I Saw A Movie Star!

"Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows...you could even be discovered, become a movie star...or at least see one."—Sid Hudgens, L.A. Confidential

This East Coast gal is in L.A. this week, helping Denis Reggie's team on a wedding and catching up with old friends. After our walk-through at the client's home in Malibu, we had time to explore the city.

Since I'm a fish out of water here, I decided to make the most of my time in L.A. and visit local hot spots. My college buddy, Jason, met me for a night in Hollywood. He's a local, so I wasn't exactly sure where he'd take me! By 9pm, we were dining in a cool Thai joint, watching "Thai Elvis" perform a cover of "All Shook Up" on stage.

After that foray into campy karaoke, we went to hear some of my favorite musicians perform. Glen Hansard and his band The Frames offered an intimate show at the Music Box. Ever since seeing Glen co-star in the film ONCE, I'd been waiting for a chance to see his band perform live. If you haven't seen the film ONCE, drop everything and go immediately!

ONCE is the story of kindred spirits who unwittingly find each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. As their lives intertwine, they discover each other's shared talents and push one another to realize what each had only dreamed about before. The bond between them surprises them both, and the chemistry created is inspiring.

The film was shot for only $160,000 with a skeleton crew over 17 short days. It proves there's something that big budgets and sophisticated special effects can't buy — authenticity.