My Trip to Hollywood

Dennis and I arrived at LAX on the night of March 19.  We got a rental car and drove immediately to the home of my Uncle Vince and Aunt Veronica in San Moreno, about an hour and a half east of L.A. who were kind enough to host us for the week.  We drove out to L.A. almost every day of the week.  With our interview scheduled for later in the week, we were typical tourists on Sunday and Monday, visiting the Hollywood Sign, the beaches and other attractions.  Being a huge fan, I made sure to go on my own Marilyn Monroe tour, which included a visit to her star on the Walk of Fame, her prints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the home in which she died, and her grave site at Westwood Memorial Cemetery:

On Monday we met up with the crew from Brian Waddell Productions at their hotel on Sunset Blvd. just to say hi.  There we met another guest of the program, Douglas Redenius, Vice President of the Ian Fleming Foundation.  In the Grafton Hotel bar, Doug shared fantastic stories of locating cars and vehicles from the James Bond films, including the story of how he tracked down the Lotus Esprit Sub from The Spy Who Loved Me to the Bahamas, only to find it painted RED and adorned with Christmas lights.  It has since been restored to its original condition.  It was a pleasure meeting Mr. Redenius, who personally owns one of the largest collections of James Bond props and memorabilia in the world. 

On Tuesday afternoon, we visited Barris Kustoms in North Hollywood.  Outside, we happened to pass George Barris' Jaguar that sported an awesome license plate! (above right).  Inside, we got to chat with Mr. Barris briefly and he was kind enough to let us roam around his facility.  On display were The Munsters' Koach, The Monkeemobile, Greased Lightning, the pink Honda S2000 from 2 Fast 2 Furious, and a replica of James Dean's Porsche Spyder 550.  It was great to see these amazing cars up close.  Unfortunately, the Batmobile that is normally housed at Barris' shop was in Fresno on exhibit, and we didn't get to see it.  While we were at Mr. Barris' Shop, we got the call that our interview for Movies' Greatest Cars got bumped up to TODAY!  We had to rush back to San Moreno to grab my die-cast cars, then rush back out to L.A. for the interview.  Our total drive time was 6 HOURS thanks to rush hour traffic!!!  But we had a great time with the crew as they shot our interview that night in a home in L.A.  As my movie cars were displayed in front of us, Dennis and I talked about movies such as Grease, The Car, Gone in 60 Seconds, Goldfinger, Smokey & the Bandit, Pretty Woman and more.  The crew seemed to be happy with the interview and after a nice dinner of Chinese food, we said our goodbyes to them. 

On Wednesday,  Dennis and I met up with Bobby and Lani Hirai at their 12th floor apartment on Hollywood Blvd. (see the view, above left).  We interviewed Mr. Hirai for a documentary about hockey players who are 75 years or older.  The couple were gracious hosts and we spent HOURS talking to them.  Mr. Hirai had amazing stories about his friendships with Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis, Jr., and director/producer Mervyn Leroy.  His stories were absolutely fascinating.  I could've listened all evening, but Dennis and I said our goodbyes and began walking down Hollywood Blvd. with our camera equipment.  As we passed Grauman's Chinese Theatre, we noticed bright lights and large crowds (above right).  It was the premiere of Miss Congeniality 2 starring Sandra Bullock.  As we craned our necks to try to spot any celebrities, a man approached us and offered us tickets to see the premiere!!!  We gladly accepted and made our way to the theatre.  Unfortunately, the airport-like security didn't allow us to bring in our video equipment and we were told to take it out to our car, which was several blocks away!!!  Dennis and I RACED to our car, dodging people and traffic along Hollywood Blvd.  We got to the car, dumped all of our stuff in the trunk and RACED back to Grauman's Chinese Theatre.  A security guard actually waited at the door for us and we were in our seats just before the film began.  I was breathing heavily and sweating from all that running, but I could NOT believe I was actually sitting in Grauman's Chinese Theatre for a movie premiere!!!  I had never been inside the theatre before, and I was in awe of its beautiful interior. 

I enjoyed the movie, as well.  It had some laughs and Sandra Bullock was as adorable as ever. 

After the movie, we were standing in the lobby and I spotted Ernie Hudson, who played "McDonald" in the film (he also played Winston in the Ghostbusters movies).  We shook hands and he signed the back of my movie ticket.  On the theatre's famous forecourt, we also spotted Regina King, Heather Burns and Diedrich Bader (Oswald on The Drew Carey Show).  While searching for celebs on the Walk of Fame, we found ourselves standing on a blank star covered with plastic and a barricade.  I assumed that someone would soon be receiving a new star.  When I got online later that night, I discovered that Sandra Bullock would be getting her star on Thursday afternoon! 

Dennis and I made sure we were back on Hollywood Blvd. for the unveiling of Sandra Bullock's star.  Ceremonial Mayor of Hollywood, Johnny Grant (above left), welcomed the crowd and introduced Sandra.  Also in attendance were Sandra's Miss Congeniality 2 co-stars, including William Shatner.  Sandra also produces The George Lopez Show, and George was present to roast Sandra, as well as express his gratitude to her.  Sandra seemed very moved by the ceremony and expressed thanks to the crowd who came out in the rain to see her.  She didn't seem very far removed from the sweet characters she plays on film.  Sandra's star is located near her former co-star of Speed, Keanu Reeves, at Hollywood Blvd. and Highland. 

Later that day, we visited the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd. which had a handful of famous cars on display, including the #1 Batmobile actually used on the 1966 TV show, the '89 movie Batmobile, Green Hornet's Black Beauty, the vehicle that Jack Lemmon drove in The Great Race, and Dean Jeffries' Manta Ray, as well as dozens of other custom and classic cars.  Also on display were THOUSANDS of Hot Wheels.  Thursday night, Dennis and I were back at Grauman's for a sneak-preview of The Longest Yard, the remake of the 1974 film, starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds.  It was interesting because the film wasn't quite finished yet.  It still needed color-correction, audio tweaks and it didn't even have credits yet!  But despite being a rough-cut, the film was ENORMOUSLY entertaining.  Sandler's Happy Madison Productions did a great job of remaking the original, which I think is a classic.  Of course, with Sandler and Rock starring, the film was quite a bit funnier than the original.  Be sure to check out this movie when it comes to a theatre near you.

Friday was spent with family.  Saturday, Dennis and I stayed in the general vicinity of LAX, killing time before our flight back to Michigan.  We visited some of the L.A. area's cemeteries, paying our respect to Stan Laurel, Walt Disney, Errol Flynn and others.  I got a little misty-eyed when I spotted a letter that was placed beneath the marker of Stan Laurel.  An eleven-year-old girl had written a note to Stan, thanking him for his comedy.  She drew a picture of Laurel & Hardy as well.  The letter was dated 3/27/05.  It must've been placed there earlier in the day.

Dennis and I arrived at LAX on Saturday night, and apparently, the excitement wasn't over yet.  Upon checking in with Spirit Airlines, I was told I was on the "no-flight list."  Apparently, I was BLACKLISTED!  The police were called in, who then called the F.B.I.!!!!   The mess was straightened out in a few moments and I was allowed to proceed.  My heart rate returned to normal as I passed through security with Fame's Debbie Allen, who was on her way to Atlanta. 

Our plane finally touched down in Detroit early Sunday morning.

Although I spent a year in the L.A. area back in 1990, and visited a few times since, this past week ranks among the most memorable experiences of my life.  I felt like Lucy when she visited Hollywood.  Dennis and I attended a premiere at Grauman's, hob-nobbed with celebrities, and at times, were treated like celebrities ourselves.  My thanks goes out to Brian Waddell Productions for making this trip possible, and to my Aunt & Uncle Trepepi for putting up with us for a week!  I love you two.