Year: 2013

  • The Cecil Hotel

    The Cecil Hotel

    ‘ Los Angeles magazine’s The Crime Issue had me absolutely drooling when I received it back in July, especially Steve Erickson’s article “Sleep Tight,” which detailed the bizarre 2013 death of 21-year-old Canadian tourist Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A.  I was glued to every single word Erickson wrote and, upon finishing…

  • San Francisco Saloon from “The Ugly Truth”

    San Francisco Saloon from “The Ugly Truth”

    ‘ Before we moved in together in 2008, the Grim Cheaper lived on the West Side of Los Angeles and, consequently, the two of us spent the majority of our time out there.  During those years, when driving back and forth from his condo, I would often pass by a bar named San Francisco Saloon. …

  • Rent-A-Swag from “Parks and Recreation”

    Rent-A-Swag from “Parks and Recreation”

    ‘ Back in early May, fellow stalker Owen, of the When Write Is Wrong blog, emailed me to let me know that he had just tracked down Rent-A-Swag – the supposed Pawnee, Indiana-area high-fashion rental store for teenagers owned by Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) on fave show Parks and Recreation. So I dragged the Grim…

  • The “Four Christmases” Church

    The “Four Christmases” Church

    ‘ Due to the fact that Christmas movies filmed in the L.A. area are few and far between, I typically only compile about five holiday-themed locales to blog about each year.  (If I could swing an entire month of Christmas posts, believe me, I would.)  This year was no different and because there are only…

  • Derek’s Apartment from “Little Black Book”

    Derek’s Apartment from “Little Black Book”

    ‘ The Little Black Book location that I was most interested in tracking down was the supposed New Jersey-area apartment building where Derek (Ron Livingston) lived and where his girlfriend, Stacy (Brittany Murphy), spent most of her time.  I fell in love with the adorably charming building upon sight when first watching Little Black Book…

  • Neptune’s Net from “The Hills”

    Neptune’s Net from “The Hills”

    ‘ One location that had been at the top of my To-Stalk list for a couple of years, but had, for whatever reason, remained unstalked was Neptune’s Net – an oft-filmed-at eatery and Malibu institution that was featured on one of my favorite shows of all time, The Hills, in a scene featuring none other…

  • Our Lady of Solitude Church from “Behind the Candelabra”

    Our Lady of Solitude Church from “Behind the Candelabra”

    ‘ Another Palm Springs’ Behind the Candelabra location that the Grim Cheaper and I stalked recently was Our Lady of Solitude Church, where the funeral for Liberace (Michael Douglas) was held in the recently-aired HBO biopic.  This locale was especially interesting because in a case of art imitating life, it was where the flamboyant pianist’s…

  • The “Burning Love” Mansion

    The “Burning Love” Mansion

    ‘ This past February, thanks to Reality Steve and the E! Channel, I was introduced to the brilliance that is the Ben Stiller-produced parody of The Bachelor titled Burning Love. The Hose Ceremonies along with the catchphrase “Will you accept my hose?” are pure comic genius! The last time I found myself laughing so much…

  • Lou Glutz Motors from “Vacation”

    Lou Glutz Motors from “Vacation”

    ‘ Fellow stalker Owen, of the When Write Is Wrong blog, recently embarked upon a mission to try to track down some of the unknown locations from one of his favorite movies, the 1983 classic Vacation.  He had quite a bit of success, too, managing to pinpoint two elusive spots, one of which was the…

  • Sherman Way Adult Books from “Behind the Candelabra”

    Sherman Way Adult Books from “Behind the Candelabra”

    ‘ Today’s location is a bit of a risqué one, so brace yourselves, my fellow stalkers!  Back in May, after Behind the Candelabra first premiered, I received an email from my buddy E.J., of The Movieland Directory website, listing a few of the locales that he had tracked down from the HBO biopic.  He ended…