Web site we like

By TOM ZUCCO

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 30, 2000

http://www.driveways.com

It started as the premise for a public access cable TV show in Los Angeles. John Cunningham stakes out the driveways of celebrities, waits for somebody -- anybody -- to pull in, and then clicks on his Panasonic Palmcorder. He hardly ever gets the actual star.

But we've got this weird fascination about forbidding entrances to mansions that causes us to stop and stare. What is going on behind those walls?

And you'd be surprised at what Cunningham has come up with.

Granted, a Web site devoted to still pictures of iron gates and the roofs of mansions is like setting up a camera and watching corn grow. (Need you ask? It's called Welcome to Corn World! and it's at http://www.ohiocorn.org.)

But Cunningham is cunning. And not easily deterred. He somehow manages to get neighbors or people who work at the house to talk, and what the poolman or the gardener says is usually far better than anything a star might say. Here's a sample:

Billy Crystal's gardener, when asked what Crystal is like in person: "Short."

Martha Stewart's neighbor: "She brings a lot of traffic up and down the street."

Kathie Lee Gifford's neighbor's housekeeper: "I never watch her show."

Johnny Cash's gatekeeper: "He waves, speaks, stops and talks."

Kirk Douglas' poolman: "He likes the pool really warm."

Larry Flynt's chauffeur: "Would you like a copy of Hustler?"

The idea for this low-budget takeoff on Robin Leach's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous began in 1992 when Cunningham and a friend were out bicycling and came across the entrance to Barbra Streisand's house. The two were standing there gawking at the house when a decidedly nasal voice crackled over the intercom: "Go away from the gate! Go away!"

Thanks, Babs.

Since then, Cunningham, 41, has pounded the pavement in front of the homes of more than 100 stars in cities from London to Hollywood. For this unemployed former legal secretary, the hobby has its rewards. The late Jimmy Stewart was saying goodbye to guests when he noticed Cunningham in front of his Beverly Hills home. Stewart strolled over, shook hands, and the two men talked for several minutes about Stewart's vegetable garden.

But there are hazards, too. Like the time he encountered David Hasselhoff in the actor's driveway.

Cunningham: "Hi, I'm John Cunningham from Driveways of the Rich and Famous."

Hasselhoff: "Get away. Get out of here."

Cunningham: "Is there a problem? I'm not on the property, sir. Can I ask you a question about your driveway?"

Hasselhoff: "F-- you. Get the f-- out of here."

And then there was Martha Stewart's housekeeper. She invited him in, then called the cops and had him arrested for trespassing.

Not a good thing.

-- If you'd like to nominate a site, drop me an e-mail at zucco@sptimes.com.