Typical Hollywood
[Guest post by DRJ]
From the weird Hollywood file, it seems the area around Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is the home of movie characters and celebrity lookalikes who vie for the attention of tourists. Unfortunately, some aren’t always on their best behavior:
“The incident unfolded when LAPD patrol officers received a radio call reporting a battery by a man in a Spider-Man costume. When they arrived, they encountered four different people dressed as the web-slinging crusader.
“They stopped one, it wasn’t him,” LAPD Lt. Beverly Lewis said. “They stopped the second, and it was the suspect.”
The suspect and victim reportedly knew each other and the victim refused to press charges. Nevertheless, Spidey was being held on outstanding criminal warrants. But it’s not just Spiderman:
“Costumed impersonators portraying the likes of Elvis, Superman, SpongeBob SquarePants and others have worked on Hollywood Boulevard for years. They collect tips from tourists by posing for pictures or performing in front of the theater.
But sometimes the fun has turned violent. Tourists have complained that some costumed characters turn abusive when the tourists refuse to pay them to pose for pictures. And there have also been brawls. Two years ago, authorities convened a “super-hero summit” designed to reduce tensions among the performers.
The meeting was prompted in part by an incident in which LAPD officers arrested a “Star Wars” street performer in his furry brown Chewbacca costume for allegedly head-butting a tour guide who complained about the character’s treatment of Japanese tourists.”
The article describes other run-ins with tough guys like Mr. Incredible and Elmo. (Say it ain’t so, Elmo!) Meanwhile, Lt. Lewis says this is just “typical Hollywood.”
— DRJ
The meeting was prompted in part by an incident in which LAPD officers arrested a “Star Wars” street performer in his furry brown Chewbacca costume for allegedly head-butting a tour guide who complained about the character’s treatment of Japanese tourists.
I actually saw the “trial” of that case on one of those fake TV court shows — Judge [the black guy in Chicago] I think. Weird.
nk (df76d4) — 11/11/2009 @ 8:51 pmJudge Mathis.
nk (df76d4) — 11/11/2009 @ 8:52 pmMicheal Jackson’s there with his angel wings too.
happyfeet (b919e7) — 11/11/2009 @ 8:54 pmMichael I mean.
happyfeet (b919e7) — 11/11/2009 @ 8:55 pmJesus was one of the performers when I last visited the theater. I later saw him in a parking lot, with his arms outstretched, looking into a hole in a chain link fence.
FREAKY.
I hate that area. The tourists there are some of the lousiest folks. Many of them value the dumbest aspects of life way too much. Seeing all these kids taking pictures with fake Michael Jackson… bleagh. Crowder picked the perfect place to find some dumbasses for his last video.
Dustin (bb61e3) — 11/11/2009 @ 9:02 pmI think Joseph Wambaugh covered some of the LAPD anecdotes about that area of Hollywood in one of his recent books and I remember it as being funny
SteveG (97b6b9) — 11/11/2009 @ 9:07 pmSteveG stole my thunder. After all these years, read Wambaugh. Crowder was funny, too.
What does Dunphy think?
Ag80 (3d1543) — 11/11/2009 @ 9:24 pm…”typical Hollywood” or as my friend calls it “squaliwood.”
Patricia (b05e7f) — 11/11/2009 @ 9:26 pmIn a cage match fought with weighted pool cues before an audience, who would win? a). the spiderman imposter, b). the Chewbacca imposter, c). the Michael Jackson imposter, or …..d). the audience.
The answer is .. d.
californio (c0d766) — 11/11/2009 @ 11:02 pmThere’s a documentary about a bunch of these costumed characters called “Confessions of a Superhero.” Good stuff. Some are struggling actors, others bizarrely delusional and/or pathological liars. Check it out.
LYT (797c6c) — 11/11/2009 @ 11:44 pmDon’t mess with the wookie…
Han Solo: That’s ’cause droids don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose.
furious (71af32) — 11/12/2009 @ 6:57 amIs it being called Graumanns again? I’d heard it was changed to Loewes. I actually attended a movie there back in the 60’s when it was Graumanns; not sure of the movie but I think it was ‘On the Beach’.
Andy (b63f79) — 11/12/2009 @ 8:10 amOh, btw, I loves me some Wambaugh; guy is just hilarious when he wants to be. Who’s this Crowder you speak of?
Andy (b63f79) — 11/12/2009 @ 8:12 amSteven Crowder
I added the link in the website line, so you might be able to click.
http://www.pjtv.com/page/Louder_With_Crowder/176/;jsessionid=abcLSdOf1w0N_cV-vNPts
[note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]
Leo (10d129) — 11/12/2009 @ 10:19 amThanks, Leo, I do know him, or of him; seen him in numerous videos and yes, he is hilarious and to the point.
Andy (b63f79) — 11/13/2009 @ 3:27 pm