Tinseltown Studios

         
   


Seeing Stars: Becoming a Star (for 15 Minutes) 

    
 (now The Grove of Anaheim theatre *)   
2200 Katella Avenue,
Anaheim, CA / (714) 712-2700


Tinseltown Studios is now closed.
It has re-opened as The Grove of Anaheim.
(Click here to read about The Grove.)

In August of 1999, after eight months of less-than-spectacular attendance, Tinseltown decided to abandon its award show format. The theatre began offering a dinner-&-concert format in September 1999, booking bands such as Styx and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The theatre seats 1,400 people for concerts, or 600 for dinner shows.

The venue has been re-named "The Sun Theatre," an upscale, midsize concert venue, featuring pop & rock shows, Las Vegas acts and comedy stars. "We want to draw in the sorts of acts that play the Wiltern, the Greek and Universal, but put them in a more intimate setting," says their new concert director. In 2001, it was renamed "The Grove".

I will leave this page up for a while, for people who are interested in reading about what the Grove used to be like when it was Tinseltown Studios.

But bear in mind that Tinseltown is gone. The Grove of Anaheim has replaced it. The article below was written while Tinseltown was still operating.


If you're really desperate to be a star for a day, and you don't want the hassle of looking for work as an extra or trying out for TV game shows - you just want the glamour without the effort - then Tinseltown Studios might be just what you're looking for.

Tinseltown is a new entertainment experience just east of Disneyland. When you first spot the place from Katella Avenue, you might think you have discovered an actual movie studio, complete with water tower and sound stage. But look again. They spent $15 million to make it look that authentic.

Actually, Tinseltown is a unique form of dinner-theatre, simulating a night at a glitzy Hollywood awards show, in which you are the star!

So you might not be able to get into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Oscar Night, but here at Tinseltown you'll be the center of attention as you make your grand entrance up the red carpet to enter this faux awards show. Searchlights scan the skies overhead. You'll be swarmed by paparazzi flashing your picture, reporters asking you questions about your next movie, and mobs of crazed fans swooning at the sight of your "famous" face.

Inside, you'll be part of the scene. After schmoozing in the bar with your fellow actors, you'll be seated at a table with white linen. Even the waiters may want your autograph as the 2 1/2 hour "awards show" begins ("Live from Hollywood! It's the Tinseltown Awards Show!"), complete with Hollywood tunes and dancing.

You're part of the show here. And so are the waiters and reporters, who break into song & dance. You'll even get to watch the arrival scene on videotape as covered by "Entertainment Access."

An extra-lucky few (eight per evening) will be selected as "nominees," and given the chance to appear on stage (in costume) in computer-generated movie clips shown to the "star-studded" audience. So you might be up there on the silver screen, playing the lead role in a Hollywood blockbuster, electronically replacing Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams" or John Belushi in "The Blues Brothers." The winner receives the treasured "Oggie" statuette (a nod to Ogden Entertainment, which owns Tinseltown), and gets a chance to deliver an acceptance speech on stage.

If this all sounds a bit Disney-ish it might be because Tinseltown in the brainchild of former Disneyland President Jack Lindquist and another former Disneyland staffer.

Stardom doesn't come cheap. The show costs $44.50 per person ($34.50 for kids). But that does include a a three-course meal (a choice of steak, salmon, chicken or vegetarian pasta) where the dessert is a chocolate filmstrip with the Tinseltown logo on every frame.

With all the fake Hollywood glitz, it can be hard for some people to tell the difference between the show and reality.

The Associated Press reports that actress Carrie Fisher ('Princess Leia' in "Star Wars") brought her 6-year-old daughter to Tinseltown, to give her a taste of Hollywood hype. Most of the guests thought she was an impostor!

They have two shows a day, every day of the week except Monday.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Tinseltown reservation line at (714) 712-2700, or at the box office located on the "studio campus."

 Getting there: Tinseltown Studios is located on Katella, in the south parking lot of Anaheim Stadium (Edison Field), just east of Disneyland and just west of The Pond. From Disneyland, just head east on Katella (about a mile), past State College Blvd., and the "studio" will be on your right (south) side. Look for the water tower. You can't miss it.



[For more information, you can access their official website at: http://sun-theatre.com.]



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Copyright © 1999-2022-Gary Wayne
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