JenniBarra
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2002
Friday, June 6
Today was our Hollywood day. Everyone slept in a bit and then Chris and Chandra drove from his uncles house in Ontario to at our hotel room late in the morning.
Since we were already going to be off-property, I asked if they were interested in a trip to the Character Warehouse outlet in Fullerton. They said yes, so we made the trek out. Theres a lot of nice clothing there at the moment and I also found yet another bag to add to my collection of matched Mickey luggage. (Its also amusing to me how each piece actually came from a different place! My carry-on bag was a Christmas gift Keith ordered via Disneylands DelivEARS service. The backpack came from a Florida outlet. I picked up a matching hat at MouseGear at Epcot on my last WDW trip.) I think the only thing Im missing now is the suitcase! While we were checking out, it ends up that the clerk also works for Disneyland and visits Laughing Place as well as a number of other Disneyland related sites!
We had intended to go straight from the outlet to Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner Restaurant for lunch, only it ends up Keith left the Thomas Guide in our room. So we made the trip back and everyone hit the restroom as well.
Eventually, we made it to the restaurant and, by this time, we had to put in a request that our food arrive in a timely fashion as we were striving to be in Burbank by 2:30. (Chris needed to get to an office at NBC Studios to pick up the tickets for The Tonight Show that a friend of his in the industry reserved for us.) Lunch was terrific, but it got a little rushed there toward the end.
Being from out of town, Southern California traffic is kind of baffling for us. (Keith said that we should know to predict that its unpredictable!) We kept hitting congested patches here and there, so that it was closer to three by the time we reached Burbank.
Chris said to drop him off at the corner and then for us to meet up with him. (And Chris can book when he wants to! ; ) ) The problem was that he had taken the directions with him, so we were standing for a little while at the whole wrong building. When we finally decided to check out the neighboring building (and follow people with what looked like tickets and seemed to know where they were going!), we eventually came up on a big line of people who had big yellow tickets that actually said The Tonight Show on them. Just as we were about to step into the line, Chris popped around the corner and told us to follow him. (What we had just spotted was the standby line.) We didnt have a whole lot of time to appreciate it, but we passed by some exterior sets for one of NBCs soaps on our way. We had just enough time to hit the restrooms before the pages came to escort us into the studio.
Once inside the studio, we all caught our breath and just took it in. Ive been at a television taping before (the talk show those two comedians known as The Mommies used to host), but never at a live show, which involves a whole other dynamic. Theres a lot thats done to pump the audience up and keep them going, such as the show band playing for the audience during the commercial breaks and giveaways. About 15 minutes before showtime, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jay himself came out. He posed for pictures and joked about how it was important for us to applaud and cheer for the sake of the self-esteem of the guests (Charlize Theron and Boomer Berman). I have to say that Charlize Theron seemed quite nervous! (She kept bouncing her foot up and down and never looked out toward the audience. I guess being in front of an audience is a lot different than a film crew.)
We also participated in the first of Jays summer concert series. The pages did quite a good job of hustling everyone out of the studio and outside in front of the stage during break. (I had been unsure how they were going to accomplish moving so many people in such a short time frame!) We got to see Michelle Branch perform, one song for the show and another just for us. Some of the people in the audience were wild there was a girl who was bouncing up and down so much, she actually stepped on my foot at one point! (I havent watched the tape yet, but I get the feeling, with the enthusiasm of she and her friend and their proximity to our group, we probably made it on the air for that segment! I already know that we could be seen in the opening shot, as my mom mentioned it when we spoke with her on the phone the next day. It probably helped that Chris purposely wore a loud Hawaiian shirt! ; ) ) It was a very exciting experience!
After the taping, we headed into Hollywood. We parked at the Hollywood and Highland parking structure so that we could visit the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame. On our way out to the street, we passed by the Kodak Theater where we saw an awful lot of formally attired people. We were about to ask a security guard what was happening when we walked out to the red carpet and saw that the Essence Awards was taking place that night. (We heard later on that such celebs as Denzel Washington and Will Smith had been spotted.)
We popped into the entrance of the wax museum. Chandra had intended to find out how much tickets cost when we got distracted by what at first looked like a wax figure of someone out of The Matrix. I was sure it was a real person because he occasionally moved very slowly, however Chandra wasnt convinced. It was too bad Chris didnt have the camera out and on when the wax figure stepped out to shake Chandras hand! ; )
Since we couldnt walk straight past the Kodak Theater to get to the Chinese Theatre, we crossed the street and planned to cut over from there. On the way, though, we were near the Disney Store and the El Capitan. I asked if it would be okay with the group if I briefly went into the Disney Store. Keith was sure I wouldnt find enough of interest since theyre pretty much just childrens stores anymore, but I found a corner with adult t-shirts that said Hollywood on them (and they were 50% off to boot!) While I had been inside the store Chris mentioned that maybe it would be cool to see Finding Nemo there at the El Capitan. While the other three of us had already seen Nemo, we liked the idea of being able to check out the theater. (Its both a historical place, as well as offering more than just movie screenings.) The next showing was sold out, so we purchased tickets for the last screening of the day.
In the meantime, we checked out the Chinese Theatre. Wed been taking pictures of various sights along the way (Walt Disneys , Roy O. Disneys, and Mickey Mouses stars, of course!) and I also had to have my picture taken with Jimmy Stewarts footprints.
We then debated where to have dinner. Chris said he wanted more of the Finding Nemo Happy Meal toys and that there was a McDonalds down the street. I had spied a Hamburger Hamlet across the street and mentioned that Id never been to one, but I knew that they have a long history in Southern CA. Hamburger Hamlet won out. Not only did Marilyn Monroe and Elvis impersonators enter at one point, theres other movie related features to the restaurant, like a huge Indiana Jones mural on a back wall and giant posters of various films that have been shown at the El Capitan.
After dinner, it was back to the El Capitan. Disney has done a really nice job of refurbishing it. While we waited, an organist performed, which was rather neat. When it came time to show the previews, the Wurlitzer actually drops down below the stage while the organist continues to play on its way down. Then the curtains opened with lots of fanfare to show trailers, including one for Brother Bear, which was new to me. The previews were followed by a stage show with the El Capitan singers and dancers and various Pixar characters. The movie followed and, this time, I was able to spot some of the hidden little features I hadnt caught the first time.
On our way back to the parking structure, it appeared that the Essence Awards were over as they were rolling the carpet back up and we could actually cross in front of the Kodak. As we actually walked over the carpet, I turned to Chandra and joked about the sacred ground we were treading on. : )
Thankfully, the trip back to Anaheim was much faster than our trip earlier in the day to Burbank! That was a pretty quiet car!
Today was our Hollywood day. Everyone slept in a bit and then Chris and Chandra drove from his uncles house in Ontario to at our hotel room late in the morning.
Since we were already going to be off-property, I asked if they were interested in a trip to the Character Warehouse outlet in Fullerton. They said yes, so we made the trek out. Theres a lot of nice clothing there at the moment and I also found yet another bag to add to my collection of matched Mickey luggage. (Its also amusing to me how each piece actually came from a different place! My carry-on bag was a Christmas gift Keith ordered via Disneylands DelivEARS service. The backpack came from a Florida outlet. I picked up a matching hat at MouseGear at Epcot on my last WDW trip.) I think the only thing Im missing now is the suitcase! While we were checking out, it ends up that the clerk also works for Disneyland and visits Laughing Place as well as a number of other Disneyland related sites!
We had intended to go straight from the outlet to Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner Restaurant for lunch, only it ends up Keith left the Thomas Guide in our room. So we made the trip back and everyone hit the restroom as well.
Eventually, we made it to the restaurant and, by this time, we had to put in a request that our food arrive in a timely fashion as we were striving to be in Burbank by 2:30. (Chris needed to get to an office at NBC Studios to pick up the tickets for The Tonight Show that a friend of his in the industry reserved for us.) Lunch was terrific, but it got a little rushed there toward the end.
Being from out of town, Southern California traffic is kind of baffling for us. (Keith said that we should know to predict that its unpredictable!) We kept hitting congested patches here and there, so that it was closer to three by the time we reached Burbank.
Chris said to drop him off at the corner and then for us to meet up with him. (And Chris can book when he wants to! ; ) ) The problem was that he had taken the directions with him, so we were standing for a little while at the whole wrong building. When we finally decided to check out the neighboring building (and follow people with what looked like tickets and seemed to know where they were going!), we eventually came up on a big line of people who had big yellow tickets that actually said The Tonight Show on them. Just as we were about to step into the line, Chris popped around the corner and told us to follow him. (What we had just spotted was the standby line.) We didnt have a whole lot of time to appreciate it, but we passed by some exterior sets for one of NBCs soaps on our way. We had just enough time to hit the restrooms before the pages came to escort us into the studio.
Once inside the studio, we all caught our breath and just took it in. Ive been at a television taping before (the talk show those two comedians known as The Mommies used to host), but never at a live show, which involves a whole other dynamic. Theres a lot thats done to pump the audience up and keep them going, such as the show band playing for the audience during the commercial breaks and giveaways. About 15 minutes before showtime, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jay himself came out. He posed for pictures and joked about how it was important for us to applaud and cheer for the sake of the self-esteem of the guests (Charlize Theron and Boomer Berman). I have to say that Charlize Theron seemed quite nervous! (She kept bouncing her foot up and down and never looked out toward the audience. I guess being in front of an audience is a lot different than a film crew.)
We also participated in the first of Jays summer concert series. The pages did quite a good job of hustling everyone out of the studio and outside in front of the stage during break. (I had been unsure how they were going to accomplish moving so many people in such a short time frame!) We got to see Michelle Branch perform, one song for the show and another just for us. Some of the people in the audience were wild there was a girl who was bouncing up and down so much, she actually stepped on my foot at one point! (I havent watched the tape yet, but I get the feeling, with the enthusiasm of she and her friend and their proximity to our group, we probably made it on the air for that segment! I already know that we could be seen in the opening shot, as my mom mentioned it when we spoke with her on the phone the next day. It probably helped that Chris purposely wore a loud Hawaiian shirt! ; ) ) It was a very exciting experience!
After the taping, we headed into Hollywood. We parked at the Hollywood and Highland parking structure so that we could visit the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame. On our way out to the street, we passed by the Kodak Theater where we saw an awful lot of formally attired people. We were about to ask a security guard what was happening when we walked out to the red carpet and saw that the Essence Awards was taking place that night. (We heard later on that such celebs as Denzel Washington and Will Smith had been spotted.)
We popped into the entrance of the wax museum. Chandra had intended to find out how much tickets cost when we got distracted by what at first looked like a wax figure of someone out of The Matrix. I was sure it was a real person because he occasionally moved very slowly, however Chandra wasnt convinced. It was too bad Chris didnt have the camera out and on when the wax figure stepped out to shake Chandras hand! ; )
Since we couldnt walk straight past the Kodak Theater to get to the Chinese Theatre, we crossed the street and planned to cut over from there. On the way, though, we were near the Disney Store and the El Capitan. I asked if it would be okay with the group if I briefly went into the Disney Store. Keith was sure I wouldnt find enough of interest since theyre pretty much just childrens stores anymore, but I found a corner with adult t-shirts that said Hollywood on them (and they were 50% off to boot!) While I had been inside the store Chris mentioned that maybe it would be cool to see Finding Nemo there at the El Capitan. While the other three of us had already seen Nemo, we liked the idea of being able to check out the theater. (Its both a historical place, as well as offering more than just movie screenings.) The next showing was sold out, so we purchased tickets for the last screening of the day.
In the meantime, we checked out the Chinese Theatre. Wed been taking pictures of various sights along the way (Walt Disneys , Roy O. Disneys, and Mickey Mouses stars, of course!) and I also had to have my picture taken with Jimmy Stewarts footprints.
We then debated where to have dinner. Chris said he wanted more of the Finding Nemo Happy Meal toys and that there was a McDonalds down the street. I had spied a Hamburger Hamlet across the street and mentioned that Id never been to one, but I knew that they have a long history in Southern CA. Hamburger Hamlet won out. Not only did Marilyn Monroe and Elvis impersonators enter at one point, theres other movie related features to the restaurant, like a huge Indiana Jones mural on a back wall and giant posters of various films that have been shown at the El Capitan.
After dinner, it was back to the El Capitan. Disney has done a really nice job of refurbishing it. While we waited, an organist performed, which was rather neat. When it came time to show the previews, the Wurlitzer actually drops down below the stage while the organist continues to play on its way down. Then the curtains opened with lots of fanfare to show trailers, including one for Brother Bear, which was new to me. The previews were followed by a stage show with the El Capitan singers and dancers and various Pixar characters. The movie followed and, this time, I was able to spot some of the hidden little features I hadnt caught the first time.
On our way back to the parking structure, it appeared that the Essence Awards were over as they were rolling the carpet back up and we could actually cross in front of the Kodak. As we actually walked over the carpet, I turned to Chandra and joked about the sacred ground we were treading on. : )
Thankfully, the trip back to Anaheim was much faster than our trip earlier in the day to Burbank! That was a pretty quiet car!
, not too far from you! And I'm a LP'er also, same screen name. Are you guys going to the Big LP Meet in July? We are! It's our first one!!
Since you're so close, I should mention that there's a chapter of the NFFC (national club for Disney fans) based here in Sacramento. In fact, we will be meeting again this Saturday (June 14). If you're up for the drive, check out 
