MY LIFE WITH ALI MACGRAW
The passing of Ali MacGraw's ‘Love Story’ co-star Ryan O’Neal left us all with a nostalgic appreciation of the heartthrobs whose heartbreak ending sent the country out of theaters in tears to...
Category: Hollywood
MY LIFE AS MARILYN, MY DEAD OLDER SISTER
The LA Monthly interview with actress Catherine Hicks, who portrayed Marilyn Monroe in the 1980 TV feature Marilyn: The Untold Story as well as in the Arthur Miller play After The Fall and...
MY FABULOUS LIFE AT THE BARN
One of Hollywood’s Most Significant Landmarks Still Stands In a city where they think nothing of knocking down Pickfair, bulldozing the Garden of Allah and destroying the streamline...
My Mom and Jackie Kennedy
I NEVER UNDERSTOOD the full extent of why my mother related so much to Jackie Kennedy until the former First Lady’s death. On the evening of May 19, 1994, my mother and I were at Jerry’s...
FERNANDO VALENZUELA CELEBRATED BY LOVED ONES, COMMUNITY
A fitting choice of words came from former teammate and catcher Mike Scioscia, who spoke with the kind of reverence reserved for legends: 'He was a one-of-a-kind talent, a tremendous pitcher with...
GAVIN NEWSOM AND THE ART OF BEING THE RIGHT KIND OF DEMOCRAT
The California Governor is the best kind of bridge between America’s ideals and its realities. Newsom possesses a mix of both likability and depth, speaking to voters across race, class, and...
SELENA AT THE EMMYS & A RED CARPET METAPHOR OF LIFE
The industry, which once celebrated the seasoned cynicism of reporters like me, had decided we were no longer the princes of the profession but rather its dinosaurs. Our extinction was imminent. It...
Rossi, Dark & Light: An Actor, A Foil, A Friend
The Tale of a Sometime Hollywood Denizen Who Could Have Been Someone By MARY FRANCIS DAVIDSON It's 2 a.m. in 2014 and the phone in my little place east of LAX is ringing. In between the roar...
THE BIEBERS AND MODERN BABY NAMING TRENDS: THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF JACK BLUES BIEBER
Hello, My Beautiful Friends! I’m back with another week of insights into the fascinating world of celebrity relationships and dynamics. This week, we’re diving into a topic that’s capturing...
KATY PERRY AND ORLANDO BLOOM: LOVE SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS
Hello, My Beautiful Friends! I’m back with more insights and excitement for you! I’m Katie Flowers, your trusted guide in navigating the intricate world of love and relationships. I help...
DICAPRIO DATING CURSE & LOVE BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT
Hello, My Beautiful Friends! I'm back for another week of insights and excitement! I'm Katie Flowers, your relationship guide for helping couples build healthy relationship dynamics. By KATIE...
When They All Left Us for Ryan O’Neal
WHEN I ELOPED with my girlfriend from college, my best friend had a good laugh at my expense. "People don't elope to Waxahachie, Texas," he said. "Las Vegas, man. People elope to Las Vegas." it...
LADY GAGA CONFIRMS ENGAGEMENT DURING THE PARIS OLYMPICS
By KATIE FLOWERS Hello, My Beautiful Friends! 🌸 Katie Flowers here, and oh boy, do I have some exciting news to share with you all! The dazzling Lady Gaga, the powerhouse singer, actress, and...
All the Ex-President’s Men in Stilettos
Does Donald Trump like his yes-men a little on the unusual side? Or why is his GOP running mate JD Vance wearing mascara? Is it just those baby blues that make it look like he's got Hillbilly Elegy...
George Clooney’s Exit Strategy: One Foot Out the Window
It's a scene straight out of a Clooney heist movie, but instead of robbing a casino, he's plotting an escape from the land of the free and the home of the increasingly conservative ahead of a second...
If Marilyn Had Been the Ultimate Ferrari…
From the debut of “Magnum PI” in 1980, Hollywood has had an unrequited love affair with the Ferrari, objectifying, worshipping it and turning it into a glorified sex symbol as if it were...
DIOGENES IN LA
For the last three years I have been a Thoreau-like hermit living amongst the Mendocino redwoods in a shack, a one-eyed cat my only companion. There, something slowly shifted in me as I slouched...
LOVE POWER: TIMOTHÉE, KYLIE & THE BIEBERS
In the ever-evolving world of celebrity romances, understanding the dynamics that drive these high-profile relationships can be as fascinating as the celebrities themselves. Katie Flowers, renowned...
SCENES FROM WINNING A PRESS CLUB AWARD
ENTERTAINMENT FEATURE, FilmTony Castro, LAMonthly.org, “If Marilyn Had Been a Car, She Would Have Been a Ferrari” https://bit.ly/49ZO7BqJudges’ comment: What an entertaining story...
BOYLE HEIGHTS ‘STUDIOS’… YEAH, BELIEVE IT
East End Studios Lands $130 Million in Loans to Make It Happen Set in the heart of the Los Angeles Eastside, East End Studios - Mission Campus is just part of a $1 billion, three-segment project the...
OSCAR TIME FOR LUPITA NYONG’O
Can ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Break Box Office and Awards Expectations? I’ll Bet it Will Review by Mike Szymanski OK, let the Oscar campaign begin right now for Lupita Nyong’o for her work in...
MARILYN’S FORMER HOME NAMED L.A. LANDMARK
Marilyn Monroe fans claimed the residence is an indelible piece of Hollywood history. The actress bought the house for $75,000 in 1962 and died there of an apparent overdose six months later, making...
LAMONTHLY WINS SoCal JOURNALISM AWARD
Tony Castro Won for Entertainment Feature His paean to the late author Tom Wolfe's Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby ode to the California car culture chronicled the Ferrari...
The Great Josie Mystery of Brentwood
In 1978, Los Angeles was still basking in the afterglow of its golden age. The city was a sun-drenched playground where dreams came to life—or, as I discovered on one particular day, where dreams...
Is Pickleball a Sport? Seriously?
Meet the Man Who’s Ruining the Sport of French Open Champion Carlos Alcaraz Hey, that's Sandra Bullock's son out there playing soccer with your kids. Oh, and those are Sharon Stone's kids on the...
Al Ruddy, Oscar-Winning Producer of ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 94
Al Pacino leads tributes to two-time Oscar-winning producer of The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby and filmmaker who was also behind Million Dollar Baby, The Longest Yard and Hogan's Heroes. City...
Bored on a Wednesday Morning?
How about Attending the Goofiest Breakfasts You’ll Ever Have Who does anything interesting on Hump Day? How about singing, exercising, telling silly jokes, having a hearty breakfast, and...
LA Black History from the Dunbar Hotel
Joe Louis, W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall and Much More See that house across the street? It may not look so fancy, but it may turn out that the people who built that also built the hotel down...
President Villaraigosa? Yes!
The Way It Might Have Been in the 2012 Presidential Election When GOP challenger Mitt Romney was about to derail Barack Obama’s reelection with running mate Marco Rubio, the president dumped Joe...
The Adventures of the RED WRTR
When You Could Drive Behind the HOLLYWOOD Sign Nothing more than your car is a status symbol in Hollywood. No one asks what you do, or what are you wearing, as much as “What kind of car do you...
How I Learned My Dog Can Read
Doing Yoga at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Only while ‘Living in Hollywood’ can you attend a memorial service for a friend at a movie theater, and then take a friend to a movie at a memorial park....
Stopping Councilmembers’ Influence Beyond Their District
In November voters will be able to remove councilmembers' influence beyond their own district lines, hopefully moving us closer to a system that reflects the best interests of Angelenos, NOT the...
…and Where is the Giant Phallus?
Why Is That Cross Beaming into My Bedroom? As exciting as it sounds to be ‘Living in Hollywood,’ only those of us who live here really know what it's like. One day your neighbor wins an award...
It Never Rains in Southern California — Yeah, Right
As exciting as it sounds to be “Living in Hollywood,” only those of us who live here really know what it's like. One day the neighborhood is blocked off to have every famous star alive dressed...
Saving the Historic Marilyn Monroe
“It is the only place in the world that grounds Marilyn's myth into history, and the U.S. and world’s history. It is the only physical reminder that remains of (her) life and death. Marilyn has...
Why Is Ridley Scott’s Film ‘Napoleon’ So Bad?
Perhaps we are just tired of dictators, and we don’t want to sit through 2 hours and 38 minutes (or a day) to deal with another dictator. We tire of little men who have squeaky voices and want to...
Ryan O’Neal, Who Became a Star With ‘Love Story,’ Dies at 82
He was a familiar face in movies and on TV before his breakout performance opposite Ali MacGraw in the 1970 blockbuster. But it was overshadowed by years of personal problems. Ryan O’Neal, the...
A Murder in Hollywood: Obsessed Film Extra Guns Down Producer’s Son in Cold Blood
Movie stand-in Jameelah Elena Michl fell so madly in love with her film's beautiful director that she began stalking her — even brandishing a Glock — and when the director didn't return her...
IF MARILYN HAD BEEN A CAR, SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN A FERRARI
From the debut of “Magnum PI” in 1980, Hollywood began an unrequited love affair with the Ferrari, objectifying, worshipping it and turning it into a glorified sex symbol much as it did Marilyn...
Elvis: An Abusive Husband or Just Uncontrollably Temperamental?
WHY DID PRISCILLA PRESLEY leave Elvis? Did the 14-year-old girl he fell in love with when he was 24 realize as she grew into a woman that they had little in common except for their daughter Lisa...
Memories of Ringo and the Carson ‘Tonight Show’ Green Room
Britt Ekland opened her dressing room door and grabbed my arm. She stood in the doorway clad only from the waist down, while holding her blouse close to her chest and leaving little to my...
Halloween at Outfitters Wig on Hollywood Boulevard
“The wig has gone mainstream and celebrates performance, creativity,” says Rebecca Sikora known professionally as Bebe Mcphereson, a former employee of the house, who bought the business and has...
Burt Young, RIP, Gentle Gangster. I Will Forever Adore You
By VICKI ABELSON Burt Young...brilliant actor, gifted fine artist, devoted father and grandfather, and a gentle, loving, attentive friend. I was so blessed to meet him, thank you, Candy, and get to...
Dorothy’s Stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ Ruby Slippers Mystery Solved
The shoes from the film were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and recovered in 2018 by the FBI. The thief was sentenced Friday....
Taylor Swift Film Premiere Shuts Down The Grove
Her concert movie chronicles Swift’s highly successful Eras Tour, which included six performances at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Analysts have said more than $100 million in advance tickets have...
Julia Ormond sues Weinstein; accuses Disney, others of enabling
Actress Julia Ormond has filed a lawsuit accusing disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her once-skyrocketing career. Julia Ormond, who...
WGA, Studios Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike
Hollywood heaves a sigh of relief. The Writers Guild and major studios and streamers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract that promises to end the 146-day strike that has...
Antonio Villaraigosa: ‘I Want My Picture on That Wall’
Once Jerry Brown’s hangout, Lucy’s El Adobe opens its doors to the new favorite son. By Tony Castro Columnist, Los Angeles Daily News The story appeared January 8, 2006, but it is published with...
America Ferrera’s Stunning ‘Barbie’ Monologue
TOO EARLY FOR OSCAR nomination talk? Maybe not if you have seen “Barbie” and came away surprisingly stunned by actress America Ferrera’s incredible monologue about being a...
Adios, Lucy Casado: The End of an Era in L.A.
ON A PICTURE POSTCARD CALIFORNIA EVENING, a group of Tibetan monks in cardinal robes and gold undershirts traipsed across Melrose Avenue from the direction of Paramount...