CMYK HG dining columnist discovers the perfect dishes at Dandee’s, Kelly’s and Red Fish Blue Fish Page 15
Unique Hollywood places to achieve New Year’s fitness resolutions in 2004 Page 22
Charter school village proposal approved for Sheridan Street Tri-Rail station Page 4
Vol. III • No. 5
January • 2004
Museum aims to reel in more than tourists by Paul Scott Abbott Special to the Gazette An entertainment museum slated to open by fall on Hollywood Beach hopes to reel in plenty of tourists, but that’s just part of why the venture could be a boon.
Supporters see “Reel Hollywood – The Entertainment Museum of Florida” as a force to further elevate the city’s rising star in the film and television industry. Plus the museum is
expected to breathe new life into the Oceanwalk Mall and the adjoining historic beachfront resort property. Those backers include the former host of “The Newlywed Game”and the actor who portrayed Corporal Klinger on “M*A*S*H,” as well as, on the local front, a slew of public supporters and private investors. On the venture’s newly launched Web site – www.reelhollywoodmuseum.com – the museum
is being ballyhooed as “the most exciting venue to appear on the South Florida scene in decades.” But, in addition to the exhibits and interactive displays that are expected to draw tourists (and their dollars), the project also is to include a working television production studio and educational facilities.
The studio, of course, would combine with the museum’s very presence in encouraging more production work in Hollywood, while the learning programs are being seen as inspiring local students to pursue entertainment industry careers. “I personally think, if it goes according to plan, it will be a big, big asset to the city, especially for families and education,” said Dennis Pellarin, director of the City of Hollywood Office of Public Communications. Pellarin is a 25-year veteran of the production business and, in his city job, coordinates the growing number of shoots taking place in Hollywood. In just the past year and a half, films shot in Hollywood have included “Stuck on You,” “Out of Time,” “Fast and Furious 2,” “The Hours” and “All About the Benjamins.” At the same time, movie-related businesses such as lighting companies and talent agencies have been springing up. “The museum is a positive, big asset,” Pellarin said. “It just adds to the whole feeling of Hollywood and production.” That is Hollywood, Florida, of course – not the Southern California city that was becoming synonymous with talking pictures in the 1920s, when the Hollywood Beach Resort was springing up as a South Florida tourist mecca at the beachfront termiREEL HOLLYWOOD continues on page 23