LOS ANGELES ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE
A visit to the world's entertainment capital isn't complete without some exposure to the actual business of making a movie or TV show. Fortunately, most production companies oblige.
Paramount, NBC and Warner Bros. offer 2hr. guided tours that take you onto sets and through backlots. The best way to get a feel for the industry is to land yourself tickets to a taping. Studios tend to overbook, so holding a ticket does not always guarantee you'll get in; show up early.
NBC, 3000 W. Alameda Avenue., at W. Olive Avenue in Burbank, is your best bet. Arrive at the ticket office on a weekday at 8am for passes to Jay Leno's Tonight Show, filmed at 5pm the same evening (2 tickets per person.
Tours: Monday - Friday 9am - 3pm.
Tel: 818 - 840 - 3537.
Many of NBC's "Must-See TV" shows are taped at Warner Bros, 4000 Warner Blvd., in Burbank. Sitcoms such as the Drew Carry Show and Everybody Loves Raymond are taped from August - May.
Call the studio at least five business days in advance to secure tickets.
MOVIES
L.A's movie palaces show films the way they were meant to be seen - on a big screen, in plush seats, and with top-quality sound and air-conditioning. It would be a cinematic crime not to partake of the city's incredible movie going experiences.
The gargantuan theaters at Universal City, as well as those in Westwood Village near UCLA, are incredibly popular, especially on weekends; expect long lines.
In Santa Monica, there are 22 screens within the three blocks between Santa Monica Pl. and Wilshire Blvd. along Third St. Promenade.
To ogle the stars as they walk the red carpet into the theatre for a premiere, check the four main premiere venues: Grauman's Chines (about 2 per month), El Capitan (Disney films only), and Mann's Village and Bruin, in Westwood.
For info read the daily Calendar section of the LA Times.
Phone: 323 - 777 - 3456.
Devotees of second-run, foreign-language, and experimental films are rewarded by the Santa Monica theaters away from the Promenade.
MOVIE THEATRES
GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATRE, 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
In Hollywood, Hype to the hilt.
Tel: 323 - 464 - 8111.
ARCHLIGHT HOLLYWOOD CINERAMA DOME, 6360 Sunset Blvd.
The ultimate cineplex for the serious moviegoer. 14 movie screens surround a gigantic dome that seats 820 people and displays a screen that expands from 80 ft. to 180 ft.
A spectacular, rumbling sound system. First-run movies only. Don't be late - doors close 7 minutes after movies begin.
Tel: 323 - 466 - 3401.
LOEWS CINEPLEX, atop the hill at Universal City Walk, San Fernando Valley.
Opened in 1987 as the world's largest cinema complex, its 18 wide-screen theaters and Parisienne-style cafe put all competition to absolute shame.
Tel: 818 - 508 - 0588.
EL CAPITAN, 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.
A spectacle straight out of Fantasia. Disney movies and live Disney stage shows and exhibitions.
Tel: 323 - 467 - 7674.
MANN'S VILLAGE THEATRE, 961 Broxton Avenue, Westwood.
Vibrant neons illuminate the Art Deco facade. One huge auditorium, one big screen, and one great THX sound system. Watch the balcony for late-arriving celebrities. Frequent premieres.
Tel: 310 - 208 - 0018.
REVIVAL THEATERS
NUART THEATRE, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd, West L.A.
Perhaps the best-known removal house. The playbill changes nightly. Classics, documentaries, animation festivals and foreign and modern films.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show screens Saturday Nights at midnight with a stellar live cast.
Tel: 310 - 478 - 6378.
EGYPTIAN THEATRE, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.
For each old or new film it shows, the theater brings in the main actor, director, or producer to talk with the audience about the filming process. Films change regularly.
Tel: 213 - 365 - 3500.
LIVE THEATER
L.A.'s live theater scene does not hold the weight of New York's Broadway, but its 115 "equity waiver theaters" (under 100 seats) offer dizzying, eclectic choices for theatergoers, who can view small productions in art galleries, universities, parks and even garages. Browse listings in the LA Weekly to find out what's hot.
GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE, 10886 LeConte Avenue, Westwood.
Currently undergoing a $17 million renovation. Home to Off-Broadway and Tony award-winning shows.
Tel: 310 - 208 - 5454.
PASADENA PLAYHOUSE, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena.
California's premier theater and historical landmark has spawned Broadway careers and productions.
Shows: Tuesday - Friday 8pm, Saturday 5pm and 9pm and Sunday 2pm and 7pm.
Tel: 626 - 356 - 7529 or 800 - 233 - 3123.
PANTAGES, 6231 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.
Hosted the premieres of Cleopatra and Spartacus. Broadway national tour performances and cabaret acts.
Tel: 213 - 365 - 3500.
LIVE MUSIC
L.A.'s music venues range from small clubs to massive amphitheaters.
THE WILTERN
Shows alterna-rock/folk acts.
Tel: 213 - 380 - 5005.
THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM
Is of comfortable size with 3500 seats.
Tel: 323 - 962 - 7600.
UNIVERSAL AMPHITHEATER
Midsize acts.
Tel: 818 - 622 - 4440.
GREAT WESTERN FORUM
Huge indoor sports arena.
Tel: 310 - 330 - 7300.
STAPLES CENTER
Double as concert halls for big acts.
Tel: 213 - 742 - 7100.
LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM AND SPORTS ARENA
Few dare to play at the 100,000-seat Arena. U2, Depeche Mode, Guns 'n' Roses, and the Warped Tour have filled the stands in recent years.
Tel: 213 - 480 - 3232.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL, 2301 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood.
The premiere outdoor music venue in L.A., the Bowl hosts a summer music festival from early July to mid-September.
Although sitting in the back of this outdoor, 18,000-seat amphitheater makes the L.A. Philharmonic sound like it's on a transistor radio.
Tel: 323 - 850 - 2000.
MUSIC CENTER, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Downtown.
Includes the Mark Taper Forum, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Ahmanson Theatre, and the spanking new Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Performance spaces host the L.A. Opera, Broadway and experimental theater, and dance.
Tel: 213 - 972 - 7211.
THE GREEK THEATRE, 2700 N. Vermont Avenue, Griffith Park.
Winner of the Best Small Outdoor Venue of the Year award to the last 3 years, this theater is a 6000-seat venue that has played host to some of the biggest names in music entertainment. A consistent line-up of pop, classical, reggae, rock, and more.
Tel: 665 - 5857.
