If your ticket to the Oscars got lost in the post, don't despair. Our experts know just where to go to bump in to the hottest celebs. Here are their top tips
Perez Hilton
Celebrity blogger at perezhilton.com
Very Public Restaurants!
No, celebrities don't actually eat. But they do LOVE having their picture taken. A lot! So celebs will flock to those restaurants where the paparazzi are usually swarming. It's a safe bet that you can run into a star at The Ivy (113 N Robertson Blvd; +1 310 274 8303), Toast (8221 West 3rd Street; +1 323 655 5018, toastbakerycafe.net) or Joan's On 3rd (8350 West Third Street; +1 323 655 2285, joansonthird.com). Those are the top three "LOOK AT ME" restaurants, but they're not even the best! My favourite eatery in Los Angeles is Jos� Andr�s's The Bazaar (465 South La Cienega Blvd; +1 310 246 5555, thebazaar.com), which specialises in tapas done with a molecular-gastronomy twist.
High-End Retail!
It used to be Rodeo Drive. Then it was Robertson Boulevard. Now your best bet for locking eyes on serious star wattage is to go to The Grove (189 The Grove Drive; +1 323 900 8080, thegrovela.com). A mega outdoor mall, it is THE ultimate celebrity shopping destination. The paparazzi are there every day, but you likely won't notice them because they're very crafty. However, as soon as you see them whip out their big lenses, you'll know a celeb is in the distance. That happens several times a day! So, shop, order a coffee, walk around and enjoy your star sighting!
The Park!
You may have heard of Runyon Canyon (Franklin and Fuller avenues) or seen pictures of such celebs as Robbie Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal there, but my best kept secret on where to spot celebs if you visit Los Angeles is ... Coldwater Canyon Park! (12601 N Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills; tinyurl.com/cctzee). Your chances of celeb spotting are heightened because the stars tend to go only on the weekends. And the ones that go the most are stars with kids. Heidi Klum, Gwen Stefani and Jessica Alba have all been seen there recently with their children.
The Cinema!
Believe it or not, celebrities really are just like us. They love going to the movies too. They just do it celebrity-style! Meaning, in Los Angeles, there is one movie theatre where all the celebs go regularly. You can buy your tickets online, you can reserve your seats ahead of time, and the prices are really expensive! It's called Arclight Hollywood (6360 W Sunset Blvd; +1 323 464 1478, arclightcinemas.com), and you'll often see actors sneaking into their own movies!
The Gym!
Celebrity trainers are EXPENSIVE! So unless they're A-listers, most celebs will "slum" it with us common folks. The top two places to have an encounter with a star while working out are Equinox (8590 Sunset Blvd; equinox.com), where I have personally run in to True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard naked in the locker room (yes!!!), and Barry's Bootcamp (1106 N La Cienega Blvd; barrysbootcamp.com). Bootcamps are all the rage now in LA, and Mel B and reality TV star Kim Kardashian have been known to frequent Barry's.
Jessica Radloff
Celebrity writer for the Huffington Post, and blogger at JessicaRadloff.com
Hotels
Most celebs stick to West Hollywood and Beverly Hills during Oscar weekend. The Oscars are at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood (6801 Hollywood Blvd; kodaktheatre.com), and stars like to be close to their home (or hotel), the gifting suites, their stylists, and all the parties. The Four Seasons LA (300 South Doheny Drive; +1 310 273 2222, fourseasons.com/losangeles) is where it's at: one big party all weekend. Celebrities presenting at the Oscars, attending the Oscars, or just going to the parties reserve luxury hotel rooms to get ready in. Just sit outside by the lobby, because every star who comes in and out of the hotel will have to wait by the valet. I counted 10 movie and TV actors waiting for their cars last year on the Saturday night before Oscar Sunday.
The Chateau Marmont hotel (8221 Sunset Blvd; +1 323 656 1010, chateaumarmont.com) is the place for Hollywood's troublemakers and A-listers. Stop in for a bite to eat on the patio (a favourite of Jake Gyllenhaal and Lindsay Lohan), or grab a drink at the nearby Bar Marmont (8171 West Sunset Blvd; +1 323 650 0575, chateaumarmont.com/barmarmont.php). And to spot celebs from Hollywood's Golden Age, visit the Beverly Hills Hotels and Bungalows (9641 Sunset Blvd; +1 310 276 2251, beverlyhillshotel.com). You're almost sure of a star sighting at the Polo Lounge.
Restaurants
Those attending the Oscars will be eating the bare minimum, so don't expect to see stars eating lots of water-retaining foods like sushi and Japanese. Salads it is, so for lunch try Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop (9671 Wilshire Blvd; +1 310 246 0756, greenleafchopshop.com). Jessica Alba was recently in.
Scarpetta (225 North Canon Drive; +1 310 860 7970, tinyurl.com/2ejzvar), the brand new Italian restaurant at the Montage Beverly Hills, has been bringing in the likes of Lionel Richie, Britney Spears and more since opening earlier this year.
Il Sole (8741 W Sunset Blvd; +1 310 657 1182) is the quintessential Italian restaurant and frequently visited by Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres and more.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes frequent Wolfgang Puck's CUT (9500 Wilshire Blvd; +1 310 276 8500, wolfgangpuck.com) at the Regent Beverly Wilshire (the setting for Pretty Woman) for succulent steaks, while the likes of Will and Jada Smith and Hugh Hefner prefer the more clubby vibe of Boa Steakhouse (9200 Sunset Blvd; +1 310 278 2050, boasteak.com/balboa).
For intimate dining, don't pass up celeb favourite Il Piccolino (350 N Robertson Ave; +1 310 659 2220, ilpiccolinorestaurant.com); Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough go there. Or try Madeo (8897 Beverly Blvd; +1 310 859 0242) (Jennifer Aniston, Woody Allen) for romantic Italian dining.
Comme �a (8479 Melrose Ave; +1 323 782 1104, commecarestaurant.com) on Melrose is bringing 'em in for amazing French fare. Relative newcomers Salt's Cure (soups, salads, steak, charcuterie, 7494 Santa Monica Blvd; +1 323 850 7258, saltscure.com), Red-O (celebrity chef Rick Bayless's Mexican place, 8155 Melrose Ave; +1 323 655 5009, redorestaurant.com) and Hatfield's (6703 Melrose Ave; +1 323 935 2977, hatfieldsrestaurant.com), for fish and seafood, are big draws.
Shopping
You'll always see someone in the ultra-trendy Fred Segal (8100 Melrose Ave; fredsegal.com). Stroll tree-lined Melrose Place, where every famous hairstylist (Serge Normant, Fr�d�ric Fekkai, etc) and designer (Chlo�, Marc Jacobs) has a shop. It's crazy during Oscar week, as actors stop by for last-minute fittings and touch-ups.
Rodeo may be Beverly Hills's "it" street for the rich and famous, but celebrities usually steer clear during Oscar weekend. They know tourists are out and about, and will send an assistant or stylist for any last-minute purchases. If they do stop by (at Chanel or Prada, say), it's almost always through the back entryway.
Remy Stern
Editor in chief of Gawker.com
It really depends on what sort of celebrity you're looking for. You might spot a Kim Kardashian in front of department store Kitson (115 S Robertson Boulevard; +1 800 814 8447, shopkitson.com/store-locations), but you probably won't catch a glimpse of any Oscar winners. And while you may see someone famous while eating at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel (+1 310 887 2777, beverlyhillshotel.com/the-polo-lounge), it will more than likely be someone whose career peaked in the late 1970s.
Last month, I spotted three famous faces in the span of 15 minutes while having dinner at The Bazaar (details as before), Jos� Andr�s's insanely delicious ? and insanely expensive ? restaurant at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills. It's a pretty reliable place for celeb-spotting just now. But that will change in six months. It always does.
Jenny Peters
Party columnist for Variety magazine
You could stand behind the barricades on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard when a big movie is premiering at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (mantheatres.com/chinese). The biggest stars often cross the street to sign autographs ? think Leonardo DiCaprio at the Inception premiere.
But if you'd rather see Leo (and his supermodel gal pal of the moment) actually living his life, head for Will Rogers State Beach (parks.ca.gov). At the northern end of Santa Monica, on Pacific Coast Highway, are the volleyball courts where Leo and his pals play.
Nearby, Patrick's Roadhouse, a bright-green breakfast joint (106 Entrada Drive; +1 310 459 4544, patricksroadhouse.info), is a magnet for Malibu superstars and Westside honchos. Arnie is a longtime regular, along with Sean Penn, Cindy Crawford, Tom Cruise and a gaggle of other stars that love the beach more than the hills.
Speaking of Tom Cruise, you're bound to spot him sooner or later at Santa Monica airport, located between Centinela Avenue and 23rd Street. He and Katie Holmes and little Suri keep their planes there, as do Brad and Angelina, Harrison Ford, John Travolta and every other Hollywood celeb that prefers to fly on their own. Anyone can have a meal at nearby Typhoon (3221 Donald Douglas Loop South; +1 310 390 6565, typhoon.biz), where the person at the next table is often the star's pilot. Plus, there's a great view of the runways, and a terrific Pan-Asian menu (including fried bugs!) to boot.
Arianna Ortiz
Actor, writer and broadcaster for radio station KFWB News Talk 980
Visit some of LA's less touristy neighbourhoods, such as Los Feliz, in the east of the city. Katy Perry and Russell Brand live nearby and like Little Dom's restaurant (2128 Hillhurst Ave; +1 323 661 0055, littledoms.com). Michael Cera also lives around here and likes to snack at the Mustard Seed Cafe (great healthy sandwiches, 1948 Hillhurst Ave; +1 323 660 0670, mslosfeliz.com). You can also visit the Dresden (1760 N Vermont Ave; +1 323 665 4294, thedresden.com), the restaurant that featured in Swingers.
Check out local film festivals, such as the autumn AFI Fest (afi.com/afifest), and the Los Angeles Film Festival (16-26 June, lafilmfest.com). They're a great way to see good films, and the actors and film-makers who make them often attend screenings or panel discussions.
Lisa Marks
A screenwriter, director and journalist based in LA
The easiest ? and cheapest ? way to spot a celebrity in LA is to hang out in the right coffee shops. In the four years that I've been living here, I've seen Jennifer Aniston, Jon Hamm, Joshua Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Cera, Minnie Driver, Heather Graham, Rene Russo and Diane Kruger in local diners or Starbucks. And all it took was a $3 latte. Try any of the coffee shops on Robertson in Beverly Hills, or any of the Starbucks in Studio City ? lots of famous people, including directors such as Quentin Tarantino, have been known to drop by on their way to meetings. I once saw Ewan McGregor in Le Pain Quotidien on Melrose (8607 Melrose Ave; +1 310 854 3700).
Oliver Trevener
Presenter at celebrity gossip website younghollywood.com
Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton have been know to drop by Urth Caff� (8565 Melrose Ave; +1 310 659 0628, urthcaffe.com), and it's cheap to grab a coffee. The Malibu Country Mart shopping centre (3835 Cross Creek Rd; malibucountrymart.com) is a good bet for celebrity spotting, but for someone more old school head to Mastro's Steakhouse (246 N Canon Drive; mastrosrestaurants.com) in Beverly Hills ? Robert de Niro likes to eat there.
Louise Barnsley
LA-based photographer
Third Street has a variety of cute boutiques, where I've spotted Katie Holmes, Sharon Stone, Amanda Seyfried and Ryan Phillipe. Kinara Spa (656 N Robertson Blvd; +1 310 657 9188, kinaraspa.com) is a few blocks north of the shopping and has a famous red-carpet facial. I've seen Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry and Drew Barrymore there.
If you're a music buff, stay at the Sunset Marquis (1200 Alta Loma Rd; +1 310 657 1333, sunsetmarquis.com). You'll trip over musicians recording their latest material, and the walls are covered with pictures of Marquis regulars such as Morrissey. Cheryl Cole stayed here on her last trip to LA.
Anna Singleton
GMTV's TV host in LA
You should snap up tickets to an LA Lakers game (nba.com/lakers), as you're bound to see someone in the front row. Basketball fans include Justin Bieber, Charlize Theron, Jay-Z, David Beckham and Ben Stiller. The Hideout nightclub in Santa Monica (112 W Channel Rd; +1 310 429 1851, santamonicahideout.com) is where the celebs go to hide from the paparazzi, and you could try booking a Sunday brunch at Geoffrey's in Malibu (27400 Pacific Coast Highway; +1 310 457 1519, geoffreysmalibu.com). Halle Berry goes there regularly.
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