Stalking stars in Hollywood

As the Beacon’s Los Angeles correspondent, at least for this week, I felt it my duty to report to you the sights and scenes of the 80th Academy Awards.

It was total coincidence I just happened to be in the City of Angels when the red carpet was rolling out this past Sunday. Or was it?

Maybe it was fate, written on the “stars,” so to speak. It also was my birthday. Maybe I’ll get a bonus for reporting on it and for having a birthday.

Normally, I don’t care that much about the event, which seems like one big celebrity kiss-up fest with Oscar recipients jubilantly shrieking airhead things like, “You like me! You really like me!”

My son and I planned to start out early just to tour the Hollywood sights. For weeks, I’d been planning our sightseeing cruise in and around Tinseltown, to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Walk of Fame, Sunset Strip, Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, the movie studios, the nearest restroom and the Kodak Theater.

Kodak Theater?! Jiminy, that’s where the Academy Awards are taking place, I realized as I was perusing my L.A. info and guidebook, a handy camera tucked away in my carry-on bag. I didn’t feel like a tourist at all.

Thank God the writers’ strike ended in time.

One road trip we didn’t schedule was cruising past the stars’ homes. We didn’t have that much time, and I didn’t really relish having to kiss up at each stop with all the other rubbernecking tourists by shrieking, “We like you! We really like you!”

Celebrities probably hate that, too. At least we aren’t the paparazzi. Well, in a way I guess I am—a one-woman Beacon paparazzo, representing Shallotte. But I don’t plan to harass anybody.

Besides, the celebs probably weren’t at home. They were all schmoozing down at the Kodak Theater.

Seeing stars right here where we weren’t expecting it was different. I even worried our tour bus might be crowded with other celebrity-gazers, something I’m definitely not. Remember, I just happened up on the place.

As one radio pundit put it, “Hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the world will watch the show on television.”

Better they should do that than join us on our double-decker tour bus, methinks.

Maybe I’ll get a good view of the stars after all. I can’t wait to see what fantabulous things everybody’s wearing. Isn’t that what the red carpet is all about?

But I refuse to kiss up.

Laura Lewis is a staff writer at the Beacon. Reach her at 754-6890 or llewis@brunswickbeacon.com.