Year: 2018

Tavern on the Green from “Ghostbusters”

I adhere to a “more is more” philosophy. There’s nothing wrong with a little extra! So I, of course, was a huge fan of the landmark Central Park restaurant Tavern on the Green during the time that it was run by the LeRoy family. Though many referred to the place as tacky, garish and over-the-top, I found it nothing short of magical and was devastated when it shuttered in 2010, its whimsical décor and furnishings auctioned off to the highest bidders, its famous Crystal Room dismantled piece by sparkling piece. New York, in my mind, would never be the same. When the property was re-opened under new leadership a few years later, I was curious how the space would compare to its prior self and promptly added it to my NYC To- Stalk List. The Grim Cheaper and I finally made it there for cocktails and appetizers, our good friends Kim and Katie in tow, during our April 2016 trip to the Big Apple. While definitely lacking in extra, the revamped Tavern on the Green did not disappoint. So even though I briefly covered the eatery in a 2008 write-up, I figured it was definitely worthy of a repost.

The Victorian Gothic-style building that now houses Tavern on the Green was originally constructed in 1870 (yes, 1870!) as a sheepfold (aka a sheep pen) for the hundreds of sheep that called Central Park home.

In 1934, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses decided the sprawling Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould-designed structure would better serve as a restaurant and set about repurposing it. The sheep were sent to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, their former barn given a massive renovation, and, voilà, Tavern on the Green was born.

Though popular, the moderately-priced pub went through several ownership changes and remodels in the years that followed. Finally, in 1974, it was purchased by Warner LeRoy, son of The Wizard of Oz producer Mervyn LeRoy and Doris Warner (daughter of Warner Bros. founder Harry Warner), who began an extensive $10 million remodel and expansion of the site that took three years to complete. The result of his efforts was a kitschy, fanciful masterpiece that had to be seen to be believed.

Thanks to LeRoy’s vision, everyday at Tavern on the Green was like Christmas. The 27,000-square-foot eatery was marked by Tiffany stained glass, Baccarat crystal chandeliers, topiaries, massive murals, hand-painted ceilings, mirrored walls, and thousands upon thousands of twinkle lights. The site’s most famous dining area, the Crystal Room, a glass-encased space overlooking the restaurant’s terrace and Central Park, was the glittering cherry on top. Sadly, I failed to take any proper photographs of Tavern on the Green during my visits, but you can check out some images of what it looked like during LeRoy’s tenure here.

It did not take long for Tavern on the Green to become an icon – a restaurant synonymous with the city itself and a must-see spot for locals, tourists and celebrities alike. Just a few of the luminaries who dined there over the years include Grace Kelly, John Lennon, Jennifer Aniston, Liza Minnelli, Seth Meyers, Jon Hamm, Christie Brinkley, George Clooney, Liv Tyler, Drew Barrymore, Alec Guinness, Christian Dior, Martha Stewart, Howard Stern, and Beth Ostrosky.

When Warner passed away in 2001, his wife and daughter took over operations and the place remained as popular and profitable as ever. In 2006, Tavern on the Green was one of the highest grossing restaurants in the U.S., second only to Tao Las Vegas. Sadly, the eatery was hit hard by the economy in 2008 and the following year it was announced that the Parks Department had opted not to renew the LeRoys’ lease. The family served their last meal on the premises on New Year’s Eve 2009 and a massive auction was held shortly thereafter in which all of the colorful décor was sold off. The space subsequently served as a visitor center, of all things, until 2012 when it was taken over by Philadelphia restauranteurs Jim Caiola and David Salama, who began a two-year, $20 million renovation. The new Tavern on the Green opened in April 2014.

Though undeniably beautiful, the restaurant is a far cry from its predecessor. Understated and classic, marked by wood detailing and patterned banquettes, the new Tavern is sleeker and more refined than the LeRoy version. While I did enjoy dining there, I couldn’t help but miss the old Tavern, with all of its over-the-top whimsy. Regardless, I am so thankful that the place is once again open to hungry patrons. The Crystal Room may have long since been razed, the twinkle lights removed from the trees, and the paper lanterns cleared away from the terrace, but the site does still retain some of its former magic.

I really think Caiola and Salama need to reinstate the twinkle lights, though. As I said above, there’s nothing wrong with a little extra – and the Edison bulbs currently strung across the patio just aren’t cutting it.

Thanks to Tavern on the Green’s unique beauty, location managers flocked to it during the Warner days. The eatery most famously appeared in Ghostbusters. It is there that Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) runs while being chased by the “terror dog” and unsuccessfully tries to catch the attention of the patrons inside in the 1984 hit.

Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) heads to the bathroom at Tavern on the Green to meet with the FBI and hand over his taped conversation with Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) at the end of 1987’s Wall Street.

CC Bloom (Bette Midler) and John Pierce (John Heard) take Hillary Whitney Essex (Barbara Hershey) and Michael Essex (James Read) to Tavern on the Green for dinner in 1988’s Beaches.

I am 99.9% certain, though, that only the exterior of the restaurant appeared in the movie and that interiors were filmed elsewhere, likely at an eatery in L.A.

That same year, Tavern on the Green was featured in the opening scene of the comedy Arthur 2: On the Rocks. It is there that Linda Marolla Bach (Liza Minnelli) tells Arthur Bach (Dudley Moore) that she cannot have children.

In 2001’s Made, Bobby (Jon Favreau) and Ricky (Vince Vaughn) meet up with Ruiz (Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs) at Tavern on the Green to discuss a money drop.

Alfie (Jude Law) picks up Nikki (Sienna Miller) and her friends in his cab outside of Tavern on the Green one lonely Christmas Eve night in the 2004 movie Alfie.

Boy’s (Anton Yelchin) Senior Prom takes place at Tavern on the Green in 2009’s New York, I Love You.

Post-closing, Tavern played a central role in the 2011 comedy Mr. Popper’s Penguins as the restaurant Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey) tried to buy from Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury). Only the exterior of the site was utilized in the filming, though.

Because the space had already been transformed into a visitor center and the Crystal Room had long since been dismantled by the time filming took place, the restaurant’s interior was re-imagined on a soundstage for the shoot. According to the movie’s production notes, production designer Stuart Wurtzel, “re-created the wood-paneled front vestibule of the Tavern, the famous Crystal Room with its ornate chandeliers and flower-filled décor, and approximately twelve feet of Central Park so the views outside the plate-glass windows would look authentic. ‘It’s a sort of emotional composite of how people remember it,’ he says.”

Following its 2014 re-opening, Tavern popped up in the Season 1 episode of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt titled “Kimmy is Bad at Math!” as the spot where Logan Beekman (Adam Campbell) took Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) on a date. While there, she exclaims, “I can’t believe I’m at the Ghostbusters restaurant!”

It was also there that Luann de Lesseps met with ex-boyfriend Jacques Azoulay to discuss their upcoming comedy show in the Season 12 episode of The Real Housewives of New York titled “Just the Sip,” which aired in 2020.

And while I thought that the Tavern’s lantern-strung terrace was the spot where Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) dined in the Season 2 episode of Sex and the City titled “The Caste System,” I contacted the episode’s director, Allison Anders, who informed me that filming actually took place on the rear patio of a private house on the Upper West Side that was dressed to look like a restaurant. Of the re-designed space, she said, “I was so thrilled with the result and that all these years later it rang true for you makes me very happy indeed.”

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Tavern on the Green, from Ghostbusters, is located at Central Park West and 67th Street on New York’s Upper West Side. You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

June 15, 2018
A Little Staycation

My parents and the Grim Cheaper took me away for a little staycation this week for my birthday, which is why I have been MIA the past couple of days. I will be back on Friday, though, with a new locale!

Until then, Happy Stalking!

June 13, 2018
The “Splitting Up Together” House

Being that four of my favorite shows were recently cancelled, I have been on the lookout for alternative series to watch. So when a fellow stalker named Catherine contacted me last week to ask if I had any intel on the location of the house from ABC’s new comedy Splitting Up Together, I welcomed the opportunity to sit through a few episodes. Not only did I end up really enjoying it – the sitcom is funny, warm, witty, and engaging – but I also managed to quickly track down the pad where the main characters – Lena (Jenna Fischer) and Martin (Oliver Hudson) and their children, Mae (Olivia Keville), Mason (Van Crosby) and Milo (Sander Thomas) – live. As both Catherine and I had surmised, the residence is in the San Gabriel Valley. I happened to be in the area just a few days after pinpointing it, so I, of course, ran right out to stalk the place.

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Based upon the Danish show Bedre skilt end aldrig (which translates to “better divorced than never”), Splitting Up Together centers around a divorcing couple – Lena and Martin – who, because they are upside-down on the mortgage of their large Craftsman-style dwelling, choose to remain living together, switching off parenting and household responsibilities week-to-week with the on-duty parent living in the main residence and the off-duty one shacking up in the detached garage. And yes, without giving too much away, the storyline does heavily lean toward an eventual reconciliation between the two.

While watching the series’ pilot, I noticed that an address number of “1947” was visible on a beam above the front porch of Lena and Martin’s picturesque home. Working on both my and Catherine’s hunch that the residence was located either in Altadena, Pasadena or South Pasadena, I began running Google searches for “1947” and “street” along with each of the three cities’ names. I hit pay dirt during the South Pasadena leg of the hunt thanks to a realtor.com listing for a house at 1947 Oak Street, which was the first result kicked back. A quick look at that address via Street View showed me it was the right spot.

Per Zillow, the 1916 pad boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3,455 square feet of living space, hardwood flooring throughout, a 0.47-acre lot, a pool, a hot tub, a wet bar, a detached 2-car garage, and a 600-square-foot pool house with a full kitchen and a 3/4 bath.

The 2-story dwelling, which was remodeled in 2014, is utilized regularly in establishing shots on Splitting Up Together.

The pad also pops up in the series’ opening credits.

Not much on location filming takes place on the premises, though. While the property’s actual interior was utilized in the pilot, once the show got picked up, a replica of that interior was built on a soundstage at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank for all subsequent episodes.

You can see screen captures of the home’s real life interior from the pilot episode versus the set re-creation in the collages above and below.

The South Pasadena pad’s actual backyard also made an appearance in the Splitting Up Together pilot.

As was the case with the residence’s interior, once the show was picked up, a set based upon the backyard was built on a soundstage.

Same goes for the garage – though I believe that the South Pasadena home’s pool house was actually utilized for exterior shots of Lena and Martin’s garage in the pilot (pictured below).

Whatever the case may be, once Splitting Up Together got picked up, a set re-creation of either the pool house or garage was constructed on a soundstage for all subsequent filming. That re-creation is pictured below.

A scene from the show’s Season One finale, titled “Heat Wave,” in which Lena and Martin send their kids off to summer camp, was also shot on location in front of the house.

I believe that the home’s real life backyard was likely utilized in the “Pina Colada Party” scene from that same episode, as well.

Because the property is so picturesque, I figured it had to have been featured in other productions at some point – and I was right.

Thanks to the Movie Locations and More website, I learned that Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow) lived in the very same house at the beginning of the 2008 horror flick Prom Night. The exterior of the residence was only shown briefly, though, and at the time was painted a different color.

A Street View image from September 2011, showing the house with that darker hue, is pictured below. It is amazing how much the lighter color changes the appearance of the place.

The residence’s interior made a brief appearance in Prom Night, as well.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Catherine for asking me to find this location.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Lena and Martin’s house from Splitting Up Together is located at 1947 Oak Street in South Pasadena.

June 8, 2018
Don Antonio’s from “The Hills” and “Life in Pieces”

I am a creature of habit, so it should come as no surprise that Don Antonio’s – the subject of my very first blog post back in 2007 – has remained my favorite Mexican restaurant ever since I first set foot inside it over a decade ago. I initially learned about the Sawtelle-area eatery thanks to its many appearances on MTV’s The Hills and it did not take long for the place to become a staple in my and the Grim Cheaper’s dinner repertoire. We ate there so often, in fact, that I used to lament that I was developing a bit of a belly, which I dubbed “Little Baby Don Antonio.” Though we no longer live in Los Angeles, we still make it a point to hit up D.A.’s whenever we are in town. So I was floored when my friend Lavonna recently informed me that the place had appeared in an early episode of Life in Pieces, a show she had just started watching. I happened to be in L.A. a few days later and figured a pit stop at Don Antonio’s was in order so that I could do a proper re-post on the restaurant.

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Don Antonio’s has been a Westside institution ever since it was established by Antonio and Amalia Hernandez way back in 1982.

Very little of the place has been changed over the years.

The low-lit interior is comprised of three main dining rooms, the most popular of which is known as the Cave Room, for obvious reasons.

Marked by faux mud-caked walls and man-made stalactites, the cavernous space is where Spencer Pratt (aka the current Snapchatter of the Year – if you aren’t following him on Snap, you really need to!) and Heidi Montag typically sat while dining on The Hills.

Don Antonio’s made its inaugural Hills appearance in the Season 2 premiere titled “Out with the Old . . . “ In the episode, Spencer takes Heidi to the eatery for their first real date. Upon pulling up to the valet stand, Heidi says, “How’d you ever find this place? It’s like in the middle of nowhere!” To which Spencer replies, “This is my spot! I’ve been eating here since I was like 14.” In a 2017 InStyle magazine article (which opens with the line, “Spencer Pratt enters Don Antonio’s like he’s Donald Trump at the 21 Club.”), Spencer gives a bit of a different story. Explaining how he discovered D.A.’s, he says, “When I was 16, there used to be a muffler place down the street where I used to drop off my car. My older sister, Kristen, brought me here initially. After that, I was hooked. I brought all my homies and we made it the spot. I used to take meetings in the back. Then, for our first TV date on The Hills, [the producers] were like, “Where do you wanna take [Heidi]?” and I was like, “Obviously Don Antonio’s.”

The restaurant went on to appear in numerous episodes of The Hills, including Season 2’s “Everybody Falls” in which Spencer and Heidi discuss moving in together over a steaming plate of fajitas . . .

. . . and Season 3’s “What Happens in Vegas . . . “ in which the duo’s anniversary celebration is interrupted when Heidi gets called in to work.

A myriad of the couple’s press interviews have also taken place at Don Antonio’s, including the InStyle one I linked to above, as well as one for the cover story of Rolling Stone’s May 11th, 2008 issue, which you can read here.

As Lavonna informed me, Don Antonio’s was featured in the Season 1 episode of Life in Pieces titled “Interruptus Date Breast Movin’.”

In the episode, Matt (Thomas Sadoski) follows Spencer’s lead by taking his boss, Colleen (Angelique Cabral), to Don Antonio’s for their first date.

The duo choose not to go the Spencer and Heidi route of eating in the Cave Room, though, and instead dine in Don Antonio’s main room, which boasts a colorful fish tank.

No matter which room you opt to dine in, a meal at Don Antonio’s simply can’t be beat! As Spencer told Heidi during their initial visit, the restaurant serves “the best Mexican food you’ve ever had in your entire life!”

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to Lavonna for telling me about Don Antonio’s Life in Pieces appearance.

P.S. Interested in more Life in Pieces locations? Be sure to check out my friend Michael’s fabulous guest post on the three main houses used on the series here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Don Antonio’s, from The Hills and Life in Pieces, is located at 11755 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles’ Sawtelle neighborhood. You can visit the eatery’s official website here.

June 6, 2018
Afeni Shakur’s House from “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & the Notorious B.I.G.”

I am unnaturally obsessed with pretty much all things southern – southern accents (what I wouldn’t give for a slow, lilting twang!), homemade fried chicken, and large plantation-style houses, among many others. So I, of course, immediately fixated on the huge columned estate where Afeni Shakur (Sola Bamis) lived on Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & the Notorious B.I.G. as soon as I saw it pop up on my screen. The sweeping porch, the cascade of canopied trees, the wooden swing – there was no part of the picturesque property that I was not completely smitten with. When my dad called me up after noticing the house on the show himself a couple of days later and asked if I had any intel on its location, I knew I had to track it down STAT! Considering the home’s large lot, abundant foliage, and colonial style, my first inkling was that it was in Pasadena, though I couldn’t imagine such a stunning manse existing in my former town and not having any knowledge of it. That thought almost made me dismiss looking in Crown City altogether, but thankfully I forged ahead. I knew that if the residence was anywhere in the area, it would likely be in northeast Pasadena, so I set my sights there and, after quite a bit of searching, finally came across it at 3426 Barhite Street.

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The two-story estate was originally constructed in 1888 as part of a small development of homes known as the Vosburg Tract.

One of the first structures to be built on the now bustling Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, at the time of its inception the residence was situated on a huge parcel of land that spanned almost an entire block.

Portions of the original tract have since been sold off and the property no longer abuts Sierra Madre Villa Ave., but the parcel (roughly outlined in pink below) is still pretty darn substantial.

The home itself is absolutely massive, as well – 4,772 square feet according to Zillow – and stretches along a huge portion of Barhite Street.

The colossal dwelling boasts 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, hardwood flooring throughout, a fireplace, a covered wraparound porch, a wraparound balcony on the second floor, and vaulted ceilings.

The 0.97-acre grounds, which feature a tennis court, a sports court, a large pool, gardens galore, and a sprawling lawn, are nothing short of stunning, as you can see below.

The whole place just screams “antebellum south.”

You can check out some additional photos of the home here.

The estate only appeared in one episode of Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & the Notorious B.I.G. – episode eight, titled “Tupac Amaru Shakur.”

It first popped up in the opening scene in which Afeni learns that her son, Tupac (Marcc Rose), has just been shot in Las Vegas.

It is then featured in a flashback scene in which Tupac surprises his mom by gifting her the house. Though it is never said where the residence is supposed to be located on the show, per a 1997 People magazine article, in real life the rapper purchased a 6-bedroom property situated on a 2.2-acre lot in Stone Mountain, Georgia for his mother in 1995. Of course, once I read those words, I set out to track that pad down and am 99.9% certain it can be found at 883 Rays Road.

Though that home is not visible from the street, you can check out an aerial view of it below.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Afeni Shakur’s house from Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac & the Notorious B.I.G. is located at 3426 Barhite Street in Pasadena.

June 1, 2018
Comet TV’s Monster Summer Giveaway!

UPDATE – This contest has ended. Congratulations to Sarah M. for winning the Monster Summer Prize Pack!

Calling all monster movie fans! This summer, Comet TV is hosting Monster Summer by running two classic monster movies like Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Phantom from 10,000 Leagues every Sunday night from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Not only that, but they are also hosting a contest in which one of my lucky readers will win a Comet TV Monster Summer Prize Pack!

The pack includes:

1 – Limited Edition Monster Summer Beach Towel: Only available via this promotion, catch Godzilla having a blast with one of two designs. You’ll be the envy of your friends and have some extra protection if a monster comes from the depths to destroy the planet. Score!

1 – COMET TV Monster Summer SPF Pouch: Beat the rays with this Monster Summer SPF pouch. Apply liberally to ward off the sun, The Beast from the Haunted Cave, Rodan or any other variety of lizard-like beast.

1- COMET TV Cooler: Listen, even Godzilla needs a place to keep his brews chilled. Let’s be honest, he needs to beat the heat at some point. I can see him carrying this cool-as-fire bag around to crack open a cold one.

1 – COMET TV Monster Summer Beach-Tastic Ball: Are you a ball-er? I hope so, cause you need to grab some buds, jump in the pool and play with this Godzilla Monster Summer Beach Ball. Groovy!

2 – Exclusive COMET TV Film Cards: See what COMET TV has this month, with these collector’s cards. Perfect for the Godzilla fan, the Monster-man, or the COMET TV junkie if your life!

Entering is easy – simply click on the link below, follow me on Instagram and then provide your Instagram handle. If you already follow me on Instagram, you still have to click below to enter. The contest begins today and runs through June 19th. The winner will be announced on June 20th.

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This giveaway is open to US residents only. Each household is only eligible to win Monster Summer Prize Pack via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. The prize will be sent via FedEx or USPS. No P.O. Boxes please.

May 31, 2018
Lux Nightclub from “Lucifer”

The recent network television cancellations left me reeling. Four – yes, four – of my favorite shows – Lucifer, Scorpion, Timeless and Brooklyn Nine-Nine – were given the ax. Though the latter was promptly rescued, I am still waiting for the #savescorpion, #savelucifer and #savetimeless cries to be heard. If not, the Grim Cheaper and I will have practically nothing to watch next season! Thank God Vanderpump Rules is still on the air, otherwise I’d be completely confounded! To cheer myself up, I recently did some stalking of the three spots that mask as Lux nightclub on Lucifer and, in the hopes of possibly persuading some of my readers to become viewers (hint, hint), thought it was the perfect time to blog about them.

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Though I gave a brief synopsis of Lucifer in my January post about the SmokeHouse restaurant, I figured it best to recap it once again here. The Fox series (or should I say “former Fox series”?) centers around Lucifer Morningstar (played to delightfully wicked perfection by Tom Ellis), aka the devil (yes, the actual devil) who has decided to leave Hell in order to lead a hedonistic existence in – where else? – Los Angeles. Through a random turn of events, he winds up joining the LAPD as a consultant and, using his unique gifts and otherworldly talents, helps detectives catch the city’s bad guys – all while running his successful night club, Lux, which he lives above in a decadent penthouse. Lux first appeared in Lucifer’s pilot and went on to become the show’s most prominent locale. In the inaugural episode, as well as several subsequent episodes, the El Capitan Theatre and Office Building in Hollywood masqueraded as the exterior of the opulent lounge.

The six-story Spanish Baroque-style structure was designed by the Morgan, Walls & Clements architecture firm in 1926 and in real life is comprised of the El Capitan Theatre and Disney Studio Store/Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop on the bottom floor and office space on the upper floors.

Only a small portion of the building was ever shown on Lucifer, with a doorway situated down an adjacent alley on the eastern side of the property masking as Lux’s main entrance. (I did not get a great shot of that door while I was stalking the place, so please pardon the Street View image below.)

To help give the site a club-like appearance in establishing shots, signage reading “Lux,” a succession of velvet ropes, and a long line of patrons were positioned outside.

Starting with the series’ third episode, titled “The Would-Be Prince of Darkness,” West Hollywood’s Sunset Tower Hotel was used in wide-angle establishing shots of both Lux and Lucifer’s penthouse. From that point on, imagery of the Sunset Tower was intermingled with imagery of the El Capitan on the show, though the former was utilized far more often than the latter.

I have written about the Leland A. Bryant-designed Sunset Tower numerous times. The Art Deco masterpiece even made My L.A. Must-Stalk List and My Guide to L.A. Hotels. The 1931 lodging is one of the prettiest spots in all of Southern California. Considering its striking architecture, it is no surprise that producers chose to feature it as the home of Hell’s most famous former denizen on the series.

The exterior of the Sunset Tower was altered quite a bit with CGI for the show. As you can see in the establishing shot as compared to the aerial view below, a floor was added to structure just below the penthouse level. The penthouse was also covered over with a wide roofline and another floor and large spire were added to the top of the building.

While the Sunset Tower does boast a penthouse suite (you can take a peek at it here), it was not utilized on Lucifer. The devil’s sleek penthouse is actually just a soundstage-built set.

Though I recognized both the El Capitan Theatre and the Sunset Tower Hotel upon seeing them on Lucifer, the interior of Lux was not familiar to me at all and because the space was so grand, so opulent and so massive, I assumed it was the stuff of a set designer’s imagination and not a real place. So I was shocked when I came across a forum on the Previously TV website in which a commenter named vampdetective mentioned that an actual Hollywood nightclub named The Emerson Theatre portrayed Lux in Lucifer’s pilot (images from that episode are pictured below) and that a set based upon it was constructed for all subsequent filming.

The set re-creation, which was built on a 2/3 scale by production designer Stephen Geaghan, is pictured below.

Though Hollywood clubbing is not at all my thing, I think I would have enjoyed spending time at The Emerson Theatre. Sadly, the site, which opened in January 2103, was shuttered in April 2015 and remains closed today, so I only got to stalk the outside of it.

The brainchild of interior designer Mark Zeff and SBE hospitality company, The Emerson Theatre was built to resemble a 1920s burlesque club and featured a sunken dance floor, large banquette style booths, a grand double staircase, strung Edison lights, two bars, a photo booth, and a patio area. More than just a nightclub, The Emerson Theatre also hosted live performances, hence the name. During its scant two years in operation, such stars as Paris Hilton, Vin Diesel, Trey Songz, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens, Wiz Khalifa, Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Ashley Tisdale, James Franco, Chris Brown, and Dallas Austin were all spotted hanging out there.

You can check out some photos of The Emerson Theatre from the time it was still open here and here. Man, what I wouldn’t give to see the inside of that place!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Lux Nightclub from Lucifer is a mashup of three different Los Angeles locales. The Sunset Tower Hotel, which is located at 8358 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, is used as the exterior of the club. The entrance to Lux is the east side of the El Capitan Theatre and Office Building located at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. And the interior is based upon the now-closed The Emerson Theatre, formerly located just down the street at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard.

May 30, 2018
Enter to Win a Copy of “Daphne & Velma” on Blu-ray!

UPDATE – Thanks to all who entered. The winner of the Blu-ray is Ashley! Congratulations!

**Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.**

Jinkies! The smart and resourceful women of the iconic Scooby-Doo franchise come to life in an all-new mystery with the release of Daphne & Velma from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film stars Sarah Jeffery (Disney’s Descendants: Wicked World) and Sarah Gilman (ABC’s Last Man Standing), and follows the first mystery-solving adventures of Scooby-Doo’s leading ladies.

It’s an adorable film that the whole family will love!

In honor of Daphne & Velma’s release on Blu-ray and DVD last week, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has given me a Blu-ray copy of the film that one of my lucky readers can win via the contest below.

But first … Daphne and Velma, need your help! Use the embeddable Mystery Video Decryptor & Soundboard blog app to decrypt exclusive clips from the new hit film!

• Help Daphne & Velma solve their latest case by helping them decrypt the footage! Dial the knob and meters to just the right position to unlock the footage and move to the next challenge.
• Trigger fun & spooky sounds right from the movie in this fun soundboard.

PLUS! Watch the Daphne & Velma Slime Lab Video and learn how to make four different kinds of Daphne & Velma slimes featuring Velma herself, Sarah Gilman! Kids of all ages will love the gooey slime fun!

To enter to win one (1) Blu-ray copy of Daphne & Velma, simply click on the link below and then comment on this post as to who your favorite Scooby-Doo character is. The contest runs today through June 11th and is open to residents of the US only. The prize will be sent via FedEx or USPS. No P.O. Boxes please.

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May 29, 2018
Happy Memorial Day

I would like to wish all of my fellow stalkers a happy Memorial Day. I hope that everyone has a safe holiday and takes a moment to remember those who gave their lives fighting for our country. I will be back tomorrow with a special giveaway and on Wednesday with a new location, so be sure to check back.

May 28, 2018
Hotel Normandie from “Vanderpump Rules”

Vanderpump Rules is like a fine wine – it just keeps getting better with age. Six seasons in and the show still hasn’t peaked! Well, in my opinion, at least. Not only do the storylines continually get more and more compelling (and ridiculous – “My boyfriend can hang a TV in under seven minutes. I timed him!”), but the series consistently provides great stalking locations. I recently visited one of its earlier locales, Hotel Normandie, which was the site of a brief, but notable moment during Season 4. I originally learned about the historic lodging back in July 2015 thanks to a Cupcakes and Cashmere blog post that featured the property. Completely taken by the gorgeous detailing visible in the background, I promptly included the place on my To-Stalk List and the Grim Cheaper and I headed out there shortly thereafter. At the time, I did not think the hotel had appeared onscreen, so I did not snap any photos and was shocked to see it pop up just a few weeks later on VR. Though I instantly re-added the site to my To-Stalk List, it was not until last week that I finally made it back out there.

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Hotel Normandie, named for its location on the corner of 6th Street and Normandie Avenue in Koreatown, was originally constructed by architects Albert R. Walker and Percy A. Eisen in 1926.

A newspaper ad from that year described the locale as “a delightful hotel for permanent and semi-permanent guests.”

Decidedly Renaissance Revival in style on the outside . . .

. . . Walker and Eisen gave the interior a Spanish Colonial Revival feel.

Hotel Normandie was popular from the start, becoming especially well-known for its $1 Sunday-night turkey dinners, homemade by culinary supervisor Mrs. H.F. Bruner.

Several notables lived on the premises during the hotel’s early days, including author Malcolm Lowry who penned portions of his 1947 novel Under the Volcano onsite. The work has since been called one of the most influential books of the 20th Century.

In 1964, the property was purchased by hoteliers Paul and Adelaide Stockhammer who completely overhauled the site with a $250,000 modernization.

Sadly, much of the hotel’s original detailing was covered over as a result of the project.

It was not long before the place fell into disrepair. In the ‘80s, the building was transformed into low-income housing and then it later had a short stint as a “pot-tel,” aka a pot-friendly hotel (whatever that is).

Thankfully, in 2011 Jingbo Lou stepped in. The Pasadena-based architect/preservationist was initially introduced to the aging hotel by a realtor relative who brought him in to advise a potential buyer on a possible renovation. The buyer was turned off by the costly rehab estimate Lou provided and stepped away from the deal, at which point Lou turned around and made an offer himself. As a 2015 article in the Commercial Observer notes, the purchase was a labor of love. Reporter Michael Kaplan states, “Why else would an ordinarily rational architect from Pasadena, Calif., buy a 1926 Renaissance-style hotel loaded with drug addicts and prostitutes and situated on a dodgy stretch of downtown Los Angeles’s pre-gentrified Koreatown? The property, after all, had been hanging in foreclosure and was ultimately bailed on by the previous owner.” As Lou explains, though, “When I first walked in and saw the ceiling height, the chandeliers, the columns, a wood-burning fireplace in the lobby, the grandness of it all, I knew it could be something special.” With Jingbo’s guidance, that is exactly what it became.

Embarking upon a massive restoration, which took 3 years to complete at a cost of $5 million, Lou saw to it that the unsightly drywall and carpeting that covered much of the building’s original design elements were removed, the myriad broken windows were replaced, and the original Mansard roof, which had been dismantled in the 1950s, was re-constructed. Stucco that had long since marred the hotel’s exterior brickwork was also extracted – well, for the most part. According to the Los Angeles Conservancy website, the southeast lower-level corner of the structure (visible on the bottom left of my photo below) was left ensconced “as a nod” to the property’s “long history of alterations.”

The reinvigorated space opened to the public in February 2014.

The 4-story property, which is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1013, boasts 91 sleek but comfortable rooms, a large ballroom, meeting space, a gym, and countless retro details throughout.

#barcartgoals, amirite?

Hotel Normandie is also home to four onsite restaurants and lounges, including The Walker Inn, le comptoir, The Normandie Club, and Cassell’s Hamburgers.

The later is an L.A. institution that was originally established by Alvin Cassell in 1948. (Special thanks to my friend Katie for providing the photo below!)

After a change in ownership in the ‘90s, the eatery saw a decline in quality and, subsequently, patronage. The site was eventually shuttered in 2012.

Figuring the Normandie would be the perfect spot to re-establish the historic burger joint, Jingbo partnered with chef Christian Page and opened a re-invigorated version of Cassell’s on the ground floor of the hotel in December 2014.

To ensure the restaurant would be on par with the Cassell’s of Alvin’s day, Jingbo brought in many of the original furnishings, including vintage signage and Al’s former Hobart grinder. He also reverted back to the menu used during the eatery’s early years which featured homemade mayonnaise, fresh produce, and absolutely no French fries because, as Cassell explained to Oui Magazine in 1972, “The more things you do, the less chance there is of reaching perfection.”

Cassell’s Hamburgers was the site of James Kennedy and Lala Kent’s first – and last – date in the Season 4 episode of Vanderpump Rules titled “Cock of the Walk.” Both the outside of Hotel Normandie . . .

. . . and the inside of the restaurant were shown in the episode. During their early evening meal, the duo discuss James’ ex-girlfriend, Kristen Doute, and toast to “making music and babies.” (Insert major eye roll emoji here!) Though the date goes well, Lala calls it quits the very next episode after discovering that James has slept with one of her friends. (He’s such a catch!)

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Hotel Normandie, from the “Cock of the Walk” episode of Vanderpump Rules, is located at 605 Normandie Avenue in Koreatown. You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

May 23, 2018