Celebrity stalking

Every now and then, it is every New Yorker's right to feel the urge to hunt something a little more thrilling than the season's latest sales racks. Celebrities, perhaps?

They're evasive, though, those famous people. It's almost as if they don't want the masses of screaming girls gaggled outside their apartments to meet them when they awake and emerge. Isn't that part of the package deal that comes with being a celebrity? No matter. If there was ever a time to celeb-stalk in the city, it's now, especially with some of the biggest names in prime time television having migrated to their native habitats: Manhattan.

The cast of Ugly Betty is in town and on the loose, and Gossip Girl has been known to shut down a block or two to capture on film two of the obscenely attractive stars smooching on iconic street corners. They're popular. They're pretty. So perhaps it's not uncommon to want to sneak a peak. How does one effectively stalk the local celebrities?

There are a myriad of ways to go about it. Perez Hilton does a phenomenal job of keeping tabs on the high-profile Celebutantes (Lindsay being one of his favorites, of course). Gawker.com is another great way to keep yourself in the know where celebrity circles are concerned.

The best way to get up close and personal, though, is complete habitat immersion. If you want to film the Giant Panda, you trek to China. If you want to catch the cast of Gossip Girl out and about, you head to Chelsea. (Yes, seriously.) It's no secret that every one of our favorite high-school 20-somethings live local - Chace Crawford and Taylor Momsen even share an apartment (though, apparently, not a bed, as they continue to deny allegations of a real-life bro-mance). Their local haunts are just that, Momsen especially being a fan of the Chelsea and downtown social scenes. And if you want to find Chace? Well, just follow the sounds of hoards of screaming tweeny-boppers. They follow him wherever he goes.

The Hell's Kitchen scene is also apparently crawling with those on the must-see list. SoHo and the Meat Packing District are also popular day-jaunts, as well as the Village. (MePa and West Village especially, because locals are less likely to melt into quivering piles of goo at the sight of a famous face.) Or, if you prefer to up the ante and take the stalking to the next level, the best advice is always to get in with the in-crowd. Watch the credits at the end of your favorite show, make note of the production assistants and do your research on them. Find them on Facebook or MySpace. Figure out where they go for a drink after work, liquor them up and get the upcoming shooting schedule. The lower key you are, of course, the better your odds of having a cool celebrity encounter (prey in the wild, after all, cannot be expected to surrender quietly when the hunter clamors up and loudly declares their love. Prey runs; that's nature.)

Whatever tactic you choose to employ - if you must employ tactic at all - please remember that these Pretty Faces are attached to people, and that celebrities have feelings, too (even if they're medicated to the contrary). Do your best not to get arrested, and remember, above all else - always stalk responsibly.