The baseball and soccer seasons are fast approaching and both the Dodgers and the Galaxy are gearing up for what looks to be a promising summer. Since 1958, the Boys in Blue have won an astonishing eight National League championships and five World Series titles. The Dodgers’ home opener is against the Colorado Rockies on April 9. The Galaxy also “kick off” their season in April and are determined to play through the postseason with their newest team member, David Beckham. He and his pop star wife, Victoria Beckham, have made international headlines by making Los Angeles their new home. No strangers to the world of fame and entertainment, the couple will find themselves right at home in LA. Within the first hour following the announcement, the LA Galaxy sold more than 500 home game tickets, which are played at The Home Depot Center in Carson.

Whenever I see an actor in LA, it’s usually because I happen to be going about my daily routine and they just so happen to be going about theirs.

So when I pulled up to the Universal City Metro Station last night at around 10:30pm, after a show at the Kodak Theatre (Terracotta Wariorrs - not so noteworthy), I wasn’t completely blown away to see Dennis Haysbert in the middle of a subway scene.

What was odd, was seeing the station covered in German maps and signage. Apparently, CBS’s The Unit will be heading to either Germany or Austria in the next episode (you heard it here first).

The maps and signs were still up this morning, so I couldn’t help but think about foreign tourists taking the subway and not having any clue what train to take - kind of funny actually.

Award season is upon us again and in February, Los Angeles will be awash in limousines, ball gowns and legendary faces for the Academy Awards®, the Grammys® and the Writer’s Guild Awards. On Feb. 11, the 49th Grammy® Awards will be held at STAPLES Center and on the same night, the Writer’s Guild Awards will be presented at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. Then on Feb. 25, the red carpet outside the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood will be illuminated by flashbulbs and news crews as the world’s biggest stars in film enter for the 79th Academy Awards® to be broadcast by ABC. Ellen DeGeneres will be hosting for her first time. The Kodak Theatre is the permanent home of the Academy Awards® and even though it is closed Feb. 1 through March 4, it’s otherwise open for tours and special events. Guests can see an Oscar® statuette and maybe even sit in a seat once occupied by a star such as George Clooney or Charlize Theron.

When the 22nd annual LA Marathon takes place on Sunday, March 4, 2007, volunteers and spectators can simply follow the Metro Red Line from the start line to the finish. For the first time in its history, the LA Marathon will be run “point to point” rather than the traditional round-trip route. Beginning at Universal Studios Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley, the 26.2 mile-course will end in Downtown next to the Central Library. To follow the route and enjoy the attractions that runners simply don’t have time to enjoy, you can board the Metro at the Universal City station and make pit stops along the way to 7th Street/Metro Center station. According to Metro’s Marc Littman, “We believe this will add a level of excitement for spectators as well, who can follow their loved ones along the course from start to finish on the Red Line.” The route passes such LA landmarks as the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood and Sunset boulevards, the Coliseum and STAPLES Center. Ten entertainment centers along the way will reflect ethnic neighborhoods with food, music, dance and costumes. Metro has announced that it will transport participants and volunteers free of charge on race day. Service will begin at 4:45am and trains will run every six minutes. The system is equipped to transport up to 15,000 people per hour. Visit www.lamarathon.com for more information about the race or www.mta.net for rail maps and schedules.

The smash hit musical and highest grossing show on Broadway, Wicked, will be returning to LA in February without an end date in sight. The untold story of the witches of Oz will once again be performed at the historic Pantages Theatre. Producer, Marc Platt, calls the upcoming Los Angeles production, “a very exciting homecoming.” According to The Washington Post, Wicked is “a breathtaking success story, of magnitude the theater has not witnessed since the peak years of The Phantom of the Opera.”

Tickets are now available on Broadway/L.A.’s Web site - www.broadwayla.org - or by calling 866-755-BWAY.

Celebrities are often seen with a friend, a spouse, a bodyguard or even an entourage. When Jay Leno heads out for a Friday afternoon stroll, he simply pulls up to the curb and blends in with the crowd.

After a well-needed vacation in the comforts of my own home - imagine a couch surrounded by chicken fence, wine in my hand and airplane music playing in the background - I’m back and ready to breathe in the New Year.

2007 promises to be a year filled with opportunity. LA’s noteworthy happenings feature the opening of the 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre. Part of the $4.5 billion, 4-million-square-foot LA Live complex being built to adjoin the STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Nokia Theatre is expected to host star-studded award ceremonies and more than 150 live annual performances.

One of the world’s greatest architects, Renzo Piano, has designed LACMA’s spectacular renovations that are expected to open by the end of 2007. The centerpieces are the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum and an 8,000-square-foot piazza.

In 2007, the Ray Charles estate expects to open the Ray Charles Museum on the site of Charles’ recording studio for the last 40 years of his life. The 20,000-square-foot museum will house recordings, awards and even a tour bus.

Also opening in 2007 is the Children’s Museum of LA at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley. Interactive exhibits will focus on ecology in a way that promises to be great fun for families.

There is a lot going on in the City of Angels and I look forward to providing you with not only the inside scoop on celebrities and clubs, but the cultural element LA offers residents and tourists alike.