Best Gifts for Your Celebrity-Obsessed Pals

I realized the holiday rush had started this weekend when I tried to grab dinner at The Grove Saturday night and was met by a quarter mile line for the parking garage, and an hour and a half wait at Fat Cow. Not fun.

Avoid the holiday shopping rush by getting gifts before it gets any crazier. 

If you have an US Weekly addict on your list this year, here's my picks for the best entertainment industry inspired gifts this year.

Best Gifts for the Celebrity-Obsessed

1. A Celebrity Expose

Even better than the tabloids, Beyond the Red Carpet cuts through the bs and tells you the true, unglamorous side of entertainment reporting. If you like my accounts of celebrities behaving bizarrely (Tom Hanks handing out $20's), then you will love this compilation of stories from veteran reporter, Francine Brokaw. 

Though some names are redacted to protect inappropriate celebs, many are left in, providing juicy anecdotes of celeb encounters. A couple of things I read confirmed rumors I've already heard: Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are both quite unpleasant (despite my personal positive experience with Jones). And others I was surprised to learn... but I'll let you discover those for yourselves.

$10.79 on Barnes&Noble.com

2. Stylish Rain Boots

Forget what everyone says about L.A. having amazing weather, it's my personal opinion that the weather is often terrible but the two months of sun we get during "summer" makes everyone forget about it. As the past week has shown, we too get bad weather, and even rainy days like the rest of the country. Treat your friends who live in rain-prone cities, but who still need to dress stylish, to a pair of these uber-hip rain boots from Crocs.

I know, what you're thinking: Crocs are so not celeb-chic. Well guess what, you're wrong. Look who's been sporting them recently...

 So maybe Tiffani Amber Thiessen isn't your style icon? But if they're cool enough for Kelly Kapowski, they're cool enough for me. I have the Black/Cranberry style (pictured above) and I literally lived in them this weekend.

And hey, you never know when you're going to need rain boots. Coachella is only four and a half months away, and you know what happened last year...

$59.99 on Crocs.com

3. TV Fan Gear

If your friend just won't stop dropping lines from their favorite TV show, give them something that says it for them.

For the Blair Waldorf babe...

Gossip Girl PJs

For the dude who loves Weekend Update on SNL (Abe)...

"Stephon" T-shirt

For the working girl...

Mad Men tote

$20-$30 on CafePress.com

4. A Taylor Swift-Approved Accessory

Ban.do's adorbs headbands, pins, and barrettes are the perfect accessory to give your holiday wardrobe some star power. 

Celebs like Taylor, Jamie King, and even Justin Bieber have been sporting there stuff. Sorta weird for a guy, but the kid wore overalls to meet a world leader so I'm not all that surprised.

$30 for the Smooch Broach on ShopBando.com

5. A Celebrity Stalking Device

And the best/craziest gift you can get your celeb lovin' pal - no, it's not a star map - a subscription to IMDBpro. IMDB is a free website listing the latest info on actors, movies, and industry news. But IMDBpro gives you access to info like celebs' publicist's contact information and top secret gossip on unlisted projects. Yeah it sounds super creepy, and it sort of is. So if your buddy ends up sending a love letter to Ryan Gosling's manager, don't be surprised if they don't get a response.

If your friend is an aspiring actor though, it can be useful to post their reel and get in touch with agents. They can also make a profile about how awesome they are, with highlights like their role as "Zombie #127" in the mob scene of the upcoming flick Warm Bodies (P.S. If you go see the movie, I hear that zombie gives an Oscar-worthy performance, wink wink).

Free 14 day trial on IMDBpro.com 

 

And hey, if you can't afford a gift, just take your pal The Grove. You're bound to see a celebrity eventually. On Saturday, we waited in a 20 minute valet line behind The Secret Circle's Natasha Henstridge. Now that's a Christmas gift that lasts.

Happy Holidays!