Hotel Shangri-La from “The Bachelor”

Hotel Shangri-La (1 of 41)

This past Sunday morning (which was particularly cloudy, as you can see above), the Grim Cheaper and I headed out to Santa Monica to run a couple of errands and while there we happened to walk by the Hotel Shangri-La – a historic Art Deco masterpiece that I have wanted to stalk ever since early 2010 when it was featured in an episode of fave reality series The Bachelor. So the two of us decided to pop in to take some quick pictures – and we were not disappointed. Hotel Shangri-La is quite spectacular.

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The seven-story, reinforced concrete property, which was originally named the Shangri-La Apartment Hotel, was constructed beginning in 1939 at a cost of $400,000. The L-shaped site was designed by Beverly Hills-based architect William E. Foster and was owned by oilman Frank A. Gillespie. The structure, which at the time housed 61 individual apartment units, was the first Class A apartment building built in Los Angeles County following the stock market crash of 1929. Its doors were opened to the public on May 1, 1940. You can see a great photograph of the location from that time period here.

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Hotel Shangri-La (8 of 41)

During World War II, the building, which is a Santa Monica Historic Landmark, was used as a rehabilitation center by the United States Army Air Forces.

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Hotel Shangri-La (5 of 41)

In 1983, Hotel Shangri-La, which is of no relation to the Asian Shangri-La hotel chain, was purchased by an India-born real estate maven named Ahmad Adaya. The property is still owned by his family to this day.

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Hotel Shangri-La (11 of 41)

According to the book Hollywood & the Best of Los Angeles Alive!, in 2002 the site was seriously lacking in amenities and, for whatever reason, did not feature a pool, a restaurant, a bar, room service, or valet parking. All of that has since changed, though, thanks to a $35 million renovation in 2008.

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Hotel Shangri-La (34 of 41)

Today the Streamline Moderne-style property, which is currently owned and operated by Ahmad’s daughter, Tehmina Adaya, boasts 71 rooms and suites (almost all of which have views of the Pacific Ocean), an upscale restaurant named the Dining Room (where each entrée features ingredients from the famous Santa Monica Farmers Market), an open-air rooftop bar and lounge known as Suite 700 (which was voted one of L.A.’s top 5 rooftop bars in a 2013 The New Zealand Herald article), a pop-up spa known as the Sybaris Rejuvenation Lounge, custom-designed furniture, a solar-powered pool, valet parking, 24-hour in-room dining, and an indoor gym.

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Hotel Shangri-La (16 of 41)

Hotel Shangri-La has been popular with the Hollywood set ever since its inception. Just a few of the stars who have been spotted there over the years include Drew Barrymore, Cyndi Lauper, Diane Keaton, Bill Murray, Matthew Broderick, Bill Clinton, Madonna, Tom Cruise, John F. Kennedy, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Sean Penn, Rashida Jones, and Andy Samberg. Supposedly, even my girl Marilyn Monroe once spent some time there.

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Thanks to its striking architecture, Hotel Shangri-La has been featured in numerous productions over the years. In the Season 14 episode of The Bachelor titled “Week 2”, Jake Pavelka hosted a group date at the Shangri-La where the female contestants took part in a rooftop photo shoot for InStyle magazine.

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After the shoot, the group headed down to the pool area for the remainder of the date, during which Rozlyn Papa was given the coveted rose.

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The Hotel Shangri-La rooftop was also featured in the music video for Randy Newman’s 1983 song “I Love L.A.”

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You can watch that video by clicking below.

In 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, Hotel Shangri-La was where Gloria Clemente (Rosie Perez) celebrated her Jeopardy! win with boyfriend Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson).

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The interior of one of the suites was also featured in the movie.

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In 1995’s The Net, the Shangri-La was where Dr. Alan Champion (Dennis Miller) got his former patient Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) a hotel room shortly after her identity was stolen.

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I am fairly certain that one of the hotel’s actual rooms was used in the filming, although the Shangri-La rooms look significantly different since the remodel, as you can see here.

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An exterior view of the hotel’s central stairwell was also shown.

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Thanks to Geoff, from the 90210Locations website, I learned that the hotel was where Valerie Malone (Tiffani Amber Thiessen) stayed in the Season 7 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 titled “Graduation Day: Part II”, which aired in 1997.

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The interior of the Shangri-La was also shown in the episode.  (Big THANK YOU to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for making the 90210 screen captures that appear here.)

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Ella Simms (Katie Cassidy) and Jonah Miller (Michael Rady) walked by the Hotel Shangri-La after a business lunch with famed German film director Franz Keppler (Craig Robert Young) in the Season 1 episode of the new Melrose Place titled “Ocean.”

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Channing Tatum did a photo shoot with Mario Testino at the hotel for the August 2009 issue of GQ Magazine, which you can see photographs of hereAccording to the book Hollywood & the Best of Los Angeles Alive!, the hotel was also featured in an episode of the 1992 television series Bodies of Evidence and the 1988 Bruce Weber documentary Let’s Get Lost, but I was unable to verify that information.  And while Wikipedia states that the Shangri-La appeared in the 2004 rockumentary DiG!, I was unable to verify that information, either.

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For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Hotel Shangri-La, from Jake Pavelka’s season of The Bachelor, is located at 1301 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

Wokcano from “Get Shorty”

Get Shorty restaurant (4 of 19)

A couple of months ago, Mike, from MovieShotsLA, called to let me know that he had just discovered that the iconic scene from Get Shorty in which loan-shark-turned-movie-producer Chili Palmer (John Travolta) threw a henchman named Bear (James Gandolfini) down a flight of stairs had been lensed at a restaurant named Abiquiu (now Wokcano) in Santa Monica.  And even though I had not seen the 1995 gangster comedy in years, I was beyond thrilled to learn this information and dragged the Grim Cheaper right on over there for happy hour just a few days later.

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Abiquiu was opened at 1413 5th Street in Santa Monica on July 28th, 1994 by John Sedlar.  The restaurateur had originally founded a more upscale, special occasion-type eatery named Bikini at the site in 1991.  After Bikini folded in early 1994, due to a combination of the recession and the aftereffects of the the Northridge earthquake, the two-story space sat vacant for the about six months.

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Get Shorty restaurant (17 of 19)

Sedlar then opened the more casual Abiquiu, named for the Santa Fe town where his grandparents once lived, in its place.  He kept the interior, which in an August 1994 Los Angeles Times article journalist S. Irene Virbila described as “one of the most beautiful in L.A.”, largely the same.  At some point in 2002, Abiquiu closed.  Following in its place were several eateries, including Union, then Akwa, and then, most-recently, in July 2008, the Wokcano chain opened its fifth Los Angeles-area outpost at the site.  Amazingly enough, despite the many changes in ownership over the 18 years since Get Shorty was filmed, the restaurant is still very recognizable from its onscreen appearance.  But more on that later.

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The GC was floored to discover Wokcano’s stellar happy hour, which he quickly dubbed “the best in L.A.”  And I have to say that I agree with him.  The food was excellent, the servings huge and the prices extremely inexpensive.  I highly recommend the Garlic Brussels Sprouts ($5) and the Crispy Pepper Calamari ($7), both of which are to die for!

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Get Shorty restaurant (11 of 19)

Happy hour is offered in Wokcano’s upstairs bar area, off of which is located a huge outdoor patio, complete with couches and cabanas.  Love it!

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Get Shorty restaurant (13 of 19)

In Get Shorty, Abiquiu was the restaurant where Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo) tried to sabotage Karen Flores (Rene Russo) and Chili’s lunch meeting with movie producer Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman).

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When Bo’s “muscle”, Bear, tried to intimidate Chili, Chili responded by throwing him down a flight of stairs.

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Amazingly, that now-famous staircase still looks exactly the same as it did when Get Shorty was filmed!  (Unfortunately, Wokcano is housed in an extremely bright space, which wreaked havoc on my photographs.)

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 Get Shorty restaurant (2 of 19)

The downstairs decor has changed quite a bit since filming took place, however.  Gone are the brightly-colored walls and booths, and a sushi bar has since been installed.  Otherwise, though, the restaurant still looks very much the same as it did onscreen.

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At one point while I was taking pictures, the hostess came up to ask why I had such an interest in the staircase.  When I told her of its famous onscreen appearance, she was shocked.  Apparently, she had not known that bit of trivia prior to speaking with me, which was shocking!  I mean, doesn’t information of that importance deserve a mention in the employee handbook?  😉

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Get Shorty restaurant (3 of 19)

 For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, for finding this location!  🙂

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The Get Shorty staircase can be found at Wokcano, aka the site of the former Abiquiu restaurant, which is located at 1413 5th Street in Santa Monica.  You can visit the eatery’s website here.

Izzy’s Deli from “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (10 of 15)

Because our flight home from Switzerland landed smack dab in the middle of rush hour on a Friday evening, the Grim Cheaper and I decided to book a hotel and spend the night near the airport rather than make what probably would have been a four-plus hour drive to Palm Springs. It turned out to be quite the fortuitous decision, too, because the following morning, on our way back to the desert, we randomly stopped for breakfast (after first grabbing a Starbucks, of course!) at a Santa Monica delicatessen named Izzy’s Deli. While I had passed by Izzy’s countless times over the years, for whatever reason, I had never ventured inside, so I just about fell over when I spotted the above sign while walking through the front doors. Um, Deli to the Stars? Count me in! I was even further surprised when, upon sitting down, I pulled out my trusty iPhone to do some research on the place and discovered that it is also a filming location! Score!

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Izzy’s Deli was originally founded in August 1973 (almost four full decades ago!) by two Brooklyn-ites, Izzy Freeman and Ernie Auerbach. Freeman first moved to Los Angeles in 1953 and had dreams of opening a New York-style delicatessen, like the ones he had dined at as a boy, in the area. While volunteering at City of Hope National Medical Center in 1972, Freeman met Auerbach, who by that time was a successful Santa Monica-based developer. Auerbach decided to help Freeman on his quest and Izzy’s Deli became a reality the following year.

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Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (15 of 15)

Izzy’s Deli became an almost immediate hit, with lines of hungry patrons often stretching around the block. The eatery, which has won such awards as “Best Designed Restaurant” and “Best All Night Restaurant”, is, amazingly enough, still owned and operated by Freeman (who calls himself “the Deli Lama” – LOVE IT) and his family to this day.

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Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (7 of 15)

Stars have long been drawn to Izzy’s and the restaurant even boasts a Celebrity Wall of Fame consisting of autographed headshots to prove it. Just a few of the luminaries who have been spotted there include Eugene Levy, Walter Matthau, Florence Henderson, Hal Linden, Rod Steiger, Shaquille O’Neal, and Bill Clinton.

Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (4 of 15)

Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (5 of 15)

And while our breakfast was great, it is really hard for me to judge a restaurant based on breakfast alone. (It is pretty difficult to mess up eggs!) I am jonesing to return for lunch, though, because the lunch menu looks uh-ma-zing! Fried chicken sliders? Yes, please!

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Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (3 of 15)

Thanks to the Complex City Guide, I learned that Izzy’s Deli has appeared in no less than three episodes of the television series Curb Your Enthusiasm. In the Season 5 episode titled “The Ski Lift”, Izzy’s was where Larry David (who plays himself) met Ben Heineman (Stuart Pankin) for lunch after hitting – and denting – his car. As you can see below, the restaurant was dressed quite a bit for the filming and all of the celebrity headshots were removed from the walls for the shoot. Boo!

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In the following episode, which was titled “The Korean Bookie”, Larry once again met Ben at Izzy’s, this time to confront him over the fact that Ben has failed to fix his car with the $1,500 Larry had given him.

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In Season 7 episode titled “The Bare Midriff”, Izzy’s popped up once again as the restaurant where Larry ate lunch with Jerry Seinfeld (who also played himself).

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For the filming of this episode, the restaurant’s décor – including the Celebrity Wall of Fame – was left intact.

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Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for even more stalking fun! And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Izzy's Deli Curb Your Enthusiasm (14 of 15)

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Izzy’s Deli, from Curb Your Enthusiasm, is located at 1433 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here. The eatery is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant from “The Truth About Cats & Dogs”

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Last month, while spending the weekend in Santa Monica, the Grim Cheaper and I randomly grabbed dinner at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub on Main Street.  Immediately upon sitting down, I asked the bartender if anything had ever been lensed on the premises – as I am apt to do whenever I find myself dining somewhere for the first time.  (Shocker, I know.  Winking smile)  And while he was not sure about Finn McCool’s filming history, he did inform me that a scene from the 1996 romantic comedy The Truth About Cats & Dogs had taken place at a different Emerald Isle-themed watering hole located just a few doors down – O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant.  Because Los Angeles is a place where change seems to be an epidemic, I was absolutely shocked – and pleased – that an establishment that appeared in a movie shot almost two decades ago was still in existence.  So I dragged the GC right on out there the following night.

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O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant was originally founded in 1995, the same year that The Truth About Cats & Dogs was filmed.  Amazingly enough, though, despite its longevity, I could find little to no information about the place’s history online.

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O'Brien's Pub (3 of 7)

What I can say, though, is that the watering hole serves up some fabulous food.  I opted for O’Brien’s Veggie Patty, with added toppings of cheddar cheese and sautéed mushrooms, and am happy to report that it was absolutely divine.  The GC ordered the Slider Burgers and was also very happy with his choice.  I was most excited about O’Brien’s champagne offerings, though, which were fantastic!

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O'Brien's Pub (1 of 9)

I loved the place’s low-lit, wood-paneled ambiance, as well.

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O'Brien's Pub (4 of 9)

Check out the antique books displayed on the shelf above the opening to the restaurant’s main room in the photograph below.  Love it!

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O’Brien’s Irish Pub was featured only once in The Truth About Cats & Dogs, in the scene in which Noelle (Uma Thurman) poses as radio host/animal expert Dr. Abby Barnes (Janeane Garofalo), who is in turn posing as Noelle’s fictional friend Donna, while the two are out on a date with Brian (Ben Chaplin).

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It is while at O’Brien’s that Abby spills salsa all over the front of her shirt causing her to say, “Of course!  Of course I would do that!”  Amen, Abby!  That is SO something I would do, as well.

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The Truth About Cats & Dogs was filmed in O’Brien’s bar area, which is located towards the back of the restaurant.

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The exterior patio area also appeared briefly in the flick.

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In a rare twist, the restaurant’s real life name and location were used in the filming.  Not only did Brian tell Noelle to meet him at the bar “on the corner of Main and Pier” – O’Brien’s actual location – for their date, but a sign reading “O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant” was visible on the door in the background of the scene.  So incredibly cool!

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You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER.  And be sure to check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, from The Truth About Cats & Dogs, is located at 2941 Main Street in Santa Monica.  You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

Drago Ristorante from “Entourage”

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Last Monday afternoon, I found myself having to kill a few hours of time while my car was being repaired at a mechanic’s shop on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, so I headed across the street to grab a latte and some lunch at a restaurant named Aroma Bakery & Café.  I had never before dined at Aroma, but thought the name sounded vaguely familiar and had a brief recollection that it had once been featured on the hit HBO television series Entourage.  Well, my memory is obviously not quite as good as I thought because as it turns out the restaurant was never actually featured on the show (it was Urth Café that I had been thinking of), but my mis-memory ended up to be very fortuitous.  While I was researching Aroma Bakery on my Blackberry, I came across a thread on the Chowhound website detailing numerous area restaurants which had been featured on Entourage and I almost fell off of my chair when I saw that one of the eateries mentioned was Drago Ristorante in Santa Monica, a place that I have actually dined at numerous times before, but had never realized was a filming location!  Then I almost fell off my chair once again when I received a call from the Grim Cheaper a few days later, informing me that his boss had just invited us to dinner at Drago Ristorante that Friday night!!!  Talk about synchronicity!  So, a few days later the GC and I headed out to the West Side for some dinner and some Entourage stalking.  Yay!

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Drago Ristorante was originally opened in 1991 by native Sicilian chef Celestino Drago, who had previously founded Celestino restaurant in Beverly Hills.  Drago became a virtual overnight success and now, almost two decades later, it is a veritable Santa Monica institution.  Celestino has also become something of a celebrity chef along the way and has since opened up several other eateries including Dolce Forno bakery in Culver City, Entoneca Drago and Il Pastaio, both in Beverly Hills, Drago Centro in Downtown Los Angeles, and Celestino in Pasadena.  And I have to say that Drago is EXCELLENT!  I opted for the Petto Di Pollo, Funghi  Trifolati entrée which featured king trumpet mushrooms that were quite possibly the largest mushrooms I have ever seen in my entire life!  They were A-MA-ZING and I would have honestly been happy eating a handful of them by themselves, but I , of course, also chose to gouge myself on the chicken which was doused in a light truffle sauce.  And, oh my lord, was it good!  I should forewarn my fellow stalkers that the restaurant is on the pricey side, so if you are looking for a reasonable night out, Drago would not be a good choice.  If you don’t mind dropping a couple pennies, though, it is ENTIRELY worth the expense.

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In the “Oh, Mandy” episode of Entourage, Vince Chase (aka Adrian Grenier) meets up with Mandy Moore, who played herself on the series, at Drago Ristorante in order to talk about the upcoming movie Aquaman, in which they are both set to star.  While the two are dining, Eric Murphy (aka Kevin Connolly), Johnny ‘Drama’ Chase (aka Kevin Dillon), and Turtle (aka Jerry Ferrara) wait for Vince in their car out in front of the restaurant.  Drago Ristorante also appeared in an early season episode of fave reality show The Bachelor, although I am not sure of exactly which episode or which season. The place is also something of a celebrity hot spot.  The GC’s boss saw Ed ‘Neill, Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, and Garry Marshall there all on one night a few years back!

Entourage Locations

On an Entourage side note – Thanks again to the Chowhound website, I recently discovered that HBO has a locations tab on the Entourage section of its website  which lists the main locales featured in each and every episode of the show.  HOW INCREDIBLY COOL IS THAT???  Why do ALL shows not do this????  Love it!  Love it!  Love it!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Drago Ristorante, from the “Oh, Mandy” episode of Entourage, is located at 2628 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.

The “Father of the Bride” Churches

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One location that I have wanted to stalk for what seems like years now is the church where Annie Banks married Bryan MacKenzie in my all time favorite wedding movie, the 1991 classic Father of the Bride.  But, according to IMDB, two different locations actually stood in for Annie’s wedding church in the film – one for the exterior shots and a different one altogether for the interior scenes.  And I’d been longing to stalk both of them pretty much ever since I moved to the Southern California area.  What I didn’t realize at the time, though, was that IMDB actually got one of the churches – the one which they claim was used for the establishing shots – wrong.  Get out of here!  IMDB posted a bogus address??  Well, I simply don’t believe it!  😉  Thankfully though, fellow stalker Owen stepped in and decided to put the mystery of Annie’s wedding location to rest once and for all.  While doing some cyberstalking recently, he happened to stumble upon this blog in which the author randomly mentions that he lives down the street from the church used in Father of the Bride.  So, Owen contacted the blog author and asked for the name and address of the church, which he happily gave him and, voila, the mystery was solved!  YAY!  And once I had the correct addresses, I immediately dragged my fiancé right out to stalk both churches!

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Surprisingly enough, even though the church used for the exterior shots – which is named HOPE Christian Fellowship in real life – looks very much the same today as it did when Father of the Bride was filmed back in 1991, it wasn’t at all what I was expecting to see in person.  In the movie, the church, which is covered in snow thanks to an unprecedented Los Angeles snowstorm which takes place the night before Annie’s wedding, seems to be a charming, little small-town type of parish.  But in real life, HOPE Christian Fellowship is located on a very busy and very wide thoroughfare, which takes away from its small-town feel.  Other than that, though, I am happy to report that the church – and its bell tower – look pretty much identical in person to how they appeared onscreen in Father of the Bride.  🙂

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The interior scenes of the Banks/MacKenzie wedding were filmed at Trinity Church in Santa Monica (pictured above), which is located a good thirty miles away from HOPE Christian Fellowship.  Why the producers chose to film at two churches that were located thirty miles away from each other is beyond me, especially since the exteriors of both are quite similar looking.   I am guessing, though, that they wanted the exterior of Annie’s wedding church to have a quaint feel to it, and Trinity Church, while pretty, is anything but quaint.  You would think that producers would have been able to find a quaint church in the Santa Monica area to use for the exteriors, but I guess that’s Hollywood for you!  🙂 

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According to an EXTREMELY nice congregation member whom I spoke with named Bob, the Father of the Bride  producers had the interior of Trinity Church painted for the filming and it has not been repainted since!  So, in essence, the church still looks EXACTLY the same today as it did when the movie was filmed back in 1991!  How incredibly cool is that???  Sadly, though, Bob told me that there are currently plans in the works to paint the entire interior an ivory color sometime this year.  SO SAD!  I tried to talk Bob into leaving the church exactly as it appeared in the movie, but unfortunately, being that I am not a member of the congregation, I don’t think what I had to say had much merit.  LOL  So, if you are a fan of FOTB and want to stalk the church where Annie got married, I suggest you do so sooner rather than later, as Trinity may look a whole lot different in the coming months.  🙁  Bob, who was actually the very person who negotiated the deal for Father of the Bride  to be filmed at Trinity, also told me that producers had the crew lower the church’s overhead hanging lights for the filming, after which time they were returned to their normal height.  As you can see in the above screen captures, the lights do not hang quite as low in real life as they did in the movie.  The crew also brought in a red carpet to cover up the white tile located in the lobby’s entrance area and after the filming was over that carpet was gifted to the church.  In fact, that very same carpet is still used to this day when the church hosts special events such as – you guessed it – weddings!  🙂 So cool! 

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As you can see in the above screen capture, it also appears that producers covered one of the church’s side doors with a fake wall for the filming, to make it appear as though the lobby had an ante-room.  In reality, though, that area is little more than a hallway.  Other than the height of the lights, the lobby rug, and the covering of the side door, though, Trinity Church still looks EXACTLY – and I do mean EXACTLY – the same today as it did when Father of the  Bride was filmed there 18 years ago!  Love it!  Love it!  Love it!

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And, of course, I just had to take a picture sitting in the spot where George and Nina Banks (aka Steve Martin and Diane Keaton) sat during Annie’s wedding.  In real life, though, there is no barrier separating the first row of pews from the altar as there was in the movie.

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Trinity’s main entrance doors were also used in Father of the Bride, in the very brief scene in which Annie and her new husband, Bryan, exit the church immediately following their wedding ceremony.

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Trinity Church of Santa Monica is absolutely beautiful in person and the people I spoke with while there could NOT have been nicer to me or more informative!  I honestly can’t recommend stalking the place – or even getting married there – enough!  If I didn’t already have my wedding venue locked down, I would seriously consider Trinity Church.  I mean, how cool would be it be to get married in the same place where Annie Banks tied the knot?  😉

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Big THANK YOU to Owen for finding these locations!  🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The church used for the exterior shots in Father of the Bride is named HOPE Christian Fellowship and it is located at 6116 North San Gabriel Boulevard in San Gabriel.  You can visit their website here.  The church used for the interior shots is named Trinity Church of Santa Monica and it is located at 1015 California Avenue in Santa Monica.  You can visit their website here.

The Venice Christmas Show

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This past weekend, my good friend and fellow stalker Kerry and her husband flew out to California for a little Winter stalking visit.  The main purpose of their trip was to attend a Christmas concert on Saturday night put on by a local band named Venice.  Kerry has been a fan of Venice since she was in her teens and actually used to know a few members of the group personally.  And even though I was not familiar with the band, when she invited my fiancé and I to tag along with her to the show, I jumped at the opportunity.  I’m always up for anything having to do with Christmas.  🙂  Venice first started out back in 1977 and is comprised of four members – brothers Mike and Mark Lennon and their cousins, brothers Kipp and Pat Lennon – all of whom grew up in the Venice area, hence their name.  Kipp and Pat are the younger siblings of Lawrence Welk Show regulars The Lennon Sisters, so I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is one VERY musical family.  🙂  Even though Venice usually plays smaller venues, as was the case this part Saturday night, they are an extremely popular group and have been featured on such shows as Entertainment Tonight, Live With Regis and Kathie Lee, E! News Daily, CNN’s Showbiz Today, as well as countless others.  They have also appeared onstage or collaborated with such musical legends as Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Phil Collins, Bon Jovi, Dolly Parton, The Beach Boys, and The Doobie Brothers, among many, many others.  And while Venice has enjoyed much success in America, their biggest fan base is actually located in the Netherlands where they perform several shows each year.  But after seeing the show this past Saturday night, I think it’s safe to say that their American fan club has a new member because I absolutely fell in love with the foursome.  In fact, their “Christmas With Venice” CD is quickly becoming one of my holiday favorites!  🙂

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And while the three hour plus concert was absolutely phenomenal – Venice even played some Jackson 5! – the highlight of the evening for me had to be when Kerry and I got to meet actress Teri Polo, of Meet The Parents fame.  One of Kerry’s friends, who we met up with before the concert began, knew about my blog and my penchant for celebrities and told me to keep my eyes open during the performance as Teri might just make an appearance.  As it turns out, Teri is the long time girlfriend of Venice’s drummer, Jamie Wollam.  It is here that I should mention that a Venice concert is not your average, everyday concert event.  Even though the Lennons are very well-known in the music industry, they are all extremely laid back and approachable.  Apparently, a few years back, Mike Lennon invited an entire audience over to HIS HOUSE for a pancake breakfast the morning following one of their shows!!  How incredibly cool is that???  Anyway, the concert venue was very intimate and instead of amphitheatre-style seating, regular tables and chairs were set up, complete with homemade Chex Mix laid out for all of the guests.  Seating was not based on price, but rather on when tickets were purchased and each seat was then marked with a tag denoting the audience member’s last name.  Because Kerry’s husband was one of the very first to book seats, we were situated FRONT and CENTER.  Literally, I think we had the best seats in the entire house!  🙂  Anyway, once I heard that Teri Polo might be in attendance, I spent the next twenty minutes or so scanning the name cards to see where she might be sitting!  LOL  No, I’m not a stalker, really!!!!  😉

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I really needn’t have wasted all that time scoping out the tables, though, because once Teri walked in the door, I spotted her immediately!  Even though it was fairly dark inside, she was pretty hard to miss.  Teri is absolutely striking in person, with a long, long mane of shiny blonde hair.  Once Teri got herself seated, Kerry and I immediately approached her to ask her if she wouldn’t mind taking a photograph with us.  I have to admit I was a little nervous to do so after the whole Bruce Willis/”Doubtful” incident, but Teri honestly could NOT have been nicer.  In fact, she is hands down one of the NICEST celebs I have ever met.  Teri spoke with Kerry and me for a good ten minutes or so and once she heard that Kerry was visiting from Washington State, started talking about the time she spent there while filming the television series Northern Exposure.  And get this, even though it has been a good 15 years since she acted on the show, she remembered some of its filming locations!  LOVE IT!  🙂  While we were talking with Teri, my fiancé walked up and mentioned that he had seen a film crew setting up for the Meet the Fockers sequel while working in Downtown L.A. a few weeks ago, to which Teri said “Oh, I’m sorry, I hope we didn’t cause too much trouble for you while we were there!”  See, what I mean, how nice is that???  LOVE HER!!  Please excuse my hair in the above photograph – I was having major issues that day due to the rain and humidity in Santa Monica. 

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After the show, all of the band members came into the audience to sign autographs and pose for pictures.  SO LOVE IT!  Kerry was lucky enough to get photos with each member of the group, including Kipp;

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Pat;

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Mike;

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and Mark. 

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Mark was the nicest out of the whole group and, let me tell you, I just about fell over when he recognized Kerry almost immediately after she walked up to him, even though he had not seen her in over twenty years and had no idea she would be attending the concert that night.  SO DARN COOL! 

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And, of course, Kerry and I both just had to get a picture with Teri Polo’s boyfriend, drummer Jamie Wollam.  Jamie spent about fifteen minutes speaking with us and  – just like his girlfriend – truly could NOT have been nicer!!!!  He didn’t even get annoyed when BOTH Kerry and I had flash trouble with our cameras.  It took several minutes before we figured out why our flashes weren’t working, at which point I think even I would have been annoyed with us.  😉  But Jamie took everything in stride and was extremely gracious about the whole thing, even joking that the flash malfunction had to do with the fact that he was actually a vampire.  🙂  After meeting Jamie, it’s not at all hard to see why he is going out with Teri Polo – they are easily two of the nicest celebrities that I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting!  🙂

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Randomly enough, the Venice Christmas Show was held in the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, which, like most venues in the L.A. area, also happens to be a common filming location!   The woman I spoke with was not sure what productions the hall has been used in over the years, but I did some digging and was able to find out that it will be featured in the yet-to-be-released movie The Social Network, based on the life story of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.  And while I didn’t get many photographs of the Woman’s Club interior, I definitely plan on re-stalking the place after The Social Network premieres.  🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: Venice will be playing several California shows in the near future.  You can find out more information on the official Venice website.  The Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club is located at 1210 4th Street in Santa Monica.  You can visit its official website here.

The Almost Famous House

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Thanks to fellow stalker Chas, way back in the beginning of July, I was able to stalk the main house used in the 2000 award winning movie Almost Famous.   Somehow, though, in all this time, I’ve yet to blog about it.  What can I say – so many places to stalk, so little time to write about them.  😉  Anyway, back in early July I happened to mention to Chas that I would be spending the day in the Santa Monica area and he asked me if I wanted the address of the little bungalow featured in the movie Almost Famous, as he had just located it.  IF I wanted address???  IF I wanted the address???  Hello!!!!  Is the pope Catholic???  Of course I wanted the address!  🙂  And once Chas gave it to me, I was on my way! 

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In the movie, the tiny little bungalow pictured above belongs to Frances McDormand, Zooey Deschanel, and Patrick Fugit, who plays main character William Miller, and is supposedly located in the San Diego area.  And, while some scenes from the film were actually filmed in San Diego, such as William’s high school and the opening concert scenes, for the Miller’s family home producers chose to use a residence located about 130 miles North of San Diego, on a sleepy little street in Santa Monica.  And a little bit of movie trivia for you –  Almost Famous is loosely based on the real life teenage years of director Cameron Crowe and the high school he chose to use in the movie is his real life alma mater – University of San Diego High School.  He even cast his real life high school journalism teacher in a small role in the flick, which is just about the coolest thing ever!  🙂 

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And I am happy to report that the Almost Famous  house looks very much the same today as it did when the movie was filmed over nine years ago.  In fact, the only difference I noticed – besides the abundance of Fourth of July decorations 🙂 – was a change in paint color from blue to yellow.  Otherwise, the adorable little bungalow looks pretty much identical to how it appeared in the movie.   And, while the house pops up several times throughout Almost Famous, unfortunately the entire exterior was never shown all at once, so I was not able to make any good screen captures.  : (

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I was actually very surprised to hear that the Almost Famous  house was located in Santa Monica, as it really doesn’t look like the typical Santa Monica area home to me.  I would have expected to find it in Pasadena, instead.  So, I’m really glad that Chas decided to track down the house, as I’m pretty positive I never would have been able to.

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 Big THANK YOU to Chas for finding this location!  🙂

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The Almost Famous  house is located at 1047 Maple Street, at the corner of Maple and 11th Streets,  in Santa Monica.

The “Twins” House

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A few weeks ago, fellow stalker Owen asked for my help in locating Danny DeVito’s Mediteranean style home from the 1988 comedy Twins.  Owen had already done quite a bit of stalking legwork on this one and had managed to contact one of the movie’s crew members who told him that the house was located on a numbered street near Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.  Unfortunately, though, due to the fact that many of the numbered streets in Santa Monica aren’t featured in Google Maps Street View, Owen was not able to cyberstalk the home.  Which is where I came in.  🙂  Because I am in the Santa Monica area quite frequently, I offered to drive around the numbered streets to see if I could locate the elusive Twins  house.   From watching the movie, Owen knew that the home had an address number of 323 and that the neighboring house was numbered 327, which narrowed down our search parameters quite a bit.  So, a few weeks ago, with a screen capture of the house and those few bits of information in hand, I dragged my fiance out to find the Twins  house.  And find it, we did!  🙂

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Amazingly enough, the house was actually located on the very first street we drove down.  When I realized we had found it, I turned to my fiance in shock and said “Could it really have been this easy?”  LOL  Sadly, though, the Twins house looks MUCH different today than it did back in 1988 when the movie was filmed.  While still recognizable, it looks as if quite a bit of remodeling has been done to it in recent years.  I guess I really shouldn’t be all that surprised that the house has changed so significantly, though, after all the movie was filmed more than two decades ago!

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Besides adding on a whole second story, the homeowners also removed the enclosed front porch area and popped out the home’s entry way and front door by a good couple of feet, as you can see in the above photograph and screen capture.  A large tree which covers the front window has also since been planted.

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But the most significant – and odd – change to the house has to be the complete removal of the driveway.  Owen and I have actually been over the driveway removal issue ad nauseam and still can’t figure out the reasoning behind it.  I mean WHY ON EARTH WOULD SOMEONE REMOVE THEIR DRIVEWAY?  LOL  It’s absolutely BIZARRE!  My fiance brought up the point, though, that it’s quite possible the city refused to grant the homeowner’s remodeling permits unless they agreed to do away with their driveway.  Santa Monica is known as something of an “alley city” – numerous homes in the area don’t have driveways and the garages are reached via a back alley – so it’s actually a pretty good possibility that my fiance hit the nail on the head about why that driveway is no longer there. 

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Ironically enough, the neighboring house, which shows up briefly in Twins,  still looks EXACTLY the same as it did when the movie was filmed. 

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Even though the Twins  house looks quite different today, it was still extremely exciting to be stalking it.   And a little bit of movie trivia for you – a very young Heather Graham had a brief, uncredited role in Twins  as Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mom.  David Caruso also had a small role in the movie as parking attendant Al Greco.  His voice is so different in the flick, though, that I literally almost didn’t recognize him!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It:  Danny DeVito’s house from Twins  is located at 323 11th Street in Santa Monica.

The “7th Heaven” House

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Got a challenge a few months back from a man named Glenn who wanted me to locate the house used as the Camden residence on the Aaron Spelling television series 7th Heaven.   Unfortunately, though, this challenge proved to be rather difficult as there are quite a few conflicting rumors about the home’s location floating around online.  The general consensus on most of the fan sites, though, was that the house only ever existed on a studio backlot somewhere in Hollywood.  And, even though I didn’t really believe that to be the case, I am embarrassed to admit that I gave up on finding the home’s location rather quickly after reading that.  Sorry, Glenn!   But last week, I decided to enlist the help of fellow stalkers Mike, from MovieShotsLA, Chas, and Owen and, sure enough, it wasn’t long before Chas had called me back with an address!!!!!  YAY!  Funny side note – after Chas gave me the 7th Heaven  house address, I immediately texted both Owen and Mike to let them know that their searches could be called off.  Well, ironically enough, Mike’s phone wasn’t working that day, so what did he do, but go out and rent EVERY SINGLE DVD of the series that he could find!  I’m not kidding!  The next day he called me and said “I’m going to watch every single hour ever made of this show if I have to, but we are going to find that house!”  LOL LOL LOL  I felt sooooooo bad as poor Mike was not only stuck with a hefty Blockbuster bill, but also a few hundred hours of cheesy television that he had no desire whatsoever to watch.

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Even though I’ve never seen a single episode of 7th Heaven, I was still extremely excited to be stalking the Camden house!  Sadly, though, the home has changed quite a bit in recent years as you can see in the above screen capture and photograph.  In fact, the house looks so different from how it appeared on the series that when I first saw it in person I wasn’t sure I was at the right place.  LOL   Just a few of the alterations made to the home include a change in paint color from white to baby blue, the installation of a white picket fence around the exterior of the property . . .

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 . . . and the addition of quite a bit of thick foliage, which makes the home hardly visible at all from the street, as you can see in the above photograph.   And while the Camden house is very cute in person, truth be told, I think it looked a whole lot better on the show.  🙂

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Chas was able to track down this house by contacting a former 7th Heaven  crew member who just happened to remember its exact location.  The guy also gave Chas a brief history of the filming of the Camden home, finally allowing us to put those pesky location rumors to rest.  The real story of the Camden house is as follows – For the pilot episode of the series, which was filmed in 1996, a house in Altadena that Mike and I have always refered to as the “Rubio House” served as the Camden residence.  I’ve blogged about the Rubio House once before as it has appeared in COUNTLESS productions, including The Mentalist, NCIS, Bye Bye Love, and Can’t Hardly Wait,  among numerous others.  Anyway, for whatever reason, once the series got picked up, producers decided to ditch the Rubio house and use a Santa Monica residence instead.  For the next six seasons, that Santa Monica house was used for all exterior filming and establishing shots.  But, sometime during the sixth season, the owners of the house got a bit tired of the constant filming on their property and put an end to it.  How one can become tired of filming taking place on their property is BEYOND me, but to each their own, I guess.  😉  Once the house was off limits for filming, the production crew built a very basic replica of it, consisting of only one exterior wall and a fake front yard, on the studio back lot.  From then on all filming of the Camden house took place there.  So, that explains how all of those different location rumors about the house got started!  🙂  

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Big THANK YOU to Chas for finding this location and finally solving the mystery of the 7th Heaven  house!  🙂 

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  🙂

Stalk It: The 7th Heaven  house is located at 527 Alta Avenue in Santa Monica.  Courteney Cox’s former home is located just up the street at 606 Alta Avenue.  The house used as the Camden residence in the 7th Heaven  pilot can be found at 1090 Rubio Street in Altadena.