Morning Dog Walk in Laurel Canyon

Here's my morning dog walk with Oliver in Studio City, Dec. 25 2020. I turn right and go down Laurel Canyon Boulevard past the "LaurelWood" bus stop, where Erik the homeless guy used to hang out, and walk by the house formerly owned by bug-eyed actor Marty Feldman. It's now home to Mark "Flanny" Flannigan, from Dublin, who went to Harvard, moved to L.A. and started alternative comedy hotspot Largo. He seemingly knows everybody and one of his best friends Conan O'Brien, now broadcasts his show from Largo.

Then we come to the rental house formerly rented by the British DP who shot WestWorld and his cute family. Up the hill I pass the ranch house belonging to composer Megan, who's working on a musical about a Jewish woman who smuggled thousands of kids out of Poland. Next door lives Aaron, the 80-something lawyer with red hair who remembers wiping off seats for baseball fans back in the depression and sticking out his hand for a nickel. The batboy. His wife Millie, a brash New Yorker always dressed to the nines. Their son Ethan, a genius repairman of video games.

A bit further is the "hippie shack" owned by a law professor from University of San Francisco. Then a forested hollow. Here's where I often run into Tommy, an adorable border collie, and his owner Neil Clark, who seems to know pretty much everything from how to unlock a locked electronic gate and the best time to pick apples to the fact that the guy in the red sports car who just whizzed past us is William Shatner, who lives at the top of the hill

Reversing course I pass the judge's house, who told me my late dog Huck looked so formidable he would fit right in sitting next to him in court.

Now I approach the landmark "Hobbit House." Formerly owned by Jane Fonda and "My Name is Earl" sidekick Ethan Suplee, it's made of cobblestones and Middle Earth type roofing. According to Neil, the compound kept expanding to accomdate orphaned children, which is why it's such a sprawling jumble.

Downhll to the tree-lined "Bucolic Stretch." Behind the gate on the left, Frick and Frack lurk, waiting to bark their brains out. Officially known as Dudley and Eddie, the smaller dog plays the alpha role. "Eddie runs the show," his owner once told me.

A hip hop producer reportedly lives in the white modernst mansion next door but never comes out when I'm walking. Patton Oswald lives beyond the Bucolic Stretch in a contemporary house, so I'm told (by Neil), although I've never run into him.

Somewhere along the way I often see Alex and her little Charlie dog. Living in a fairy tale-like glade is bulldog Baxter and John, the crew chief for "Big Brother," and his Emmy-nominated costume designer wife Jodie Stern ("Watchmen"). I might run into Irena, the Iranian expatriate who voted for Trump and whose husband Jerry used to regale me at the Dona Pegita bus stop with a litany of health-related misadventures. Tromping back up hill, I might pass Meg and her tiny dog Ridley, who live in the ranch house formerly occupied by the Palestinian character actor (see below) and his family. Then. . . home.

Fried egg on the sidewalk, and complete Griffin Interview.

Wish i had my camera couple weeks ago. Morning dog walk, heat wave, on the sidewalk: someone wrote with chalk: 'Caution ahead, frying egg.'

Sure enough, a few feet later, there's an egg and it was so hot - about 108 in the Valley - - the yolk had literally cooked on the cement.

Attention comedy fans: I've posted the entire Kathy Griffin interview transcript online, no expletives deleted. There there are lots of 'em, recorded for my New York Times "Life on the D-List" piece that ran last month.

Hugh Goes Sci-Fi for Underwire

Apologies for the light--okay, nonexistent -- week of posting. I've started to cover sci-fi and related movie and TV stuff for Wired.com's Underwire site. Spooky creatures and all that. Speaking of which, I had an interesting chat in Manhattan Beach with comic book artist Mike Mignola, the creator of "Hellboy," a few days ago. Bits from that conversation coming soon.

Divided We Fail: Worst Slogan Ever?

I'm not a professional copywriter or anything, but really, is "Divided We Fail" the best they could come up as the name for a new not-for-profit organization that does . . . what, exactly? I have no idea after watching the TV commercials showing moody black and white shots of Ben Affleck and Reese Witherspoon uttering profound comments about humanity.

But back to the name. I get the point: "United we succeed." But setting up "Fail" as the thematic punchline strikes me as being ass-backwards.

By the way I like both Affleck and Witherspoon. I've interviewed both of 'em and they're bright people so. . . whatever.

Helfer Speaks!

I interviewed Tricia Helfer, the clone seductress from "Battlestar Galactica" for Wired.com. You can listen to audio of our chat in Playa Vista on my website (I don't believe blogger.com handles audio, right?). Give a listen at hughhart.com/helfer-interview.

More Celebs: Sighted

Celeb sightings: the sequel. Dog walking in the hills south of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks where all the rich people live: "CSI Miami" star David Caruso, dressed in black shirt and blue jeans, cooing with a toddler. We said hi. He said "hi guys" back.

Janel Maloney, that actress who used to play Donna on "West Wing," at Pane Dolce (three times) on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. She stood in front of me once to buy a muffin and coffee. I thought of saying, "I like your work," but her vibe seemed kind of closed-off so I left it alone.

Tall, beak-nosed actor / liberal James Cromwell from "Six Feet Under" and "Babe" also frequents Pane Dolce. I'd interviewed him on the phone just three days earlier about Schwarzenegger running for governor so I said hello. He was having lunch with a younger woman. It turned out he was about to get a divorce.

Tiny Selma Blair, actress and wife to Dweezil Zappa, stood in line at the Studio City Ralph's wearing jeans and a big old hooded parka. I told her I was a fan. Though she usually plays really dark characters, Selma seemed sweet, down to earth and genuine, though I don't remember exactly what she said back to me.

On Ventura Boulevard late one night when I was walking the dog I literally ran into comedienne Rhett Butler, who used to star in the "Grace on Fire" sitcom. She said "I love you dog." I told her he was adopted. Butler said she had adopted a bunch her self. I almost called her "Grace" which the only name that sprang into my mind - - I was tired!

The back of Ed Begley's head bobbed around at a table full of people inside an Indian restaurant in Studio City where we used to get carry out. The waitress told me he goes there all the time.

I spotted Dwight Yoakum at "Bedfellows" on Ventura Boulevard, roaming up and down the aisle checking out sofas. Without the cowboy hat, he's a normal looking dude.

Jerry Seinfeld's mom - - in the sitcom, not real life - - wolfing down tacos at the most excellent Tony's Mexican Grill located at a Sherman Oaks strip mall.

Also at Tony's Grill -- Corbin Bernsen, the playboy lawyer on "L.A. Law," chowing down with a teenaged looking kid - his son?

For Letterman fans: Johnny Dark, at the Starbucks. Low key and friendly, the complete opposite of the bitter sidekick he plays on "Late Show With David Letterman"

SIGHTED IN THE LAND BETWEEN VALLEY AND OCEAN: Jerry Seinfeld, sitting at the next table at the Kate Mantilini's restaurant, wearing neatly pressed blue jeans and oxford blue shirt while finishing off a a bowl of cherry cobbler.

Lauren Graham of "Gilmore Girls" fame, smoked a cigarette outside the ArcLight Cinema on Sunset Boulevard. She was relaxed and friendly when i said hi, and introduced her "friend" named Sam. I reminded her that I'd actually interviewed her and "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Palladino three years earlier in a trailer on the Warner Brothers Burbank lot.

Dustin Hoffman, standing quietly in line in Century City waiting to see "Momma Mia."

Celeb Sightings: Part II

The first week I arrived in California I saw somebody walking their dog past a gas station in Pacific Palisades and said to the wife, 'Gee, that guy looks like George Clooney. Being from Chicago I meant, 'Here's a man who bears a resemblance to the famous actor.' Of course, it actually was George Clooney. That's when I realized how many famous people walk around doing mundane crap in this town.

Landing from the Old Country in Pacific Palisades, the Redhead and I paid way too much rent for canyon views and ocean blue before we ran out of money and fled to The Valley. Here's a few of the people I spotted during my posh phase.


Ally Walker, the willowy star of late-nineties TV series "Profiler" admired my afghan hound in an Italian deli on Montana Street in Santa Monica.

"Dances with Wolves" star Mary McDonnell now on "Battlestar Galctica," stood in line to buy a video in Pacific Palisades.

Martin Short, like a lot of comedians, is REALLY off when he's not "ON." He stood in front of me while picking up Italian carry out in Pacific Palisades. Pre-occupied and not particularly friendly to the help or anyone else.

Keri Russell, in jeans and a peasant top, walked down the street one Saturday towards Starbucks with her then-"Felicity" co-star Scott Speedman next to her. They both looked happy.

Scientologist / sitcom actor Jeffrey Tambor ("Larry Sanders Show," "Arrested Development") must have thought I was stalking him because I actually saw him three times in one day. First in Pacific Palisades, buying coffee. Then on Sunset Boulevard at a Tea Bean and Leaf, buying coffee. Then at the Ventura Boulevard Starbucks, located across the street from the Sherman Oaks Scientyology Center, buying, uh, coffee. I guess that makes us both pretty serious caffeine addicts.

"When Harry Met Sally" star Meg Ryan jogged down Temecula Boulevard in Pacific Palisades.

Goldie Hawn picked through a rack of clothes in a Montana Avenue boutique.

Arnold Schwarzenegger roaming a vacant lot looking for the perfect Christmas tree for wife and kids.

Rick Schroeder, all grown up and pre-occupied, sailing off in an SUV after shopping at Ralph's.

Autism: The Musical

I got to hang out with some autistic kids a few days ago and it was pretty touching. This dynamic pixie named Elaine Hall, who coached the toddlers in "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" back in the day, gets them to sing and dance. One sweet kid named Zoey quickly befriended an HBO publicist and started doing a jig with her.

Hall and her son, who has autism, are seen in "Austism: The Musical" -- great title, right? - - a documentary I'm covering for the New York Time that airs March 25 on HBO.

When I lived in the Old Country, this beautiful four year old boy who lived in the big front house used to twirl around in the backyard and got more dis-engaged from social contact the longer we knew him. His mom had a tough time accepting that her son was autistic. I've been kind of fascinated ever since with this condition. Brilliant kids, often times, for whom the world is just too noisy.

link to New York Times story

Celeb Sighting: E.R. Sidekick

Walking the wonder dog yesterday Huck, our runaway Afghan Hound (found in the desert by Afghan Hound Rescue.com)I saw the chunky guy from "E.R." moving into a sweet little Studio City bungalow. Abraham Benrubi played the dude who always held a clipboard and said sarcastic stuff to Maura Tierney. Now he's on "Men With Trees." Dressed in a tee shirt he looked pretty much how you'd expect anybody to look when they're moving into a new place - pretty serious, slightly pre-occupied, didn't say hi. Reminds me once again that I'm living in an industry town. More celebrity sightings to come.

John Adams: World Class Crank

Paul Giamatti is, as you'd expect, excellent as the cranky, brilliant New England lawyer who helped birth the nation, but first four episodes of this slow-moving HBO miniseries lays it on too thick about John Adams and his wife Abigal (Laura Linney) - - we get it, they love each other.

Costumes must have cost a fortune, especially when Adams goes to the decadent royal court in Versailles, but I saw a more spectacular version of all that in Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst's "Marie Antoinette."

Fascinating period detail: Adams' kids all get scraped with some crude tool and infected with small pox pus to make them immune from the disease. Yikes.

God knows I'm no expert on the period, so I wish I'd learned more interesting stuff about the creation of the United States besides the idea that John Adams got over-shadowed by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.