The first guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” was Groucho Marx, who introduced the host (reacting to the ensuing applause, Carson said, "Boy, you would think it was Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson"). Carson's last guest was Bette Mid…
Back in the 1990s - while I was living an extremely fun life in splashy South Beach - the world saw the rise of grunge music, the explosion of hip-hop, the internet quickly taking hold of our lives, and an emergence of iconic TV shows & blockbuster …
Peter Foley's murders are all homages to other famous serial killers in the past. Not only did William McNamara do his own stunts for Copycat (1995), but also spent time with Dr. Park Dietz, a forensic psychiatrist, in order to prepare for his ro…
Ever since the dusty hillside town of Hollywood, California became the Entertainment Capital of the World it has held the interest of people from around the globe. Whether it’s with the city itself, its stars, or the scandalous behind-the-scenes sto…
DeMille was one of the 36 co-founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). President of DeMille Pictures Corporation, formed in 1925. Remade four of his own films including “The Ten Commandments” (1923 & 1956) According to …
Happy Halloween friends! I hope you all had a safe and fun one. So, I have a question to ask you....when exactly did Halloween become an adult holiday? My memories of Halloween growing up in the mid-1970s are very different than the Halloween of…
'Dark Shadows' was taped and broadcast in black-and-white for the first year of its run. The jump to color was made on Aug. 1, 1967 The interior of the Collinwood mansion was built in a studio in New York City. The exterior was a real house, but…
Even though “Dynasty” hasn’t been on television for over 30 years my obsession with the 1980 iconic nighttime soap is still alive and kicking. For example, whenever I see a post on my social media or a news story about a series or one of its stars I…
Canadian actor, Gordon Thomson may be best-known worldwide for his role as the evil, yet dashing Adam Carrington from 1982 to 1989 on the ABC Television prime-time drama "Dynasty", one of the most popular prime-time shows in television history. This…
If you’ve listened to my latest podcast interview featuring director Randal Kleiser, you already know that my obsession with Hollywood started at the age of ten, when I went to see his first feature film - “Grease” - for the first time on the silver…
“Peege” was Randal's USC master's thesis at USC in 1972. Randal Kleiser has directed two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: “Peeg…
Way before I moved to Hollywood I lived in fabulous Miami Beach for ten glorious years where I had neverending fun in the sun and lots more after dark. When I arrived in South Beach - in the early 1990s - it was a sleepy bohemian beach town populat…
The title has triple meanings as it refers not only to Clark's hometown, the only name Lois calls him, and the idea that this is "smalltime" in his career. Therefore, you could think of the title of the show referring to Clark by name. In each e…
Even though Charlie Chaplin filmed some of his greatest movies, one hundred years ago, some of the locations used in those classic silent picture masterpieces still exist here in Los Angeles - and you can visit them whenever you like for FREE! Ple…
In 1969, the Chaplin Studio in Hollywood was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. It was the second movie-related site to receive that designation, after Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Charlie was the founder of United Artists along with Mar…
It's hard to believe that it’s been 2 years since actor Lorenzo Lamas, his beautiful fiancé Kenna Scott and I met for the first time. All because they were fans of my Hollywood Pandemic Tour social media posts! No, for real. You see, during the l…
Falcon Crest was located in the fictitious Tuscany Valley, which was the Napa Valley in Northern California. The series was filmed at the Spring Mountain Winery in St. Helena. The show premiered on Friday, December 4, 1981, on CBS at 10:00 PM EST/9…
Cinephiles who live in the LA area are fortunate to have the American Cinematheque - located at the Aero Theatre and the Los Feliz Theatre - to enjoy some of their pretty amazing screening events throughout the year that would make any classic film …
When Norma Desmond says to the guard at the "Paramount Studio" gates, "Without me there wouldn't be any 'Paramount Studio'" the words could apply to Gloria Swanson herself, as she was the studio's top star for six years running. Montgomery Clift wa…
If you are visiting or live in the Hollywood area chances are you’ll eventually see a famous face now and then. I’ve lived here for 18 years and have had my share of celebrity spotting at the grocery store, the car wash, the gym, and even in the loc…
"General Hospital" is one of the most popular soap operas of all time and has been on the air since 1963. The show was originally going to be called "Emergency Hospital". The exterior of "General Hospital" is the University of Southern California …
As a Television Academy member, I have had the privilege to meet many of my favorite actors and actresses from some of my favorite TV shows. And I only get starstruck when I meet a TV icon that I grew up watching as a child. Such was the case, this…
The series takes place from the spring of 1933 to June 1946. Series creator Earl Hamner Jr. grew up with 7 siblings, each of whom served as the basis for a young Walton character. He based the Waltons' grandparents on composites of all four of his …
For most people the July 4th weekend consists of eating barbecue, watching firework shows and going to the beach with friends and family but I decided to check out the world famous Hollywood Show - the best known autograph show in the LA area - at t…