This time next week, I’ll be in foggy London town. Yes that’s right, I’ll be walking in Oxford street, probably needing an umbrella and drinking copious amounts of tea. Well, more than I do now anyway. In many ways London feels like a second home to me. My boyfriend is there, which is the primary reason for my impromptu visit, and I have a great affinity for British culture too. This time around, it’s a bit more exciting as two of my friends from school are also there.

On my last trip to London, I had an amazing time – the city feels light years ahead of the U.S., even ahead of Los Angeles and New York, especially where fashion is concerned. I felt so under dressed. In London, most of the women look hip and happening. They wear high riding boots, with beautiful crafted jeans, velvet plum blazers and fashion forward accessories. With tousled hair tied loosely back, a cup of tea or coffee in their hands and their ridiculously expensive bags that I covet, they look fabulous.

The men aren’t far behind where fashion is concerned, but the most amazing thing that I found endearing about the people of London is the fact that they all carry newspapers. It was like a journalist’s dream come true, at least in 2005 any way. Londoners valued their print back then and I’m hoping that fact stays more or less true this time around.

Perhaps the most amazing part of my trip was Portobello Market, an outdoor swap meet with treasures you wouldn’t find anywhere in the U.S. That’s not to say that we don’t have great swap meets too, in fact some of the best are located right here in L.A., but the atmosphere of Portobello is something else!

Places to go:

• A Clockwork Orange screening – British Film Institute
• Darwin Big Idea Big Exhibition – Natural History Museum
• St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade – Trafalgar Square
• Shah Abbas, The Remaking of Iran – British Museum
• Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music – Prince Charles Cinema
• The Art of the Poster – London Transport Museum
• London Word Festival – Stock Newington International Airport

Places to eat:

• Hakkasan – Soho
• Wolseley – Piccadilly
• Sagar – Tottenham Court Road
• Food for Thought
• Saf Restaurant & Bar
• Lola Rojo - Fulham

Places to shop:

• Fortnum and Mason
• Beyond Retro
• Muswell Hill Bookshop
• Lollipop
• Primark

Since London is such a hop, skip and a jump away from France, I hope we find time to spend a day in Paris. If that happens, rest assured I will be going to the Cafe de Deux Moulins from my favorite film of all time, Amelie. Vive le France!

You ranted and raved about how amazing “Slumdog Millionaire” was to your friends. You’ve always admired Aishwarya Rai’s beauty, in fact, you might have even seen “Bride and Prejudice” and gushed over the brilliance of “Monsoon Wedding,” but you’ve been craving more, you’ve got an itch, and you don’t know how to scratch it.  If you’re looking for over the top romance stories, impossible plot lines, hilariously cheesy songs and lines, colorful fashion and an escape from your normal go-to films, you’ve come to the right place. Bollywood is ready and willing to welcome you into its wonderful world where anything, and believe me when I say anything, is possible.

Here are a few facts to remember about Bollywood. In the coming weeks, I will outline more films and explore topics related to the world of Indian cinema.

• Bollywood is a $1.8 billion dollar industry, according to the CII-AT Kearney Study (2007), which presented the future of Indian media and entertainment landscape.
• Here is an interesting chart from Business Week detailing Bollywood vs. Hollywood

• The name “Bollywood” is derived from combining Bombay with Hollywood and has its own entry in the “Oxford English Dictionary.”
• You will most likely never find kissing of any kind in Bollywood films, although this is starting to change as many contemporary films have included passionate scenes to evolve with the entertainment needs of the public.
• Just like their American counterparts of the Coppolas, Arquettes and the Baldwins, Bollywood has an extensive list of “film clans,” most notably the Bachchans, the dozens of Kapoors, the Khan-Roshans and the Choprah-Johar family.
• Many plotlines (especially for some of the cheesiest films) are taken straight from American cinema. Needless to say, plagiarism is rampant in Bollywood.
• Many go to see Bollywood films just to hear their favorite playback singers on the screen.
• Be prepared for spontaneous outbreaks of song and dance, sortof like Musicals on steroids.
• Familiarize yourself with modern Bollywood royalty: Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, ShahRukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zenta, Rani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Aamir Khan and Bipasha Basu. There are dozens more, but this will do for now.
• Come to the realization that Indian actresses will always have better skin, better hair and better bodies. This stark reality might cause you to go into a slight depression for some time, but don’t worry, you’ll recover.