Los Angeles Official Visitor Guide 2008 - (Page 14) SHOWBIZ Celebrity Cachet Living the Celebrity Lifestyle disguise — to blend in, to become one of them. But can you really get access to Brangelina’s closet and “borrow” their haute couture? Don’t even think about it. Instead, check out the Wardrobe Department store at Universal Studios HollywoodSM and browse their collection of clothes used while filming movies and TV shows — they all come with a certificate of authenticity. You’ll find the perfect outfit in no time, and getting ready for your own red carpet walk is just a matter of getting dressed. tience to wait in line and a little advance planning. The easiest way to get in is to contact the studio directly or work with a ticket provider such as Audiences Unlimited or CBS Television City. Shows taped in Los Angeles include The Tyra Banks Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daily, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Best Damn Sports Show Period, According to Jim, The King of Queens, American Idol, Family Feud, Jeopardy, The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune. We can’t all be jet-setting millionaires, self-promoting heiresses or gifted athletes burdened only by the weight of our endorsement contracts. But in LA, we can all live the celebrity lifestyle. All it takes is a little ingenuity, some insider knowledge and a willingness to have fun. Mix the three and follow the easy steps outlined below and you’ve got the makings for a grand celebrity-style trip to LA. Step One: Look the Part If paparazzi treat their celebrity subjects like animals on an African safari, then living like a star means transforming yourself into one of the hunted. The easiest way to do this? A full celebrity makeover. Start out by getting pampered at a spa. If your idea of being a celebrity is living a life of leisure — lounging around looking beautiful while loincloth-clad minions fan you with palm fronds and drop seedless grapes into your mouth — then being on the receiving end of a full-body treatment at an LA spa is the perfect place for you. If you’re one who thinks it’s more about the clothes than the pampering, you need to dress like a celebrity. It’s the perfect Step Two: See It Live Not content to just look like a celebrity? Need to be in the same room, breathing the same air, walking on the same hallowed ground as some of your favorite television personalities? If this is you, go to a TV taping. Who knows, you might get to see Jay Leno interviewing Jack Nicholson or Tyra Banks dishing about the modeling industry. Getting into a TV show taping isn’t all that difficult; you just need the pa- Step Three: Peek Behind the Curtain Visit a studio and take a behind-the-scenes tour. Even if you don’t get to see Tom Hanks in the act of filming, it’s still a thrill to see the backlots, the sound stages, the town square façades and the pyrotechnic displays that go into making movie magic. Like a glimpse behind the wizard’s curtain, a tour of one of LA’s movie studios (try Warner Bros. Studios, Sony Pictures 14
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