Hi!
No matter where you live, live the movies! We’ve got tips, tricks, addresses, and inspo for your pop culture-inspired travel and lifestyle.
No matter where you live, live the movies! We’ve got tips, tricks, addresses, and inspo for your pop culture-inspired travel and lifestyle.
I've been obsessed with movies, TV shows, and celebrities since I was a kid. I wrote a lot of fan mail to Jonathan Taylor Thomas, watched my favorite movies over and over until I could quote them verbatim, and made a lot of life decisions based on what my favorite TV characters would do. I always said I could define my current state of mind with a character + season of "Dawson's Creek" (i.e. when feeling like I'm on a wanderlusty path to self-discovery, "I'm so Joey Season Five today!") and when I watched the series finale I cried so hard I burst blood vessels in my eye. I got some really weird looks the next day at school.
My love for "Dawson's Creek" led me on my first filming location-hunting adventures. My friend Girl Alex and I made a pilgrimage to Wilmington, NC, to check out all of the "Creek" filming locations. We saw Dawson's family's restaurant, Leery's Fresh Fish, the site of Pacey and Andie's first kiss, and the wall Pacey bought for Joey in Season Three. We also took the Screen Gems Studios tour, which took us through some sets like Dawson's bedroom (we climbed through his bedroom window and recited lines from "JAWS" in his closet) and Joey and Audrey's college dorm room. We also got to see Pacey's boat, the True Love, and Mitch Leery's headstone (RIP Mr. Manmeat).
I loved the experience so much that traveling to filming locations became a hobby and an adventure, and in 2008 I founded Live The Movies, where I blog about my experiences and provide addresses and photos of filming locations, as well as themed playlists and party ideas. Living near Los Angeles for a few months in 2009 gave me the chance to explore the city, attend a lot of TV tapings, and discover PaleyFest, which I now try to attend annually. It's always one of the highlights of my year. Since starting Live The Movies, I've driven across the country several times, visited filming locations far and wide, and have met a lot of my favorite celebrities - and even interviewed Emmy winner Tony Hale, who portrays my favorite TV character Buster Bluth on "Arrested Development".
I grew up in Maine, the most northeastern state in the U.S. and about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Maine's got Stephen King, but we don't have movie studios. As I started becoming more adventurous and traveling to filming locations all around the country, I realized that you don't have to live near Hollywood to live the movies. You can plan vacations around the filming sites of your favorite movies, you can put movie- and TV-themed playlists on your iPod, you can host parties with your friends that have movie or TV themes, and even if you live in the middle of nowhere you are probably within of few hours of a filming location. Hollywood gets around, and they film on location all the time! I hope this site will eventually help you find a filming location near you, whether you live in Los Angeles or Louisiana, New York City or North Dakota. I mean, this happened in Maine:
Thanks for visiting LiveTheMovies! I hope you stay a while!
CONTRIBUTORS
These lovely people provide occasional content and photos for Live the Movies:
Alana Elowitch
"Hey there! I’m Lily, and I'm super pumped to be a part of this website. I’m from Maine, and currently a student in Florida pursuing degrees in Film, English, and Theatre. My love of television and movies sparked at the age of five when I had my first viewing of 'Singin’ in the Rain' - it was then I knew I had to be a part of this world of film. Luckily, my cousin Christina (incidentally the coolest person I know) introduced me to it in March of 2013, and inspired me to seek out filming locations during my own travels. I’m looking forward to contributing to this site and sharing our common interest for the love of film!"
Alex Jackman
"I enjoy watching almost everything and have an opinion on all of it. I'm great at binge-drinking and binge-watching and I'm always shamelessly trying to keep up with the Kardashians. When not watching or shopping, I edit QUEER/ish. I'm currently going gray at 26, but that's okay... because, Anderson Cooper."
Patti LeBlanc
"I'm Christina's mom. I let her skip her National Honor Society induction in high school so we could go see O-Town in concert and meet them. (I sat on Trevor's lap.) I am really into classic older-lady shows like 'Castle' and 'Bones'. I'm a retired English teacher and Christina's first photographer (every moment of her childhood is immortalized in photos)."
Brian Lepine
"I teach in the Communication Studies department at Bridgewater State University. I studied at the University of Maine (with Christina!), where I earned my master’s in communication. I’m into music and other culture from the 1980s &1990s. When I go on Netflix to watch new shows I usually end up watching old stuff – ie. 'The Wonder Years' & 'Star Trek: The Next Generation.'"
Aaron Morse
"I went to Northwestern, where I majored in Confidence. I'm Christina's fiancé and I'm glad that she made me watch '30 Rock'. I work in sports information at Bates College in Maine, and I believe 'Fresh Prince' is the greatest sitcom of all time. Some of my favorite films include 'The Usual Suspects', 'Field of Dreams', 'Good Will Hunting' and 'The Wolf of Wall Street', which Christina yells at me for quoting all the time. I love Matt Damon, and I didn't like 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' nearly as much as Christina wanted me to."
Alex Poulin
"I don't discriminate when it comes to my movies and I will get into a fight with anyone who puts down 'Win A Date With Tad Hamilton'. Christina and I have tracked movie locations all over the country and I'm always game for a random detour. I work in a high school and my students never understand my weird TV and movie references but that doesn't stop me from making them daily. John Mulaney is my spirit animal."