The Official New Yorker’s Guide To Los Angeles

Celebrities

Celebrities are fairly commonplace in Los Angeles, as are their children, who enjoy a certain demi-godlike status in the Hollywood Pantheon, performing as DJs at clubs and special correspondents on Entertainment Tonight. In fact, Elijah Wood DJed one of the first parties I attended in Los Angeles, following a set by Jack Black with his comedy rock band Tenacious D. Oh sure, New York has its share of red carpet regulars—Chloe Sevigny, SJP, the Naked Cowboy. But it’s truly awesome to spot so many famous faces in their natural ecosystem. Sadly, the glamour tends to fade after a few such encounters. You realize the star of your favorite series isn’t nearly as tall, attractive, or charming in person (and has been reportedly spotted at several bathhouses across town.) You begin to suspect that fame is nothing more than machine-generated smoke and mirrors, rigged by nepotism and operated by people not nearly as smart or interesting as you’d hoped they’d be. But then you’ll see someone, say, Jane Fonda perhaps, buying potato chips at the local grocery store. And that old feeling of wonder and mystery returns. [Elijah Wood via]