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Archive for May, 2010
LA PHIL
The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil, LAP, or LAPO) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September. Gustavo Dudamel is the current Music Director, and Esa-Pekka Salonen is Conductor Laureate.
Music critics have described the orchestra as the most “contemporary minded”, “forward thinking”, “talked about and innovative”, “venturesome and admired” orchestra in America. According to Salonen, “We are interested in the future. We are not trying to re-create the glories of the past, like so many other symphony orchestras.”
The orchestra played its first season at Trinity Auditorium at Grand Ave and Ninth Street. In 1920, it moved to Fifth Street and Olive Ave, in a venue that had previously been known as Clune’s Auditorium, but was renamed Philharmonic Auditorium. From 1964 to 2003, the orchestra played its main subscription concerts in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center. In 2003, a move was made to the newWalt Disney Concert Hall next door designed by Frank Gehry. Its current “winter season” runs from October through late May or early June.
Since 1922, the orchestra has played outdoor concerts during the summer at the Hollywood Bowl, with the official “summer season” running from July through September; private tour guides will encourage the purchase of tickets while pointing out current venues on private sightseeing tours Los Angeles.
The LA Philharmonic has played at least one concert a year in its sister city, Santa Barbara, presented by the Community Arts Music Association (CAMA), along with other regular concerts throughout various Southern California cities such as Costa Mesa as part of the Orange County Philharmonic Society’s series, San Diego, Palm Springs, among many others. In addition, the orchestra plays a number of free community concerts throughout Los Angeles County.
Universal Studios
Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal City Studios or Universal for short), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six major American movie studios. Its main motion picture production/distribution arm is called Universal Pictures.
Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle It is one of the oldest American movie studios still in continuous production. In 2004, the controlling stake in the company was sold by Vivendi Universal to General Electric, parent of NBC. The resulting media super-conglomerate was renamed NBC Universal, while Universal Studios Inc. remained the name of the production subsidiary. In addition to owning a sizable film library spanning the earliest decades of cinema to more contemporary works, it also owns a sizable collection of TV shows through its subsidiary NBC Universal Television Distribution. It also acquired rights to several prominent filmmakers’ works originally released by other studios through its subsidiaries over the years.
Its production studios are at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, and one of the main points of discussion on private Hollywood Tours. Distribution and other corporate offices are in New York City. Universal Pictures is the second-longest-lived Hollywood studio; Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures is the oldest by a month.
The Nestor Motion Picture Company
The Nestor Motion Picture Company was a motion picture studio/production company located in Bayonne, New Jersey, andHollywood, California, which was owned and operated by David Horsley and his brother, William Horsley.
On October 27, 1911, Nestor opened the first movie studio actually located in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. It was at the Blondeau Tavern building on the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. The first motion picture stage in Hollywood was built behind the tavern.
Other East Coast studios had moved production to Los Angeles, prior to Nestor’s move west. The California weather allowed for year-round filming and the ambitious studio operated three principal divisions under its Canadian-born general manager, Al Christie.
The Horsley brothers remained in New Jersey, where their laboratory and offices handled the Hollywood studio’s film processing and distribution. Al Christie moved permanently from the East, where he had been working with the Horsleys creating the extremely popular silent era Mutt and Jeff comedy shorts, to Southern California.
One division at the Hollywood location, under director Milton H. Fahrney, made a one-reel western picture every week while the second division, under director Tom Ricketts, turned out a one-reel drama every week. In addition to running the operation, Christie oversaw a weekly production of a one-reel Mutt and Jeff episode.
Other filmmakers began opening studios in the Hollywood area; today on many people’s list of things to do in Hollywood. The Horsleys operated the Nestor Studios at the Sunset and Gower location until May 20, 1912, when the Universal Film Company was formed, headed by Carl Laemmle. Nestor, along with several other motion picture companies, including Laemmle’s Independent Moving Pictures (IMP), was merged with Universal.
Providencia Land and Water Development Company
The Providencia Land and Water Development Company property was used as a location for some early motion pictures, most notably for battle scenes in the silent classic about the American Civil War, The Birth of a Nation (1915). In 1912 Carl Laemmle (IMP from Universal Pictures) took over the assets of Nestor Studios and named this area Universal City.
The photographs of this area can be seen in Los Angeles Library archives: “A Birds Eye View of Universal City”. The alternate names of this filming site include Providencia flats; Nestor Ranch; Oak Ranch; Oak Crest Ranch; Universal Ranch/Universal City [Providencia site vs Lankershism site ] ; 1916 Lasky Ranch; and Paramount Ranch until Nov. 1927. Today this areas is Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). While accomplishing a lit of, things to do in Los Angeles, this is an area that at some point will cross your path, if only from a distance. PHOTO: Early map of Burbank, California with Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills on the bottom left.
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Among those interred in the cemetery are many important personalities and famous people, including men and women from the entertainment industry and their relatives. Some final resting places, such as those of Humphrey Bogart, John M. Stahl, Lon Chaney, Errol Flynn and Mary Pickford, are secluded in private gated gardens with no public access. A number of interment locations are also kept from the public eye, and only to be chatted about on a private Hollywood tour. The Court of Honor advertises that in some of the crypts beneath it are spots which are not bought, but individuals are “voted in” as “Immortals.” In 2009 the cemetery became the focus of intense media interest surrounding the private burial of Michael Jackson.
Forest Lawn was founded in 1906 as a not-for-profit cemetery by a group of businessmen from San Francisco. Dr. Hubert Eaton and C. B. Sims entered into a sales contract with the cemetery in 1912. Eaton took over the management of the cemetery in 1917 and is credited as being the “founder” of Forest Lawn for his innovations of establishing the “memorial park plan” (eliminating upright grave markers) and being the first to open a funeral home on dedicated cemetery grounds. Eaton was a firm believer in a joyous life after death. He was convinced that most cemeteries were “unsightly, depressing stoneyards” and pledged to create one that would reflect his optimistic beliefs, “as unlike other cemeteries as sunshine is unlike darkness.” He envisioned Forest Lawn to be “a great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly death, but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, beautiful statuary, and … memorial architecture” A number of plaques which state Eaton’s intentions are signed “The Builder.”
Most of its burial sections have evocative names, including Eventide, Babyland (for infants, shaped like a heart), Graceland, Inspiration Slope, Slumberland (for children and adolescents), Sweet Memories, Vesperland, Borderland (on the edge of the cemetery), and Dawn of Tomorrow. Packages for burial cover a wide spectrum of prices.
Good Bagels in LA ?
Do not let anyone tell you that Los Angeles does not have a good Bagel! Private tour guides can not only tell you where the stars live, but where they eat too! The Bagel Broker, the best in the bagel business in the heart of the Fairfax district. They have been serving 19 varieties of fresh bagels, delicious pastries, homemade salads and brewed-to-perfection coffee for over 20 years. This is the place to stop while on private tours of Los Angeles!
Open Monday – Friday from 6am to 5pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 am to 4pm.
7825 beverly blvd. los angeles, ca 90036
“Hands down, the best bagels in LA. They are chewy on the outside, soft on the inside, fresh as can be. Go for breakfast or for lunch. They deliver bagels to a lot of the area businesses” – WeHo News
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. The Academy’s corporate management and general policies are overseen by a Board of Governors, which includes representatives from each of the craft branches.
The Academy is composed of over 6,000 motion picture professionals. While the great majority of its members are based in the United States, membership is open to qualified filmmakers around the world. Never, overlooked on private star tours Hollywood, The Academy is known around the world for its annual Academy Awards, informally known as the “Oscars”. In addition, the Academy gives Student Academy Awards annually to filmmakers at the undergraduate and graduate level; awards up to five Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting annually; and operates the Margaret Herrick Library (at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study) in Beverly Hills, California and the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Studyin Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT / 2 number LA landmarks
NO. 1011 FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT TEXTILE BLOCK HOUSES (THEMATIC), ENNIS HOUSE - This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1924 for Charles and Mabel Ennis. It is one of four textile block houses registered as Landmark No. 1011. A must see on Private Hollywood tours2000s LA Movie Locations
2000s LA Movie Locations
Almost Famous (2000) Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Bedazzled (2000) Olympic Auditorium, 1801 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
End of Days (2000) St. Vincent de Paul church, 621 W. Adams Blvd., LA
Charlie’s Angels (2000) Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; Cabrillo Marina, Via Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro
Memento (2000) Travel Inn, 7254 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga
Pay It Forward (2000) Bradbury Building, 304 S. Broadway, Downtown LA
Ali (2001) Olympic Auditorium, 1801 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
The Fast and the Furious (2001) Cha Cha Cha restaurant, 656 N. Virgil Ave., Silver Lake
I Am Sam (2001) Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Downtown LA
Jurassic Park III (2001) Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock
My First Mister (2001) Westfield Century City shopping mall, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City
Mulholland Drive (2001) Pink’s, 709 N. La Brea Ave., LA
Payback (2001) Mount St. Mary’s College, 8 Chester Place, LA
Pearl Harbor (2001) Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA; Van Nuys Airport, 16461 Sherman Way, Van Nuys; Warner Grand Theatre,
478 W. Sixth St., San Pedro; Angel’s Gate, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro; S.S. Lane Victory, Berth 94, San Pedro
The Princess Diaries (2001) Mount St. Mary’s College, 8 Chester Place, LA
The Country Bears (2002) Toluca Lake Car Wash, 10515 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood
Enough (2002) Edie’s Diner, 4211 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey
Hot Chick (2002) private home, 332 S. Lorraine Blvd., Hancock Park
Minority Report (2002) Angelus Plaza, 255 S. Hill St., Downtown LA
Murder by the Numbers (2002) Calabasas High School, 22855 W.
Mulholland Highway, Calabasas
One Hour Photo (2002) Westfield Topanga Plaza, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park
Solaris (2002) 777 Tower, 777 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Spider-Man (2002) Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park
White Oleander (2002) LA Airport Courthouse, 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd., LA
Alex & Emma (2003) Doheny Mansion, 8 Chester Place, LA
Anger Management (2003) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle (2003) Hansen Dam, 11770 Foothill Blvd., Lake View Terrace; Terminal Island, San Pedro; El Carmen restaurant, 8138 W. Third St., LA; Musso & Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) private home, 510 S. Lucerne Blvd., Hancock Park
Freaky Friday (2003) Palisades High School, 15777 Bowdoin St., Pacific Palisades; Chinatown, Downtown LA
Hollywood Homicide (2003) Parker Center Police HQ, 150 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
House of Sand and Fog (2003) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
The Italian Job (2003) Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA;
Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA; Hollywood & Highland MTA Metro Station, Hollywood
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003) Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino Los Angeles
Plays Itself (2003) various LA locations
Matchstick Men (2003) Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine
Old School (2003) LA Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Private LA guided tours are the best way so see these locations and many more:
Seabiscuit (2003) Santa Anita Race Track, 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia
S.W.A.T. (2003) Hollywood sign, Hollywood; World Cruise Center, Berths, 91-93, San Pedro
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) Bloomingdale’s, Westfield Century City shopping center, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City; Griffith Park
13 Going on 30 (2004) 777 Tower, 777 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
50 First Dates (2004) Cabrillo Beach, 3800 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro
Anchorman (2004) Old Zoo, Griffith Park
The Aviator (2004) Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Southwestern Law School, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., LA; Woodland Hills Golf Course, 21150 Dumetz Road, Woodland Hills; Pantages Theatre,
6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; private home, 211 Muirfield Road
Hancock Park
Pride & Prejudice (2004) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Cellular (2004) LAX Collateral (2004)LAX; Cheerio’s Bar, 4333 Leimert Blvd., Leimert Park
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) Yucca St. and Vine St., Hollywood
Paparazzi (2004) MTA Building, 810 N. Vignes St., Downtown LA; Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
I Heart Huckabees (2004) 777 Tower, 777 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
In Good Company (2004) 777 Tower, 777 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Spider-man 2 (2004) Ivar Theatre, 1605 N. Ivar St., Hollywood
Bad News Bears (2005) Franklin Fields, 17301 Oxnard St., Encino
Bewitched (2005) Pann’s Restaurant, 6710 La Tijera Blvd., LA; private home, 510 S. Lucerne Blvd., Hancock Park
Crash (2005) 1065 Broxton Ave., Westwood Village; South Bay Liquor Mart, 1014 Wilmington Ave., Wilmington; Carney’s restaurant, 12601 Ventura Blvd., Studio City
Herbie Fully Loaded (2005) Kerckhoff Hall, UCLA
The Island (2005) Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA
Lords of Dogtown (2005) Venice Beach, San Pedro
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) Japanese Garden at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; Yamashiro restaurant, 1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood
Monster-in-Law (2005) Lacy Park, 1485 Virginia Road, San Marino
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) Caltrans HQ Building, 100 S. Main St., Downtown LA
Rumor Has It (2005) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA; LAX
Shopgirl (2005) apartment house, 1630 Griffith Park Blvd., Echo Park
Wedding Crashers (2005) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Dreamgirls (2006) Alexandria Hotel, 501 S. Spring St., Downtown LA
The Black Dahlia (2006) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA ; Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Poseidon (2006) Staples Center, 111 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Quinceañera (2006) Echo Park Lake, 1632 Bellevue Ave., Echo Park
The Shaggy Dog (2006) Walter Reed Middle School, 4525 Irvine Ave., North Hollywood
Superman Returns (2006) Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine, LA Threshold (2006) Dockweiler Beach, 12000 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey
Spider-Man 3 (2007) Alexandria Hotel, 501 S. Spring St., Downtown LA; Ivar Theatre, 1605 N. Ivar St., Hollywood
1990s LA Movie Locations
1990s LA Movie Locations
Bad Influence (1990) La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., LA
Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park
Die Hard 2 (1990) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
Internal Affairs (1990) Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Pretty Woman (1990) Cicada restaurant, 617 St. Olive St., Downtown LA; Las Palmas Hotel, 1738 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood; Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills
The Two Jakes (1990) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
Barton Fink (1991) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
Bugsy (1991) Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA; Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Private Los Angeles guided tours are a great way to see these locations:
The Doors (1991) Whisky a Go Go, 8901 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
Father of the Bride (1991) private home, 843 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena
Grand Canyon (1991) Ennis-Brown House, 2655 Glendower Ave., Los Feliz; LAX
Hot Shots (1991) Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
L.A. Story (1991) LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA; MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
The Rocketeer (1991) Griffith Park Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Northridge Fashion Center, 9301 Tampa Ave., Northridge
Scenes From a Mall (1991) Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Blvd., LA
Chaplin (1992) former Chaplin Studios, 1416 N. La Brea Ave., Hollywood
No Place to Hide (1992) Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park
Park Reservoir Dogs (1992) Pat & Lorraine’s Coffee Shop, 4720 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock; Johnie’s, 6101 Wilshire Blvd., LA
The Bodyguard (1993) The Mayan Theatre ,1038 Hill St., Downtown LA
Dave (1993) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Demolition Man (1993) Second Street Tunnel, Downtown LA
Indecent Proposal (1993) Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills; Crossroads of the World; 6671 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
In the Line of Fire (1993) Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Last Action Hero (1993) First Street Viaduct, Downtown LA
Point of No Return (1993) Park Hyatt Hotel, 2151 Avenue of the Stars, Century City
Rising Sun (1993) Japanese Garden, 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) Santa Monica Pier
Clean Slate (1994) Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park
Color of Night (1994) office building, 11400 Olympic Blvd., West LA
D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) Iceoplex, 8345 Hayvenhurst Place, North Hills
Forrest Gump (1994) Santa Monica Pier
The Mask (1994) Sixth Street Viaduct, Downtown LA
Pulp Fiction (1994) Hawthorne Grill, 14763 Hawthorne Blvd., Hawthorne
Speed (1994) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA; Pershing Square MTA Subway Station
Wolf (1994) Bradbury Building, 304 S. Broadway, Downtown LA
Clueless (1995) Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock; Westside Pavilion, 10800 Pico Blvd., West LA
Devil In A Blue Dress (1995) Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park
Get Shorty (1995) LAX
Heat (1995) Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro
Murder in the First (1995) Bradbury Building, 304 S. Broadway, Downtown LA
Nick of Time (1995) Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Outbreak (1995) S.S. Lane Victory, Berth 94, San Pedro
Money Train (1995) railroad tracks at north end of Chinatown on Broadway
The Usual Suspects (1995) Angel’s Gate, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
White Man’s Burden (1995) 420 and 422 Avalon Blvd., Wilmington
Virtuosity (1995) Olympic Auditorium, 1801 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Bio-Dome (1996) office building next to the Japanese Garden, 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys
Eraser (1996) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
Escape from L.A. (1996) LA Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St., Exposition Park
Independence Day (1996) Fourth Street Viaduct, Downtown LA
Swingers (1996) Dresden Room, 1760 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz
Austin Powers: Man of Mystery (1997) Japanese Garden, 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys
Con Air (1997) Second Street Tunnel, Downtown LA
Fathers’ Day (1997) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
L.A. Confidential (1997) J and J’s Sandwich Shop, 119 E. Sixth St. Downtown LA; Formosa Cafe, 7156 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; Crossroads of the World, 6671 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Frolic Room, 6245 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Liar, Liar (1997) LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Downtown LA
Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion (1997) Venice Boardwalk
Titanic (1997) S.S. Lane Victory, Berth 94, San Pedro
The Big Lebowski (1998) Johnie’s coffee shop, 6101 Wilshire Blvd., LA; Venice High School, 13000 Venice Blvd., Venice
City of Angels (1998) Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine, LA
Halloween H2O (1998) private home, 1923 Micheltorena St., Silver Lake
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) Chinatown
Mighty Joe Young (1998) Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood
Pleasantville (1998) Malibu Creek State Park, 1925 Las Virgines Road,
Calabasas
Primary Colors (1998) Banning Mansion, Banning Park, Wilmington
Rush Hour (1998) Foo-Chow Restaurant, 937 N. Hill St., Chinatown
American Beauty (1999) private home, 11388 Homedale St., Brentwood; private home, 330 S. Windsor Blvd., Hancock Park; Carl’s Jr., 20105 Saticoy St., Canoga Park
Blast from the Past (1999) private home, 1972 Canyon Drive, Hollywood; Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA
Fight Club (1999) St. Brendan’s church, 810 S. Van Ness Ave., Hancock Park
Man on the Moon (1999) Olympic Auditorium, 1801 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Never Been Kissed (1999) Burroughs Middle School, 600 S. McCadden Place, Hancock Park