The Travel Snob

Saddle up, Pilgrim, for "Ten Decades of the Duke: the Official John Wayne Celebration" in Newport Beach, California. TRAVEL SNOB TRAVEL BLOG

(photo: Newscom.com)

Considering his last film was released in 1976, it's incredible that Hollywood legend John Wayne was voted #3 in the 2007 annual Harris Poll of America's favorite film stars. In fact,Wayne has never been out of the top ten since the poll began in 1994 and has placed in the top three slots eight times. On average, his films are shown 3-4 times daily on national broadcast/cable outlets.

May 26 marks the 100th anniversary of John Wayne's birth and in salute to his life and impressive 50-year film career - which spanned half a century, more than 175 films (including a record-breaking 142 leading roles), a Best Actor Academy Award (1969), three Golden Globe Awards, four People's Choice Awards and both the Congressional Gold Medal (1979) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1980) - the city of Newport Beach (Wayne's longtime home town in Southern California) is commemorating Ten Decades of 'The Duke': The Official John Wayne Centennial Celebration from April 21 - 28.    "There has never been a bigger internationally recognized movie icon than John Wayne and the fact that he called Newport Beach home for nearly two decades is a cherished part of our city's history," notes Gary C. Sherwin, president and CEO, Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. "It's appropriate that Newport Beach be the host city for this extraordinary celebration -- this is where John Wayne came to relax, recharge, enjoy good times, and not play a role other than  friend, husband, and father."

Produced in collaboration with the Wayne family and the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, the celebration will be a featured part of the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival (April 19 - 29) which is expected to attract more than 35,000 people. The event will launch with the first-ever presentation of the newly established John Wayne Courage Award, created specifically to honor noted individuals who have blazed their own trails in the field of motion pictures and the arts. "Though my dad's movie projects took him to many different locations around the world, he always loved returning home to his family and friends in Newport Beach," says Ethan Wayne, Wayne's youngest son and president of Wayne Enterprises. "We are thrilled to be celebrating his 100th birthday in connection with this year's Newport Beach Film Festival. It is a fitting and appropriate venue to honor and remember his legacy." 

The celebration will be highlighted by screenings of many of Wayne's most memorable films, along with rarely seen footage, photos and personal appearances by notable co-stars, filmmakers & contemporaries. Other festivities include an art unveiling, original prop and costume displays, a scholarly film symposium, and a fundraiser  in support of the John Wayne Cancer Foundation at The Balboa Club & Resort, themed around the Wayne comedy Donovan's Reef. "We are truly proud to honor two things John Wayne loved: Cinematic excellence and the community of Newport Beach," comments Gregg Schwenk, executive director, Newport Beach Film Festival. "The festival is excited to host the many special screenings and events during the Centennial Celebration. The 2007 Festival line-up will offer a unique view of classic and contemporary filmmaking at its finest."

Ten Decades of 'The Duke': The Official John Wayne Centennial Celebration - April 21-28, 2007

• Saturday, April 21 Opening night presentation of the John Wayne Courage Award at a gala at The Island Hotel Newport Beach.

• Wayne movies to be shown: True Grit (1969; his Academy Award-winning performance); Rio Bravo (1959; a Howard Hawks classic Western); Stagecoach (1939); The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949); The Quiet Man (1952); The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); The Shootist (1976)

• 350 other films: As part of the 8th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, an ambitious and international selection will be on offer, including features, shorts, documentaries, and animation that will compete for both jury and audience awards.

• More info: VisitNewportBeach.com; NewportBeachFilmFest.com; JohnWayne.com

• Saturday, April 28 An elegantly casual fund raiser for The John Wayne Foundation at The Balboa Club & Resort will close the celebrations.

The Envelope, Please. And the Winner is...the Traveler! Movie-Themed Tours in Los Angeles & the East Coast. TRAVEL SHOB TRAVEL BLOG

Even if you don't plan to get up close & personal with a gold statuette on Oscar night (Feb. 25), there are plenty of blockbuster tours in, around, above & below Tinsel Town to feel "on location" and fabulous. Viator.com has more than 100 tours with a Hollywood theme - backstage tours, location visits, shopping excursions and private soirées - that you may even start preparing a weepy thankyou speech.

Some Red Carpet worthy tours:

• That’s a Wrap Visit the studio that produced two of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture: The Departed and Letters from Iwo Jima. The Warner Bros. & Santa Monica Tour includes full VIP access to the studio back lot, movie and production facilities, a visit to the prop warehouse, front-of-the-line and reserved seating for theme park attractions and shows, and access to a relaxing VIP loungeAfterward, enjoy lunch in Beverly Hills and shopping on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. ($179)

• Be Seen at the Scene Become part of the L.A. scene with their Los Angeles Soiree Tour. You are picked up at your hotel by your personal guide for a night out in West Hollywood & Beverly Hill, with dining at a celeb-studded spot like the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel or Massimo Beverly Hills just off Rodeo Drive. ($141) Alternatively, soak up some culture along with your celebs on the Private Luxury Los Angeles Tour ($123) which includes a visit to The J. Paul Getty Museum, followed by lunch at "Bon Appetit" Restaurant, and shopping on ritzy Rodeo Drive.

• Getting Above it All The Hollywood Skies Helicopter Tour, starting at $167, hovers high above the City of Angels and soars over Marina del Rey, Venice and Santa Monica beaches, the mansions of Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Pacific Palisades, as well as the rock & roll glamour of the Sunset Strip and the glitter of Hollywood Boulevard.

• Dig Deep To get below the surface, the Director of Undertakings narrates travelers through decades of death, murder, and just plain fun during the Dearly Departed Tour, starting at $35. Scenes frequented by the famous and infamous are explored, as well as the final scene of Frank Sinatra, River Phoenix, Bela Lugosi and Mae West. On the Movie Stars' Homes and Celebrity Grave Site Tour ($47), visit he final resting places of many of Hollywood’s legends - Hollywood Forever and Westwood Memorial - as well as resting places of the living, including the homes of Nicolas Cage, Harrison Ford, Eddie Murphy, and the Playboy Mansion. 

• Hollywood on Location On the other coast, the Washington DC TV and Movie Sites tour ($34) includes locations from The Exorcist, the bar from St. Elmo’s Fire, Wedding Crashers, Forrest Gump and All the Presidents Men. On Location Tours: New York TV and Movie Sites tour ($47) includes the TV "homes" of Will and Grace, Ross and Rachel (Friends), and Jerry and George (Seinfeld).

More info at Viator.com.

- The Travel Snob

(photo: hellolosangeles.com)

The Latest Harry Potter Book & Movie are a Great Excuse to Visit the UK. TRAVEL SNOB TRAVEL BLOG

      

   
Along with publication of the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits the big screen this summer, showcasing some stunning locations. Shot entirely in Britain, several historic sights provided the film's gorge backdrops, and the trailer shows Harry and other wizards flying at night along the River Thames' landmarks such as Canary Wharf and a floodlit Houses of Parliament. "Several of Britain's most historic sights provided the film's stunning backdrops and all have seen an increase in visitor numbers as a result," notes a guide with British Tours Ltd. "They include Christ Church, Oxford, which provided the setting for Hogwarts' staircase and the model for the School of Wizardry's dining room."

Sites featured in the Harry Potter saga:

• Christ Church Oxford (Hogwarts' Library and Hospital - CLICK HERE for a Quicktime tour)
• Gloucester Cathedral's ancient cloisters (several scenes in the Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets including the ghost scenes and overflowing bathroom scenes - CLICK HERE for a tour)
• Australia House on the Strand in London (Gringott's Bank)
• London Zoo (where Harry communicates with the snake)
• King's Cross Station (Platform 9 and 3/4)
• Borough Market & Leadenhall Market in London
• Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral in the North of England (interior & exterior shots for Hogwarts)
• Ghoatland Railway Station in North Yorkshire (Hogsmeade Station)
• Fort William's Glenfinnan Viaduct (the flying car sequences)
• King's Cross Station (features installation art at Platform 9 and 3/4 of a trolley 'vanishing' into the wall)
• Westminster Underground Station - closed all day for filming Order of the Phoenix
• Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

For a fun Harry Potter Tour, visit BritishTours.com.

- The Travel Snob