By Nikki Bayley
Out on the mean streets of Los Angeles, you can see celebrities running wild in their natural habitat. I hopped onboard a TMZ Celeb Safari tour to see if I could spot a live one, maybe Lindsay Lohan falling out of a bar, or Britney getting another crazy hair cut.
Two hours onboard the open-sided truck (all the better for taking photos from) listening to the hilarious commentary, alas, the only semi-famous person we'd seen was the guy who played Steve Carrell's boss on the USA version of the Office and he was beeping his horn at us for the attention!
But I successfully bagged a bunch of TMZ-style gossip on the way, so here's the top ten printable nuggets.
Copyright Nikki Bayley
1. Our first stop was the Roosevelt Hotel. Marilyn Monroe used to live there, in 'Cabana Suite 229'. Rumour has it that this hotel is where JFK used to visit her for saucy 'meet and greet the President' sessions. Rather less glamorously, it's also where Lindsay Lohan reportedly fell off the wagon, in the hotel's Teddy's nightclub.
2. There doesn't seem to be anything special about a Mexican fast food joint called Pollo Loco. However, back in the late 1980s, it's where Brad Pitt used to work, dressed in a chicken costume, handing out promotional flyers. It's on the corner of La Brea and Sunset Boulevard and in interviews, Pitt has claimed that it was his "worst job ever'.
3. Sunset Boulevard: such a romantic name. And what's more romantic than a man, meeting a woman... and offering her cash. Ah. Yes, we stopped at the famous site where Hugh Grant met Divine Brown. Great TMZ insider gossip? Divine wanted to go to a hotel, which would have cost $100. Hugh only had $60. And we all know what happened next.
4. We didn't stop at the Saddle Ranch Chop House on Sunset Strip to admire its spacious patio, although it is very nice and even has a fireplace where you can toast mashmallows. No, we were here to see the spot where celebs like Justin Timberlake, Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Lopez line up to ride the mechanic bull before settling down to a big steak dinner. Yee-ha!
5. Imagine a sit com where Matthew Perry, Cher and Elton John all live together. Hey, you don't have to! They really do. Yup, we drove past Sierra Towers, where they all have apartments. TMZ top gossip: Elton and David's son has an apartment all of his own. Yes, that's right. The baby has his own apartment next door to his dads’.
[Related feature: Where to spot celebs on holiday]
6. One of the most glamorous addresses in Los Angeles, the Chateau Marmont, has had its moments of tragedy. Blues Brothers star John Belushi died of a drugs overdose there and photographer Helmut Newton died after crashing his car into the hotel's driveway. Our advice? Get a cab. And just say no.
7. Next up, we hit Beverly Hills with its iconic shield signs. But beware! There are just five of the shields in the district, and they are so highly regarded by the city council that they are trademarks and as such, you're not meant to post pictures of them or you'll get sued - although, it's hard to imagine a more 'Hollywood' experience.
8. Next stop, the London Hotel and a chance to slip back to some old skool rap with Vanilla Ice, at the venue where he was allegedly threatened by Suge Knight from Death Row Records in an infamous dangling-by-his-ankles-from-the-15th-floor incident. Whatever really happened up there, we do know that Vanilla signed over all his publishing royalties on his massive hit ‘Ice Ice Baby’ to Mr Knight. Persuasive chap.
9. No trip to LA would be complete without a spin down one of the most famous streets in the world; Rodeo Drive, a temple to shopping and some of the most expensive real estate on the globe. But more importantly, a chance for you to do your 'Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman' impression. "Big mistake. Big. Huge."
10. And finally to the spot where all bad celebs end up... jail. Except because it's Hollywood, there are, of course, special rules for the famous. Both Dr Dre and Kiefer Sutherland paid $1,000 a week to stay in rather ritzier accommodation with nice meals, day-release programmes so they could keep on making music videos and TV shows, and, of course, no nasty cell mates.
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