Long time, no blog, I know. I went out to LA and then came back to a jackload of work and then Ella got an ear infection and then I got sick and then and then and then. So, I'll have to catch you up on the haps.
LA was AWESOME!!! I love that place! It was so much fun. The last time I was out there, it was the summer after our freshman year in college. I drove cross-country with my friend, Jen, and her brother. They're both from California, so they were very down on the Angeles. We stayed out at Laguna Beach (not that that wasn't spectacular in its own right, even though the beaches have nothing on the Redneck Riviera) and only went in to LA one lame night. There was to be no lameness this time! Dan is a total Los Angeleno. He loves it and that makes me love it.
First things first, how awesome is The Price is Right? SO AWESOME!! Sure, there was no Bob Barker, but Drew Carey is a good host (and so happy!), so you don't really miss the Bob too terribly. You do miss Rod Roddy, however. The new announcer just doesn't compare. (And "new" is probably not the most appropriate term, since Mr. Roddy passed away four years ago. Maybe "relatively new"?)
Rod Roddy photo via cnn.com ; Rich Fields photo via cbs.com
I know Rod Roddy. I watched Rod Roddy for many years. And you, sir, are no Rod Roddy.
Anyway, our seats were awesome--right behind Contestant's Row. If you can't get up on stage (which we wouldn't have been able to, since we are family of a CBS employee), then sitting right behind Contestant's Row is about as good as it's gonna get. It was that good. We got escorted to our seats about ten minutes before taping started, and they had cordoned them off for us. The people behind us were amazed. "How did you get those seats?" they exclaimed. We know people, that's how. Important people.
The contestants were not too swift on our episode (airs December 6--set your TiVos!); I think maybe only one of them won a prize and one girl was on Contestant's Row the whole game. (How do I know this for sure? BECAUSE I WAS SITTING RIGHT BEHIND CONTESTANT'S ROW!!) She was from New Jersey, so she's obviously pretty dim. (Just jokes--you know I love the Garden State and all who hail from it.) If she had listened to me, she would have been up on stage like five times. But she didn't. She listened to her stupid Rutgers friends. Stupid Rutgers. I think she got a year's supply of coffee or something for her troubles. The lady that won the Showcase Showdown was within a hundred dollars of winning both showcases. Dan was very upset because he had designed the new graphics for the double-showcase win.
And yes, I was yelling the prices out. When we went backstage after the show, all of the producers were very pleased with our participation: "You guys were shouting out prices and everything!" I've only been preparing for this my whole life, people! We met the Producer, Roger, who's been with the show for thirty years or so. He told us all about the studio (it's a lot smaller than it looks like on TV--it's crazy). Did you know that that is the same stage where they filmed Match Game and The Carol Burnett Show? Me neither, until I met the producer of the Price is Right!
It was a great time. I highly recommend it. I think that we should all go out there together, because they guarantee your tickets if you have a group of ten or more. Plus, if you're from a big group that's dressed all alike (say, in black and gold), there's a good chance that someone from your group is getting on stage. Drew Carey called it the happiest place on earth, because it's the only place where you actively root for good things to happen to some stranger. It is! It was really great.
(Quick side note: I am listening to WRVU this morning because the best show ever is on. It's called "The Best of Bread" and it plays 9-11 am on Wednesdays. I highly recommend that you give it a listen if you get a chance. I'm serious when I tell you that it is the best. We just finished listening to Thin Lizzy and now we get some "Bonnie Prince" Billy Joel, and the hosts are the embodiment of hilarity. You can listen to it on your computer through the magic of the internets.)We also got to cross the picket lines to get in to Television City. It was awesome. The picket lines were rather small. Also, I'm sure it's been said elsewhere, but for writers these guys have some lame picket signs. "WGA On Strike" does not have a ring to it.
Got to tour around Television City for a while before the show. It made sense that friends and family can't be contestants on the shows after I visited Dan's shop, where the prices were just hanging out there being made into their various colors and shapes. We saw Christian Jules LeBlanc (aka Michael Baldwin from The Young and the Restless) in the hallway outside the Y&R sets. I got to tour the Y&R sets and Dan took a surreptitious photo of me at the bar of the Genoa City Athletic Club. You can see pictures of everything below.
Thursday night we went out for delicious sushi. Friday we had delicious fish and shrimp tacos (so delicious) before we took an extended driving tour of LA that featured a pit-stop at the Getty Museum and ended with dinner on Hermosa Beach with Carol and her big little boy, James. Unfortunately, Dan's mad driving skills left Kevin car-sick in bed while Dan and I went out with all of his friends to the Big Foot Lodge. That bar was awesome, and it was so much fun there with Dan and his friends. We spent much of the evening awash in the glow of all of their iPhones, which was hilarious. Whenever anyone had a question about anything, it was like quick draw to see who could find it first on their phone's web browser. Dan's friends are great. They're his group of friends from SCAD, mostly, along with various friends and cousins that moved out there after they graduated. They're very artistic and hilarious and I pretty much love them. Ah, to be young, single, and not poor in LA!
Saturday was the epic day to end all vacation days. We drove down to Santa Monica, rented some low-rider bicycles, and rode 'em to Venice Beach. It was too fun. Saturday night we went to El Campadre, Dan's favorite Mexican restaurant, and had delicious margaritas with flaming lemons! Yummy. Anywhos, it was an awesome trip and so much fun. You know it's a good trip when you get off the plane at 10:15 am and are drinking Fat Tire at brunch by 11 am on a Thursday!
Finally, what you've been waiting for--PICTURES!!
Days 1 and 2 (before I ran out of batteries at the Getty. And by the way, the sandwich at the beginning there? It features the following: scrambled eggs, hash browns, avocado, tomatoes, and goat cheese. Like breakfasty heaven on a bun.):
Day 3 (Santa Monica ["I just wanna see some PALM TREES"] to Venice Beach via low-rider bicycles). For this one, you have to go to Dan's website: http://picasaweb.google.com/danzigner/MollyKevinInLASaturday
Alright, that's all I've got for this post. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
love, molly
previous post title source: "Monster Mash," Bobby "Boris" Pickett
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