Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Where Hollywood is going this summer vacation

Since the 4th of July falls on a Wednesday and it’s hard to determine which side of it to take the long holiday weekend Hollywood just takes the entire week. And since summer vacation is coming up it seems silly to go to the office for just a few days so, bottom line – the entertainment industry is shut down until after Labor Day.

So where do they go? Well, there’s always the usual suspects. The Four Seasons Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. Jackson Hole, Wyoming for those who look good in jeans. The south of France, Tuscany, and Cape Cod but only if you can rent a house that’s at least a hundred years old and is wired for broadband. The Hamptons, once a mainstay is now iffy. Spielberg has yet to decide whether it’s hip this year. He hopes to have an answer by the 15th. But a number of agents and producers have homes rented in Maine as well, just in case.

African safaris are becoming passé. Someone found out about the San Diego Zoo. And Africa in general is losing its luster due to the Pitts. Lake Cuomo in Italy is by Clooney-invitation-only. India is so 60s. Santa Fe is no fun now that Julia Roberts has screaming kids running around. And Cancun is jejune.

But this year there’s a new hot sexy destination. Uruguay. Everyone’s got to check out Uruguay, man! It’s soooo awesome! Fabulous unspoiled beaches (for now), all that uh, Uruguayan cuisine (steaks), and only takes 20 hours to get to (it’s at the very bottom of South America).

If you're reading this and you live in Uruguay, quick, buy cabanas. You can then rent them for $300 a day.

How did Uruguay become so hot? My guess is Brian Grazer made a wrong turn in Brazil.

But you heard it here first. Uruguay. In two years Barry Diller and Brad Grey will have homes there. And in three there will be a film festival. So head down there, join the A-listers. You’ll come back with great stories, a golden tan, and an adopted child.

15 comments :

  1. Isn't it winter in Uruguay right now? My rich friends are going to Argentina this summer...to ski.

    (I'm going to Santa Cruz, btw. That's about what I can afford.)

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  2. I thought the in place was Starbucks. I don't even drink coffee and I wind up in there every now and then; Sucked in by madeleines and centrifugal force. From the looks of things it could get as expensive as Uruguay.

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  3. How about a Starbucks on a ski slope in Uruguay?

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  4. Cape Cod but only if you can rent a house that’s at least a hundred years old and is wired for broadband

    Hey, I know a house at Cape Cod that's available to rent and is over a hundred years old. Eight or nine bedrooms, large pool, separate dance hall. Very comfortable, if not modern. No broadband, but since everyone in Hollywood but you now has an iPhone, that shouldn't matter.

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  5. Just remember this if you visit Uruguay: the capital city, Montevideo, is pronounced "mont-uh-vid-DAY-oh." There's a town in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with that name as well, but the natives pronounce it "mont-VIDEO" (the way most in the industry might say it, especially actors who love DVD residuals). However, I'm guessing the town doesn't have a "HOW-ston" Street.

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  6. Ken,
    Julia's kids are very well behaved, the nanny, butler, and yoga coach will have you know! (The limo driver has no comment except for the bits of Legos and Eggos stuck to the back of his hair.) Actually, they live near Taos, about an hour away from Santa Fe, which you misspelled, BTW, a common typo. And if Spielberg's not coming to Santa Fe this summer, can I stay in his house?

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  7. Isn't Uraguay landlocked? Or is is Paraguay? Either way, I just can't see the elite flying off so far to a place where the toilet bowl water goes down counterclockwise. So gauche. Better just to go to the cape and hire a Uraguaian maid to experience the flavor of South America.

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  8. It's quite a ways from Uruguay's southernmost point to Tierra del Fuego...I don't think you'd call that being at the bottom of South America at all, at least not geographically.

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  9. Paraguay is the landlocked one. (It's also where the Bush clan evidently bought up a whole bunch of land to use as their post-meltdown compound.)

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  10. Hi,

    I have been asked by a dutch magazine (the same that will my interview with you as soon as Frasier's last season starts here) to do an article about the ten best sitcom episodes. Well, actually, I suggested it and they okayed it. I would love some help from you blog people. For the Amerikcan side of things I can sort of rely on that book with the ten best sitcoms that came out a couple of years ago. For the British side of things, I have a poll thatw as done in England last year (and had Frasier as #1 over all British series).

    But the fun part is that I am not particulary looking for the most important shows - but the funniest episodes. My list is a bit too long at the moment, but I could use suggestions.

    I have my own list of favorites, but I am keeping them under wraps because I don't want to hi-jack your blog. If you want to pick this up and run with it, that would be great. Otherwise just let it stay with this post.

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  11. Come to Old Orchard Beach, Maine! at the turn of the last century this was the place to be if you were from Massachusetts, or New York. Now it's the destination for french canadians from Quebec, so don't forget your Speedo and black sox.

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  12. I didn't think there would be any summer vacation with the impeding guild strike and all?

    But, everything shuts down next summmer..

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/movies/27acto.html?_r=1&_r%20=1&8dpc&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

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  13. I've been to Cancun. Too bloody humid. Going to Maine next, where I hear that the mosquitos are as big as Buicks. I think I am going to spend the rest of my summer chilling out here in the infamous '909', dare I admit it? Really, it isn't that much hotter than the beach cities ... what's 20+ degrees or so? Here, I don't have to worry about my tan, or the dimples on my thighs. And parking is a breeze. Come on down !

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  14. i'd rather go to the US and come back to uruguay with an adopted white trash or homeless kid.

    ps: there are film festivals in uruguay (of course you don't know that bergman was 'discovered' in one of those, in punta del este, way before someone in the US heard about him) - there is also a long tradition in art film and a 55 year-old cinematheque (www.cinemateca.org.uy) in montevideo... so you can learn a thing or two about film, besides getting a 'golden tan' (by the way - you'd better get a sweater, cause it's winter now).

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  15. Hi, the best time to go is in January, it's summer time and everybody take vacations the first two weeks . If you're rich and famous stay in Punta del Este, but if you're up for a good time and meeting cool people, check out all the towns along the golden coast. Cabo Polonio is a must !Bring birra and porro ! see u around

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