The smash hit musical and highest grossing show on Broadway, Wicked, returned to LA in February. It quickly has become the hottest ticket in town. The untold story of the witches of Oz is now showing at the historic Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. I recently had the chance to check out the scene and I was utterly impressed.

Typically, the word musical would scare me away from a performance. However, I have always been intrigued by da Baum books. So, I put my hetero-ego aside and watched the entire three hour engaging show.

Fantastic! Everything about the show was stellar. From the unbelievable vocal chords of both leading women to the set design and venue, Wicked was wicked awesome.

My favorite part of the show actually occured prior to the first act. I was in line to enter the theatre, and right on cue, a temperamental women on a bicycle flew by the crowd. I couldn’t help but hum the tune from the film.

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

Forget LA’s sandy shores for the day and head Downtown. That may not be on every visitor’s agenda, but for Baywatch idol and German icon, David Hasselhoff, Hill Street in Downtown LA offered the ideal setting for an afternoon stroll.

Just as any “cool” Angeleno would do, I passed by Lt. Mitch Buchannon and gave him the nod - as though I knew him from my previous life of rescuing people surrounded by beautiful coworkers. When I got back to the office, after lunch at Grand Central Market (where the tamale got the attention and the actor went unnoticed), I couldn’t keep my mouth closed. It’s not like I saw him in Beverly Hills or on Melrose, I saw him in Downtown.

As a city that is in the midst of developing its once lackluster hub, celebrity-sightings are becoming more and more regular - even when they’re not filming.

For nearly a century, Downtown has been the best place to find aromatherapy in LA. Since 1913, Japanese flower growers have owned and operated the area known as the Flower Market. Today, the region is run by Japanese American businessmen and the nurturing hands of several Latino families who have cultivated and developed extremely successful businesses.

From orchids to oleanders and daisies to dahlias, the Los Angeles Flower Market features species from every corner of the world. And by visiting their Web site, www.laflowerdistrict.com, you can find out which specimen specifically relates to your garden’s need, your personal mood or a gift for any occasion.

If planning a visit to the Flower Market, take note of the hours presented online. You never know who you may run into here. After all, event planners for such extravaganzas as the Academy Awards are frequent visitors, and sometimes their celebrity friends tag along.

Like never before, LA’s stages are showcasing the best of American theatre. All over town, the curtain is going up on thrilling Tony-winning musicals, smash hit dramas and new works by celebrated writers.

Twelve Angry Men
“The greatest courtroom drama of all time” opens March 28 through May 6 at the Ahmanson Theatre. “Crackling good drama!” declared The Hollywood Reporter. What seems like an open-and-shut murder case becomes a twisted puzzle of prejudice and intrigue, as the jury of 12 men — faced with playing the hangmen — must first face themselves. Tickets can be purchased online at www.centertheatregroup.org.

The Jersey Boys: the Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
This “Best Musical” 2006 Tony award winner runs May 25 to July 29 at the Ahmanson Theatre. Broadway’s biggest success story follows the rags-to-riches tale of four blue-collar kids who work their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of pop music stardom. Tickets can be purchased online at www.centertheatregroup.org.

Wicked
The smash hit musical and highest grossing show on Broadway has returned to LA without an end date in sight. The untold story of the witches of OZ is again thrilling audiences at the historic Pantages Theatre. “A very exciting homecoming,” enthuses producer Marc Platt. Tickets can be purchased online at www.broadwayla.org.

A Waitress in Yellowstone
The world premiere of this magical music fable promises to light up the 2007-2008 season at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, the musical tells the story of one woman’s fantastical journey to Yellowstone National Park where she meets a woodsman who grants wishes. There is no set opening date yet, but $20 HOT TIX, sponsored by American Express, will be available May 27. www.centertheatregroup.org

In conjunction with LA Stage Alliance, half-price tickets to a terrific variety of LA’s live performance venues are now available at LA INC.’s Visitor Information Centers at Seventh and Figueroa in Downtown Los Angeles and at Hollywood & Highland Center located on Hollywood Boulevard. Visitors can also access half-price tickets via the web, www.lastagetix.com.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in LA, they start to let you do things you would have never imagined. Last night, I got from point A to point B without having to cross the street twice - I diagonaled. This kind of thing could only happen in Beverly Hills.

The funny part of the story is that you can only diagonal in certain areas (where the affluent shopper walks). The next street over, Beverly, featured a GAP - so forget about diagonaling.

This is important information, even if you can’t afford the lifestyle of the rich and famous, because “diagonal” will soon be a verb. As you can see, it’s already a part of my lexicon.

It was just another Friday afternoon at work, when I got the call. “Bill, we are going to need you to show up to an event tonight.” Typically, when I hear this I am quite dissappointed. It usually means my weekend is shortened and I will not be able to hang out with friends on a Friday night.

However, there happen to be a few perks that come along with my job. My boss called me in her office and told me that I was headed off to the exclusive opening night event for Miss America and I could even bring a friend.

Now, I’ve been to a couple great events while working at my job, including the American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium. But none compared to Friday night at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Downtown LA.

My buddy could not get the smile off his face when each of the 51 contestants strolled by our table and stopped to chat. I was personally in heaven and my camera did the talking…snap…snap…snap. All in the name of being able to send photos to friends across the country!

The moment of the night came when the overweight french chef walked out of the kitchen and the girls flocked to him to tell him how much they enjoyed everything he prepared. His eyes lit up when he saw Miss Idaho and all he could say was, “I love potato!”

The Golden Globe awards turned green in 2007 with the entertainment industry’s first eco-friendly “Golden Green” big bash, co-hosted by entertainment network E! and the Environmental Media Association (EMA) on January 15. Eva Longoria, Sarah Jessica Parker, Maggie Gyllenhaal and party princess Paris Hilton were among the invitees, who dined on organic delicacies served on tables made from reclaimed wood, amid recycled paper decorations inside a former department store set to become an eco-friendly apartment building. Then at the Oscars® on Feb. 25, the hybrid-driving actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced the Academy Awards had “gone green.” In conjunction with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Academy set a high profile example for an estimated 40 million viewers by offsetting carbon emissions of the pre-show, the red carpet event, the telecast and the Governor’s Ball; incorporating environmental features into the greenroom design; promoting recycling and reducing waste generated by the annual event; and using recycled materials in paper products, including the Oscar ballots themselves.

Reality TV burst onto the U.S. scene in 2000 with CBS’s “Survivor” in Borneo. Since then, several reality shows have traversed the world on location. From “The Amazing Race” to “The Bachelor,” exotic locales have been showcased consistently. However, no destination has been featured more than the City of Los Angeles. NBC’s “The Apprentice,” starring billionaire Donald Trump, recently deserted New York in favor of sumptuous digs in Bel-Air and a haute hotel on the Pacific shoreline. Millions of viewers are currently watching “Apprentice” contestants strut their stuff on the chic streets of LA. Other reality TV shows capitalizing on LA’s industry leadership and expertise include Bravo’s “Top Chef,” filmed in the Downtown Arts District; MTV’s “Parental Control,” filmed in the Valley; Style Network’s “Clean House,” shot in the Valley; and VH1’s “The Surreal Life,” filmed in the Hollywood Hills. The reality is – reality TV is good for business. Reality TV episodes shot in LA soared 53 percent in 2006, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all on-location TV production. The LA entertainment industry supports some 240,000 local jobs and contributes an estimated $30 billion to the local economy. While reality shows don’t pack the economic punch of scripted shows (a typical 22-episode, one-hour drama costs close to $50 million, compared to about $7 million spent on a 10-episode reality show), the dramatic increase in LA reality production is definitely a positive trend.