Football and barbecue; it’s a girl thing -- really

WHEN Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe took the matrimonial plunge a half-century ago, they epitomized the link between sports and entertainment. Athletes, actors and musicians are still running in the same circles these days, and starting this week there’s a TV show that will be keeping score. “ESPN Hollywood” airs weekdays at 3 p.m. on ESPN2, with Thea Andrews (late of the network’s “Cold Pizza”) co-hosting with Mario Lopez. Andrews just moved from New York into her Hollywood Hills digs in June, but she’s already beginning to get a feel for how to fill a Southland weekend.

Time to get creative

The great thing about being in a new city is that everyone wants to take you places, and you end up going to all these great restaurants. My favorite place so far is called the Little Door on 3rd Street. It’s fabulously romantic and it has a cozy courtyard outside. I order something different every time I’m there.

Afterward, I’m not much of a club/bar person, but I’m a total sucker for going out to see someone involved in some kind of artistic endeavor. I don’t care if it’s singing with a band, a poetry reading or an operatic burping recital. I recently went to the Viper Room and saw a Guns N’ Roses cover band that had a girl playing Axl Rose. It was scary how much she looked and sounded like him.

Bacon and eggs

On Saturday I’ll get up early and go to the gym. I don’t have a trainer, but I have my own routine. Then I’ll go to this cute little restaurant by the beach called Cafe 101. I’m a bacon and eggs girl, so I’ll have that and coffee and then head over to the Farmers Market. I love to walk around and buy weird cheeses and nuts that I won’t even end up eating. But I despise clothes shopping. I’ll only do that if I’m desperate and going to an event.

In the afternoon I’ll stop off at some friend’s house who has a pool. I have this huge house but no pool. Then I’d love to go to some sporting event. I used to have to bribe my girlfriends to go with me to see the New York Rangers play, and I loved to see fights at Madison Square Garden. I might start going to the USC football games out here, and the Lakers.

Helmets and manicures

On Sunday, if it’s football season, I’ll have the girls over to watch the games, and maybe some guy friends too. I have this humongous television and a comfy couch, and I’ll throw something on the barbecue for everyone. And it’s only Canadian beer at my house -- if you don’t want Molson’s or Labatt’s, you’d better bring your own.

In the afternoons I love to work in my garden. It sounds weird, but I lived in a loft back in New York and couldn’t do that kind of thing, so now I’m addicted to it. I go to this huge nursery on Jefferson called Rolling Greens. Now I’m into pruning and Miracle-Gro, which is like crack for roses. After that I’ll gather up all my sports magazines and go get a manicure and a pedicure. I’m always the only girl there with a Sports Illustrated.