Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Simpsons
). Even if much of the hands-on work takes place overseas (in places such as
South Korea), concept and supervision is still done in LA.
In San Francisco George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic is made up of a team of
high-tech wizards who produce computer-generated special effects for such blockbuster
series as Star Wars, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter. Pixar Anim-
ation Studios, located in Emeryville in the East Bay, has produced an unbroken string of
animated hits, including
Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars
and
Brave
.
The Small Screen
Ever since the first TV station began broadcasting in Los Angeles in 1931, iconic images
of the city have been beamed into living rooms across America and around the world in
shows such as
Dragnet
(1950s),
The Beverly Hillbillies
(1960s),
The Brady Bunch
and
Charlie's Angels
(1970s),
LA Law
(1980s) and
Baywatch, Melrose Place
and
The Fresh
Prince of Bel-Air
(1990s). Teen 'dramedy' (drama-comedy)
Beverly Hills 90210
(1990s)
made that LA zip code into a status symbol, while
The OC
(2000s) glamorized Newport
Beach, Orange County. If you're a fan of reality TV, you'll spot Southern California star-
ring in everything from
Top Chef
to the
Real Housewives of Orange County
and MTV's
hybrid drama-reality series
Laguna Beach
and
The Hills
.
More recently, Southern California has been a versatile backdrop for edgy cable TV dra-
mas, starting with HBO's
Six Feet Under,
which examined modern LA through the eyes of
an eccentric family running a funeral home. With dark humor, Showtime's
Weeds
depicted
the life of a pot-growing SoCal widow with ties to Mexican drug cartels, while FX's
The
Shield
riffed on police corruption in the City of Angels. HBO's
Entourage
portrayed the
highs, the lows and the intrigues of the Industry through the eyes of a rising star and his
posse, loosely based on the life of Mark Wahlberg. With no holds barred, Showtime's
Californication
shows what happens when a successful New York novelist goes Holly-
wood. For more biting social satire about the Industry, check out the early LA-based sea-
sons of HBO's
Curb Your Enthusiasm,
by
Seinfeld
co-creator Larry David and often guest
starring Hollywood celebrities playing themselves.
