Disneyland vacation packages and other great offers on top California tourist attractions

2009_Q4

No velvet ropes, No barriers and No Real People

Get up close and personal with your favorite celebrity or historical hero without worrying about bodyguards or Secret Service! Where in the world can you have such an experience? The brand new Madame Tussauds, located next to the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd., the entertainment epicentre.

Dedicated to the premise that visiting Hollywood should be an experience equal to the emotion of meeting your favorite celebrities, Madame Tussauds is where fans go to see and celebrate the legendary and illustrious. Experience the real glamour and elegance of Hollywood from classic silver screen stars to contemporary actors and filmmakers.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood features more than 100 authentic, lifelike wax figures, half of which are unique to this attraction, and include famous icons Vivien Leigh, George Clooney, Beyoncé Knowles, President Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Penélope Cruz, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, Clark Gable, Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Kobe Bryant, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and more.

Spread over three floors and 18 themed zones, there is plenty of interaction, surprises and some truly breathtaking experiences. Authentic figures are just the beginning of the Madame Tussauds Hollywood experience. At the first-ever Madame Tussauds to be built from the ground up, guests can interact with their favorite celebrities, stepping into elaborate interactive sets – as if they are playing the role of a supporting actor or actress – to create a truly unique experience.

Have you ever wanted to walk the red carpet? Now’s your chance! Your Madame Tussauds Hollywood experience begins as you sashay down the red carpet, just like at the Oscars®! As you begin your stroll, you are greeted by President Barack Obama. But with all due respect to the President, you and other guests soon realize this is your Hollywood premiere and the cameras and attention are on you! Just like the real stars, you encounter Joan Rivers with a microphone asking, “What are you wearing?” in her trademark wisecracking style. As you continue to sashay down the red carpet, you see Nicole Kidman looking sumptuous in a shimmering full length cocktail dress, and Johnny Depp inviting you to pose for the paparazzi, all ready for a night of glamour, glitz and adulation. It’s just another night in Hollywood…or is it? After all, this is Madame Tussauds Hollywood and anything is possible, just around the corner.

The vibe and atmosphere is electric as you arrive at the hottest party in town. There’s a multitude of major stars to mingle with. Perform with Beyoncé and Elton John; cozy up in an intimate conversation with heartthrob George Clooney or rub elbows with other famous A-list celebrities, including Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, and a host of headlining stars. This is the biggest party Hollywood has ever seen, and you’re there, too!

Even a world-class Hollywood party eventually has to come to an end. But the excitement continues as you descend into the Spirit of Hollywood area and experience all the romance, splendour and grandeur of the golden era of cinema. Along the way, meet screen icons, take in westerns and gangsters like Marlon Brand from The Godfather, perhaps making you an offer you can’t refuse! Maybe Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump will offer you chocolates or you’ll be beamed aboard the starship Enterprise to take command of the bridge for a trip into space. Whatever the journey or whomever you “take it with,” it promises to be memorable!

But wait, there’s more! The spotlight is on you! Madame Tussauds Hollywood gives each guest an opportunity to sing on TV’s #1 hit program, “American Idol.” You’re going to Hollywood, baby! Host Ryan Seacrest invites guests to take the stage, choose a song and give it their all. Cameras project the singer on large plasma screens and controversial judge Simon Cowell watches AND comments on each performance. Regardless of what Cowell and company say about the talent, you won’t be able to resist the karaoke opportunity to sing for and pose with TV’s most famous talent scouts.

As if the magic of spending the day with all of these famous faces isn’t enough, the guest experience continues as Beyoncé narrates the story of Madame Tussauds and “how we make those amazing figures.” A beautiful recreation of a young Madame Tussaud portrays her amazing story that began more than 200 years ago when she started sculpting figures in the French court of Louis XVI.

For those who don’t know the history, Madame Marie Tussaud was born in 1761, distinguished herself as an artist and was trained by a family friend in the skills of wax modelling. She modelled wax figures of Voltaire, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Benjamin Franklin and many other famous historical figures. She was imprisoned during the French Revolution, but eventually was released and her entrepreneurial spirit prevailed as she left France to stage her collection of wax figures throughout Britain. At the age of 81, she created her final figure, a self-portrait. Today, Madame Tussauds has locations in London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, New York, Shangai, Washington, D.C., Berlin, and its brand new, first ever built front the ground up location in Hollywood.

One last bit of entertainment during your visit to Madame Tussauds. Take advantage of the opportunity to test your artistic sensibility and knowledge by matching eye samples with celebrity photos. Then answer fun quizzes about the figure making process. Also, create a take home memento when you make your own hand cast and create a 3-D mold of your hand as a souvenir.

Make a day of it and visit the brand new Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Your family will thank you for days and beg to go back for another visit! For additional information about hours and admission, visit madametussauds.com/hollywood.

MADAME TUSSAUDS HOLLYWOOD FUN FACTS

During An average celebrity sitting, 250 measurements are taken of the head and body from every angle. In addition, 180 photographs are also taken with different lenses and lighting to ensure accuracy of the figure.

The most notable U.S. figure to have a sitting with Madame Tussaud was
Benjamin Franklin in 1783 when he was serving as the U.S. envoy to France.

It takes six weeks to sculpt a head for a figure in clay, before it is molded, to replicate every detail in order to create a perfect likeness.

It takes approximately 17 million flowers to produce enough honey to make one pound of beeswax, the most environmentally friendly renewable source of wax.

It takes 140 hours to insert the hair on an average wax head, including eyebrows. Madame Tussauds artists individually insert each strand of perfectly matched hair.