80sTrivia
10-25-2005, 10:59 AM
Firstly, I simply must say Wow!
I definitely had the most amazing experience of my life during my short but productive stay in New York City! The whole thing seemed almost like an out-of-body experience, and several times I literally had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The ride into Manhattan was first class, courtesy of a chauffeur-driven Town Car. My hotel was superb! I was put into the Hotel Gansevoort on 9th Avenue in Greenwich Village! I had my first Celebrity Encounter while entering my hotel to check-in. As my luggage was being prepared to be taken into the hotel by the porter, I noticed a familiar face walking toward me. As I entered the hotel lobby through the revolving doors, the familiar face followed behind me. I checked in and went to the elevator with the porter and when we entered, I asked him "Was that Seann William-Scott?" He laughed and said, "Yeah, that's Stiffler" (his character in the American Pie series, and he was also one of the Duke boys in the movie version of The Dukes of Hazzard).
I made the most out of the short amount of time I had in New York. I went out walking as soon as I had taken my luggage into my room. I spent the entire afternoon exploring the beautiful Village, Tribeca, Chelsea and SoHo. Such an amazing and lovely part of New York. After a quick rest, I made my way uptown, walking all the way up to Times Square (never fails to move you when seeing it lit up brightly at night) Times Square was packed with people, as always, but the unmistakable energy simply radiates from the pavement itself. I continuing walking up toward Columbus Circle, before making my way down Central Park South. I was sad to see The Plaza Hotel closed for renovations, but the outside fountain was still in use, and the world-famous hansom carriages were clickity-clocking up and down Central Park South. I didn't go into the Park as it was after dark, so I made my way back down Fifth Avenue, passing Trump Tower and the myriad famous shops, heading down to St. Patrick's Cathedral before turning off to see Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. I called my sister on my cell phone while watching the ice skaters having fun at the ice skating rink. I darted into a tiny hole-in-the-wall for a quick bite to eat, before heading back to Times Square, turning back to marvel at the beautiful, sleek Art Deco Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, its top floors bathed in a brilliant purple hue. As I had an early morning, I had to make my way back down to the Village to my hotel, a considerable walk, but I took my time to soak up the magnificent and unique ambiance that is such a part of New York City.
Day two dawned early, as I had a six o'clock wake-up call to get ready to go to the studio for taping of the Lifetime special. My nerves were kicking into high gear by this point, but I managed to take my shower and get dressed, hoping my outfit would be suitable for the show. An assistant came to the hotel to show me the way to the studio, which was only a short, two-block walk. The studio is in an old warehouse of some sort and we had to use a claknky, monstrous freight elevator to get upstairs! Everyone at the studio was incredibly nice and they treated me so well. I was taken immediately to make-up and hair, where two great makeup artists, Pascal and Ewan, slathered me in about two-inches of pankcake makeup! Yikes! Wardrobe came to check me out, saying I might be too dark with my black jacket, grey sweater and black slacks, so I was asked to remove the jacket. Mo Rocca arrived shortly thereafter. Apparently, he walked over from his apartment on 15th Street! He brought quite a selection of clothes, including a bright orange sweater and lime green pants! Ultimately, he settled on a blue gingham button-down undershirt, pink and blue striped tie and blue jacket with dark slacks. He is incredibly nice and incredibly intelligent (he is a Harvard grad), and when he walked in, he was carrying a copy of my book! We spoke quite a bit, which made me very relaxed. Then comes in Judy Gold, brash as ever. She's very TALL! She, too, is carrying a copy of my book. She's very funny, of course, every bit a New Yorker. She says to me, "So, you wrote the book?" and I reply, a bit timidly, "Yes..." She turns the book over and sees the photograph of me with my horse, Agamemnon. "What's with the horse?" she asks. "It's my horse. He's at my father's horse farm in Kentucky." Then, her cell phone rings, and I take off to get a bite to eat downstairs at the commisary. Very healthy selection of food, I might add. I opt for the fresh berries and a croissant. I am then asked by someone to sign a release form and they take a Poloroid shot of me, for posterity! (just kidding!)...
Making my way back upstairs, I am then introduced to the lovely people from Lifetime, who have to approve my outfit. It's okay with them. Then I am taken to the set where taping is to take place! Immediately, I recognize the wicker furniture from the show! I'm like... it's the furniture from The Golden Girls! Okay, so it's not the actual furniture, but it's a very close likeness. There's a table with a photograph of the Girls... there's even three plates of cheesecake on the coffee table.
Soon enough, it's "Places, everybody"! I am asked to sit between Mo and Judy. The director, who is very young, comes over to give us our pep talks and talk about the direction of the shoot. Firstly, we have to do our intros. We each have to look into the camera, say "You are watching the Golden Girls 20th Annivesary special on Lifetime". I nailed mine on the first take, but there was some off-stage sounds and we had to do it again. After the intros, we will be watching clips from the show and they will be taping our reactions. Make-up does some touch-ups (the studio lights are incredibly hot) and then the director introduces our first topic of conversation, about Sophia and her stroke and why she said the things she said. I'm the straight man, so I give the reason why Sophia is this way, due to her stroke, and then Mo and Judy bounce off one-another, with witty one-liners. I have to say, it is more than a little bit intimidating to be seated between two professional comedians! Okay, so the first scene is done, the director has his "end cap".
We move on, continuing to watch various clips from the show and then discussing more topics in depth, from Dorothy's facial expressions, to whether or not Rose was really dumb, to the significance of cheesecake, which we got to eat, to Blanche's sluttishness. The conversation was lively, to say the least! After over four hours of taping, my bit was done! Judy and Mo gave me some applause, as did the rest of the crew. The director came over to tell me what a great job I did, and he was impressed that I was able to hold my own against two professionals. Wow, I actually did it! Feeling relief, happiness and pride, I was able to sit back and watch as the fan interviews began to take place. The show had brought in various fanatics of the show to demonstrate how much they truly love The Golden Girls.
Not very long after, another producer approached me to let me know that a big storm was due to hit New York (today) and wanted to know if it would be okay to book me on a flight out that very night. I said sure and was told I had to leave right away to make the earlier flight! I quickly changed and scrubbed the make-up off my face, before I was whisked downstairs and put into a Mercedes and whisked to the Newark airport! Traffic was horrendous, especially getting to the Holland Tunnel, and security at the airport was horrific. Luckily, I made my flight (which was turbulent) and arrived safely home last night. Exhausted, I told my family about my incredibly, unforgettable and possibly life-changing experience in New York!
So, don't forget to watch me on Lifetime on November 11, Veteran's Day!!!
I definitely had the most amazing experience of my life during my short but productive stay in New York City! The whole thing seemed almost like an out-of-body experience, and several times I literally had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The ride into Manhattan was first class, courtesy of a chauffeur-driven Town Car. My hotel was superb! I was put into the Hotel Gansevoort on 9th Avenue in Greenwich Village! I had my first Celebrity Encounter while entering my hotel to check-in. As my luggage was being prepared to be taken into the hotel by the porter, I noticed a familiar face walking toward me. As I entered the hotel lobby through the revolving doors, the familiar face followed behind me. I checked in and went to the elevator with the porter and when we entered, I asked him "Was that Seann William-Scott?" He laughed and said, "Yeah, that's Stiffler" (his character in the American Pie series, and he was also one of the Duke boys in the movie version of The Dukes of Hazzard).
I made the most out of the short amount of time I had in New York. I went out walking as soon as I had taken my luggage into my room. I spent the entire afternoon exploring the beautiful Village, Tribeca, Chelsea and SoHo. Such an amazing and lovely part of New York. After a quick rest, I made my way uptown, walking all the way up to Times Square (never fails to move you when seeing it lit up brightly at night) Times Square was packed with people, as always, but the unmistakable energy simply radiates from the pavement itself. I continuing walking up toward Columbus Circle, before making my way down Central Park South. I was sad to see The Plaza Hotel closed for renovations, but the outside fountain was still in use, and the world-famous hansom carriages were clickity-clocking up and down Central Park South. I didn't go into the Park as it was after dark, so I made my way back down Fifth Avenue, passing Trump Tower and the myriad famous shops, heading down to St. Patrick's Cathedral before turning off to see Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. I called my sister on my cell phone while watching the ice skaters having fun at the ice skating rink. I darted into a tiny hole-in-the-wall for a quick bite to eat, before heading back to Times Square, turning back to marvel at the beautiful, sleek Art Deco Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, its top floors bathed in a brilliant purple hue. As I had an early morning, I had to make my way back down to the Village to my hotel, a considerable walk, but I took my time to soak up the magnificent and unique ambiance that is such a part of New York City.
Day two dawned early, as I had a six o'clock wake-up call to get ready to go to the studio for taping of the Lifetime special. My nerves were kicking into high gear by this point, but I managed to take my shower and get dressed, hoping my outfit would be suitable for the show. An assistant came to the hotel to show me the way to the studio, which was only a short, two-block walk. The studio is in an old warehouse of some sort and we had to use a claknky, monstrous freight elevator to get upstairs! Everyone at the studio was incredibly nice and they treated me so well. I was taken immediately to make-up and hair, where two great makeup artists, Pascal and Ewan, slathered me in about two-inches of pankcake makeup! Yikes! Wardrobe came to check me out, saying I might be too dark with my black jacket, grey sweater and black slacks, so I was asked to remove the jacket. Mo Rocca arrived shortly thereafter. Apparently, he walked over from his apartment on 15th Street! He brought quite a selection of clothes, including a bright orange sweater and lime green pants! Ultimately, he settled on a blue gingham button-down undershirt, pink and blue striped tie and blue jacket with dark slacks. He is incredibly nice and incredibly intelligent (he is a Harvard grad), and when he walked in, he was carrying a copy of my book! We spoke quite a bit, which made me very relaxed. Then comes in Judy Gold, brash as ever. She's very TALL! She, too, is carrying a copy of my book. She's very funny, of course, every bit a New Yorker. She says to me, "So, you wrote the book?" and I reply, a bit timidly, "Yes..." She turns the book over and sees the photograph of me with my horse, Agamemnon. "What's with the horse?" she asks. "It's my horse. He's at my father's horse farm in Kentucky." Then, her cell phone rings, and I take off to get a bite to eat downstairs at the commisary. Very healthy selection of food, I might add. I opt for the fresh berries and a croissant. I am then asked by someone to sign a release form and they take a Poloroid shot of me, for posterity! (just kidding!)...
Making my way back upstairs, I am then introduced to the lovely people from Lifetime, who have to approve my outfit. It's okay with them. Then I am taken to the set where taping is to take place! Immediately, I recognize the wicker furniture from the show! I'm like... it's the furniture from The Golden Girls! Okay, so it's not the actual furniture, but it's a very close likeness. There's a table with a photograph of the Girls... there's even three plates of cheesecake on the coffee table.
Soon enough, it's "Places, everybody"! I am asked to sit between Mo and Judy. The director, who is very young, comes over to give us our pep talks and talk about the direction of the shoot. Firstly, we have to do our intros. We each have to look into the camera, say "You are watching the Golden Girls 20th Annivesary special on Lifetime". I nailed mine on the first take, but there was some off-stage sounds and we had to do it again. After the intros, we will be watching clips from the show and they will be taping our reactions. Make-up does some touch-ups (the studio lights are incredibly hot) and then the director introduces our first topic of conversation, about Sophia and her stroke and why she said the things she said. I'm the straight man, so I give the reason why Sophia is this way, due to her stroke, and then Mo and Judy bounce off one-another, with witty one-liners. I have to say, it is more than a little bit intimidating to be seated between two professional comedians! Okay, so the first scene is done, the director has his "end cap".
We move on, continuing to watch various clips from the show and then discussing more topics in depth, from Dorothy's facial expressions, to whether or not Rose was really dumb, to the significance of cheesecake, which we got to eat, to Blanche's sluttishness. The conversation was lively, to say the least! After over four hours of taping, my bit was done! Judy and Mo gave me some applause, as did the rest of the crew. The director came over to tell me what a great job I did, and he was impressed that I was able to hold my own against two professionals. Wow, I actually did it! Feeling relief, happiness and pride, I was able to sit back and watch as the fan interviews began to take place. The show had brought in various fanatics of the show to demonstrate how much they truly love The Golden Girls.
Not very long after, another producer approached me to let me know that a big storm was due to hit New York (today) and wanted to know if it would be okay to book me on a flight out that very night. I said sure and was told I had to leave right away to make the earlier flight! I quickly changed and scrubbed the make-up off my face, before I was whisked downstairs and put into a Mercedes and whisked to the Newark airport! Traffic was horrendous, especially getting to the Holland Tunnel, and security at the airport was horrific. Luckily, I made my flight (which was turbulent) and arrived safely home last night. Exhausted, I told my family about my incredibly, unforgettable and possibly life-changing experience in New York!
So, don't forget to watch me on Lifetime on November 11, Veteran's Day!!!