Tinseltown Lives

"I want to grow old without facelifts. I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have made." --Marilyn Monroe

Of course, the Princess of Hollywood was not only famous for her little quips, but for being an actress, singer and model. In her time, Marilyn was Hollywood. So why not feature Norma Jean on the date of her tragic death on August 5, 1962.

This photo of Marilyn was taken near the famous, Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It is a life-like statue facing Hollywood Boulevard, positioned for tourist to have their photo taken with a star. I was amazed at how real she looked. Yet then again, isn't most of "Hollywood" a big charade?

Amber and I had a "date night" and decided to head out to Hollywood for diner and a walk down Hollywood Boulevard. The street was buzzing with excitement from tourists from all over the world. No stars to be found except on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For a few bucks, you can take a tour and really get to know Tinseltown as shown below (www.ehollywoodtours.com).

The Real Hollywood

Los Angeles, CA -- LA is loosing more location work as a result of high taxes and neighboring competition offering incentives (go figure...). Although we have lost business to Canada, and other countries, we can still boast of hundreds of great classic locations waiting to be filmed, like the alley above.

Father of the Bride House

We all have our favorite streets. Whether we are under the tyranny of the urgent or void of a time constraint, it's nice to drive through a neighborhood that makes you proud of where you live.

For those familiar with Pasadena, the arching tree-lined street of El Molino provides a plethora of storybook homes. It's no wonder Hollywood makes this street their "American neighborhood" of choice for so many movies and commercials.

This particular home was made famous in the 1991 and 1995 films Father of the Bride; it has "family" built into the mortar.