Academy Awards Season or Not: 5 Spots to Gawk at Celebrities in Los Angeles

Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew McConaughey will schmooze their way down the Academy Awards red carpet this Sunday, and almost certainly you won't be in attendance to gawk and yell, "Marry me, Jen!" Tickets for the bleacher seats fronting Hollywood's Dolby Theatre were distributed months ago to Oscar superfans via social media. So where else in Los Angeles can out-of-towners see celebs in their Botox flesh? Tail the TMZ parasites paparazzi to these locales:

1. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Not all stars travel on private Gulfstreams. Many of them fly -- gasp! -- commercial. And with any luck, soon after hitting the LAX tarmac you'll witness a perturbed Kanye West slugging a paparazzo near the baggage carousels. Airport officials estimate up to 60 celebs per day use the facility, so keep an eye peeled. That schlub wearing a hoodie and aviator shades might be Matt Damon.


2. Brentwood Country Mart

Rare is the weekday afternoon photogs aren't camped across the street from this outdoor, boutique shopping village in tony Brentwood. Regulars include movie star moms like Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner, often spotted herding their broods into the insanely-priced Toy Crazy shop.


3. Movie Studio Tours

Skip Universal Studios Hollywood unless you're dying to see Mario Lopez interview fellow C-listers on EXTRA (the TV show tapes in and around the theme park). Instead, serious celeb stalkers should book a genuine behind-the-scenes studio tour at either Warner Bros., Paramount or Sony Pictures. Visiting working soundstages and outdoor sets, who knows, you may happen upon the oh-so-humble Christian Bale berating a lowly production assistant.


4. Runyon Canyon Park

Running with his dog, Ryan Gosling sweats...a lot. And when he does, the paparazzi on Hollywood Hills detail are there to capture his glistening abs for the tabloids. Laced with hiking trails, rugged Runyon Canyon is where you'll see actors doing important work: exercising their bods. Want to catch sight of Anne Hathaway jogging in giant sunglasses or Fergie toning her humps? Lace-up your Nikes.


5. Shopping on Robertson Boulevard

Rodeo Drive is where tourists think they'll glimpse Hollywood starlets ducking into Chanel. Meanwhile, the fertile US Weekly hunting grounds of Robertson Boulevard (between Beverly Boulevard and Third Street) are where you're more likely to spy the likes of J.Lo and Jessica Alba browsing trendy boutiques such as Stella McCartney, Lisa Kline and Alice + Olivia. For lunch, try the famed Ivy Restaurant. Though be aware the clientele is less George Clooney, more someone-please-look-at-me. Like David Hasselhoff.



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