Los Angeles

Universal Studios are among the oldest and largest film and television studios in the world, some 8,000... films have been made here to date. Founded by Carl and Carol Laemmle in 1915, it opened as Universal Studios in 1964 and is now a whole film village called Universal City, complete with amusement park and entertainment. At its heart are the Universal Studios, around which you can take tram rides to give you a glimpse behind the scenes. They go past scenery, sound stages and movie sets, including those from "Jurassic Park" and more recent productions. There are demonstrations of special effects, for example from films like "The Mummy" or "King Kong", and you can also see live recordings and stunts. If you are looking for an adrenaline rush, you can go on one of the rides. The Universal Citywalk is a shopping, dining and entertainment complex with IMAX cinema which is open to all. more

Where would Los Angeles and Hollywood be without the legendary Walk of Fame? This 2.5 km (1.5 mile) tiled... section of Hollywood Boulevard started out in 1960, and since then more than 2,200 stars have been immortalised with a brass-framed marble star with their name on it. The illustrious walk spans from La Brea Avenue, where a statue of Marilyn Monroe marks the beginning, to Vine Street. The Walk of Fame is just one of the attractions on Hollywood Boulevard. Historic cinemas like El Capitan, Pantegas and the Egyptian Theatre are as worthy a diversion as the Hollywood & Highland shopping and amusement complex. The Kodak Theatre took over from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel as the venue for the Oscars ceremony in 2002. Next to the exotic sounding Mann's Chinese Theatre, whose lobby area features hand and footprints from many of the stars, is the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, where you can find out all sorts of interesting things about the history of film. more

Over four million visitors come to Mann’s Chinese Theater each year to see the cement blocks in the... forecourt bearing the immortalized hand and footprints of famous Hollywood stars such as Charles Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Fred Astaire. The theater was built by entrepreneur Sid Grauman, who had already erected the Million Dollar Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre prior to this. During the opening of the cinema, it is said that there was pandemonium because fans wanted to get as close to the stars as possible. Many original Chinese tiles were used during construction. As such, the theater has a facade that looks like a pagoda guarded by two stony Chinese Ming Heavens dogs. Important film premieres take place here. more