Aside from the awe of entering one of the world's premier movie studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment Studio Tour has many enchanting reasons to make it a "must do" on to your LA itinerary. On my visit, a major celebrity slowly glided by me on a golf cart. Just a few weeks earlier, I’m sure it was Idris Elba, TI, Michael Ealey, and Chris Brown strolling by to appear in the movie Takers. A few months earlier it was Rihanna and Britney Spears working on music videos. Even the world’s greatest entertainer, Michael Jackson, appeared here in 2009 while filming Thriller 3D for This Is It concert. Every building, garage and lot on Sony properties is used as a set, so I'm sure that i've seen these properities in many movies, videos and TV shows.

Wait a minute. I thought Sony Pictures was a movie studio. It is and more, because movie, audio recording, concert and TV talent have morphed into multi-media talent. Given MGM Studio originated at the location and built big-enough-to-hold-a-village movie stages, landmark sets, and audiophile-quality sound studios for epic movies, the campus is in high demand by entertainment producers of all stripes. Cleverly, studio bosses inserted “Entertainment” after “Sony Pictures” to ensure the entertainment world got the message.

There’s plenty of old school and new school attractiveness on a lot that once had 440 acres. Beginning with old school attractions, you have to consider the impact of two of the most watched movies of all time. Wizard of Oz and Gone With Wind filmed here in 1938-39. That means Munchkin-land in all its yellow brick road glory was produced here. Hattie McDaniel broke the “Best Supporting Role by a Female Actor Color Barrier” for her work in this studio. The studio's main entrance gate used to be on Washington Boulevard, when cars were thinner. Now that gate remains closed and has a pull down screen when 1^st Street on campus is used as a set. No doubt it appeared in several Three Stooges short movies when they worked here for $600/week.

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Crawford essentially grew up on the studio campus – school tutors included. Clark Gable, Sidney Poitier, Cary Grant and Spencer Tracy made so many hit movies for MGM, each has a building named after them on the studio campus. With that stable of studio assets, Sony Pictures Entertainment won an impressive 12 Oscars. On the studio tour, see these cinematic treasures safely mounted in the Irving Thalberg Building lobby.

Wizard of Oz was scored in what is now called the Barbara Streisand Studio. Disney and Pixar filmmakers like the sound of the 72 channel analog sound mixer and the unique room acoustics. In fact, many music producers like Barbara Streisand and composers like John Williams (Steven Spielberg movies) love recording here. The number of new school artists who use these studios is longer than your arm.

Shifting entertainment economics since it’s founding in 1914 led MGM owners to sell its movie catalog to another party, 400 acres to real estate developers in surrounding Culver City and finally, its studio assets on 44.5 acres to Sony in 1989. When you pass the “Culver City Screenland” monument, they could have called it MGM-land.

Today, Sony Pictures Entertainment Studio consists of Columbia Pictures, TriStar, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, and 3 more studios.

Most workers enter at the Overland Avenue Gate. Visitors, Tour Guests and VIPs enter from Madison Avenue Gate. The same gate Antwone Fisher worked for 7 years until a Sony producer accepted his script, took it upstairs to the bosses who green-lighted a major movie. After Denzel Washington signed on to direct the project another, long shot came into play. Derek Luke worked in the Sony Campus Store, as an audience assistant for Moesha TV show and game shows on the campus for 5 years. Luke played in one Moesha episode while taking acting lessons. Then auditioned for the lead role of Antwone Fisher. Imagine Luke’s surprise and elation when Denzel walked up to him on the campus and called him “Antwone” to get ready.

In total, I walked through nearly every type of studio not in use. Foley Stage A, B, and C, may be the best “Sound Effects” stages in Hollywood. You can scarcely imagine the amazing doodads collected over nearly 100 years to make every conceivable sound effect. For example, who would you guess that the sound effects guys mimic rustling leaves by scrunching up old audiocassette tapes?

Being an techie and a travel publisher, I couldn’t help but itemize what was filmed in stages on the campus. Here’s just a sampling of movies, TV shows and videos made by stage number on Sony Pictures Entertainment campus.

Stage 6 – Takers and Singing in the Rain filmed here.

Stage 7 - Diane Sawyer interviewed Michael and then wife, Lisa Marie, on the Sony Campus.

Stage 12 – Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy TV shows; it is also known for having “wild walls” that can be pulled out for better camera angles.

Stage 15 – largest among Hollywood studios at 42,000 sq. feet, it is also one of the largest in the world. This treasured stage served as Munchkin-land during Wizard of Oz filming in 1938-39. More recently, portions of AFI Awards, MTV movies, Vibe Awards, VH1 Awards were filmed here.

Stage 23 – As I walked through this rare 2-level set for Obsession and Quarantine, construction workers were quickly building a set for another movie. Just before the tour guide explained some “movie magic” involving one of Beyonce’s Obsession scenes, the set production boss reminded me not to take pictures here, for obvious reasons. To use a sports anology -- No harm, no foul.

Stage 25 – The Fred Astaire stage, whose name is obvious, also hosted Knotts Landing, a popular TV soap opera from 1979-93.

Stage 26 – filmed Bridesmaids

Stage 27 – At 32,000 sq ft and height that spans from 50-80 feet; Angels & Demons (Tom Hanks) movie was shot here; Rihanna and Britney Spears have shot videos here

Stage 29 – films Moneyball and Armored

Culver Studios - Michael Jackson filmed Thriller 3D for This Is It movie

Sony is a pioneer in 3D filmmaking. As result, one building offers a 3D filmmaking workshop to train directors on the differences in shooting flat 2D vs. 3D movies and TV shows. The advent of $10K photo cameras with 1080p video capability has sparked many indie filmmakers to sign-up for workshops – the only way you’ll see inside that building. The techie in me also wanted to see how they transfer films to Blu-ray video master discs. Despite those two lacks, I did not feel disappointed.

Lastly, you have to love the eco-consciousness of Sony Pictures even more. Its two newest office buildings are LEED Gold certified and the studio prides itself reusing set pieces as possible to prevent filling up landfills. “Recycle, Recycle, Recycle” is their motto. In all, you’ll get plenty of memories to recycle for the $33 tour cost tha begins at Sony Studio Plaza on Madison Avenue.

Check their website for tour dates, http://www.sonypicturesstudiostours.com