Hollywood Blog

Hollywood’s TMZ Gains International Respect

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tmzWho would have thought? After all, mainstream journalism does not normally pay its respects to tabloids. But then again, can TMZ be categorized under this label?

I could hardly believe it, but BBC has a full write up on TMZ. Apparently, the Hollywood-based entertainment news web site has already been attracting the attention of other journalists and has been building a reputation for getting the scoop on the hottest happenings in Hollywood – ahead of everyone else. Seems to me that the BBC write up is all positive:

TMZ broke the news of Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic tirade against a police officer, and it was the first to publish the photograph of a bruised Rihanna after she was assaulted by Chris Brown.

But it was the Jackson story that focused attention on the site more than ever before. Mainstream media outlets struggled to confirm the singer’s death while TMZ had details that proved to be accurate.
Once viewed as a bunch of mavericks, the site won the grudging respect of established news organizations.

I say, what better place to evolve from being mavericks to an established and respected entity than in Hollywood? After all, this is where dreams do come true, right?

People behind TMZ also have a lot to say. Harvey Levin – that familiar grinning face you see on TMZ’s TV version – edits the web sites and claims that their extensive contact book is one of the best in town, and that it is the key to their success. Well people, if you have something to say, you know who to approach now.

Originally posted on September 14, 2009 @ 10:24 am

Mother’s Day In Hollywood

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Today is Mother’s Day – or have you somehow overlooked that fact? We all have our moments of forgetfulness, but we know that this holiday is something that we should not forget. Never mind that not everyone celebrates Mother’s Day in a big way these days, but even the smallest of gestures will certainly be appreciated by the woman who gave you everything: your mom.

Here’s a thought: why not take mom out for lunch or dinner today? Even if you weren’t really planning on it, you can still go ahead and do it.

In Hollywood, there are lots – practically endless, actually – of choices. Here are some of the best ideas.

Lazy Dog Café
They have six branches in the Southland area so you have lots of choices. The prices are very reasonable and you can choose from American, Italian, and Asian cuisine. They also have a special treat for moms on this special day.

Patina at Descanso Gardens
More than a fine meal, your mom would certainly enjoy spending time with you strolling in the gardens. Visit them at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge and enjoy the Mother’s Day buffet lunch. First thing this morning, give them a call at (818) 790.3663 so that you can check if they can accommodate you.

Andaz West Hollywood
For $55 (adults; $20 for children), you can have a Mother’s Day meal at the French restaurant at this hotel, which is rife with the history and culture of Los Angeles. They’re located at 8401 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

Alternatively, you can just go to the nearest local restaurant that can accommodate you. After all, it’s the time spent together that really counts. Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there!

Originally posted on May 9, 2010 @ 9:06 am

Hollywood Movie Execs Seeing Red

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169892-redboxinteriorgroceryphoto_originalHollywood relies mainly on one thing for revenue: making movies. While there are many other streams of revenue in this town, movies are what really rake the dough in. That is why when something threatens movies and the revenue they are bringing in, Hollywood execs are quick to go up in arms.

The latest threat comes in a unique shape – that of a big red box. Dubbed Redbox, this “threat” is a self-serve DVD rental kiosk which is placed in strategic locations all over Hollywood. The price of a rental is a mere $1, making it such a convenience for anyone who wants to watch a movie. Being self-serve, the Redbox kiosks are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no danger of having the movie rental store close on you or anything like that.

While people might be happy about this development, Hollywood execs are not. In fact, they are taking rather drastic measures in order to stop this threat from becoming a full blown problem. The management of 20th Century Fox, for example, has already issued a directive that their wholesalers are not allowed to sell DVDs to Redbox until a month (30 days) after the initial release. Obviously, this step is meant to help increase the DVD sales before Redbox can release their own for rental.

I know that the movie companies are out there to make money but in these hard times, average people like me really really appreciate services like Redbox. Heck, that’s better than downloading movies illegally, right?

Originally posted on August 10, 2009 @ 11:55 am

Saving the Hollywood Sign

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Earlier this month the iconic Hollywood Sign was covered up for five days with red letters spelling out the phrase “SAVE the PEAK”. The sign was covered by the “Save Cahuenga Peak” campaign, whose aim is to keep the 138-acre tract of land located behind on the left of the Hollywood sign the way it is right now. The land is currently privately owned and is set to be developed so that the view will eventually be marred by mansions. In order to protect the land, the campaign has to raise a total of $12.5 million by April 14, 2010. The money will be used to purchase the land and so hopefully preserve the view.

Right now though it seems that the campaign is not taking off as well as they would want it too despite the support of celebs like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tippi Hedren, Aisha Tyler, and John Slattery. The Save Cahuenga Peak campaign site shows the online campaign progress at just $40,355, a mere 8 percent of their target $500,000. We can only hope for them that the celebs will be more receptive to the cause and start turning out their pockets in a hurry. With all the natural disasters happening all over the world today though and so much charity that needs attention most might feel that trying to save a sign, however iconic it is, should come second to giving to the more worthy causes. And with the economy you can expect that only those who have a really special connection with the Hollywood sign will be willing to spend money to save the sign.

Originally posted on February 28, 2010 @ 12:46 pm

W Hotel and Residences Now Open

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W Hotel and ResidencesHollywood now comes with a big W. I don’t mean HollyWood but the new W Hotel and Residences that opened last Friday on the corner of Hollywood and Vine.

The W Hotel is a mixed-use development with hotel suites and apartment for a total of 143 residences, restaurants, clubs, shops, and a subway station right underneath it. The W Hotel also has energy efficient rooms and is expected to draw more tourists to Hollywood.

The W Hotel presents $350 million in investment, which is expected by the city government to be pumped right back to the economy. In terms of employment this will be true since it will bring about 500 jobs, good news with the still struggling economy. Aside from the jobs they are hoping that the development will end up revitalizing the whole area surrounding the hotel. According to Gatehouse Capital CEO Marty Collins, “It creates and really anchors a vision that allows the whole area to expand and really in some ways become back to what it once was before, that whole renaissance of Hollywood.”

However, some are already calling the hotel “ungainly”. As Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic of LA Times, said, “The rather ungainly result… is not what you’d call an elegant addition to the rapidly expanding Hollywood skyline,” but even he has to agree that how this “urban-experiment” will end is still a puzzle that will only be solved by time. For now we can be sure that this curiosity will be the talk of Hollywood; as to what people will be saying, we can only wait and see.

Originally posted on January 31, 2010 @ 6:10 pm