Michele Greene on her heritage, favorite books, stardom, and yes, even those psychic tendencies!

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1 Michele Greene on her heritage, favorite books, stardom, and yes, even those psychic tendencies! Blonde-Haired, Green-Eyed Latina I m the only one in the family who has blonde hair and green eyes! For me, being Latina and looking so white meant that I did not face the kind of overt racism that a lot of Latinos face. But I did hear my share of prejudiced remarks from people who didn t know my background. I always wanted to have black hair and olive skin, to look exotic. But even if I didn t look the part, I am very Latin in my family social culture. I m very close with my mom and brother, and we always listened to Latin music and ate Mexican food together. I still make beans and tortillas every week. I must admit I did not have a quinceañera, but I wish I had! Michele s Must-Reads I was into Nancy Drew when I was about ten. She had that cool car and those nice, unthreatening friends! Martika has been called a new-age Nancy Drew, and I think that s a great compliment. In middle school, I loved all the Judy Blume books and the mysteries too The Haunting and Rosemary s Baby, although I think I had to sneak that one since I wasn t supposed to read it. My favorite books as a teenager were the classics. I loved English in school because we got to read so many great books like Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and Dracula. Next Stop. HOLLYWOOD!

2 My career as an actress has helped me as a writer because I think of every character as a role that I am playing, and I want to know everything about that person, the same way I would as an actor. Knowing all those specific details (What is Lola s favorite color? How many siblings does Aurelia have?) makes the characters more real and helps to give them more depth. One thing you learn as an actor is that no character is all good or all bad, and this is a good thing to keep in mind as a writer. Being an actor has also made me very comfortable with dialogue and how speech reveals character. Who Needs a Crystal Ball? I think, like everyone, I ve had a few psychic experiences. I just think that psychic energy is out there like a force field and the more aware we are, the more we tap into it. I did have an amazing psychic dream once about someone I hadn t met yet but when I woke up, I knew it had been a message dream and that I had dreamt about the big love of my life.. and two months later I met him, in circumstances just like in the dream! L.A. girl Michele Dominguez Greene reveals her favorite things to do in La-la Land! Hollywood Hot Spots One of the greatest things to do in the summer is Saturday Night Screenings in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Hollywood Forever is on Santa Monica Blvd,

3 right behind Paramount Studios. It is a cemetery that was really popular with old film stars, and many of them are buried there. Although it is sandwiched in among auto body shops and strip malls, it is a little oasis in the middle of the city. On Saturday nights they screen famous movies outdoors on the side of the mausoleum, and everyone sits on blankets and has a picnic. It is a great mix of people and everyone is very cool and friendly. The best part is it s only ten dollars to get in, cheaper than a movie theatre and way more fun! Another fun thing to do in the summer is see cheap concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, an arena set up in the hills above Hollywood. It has a rich history, and they recently redid the sound system so the music sounds great! If you call the day the box office opens for the summer season, you can get tickets for one or two dollars. You re supposed to sit in the nosebleed seats, but unless it is jam packed, you can move down and sit closer. And people bring food and drinks and make a whole outdoor evening of it. From some seats you can even see the Hollywood sign and the Pilgrimage Cross up on the hill. Usually at some point during the concert you hear the coyotes in the hillsides all around you yelping. I can walk from my house so I go all the time. It is classic L.A. For the Bookworm The Central Library in downtown L.A. It is a gorgeous, historic building with art galleries and patios. They have art exhibits and concerts, and it s just the coolest place.

4 Vintage En Vogue Thrift store shopping at the Goodwill on Hollywood Blvd., just east of Vermont Avenue. It is really big and has the coolest clothes. Everyone knows it is the hippest, most affordable thrift store in town. I bought eight skirts, a jacket and a fabulous red dress last week, all for $50. It rocks. Another cool place to snag amazing deals is The Sunday Swap Meet at Fairfax High School (my alma mater!). They have great prices, and a huge selection of clothes, furniture, and anything and everything you can imagine. The best part is that all your spending goes to help raise money for the school. It doesn t get much better than that! Exercise is Fun Seriously! Hiking or horseback riding in Griffith Park. Right in the middle of the city, Griffith Park has tons of hills and trails that you can hike on or rent horses to ride. When you re out there, you don t feel at all like you re in the city. The observatory is also up there and has been totally redone. It s amazing. Swing dancing at The Derby. The Derby is a cool restaurant in Los Feliz that has regular swing bands. They give lessons and you can go and dance all night. Great fun, great exercise!

5 Cruisin Drive out to the beach, taking the 101 freeway to Malibu Canyon Road to the beach. A beautiful drive, through terrain that is classic California. You can buy strawberries and figs on the side of the road. On the way back, take Pacific Coast Highway to Sunset and then Sunset all the way back to the city. The same boulevard goes from the ocean all the way to the center of downtown and you see the diversity and cross mix of the city right before your eyes. R&R Thai Massage at Nuuk Thai Massage in Thai Town. L.A. is so big that we have all kinds of ethnic enclaves like Thai Town, Little India, Little Saigon, Little Armenia. Nuuk Thai Massage is excellent, $45 for an hour of the best massage ever. First, you slip into these cute pajamas that they give you. Then, they wash your feet in a bowl of warm water with hot rocks in it while you sip green tea. After that, it s a full hour of the most incredible massage so relaxing you feel like a piece of spaghetti when it s over! Finally, they give you more green tea, these amazing, delicious little sweet treats made by hand, and on the way out a painted fan or a bookmark, both of which are actually pretty cool. I use mine all the time!

6 The Thai Elvis Enough Said! Down the street from Nuuk Thai Massage is a good Thai restaurant called the Palms and certain nights of the week Thai Elvis performs...that s right, a Thai Elvis impersonator! He s got the perfect outfits, the back up music, and he s pretty good! He s just shorter than the real Elvis. Not To Be Confused with Eavesdropping People-watching at Sunset Plaza in the heart of the sunset strip. There are lot of cafés and great boutiques for window shopping ( unless you have several thousand to spend on a pair of pants!) and a lot of interesting, odd people, a lot of whom want to be celebrities and get all dressed up to sit in a Starbucks for three hours, hoping to be seen! There are also some nice restaurants like Il Sole and Café Med where real celebrities go for lunch or dinner. Down the block are Book Soup,the infamous Viper Room and Whiskey a Go Go. Hungry? Best Cheap Bites Tommy s, not to be confused with other burger stands Tom s and Tommies, has by far the best chili burgers. The original Tommy s is on Rampart and Beverly, though there are other locations in Hollywood and Eagle Rock. Just don t eat

7 there all the time you ll gain 300 pounds or have a heart attack! but once in awhile, it s really good! Philippe s, home of the French dip sandwich. In downtown L.A., it is a completely retro place that hasn t changed in forty years...or more! There is nothing fancy about this place it has sawdust on the floor, and you stand in line and order from ladies in uniforms. The sandwiches are excellent and they have a big selection of other stuff, too! La Luz de Dia, also downtown, at the south end of historic Olvera Street, the oldest street in the city. It is one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city, hands down. It has a patio and sometimes musicians come in to play during lunch. I have real history here I ve been going ever since I was a kid with my grandpa, and I even had my thirtieth birthday party there. Needless to say, they know my order by heart. And it is across from La Placita, the oldest church in Los Angeles, where my brother was baptized! So is there anything bad about L.A.? Traffic. And the fires every fall when the Santa Ana winds blow in are pretty scary. Oh, and earthquakes aren t the most fun thing to deal with! But there are so many more great things about living in L.A!

Film, Theatre, Arts, Writing & L.A. Culture 6-days / 5-nights in Los Angeles. Hollywood Filmmaking - Sample Itinerary

Tour: Destination: Specialization: Itinerary: Hollywood Filmmaking Los Angeles, California Film, Theatre, Arts, Writing & L.A. Culture 6-days / 5-nights in Los Angeles Day 1 2 3 Morning Lights, Camera,