hollywood

Since the night of the Academy Awards is the most star-studded event in Hollywood, it is only fitting that it be as glamorous as possible. To give this weekend's 79th annual awards ceremony some extra sparkle, Swarovski put together a giant Crystal Curtain that will be displayed on stage during the presentations. The curtain is made with over 50,000 imported Swarovski crystals and stretches 34 feet across. It weighs over 2,000-lbs.

The full stage setup for the show won't be seen until the broadcast on Sunday night, but the curtain will be setting the bar high for the rest of the decor.

Christie's Star Trek memorabilia auction wrapped up yesterday with a grand total of $7,107,040 in sales, more than double what organizers were expecting to bring in. There were 1,000 lots that included costumes, props, miniatures and more from the Star Trek TV shows and movies. The highest priced item was the 78-inch-long (198-cm) model of the Starship Enterprise, which was heavily use in making the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and sold for $576,000, far above its estimate of $15-20K. The purchase, by an anonymous bidder, is one of the "highest prices paid for any piece of Hollywood memorabilia."

Other noteworthy lots included a Klingon "Bird of Prey" ship model that sold for $307,200 and Dr. McCoy's space suit from the original series at $144,000.

Christies staff members, as well as auction participants, dressed in Star Trek costumes for the three-day event and the auction house said that its new online bidding system saw "its strongest response since it launched during the summer."

The 20-year-old actress Lindsay Lohan thinks that the next hot celebrity trend is going to be tattoos -- as if plenty of celebrities don't have tattoos as it is -- and that they do not want to go to any old tattoo parlor to get theirs done. She is planning on opening a "classy, boutique-style" parlor of her own in Hollywood. Lohan's place will have a glass front, like a fashion shop, and will feature many of her own designs.

She also wants the shop and her designs to be a foundation for her own brand in the future.

I have heard it said that there is a knitting craze among the Hollywood hot list, but it seems rather unlikely that they're sitting at home knitting sweaters when Los Angeles is in the midst of a major heat wave. But it might be true because a popular LA knitting store, Suss Designs, is now selling sweaters inspired by Suri Cruise and Shiloh Jolie- Pitt. Suri's sweater is emblazoned with her initial, while the Shiloh sweater has two cartoon faces that might represent Brangelina's other kids, Zahara and Maddox. The sweaters are selling for $109 (Shiloh) and $89 (Suri) at Suss's LA boutique.

Paris Hilton just purchased a Tuscan-style home in the Hollywood Hills for roughly $3.1 million. The house, in a gated community not too far from Cameron Diaz's pad, is loaded with posh extras, including a $43,000 Baccarat crystal chandelier in the lounge, a very classy $20,000 mirrored, four-poster bed and a 400-sq foot closet for her vast wardrobe.

The most unusual part of the home is actually the pets' living area. There is a special gated section inside the house where Paris's dogs will sit on pink pillows and drink from pink bowls. Each dog has its own personal crown, as well. Not one to exclude any of her pets, Paris has also commissioned a custom cage for her monkey, though the last time we heard about the monkey, it was supposedly being confiscated by Los Angeles officials.

The Hollywood Fantasy Experience allows you to live and feel like a celebrity for a few days, without actually having to work to get there. While you ponder how much some "celebrities" actually "work," let's take a look at what is offered in the package. The experience takes place over one long weekend in mid-October. You will be picked up and chauffeured in a fully-stocked limousine and stay in a superior room at the Beverly Hills Hotel, rooms which normally start at $410 per night.  After a cocktail party and an exclusive dinner at a Hollywood mansion, there will be a special, private screening of a movie. And that's only the first night!

The second day, Friday, will provide a Rodeo Drive shopping spree, meetings with star stylists/trainers/aestheticians and a Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament. If you're not too tired out from living it up, Saturday morning gives you a chance to work by taking a screen test at Paramount Studios, where you'll get a DVD of your performance. At night, you'll not only walk the red carpet to the Lili Claire Foundation Charity Gala, hosted by Matthew Perry, but you will be seated at a table with real celebrities. Sunday morning will bring brunch and a chauffeured departure.

The cost? $20,000. The memories? Priceless.

Staying slim in Hollywood is as popular as ever and healthy eating is slowly becoming the mantra of many Americans, both of which explain why, instead of stopping into McDonald's for a snack, shoppers in LA are stopping by Intuition. The boutique has offerings like the McDonald's cookie tee packed inside a happy meal box, so at least the A-list can rest easy knowing that these shirts are diet-friendly. The faux-vintage tees bear logos from old advertising campaigns and now defunct promotional characters, such as Mayor McCheese. Anyone interested can pick one up for $56.