What is L.A. really like ?

ok so from what i heard, L.A. is ghetto and not as you see in reality tv shows. and you don't see celebrities. i just met a girl that moved in my town from L.A. County and she told me it is simply horrible. even so i always wanted to live there and live a nice, party life that i see in "the hills". of course, i dont expect exactly the glamorous life that lauren conrad is living but still. oh and i wanna become a journalist, and move there. do you think i could make a living in L.A. just from journalism ?