Have a Nice Drai!

Drai's in Hollywood not only has a rep for being celeb party central, but the photo gallery is filled with so many gorgeous twenty-somethings in up-to-the-minute fashion, it's enough to keep me home to curl up with Crown Royal and my Sex and the City box set. Who has time to look that beautiful? And please don't tell me they were born that way. It would kill me.

But Time Warner was kicking off their Summertime is Cabletime party at Drai's, which always rings in the summer for me. It's like Media Memorial Day. How could I resist?

The place was awash with airy white cabanas with beds, Moroccan lamps and the clamored-for view of Hollywood: from above. Servers passed around sparkling cranberry cocktails, Kobe sliders and mini cupcakes. A bunch of the the Lakers showed up, including Rick Fox with Eliza Dushku. Joey Lawrence was there with his fancy eyebrows, along with a few reality stars. 

Bliss Spa employees milled about, giving hand massages with their scented lotion. Everyone walked away with a bottle to keep. They set up a back massage area amidst candlelit lounges. Vintage-style synchronized swimmers in flowered caps slipped into the sparkling blue water to do a few numbers. Ray-Ban was on hand with mirrors and a selection of sunglasses. People sampled and walked away with their favorite pair, in addition to gift bags filled with treats, such as aluminum water bottles, kitchen wares from The Food Network, Vitamin Water and swag from The History Channel.

It was a great time. Right up there with my Crown Royal and Sex and the City box set.

Seriously?

Note to drunk girls everywhere: When the bartenders refuse to pour, the harsh lighting flicks on and patrons file out, it's time to go home.

Some people were annoyed, but I felt for her. Even as I secretly filmed her to exploit her image on my blog, I wanted to take her home, make her hot cocoa and recommend she move to Eastern Europe.

Tabloids

OK! magazine's Body and Soul at the Beach event

I once offered my friend Sandra an issue of Star magazine, and her face contorted as if in mid-exorcism. "How can you support that garbage? It's awful how they treat actors!" With my tail between my legs, I adopted her attitude. Sunny wasn't rich & famous, but she aligned with them; she was in their corner. I wanted that to be my corner too, so I fancied myself among the elite who were concerned about the public caring too much about their personal life. For a while it worked. I wouldn't even glance at Star in the check-out aisle at the grocery store. Instead I would judge the person in front of me, based on what groceries they picked.

with TMZ's Harvey Levin

But times have changed. I met TMZ's Harvey Levin. He has moral rectitude and refuses to post smut - even if it would mean a cash windfall. He refused to post the video of David Hasselhoff drunk and eating a burger, because he felt it was a cry of help from his daughter. He had the photos of Michael Phelps doing bong hits 3 months before it went viral, but never posted it. Instead, he placed it on his office wall and showed his employees what not to post. He felt Michael Phelps was set up by people he trusted and didn't think it appropriate to smash his hard-earned Olympic reputation over some pot. His team has discovered public court documents about certain children of celebrities, but instead of banking on the gossip, he he'll call their family lawyer to have it rightfully made confidential.

with reality star Whitney Port

I don't read the National Enquirer or any of the non-glossies. Nothing that focuses on redneck alien abductions, zooms in on cellulite or outright lies. Sadly, the coverage has moved from glamorous movie stars to reality TV personalities. With redneck pregnant teens and dozens of emotionally unbalanced, gold-digging "housewives" in multiple cities, my interest has waned. Considerably. So when I pick up a used copy of US Weekly, there's no self-loathing. I still adore the red carpet gowns and bon mots from stars who still have a sense of humor.  Admittedly, A-list inbreeding is interesting, not to mention all the new L.A. restaurants I've uncovered while flipping through the pages. Not to worry, I still love books and am currently reading through Thackeray's Vanity Fair. The social climbing and backstabbing in Thackeray's novel are not unlike what today's reality stars do to maintain fame.

Our yogi. Yea, I know. Seriously.

So when I went to OK! magazine's Body and Soul on the Beach event, I didn't have mixed feelings. I showed up at Santa Monica's gorgeous Casa Del Mar hotel and took beachside workout classes. Celeb trainer (Heidi Klum, etc.) Andrea Orbeck kicked my butt seven ways 'til Sunday with her Supermodel Sculpt class. The ridiculously handsome Yogi Cameron (ex-model) taught yoga as the waves crashed behind us. We enjoyed OPI manicures from Bellacures, oxygen facials, massages and more. Our gift bags were loaded down with goodies by Sketchers, Smartwater, Murad eye cream, Honest Tea, Trainermat yoga mats, Venus Embrace razors, Supersmile teeth whitening system, Raisinets, The Body Perfect wash & lotion, Jenny Craig snacks, Boost-It! complexion boost, Zico coconut water, Kerstin Florian day creme, Sparitual polish & hand serum, Vitamin Water, OPI nail polish, Macadamia hair oil and more.

If my friend Sandra reads this, she may shake her head and say that I've sold out. But since OK! is British, it's a little classier, the stars show up for their parties because they don't print lies, and do they throw a mean party! Sandra can try to align with the elite her way, but my way is a lot more fun.

Another Fine Slab City Road Trip

Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Bad Costumes

She thinks she's a glamourpuss. They think she's a sideshow. At least they're too kind to tell her the truth. Her campy delusion has made her one of the most iconic features on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Out-of-work actors, the jobless, even the homeless have stalked Hollywood Boulevard for years. Dressed as superheroes and movie stars, they charge tourists a buck to have them pose for pictures with them. It's their living.

And a hard living it is, as demonstrated by the bizarre and sometimes sad documentary, Confessions of a Superhero. Exposing the dark and lonely side of failed actors hustling on the Boulevard, these characters are becoming more and more disturbing. Blame it on the economy, but it looks like mental patients are rolling out of bed, pulling on a dirty Rite-Aid Halloween costume and bullying passersby. Some are drunk, some heckle and some get arrested for violence. There was a Pocahontas who has been referred to as Crackohontas. Batman was arrested once or twice for lashing out at tourists. If you plan on visiting, know that you're not legally entitled to pay for a photo with them. But if you don't, they might cut you.

...Just sayin'

It wasn't me - I found this billboard.

And for the record, I'd be pissed if my espresso machine busted too. She calls it a "cappuccino maker" - so 80's.

Class All the Way

"Fifty dollars for a movie ticket?!?!"

That may be your first reaction when hearing about Gold Class Cinemas, the all-new movie theatre experience. Being someone who would rather park and walk two blocks than fork over $15 for a valet, I would naturally steer clear from the "It's like flying first class in a movie theatre" gimmick. But opportunity came knocking, and even though my friend Dawn and I had to sit through a Twilight movie, I took it.

It was worth every penny.

First of all, it's not the movie you're paying for, but the all-round experience:

- Free drinks in the uber-trendy lounge (90 wines and draft beers, including Chimay!)

- Free hors d'oeuvres in the lounge (lobster, goat cheese stuffed tomatoes, etc.)

- A host carrying your cocktails to your reserved seat on a tray. They don't want you to be troubled with the hassle of balancing your drink en route.

- Giant, plush reclining seats and wide walking lanes so you're not stepping over people.

- Staff brings you blankets and pillows

- Huge side compartment to place shopping bags, purses, etc.

- A silent button is on your table; press it and get an instant response from the staff. More beer, please!

- Dinner: Seared tuna spring roll, Kobe beef sliders, Asian ginger salad, and fried potatoes.

- Dessert: Chocolate mousse trifle, cream puffs and chocolate covered strawberries

Did I mention the gift bags? Yea, you won’t be getting those but I received a cornucopia of goodies in mine, including Gran Turino on DVD, a facial from Aveda and more!

All I’m saying is, if I can love the experience while watching a torrid love triangle between a girl, a werewolf and a vampire, you can appreciate it too.