Behind the Scenes

Since I love TV, it only seems appropriate that I like to go to tapings of TV shows. In college, Molly, Amanda and I went to see the Sally Jess Raphael show. She really has crazy red glasses. We went to see the David Letterman Show. Dave likes it cold. Cold enough to wear gloves, a scarf and a coat during the taping. We got to see Howard Stern in a dress giving a lap dance to Dave. How many people can say they saw that live?

Then it was off to Saturday Night Live (SNL) with Britney and Alesha. We got to see all the classic players - Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade. Kim Basigner and Alec Baldwin (pre-divorce) were the guest stars and Billy Baldwin (pre-reality TV crazy) made a surprise appearance. As we sat in the galley during the rehearsals, we sang along to UB-40s "Red, Red Wine" , dodged security trying to get the stars attention!

Wendy, another coworker and I headed out to the Drew Carey Show in Burbank. We bought Sweetee Thai and tried to eat pad tai and vegetables while driving down the highway. After getting stuck in gridlock, we finally arrived to board the bus to the Warner Bros. lot. We passed through security, had our bags checked, went through the metal detectors and finally ended up in the studio. Then the fun began! We sat there for 4 hours to see a 22 minute show taped. Lori Laughlin looked anorexic, Mimi looked crazier in person and Drew Carrey was pretty funny when he was talking to the crowd. They gave us pizza and water but when we asked to go to the bathroom, you would have thought we asked to be on the show! After some cajoling, we traipsed 2 buildings away to use the restroom before being hurried back to sit in our seats and clap! I know understand when stars say the 10 - 14 hour days on the set is not fun! The coolness of being there wore off after about 45 minutes!

What shows do I still want to go to -- Rachael Ray, Oprah (but I need to hurry if I am going to get to do that). I wouldn't mind checking out Jeopardy or the Price is Right. Dream world -- maybe General Hospital but I do not think they allow visitors, so I might have to win a contest to get a walk-on role. Who knows -- I can see my name in lights!

TV is Terrific!

My DVR is quite full right now. It is loaded with Eastwick, Top Chef: Las Vegas, Cougar Town, Modern Family, Bored to Death, Sons of Anarchy, The Hills, Melrose Place, 90210, Castle, Greek, FlashForward, Yankees Playoff games and The Vampire Diaries. That's not my whole repertoire - I am caught up on Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl and a couple of my favorite shows like Lost, WipeOut and Entourage are on hiatus. I admit it, my name is Michelle and I am a TV addict! It has been 8 hours since my last fix!

Why the interest in TV? Maybe it was my year in L.A. where every one was obsessed with movies, TV shows and the Biz. Maybe it is because TV is often more interesting than real life. In college, being near NYC, I had the opportunity to hit the Talk Show/Live TV Scene. Molly, Amanda and I went to the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. Yes, her red glasses are as ridiculous in real life as they are on TV!

A college friend got us into a SNL practice. We saw Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger (pre-divorce), Daniel Baldwin (pre-Dirty Sexy Money) and the old favorite UB-40. It was old school SNL - Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and David Spade. A once in a lifetime experience!

The David Letterman show is shot in a studio that is super cold - I wore my parka the entire time. The Drew Carey show takes over 4 hours to shoot a 1/2 hour show and they get mad if you need go to the bathroom. They are obviously not on the same page with my bladder! I am still yearning to see the Rachael Ray show and I want to take my Mom to see the Oprah show. But ya know what, as much as I like TV, my life ain't half bad :)!