It was once called the "Fabulous" Forum. New owners renamed it "The Great Western Forum," and the current owners just call it "The Forum", but except for a new blue trim, it's the same grand arena. By whatever name, the Forum is a dramatic, round, indoor stadium, a modern interpretation of a Roman coliseum.

Located just north of Hollywood Park race track in Inglewood, the huge Forum seats over 19,000, far more than the Greek Theatre and the Universal Amphitheatre combined. It's home to some of the biggest events in Los Angeles, including Lakers basketball and Kings hockey, as well as special sporting events such as boxing and wrestling matches, and big-arena entertainment like the Ringling Bros circus, major rodeos, and the Ice Capades.

But most star-gazers will be more interested in the Forum's major rock concerts. You'll be able to see some of your favorite musical performers live on stage here:

Janet Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Elton John, R.E.M., Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Bob Seger, the Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, the Spice Girls, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, Phil Collins, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Duran Duran, Meat Loaf, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Luther Vandross... even Elvis Presley did a concert here. If a performer can fill the 19,000 seats, the odds are that their concert tours will bring them to the Forum.

The Los Angeles Times quoted Elton John as saying: "The Forum is one of my favorite places to play in America. Along with Madison Square Garden in New York, it has always represented something special to me, something prestigious. It's a big venue, but people are very close to you. I always look forward to going back." And sure enough, he performed to sell-out crowds there again in early 1998.

According to Mel Gibson, actress Rene Russo ("Lethal Weapon 4," "Ransom") was discovered by a Hollywood agent in the parking lot of the Forum, when she was coming out of a Rolling Stones concert, daydreaming about marrying Mick Jagger.

The ticket box office is open 10 AM to 6 PM. Ticket prices vary with the event. Phone for dates and times of events.

There's a large paid parking lot surrounding the Forum. During major events, dozens of small parking lots spring up along Manchester Boulevard, which sell parking spots at varying fees (some reasonable, many outrageous).

Many stars also turn out as spectators to watch the Lakers and Kings play.

But the Forum faces a significant challenge now that the brand new, state-of-the-art Staples Center has opened in downtown L.A. Both the Lakers and the Kings have moved to the Staples Center, and most industry people believe that the Forum will also lose concerts to the new venue (as it has to the Arrowhead Pond). Forum officials hoped that by offering a wider choice of dates (without the scheduling conflicts caused by the sports teams) and lower costs, they'd be able to continue to book major concerts on a regular basis. And they did at first: N*Sync played a concert at the forum in late November, they booked a big concert by Bon Jovi for December, and Elton John & Billy Joel performed together in concert on February 6, 2000.

Meanwhile, Hollywood continued to come to the Forum. In 2000, filmmakers used the arena to film the basketball scenes from the devilish Brendan Fraser/Elizabeth Hurley comedy "Bedazzled."

However, at the end of 2000, the Faithful Central Bible Church announced that they bought the Forum for $22.5 million. The 10,000-member church plans to use the arena for Sunday services and will also market it as a convention site, especially for religious organizations. However, they intend to keep booking sports and entertainment events, and have kept the same Staples booking agency.

Apparently, some people got the idea that the Forum was now strictly a church, and concert bookings fell off. Neil Diamond did a concert series, and in September of 2001, and the Latin Grammy Awards were held at the Forum (after organizers abruptly yanked the awards out of Miami amid fears that anti-Castro demonstrations there might disrupt the prime time telecast).

In late 2005 the new owners hired the very experienced SMG management team to take over bookings, and for 2006, they've already booked concerts by Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam and Coldplay. The owners are now hoping to develop the area around the Forum into a shopping / entertainment center such as The Grove or the Universal CityWalk, but they assure us that the Forum will remain. At 29 acres, the parcel of land surrounding the forum is larger than the parcel where The Grove now sits. However, the project would take at least three years to complete.

 Getting there: The Forum is located at the southeast corner of Prairie Avenue and Manchester Boulevard, in Inglewood (just north of Hollywood Park). / From the San Diego (405) Freeway, take the Manchester Boulevard offramp. Go east on Manchester (about a mile) to Prairie Avenue. You can't miss it.