Detective Robert Goren

HOLD THAT POSE: Actor Vincent D'Onofrio played the ultimate crime-solver in the award-winning police drama, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Quirky super cop.
When he bends at right angles,
you're guilty as charged.





After nine seasons, Goren is moving on. D'Onofrio has passed his role as leading man to veteran performer Jeff Goldblum who plays Detective Zach Nichols, a cerebral and efficient cop with his own set of idiosyncrasies.

Tabloids

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: It seems that gossip has been around since the beginning of time. In fact, the word "tabloid," in use since 1901, is derived from "tablet." So, who knows what some of those ancient stone carvings really say?

The singer is gay.
The actress talks to spacemen.
Checkout line fish wrap.

Paradise Lost

THE GARDEN OF ALLAH was a mansion estate turned bungalow village hotel at 8152 Sunset Boulevard. Built and ruled by controversial (and openly bisexual) silent screen siren Allah Nazimova, some of the villa's illustrious and notorious guests and residents included: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Benchley, Ernest Hemmingway, Gloria Stuart, The Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, Dorothy Parker, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Clara Bow, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Gloria Swanson, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Ernst Lubitsch, Ronald Reagan, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Lewis, Artie Shaw, Marlene Dietrich, George Kaufman, Laurence Olivier, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Woollcott, Orson Welles, Somerset Maugham, Jascha Heifetz, Ginger Rogers and Katherine Hepburn — to name a few!

Refuge for talent.
A den of iniquity.
Gaud's little acre.



"I'll be damned if I'll believe anyone lives in a place called 'The Garden of Allah,'" wrote Thomas Wolfe, in a letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald, dated July 26, 1937.




During the filming of the 1939 remake of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Charles Laughton would return home to The Garden for lunch, still in character as Quasimodo, and float in the pool on his back with his face aimed skyward, to avoid ruining his complex makeup.

Following its heyday, The Garden of Allah endured years of neglect. In summer, 1959, it was torn down to make way for progress. The song "Big Yellow Taxi," by Joni Mitchell, mourns the incredible landmark's passing in the famous lyrics, "They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot."

The Art of Survival

GERMAN & JEWISH ARTISTS IN EXILE: Only those who've endured it themselves can know what these and other talented individuals went through. But it's thanks to them that we have classics like "The Maltese Falcon," "Some Like It Hot," "Double Indemnity" and "Casablanca," not to mention the entire genre of film noir.

Fleeing Hitler's rule,
they brought a new look and voice
to film in the states.



Although satire, "To Be Or Not To Be" (1942), starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard, captures effectively the pervading mood and climate of war-torn Europe.  The film was Lombard's last and was released posthumously.


THE SPIRIT OF DEFIANCE: This is, perhaps, the most powerful scene in Warner Brothers' 1942 masterpiece, "Casablanca." To those in the know, what makes it even more stunning is that it's cast largely with performers who escaped the Nazi terror and ultimately death, leaving behind home, family, friends and careers, some having lost all and having to start over with nothing. (Clip copyright © Warner Home Video)


A clip from the PBS documentary, "Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood." At the time of this writing, there was no word of a DVD release.  (Clip copyright © 2010 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

THE DEMENTED RECLUSE: Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond making her final descent into her imaginary close-up and madness. This scene, more than any other, has come to represent the sometimes tragic downside of fame lost.

The breathing waxworks —
when fallen stars dim to shells
of their former selves.



The scene that inspired the haiku, although I'd never consider Keaton nor Swanson as has-beens. In fact, observe how, even with such a minor part, Keaton works the shot and steals viewer attention with nothing more than a brief facial expression.


Norma Desmond's famous happy ending.


The "Sunset Boulevard" movie trailer.


One of Comedienne Carol Burnett's zany spoofs as "Nora" Desmond. (This is live TV. Notice how you can see the set brace during the two-shot at the door.)

Ellen DeGeneres

A CHAMPION OF CHARITABLE CAUSES, Comedienne and TV Talkshow Hostess Ellen DeGeneres has raised more than $40 million for animals and people in need, and the tally keeps growing. A long-time supporter of PETA, The Humane Society, Animal Rescue Site, ASPCA and The Amanda Foundation, in 2008, she became co-owner of Halo All-Natural Pet Care, a groundbreaking company that specializes in optimally healthy food, treats and products for dogs and cats.

TV's Saint Francis,
dancing, laughing and living
with a caring heart.



This Ellen DeGeneres AMEX commercial pretty much says it all — with a smile.

Benicio Del Toro

THE EYES HAVE IT: He's played kidnappers, killers, a revolutionary and, most recently, a werewolf. But underneath it all lies a kind, polite, soft-spoken art and music lover who's afraid of heights.

His menacing gaze
gets him cast as "the heavy,"
the big pussycat!





Known for taking risks, one of Del Toro's milestone characters is Fred Fenster from "The Usual Suspects" (1995). The imaginative actor created the unforgettable out of what would've otherwise been a minor and disposable part, by adding frenetic and awkward mannerisms, a speech impediment, and modifying his own hairline and eyebrows to blur ethnicity.


Del Toro discussing his most recent role, the tragic Lawrence Talbot in "The Wolfman" (2010).

IMDb, I Said

THE INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE: Where movie and TV info goes and where we all go to get it.

Direct to YOUR screen!
Plots! Bios!! Facts and CREDITS!!!
Film's final roundup.

You can find the Internet Movie Database at www.IMDb.com.

Ned Sparks

THE PERENNIAL GROUCH: Character actor Ned Sparks (1883-1957) wrote his own lines and was insured against smiling by Lloyd's of London.

Hollywood's sourpuss —
the nasal-toned sharp-wit you've
seen somewhere before.

Rita Moreno

STILL A KNOCKOUT: Rita Moreno is the first and only Latina and one of ten performers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. In 2004, Moreno was bestowed The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, for her especially meritorious contribution to American cinema.

At seventy-nine,
she has legs like a goddess!
(Trampoline workout.)

Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco

In the mid-1970s, if you were young, wild and into glitter, Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco at 7561 W. Sunset Boulevard was the place to be and to be seen. Rodney, the club's owner (second from right and surrounded by his then-usual assortment of jail bait and actress Mackenzie Phillips), caused a second British invasion that included artists such as David Bowie, T. Rex and Slade, and brought to light the American underground sounds of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Blondie and The New York Dolls, all of whom frequented his shabby hole-in-the-wall. The site is now a martial arts studio and Rodney is a deejay on KROQ.

Glam rock's Babylon —
where Starmen and Jean Genies
danced in platform shoes.



Zolar X was a fixture at Rodney's and got great reception.


A weekend regular at Rodney's, this adolescent fan and music scene junior reporter was dubbed "Gladys The Night Tripper" by Wolfman Jack and guested occasionally on his radio program.

Jerry Lewis

Veteran performer Jerry Lewis in his most famous screen role, that of Julius Kelp from "The Nutty Professor" (1963). He began in vaudeville at age 5 and has been entertaining audiences worldwide for more than 80 years.

The heroic clown
throws the world a lifesaver,
the gift of laughter.



Since its founding in 1950, Jerry Lewis has served as National Chairman and Spokesperson of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, hosting the organization's annual Labor Day fundraiser telethons. Lewis is so dedicated to finding a cure that children and adults benefiting from MDA's programs, research and services have come to be known as "Jerry's kids."

For more information, visit www.MDA.org.

Pink's

Standing near the corner of Melrose and LaBrea Avenues in Hollywood, Pink's is without question the most famous hot dog stand in Southern California, if not in the world.

There's always a line,
no matter the day or time.
Hot diggity dog!



For more information, visit www.PinksHollywood.com.