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Only problem, I was in downtown Los Angeles in a hotel lobby.

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“Jet Blue has LA covered better than TMZ.” I saw this billboard as soon as we landed in Los Angeles last week and had to laugh.

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I am back from Los Angeles where I escaped the rainy and 60 degree weather of Houston to only find the exact same stuff in California! Ironically I was also stopped in two hour traffic on I-10 East (known locally as The 10 or Santa Monica Freeway) and Normandie too (there is a Normandy street in Houston).

For those of you who follow me on Twitter/Facebook, you read how I saw actress Patricia Heaton (The Middle, Everybody Loves Raymond) at The Grove in LA. But the celeb sightings did not stop there. I also saw Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program), Faith Ford (Hope and Faith, Murphy Brown) and some dude from ABC’s Brothers and Sisters. Honestly I noticed his model/actress girlfriend more than him. The tweets stopped because I thought all of this would get really annoying after awhile.

After my Grove tweet, it was nice meeting mikemcguff.com blog readers from California over social media.

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I took James by KTRK yesterday. When I saw Melanie Lawson, I asked if little James could be the official baby of Live at Five. She said yes.

I can see it now…Melanie, Art Rascon, Tim Heller at the desk with James in a high chair right next to them. What a team it could be. It’s ratings gold I tell you!

This photo was obviously not taken at KTRK. Yes the station does have a swimming pool, but it does not look like this.  This if from last week in California.

I found these at a Bristol Farms store in California. The drinks are Moxie and Frostie. Don’t think I have ever encountered these before.

MORE
- Moxie
- Frostie

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemcguff/3637140540/sizes/o/http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemcguff/3637140540/sizes/o/

The above picture is a photo I took of where Iron Man 2 is reportedly being filmed currently. Makes sense since there is a large Marvel logo at the top of the building. The studio is in a building that appears to be normal office space in Manhattan Beach, California in the Los Angeles area. IGN has more:

Iron Man 2, now roughly halfway through production, is being shot at Raleigh Studios in the Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach. Marvel announced last year that they will shoot all of their upcoming projects — including Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, and The Avengers — here. READ THE REST

There is even a sign out front that says office space is available in the building. Imagine working as a CPA in the same building where Robert Downey Jr is portraying Tony Stark and Iron Man. I know some women who probably couldn’t handle being that close to Downey.

I noticed that some kind of film production has been going on at the shopping center next door at a restaurant called Lido di Manhattan Ristorante and Bar. Could it be a scene where Stark (Downey) wines and dines someone? Or actually this restaurant shoot might not have anything to do with Iron Man 2 at all. I tried to catch a glimpse but just saw a lot of equipment.

(Image courtesy of Mike McGuff)

When you flip on television news in Los Angeles, you can see some former Texas reporters and anchors on the air.

Megan Henderson of KTLA Channel 5’s morning news is a familiar face to North Texans because she just left KDFW Fox 4’s Good Day earlier this year. From the reports, it sounds like here old Dallas show hasn’t held up since her departure.

 I can totally understand. Megan is very good on the air. If I lived in a city where Megan worked, I’d wake up early to watch the news too! Looks like I will have to tell my wife I am developing a new crush.

 Of course it doesn’t hurt that she sits next to Asha Blake who I used to watch on ABC’s World News Now.

Ed Laskos used to work at KPRC Channel 2 in Houston. Now he is a reporter at Fox 11 KTTV here in LA. Ed has his own style which I really like.

He was good at KPRC when it was the tabloid News 2 Houston and he is still good on the West Coast.

Of course if you go way back, KPRC consumer reporter Gayle Anderson left Houston for LA to go to KTLA.   Am I missing anyone else?

(Image courtesy of Flickr user topcad)

We landed in Los Angeles yesterday and the first thing I saw were a bunch of Lakers shirts. Fair enough. Then I see a middle-aged man, who appeared to really take care of himself, with a man purse. Later at the hotel, I am dragging luggage in and I hear a guy trying to seduce a girl in a tiny bikini in the hot tub - which is in the middle of the small courtyard.

Look, this place is the entertainment capital for a reason. Now for the darker side - there was plenty of news footage last night and this morning of the Lakers fans going wild near the Staples Center.

If ever in Los Angeles and are looking for cheap food, try Rubios, we love this place. It is labeled as Beach-Mexican food.

James loved the travel and was pretty good on the plane. There were some tense moments with a little crying, but overall he did a good job for three hours. Both of us watched abc 7 KABC and remarked how similar things are to abc 13 KTRK. Except KABC uses the voice guy that I think Channel 11 KHOU still uses which is kind of funny for a former TV geek.

I’ll shut up now and enjoy the 70 degree weather - sure better than 97!

Imagine my surprise as I was driving down Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles on Friday and saw a billboard for a topless traffic school.

GO SEE THE WEB SITE

Is this better than the comedy ones I’ve attended in Houston?

(Image courtesy of Flickr user livi79)

I was in Los Angeles over the weekend. You already knew that if you follow my Twitter, Facebook or brightkite accounts. That’s all probably more info than you ever need to know about me though.

I had a great time seeing Manhattan Beach, Culver City, West LA, Melrose, Bevery Hills, Brentwood and Santa Monica. One stand out was Ford’s Filling Station, which I believe is Harrison Ford’s son’s restaurant in Culver City.

When I went to LA last December, we saw Bill Murray and the Beckham’s. This time, nada. At least no confirmed celebs. Although we might have eaten brunch with Mike D of the Beastie Boys on Montana and I might have flown back to Houston with the host of Cheaters.

Not that we weren’t entertained. We enjoyed The Groundlings. The improv group even did a sketch concerning the Houston Texans of all subjects.

LA is a great city…if you make a lot of money.