The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

July 13, 2018July 12, 2018

TomTom from “Vanderpump Rules”

The Instagram world was set on fire (well, my Instagram world, at least) Wednesday night when the cast of Vanderpump Rules, along with other Bravolebrities and reality TV stars, began posting photos of the DailyMail.com & DailyMailTV Summer Party which took place at TomTom, the highly anticipated new bar venture by husband and wife restauranteurs Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd and their protégés/employees/junior partners Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz. The soirée served as a soft opening for the West Hollywood watering hole (per several sources the official opening won’t take place for three weeks) and I could not have been more excited to see the completed space, which VP fans witnessed the progress of throughout the show’s most recent season. I actually popped by TomTom in mid-May with my friends Kim and Katie, who were in town visiting from Kentucky. Though the site was just a construction zone at the time, it was an absolute thrill to see in person – especially because we wound up running into the entire Vanderpump/Todd family while there and were given a sneak peak at the place’s interior!

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The opening of TomTom has been a project years in the making. Ken first leased the WeHo space that now houses the bar way back in 2015 – without Lisa’s knowledge or consent. At the time, the site was home to an adult boutique named Chi Chi LaRue’s. The couple subsequently rented the place out short term to Showtime Clothing while deciding what they ultimately wanted to do with it. Per various building reports, it seems an eatery named Pinky’s Restaurant was originally going to be established there, but that plan was scrapped in 2016 as the idea for TomTom began to take shape.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the square footage of the TomTom space floating around online. In 2013, a comparable summary report noted the 1935 structure as consisting of 3,360 square feet, but a leasing brochure from 2017 listed it at 1,508. Either way, the property’s useable space has grown considerably since Lisa and Ken acquired it thanks to the addition of an upstairs kitchen area, as well as a large elevated back patio that overlooks West Hollywood Park.

When Vanderpump and Todd took over the site, it was incredibly non-descript – basically just four walls and a ceiling, as you can see here. What it has been transformed into is nothing short of spectacular. I cannot wait to head out there to experience the finished product in person. I was elated to see it all boarded up with black plywood back in May, though, being that it popped up countless times throughout Vanderpump Rules’ sixth season in the same state.

Audiences were actually given their first glimpse of the TomTom space on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, not Vanderpump Rules. In the Season 6 episode titled “Busted BBQ,” which aired in 2016, Ken brings Lisa to tour the site, which he has just leased out. The unique wares and décor of then occupant Chi Chi LaRue’s make transforming the space into a restaurant a bit hard for Lisa to envision. As she approaches the front doors, she says, “I don’t think I want to go in there. There are things in the window that make my eyes water. I’ve got my dark glasses on to protect myself.”

While Ken thinks the site is the perfect prospect for their next culinary venture, Lisa is more interested in some mini whips she finds on the shelves that she wants to bring home to her pet ponies.

The TomTom space does not appear on Vanderpump Rules until the December 2017 Season 6 premiere titled “Masquerade,” in which Sandoval and Schwartz tour the now vacant and gutted site with Lisa and Ken.

Sandoval really dresses the part for the occasion, but, come on, like anyone believes that tape measure is actually going to be used! Nice try, Sandoval.

During their tour, Sandoval gets quite the tongue lashing from Lisa over his negativity, arrogance, and unwanted advice on the venture. As she sarcastically pans, “What were we thinking? Doing 33 restaurants without Tom Sandoval. How the f*ck did we do it?”

The TomTom space is featured in numerous additional episodes throughout the season, including “It’s Not About the Pasta” in which the two Toms attempt to invest some sweat equity in the restaurant. (If only they can figure out how to put on their dust masks!)

It also appears in “Karma’s a Bitch,” in which Sandoval calls Lisa from Vegas to discuss hosting a “progress party” at the site for all of his friends . . .

. . . and “Reiki Breaky Heart,” in which Tom and Tom discuss the upcoming progress party . . .

. . . and Sandoval gets down on one knee, presents Schwartz with a rose gold and diamond “TT” lapel pin, and officially asks him to be his partner in the restaurant, which elicits this speech from Schwartz, “Katie’s my wife in life, but in business Tom is my wife and I’m ready to make that commitment and I hope we have beautiful business babies together.” Those two are so ridiculous, I swear.

The bar site gets its most screen time in the Season 6 finale titled “Welcome to TomTom,” in which the highly anticipated “progress party” takes place.

The space was still very much a work-in-progress at the time. It is truly amazing how far it has come.

As I mentioned above, while we were stalking TomTom, we had the pleasure of running into Ken. He could not have been more gracious and kind and not only posed for a photo with us, but opened up the front door so that we could take a peek inside the bar. Though it was still under construction, its beauty was apparent. As we were glimpsing the interior, a car pulled up out front and Ken informed us that Lisa was inside, but that she was not in the best of spirits as her brother had passed away just days before. We had not been aware of that fact prior to Ken telling us, otherwise we most certainly would not have approached him, let alone ask for a picture. When Lisa walked up, with Pandora in tow, we offered our condolences and she could not have been nicer and even talked with us for a bit before heading inside TomTom. As we ventured away from the bar, excitedly chatting about our good fortune of getting to see the inside of the space and meeting Ken and Lisa, who should walk by but their son, Max! Talk about crazy timing. (And no, we did not approach him, considering the circumstances.)

In another only-in-L.A. moment, minutes after this all took place, our group headed over to the Starbucks across the street (natch) and were floored to run into Jared Haibon from The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise! It was definitely a stellar day for celebrity sightings!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: TomTom, from Vanderpump Rules, is located at 8932 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The bar is not open to the public yet, but per several sources is set to open in about three weeks.

March 1, 2017September 5, 2018

The High Line from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”

I absolutely love the great outdoors. In fact, alongside Starbucks and stalking, there’s pretty much nothing I enjoy more than being outside. So when I read about a former-elevated-train-track-turned-urban-park in NYC prior to my trip to the Big Apple last April, I knew it was a spot I had to check out. At the time, I did not realize the place was a filming location, but since returning home, I’ve seen it pop up in several productions, including fave show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. So I figured it was definitely worthy of a blog post.

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The High Line saw its beginnings in 1929 when the city of New York decided to build an elevated railway via its West Side Improvement Project. Completed in 1934, the High Line viaduct, as it came to be known, was part of New York Central Railroad’s West Side Line and was mainly used to transport food products from factories to warehouses.

Thanks to the rise of the trucking industry, the High Line saw a vast decline in use beginning in the 1950s and was shut down altogether in 1980. Portions of the elevated track had been torn down in the interim and while many New Yorkers lobbied for the rest of railway to be razed, as well, others fought the demolition. As the debate over what to do with it lagged on, the site was left to deteriorate, sitting abandoned, overgrown, and weed-strewn for decades.

In 1999, neighborhood denizens Joshua David and Robert Hammond joined forces with other preservationists to establish Friends of the High Line in the hopes of turning the former railway into a public park. The group’s plans were eventually approved and in 2006 work on the project began. The High Line was completed in three stages, opening sections in 2009, 2011, and 2014. Today, the 1.45-mile span, which stands 30 feet above ground, is a bustling oasis, visited by more than 5 million people each year.

The picturesque site boasts more than 600 varieties of plants;

countless benches and chaises for lounging;

a walking path;

and views of both the Hudson River . . .

. . . and the streets of Chelsea.

Considering its beauty, it is not surprising that the High Line has been featured in countless productions since its revitalization – so many productions, in fact, that it would be impossible for me to chronicle them all here. But I have compiled a list of a few of the highlights. As I mentioned above, the park popped up in an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In Season 7’s “Going Commando,” Kyle Richards and her daughter Sophia Umansky took a walk there during a visit to New York.

In 2008, before the site’s transformation was complete, it was featured in the Season 5 premiere of CSI: NY titled “Veritas” as the spot where Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) searched for a mimosa pudica plant. The episode provided a great visual of how different the High Line looked prior to its reimagining.

Louie (Louis C.K.) goes on a rather depressing “non-date” at the High Line with Janice (Kelly McCrann) in the Season 2 episode of Louie titled “Bummer/Blueberries,” which aired in 2011.

In the Season 4 episode of Glee titled “Makeover,” which aired in 2012, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Brody Weston (Dean Geyer) dance and frolic on the High Line during a musical montage set to Sheryl Crow’s “A Change Would Do You Good.”

John Reese (Jim Caviezel) takes Sofia Campos (Paloma Guzman) to the High Line in the Season 2 episode of Person of Interest titled “Masquerade,” which also aired in 2012.

The park pops up briefly in the 2013 thriller Side Effects.

Abbi Abrams (Abbi Jacobson) and Illana Wexler (Illana Glazer) visit the High Line to discuss a plan of attack after losing Kelly Ripa’s jacket in the Season 2 episode of Broad City titled “Coat Check,” which aired in 2015.

Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) confer about “Parent Trapping” their bosses while walking on the High Line in the 2018 Netflix romcom Set It Up.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The High Line, from the “Going Commando” episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, runs from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues, in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. You can visit the park’s official website here.

June 30, 2014July 21, 2014

Sur from “Vanderpump Rules”

Last November, the Grim Cheaper and I became obsessed with the Bravo reality series Vanderpump Rules. Like obsessed. We binge-watched the entire first season in about two days. For those who have not seen the show, it centers around West Hollywood eatery Sur (which is co-owned by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump) and its drama-fueled staff. And yes, as strange as it may seem, said staff does actually work onsite at the restaurant. If you stalk the place, you will see them. Naturally, the first words out of my mouth upon realizing this fact was, “We have to go to dinner there!”

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Wrongly assuming that Sur would be exorbitantly expensive (as it turns out, the place is completely affordable), I told the GC that the only thing I wanted for my birthday in June was dinner there. When he found out that my good friends Lavonna, Kim, Katie and Kaylee would be in town on my big day, he included them in on his plans and promptly made reservations (eight months in advance!) as a surprise for me. Yep, he’s a keeper!

To say that we had a blast would be an understatement. The evening honestly could not have turned out more perfect or more fun, as evidenced by the picture below.

Prior to doing research for this post, I was under the impression that Sur was a relatively new restaurant. Come to find out, the place has actually been around since 1998! It was originally founded in January of that year by Argentinian chef Guillermo Zapata.

It was not until 2005 that Guillermo brought in Lisa and her husband, Ken Todd, as partners. The eatery was then expanded and revamped with Lisa’s special touch shortly thereafter. The result is nothing short of spectacular!

Everywhere one looks, there is something new and fabulous to discover – from unique chandeliers to vintage mirrors to repurposed doors and windows used as wall hangings. It is worth a trip to Sur just to check out the interior design alone!

When the property next door to Sur became available in 2011, Lisa jumped at the chance to purchase it. She transformed the 2,500-square-foot space into what is now Sur Lounge. It was there that we started off our evening. We arrived on the scene about twenty minutes prior to our reservation time and were informed that we could either be seated immediately or grab a drink in the lounge first.

Upon deciding to grab a cocktail, the host, Adam, informed us that we were welcome to take our time and to just let him know when we were ready to be seated. How incredibly nice is that? (That’s Adam pictured below. While not a Vanderpump Rules cast member, he is a Wilhelmina model, so we had to get a picture with him!) Amazingly, everyone at Sur was beyond nice! The place had zero hoity-toity attitude and all of the staff we encountered went above and beyond to make our evening special. And believe me, the way we were carrying on and running around the place (we were absolutely ridiculous as you will come to see in later pictures), they would have had every right to be annoyed. Instead they bent over backwards to make our evening special! We were treated as if we were VIPs and we loved absolutely every minute of it!

Sur Lounge is like a dream world!

The courtyard area is especially stunning and does not look like part of a restaurant at all, but like the backyard of your hippest, classiest friend.

The interior of Sur Lounge is just as beautiful, with private seating spaces and vintage décor tucked into every nook and cranny.

Of the design, Lisa said in a 2011 The Hollywood Reporter interview, “I took a bit from here, a bit from there. There are some industrial elements mixed with little velvet mushroom stools that I had made. Huge, extra-long leather Chesterfields. Lots of plants. Things I’ve bought during my travels and brought in. I was looking for an eclectic feeling. Is it Vietnamese? Balinese? French? I wanted you to not be able to put your finger on it.”

After enjoying Happy Hour cocktails (the prices were amazingly low!), we headed to our table and shortly thereafter saw Guillermo. Because he regularly appears on Vanderpump Rules, we had to get a picture with him. After we did, the woman sitting at the table next to us also asked him for a photo. As it turns out, she, too, was dining at Sur because of her love for Vanderpump Rules. She said to us at one point, “I am so glad that I am sitting next to you guys, otherwise I wouldn’t know what I was doing!” To which I responded, “Oh honey! You don’t know how lucky you are! We are the ultimate stalkers!” Winking smile

Prior to ordering, I sent Lavonna – and her thick Southern accent – to speak with a man standing near Sur’s entrance. (I assumed he was a manager and never did actually find out his job title.) Lavonna explained to him that she, Kim, Kaylee and Katie had come from out of town to celebrate my birthday and that we were all huge Vanderpump Rules fans. Well, from that point forward, the man, whom we found out was named Ali, pretty much became our personal guide. He helped us get photographs with the cast, took us around the restaurant and gave us info on the filming that was going to be taking place there later that night. He was absolutely amazing and our evening would not have been nearly as fun without him! (That’s Ali pictured below.)

One place that we were all desperate to see was the back alley where the Vanderpump Rules cast is often shown taking smoking breaks – and creating massive drama. When we told Ali, he marched us right through the rear employee-only areas (which we had seen on the show!) to take us there and, let me tell you, we were pretty much dying the whole time!

That’s me and Kim re-living some Rules drama.

While we were outside, Lavonna happened to spot a film crew sitting in a van nearby, so she rushed right up to ask them some questions. That’s one of the camera guys below. He was quite amused at how excited we were and when we mentioned some of the intel that Ali had told us about the filming that was taking place there that night, he said, “You guys know more about our schedule than I do!” Yep, that’s how we roll!

A little bit later, while we were ordering our meal (we still had not yet ordered any food at that time!), Ali informed us that Jax had just arrived on the scene, so we all rushed over to get photos with him. Jax was very nice at that point in the evening, but when we encountered him again a few hours later he was rather douchey, which came as a surprise to no one. Winking smile

We also met Scheana Marie;

a new cast member named Rachel;

Tom Sandoval;

and Katie Maloney, all of whom were very nice. I did not get to meet my favorite cast member Stassi Schroeder, because she, sadly, left the show at the end of last season and currently resides in New York.

I should mention here that the poor GC spent most of the evening sitting at our table by himself, while we ran around taking pictures. The crap that my poor husband has to put up with! Thankfully though, the meal was exceptional! And completely affordable! I opted for the Crispy Chicken Breast (which Stassi had stated in an episode was her favorite menu item) and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD.

I cannot more highly recommend stalking Sur! We had such an incredible night there and it turned out to be the best birthday present I could have asked for! A big, HUGE THANK YOU to the GC, Lavonna, Kim, Katie and Kaylee for making it all happen!

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online. And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Sur, from Vanderpump Rules, is located at 606 North Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood. You can visit the eatery’s official website here. Lisa’s newest restaurant, Pump Lounge, is located just around the corner at 8948 Santa Monica Boulevard.

January 8, 2014January 8, 2014

Colony 29 from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”

After watching the Season 4 episodes of fave show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills titled “Palm Spring Breakers” and “Escape to Bitch Mountain,” I became just a wee-bit obsessed with tracking down Colony 29, the sprawling enclave where the Housewives stayed during their brief desert visit. Fortunately, it wasn’t a tough find thanks to the Greater Palm Springs website which listed the address. So I dragged the Grim Cheaper right on over there on our way home from L.A. two weekends ago. (On a Bravo TV side note – the GC and I are now completely hooked on Vanderpump Rules. It is hands down THE BEST reality show since The Hills. I love, love, LOVE Stassi and have informed the GC that all I want for my birthday in June is dinner at Sur and a picture with Ms. Schroeder. He better be making reservations far in advance. Winking smile )

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Colony 29 was designed by Pasadena resident John Burnham, who built the property’s 4,500-square-foot main dwelling as his winter retreat in 1929 (hence the name). He later added a two-bedroom guest home and three smaller bungalows to the site between 1929 and 1937 to be used as retreats for his many visiting artist friends such as Maynard Dixon, Carl Eytel, John W. Hilton, Victor Clyde Forsyth, Jimmy Swinterton, Nicolai Fechin and Alson S. Clark. The place soon became a haven for artists and, according to Forbes magazine, was Palm Springs first gated community.

Sometime during the 1950s, Burnham sold the main house and two of the bungalows to Francis Crocker, the electrical engineer who conceived the oft-filmed-at Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The Crocker family held onto the three dwellings until 1997 at which point they were purchased by a builder named Dave Johnston and his wife, Trudy. Dave and Trudy later purchased the guest home, third bungalow and remainder of the land that originally belonged to the property and, in 2002, moved into the main house with their three children. By that point, most of the site had fallen into a state of disrepair and the family spent the next ten years and millions of dollars restoring it. The landscaping alone cost $1 million to execute! The project was completed in 2012 and, while the original intention was to turn the place into a bed and breakfast, today, Colony 29 serves as a vacation rental and special events venue.

Today, Colony 29 boasts over 10,000 square feet of space, 6.5 acres of lands, thirteen bedrooms, two pools, three spas, six kitchens, an adult-sized tree house (love it!), a meditation garden, an outdoor massage area, an outdoor kitchen, covered patios, open-air showers, a fire pit terrace, a natural stream, a pond, a built-in stage, parking for 85 cars, two large outdoor event spaces, six outdoor “fire elements” and a grotto.

In the “Palm Spring Breakers” and “Escape to Bitch Mountain” episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, new Housewife Jacqueline, ahem, Joyce Giraud de Ohoven (whom I canNOT stand, by the way) invites fellow cast members Lisa Vanderpump, Kyle Richards, Kim Richards, Yolanda Foster, Carlton Gebbia (whom I also canNOT stand) and my girl Brandi Glanville to the desert for a “relaxing” two-night getaway.

The trip does not turn out to be very relaxing for anyone, though (obvs), despite the idyllic setting. For some inexplicable reason, the episode was shot in June, when temperatures in Palm Springs average about 105 degrees, which I’m sure only added to the tension.

The real life interior of the estate was also shown in the episodes.

Besides the Housewives, interior designer Nate Berkus and actress Diane Keaton have also visited the property, and the Canadian reality show Operation Double did some filming there in 2012.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Colony 29, from the “Palm Spring Breakers” and “Escape to Bitch Mountain” episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is located at 147 South Tahquitz Drive in Palm Springs’ Historic Tennis Club neighborhood. You can visit the property’s official website here.

January 17, 2012January 16, 2012

The Painted Nail from “Nail Files”

Back in November, when my good friends, fellow stalkers Lavonna, Melissa, Beth, Kim, and Sandy, came out to Los Angeles from Ohio for a little stalking vacay, Lavonna booked them all a pampering session at The Painted Nail in Sherman Oaks – the salon that is featured regularly on the TV Guide Network’s reality series Nail Files. And while Lavonna had invited me to join them for some medi/pedi action, because I knew that the Grim Cheaper would be having none of that, I, unfortunately, had to say no. I did stop by the salon for a brief visit that evening, though, so that I could take some photographs of the place and hopefully blog about it. Well, imagine my surprise when, a few days later, Lavonna, being the incredible sweetheart that she is, gave me a gift card for an Ice Cream Sundae pedicure, The Painted Nail’s specialty, so that I could experience the salon for myself. How awesome is that!?!? I finally used my gift card last Friday morning and I have to say that it was an incredible experience! Thank you, Lavonna!!

Before learning about The Painted Nail from Lavonna, I had actually never before heard of the place, or of Nail Files for that matter. I have said it before and I will say it again – Lavonna is a FAR better stalker than I am. She somehow manages to have her hand firmly on the celebrity pulse of Los Angeles, despite living thousands of miles away in Cincinnati. (That’s Lavonna and the gang, in manicure and pedicure heaven, pictured above.)

As you can see, The Painted Nail is an absolutely darling place.

The salon was founded by Katie Cazorla, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Nails” (that is her pictured above with Lavonna and Company), who moved to Los Angeles from Elmira, New York in 2000 in order to pursue a career in acting. One evening, after receiving an overpriced, shoddy manicure at one of Southern California’s run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter salons, Katie went home and decided to take matters into her own hands by opening up her very own nail bar. That dream was realized in March of 2009 when The Painted Nail first opened its doors. The place was an immediate success, attracting celebrities and locals alike, and in 2010 Citysearch named The Painted Nail “the Best Mani/Pedi”.

The Painted Nail was so successful, in fact, that it was not long before Katie decided to expand, building a private party room upstairs from the salon (pictured above) and The Hair and Make-Up Bar next door. (Katie is currently engaged to music producer Walter Afanasieff, which explains the numerous multi-platinum records which decorate the party room’s walls. I cannot tell you how incredibly cool it was to see those records in person!)

During her November visit, Lavonna had gotten her nails done by manicurist Lisa Person and had insisted that I do the same on my visit. And I am so glad that she did, because Lisa was nothing short of UH-MA-ZING! Not only does the woman give an incredible massage, but she also has to be one of THE nicest people I have ever met in my life. I had so much fun just hanging out with her and dishing about Tinseltown that the pedicure almost seemed to be beside the point.

And she even painted these amazing little flowers on my toes, which I am in love with. I do have to note, though, that when I walked in the door, the GC took one look at my feet and said, “Your toes look ridiculous!” LOL LOL LOL Ah, men! Gotta love ‘em!

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The first episode of Nail Files premiered in June of last year and was an immediate hit, drawing in almost 1.6 million viewers. And while a series about a nail salon does not sound like it would be very interesting, I watched an episode while doing research for this post and can honestly say that it was riveting! And the fact that celebs regularly drop-in only adds to the allure.

In the episode I watched, which was titled “Let’s Do The Oscars!”, Dean McDermott stopped by to pick up some gifts for his wife, Tori Spelling.

The Painted Nail was also featured in the Season 1 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills titled “Payback’s a Bitch . . . Just Ask Your Husband” in the scene in which Kim Richards and Taylor Armstrong try to mend their volatile friendship over Ice Cream Sundae manicures. And the salon was also supposedly featured in an episode of Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, but I was not able to figure out which one.

Besides being a filming location, The Painted Nail is also a celebrity hot spot. Just a few of the stars who have gotten their mani and pedi on there include Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, singer Tiffany, Sarah Chalke, Lisa Rinna, Debbie Gibson, Vanessa Williams, the Jersey Shore girls, Paula Abdul, Candace Cameron, Teri Hatcher, Haylie Duff, Hilary Duff, Melina Kanakaredes, Nicole Eggert, and Brooke Burke.

On an AMAZING side-note – For Christmas, fellow stalker Lavonna gifted me with a pair of Tom Ford “Jennifer” sunglasses, the very same sunglasses that my girl Jen Aniston wears on an almost daily basis. As you can imagine, I almost had a full-blown heart-attack upon opening the box! I have been coveting those sunglasses for about three years now and the fact that I now have a pair . . . well, let’s just say that I am still pinching myself over it! Best! Present! Ever! Thank you, Lavonna!

Now we’re twins! Winking smile (And yes, I do realize I am a total dork!)

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker Lavonna for telling me about this location and for the fabulous gift card! (And for the amazing sunglasses!)

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Painted Nail, from Nail Files, is located at 13327 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. You can visit the salon’s official website here. I highly recommend requesting manicurist Lisa Person – she is incredible!

November 16, 2011November 17, 2011

The Grill on Main from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”

Last month, while watching the Season 2 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills titled “Game Night Gone Wild”, I just about fell over when sisters Kim and Kyle Richards (neither of whom I can actually stand) walked into The Grill on Main – a La-Quinta-area eatery that I had been to just a few weeks prior while visiting my parents for the weekend in the Coachella Valley. Well, been to and walked out of, I should say. Winking smile My parents, the Grim Cheaper, and I had headed to The Grill on Main one night to grab cocktails before dinner, but, unfortunately, the only champagne (my mom’s and my drink of choice) that the restaurant served was seriously terrible, so we ended up leaving and going to the nearby Hog’s Breath Inn instead. But I digress. Anyway, for my mom’s 60th birthday, which was last Monday, her very best friend, Doina, flew out – from Switzerland – to surprise her and we all spent the week together in the Desert. One morning during our stay, after grabbing coffee at the Old Town Coffee Company (which has recently replaced Starbucks as my favorite coffee house – I know, gasp!), I dragged my mom and Doina across the street to stalk The Grill on Main.

The Grill on Main, which first opened in December of 2010 and serves American-style fare, is a super cute little eatery. And, despite its lacking in the champagne department (which is odd being that the manager is a certified sommelier), my parents, who have dined there several times since, report that the food is quite excellent and reasonably-priced.

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In the “Game Night Gone Wild” episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kim and Kyle head over to the The Grill on Main to grab lunch while they are on vacation in the Coachella Valley. During their meal, Kyle, as usual, tries to boss Kim around by telling her that she needs to move into a home that is closer to hers. Little does she know that Kim is actually planning to move in with her secret boyfriend of over a year. Ah, the drama!

While stalking the restaurant, I had incorrectly thought that Kim and Kyle had dined just to the left of the restaurant’s bar area and even took a picture in that spot.

But the sisters had actually dined outside, on The Grill on Main’s patio area, right in front of the fireplace. Ugh, I can be such a blonde sometimes! Winking smile

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The Grill on Main, from the “Game Night Gone Wild” episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is located at 78065 Main Street in Old Town La Quinta. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.

November 3, 2011September 29, 2017

Halloween at Dick Van Dyke’s House

While doing research on the Strode House from Halloween a couple of weeks back, I came across a blog post about the extravagant yard haunt that actor Dick Van Dyke hosts every Halloween at his home in Malibu. And while you wouldn’t think it would be possible, being that I have lived in Southern California for well over a decade, have spent countless hours stalking, and am obsessed with all things Halloween and all things celebrity, until reading that post I had never before heard anything about it! And, let me tell you, I just about had a heart attack a few minutes later when I discovered that Dick Van Dyke lives inside of the gated Serra Retreat community because some of our good friends just (like literally weeks ago!) moved into that very same community! I immediately texted said friend to ask if she lived near Dick Van Dyke or knew him at all and started hyperventilating when she wrote back that not only are they next-door neighbors, but that the Grim Cheaper and I were welcome to come to his Halloween party! Talk about fate! I mean, do these things actually happen??? Days later, as I sit here typing this, I am still in a bit of shock and can’t quite believe that I was actually at Dick Van Dyke’s house for Halloween! And that right there is why I LOVE L.A. – one simply never knows what unthinkable adventure is waiting just around the corner! (The GC refused to dress up as Dylan again after already dressing up on Saturday night, which is why I am dressed like a flapper above. I am now thinking of changing his nickname to the “Grim Grumper”, by the way. )

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About two seconds after we arrived at our friends’ house on Halloween night, some trick-or-treaters knocked on the door and I just about died when I realized it was none other than James Cameron, dressed as a pirate, and his family! I kid you not! I was absolutely DYING inside as he introduced himself to our friends and welcomed them to the neighborhood. Like really? As I said above, does this stuff actually happen??? Oh, what I would not give to live in the ‘Bu and have James Cameron trick-or-treat at my door! HOW INCREDIBLY COOL! I did not ask James for a photograph as I figured it would have been a bit awkward, but I am kind of kicking myself about it now. As my girl Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, constantly admonishes me, when an opportunity presents itself, always, always ask for a picture! Ah well, maybe next Halloween! Anyway, shortly after James left, we all headed over to Dick Van Dyke’s house and, let me tell you, it was nothing short of AMAZING! For this Halloween-obsessed stalker, being there was the ultimate experience!

Dick had decorated the entire front of his property – like every single square inch of it – with a myriad of Halloween displays and contraptions and, let me tell you, it was like nothing I had ever seen! The whole thing was like being in the middle of a horror movie set! We were there for well over an hour and I still do not think I saw everything. The spooktacular was comprised of animatronic mannequins, some of which would jump out at people from hidden corners;

a talking statue, a la the talking statues in the graveyard at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion;

a Pee-Wee Herman lookalike who was controlling an animatronic wolf that would jump out to “attack” each passerby;

and a video-rigged front door that had both a picture of Dick Van Dyke that would change from normal to scary depending on where you were standing and a “window” to an insane asylum in which an inmate with an ax tries to break her way out.

You can watch a video of the door by clicking above. Notice the marks that show up on the door when the inmate hits it with the ax! Simply incredible!

My favorite part of the whole thing, though, had to be the graveyard, which consisted of a myriad of tombstones, some of which moved and had animatronic corpses coming out of them. There was also an invisible screen set up at the back of the graveyard on which was projected a video of cartoon skeletons doing the “Thriller” dance! SO INCREDIBLY COOL! Sadly, the GC could not get a good picture of the video, nor could he get a photograph of the glow-in-the-dark monster footprints that had been painted in the street out in front of Dick’s house. AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!

Because so many celebrities live in Serra Retreat, I was keeping my eyes peeled the entire time we were there and was beyond excited when I spotted Camille Grammer from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. As I have mentioned several times before on this blog, I absolutely LOATHE RHOBH star Kyle Richards (“hot, heaping hunks of hate!” as Jerry Stiller would say), and I don’t much like her sister Kim or their friend Taylor Armstrong, either. And while I used to like Lisa Vanderpump, after her high-school-like mean-girl behavior in the recently-aired “The Opposite of Relaxation!” episode, I don’t really care for her either. The only two on the show that I like are Adrienne Maloof-Nassif and Camille Grammer. So seeing Camille was especially exciting!

So I, of course, just had to ask her for a pic. I am very happy to report that Camille was a total sweetheart and even told me that I was beautiful!!! How nice is that? And she is absolutely gorgeous in person, far prettier even than she appears to be on TV. Love her!! Ironically enough, fellow stalker Chas later told me that Camille had been featured in an interview on TMZ TV on Halloween night in which she was asked what Halloween party she would be attending. Her response? “Dick Van Dyke’s and his is the best.” LOVE IT!

Shortly after I took the pic with Camille, Dick Van Dyke walked outside and I just about died. I, of course, also asked him for a photo and he happily obliged. Unfortunately, I did not get to talk to him at all, though, as he was extremely busy and had hoards of neighbors coming up to him, all wanting to say hi. All in all it was a magical evening and I still cannot quite believe it all happened! As I said yesterday, between meeting Matthew Lillard on Friday, dressing up as Brenda and Dylan on Saturday, and then spending Halloween night at Dick Van Dyke’s house, this was quite simply the Best. Halloween. Ever.

During the party, I also just had to run around the corner to get my picture taken in front of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s former house. 🙂

You can read a great blog post about decorating Dick Van Dyke’s house written by one of his Halloween crew members on the Disney Travel Babble website here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Unfortunately, because Dick Van Dyke lives inside of Serra Retreat, a gated community that is not open to the public, there is no stalking location for this one.

October 26, 2011September 29, 2017

The So-Called Houdini Ruins

One location that I have wanted to stalk for just about forever now is the so-called Harry Houdini Estate, or Houdini Ruins, located at the corner of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Lookout Mountain Avenue in Laurel Canyon. I first read about the site five years ago in fave stalking tome Hollywood: The Movie Lover’s Guide, but, for whatever reason, had never made the trip out there to stalk it. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the Grim Cheaper and I found ourselves in the Laurel Canyon area and decided that, because the locale had long been rumored to be haunted by the ghost of the famous magician, the timing could not have been more perfect to finally stop by. It was not until after I got home and did some research that I discovered that Houdini had most likely never even set foot on the property, let alone lived there, and therefore had pretty much no reason whatsoever to haunt it.

It is not exactly clear how or why the rumor about the Houdini Estate got started. According to an October 1989 Los Angeles Times article written by Michael Szymanski, the first printed mention of it was in Kenneth Schessler’s 1972 book This is Hollywood. When Szymanski told Schessler that his information about the Estate had largely been panned, Schessler responded, “I heard about the controversy, but I proved it by finding it in a directory of some sort. I just can’t remember where.” Um, OK, I believe you, then! Winking smile What is known as fact is this: Harry Houdini did reside in the Los Angeles area for a brief period around 1919 while filming two movies for the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation/Paramount Pictures. Where he stayed during that time, though, is anybody’s guess. Journalist Maurice Zolotow once researched the magician for a Los Angeles Magazine article and said, “Houdini resided in Hollywood for about two years, yet I’ve never been able to discover where he lived.” Further adding to the mystery and allure of the Laurel Canyon site is the fact that the 40-room Italianate-style mansion which once stood there burned entirely to the ground in 1959. All that remained after the blaze were some ornate stone staircases, cement walls, and the former servant’s quarters. The main home was never rebuilt and the ruins of the fire, which came to be known as the “Houdini Ruins” and which you can take a look at here and here, were visible from Laurel Canyon Boulevard for years to come. As you can see in the above photographs, though, that is, unfortunately, no longer the case.

However it began, the Houdini Estate rumor spread even further after the fire and countless websites and books still to this day state that the Laurel Canyon ruins were once a part of the magician’s property, despite many claims to the contrary. Houdini historian Manny Weltman even went so far as to say, “Houdini never set foot on those grounds, and anyone who says so is lying. If anyone comes up with proof I’ll eat my magic hat.” When the site went up for sale in 1989, Merrill Lynch hired two different title search companies to research the title, but neither could find any link to Houdini. Today, the location, which mainly serves as an event venue and is known as “Houdini House”, consists of a 3.9-acre plot of land with landscaped terraces, waterfalls, ponds, hiking trails, meandering pathways, and an Old-Hollywood-style home that sleeps twelve. One of my friends actually attended a wedding at the estate and said it was an absolutely magical experience. So, whether Houdini ever set foot on the property or not seems to be entirely irrelevant, as it has somehow managed to generate a mystique all on its own. Oh, what I would not give to throw a Halloween party there! Can you imagine how incredibly cool that would be?!?! And while the Houdini House rental rates are actually quite reasonable, somehow I still don’t think the GC would ever go for it.

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Someone who did go for it, though, was The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Taylor Armstrong, who in the Season 1 episode titled “It’s My Party and I’ll Spend If I Want To”, famously threw her 4-year-old daughter, Kennedy, a $60,000 Mad-Hatter-themed birthday party at the Houdini Estate. And no, that was not a typo – the party, which was for a FOUR-YEAR-OLD, actually cost $60,000!!!!! The spectacle caused fellow Housewife Lisa Vanderpump to ask, “What ever happened to Pin the Tail on the Donkey?” Love it!

The bust of Houdini which was shown in the Housewives episode can just barely be viewed from Laurel Canyon Boulevard and is pictured above, albeit quite blurrily.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: The so-called Houdini Ruins are located at 2400 Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Laurel Canyon. Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, no part of the property is visible from the street, so I cannot really recommend stalking it. You can visit the Houdini House’s official website here.

April 29, 2011November 2, 2011

Villa Blanca Restaurant from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”

A couple of weeks ago while out doing some stalking in the Beverly Hills area, the Grim Cheaper and I found ourselves hungry so I suggested grabbing a bite to eat at Villa Blanca, the Italian eatery owned by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd. Because Lisa is my favorite Housewife (actually, truth be told, there are only three Housewives that I like on the show – Lisa Vanderpump, Camille Grammer, and Adrienne Maloof-Nassif – the rest of the women I absolutely CANNOT stand), Villa Blanca has long been at the top of my To-Stalk list. Because the restaurant is on the pricier side, though, never in a million years did I ever think the GC would agree to dine there. But the stars must have been seriously aligned that particular evening because, even after looking at the menu and taking a gander at the prices, he happily acquiesced.

Villa Blanca was actually designed by Lisa, who said, “It’s going to be sexy, white, clean, comfortable and inspired . . . gorgeous art, stylish furnishings and creative music selection will bring life and style to the new space. The ambiance will be extremely important to the experience of eating at Villa Blanca – flowers, lighting, chairs, staff – every aspect will look great. If the ambiance isn’t great, you might as well stay home and order take-out.” And she definitely made good on her promise because Villa Blanca is not only beautiful, but it is also extremely unique, comfortable, and intimate. As you can see in the above photograph, there are several tucked-away nooks and crannies featuring small tables and cushy couches covered in pillows, which gives off the sense that you are dining in someone’s living room and not in a public restaurant.

Villa Blanca’s distinctive menu, which was created by executive chef Francis Dimitrius, the former head chef at Koi, features Italian standards made unique thanks to an Asian flair. The GC and I opted for the Lobster Crisp appetizer, which consisted of mini-corn-taco shells stuffed with Maine lobster salad and guacamole, and I have to say that they were absolutely OUTSTANDING. In fact, they were easily my favorite part of the entire meal! YUM! For my entrée I chose the Japanese Mushroom Chicken – a chicken breast covered with marsala wine sauce and accompanied by shimeji, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms – and I just about had a heart attack over it, it was so good! The GC had the Sweet & Spicy Butterflied Shrimp which he also absolutely devoured. The Villa Blanca staff was also incredibly nice and accommodating and answered all of my silly little questions about the filming of The Real Housewives. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this restaurant! I loved, loved, loved the place and cannot recommend stalking it enough!

It did not take long for celebrities to discover Villa Blanca. Just a few of the famous names who have been spotted there recently include Stephanie Pratt, Dancing with the Stars’ Karina Smirnoff, Dakota Fanning, David Hasselhoff, AnnaLynne McCord, Twilight’s Kiowa Gordon, Paris Hilton, Phoebe Price, LaToya Jackson, Paula Abdul, Sophie Monk, Eva Longoria, David Boreanaz, Patrick Dempsey, Chace Crawford, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvester Stallone, Lo Bosworth, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Gerard Butler, and Kim and Kris Kardashian. Unfortunately, the GC and I did not spot any celebs while we were dining, but a couple of paparazzi did stop by at one point during the evening and poked their noses around to see if anyone famous was on the premises. Love it!

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Villa Blanca was featured regularly on TRHOBH, most notably in the episode titled “Payback’s a Bitch . . . Just Ask Your Husband”, in the scene in which Lisa hosts a fashion show fundraiser for the Children’s Burn Foundation.

On the series, Lisa was regularly shown displaying HUGE arrangements of fresh flowers in various places around the restaurant and I was VERY happy to see that, in real life, there were fresh flowers situated all around the eatery, as well.

Villa Blanca was also featured in the Season 6 episode of The Hills titled “This is Goodbye” in the scene in which Kristin Cavallari, Audrina Patridge, and Heidi Montag grab lunch and discuss Heidi’s bizarre relationship with her husband Spencer Pratt. You can check out some pictures of the scene being filmed on the Zimbio website here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Villa Blanca from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is located at 9601 Brighton Way in Beverly Hills. You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.

January 13, 2011January 12, 2011

Madame Chocolat from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”

Another location that I dragged the Grim Cheaper out to see while stalking in the Beverly Hills area two weekends ago was Madame Chocolat, the chocolate shop that was featured in the Season 1 episode of the reality series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills titled “Chocolate Louboutins”. Sadly though, because we were there on a Sunday, the place was closed and we did not get to venture inside, nor did we get to sample any of the delicious-looking chocolate.

We did spend quite a bit of time admiring the beautifully sculpted candies that were featured in the shop’s front window, though – all of which I later learned are actually fake to prevent melting, but are modeled after real designs that can be purchased inside. Then yesterday, I randomly found myself parked directly in front of the store while doing some shopping in Beverly Hills, so I decided to pop in and purchase some candy for the GC. (I am diabetic and therefore could not buy any for myself.) And, amazingly enough, Hasty Torres, the shop’s owner who appeared in The Real Housewives episode, was working the front counter! Hasty could NOT have been nicer and spent quite a bit of time speaking with me about the filming of the show and even helped me pick out some sweets that the GC would like. I so badly wanted to ask her to take a photograph with me, but I hesitated as I thought she might think I was a bit weird. Looking back, I really regret it as she was so incredibly sweet.

As it turns out, Hasty’s foray into the chocolate world reads like a Hollywood script. While working for a finance company in Century City a little over a decade ago, she became obsessed with a Food Network television show named Chocolate with Jacques Torres, in which renowned pastry chef/chocolatier Jacques Torres created various works of art out of the sweet delicacy. Hasty was so obsessed, in fact, that she wound up quitting her job and enrolling in Pasadena’s famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school with the hope of one day opening up a chocolate shop of her very own. Upon graduating a year and a half later, she got a job working for Jacques himself at one of his many chocolate stores in New York and the two ended up falling in love. Hasty’s dream was finally realized in November of 2006 when the chocolatier founded her very own shop on North Canon Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills. And just a year later, Hasty and Jacques were married at the legendary Bel Air Hotel. Such an incredible story!

When I came home with the above-pictured bag yesterday, the GC was extremely excited as he is a total chocolate fiend . . . until he saw the receipt, that is, which I had accidentally left in the bag.

I ended up purchasing four (tiny) chocolate bon bons and one chocolate-dipped Oreo cookie and my total bill was $13! But hey, it’s Beverly Hills – prices like that pretty much go with the territory. Well, the GC took one look at that receipt and said, “Can you return them?” LOL Return chocolate??? Really???? Do you see what I have to put up with here? Winking smile Anyway, despite his chagrin over the cost, by 8 p.m. last night he had devoured all four of the bon bons and the cookie, as well! And while he said that he much preferred the Rocky Mountain chocolate that I had purchased him this past Christmas, I am fairly certain that had more to do with Madame Chocolat’s pricing than it did the quality of their chocolate.

His favorite item was the Café bon bon – an espresso-infused dark chocolate ganache that is shaped like a coffee cup. So cute!

In the “Chocolate Louboutins” episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, housewife/restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump-Todd (whom I absolutely LOVE) visits Madame Chocolat to pick up a pair of chocolate Christian Louboutin high heels, which were made out of a whopping three pounds of white Belgian chocolate, that she has special ordered.

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The chocolate shoes, of course, also boast the signature Louboutin red soles. Love it! Smile

During her visit, Lisa also orders a custom-made, $1,000, three-foot tall chocolate Easter bunny which she then brings to Easter brunch at fellow housewife Kyle Richard’s house in Palm Springs.

Madame Chocolat also appeared in the Season 5 episode of The Girls Next Door titled “Hot Chocolate” in which Hugh Hefner’s three then-girlfriends, Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kendra Wilkinson, visit the chocolatier to have some of their, ahem, body parts recreated out of chocolate as a birthday gift for Hef.

The shop is also something of a celebrity hot spot with such stars as Wolfgang Puck, Nobu Matsuhisa, Rachel Ray, Mario Batali, Ricky Martin, JC Chasez, Robin Thicke, Ludacris, Lamar Odom, P. Diddy, Eva Longoria Parker, Kris Jenner, and Shannon Elizabeth all stopping by to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Madame Chocolat from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is located at 212 North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. You can visit the store’s official website here. Madame Chocolat is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays.