By Jill Jackson
HOLLYWOOD … Coming out this way to do some sightseeing? It isn’t all movies and TV studios and stars and their homes. Try some small ethnic communities. There’s Chinatown, and Little Tokyo, and Koreatown. All with many restaurants featuring food of their countries and shops laden with goods also native to their countries. Then there is Olvera Street downtown, where the city was founded. Shops and shops laden with everything imaginable from shoes to candles. Add strolling Latinos singing and playing Mexican music, and you just might see a celeb out sightseeing — just like any other tourist.
Nicolas Cage is an excellent actor. Strangely, he’s a very uninteresting interview. On “The Late Show” with David Letterman he didn’t talk about owning a home in the old New Orleans Garden District and all the other actors living there, or the goings-on and the restaurants and the gorgeous food. He did mention his uncle, the great Francis Coppola.
Aside to Penelope R. of Atlanta: You ask what Lake Bell is doing. Good question. I know she co-stars in the adult TV comedy “Childrens Hospital,” but not much beyond that. She moved from the building in which I live a couple of years ago.
Of all the trophies — Oscar, Emmy and etc. — the Screen Actors Guild award is the most beautiful. A gorgeous gold male figure, holding the Mask of Comedy in one hand, Tragedy in the other. The event isn’t until late fall, but already votes are being taken.
Sela Ward has joined the cast of “CSI: New York.” She will play an international investigator in from Washington. And longtime star Melina Kanakaredes is exiting the show. Try that name in your spelling bee.
At the risk of being called Madam Scrooge, I’m on a rampage. I’m sick of hair. On every show and everywhere in the business it’s long, straight and parted in the middle, looking like it has been on an ironing board, and used as a shawl with the little-nothing dress. Someone said to me, “What do you want, the old short crinkle cut?”
It’s kind of “chic.” Going to jail. When you consider the ladies who have been there. Zsa Zsa, Paris, Martha and now Lindsay.
Michael Moore is busy, busy, busy. One of his films will be “Focus,” said to be a lesbian family dramedy, whatever that is, and the other is still under wraps.
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BITS ‘N’ PIECES: I hope Dave Letterman wins a trophy on one of the award shows so he can stop pouting about not winning. … And yes, it’s true. Old-time star Gloria Swanson brought her own meals whenever she ate out. At restaurants, people’s homes and parties. She was very strict about her diet down to the last whole-wheat crumb. … Leonardo, George, Tobey, where are you? You haven’t been on the boulevard lately! … I’m sorry I can’t tell you if Arnold will go back to acting when he is no longer governor of California, because I don’t know. But the next time I see him I will ask.
© 2010 King Features Synd., Inc.