Ok, so today was the most excited day ever. Found out I won tickets to the OPRAH After Oscar Party in LA. I know nothing about LA, but Im taking my mom and cousin for a girl's weekend!! SOoooooo excited.

So hoping for some advice for a two-day plan. We fly in Friday, stay Sat, Sun (Oscarday) and fly out Monday night after the show tapes in the morning.

Are there Oscar events we as regular folk can get into? HOW?
What are the most highly recommended things to do -- Im thinking Rodeo Drive, and maybe a star's house tour of some kind?!
Do we have to rent a car?

Any and all advice would be incredibly welcome for a mom with two kids who is dyyying for a great girls weekend but has little spare time to plan!

Sounds like great fun!

Where is the taping?

Yes, rent a car. You will need to.

The Oscar ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theatre. The week before the Academy, with the assistance of the City of Los Angeles, starts setting up the staging, the seating, the barricades, etc. You do NOT want to be around the Hollywood Blvd/Vine area if you can help it -- at least not in a car!

I personally try to stay away from the area.

There are events that you can attend by purchasing tickets. Go to the following website for more information:
http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibit...nts/index.html

If one of these events interests you (most in Beverly Hills), I think that will dictate where you go and what to do before or after.

Thanks Surfergirl! Is there any way to see the stars coming to the oscars or parties afterward? Im not usually the "starstruck" type, but while we're there we might as well be a cliche!

Where to stay...since the show is Monday morning, there will be traffic, maybe something close to the show location would be good...do you know where they will be taping the show?

On Saturday, the night before the Oscars, it's fun to go to the theatre and watch the goings-on outside. Just head for the Renaissance hotel elevators and then wander off into the hallways with the other tourists. You'll see "Entertainment Tonight" and others hooking up all their lights and equipment and maybe rehearsing, and might see some celebrities emerging from the Kodak theatre after rehearsals. Last year we got to wander and gawk and walk on the red carpet, Security was very easygoing. Day of the Oscars though, they go into battle mode!

The "Hop On, Hop Off" bus tour might be fun if you don't have a car. But for 4 of you, a car would probably be the most economical way to tour around, plus you wouldn't need to pay for cabs to and from the airport. You can get "weekend rates" as long as you return the car by Monday night. At nationalcar.com you can rent a midsize for $95 for the 3 1/2 day rental.........use discount I.D. 6600334 (any supermarket club) and coupon number NF5817ZDT (one free weekend day from the NationalCar website).

great thanks for the car code!
Is there a drive-yourself tour to see stars' houses? Or should we book a tour?

Also, Sunday on Oscar night - is there anyway to see the stars as they arrive on the red carpet?

If you drive up to Sunset in Beverly Hills, between Whittier and Beverly Glen at Mapleton Drive there is always a sign saying "map of the stars homes" on some board, and I think someone is sitting in a car selling these maps. Another person started doing this on the other side of the street in the last few years. Don't know how much it costs, and you could probably find these maps all over town, but I know of these ones since the Mapleton Drive stand has been there for years.

That's the do it yourself one. The tour, I've heard, is pretty good, and at least then you get some history -- who lives there now, who used to live there -- I'm guessing a few anecdotes here and there. One day, for the heck of it, I may just take one of these tours -- might help in providing advice to out of towners. That's the thing though, if you live here, you never do any of that stuff.

I wish I had my Fodors Los Angeles guidebook with me now, since I'm sure it has good information on these topics (I left it at the office), but do check the "destination" section of this website, and pick up the LA Guidebook -- it has a lot of helpful info.

As for the red carpet -- they is limited outdoor seating and they are coveted. If you're not one of those people who spend the night sitting outside a store for Black Friday, you really don't want to do this. Best to be sitting in your hotel room watching it on TV.

Nobody gets near that block of Hollywood Boulevard on Oscar Sunday except for the lucky Oscar-lottery bleacher seat winners. You'll enjoy it in the comfort of your hotel room as the "red carpet" arrivals are covered on several tv channels and start at 3pm.

Where are you staying? There might be a big-screen oscar party at a sportsbar nearby, but switching the channels back and forth on your own is probably more fun. Get pizza or chinese delivered.

Seeing-stars.com has a drive-yourself Beverly Hills tour posted, I think. Sunday morning is a great time for it as traffic is much easier to handle, Los Angeles doesn't wake up until noon on Sundays.

Griffith Observatory would be a great place to visit on Saturday night after you wander around the Kodak Theatre/mall, it's just 5-10 minutes drive and spectacular around sunset. Open til 10pm...have the girls watch "Rebel Without a Cause" before you visit.