Jaunted - Fall-Culture-Travel-Map

Los Angeles: Jack Saves Downtown LA

cmb — 2008-12-05T11:45:25-05:00

This week is all about dreamy men on college campuses. Yesterday, "Men Who Stare at Goats," staring George Clooney, was filming at the University of Mexico, today, "Fringe," starring Joshua Jackson, is filming at Brooklyn College in NYC--even though the show is set in Boston. If we were Brooklyn College students there's no way we would be able to concentrate in class knowing that the super cute and charming Josh Jackson may be wandering around outside somewhere.

On the West Coast, "24" is going to have an explosive day of filming in downtown LA. Today's locations include 1201 S. Figueroa St., the corner of Grand Avenue and Fourth Street and the intersection of W. Third Street and Flower Street. Here's what we've heard about the shoot: There will be simulated bullet effects on bodies and things, a helicopter will land and "hover," there will be stunt driving, and to top it all off, a car will be set on fire. Sounds like Jack Bauer is going to have another long day!

If you have any tips about where movies or TV shows are filming, send them our way at tips@jaunted.com.

Related Stories:
· 12.5.08 Filming Locations [On Location Vacations]
· Joshua Jackson Fringes Through the Fall [Pop Sugar]

[Photo: Seat 42f]

Paris: Harry Winston, Site Of The $108 Million Jewelry Heist

pbb — 2008-12-05T11:31:42-05:00

The Paris shop of Harry Winston was knocked off by four thieves--some dressed in drag--just before it had closed for the day Thursday. They made out with €85 million ($108 million) in rings, necklaces and watches, making it one of the biggest jewelry heists ever. While the thugs pistol whipped some employees, no one was killed.

The boutique has been robbed before: In 2007, three bandits took more than €10 million ($13 million) worth of jewels from the Avenue Montaigne storefront, just off the Champs-Elys�es.

What makes Harry Winston so appealing? We'll go with the paranormal on this one: The jeweler who loaned his name to the shop donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1958, where the effects of the curse some believe it bears have been negligible--until now!

Related Stories:
· Paris Robbers Grab $108 Million Worth of Diamonds [Bloomberg]
· Crime coverage [Jaunted]

Happy Repeal Day

BS — 2008-12-05T10:30:25-05:00

A few weeks back, we told you that the beer industry was pushing December 5, the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, as a natioal day of celebration, but we wondered why few people were partying.

Well now it seems a good few of you have gotten your acts together, and folks coast-to-coast are getting ready to celebrate like it's 1933. Here's our guide to the best Repeal Day parties going down this Friday:

Australian Cruise Ship "Attacked" By Tuna Fishermen

pbb — 2008-12-05T10:00:25-05:00

The Australian cruise ship MV Athena was steaming through the Gulf of Aden Tuesday night when as many as 30 smaller boats surrounded the vessel. Was it totally the biggest scary pirate assault ever? Not according to Classic International Cruises, which operates the Athena: The smaller boats turned out to be tuna fishermen, and the ocean liner "escaped" without incident.

Said a company spokeswoman:

The captain followed all security measures as far as readiness on board for any eventuality by placing fire hoses around the decks and continually liaised with all authorities.
It has been confirmed that the approaching small ships were a tuna fishing fleet.

But at least one passenger insists that the cruise line is staging a cover up and that the Athena was at risk. An unnamed Aussie contacted the Australian Associated Press from the ship, saying:

"Less than an hour later the master of the vessel, Captain Antonio Morais of Portugal, confirmed to listeners that two attacks by pirates had taken place."
Crew members used blasts from high-powered water cannon to drive back the pirates who clearly wanted to board the Athena, the woman said.

Either way, the Athena is probably out of harm's way: It's next stop is scheduled for Saturday in Port Victoria in the Seychelles, and the ship will wrap its 39-day trip on December 20 in Fremantle, Australia.

Related Stories:
· Pirates in Gulf of Aden Actually Fishermen [AAP, via news.com.au]
· Passenger Says Boat Was Attacked by Pirates [AAP, via news.com.au]
· Anatomy of a Cruise Ship Attack [Jaunted]

[Photo: Classic International Cruises]

Queensland: Queenslanders Not Backward in Going Forward With Facebook

amandak — 2008-12-05T09:30:25-05:00

You might not know about the cheesy 1980s marketing pitch for the north-eastern Australia state of Queensland: "Beautiful one day, perfect the next."

While tropical storms and embarrassing politicians might have spoiled this image of perfection, you can't say Queensland's not trying in the tourism game. They've even got an official Facebook page and we actually like it.

It's a lively page with people leaving messages on the "wall" (usually Queenslanders giving a really biased opinion), competitions to enter and useful info on festivals and events taking place around the state. And last time we checked, Queensland was the proud owner of 2,128 fans.

According to this Facebook page, Queensland's current logo is "Where else but Queensland?" A risky marketing strategy because actually, there are plenty of alternative answers to this rhetorical question. We'll be generous enough to leave it unanswered.

Related Stories:
· Queensland on Facebook [Official Site]
· Queensland Travel Guide [Jaunted]

Chicago: Cadillac Records

pbb — 2008-12-05T09:15:25-05:00

It's a pretty quiet week for new flicks, but that means "Cadillac Records" might be able to make some noise with its limited release today. The period biopic of Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) explores how a luxury car-happy businessman and a few Chicago blues men introduced America to rock 'n' roll.

Along for the ride are Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Etta James (Beyonce), Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) and Little Walter (Columbus Short).

Though this one was shot in New Jersey and Mississippi, it's of course set in the blues town of Chicago. Here are a few high notes:

Rome: The Da Kidman Code

egw — 2008-12-05T09:15:25-05:00

Hey, as long as we're in town... Nicole Kidman has been here, there and everywhere promoting her new movie "Australia," the Baz Luhrmann paean to her home country of Down Under. When in Rome, she took an afternoon off to check out the Vatican Museums with husband Keith Urban, though we assume daughter Sunday stayed home.

The Vatican Museums incorporate Egyptian, Etruscan and Assyrian artifacts along with sacred objects and pieces from early Christian churches. Their site badly needs to be updated, but our interest is piqued -- and not just because it's where the stars go.

Related Stories:
· Nicole Kidman Heads To Kosovo [Jaunted]
· Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are Nice Hotel Guests [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Faded Youth Blog]