Hollywood California: Difference between revisions

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They are as follows:

'''South Central''': Basically, [[Gangsterland|Gangstaland]]. Made famous by ''[[Boyz N the Hood]]'', the [[Gangsta Rap]] scene, and ''[[Grand Theft Auto San Andreas ~~(Video Game)~~|San Andreas]]'', South Central is forever known in the hearts of concerned parents and rap aficionados alike as a hellish battleground between [[Gang-Bangers|rival gangs]]. Like some of the other [[Hollywood Atlas]] examples, South Central's plight [[Truth in Television|really happened]]. Recently, the Los Angeles government tried to rename the neighborhood "South Los Angeles" due to the negative connotations associated with South Central. (Seeing as how we're still calling it South Central, it didn't take.) The two most well-represented 'hoods in South Central are Watts (part of Los Angeles) and Compton (an independent city). Which one appears in a movie or TV show depends on whether it was made before or after the early '90s (before, and it's Watts, as the riots of 1965 were still in the audience's memory; after, and it's Compton, thanks to [[N.W.A.]] -- and since [[Sarcasm Mode|this is a family website]], no, we are ''not'' [[N-Word Privileges|saying what "N.W.A." stands for]]). See also East Los Angeles, a.k.a. the Eastside, a.k.a. South Central {{smallcaps|[[Recycled in Space|WITH HISPANICS!]]}} Which, incidentally, is becoming increasingly true of South Central itself, due to immigration.

'''South Central''': Basically, [[Gangsterland|Gangstaland]]. Made famous by ''[[Boyz N the Hood]]'', the [[Gangsta Rap]] scene, and ''[[Grand Theft Auto San Andreas|San Andreas]]'', South Central is forever known in the hearts of concerned parents and rap aficionados alike as a hellish battleground between [[Gang-Bangers|rival gangs]]. Like some of the other [[Hollywood Atlas]] examples, South Central's plight [[Truth in Television|really happened]]. Recently, the Los Angeles government tried to rename the neighborhood "South Los Angeles" due to the negative connotations associated with South Central. (Seeing as how we're still calling it South Central, it didn't take.) The two most well-represented 'hoods in South Central are Watts (part of Los Angeles) and Compton (an independent city). Which one appears in a movie or TV show depends on whether it was made before or after the early '90s (before, and it's Watts, as the riots of 1965 were still in the audience's memory; after, and it's Compton, thanks to [[N.W.A.]] -- and since [[Sarcasm Mode|this is a family website]], no, we are ''not'' [[N-Word Privileges|saying what "N.W.A." stands for]]). See also East Los Angeles, a.k.a. the Eastside, a.k.a. South Central {{smallcaps|[[Recycled in Space|WITH HISPANICS!]]}} Which, incidentally, is becoming increasingly true of South Central itself, due to immigration.

'''Hollywood/[[Los Angeles]]''': The place where it all happens. If a major movie or TV show doesn't take place in the [[Big Applesauce]], then it happens here. In movies, it's a given that New York and Los Angeles ''must'' be the first two targets on any terrorists' or aliens' hit list. Used as a commentary on Hollywood, it's either the setting of [[Deconstruction|deconstructionist]] work about how harsh the industry is, or the setting of a fluffy comedy piece about how great it is. Either/or. As something of a side-trope, in [[Real Life]], Los Angeles boasts some of the most affluent neighborhoods in North America. Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Holmby Hills form what is called the ''"Platinum Triangle"'' of adjoining wealthy communities. Yeah... If you have a series where dramatic conflict centers on purchasing crystal goblets or handblown glass flutes, chances are it takes place here. See [[It Came From Beverly Hills]]. Helpful tip, [[The Fresh Prince of Bel Air|should you be from West Philadelphia and you get in one little fight and your Mom gets scared; she could send you to live with your relatives here.]]

'''Hollywood/[[Los Angeles]]''': The place where it all happens. If a major movie or TV show doesn't take place in the [[Big Applesauce]], then it happens here. In movies, it's a given that New York and Los Angeles ''must'' be the first two targets on any terrorists' or aliens' hit list. Used as a commentary on Hollywood, it's either the setting of [[Deconstruction|deconstructionist]] work about how harsh the industry is, or the setting of a fluffy comedy piece about how great it is. Either/or. As something of a side-trope, in [[Real Life]], Los Angeles boasts some of the most affluent neighborhoods in North America. Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Holmby Hills form what is called the ''"Platinum Triangle"'' of adjoining wealthy communities. Yeah... If you have a series where dramatic conflict centers on purchasing crystal goblets or handblown glass flutes, chances are it takes place here. See [[It Came From Beverly Hills]]. Helpful tip, [[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air|should you be from West Philadelphia and you get in one little fight and your Mom gets scared; she could send you to live with your relatives here.]]

'''[[San Francisco]]''': Anchor of the Bay Area, the second largest urban area in California. San Francisco itself is known for its extreme liberalism, cable cars, high homosexual population, and its steep [[San Francisco|"stair streets"]] which make the perfect place for [[Hot Pursuit|Hot Pursuits]]. Obviously, TV pokes fun at this. Occasional sub-trope: Marin County--[[Suburbia]], San Francisco-style! Lots of hills, redwoods, hot tubs, fern bars and aging hippies. It's worth noting that San Francisco is actually only the fourth largest city in California, but few non-residents even know this (after all, who cares about San Diego, the second largest city, and San Jose -- no one even knows the way to San Jose).

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* Doug TenNapel's ''Creature Tech'' subverts this by setting the story in the [[Truth in Television|author's hometown]] of Turlock, a Central Valley town that would look more at home in the [[Deep South]].

* Unlike the cartoon, in the comics the Teen Titans' home base is explicitly in San Francisco. It's pretty explicit - in an example of writers [[Shown Their Work]], one fight of "For Real" takes place on Bay Bridge, as it will look in 10 years (unless the money runs out completely).

* [[~~Green Lantern (Comic Book)|~~Green Lantern]]'s hometown of Coast City is a [[No Communities Were Harmed|fictionalized version of San Diego]], though it's officially hundreds of miles away in northern Cali.

* [[Green Lantern]]'s hometown of Coast City is a [[No Communities Were Harmed|fictionalized version of San Diego]], though it's officially hundreds of miles away in northern Cali.

* ''[[Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew (Comic Book)|Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew]]'''s headquarters are set in "Follywood, Califurnia", Earth-C's version of Hollywood, California. Other southern Califurnian cities and suburbs are mentioned through the series, including "Saint Bernardino" (San Bernadino), "Beaverly Hills" (Beverly Hills), and the dominant city itself, "Los Antelopes" (Los Angeles). The recent "Final Ark" miniseries starts off at a comic convention in the nearby city of "Sandy Eggo" (San Diego), which has various Earth-C versions of San Diego's neighborhoods, sports teams, etc.

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* The [[Dirty Harry]] movies are set in San Francisco.

* [[La Mission]] subverts this by showing an area of [[San Francisco]] neglected by film and ending with a scenic shot of the main character driving along a Northern California highway.

* ''[[Mulholland Drive]]'' and ''[[LA Confidential]]''.

* ''[[Mulholland Drive]]'' and ''[[L.A. Confidential]]''.

* ''To Live & Love in L.A.''

* ''[[Orange County]]'', a comedy about a kid trying to escape the titular California county.

* Subverted in the remake of ''[[The Parent Trap]]''. Hallie mentions that she lives in California. One of the other campers asks if she like, lives next door to a movie star or something. Hallie replies that she lives in Napa, which is in ''Northern'' California.

* Director Jon Favreau intentionally set ''[[Iron Man (~~Film~~)|Iron Man]]'' in Malibu, California rather than the [[Big Applesauce]] settings of previous Marvel movies.

* Director Jon Favreau intentionally set ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]]'' in Malibu, California rather than the [[Big Applesauce]] settings of previous Marvel movies.

* ''Collateral'' was set in Los Angeles, and showed much of the city from the lengthy cab ride that is the basis of the plot. Subverted that it showed deserted downtown at night, something moviegoers almost never see. Bonus points for the coyote running across the road in the middle of a major urban center... [[Truth in Television]].

* ''[[Slums Of Beverly Hills]]'' features a poor family who live in cheap apartments in the rich Beverly Hills area so the children can attend the well-funded local schools.

* ''[[White Men Cant Jump]]''.

* [[Baz Luhrmann]]'s ''[[Department Of Reduncency Department|William Shakespeare's]] [[William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet|Romeo + Juliet]]'' is set in "Verona Beach," clearly based on Venice Beach in Los Angeles.

* [[~~The Wizard (Film)|~~The Wizard]] has the "Video Armageddon" video game tournament take place at Universal Studios Hollywood.

* [[The Wizard]] has the "Video Armageddon" video game tournament take place at Universal Studios Hollywood.

== Literature ==

* A notable aversion with the works of [[~~John Steinbeck (Creator)|~~John Steinbeck]], many of which are set in the agricultural Salinas Valley, Monterey Bay area and San Joauquin Valley, [[Write What You Know|where he grew up.]] It's now known as Steinbeck Country, despite the fact that his portrayals were rarely flattering (a possible [[Truth in Television]], even now, 70 years removed from the Great Depression). Of course, now that [[Redemption Equals Death|he's dead]] and [[Dead Artists Are Better|acclaimed as one of the greatest American writers ever]], they're happy to name schools, cultural centers and whatever else they can think of after him.

* A notable aversion with the works of [[John Steinbeck]], many of which are set in the agricultural Salinas Valley, Monterey Bay area and San Joauquin Valley, [[Write What You Know|where he grew up.]] It's now known as Steinbeck Country, despite the fact that his portrayals were rarely flattering (a possible [[Truth in Television]], even now, 70 years removed from the Great Depression). Of course, now that [[Redemption Equals Death|he's dead]] and [[Dead Artists Are Better|acclaimed as one of the greatest American writers ever]], they're happy to name schools, cultural centers and whatever else they can think of after him.

== [[Live Action TV]] ==

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* ''[[Veronica Mars]]'' was set in Neptune, California, filmed in San Diego. "Neptune" could probably be read as Oceanside, a middle-sized city just north of San Diego, just without copious numbers of US Marines, since the real life Oceanside is just south of Camp Pendleton, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the world. Oddly enough, the show was filmed in the suburb Chula Vista at Hilltop High School. However, Oceanside High School was used for exterior shots, so there's definitely plenty of evidence for faux-Oceanside.

* ''[[Chuck]]'' takes place in Burbank, a city of Los Angeles County on the north border of the city of Los Angeles.

* Every season of ''[[~~Twenty Four|~~24]]'' revolves around an attack against, or originating in, Los Angeles. Other places have been visited or referenced. One season focused on Palmdale, an isolated but large desert community about 20 miles outside the Greater Los Angeles Area, so that the show could {{spoiler|nuke it. If you're not a part of the Big Three, you're expendable. To be fair to the terrorists, they didn't originally plan on targeting Palmdale.}}

* Every season of ''[[24]]'' revolves around an attack against, or originating in, Los Angeles. Other places have been visited or referenced. One season focused on Palmdale, an isolated but large desert community about 20 miles outside the Greater Los Angeles Area, so that the show could {{spoiler|nuke it. If you're not a part of the Big Three, you're expendable. To be fair to the terrorists, they didn't originally plan on targeting Palmdale.}}

* Averted in ''[[The Mentalist]]''. The crimesolving team is part of the [http://ag.ca.gov/cbi/ California Bureau of Investigation], and so its cases tend to focus on smaller cities in California where the local law enforcement are less prepared to deal with exceptional crimes.

* In ''[[~~Star Trek (Franchise)|~~Star Trek]]'' Starfleet Headquarters/Academy is based in San Francisco. ''[[Star Trek IV ~~the~~ Voyage Home ~~(Film)~~|Star Trek IV the Voyage Home]]'', in fact, was set mostly in 1986 San Francisco.

* In ''[[Star Trek]]'' Starfleet Headquarters/Academy is based in San Francisco. ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home|Star Trek IV the Voyage Home]]'', in fact, was set mostly in 1986 San Francisco.

* ''[[Baywatch]]'' was shot in Venice (Los Angeles).

* ''[[The Sarah Silverman Program]]'' takes place in Valley Village (Los Angeles).

* ''[[~~Charmed (TV)|~~Charmed]]'' is set in San Francisco. Lots of witches, demons, and the like... one could argue that it's California's version of New Orleans. It was, however, clearly filmed in LA. Even the exterior for the manor obviously wasn't shot in SF. A house that, if it were actually in San Francisco, none of the character could even afford the property taxes on. While set in San Francisco it also failed to correspond to any of the standard San Francisco tropes, seemingly less out of aversion than out of a laziness to even stereotype (e.g. all of the characters own cars and drive everywhere despite living in a very dense urban environment where parking is at a premium).

* ''[[Charmed]]'' is set in San Francisco. Lots of witches, demons, and the like... one could argue that it's California's version of New Orleans. It was, however, clearly filmed in LA. Even the exterior for the manor obviously wasn't shot in SF. A house that, if it were actually in San Francisco, none of the character could even afford the property taxes on. While set in San Francisco it also failed to correspond to any of the standard San Francisco tropes, seemingly less out of aversion than out of a laziness to even stereotype (e.g. all of the characters own cars and drive everywhere despite living in a very dense urban environment where parking is at a premium).

* ''[[Sliders]]'' was also set in San Francisco.

* ''[[Beverly Hills 90210]]''

* ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''

* ''[[Melrose Place]]''

* ''[[The OC]]'' is a hilariously extreme version of this, in that only Orange County is [[Hollywood California]] while Chino is a pit of darkness so foul that characters routinely squint their eyes when they arrive in the completely different locale of Orange County.

* The early seasons of ''[[~~Lost (TV)|~~Lost]]'' included a surprising number of references to specific cities in Orange County. John Locke lived in Tustin and worked in an Irvine company that Hurley owned.

* The early seasons of ''[[Lost]]'' included a surprising number of references to specific cities in Orange County. John Locke lived in Tustin and worked in an Irvine company that Hurley owned.

** Most of the main characters either lived in LA before the crash, lived in LA after leaving the island, or were on their way to LA specifically -- as if LAX isn't just a layover for most people coming to the U.S. from Australia. For example: Jack (pre- and post-island), Kate (post-island), Hurley (pre- and post-island), Sun and Jin (on their way there), Claire (on her way there), Locke (pre-island), Sayid (post-island), Shannon and Boone (split time between LA and NY pre-island).

** Kate is a bit justified, since a federal court prohibited her from leaving California. [[Fridge Logic|Now why a California court was trying crimes that took place in Iowa, I don't know]]...

* Averted in the first season of ''[[Harry O]]'', which was set and filmed in San Diego. Budgetary restrictions forced a move to Santa Monica, where Harry set up shop.

* ''[[Arrested Development (TV)|Arrested Development]]'' is set in the OC (don't call it that); the Bluth banana stand is in Newport Beach.

* ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'' is set in the OC (don't call it that); the Bluth banana stand is in Newport Beach.

* ''[[Simon and Simon]]'', was set in San Diego. At one point they were going to move it to LA, but fans and the City of San Diego campaigned to keep it set there.

* ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]''

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== [[Video Games]] ==

* Capital City of the "[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]" franchise is based heavily on San Francisco, featuring streetcars, winding sloping roads and an almost tropical climate.

** Interestingly, ''[[~~Sonic Adventure 2 (Video Game)|~~Sonic Adventure 2]]'', which features this city, has two stages called "Highway 101" and "Highway 280". Neither of them look like their [[wikipedia:U.S. Route 101 in California|real-life]] [[wikipedia:Interstate 280 chr(28)Californiachr(29)|counterparts]]; instead they're generic-looking causeways set over the ocean.

** Interestingly, ''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]'', which features this city, has two stages called "Highway 101" and "Highway 280". Neither of them look like their [[wikipedia:U.S. Route 101 in California|real-life]] [[wikipedia:Interstate 280 chr(28)Californiachr(29)|counterparts]]; instead they're generic-looking causeways set over the ocean.

** There is nothing even remotely tropical about San Francisco. It's a city where people leave their heat on year-round (especially in the summer) and nobody has air conditioning.

** The player can get a [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshade]] out of Omochao. In the stage White Jungle if you grab Omochao and walk with him into the Goal Ring he'll probably say the fog reminds him of San Francisco.

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* Same goes for Bayview in ''[[Need for Speed]] Underground 2'', and Palmont from ''NFS Carbon''.

* "West Coast" from the ''[[Crazy Taxi]]'' games is a Los Angeles-San Francisco mishmash.

* Due to being in the ''[[Old World of Darkness ~~(Tabletop Game)~~|World of Darkness]]'', L.A. in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'' isn't very nice...but superficially at least it is quite flashy.

* Due to being in the ''[[Old World of Darkness|World of Darkness]]'', L.A. in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'' isn't very nice...but superficially at least it is quite flashy.

== [[Web Original]] ==

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* The short-lived clay-animated road trip series ''[[Gary And Mike]]'' concluded with a visit to San Francisco. Of course, the titular characters get caught up in a big gay pride parade and [[Mistaken for Gay]].

* As a west-coast city with a large red bridge, Jump City of ''[[Teen Titans (~~Animation~~)|Teen Titans]]'' is also obviously a thinly veiled version of [[San Francisco]].

* As a west-coast city with a large red bridge, Jump City of ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' is also obviously a thinly veiled version of [[San Francisco]].

* The city of ''[[Monsters Inc.]]'' contains a reference to the San Francisco skyline (most notably the [TransAmerica] "pyramid" building), which makes sense considering Pixar studios is located in nearby Alameda County.

* The city of ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]'' contains a reference to the San Francisco skyline (most notably the [TransAmerica] "pyramid" building), which makes sense considering Pixar studios is located in nearby Alameda County.

** Toward the beginning of ''[[The Incredibles]]'', Mr. Incredible's GPS shows a map of Emeryville, CA. Based on the street names shown, he drives right past the Pixar Studios lot.

** ''[[Up (~~Film~~)|Up]]'' features the ice cream store Fenton's, which has a location in Oakland.

** ''[[Up (animation)|Up]]'' features the ice cream store Fenton's, which has a location in Oakland.

* ''[[Beverly Hills Teens]]'' takes place in the Beverly Hills section of Los Angeles. Duh.

* It's not mentioned in the series, but according to Christy Marx, the biggest writter for ''[[Jem and The Holograms]]'' series, the major home base for all three bands is Los Angeles.

* ''[[The Life and Times of Juniper Lee]]'' was set in "Orchid Bay City", San Francisco with the serial number rubbed off.

* ''[[The Mighty B]]'' takes place in San Francisco.

* ''[[~~Jackie Chan Adventures (Animation)|~~Jackie Chan Adventures]]'' is set in San Francisco, specifically Chinatown, and makes use of the Golden Gate Bridge and Transamerica Pyramid in its opening credits.

* ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'' is set in San Francisco, specifically Chinatown, and makes use of the Golden Gate Bridge and Transamerica Pyramid in its opening credits.

* ''[[The Simpsons (~~Animation~~)|The Simpsons]]'' episode about The Radioactive Man movie. In the ending, Hollywood is portrayed as a ''[[Utopia]]''.

* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode about The Radioactive Man movie. In the ending, Hollywood is portrayed as a ''[[Utopia]]''.

* ''[[Totally Spies]]'' has [[Valley Girl]] protagonists in Beverly Hills. And if it weren't for all the supervillains and such, it'd be an awesome life.

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* California Love and To Live & Die in L.A. by [[Tupac Shakur]].

* California Girls by [[The Magnetic Fields]].

* Going to California by [[~~Led Zeppelin (Music)|~~Led Zeppelin]].

* Going to California by [[Led Zeppelin]].

* California Sun by The Rivieras.

* California Stars by [[Wilco]] (written by Woody Guthrie).