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Saturday, March 6, 2004 - 10:41 a.m.

Scenes from L.A., Part 2

The day we left California was primary day, and there were local elections going on to, so we saw some signs dotted around L.A. County. Downtown on Monday, we even saw a couple of cars cruising the streets extolling the virtues of various candidates from a rooftop-mounted megaphone, like you see in movies about the 50s (Back To The Future) or on the mayor�s car in The Nightmare Before Christmas. But the sign that caught my eye was for candidate Richard Groper. I am not making this up. It�s bad enough that your parents didn�t have the foresight to pick any name � any name � other than Richard to go along with that surname, but a potential politician with the name Dick Groper? Could be worse, I suppose. He could be a Catholic priest. (Mr. Groper, if you happen to read this, I say all this in good fun, and I hope you won the election. Good luck.)

HEATHER:
You�ve never had a Pop Tart???

DAN:
Nope. Can�t say that I have.

HEATHER:<.br>My God, they�re so good. They�re Jesus in toasted form. They�re toasted God.

DAN:
"Here�s your Pop Tart. [Solemnly] The body of Christ �"

They had one main warning for us at the Warner Bros. Studios: "Don�t shout at the celebrities. They�re more afraid of you than you are of them." It was a cautionary warning in the event we saw a Lauren Graham or a Charlie Sheen walking around the lot. While on the tour, two women around their 40s saw some old guy walk right near us and freaked, startling him into looking up and saying, reluctantly, "Hi," just before they broke the second main warning: No pictures of the celebrities, unless they offer. We were told they do sometimes. They enjoy the tours and take time, if they have it, to chat briefly with the tourists. Noah Wyle, apparently, is very accommodating. Part of their cooperative nature must stem from the studio�s manageable tour groups: no more than 12 people can fit on the extended golf carts on which we ride. I decided right away, however, that if I spotted Martin Sheen, I was going to send a "Go Irish!" in his general direction.

The small, intimate groups are perfect. It�s what makes the Warner Bros. tour so much better than the Universal Studios everybody-onto-the-tram blast through the backlot. The tour guides tell you to tell them what shows you�d like to see, and they�ll do their best to fulfill the request. Friends and ER were the first ones blurted out, and Casey asked for Gilmore Girls while I wanted to see The West Wing. "The West Wing is one of my favorite shows too," Ron, our tour guide, said. "Unfortunately, they�re filming today, so we can�t go over there. But maybe you�ll see some of the actors." We didn�t really see any actors, though I thought I might�ve seen Allison Janney pass through the security gate as we pulled up to the visitors center, but I don�t think it was her. Unless she drives a cranberry colored Suburban and wears glasses while driving. But it probably wasn�t her.

So we were off through the fake city that is the Warner Bros. backlot. I saw a bus stop bench with an ad for something in Cleveland on it and immediately recognized the area as a scene from The Drew Carey Show. We passed Commissioner Gordon�s City Hall from the Batman TV series and the orphanage from Annie. ("Oh, Mr. Bundles!") Ron pointed out a stretch of grass no bigger than what I imagine might be the size of Brad Pitt�s living room that is used for Central Park in the episode of Friends where Rachel and Phoebe go running together. As for the Friends set, Ron had to break the news to the visitor who wanted to stop there that it has already been dismantled. This surprised me, too, because while I knew it wouldn�t stick around too long at all, I thought it might still be there a few weeks after the final show taped. We passed the open, emptied soundstage later on the tour. It�s where they�ll build the set for Joey, which might be weird, yet comfortable, for Matt LeBlanc. (We also saw LeBlanc�s parking space, which, though empty, excited two pre-teen or early-teen girls.)

When we turned a corner and saw a section of steel above the road, I had an idea where we were going. Moments later, the ambulances came into view, and shortly after that we found ourselves in the ambulance bay of Cook County General Hospital in Chicago. "See this black spot here?" Ron asked while pointing to the pavement in the middle of the set. "That�s where we dropped the helicopter on Dr. Romano." We got out and walked around, taking pictures and listening to the intricacies of shooting a TV series.

Ron knows his stuff, too. It�s obvious he watches the shows and has seen the movies by the way he explains certain scenes as being "three episodes ago" or "on last week�s show, not last night�s, but the week before."

When we cruised into Stars Hollow, my suspicions were confirmed. When I first saw Gilmore Girls, I recognized the town as similar to that of the Hazzard County seat. Sure enough, Stars Hollow High School was once Boss Hogg�s courthouse, and another corner store was once his city hall and jail. Or bank. I think the bank. But I totally recognized the sidestreet. But what gave it away was the center of town, where the gazebo now sits (it�s removable, too, since you don�t see it in ABC�s The Music Man). We asked Ron to stop for a picture beneath the sign for Luke�s diner and then he drove us past some of the houses in town.

Just before we began the trip back to the visitors� center, Ron realized he hadn�t taken us to Lorelai�s house. So he made a special trip for us, swinging around to the back of the row of houses (which have full interiors) to an opening in a fence behind a trailer. I saw two sand colored Jeeps with Connecticut license plates. Then we walked up to the porch and had our picture taken on the steps of the Gilmore house.

On the way back to the visitors� center, we caught a glimpse inside the ER, soundstage through the open bay doors and rode through the shop where all the props are made. Ron took us past the outdoor portico set for The West Wing where we saw Ramon, Martin Sheen�s body double, in a navy blue suit and red striped tie.

He wasn�t worth shouting to.

Walking from Heather�s and Lauren�s apartment to Rodeo Drive, we passed the Winona Ryder Courthouse. Later, on Rodeo, a camera man and sound guy with a boom microphone walked backwards towards us filming two women walking down the street talking. I caught a few words of the New Zealand accent of Keisha Castle Hughes as I passed her, our arms nearly brushing, as Casey realized who it was just steps later. Sunday morning, while watching the pre-pre Oscar stuff on E!, we saw Keisha and Nicki Hilton talking while getting a pedicure, though we didn�t see the street conversation.

George, a friend of Casey�s dad, picked us up for dinner Friday night and we went down to Beverly Hills to Da Vinci�s, an Italian place. Seated at one of four tables in a side room, we had a great dinner and conversation. A couple not much older than me were seated at the table next to us by the window and later in the evening, the gentleman went to use the restroom.

Suddenly, George, who was facing the table, looked over and said, "Oh, you mean me?" The blonde, left alone, had caught his eye and just started a conversation. When Casey and I looked over, she looked at Case and asked, "And how are you, Miss Demi Moore."

I think Casey�s exact reaction was, "HA!" She may have gone on to say, "That�s a new one." Blondie by the window went on to explain, "I�m very drunk." We kinda figured.

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