What's your dream? Everybody's got a dream...What's your dream? Welcome to Hollywood!

Day 133 - Los Angles, CA - Sunny Mid 70's:

Ahhhhh! We slept so late today and it was so wonderful. I didn't wake up until 11am which is actually 12pm with the time change. Once we got up we ate brunch (really it was breakfast just at lunch). Jamie had taken Amanda back to her place and once he got back we headed out to Temescal Gateway Park for a hike. It was an awesome hike. When we reached the top we were overlooking all of Santa Monica, a bit of Malibu, and Culver City. We made our way back down to the bottom. It was not the longest hike, only about three hours, but it was a GORGEOUS day and it was so nice being outside.

We got back to Jamie's and left him to do his schoolwork while we went to get groceries. We wanted to stock up for our trip into Death Valley. We got back and Ben and Jamie made enchilada's and salad for dinner. It was wonderful. While making dinner we started laundry. Jamie has it at his building which is so nice. After dinner Ben made chocolate chip cookies and watched the movie Jumper. We now have all the laundry done and Ben is watching Food Inc. I've been working on the blog, folding the laundry when it was done, and catching up on my favorite shows with Hulu. It wasn't the most eventful day but it was much needed!

Los Angeles has been a great stay. I would love to have lived here when I was 21 or 22 but now I don't think I'd love the CONSTANT traffic or the lack of green space. Let me clarify traffic. When we went to Runyon Canyon it was only 8 miles away. It took us over 40 minutes to get there. This was not during any kind of rush hour. It is an amazing place with so much going on all the time. There is so much opportunity here for music, acting, and fashion. I wish I had come here earlier in life...but then I wouldn't have met my love :)

Day 132 - Los Angeles, CA - Sunny Low 70's:

We woke up bright and early and headed into Hollywood and Highland to tour the Kodak Theater and visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Initially we had planned to take one of the tours of the stars houses but in the end we realized that there was no way to know if we were being told the truth and in reality all we would likely see would be gates and bushes. So we started with a tour of the Kodak. Rather than write it all in paragraph form I'm going to list it all out.

Theater Information:
- Cirque Du Soliel is coming at the end of the year. They've signed a 10 year contract.
- The stage is 113ft by 65ft
- The building cost 94 million dollars to build and encompasses 180,000 square feet.
- They have 300 production days a year.
- Shows held at the theater. American Idol Finals, So You Think You Can Dance Finals, ESPY Awards and others.
- David Rockwell designed the building.
- When you enter there are photos of amazing and memorable OSCAR moments hanging in front of screens made of the same material as the original movie screens. The movies used to be filmed on silver nitrate....hence the name SILVER SCREEN.
- The staircase leading to the floor of the theater is brushed with silver leafed paper in honor of the silver screen.
- There is a George Eastman VIP room that is used for VIP's during screenings and special events. The room has glass patented just for that room that is called vision glass. As you get closer to it it fogs over but when you are far away you can see right through. This way when Brad and Angelina are inside they have a sense of privacy even if you are up close.
- George Eastman was the founder of the Eastman Kodak company.
- There are 40 dressing rooms in back and underneath the stage.
- Since real estate is hard to come by in LA the majority of storage and set space is vertical. They lift and lower sets rather than push and pull.
- It takes 2 weeks to set up for the American Idol Finals and 4.5 weeks to set up for the OSCAR's.

OSCAR Information:
- They shut down Hollywood and Highland for one week prior to the show.
- The story claiming to know how it's named. Margaret Harrick the original librarian for the Academy Awards said it looked like her Uncle Oscar. So it started as a joke being called Oscar. Walt Disney was the first to refer to it as Oscar when he won for the movie Tortoise and the Hare.
- During the awards there are seat fillers. These people sit in seats of others when they get up to go to the bathroom or to the bar.
- The boxes on the side of the theater are for Hollywood royalty during the awards show. This includes Sophia Loren and Kirk Douglas.
- In order to qualify for an OSCAR you must have a film that runs in an American Theater for one week and then has to be submitted.
- The OSCAR's have 3,500 guests and employee over 9,000 people.
- In the week prior to the show they run the show three times a day to coordinate camera movements because no one knows the winners so they have to practice for each scenario. They know where the guests will be sitting so they can practice.

OSCAR Red Carpet:
- The red carpet is 500ft by 33 ft and spans the entire width of the street.
- The red carpet is used for two years and then sold to smaller awards shows.

OSCAR Voting:
- The minimum number of statues given out on awards night is 24. There can be more depending on the number of people nominated for the movie...for example if there were two costume designers they would give out 25 awards.
- The initial ballot is created by a select group of academy members. They watch EVERY movie and create the "short list" which is sent out to every academy member.
- Academy members write the name of the person or movie they think should win in each category.
- The accounting firm of Pricewaterhouse-Coopers has two members who count each ballot and creates the actual voting ballot from the top five or ten (depending on the category) which are then sent out to academy members.
- The final ballot is a check box.
- All votes are handwritten. The only two people who ever see the ballots are the same two accountants from the original votes.
- The votes are counted by hand in an undisclosed location that changes every year.
- Note even the president of the academy has the results until they are announced.

OSCAR Statue:
- The statue weighs 8.5 pounds and is 13.5 inches tall.
- They make 50 statues each year to ensure they have enough for the show.
- The statues used to be engraved off sight and then mailed to the winner a few weeks after the show. This year was the first year they had an engraver on sight so the winners took them home that night.
- The statue depicts a night rendered in holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Writers, Actors, Directors, Producers, and Technicians.
- It takes eight people twenty hours to make one statue.

OSCAR Costs:
- The show costs 30 million dollars to put on which is initially paid for by the Academy.
- ABC pays the Academy 60 million dollars for the rights to the show.
- ABC sells each 30 second commercial spot for 1.5 to 1.8 million dollars.

Academy Information:
- There are 6,000 Academy members that vote for the winners
- Once you are a member, you're a member for life.

Media and the Winners:
- After winning, the stars walk down winner's row. It is a short path that connects to the Renissance Hotel where they will do all their interview.
- The OSCAR's are a media free zone. This means that every time you see someone say "backstage" they are actually located in the Renissance Hotel. This is so that the stars can feel free to roam the building without the fear of being photographed.
- The show uses 20 high-definition cameras for the broadcast and they are the only camera's in the building during the show.
- The Governor's Ball which is the most exclusive ball of all post show parties is held on the 5th floor of the theater.

After we left the theater we headed straight over to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. There's really not a lot to say here...more to look at so once I get the pictures loaded you MUST check them out. I will say it was quite fun. I've always thought they were probably not worth the money and while I still think it's a bit over priced, it was WAY fun. The statues are so lifelike that it's a bit creepy. I am including a link that tells you how they make them so you can read (how to make a wax figure). It's FASCINATING. The crazy thing is that they are all to scale and it takes 800 hours to make each one. I felt very tall and in some cases VERY large. Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Penelope Cruz are incredibly tiny but they have big heads which is weird to me. Oh and did I mention my future husband was there...you'll have to check him out in the pictures!

Once we were finished at the wax museum we made our way to Beverly Hill and took a ride around. We drove by the famed Beverly Hills Hotel. I wanted to get a picture and so we drove in the parking lot. We were unable to stop and get a photo though because there was AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC. It appeared that there was a wedding just ending so we just passed through. We then made our way into the hills. Our first stop was Greystone Mansion aka the Doheny Mansion, is a mansion in Beverly Hills, completed in 1928. The house was a gift from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny to his son, Edward "Ned" Doheny, Jr., and his family. The City of Beverly Hills purchased the estate in 1965, in 1971 the property became a city park, and in 1976 as Doheny Estate/Greystone it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The home is currently under restoration and has the most spectacular grounds. The home is not only a public park but is also home to the annual Hollywood Ball where celebrities gather for a fashion show and auction. More famously though the home is used for movies on a very regular basis. These include, Batman & Robin, Big Lebowski, The Bodyguard, Dynasty, Entourage, Gilmore Girls (The Chilton Academy), "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" (music video), Indecent Proposal, National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Benjamin Gates and Abigail Chase's mansion. Seen when Conner, Abigail's date, drives her up to the front door, filmed in the courtyard of the Mansion), Rush Hour, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, There Will Be Blood, and X-Men. It was a gorgeous home with the most spectacular view of Los Angeles.

We left Beverly Hills and headed down to Robertson Boulevard. This is a street full of shopping often visited by celebrities. I was headed there to visit Kitson. I have visited their website and always wanted to go to the store. I can't afford anything there but it was still fun to browse. We did venture into 1969 which opened just a few weeks ago. In case you weren't aware this is the jean brand of GAP. While there we watched the filming of a few jean makeovers by one of the contestants from Project Runway. I wish they had asked me because they got a free jean outfit. Unfortunately I don't think I was quite small enough for them to be interested. I did find two pair of jeans that I LOVED but I had left my gift card at home. I did write down the names though so I could buy them later.

We left Robertson and made our way to Mulholland Drive. It is a stretch of road that travels through the mountains providing outstanding views of the city, mountains, and ocean. The road is winds back and forth and doesn't allow for a fast pace. We drove approximately Sepulveda Pass to Cahuenga Pass. It was a wonderful relaxing drive allowing us the chance to see Hollywood from a whole different view. We made our way down and took a quick drive through Studio City before heading back to Jamie's to get ready for dinner.

Once Amanda and Jamie got home we all headed out to dinner at a great Italian restaurant called Michelangelo's. It was so nice to have a really wonderful meal and enjoy it with great company. We all were very happy with our meals and left feeling satisfied.

From dinner we headed over to Amanda's to pick up her roommate Carol so we could go to a party in "the Valley". It was the birthday party for a couple of Amanda's friends. It was a good time and the boys enjoyed a variation on beer pong called baseball. The crowd was interesting. An eclectic mix of actors, fashion employees, and who knows what else. One of the birthday boys is actually the new Free Credit Report guy so I'll be interested to see the commercial.

We stayed for a few hours but checked out early as we were all pretty beat.

Day 131 - Los Angeles, CA - Sunny Low 70's:

We woke up a little later than planned today but were quickly out the door to hit up Runyon Canyon. I had wanted to hike this (slightly in hopes of seeing a star or two...they frequent here) and Heather had suggested that we give it a try. We ended up meeting Heather at the park for the hike. It was a GREAT hike. Very steep but not too long. It took us up to a peak overlooking all of Los Angeles. We took a few pictures and then made our way back to the bottom. Fortunately Heather had a friend who lived nearby so we made a quick trip over to change our clothes.

Heather had offered to be our tour guide for a little while so we headed to Santa Monica to grab some lunch. We went to a Japanese place called Monsoon. Both Ben and Heather love sushi so they mowed on that while I had some Pad Thai. It was delicious. From there we walked around the Third Street Promenade which is a beautiful area of shops and restaurants. We walked all the way down to the beach. We stopped short of the pier as we took the stance once you've seen one, you've seen them all! From Santa Monica we headed to the Westwood area. This is where UCLA is located. Heather wanted to take us to a place called Diddy Riese Cookies. She had been raving about this place BECAUSE they make homemade fresh cookies everyday. Then they have the ice cream. For $1.50 you can make a cookie sandwich. You can do this in so many combos. Ben had a chocolate chip cookie on top with mint chocolate chip ice cream and an M&M chocolate chip cookie on the bottom. Heather had a cinnamon sugar cookie on top and bottom with vanilla ice cream. I had a chocolate chip cookie on top with vanilla ice cream and a cinnamon sugar cookie on bottom. I should have taken Heather's choice. The cinnamon sugar cookie was AMAZING. In fact I ate the chocolate chip one first so I could savor the other. I still can't believe how cheap it was but if you are ever out here you MUST visit. After dessert, Heather left us. She is driving across the country to move back to Maine and was running last minute errands before her departure on Sunday. We were so thankful that she showed us around for a bit considering her busy schedule!

We left Westwood and headed down Wilshire Boulevard with the intention of just driving down Rodeo Drive. I was feeling a little gross from the hike and didn't think that I was dressed appropriately. Then again Julia Roberts didn't look all that appropriate in Pretty Woman and she did just fine on Rodeo! That all changed when Ben saw the Bugatti. As soon as we drove by that we were parking the car and heading back to take pictures. Apparently this is the fastest car in the world. I don't know a lot about it but I do know that Mick and Ben were VERY excited. After looking at the car we continued down Rodeo. The stores are incredible. Harry Winston, Cartier, Louis Vitton, Michael Kors, Tiffany's, Chanel, Georgio Armani and so many others...in my dreams I'll be able to afford this stuff!

From Rodeo we headed back to Jamie's apartment so that I could get ready to out to have some drinks with Ginger and her girlfriends. We went to a place in downtown Los Angeles called The Edison. I met up with Ginger while Ben, Jamie, and Amanda went to dinner and grabbed some drinks. The bar/restaurant was a really cool place. It had a 1920's vibe. The waitresses were dressed like flappers while the bar tenders were in black and white. It was so nice to be able to catch up! We had a blast and her friends were GREAT. My crew came back and picked me up around 11:30pm. We headed back to the apartment and hit the hay!

Day 130 - Los Angles, CA - Sunny Low 70's:

We woke up relatively early today and headed straight to Venice Beach. We had been informed of the CRAZIES we would see and so we just had to check it out ourselves. Venice Beach is also home to Muscle Beach where Ben wanted to stop by and show his strength :) To say it was a unique experience would be an understatement. If you want to see all the world has to offer just stop by here on any beautiful afternoon and you are bound to be entertained. The thing that I could not get passed was the fact that Medical Marajuana is legal here. You have to visit a doctor, have an ailment, get a perscription, and have it filled. Venice Beach has many locations where you can get your perscription filled and they aren't shy about letting you know. For someone who has never done drugs in her life, it was quite interesting to see.

After Venice Beach we headed over to Paramount Studios. Ben's family has a long time friend John who works for CBS television. He has an office at the studios and was kind enouh to get us a VIP tour of the lot. It was a very intersting tour and we learned so much about the history of the studio. Paramount was founded in 1912 and is currently the oldest existing studio in America. Today's Paramount Studio was originally two separate lots. Orignially half of the lot was owned by RKO Pictures. RKO is well known for such acts as Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire as well as Bette Davis. RKO ran into a miryad of issues and eventually was forced to close down. At that time Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball were well-known in Hollywood and the world. They opened a production company called Desilu Productions. Desilu was home to such television hits as I Love Lucy, Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Mission: Impossible (yes it was a TV show before it was a movie). I had no idea of what Lucille Ball did for television. Are you aware that we have reruns thanks to her. She created the idea that shows should be put on tape so they can be seen again and again...prior to that they were shown live or just once. Eventually Lucille and Desi broke apart and Lucille was the sole owner of the company. Unfortunately the stress of her own weekly show and the task of running Desilu took it's tole on her and she sold the company to Gulf and Western which merged it's studios with Paramount. Today is what remains of that sale. A VERY LARGE and VERY SUCCESSFUL television studio lot.

Our tour took us around the lot. We saw the studios where such shows as Cheers, King Kong (which was shot in the smallest studio on the lot...ironic?), I Love Lucy, Family Ties, Star Trek, and so many more were taped. We pulled up to a studio that looked like it was being used but they were on a break and we were allowed to go inside. It was the set for TBS's My Boys. It's crazy to see behind the scenes. They eyes and mind can be tricked so easily with simple paint and fabric. Things that appear to be skyline and trees are really just sheets with paint. It was so interesting to look around and see exactly where these stars spend fourteen to sixteen hours a day. From here we continued to ride around the studio...it's huge...until we came up on Community. They have to studios that they film in each day. They were filming in one but we were able to go into the other. If you aren't aware it's about a run-down community college. Oddly enough even inside it's exactly what it looked like. The detail work that set designers use is unbelieveable. Everything from creating college flyers to course listings is an intentional act. Again though, the tricks they can play on you is just plain nuts!! We drove by the set where Hung (it's on HBO), some show on Nickelodeon, and GLEE. I was VERY disappointed that we couldn't go into GLEE but they were filming. The did let us sit outside for a bit while we learned some information but no one came out and the red filming light stayed on.

While driving we came onto a green area. It was here that we learned about a few more of Lucille Ball's interesting and ingenious ideas. She had this space put in for many purposes. One, it allowed for filming in green space. Two it looked just like (on purpose) her lawn at home so she could sit outside and have photo shoots showing her with her children. You see it wasn't "appropriate" and/or well accepted that women would be in power and therefore she could be on set, take photos and say "Hey look I'm not working...I'm at home". Beside the green area was an entry way designed as an exact replica of her Broolyn apartment. She would do the same thing here so people would think she was spending time as a mom in Brooklyn when she was really at work! This doorway led into her private dressing room which then led directly onto the set of I Love Lucy this way she had no concern about her hair or makeup being disturbed because of the weather. Back out in the park area we were able to see where Greg Brady got caught smoking under the tree on the Brady Bunch as well as the outside of the school that the kids went to...it's actually offices now and we could see the OSCAR that was won by Ryan Murphy for the series Nip/Tuck. Across the park we were directed to look at a building which we learned houses a daycare. This is another Lucille Ball idea. She instituded thsi so that mothers and fathers could come to work and their children could be nearby...SO SMART SHE WAS! On a different side we were shown the windows of the former office of Lucille Ball and above them were the windows to the offfice of Tom Cruise while he was filming Mission Impossible. He's a bit of a germaphob and had it written into his contract that the toliet seat in his bathroom had to be replaced once a week. In addition to that he had a key pad installed so only he could use the bathroom. In addition he had a third window put in because he couldn't see the famous Paramount water tower which he claimed he needed for inspiration. WEIRD!

A few other interesting things we got to see were the streets of NYC. They have all different neighborhoods and building types so that any scene can be taped without actually having to go to NYC. Interestingly though the buildings are only facades. They look like building on the front but in reality if you go inside it's just a series of ramps and walkways. We learned that some extras are paid just to walk back and forth on these all day to make it look like people are inside. Ben was excited to reinact the scene from Seinfeld where Jerry tries to throw the bread up to George. He stood in the same spot only there was no bread and no George!

We also go to see the B Tank that is used for many water scenes. When there used to be an A-Tank, the two tanks were filled to spill into each other and then reversed on film, to depict the parting of the Red Sea in "The Ten Commandments." Now B-Tank is all alone, but it's still keeping busy — both when wet and dry. For "Waterworld," the space was enclosed with scaffolding and nylon sheeting. "Snake Eyes" used it for a tunnel leading out to Atlantic City's boardwalk during the storm. And, most recently, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" used Tank-B for a Brad Pitt rowboat scene. There's a 175-by-75-foot blue-sky backdrop that can be used for any kind of background. A story that we were told that was about when Sam proposed to Diane on Cheers. You see it takes twenty-four hours to fill the tank and it's not always warm. Shelley Long (the actress who played Diane) arrived to do the scene which takes place on a boat. She is supposed to fall into the water. She touched the water and refused to get in because it was too cold. They had to drain the tank which takes twelve hours. They then had to refill the tank which is taking another twenty-four hours. Needless to say the execs were not too happy. Interestingly she was never seen again on the show! Coincidence? When the B-Tank is not in use, it's just a parking lot.

Of course we saw the famous entryway, the water tank, and the Paramount Theater where they often have movie premiers and screenings. It was an incredibly informative tour and we were so greatful to be able to take the opportunity to visit.

After the tour we headed over to John's office to visit. He was so wonderful and so excited to see Ben. He couldn't get over how much Ben looked like his mom. We spent some time catching up and learning how John went from living in Skowhegan to living in LA and working for CBS Television. It was so interesting. We snapped a photo so that Gug, Nancy, Sue, and Karen could have a look at how good John looks. We look forward to seeing him in Skowhegan this summer hopefully.

We left Paramount and headed to Beachwood and Franklin Street. Amanda had informed us that Beachwood was the best street to drive on in order to get a good look at the Hollywood Sign. For many years now the Hollywood sign is not something that you can actually get close to. There were too mny people vandalizing it. So we got as close as we could and took some pictures.

Next we made our way to The Grove! I've seen so many pictures of celebrities shopping here and I wanted to see what it was all about. It is a beautiful outdoor mall with great shops and restaurants. I even managed to let myself make a purchase at Banana Republic! We didn't have time to visit the Farmer's Market but someday when I come back I really want to check it out and eat dinner. Both John and Heather highly recommended it! While we were at The Grove I did manage to see one celebrity. Chelsea Hightower who used to be on So You Think You Can Dance (click here for video) and is now on Dancing with the Stars (click here for a video). She was actually one of my favorite competitors ever on So You Think You Can Dance so it was fun to see her pass by. She was much shorter than I expected!

We ended our evening with dinner at Amanda's apartment. She lives in an area called Los Feliz which is a district of Los Angeles. We made a delicious stirfry! We hung out for a bit but she needed some rest before work so we all headed back to Jamie's apartment for the night!

Day 129 - Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA / Los Angeles, CA - Windy Mid 60's:

I woke up bright and early this morning to hit the gym for a run. I wasn't meeting Ginger at her school until 10:15am so I had plenty of time. On my way I dropped Ben off at Manhattan Beach, he was meeting his friend Heather and they were going out for a run. She was able to drop him off after which was nice so I could have the car. I left him and took off.

I met up with Ginger which was so fun. We haven't seen each other since graduation and so to see her was like a mini reunion. She showed me the grounds of her school. IT'S GORGEOUS. She works at Chadwick School which is a private school in a VERY nice neighborhood. Unlike in Florida at the school I visited, here they do not have uniforms but just a dress code. The campus is large and serves students K-12. It is not cheap to go to school here which helps in the beauty of the campus. From some areas you can see all of LA and Long Beach. I guess I should mention that like many of the homes, the school is built on the side of a mountain! It was so nice to be back in a school. I visited a 6th grade math class where they were learning proportions, ratios, and equivalent fractions. I then went to a 7th grade class where they were learning how to construct figures. Lastly I went to an 8th grade honors Algebra I class where they were learning different ways to solve systems of equations. I got to do a bit of teaching, a lot of observing, some learning, and a great deal of observing. I really didn't want to leave. I chatted with Ginger for a bit before heading out. We made plans to get together on Friday to really catch up. I'd write more about the school but most people won't find it nearly as fascinating as I do so I'll just move on!

I got back to the hotel and we jumped right into the car to head into HOLLYWOOD. Our first stop was Hollywood and Highland. You may not be so familiar with the name but you are familiar with what's here! Hollywood and Highland is home to Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It is well known not only for star studded movie premiers but more so for the famous hand and footprints in the cement out front. There are so many incredible stars who's name are in the cement and let me tell you some of them have VERY LARGE FEET! We walked down the Hollywood Walk of Fame looking at all the star's stars. We saw so many people's. Britney, Madonna, John Travolta, Bob Hope, Michael Jackson, and a whole lot more. While here we decided to take the opportunity to watch a movie at the famed Grauman's Theater. We viewed Up In The Air starring George Clooney. It wasn't really what I expected but it was worth the watch nonetheless.

After the movie we made our way to Santa Monica to grab some dinner. Heather (Ben's friend) had recommended a place called The Counter. Apparently among the many amazing places to eat, gourmet burger joints. Well let me say it was DELICIOUS! The burger was perfect. They have so many choices in fact the choices they offer allow for more than 312, 120 different permutations! How's that for some math! Ben would also like to note that the sweet potato fries were AMAZING.

We finished dinner and headed over to Jamie's apartment. We were so excited to see another familiar face especially since this one is one that we both know. He lives right near Culver City in a three bedroom space with a couple of roommates. We got to meet his girlfriend Amanda who is an LA native. There aren't many natives around so he lucked out!! We hung out chatted caught up and then hit the sack!