taxi”: paving paradise and putting up a parking lot.

Be sure to drop by 8024 Sunset Boulevard to stand rignt on one of Hollywood’s most important (but little known) historical spots.

Schwab’s used to be one of America’s most famous drugstores, thanks to the PR skills of its owner, Leon Schwab. He kept telling people that Lana Turner was discovered there in his soda fountain. She denies it, of course, but the story has become part of urban legend.

However, even if Lana wasn’t discovered in Schwab’s, it was a favorite hangout of many writers, actors and important Hollywood producers, who went there for their medical prescriptions (and, Leon likes to say, advice on which aspiring actors had that star quality).
No wonder in the film Sunset Boulevard, William Holden even said it was “a combination office, coffee klatch and waiting room.”

The pharmacy was torn down in 1988, but it still feels good to imagine the old Hollywood — and how a pharmacist may have launched the careers of the stars we worship today.