I Run in Heels

A Letter to Bob from Biggest Loser

Dear B.L. Bob,
A few weeks ago, we were on the same flight from L.A. to Dallas. My mom and I waited in the aisle as you stored your carry-on in the overhead bin. And I successfully fought the urge to gush about how much I love the show (okay...you), how much I've enjoyed your workout DVDs over the years, how I'd be doing lunges all the way from first class to coach.

After all, as a former Californian, I know better than to make a scene over a celebrity; brief eye contact is permitted, the kind of look that says "I know who you are. You know I know. Let's leave it at that."

And then I showed self-restraint once more when I saw I could have a seat-to-seat screen chat with anyone on the plane. No, I didn't even send a freshly juiced drink to your row, Bob.

But allow me to say now what I would've liked to say then.

(Sorry about the interruption...just finishing another set of sprints.)

You are looking good.

And if we ever chance to fly the friendly skies together again (with me on my way to compete in the Ironman,and you doing whatever it is that incredibly attractive, well-paid trainers do), and a gift basket of Muscle Milk, acai berries, and Clif bars shows up in your seat, you'll know who to thank!

America's Got Talent Taping

Last week, I headed to downtown L.A. with my coworker Gia, her friend Stacy, and my brother's gf Ali for a taping of America's Got Talent. It was the last day of auditions for this season (they'd already taped across the country) and of course they called us "the best audience yet."

The Orpheum Theater was packed with people (including a huge group of high school seniors) so there was a lot of energy in the room. The warm-up guy started things off, playing to the high schoolers and making digs against their rivals. Next up was host Nick Cannon, who looked really sharp in an obviously expensive suit. He led us in a game of "Celebrity Look-A-Likes" and had people in the crowd yell out who they thought their friends looked like and then he'd come out and comment on their accuracy.

As an audience, we were instructed to cheer loudly for the ones we liked and chant "Vegas, Vegas"  For the ones we didn't like, we were supposed to point to the right side of the building with both hands or hold up our arms to make an "X." The judges push a button that lights up a huge red X at the top of the stage and is accompanied by a very loud sound. (A little traumatic for the performers to heard midway through their act).

There weren't any acts that just blew me away (no Paul Potts or Susan Boyle in this crowd), but there were definitely some odd balls (such as a 2-man version doing a slow-motion version of Cirque du Soleil, a man dancing with a life-size puppet, etc.). One Stars Wars fan performed a tribute song and the intitial response to him almost made me tear up, I felt so bad for him. But, to be fair, the audience did cheer for him at the end of his act.

All in all, it was entertaining, but definitely a one-time experience for me. I had such a splitting headache by the time I got home from the sensory overload. And it's definitely hard to watch the acts that get X'd by the judges or waved off by the crowd. We did have some laughs though, especially when Gia won an autographed picture of David Hasselhoff for knowing who won last season. (For the record, Piers was obnoxious, voting no on almost every at, Sharon was completely endearing, and Hasselhoff was just a character but you can't help but laugh at his antics).

Your chance to be in a movie!

I'm on an email list for beinamovie.com, and they just added another filming date for their sports movie "Warrior." They need extras, so if you live in SoCal and are free this Friday night, you should definitely think about it! I've done one with them before (Semi Pro) and we had a great time. Here's the link and let me know if you end up going!

www.beinamovie.com/movie.php?mtitleid=79

Weathered: Cast and Crew Screening

It was a thrill this past Saturday night to attend the cast and crew screening of my friend Matt Webb's film "Weathered." Matt and Matt Barber created a wonderful short film (see a preview here) dealing with the issues of isolation, grief, the importance of human touch, and how we connect with one another.

I was an extra in the film as well, so it was exciting to watch the credits too. :) We had these awesome cupcakes from Auntie Em's Kitchen and wine from Colorado Wine Company beforehand. And the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena was the perfect setting, with a very cool 0ld Hollywood feel to it.

The picture on the left is of Matt, his wife Eva, their son Jack, and a few of the wonderful neighbors I lived by in Trinity apartments the last two years. You kind of feel like your life is a sitcom when you get to live next door to such amazing people and call them friends.

For those of you at Fuller, there's a screening there this Friday, so hopefully I will see you there!

Tinkerbell at El Capitan Theater

Disney's El Capitan theater in Hollywood is now showing the recently released "Tinkerbell" movie, which introduces fans to Tinkerbell's life before Peter Pan. The scenes take place in an animated tropical wonderland that calls to mind the rain forests in "Fern Gully." The El Capitan theater is an experience all by itself, looking more like a classic theater for stage productions than a movie theater. While you're waiting for the film to begin, an organist takes the stage and performs Disney classics. Most of the audience sang along when I was there, and I admit I joined right in for "Under the Sea."

Girls came decked out in their fairy best, with Tinkerbell shirts, backpacks, and even wings. Tinkerbell herself dances across the stage, but sadly doesn't come into the audience for photo ops. After the show, there's a mad dash to the Disney Store, where children can find Tinkerbell figurines, mugs, costumes, books, journals, and more. This is a really fun night out for the young girls or Tinkerbell fans in your life. I got discount tickets through www.goldstar.com, but there's a $2.50 service fee per ticket. This is still cheaper than buying the tickets at the theater.

Dancing with the Stars Premiere: Season 7

Last Monday, my friends Gia and Becca, my cousin Erin, and I made our way to the premiere of the 7th season of Dancing with the Stars. This was my fifth time to see the show live, and according to my friend Leslie, that makes me a DWTS junkie. I'd have to agree. Although I'll admit I don't catch it much on TV. I noticed a couple changes this season: fewer toilets available (the women eventually took over the men's restroom) and less down time resulting in fewer activities for the audience (last season there was everything from sing-off's to versions of game shows like "The Newlywed Game" before the taping began. But, all in all, it was as fun as ever!

Memorable moments from the night...

*Waiting in line, just knowing we were going to be stuck in the balcony, only to be escorted to the tables reserved for celebrities' families on the floor!

*Getting a high-five from Toni Braxton's sister after her scores were announced. (Toni's performance was my favorite of the females).

*Warren Sapp lit up the stage. His smile draws you in and he can really move. He is definitely one of the dancers to watch this season.

*Cloris Leachman is a piece of work. She seemed a little tipsy as she approached the judges' table, proceeding to swing her leg up onto it, prompting Bruno to kiss her knee. Then she leaned over a little too far forward for judge Len Goodman's taste and finished up by sitting on judge Carrie Ann Inaba's lap.

*Comedian Jeffrey Ross soldiering on after his partner accidentally scratched his cornea during rehearsals. His relatives were sitting near us and, even knowing his chances weren't that great, were so proud of him.

(If you pause this video at 1:31, behind the dancer Tony's shoulder you can see my cousin in a light-colored dress in the front, I'm behind her in a black dress, and then there's a gentleman behind me in a cream-colored suit).

My True Hollywood Story

This is an article I wrote for a edition of our student paper, the Semi, that was focusing on game shows. Enjoy!                                                                                                                                 My friends like to give me a hard time, because in the last four months I've been to 4 tapings of Dancing with the Stars5 of American Gladiators, and one of the Ellen Show. I love the whole process: standing in line, people-watching, the "warm-up guys" who try to get the audience revved up with everything from dance-offs to mini game shows, and, of course, being part of a live studio audience. I've gotten to see J. Lo, James Blunt, and Queen Latifah perform and I've sat across the room from the Spice Girls and Donny Osmond. In my defense, I come by my love of on-air competition honestly. My parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, great-grandma, close family friend, and my college roommate's mom have all participated in game shows over the years. I think it's my time...I'm just saying.

Back in the 80's, my parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin were contestants on the Family Feud. Richard Dawson, the host at the time, was notorious for always greeting the ladies with a kiss on the cheek. He was quite the charmer. Before going out on the stage, the families were given instructions along these lines: "Now one of the answers on the board might be something that's a little embarrassing to say, like sex, and you just need to say it." Prepped and ready to go, they took the stage. When my aunt went up for her turn, the question was "Name an activity that causes you to stop and catch your breath." She rang the buzzer and blurted: "Sex!" Richard Dawson didn't miss a beat and said, "You're husband's a lucky man." With a beet-red face, my aunt went back to her team absolutely mortified. Not only was her sweet and very conservative mother in the audience but her 3rd grade studnets from the Christian school where she taught would be tuning in to watch. She turned to my mom once they were in the huddle : "Charlotte, I cannot go back out there. I am not going back out there!" My mom calmed her down, and they went on to lose the game, but the laughs our family has gotten from that story made it more than worthwhile.

At the age of 93, my great-grandmother was a contestant on the Price is Right. At the time, she was the oldest contestant the show had ever had. She was hard of hearing, so she had to have Bob Barker repeat what the other bids had been each time. He could not have been sweeter. He'd stand closer to her and make sure she could hear everything. She did not take home any of the big prizes that day, but I think she enjoyed the consolation vacuum cleaner more than she would a new bedroom set or an exotic vacation.

Another favorite game show story of mine is that of our close family friend Jon Jones. He was a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune. I'll never forget watching him make it to the final round. With the clock winding down fast, he shouted out (in the strongest Oklahoman accent you can imagine): "It's a, it's a, it's a GOLFCART!" We were going nuts watching it. He walked off with $25,000 and a Mazda Miata convertible. And now, of course, he's teaching in Las Vegas.

This last tale is technically not a game show story, but I think it's close enough to count. Before coming to Fuller, I worked in Advancement for Wheaton College in the Chicago suburbs. Two of my close friends from work got tickets to be in the audience of the Oprah Show adn invited the head of their department along.  The staff of the show gave everyone a small white box and said that someone in the audience had a key in theirs, but when they opened them up, they all had keys. It was the show were all 276 of the audience members got brand new Pontiac G-6's. Now I'm not going to lie. I was a teensy bit jealous. At the time, I was driving a car that leaked copious amounts of oil and the G-6 is a nice-looking automobile. But mostly, I got caught up in the excitement of watching them drive up in style to campus.

I love game shows. I love that even if the audience has been coached to clap and the contestants have been told how to react, there are still the moments you can't predict. Whether you win or lose, you know you're in for quite a ride. I love the excuse to express enthusiasm with abandon and be a part of a group of strangers doing the same. And if you are new to the L.A. area or even if you're not, I highly recommend the game show experience for a taste of the fun that Hollywood can offer!

My Kind of Town

Action!

One of the unique aspects of living in L.A. is the insane amount of talent you run into. There so many creative people who are passionate about using their art for more than self-promotion or pandering to the masses. Jason Ippolito ("Ipp") is one such artist, and last week I got to be an extra in his master's thesis film "Three Old Brits." On Wednesday night, my friend Loni and I were at the shoot from 11:30 p.m.-5:00 a.m. Andy warmed up the crowd with some new stand-up material, and then we were given instructions on different scenarios to act out in the background of scenes or for use as transitional material. My pivotal roles in the film could best be described as "woman walking across the room,"  "woman at bar cheering on soccer team (that one was really a stretch for me but I dug deep)," and "woman standing with her yellow purse." Here' s a shot of the director with two of the actors:

(Photo by Kristin Myers)

A little something I like to call procrastination...

This has been a very unusual quarter for me. In addition to a full load of classes, I've been babysitting cousins, working part-time, serving on the graduate union for my school, playing on a flag football team, and, of course, squeezing in time for fun. Lately, that fun has involved going to television shows that are filmed in the area. I've gone to Dancing w/ the Stars twice and the Ellen Show, and I will be going to each of those one more time in November along with American Gladiators. During my first visit to Dancing w/ the Stars, they asked for audience members to participate in a dance-off. I don't think they'd finished the question before I'd dragged my cousin down to the dance floor. After a little warm-up time, we all did the Cha Cha Slide together (I love this group dance!) and then they gave us each around a minute to strut our stuff. In front of 500 audience members, we tore it up on the DWTS stage. A few weeks later I got an email offering tickets to see J. Lo record her performance for the show. She sang "Let's Get Loud," and boy did we.  For the Ellen Show, we ended up in the Riff Raff room (aka overflow), but somehow I ended up competing in another dance-off there. They judged the winner based on the volume of cheering, and since I was w/ 3 other people, I wound up w/ a "I Danced with Ellen" t-shirt. Woohoo!