www.tvtickets.com
www.tvtix.com
www.ocatv.com

Great!

Listen to Stu

Forgot to mention about the TV taping schedules. They only post them about 30 days in advance, so keep checking back regularly.

I think you can only get Jay Leno tickets if you show up and stand in line the day of the show. You can, however, see his stand-up routine where he tries out his jokes at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach on most Sunday nights.
www.comedyandmagicclub.com

We are staying at the Sofitel at 8555 Beverly Blvd and La Clenega Blvd. I know there is a big mall accross the street (yes) but what about any good restaurants especially for breakfast? Thanks

The Beverly Center is across the street..
Sofitel is a nice luxury hotel and centrally located.
Here is some breakfast ideas from Yelp in BH.
Love the Polo lounge and Joan's on Third..lots of celebrity sightings.
TV shows, I would try Ellen at Warner Brothers and Price is Right at the CBS studios.
Go to the Grove Shopping center next door..fun center


www.yelp.com/c/beverly-hills-ca/breakfast_brunch

A great start.

Thornhill-if you are a foodie, one of the hot new restaurants in LA is just 1/2 mile further south on La Cienaga, The Bazaar. Here is a link on yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bazaar-los-angeles

I haven't tried it yer but want to

We went to the Leno show a few years ago without tickets. The Leno tickets are free, but you have to order them in advance. A lot of people order more tickets than they actually need because someone usually backs out at the last minute. The Leno show line starts forming around 11:30 or so. The first 24 people in line with tickets are the ones that get to shake his hand at the beginning of the show. We got in line about 11:30 and some nice person gave my wife and I two tickets and we were within the forst 24 in line so we got to shake his hand.

Thanks great info. What time does the actual show start. Is this a whole afternoon affair?

Are there any outlet malls in the LA area?

This outlet mall is huge. It's on the east side of L.A., right next to the 5 Freeway.

http://www.citadeloutlets.com/index.cfm

You better check to see if California is open when you come.
I heard we may close down for a week or two to save money.

SF is far from LA. Planning to drive there? I was just in LA and San Diego. Tour was on Coronado Island. Wow, nice bridge. The hotel was real grand.
In LA, was on Santa Monica. The beach was empty for some strange reason. Walked on the pier. 3rd Ave shopping was unimpressive. Too many homeless, but the view was nice.
Went to Venice Beach. Saw that black guy on skates in a silver costume playing his guitar. Now that's the place to check out the weirdos.
Basically, LA is too fractured to even call it a city; it's more like a collection of hoods, cities within a city.
I'd definitely go back to LA, unlike Maine, Vermont, Amish country, Foxwoods.

Where is the best spot to be in LA on July 4th?

You don't want to have to go very far on a holiday weekend because traffic will be a bear. Are you wanting to see fireworks? There will be several municipal shows, but there is no "best spot" IMO.

Can you splurge? I'd go see Vince Gill at the Hollywood Bowl. Music, fireworks AND the Hollywood Bowl! There are tickets available, and that would be a night to remember.

The Rose Bowl fireworks show ("Americafest 2010") in Pasadena is one of the biggest celebrations in the area. Pasadena is about a 20-25 minute drive northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Here's a link:
http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl_Americafest.htm