Texas Celebrity Travel, August 2007

As those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer draw to an end, find out which stars sizzled in the Lone State state during the past scorching season.

Athens

Congratulations to Dallas Stars hockey player Mike Modano and singer Willa Ford, who chose the end of summer to begin their new life together as husband and wife. The twosome tied the knot on August 25, 2007 at a ranch in Athens, a small East Texas town that has been dubbed the “Original Home of the Hamburger.” Located 75 miles from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the quiet community is home to the Athens Scuba Park, the East Texas Arboretum and the Henderson County Fairgrounds.

Grapevine

A true Tinseltown giant was spotted in Grapevine recently, as John Travolta walked through the indigo blue-painted front doors of Uncle Julio’s restaurant. According to the Dallas Morning News, the perennial superstar, in the area this past August to attend Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s training center, sampled the south of the border-style fare before returning to his suite at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas.

Dallas

A phalanx of famous faces checked into the Hotel ZaZa this summer. According to the Dallas Morning News, Grammy Award winner John Mayer was “Waiting on The World to Change” from the comfort of the boutique retreat’s Dragonfly restaurant during his stay in June….. During his July jaunt to the Big D, crooner Robin Thicke unpacked his luggage in the 700-square ft. West Indies Suite….. The warm glow of candlelight welcomed back rocker Pat Benatar as the “Love Is A Battlefield” singer walked through the lobby after her July gig at the House of Blues….. It’s hotter than hell in the Lone Star state during the month of August, so Ozzy Osbourne, rock’s perennial prince of darkness, beat the heat after his performance at Smirnoff Music Centre in his suite…..Just like the title of his band’s latest hit, Nickelback’s lead singer Chad Kroeger was treated like a “Rockstar” during his stay in the Notorious suite, one of the hotel’s 16 concept accommodations.

KISS bassist Gene Simmons may still want to rock and roll all night, but nowadays the star of A&E’s “Family Jewels” tends to business every day. The Dallas Morning News reported that the god of glam rock dined with business associates recently at the Promenade, one of the palate-pleasing restaurants at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, a AAA Five-Diamond merited elite retreat.

Austin

“Lord ofthe Rings” star Elijah Wood, who struck up a friendship with Ain’t It Cool News webmaster Harry Knowles while filming the Austin-lensed Robert Rodriguez-directed sci-fi flick “The Faculty” back in 1998, returned to the Live Music Capital of the World in July 2007 to witness the wedding of the red-headed movie critic at one of the capital city’s most elegant eateries, Green Pastures restaurant. The Victorian-era mansion, situated amid a live oak-covered oasis, is noted both for its fine French fare and for the peacocks which promenade among the estate’s grounds.

Hempstead

Liendo Plantation, the former sanctuary of renowned sculptor Elizabet Ney, welcomed artists from the silver and small screens this summer as “Titanic” star Billy Zane and Eric Braeden, better known to fans of daytime drama as Victor Newman on the long-running soap “The Young and The Restless,” filmed scenes for the upcoming period drama, “The Man Who Came Back,” on the venue’s grounds. Tourists traveling to the small Texas community can take a trip back in time as the plantation opens its doors for tours on the first Saturday on each month.

San Antonio

Lone Star soap opera fans had the chance to get up close and personal with some of the actors that steam up the small screen each weekday afternoon as the multi-city promotional tour “I Wanna Be A Soap Star Live!” rolled into the Alamo City on August 5, 2007. Antonio Vega, better known as Kamar de los Reyes to viewers of “One Life To Live,” and Brandon Beemer from “Days of Our lives” signed autographs and read scenes with audience members during their four-hour stay at Sunset Pier.

–by Grace Sydney