Lifelike Jamie Foxx at Madame Tussaud's

Most people would be surprised to know that Los Angeles is tied with London for the world’s most museums: 300 each, if you broadly define them as exhibits that educate and entertain. The newest in L.A. celebrate the entertainment field.

The GRAMMY Museum at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown at Figueroa (with much else to do at the adjacent L.A. LIVE entertainment district and www.downtownla.com), open daily (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas), Sun.-Fri. 11:30-7:30, Sat. 10-7:30; 213/765-6800, www.grammymuseum.org, regular adult price $14.95 (until Sept. 30 it is $10 and there are ongoing discounts for others).

Much more than a museum about the GRAMMY music awards, this is a 21st-century interactive experience. Right at the start, you could spend an educational hour using a touch screen to listen to every imaginable type of music, from Afro-Cuban jazz to classical. It would be easy to spend a whole day in the museum.

The exhibits are heavy on priceless historic items, like a guitar Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain destroyed on stage, a business card with the Beatles’ original name of The Quarrymen, Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, and handwritten lyrics composed by Neil Diamond.

There are lots of videos, with the most notable one of the Jackson 5 and of Michael’s extraordinary performance at the 1988 GRAMMY awards. Some of his costumes are on display.