Hollywood, Part Two

So you really would have thought that after the Hollywood homes tour that I would have been finished with the whole celebrity fanfare, right? Weeeeell...

We had walked around The Dolby Theater (formally known as The Kodak Theater--too much money to keep the rights--Dolby bought the naming rights just last month--bet you didn't know) for the better part of the day and a half we spent in Hollywood. Cirque de Soleil Iris is playing there for the next gazillion years (except for when they have big awards nights like the Oscars). Again, there was that stalker-like curiosity about going, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to take the tour. I decided on yes. I knew Tim really didn't care but he was willing to be the same trooper in Hollywood as I was at White Sands. (We were both pleasantly surprised, by the way.)

I will say, if you're ever in Hollywood, take the tour. It's interesting. As we walked into the lobby, our tour guide explained how the whole area is staged for the red carpet. There are shops and a connecting hotel to the theater, that during the week of the Oscars is basically shut down or camouflaged for the red carpet walk. Hollywood Boulevard is shut down to automobile traffic. They cover the whole street with the carpet from Highland Street to the theater. If it rains, they cover that entire area with a clear plastic tent to keep the celebs dry on their walk. The stands that you see on the walk are open to the public. You put your name in a lottery. If your name gets pulled, you get to watch the stars come in--free. After the stars come in, you are taken across the street to the El Capitan Theater to watch the show on a movie screen, AND you're fed dinner.

The stars walk through the lobby where all the retail stores have been hidden, up the stairs (which are made very shallow for the long dress-wearing ladies) to the doors of the lobby. In the lobby there are black and white images on glass. Behind these images are glass panels made of tiny glass balls fused together. Back in the day, these "screens" were embedded with silver to reflect the black and white films being projected--hence the term "Silver Screen."

Only nominees and their guests are allowed on the first floor. On that floor they put the stars up front and the directors, producers, and technician types in the back. To make the seats look full, if stars have to powder their nose, they are to leave during the commercial break. If they cannot make it back in the four to five minute break (which most cannot), they bring in a seat-filler. Literally, there are people standing in waiting to run in and take someone's seat so that the place always looks filled to capacity. A seat-filler must be a relative of the nominees for security purposes. The star cannot come back in until the next commercial break. Also for security purpose, everyone must present a photo ID in order to get through security (which includes a metal detector). One year, George Clooney and Tom Hanks were delayed over a hour because they did not have theirs. Last year, ten people, trying to impersonate stars, were arrested!

There will be no pictures of this tour because we were not allowed to take any. When the stars go through security, they also have to give up cameras. I don't feel so bad. : ) The nominees are the only people who do not have to pay for their tickets--everyone else, $350. As I said before, only nominees and their guests sit on the floor. In the mezzanine? Academy members. There are only 1,600 seats and around 7,000 Academy members. Your name is put into a lottery. When your name gets drawn, you are then exempt from going for the next two years. In the box seats, there is a hierarchy. In the bottom row the lifetime achievement winners sit, then in the next row up, the older previous winners such as Sydney Poitier, and in the top row are the Governors of the Academy. These are the folks, in the fall, who pick the producer for the year. The producer then chooses the host.

One other interesting fact about the broadcast--ABC's cameras are positioned in such a way as to make the mezzanines look much larger than they are. They are not very deep. The theater is tall, though. One last fun fact about the show--when you see the "backstage" interviews, they aren't really backstage. They are in the hotel next door, on the fourth floor where it is connected to the theater.

After the show come the after-parties. A ticket to the Governors' Ball will cost you $750. It is catered by Wolfgang Puck. Desserts include chocolate shaped Oscars. Only a select few are invited to this event. So there you have it--an inside look at the Dolby Theater--whether it was your cup of tea or not. After the tour, we got a little closer look at the Hollywood sign and headed to Phoenix for Pizzaria Bianco.

Oh, I know there are many more things in Phoenix than pizza, but this is supposed to be some of the country's best. I have eaten a lot of pizza in a lot of places--Chicago (Gino's East is my fav), New York (anything from New York--I have not had Grimaldi's, though), St. Louis (yes, I like Imo's), Dewey's, Raccanelli's, Edwardsville (Peel--if you haven't gone, you must), my own, at my house--pretty good, if I do say so myself, but I think I may have found my true pizza love--Pizzaria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. The perfect crust, simple, but perfect ingredients. We started with a farmer's market salad of arugula, thinly sliced green apples, chopped, toasted pecans, gorgonzola, and a light, red wine vinaigrette and a homemade mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil salad with extra-virgin olive oil--maybe the best ever because of the mozzerella. The pizza? We got two and ended up getting different combos on each half--the MARGHERITA - Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil on one half, and the SONNY BOY - Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Salami, Gaeta Olives on the other. On the second pizza, we got the BIANCOVERDE - Fresh Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta, Arugula on one half, and the WISEGUY - Wood Roasted Onion, House Smoked Mozzarella, Fennel Sausage on the other--quality ingredients, simply prepared in a woodfired oven. I can't say enough about this pizza--and with that--I'm ready for bed.