Nothing says Hollywood, like a tour bus of visitors craning their necks to see the home of a famous star.  Starline Tours of Hollywood has been providing this iconic activity for more than 80 years, when show maker Sid Grauman told his chauffeur he thought people would pay to see where the stars lived.

Rarely do they get to step off the bus and into the lives of the stars like they did last month at the live performance of the 89th Annual Academy Awards show, dubbed the “Oscars.”  About a dozen guests riding a Starline City-Sightseeing double deck bus took a secretly planned detour to a side door of the Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards and many other celebrity-laden events.  What happened next was unbelievable, to them, the black-tie audience of movie celebrities, and millions of viewers at home. 

The producers of the Jimmy Kimmel show, who have created some fun skits using Starline in the past, decided to include a busload of passengers into the live show. Jimmy Kimmel producers chose the participants while dressed as Starline Tour Guides, and told them that a new tour was being tested and asked if they would like to participate. The tour would take them to see the gowns and dresses worn by celebrities of previous Oscars and on this occasion the tour would be free, as Starline was filming the participants for promotional purposes.  Little did they realize that the dresses would be on live celebrities sitting in the front row of the Oscar performance. 

Patrick Tio and his newlywed bride Yulee from Fullerton, California were playing tourist in their own town on Sunday afternoon after having lunch on the Walk of Fame when they were approached to take the tour.  They snapped selfies and recorded their 15-minutes of fame, sharing the pictures with friends on Instagram and with Starline Tours.  Tio gave a series of interviews after their appearance.

Apart from excellent transportation service and excellent tours, Starline's ability to bring visitors into the Hollywood scene is yet another reason for Starline's popularity.  Starline's double-decker buses provide a moving billboard and a two-story “stage” for many celebrity-related events in the area.  The company's iconic open air van was recently featured on the album cover for singer Lana Del Rey, and Carpool Karaoke on “The Late Late Show” with James Cordon.  Last year, Jimmy Kimmel announced his candidacy for Vice President of the United States, running under the slogan, “a solid No. 2.”  Starline is also featured on the new television series, “Lopez”, starring George Lopez on TVLand.  On several occasions, Starline has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show.

 “Starline welcomed the opportunity to be part of the scene afforded to us by The Jimmy Kimmel Live team”, says Kami Farhadi, CEO of the family-owned business.  “Our business is described by some as Tours and Transportation because we move about a million people each year throughout Los Angeles, being mindful of the law with regard to transportation, but we see  our primary job as an entertainment company, making sure that our guests take away experiences that last a lifetime.  It's great fun for us to put the 'Hollywood stamp' on a show or promotion. No other tour company can deliver the location.”  Production companies interested in working with Starline Tours may contact Klaus Ritter at Klaus.Ritter@starlinetours.com.

About Starline Tours

Hollywood's number one celebrity tour company, Starline, is the largest tour company in Los Angeles, having pioneered the famous Movie Stars' Homes Tour in 1935. A full range of sightseeing experiences of Los Angeles and Southern California awaits you. Starline has been featured on Ellen, American Idol, the Muppet Movies, Iron Man 3, NBC's Today Show, CBS Late Late Show, America's Got Talent, The Apprentice, as well as newspapers and travel magazines from around the world. 

 Starline operates the Grand Tour of Los Angeles in nine languages, and the world's largest Hop-On, Hop-Off tour with Starline's City-Sightseeing Double-Deck buses offering comprehensive tour narration in nine languages via personal headsets.  The City-Sightseeing buses are the only Hop-On Hop-Off buses in North America equipped with GPS tracking for “next bus at this stop” information via mobile devices.  The open-top Movie Stars' Homes Tour, recommended by travel agents worldwide, is a visitor favorite and operate daily.   The Movie Locations Tour in partnership with TCM (Turner Classic Movies) operates 5 days a week in custom-built surround-window stadium seating buses. 

 Tours to theme parks, movie studios, San Diego and Tijuana are available, with pick up from more than 250 hotels in the Los Angeles area.  With locations throughout Hollywood, a Visitor Welcome Center at Hollywood & Highland and a ticket office at TCL Chinese Theatre at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, the company also has a sales office on Santa Monica Pier, starting point for the Malibu Movie Stars' Homes Tour, at 1434 Second Street in downtown Santa Monica, and an Anaheim Terminal at 2333 South Harbor Boulevard for transportation to Los Angeles, Santa  Monica, Hollywood and Beverly Hills for touring, shopping, dining and celebrity-watching.  The company is privately owned and is operated in conjunction with TourCoach – the company's Bus Charter division. For reservations, visit www.starlinetours.com or call toll free 1-800-959-3131 or direct at 1-323-463-3333. 

Media Contacts:

Susan Wilson, (480) 824-3015 susan.wilson@susanwilsonmarketing.com