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#1 |
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Member
Forum Celebrity
Join Date: May 23, 2002
Posts: 21,714
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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!!! |
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Perfect Gift Books for Pop Culture Fanatics: Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book The Bouquet Residence: A Keeping Up Appearances Trivia Book Cooking With the Golden Girls: Fun & Delicious Recipes from a Hilarious Miami Kitchen Love in the Afternoon: The Ultimate Soap Opera Trivia Book The Last Great Decade: The Ultimate 90s Trivia Book Betty White: A Celebration |
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#2 |
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Member
Occasional Poster
Join Date: Jun 20, 2005
Posts: 29
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Wow! Sounds like it was an exciting experience! Glad you had a good and safe trip!
-Angela
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#3 |
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Member
Forum Celebrity
Join Date: May 23, 2002
Posts: 21,714
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Thank you, Angela... it was an experience of a Lifetime!
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#4 |
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Member
Forum Celebrity
Join Date: May 23, 2002
Posts: 21,714
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So, I get a call a while ago. It's my sister, yelling that she just saw me on TV. Apparently, Lifetime TV is already running promos for the Golden Girls Twentieth Anniversay Special airing on November 11. I don't appear until the end of the thirty-second commercial, but you can catch a glimpse of me on stage, seated between Mo Rocca and Judy Gold. Then I get another call from a friend of mine who saw the promo as well. Naturally, I start watching... and an hour later, I finally see the spot. So I guess Lifetime will be airing the spot until the eleventh. That should give everyone time to see me!!!
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#5 |
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Member
Forum Celebrity
Join Date: May 23, 2002
Posts: 21,714
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Lifetime TV has issued the following press release regarding the upcoming 20th Anniversary of The Golden Girls, airing on November 11:
Press Release Source: Lifetime [i]After All These Years, Still Laughing... Lifetime Television Celebrates Twentieth Anniversary of 'The Golden Girls' With Gala Party Beginning Friday, November 11 Monday October 31, 2:14 pm ET 'I am obsessed with The Golden Girls. I should be president of the fan club. My girl friends have decided that I have the feistiness of Sophia but the random stories and weird anecdotes of Rose. I'm definitely not like Blanche.' Jennifer Love Hewitt 'Ooh, I love Golden Girls...' Venus Williams - Comedians Mo Rocca and Judy Gold Host On-Air Roundtable Discussion - - Lifetimetv.com Trivia Game and Special Cell Phone Download Features - - New DVD Releases: November 8 'The Golden Girls: A Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series' and November 22 Series' Third Season - NEW YORK, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty years -- and still laughing! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the "The Golden Girls," one of television's most beloved and enduring sitcoms, Lifetime Television is throwing a gala on-air, on-line, wireless party beginning Friday, November 11 from 12noon-11PM (ET/PT) showcasing the series' 20 greatest episodes, followed by an encore presentation of "The Golden Girls Reunion" -- the network's highest-rated special ever. Lifetime's celebration of "The Golden Girls," where more than 16 million people watch the series on Lifetime in any given week -- and which boasted "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry as a writer for three seasons -- includes a trivia game at http://www.lifetimetv.com along with innovative wireless features that fans can download onto their cell phones, such as: -- Ringtones -- The theme song, "Thank You For Being a Friend," available as a ringtone -- Voicetones -- Funny lines from each of the Girls available as both ringtones and ringbacks -- Original voicemail greetings -- Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan have recorded special greetings fans can send as gifts, such as an Arthur 'Happy Birthday' message -- Graphics -- The cast of The Golden Girls and series logo accessible as cell phone wallpaper Additionally, during "The Golden Girls Reunion," fans will have the opportunity to text in their "shout out" which will be scrolled on screen throughout the program. As well, comedians Mo Rocca and Judy Gold, along with Michael D. Craig, author of Thank You for Being a Friend: A Golden Girls Trivia Book, host an on-air roundtable discussion aired as interstitials throughout the day. These interstitials feature the most 'obsessed' "Golden Girls" real life fans expressing their love for this classic sitcom by singing the theme song, showing off their memorabilia and even doing a dance inspired by the Girls. Often called the original "Sex and the City," "The Golden Girls," which starred Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty (all of whom won Emmy Awards), bowed on NBC in 1985 and joined Lifetime's lineup in 1997. During its seven year run on NBC, the series featured a treasure trove of famous guest stars, such as George Clooney, Rita Moreno, Mickey Rooney, Quentin Tarantino, Merv Griffin, Ruby Dee, Dick van Dyke, Jeffrey Tambor, Debbie Reynolds, Martin Mull, Mario Lopez, Alan Rachins, Park Overall, Julio Inglesia, Alex Trebek, and Leslie Nielsen. Leading up to the anniversary day, lifetimetv.com is sponsoring a text-to- win sweepstakes where the winner and a guest will travel to New York City, have lunch with Rue McClanahan and receive tickets to see McClanahan star in the Broadway musical "Wicked." On November 8 Warner Home Video, in partnership with Lifetime, will release a special DVD package "The Golden Girls: A Lifetime Intimate Portrait Series," featuring the Intimate Portrait profiles of Arthur, White, McClanahan and Getty, while on November 22, Buena Vista will release "The Golden Girls" third season on DVD.[/quote] |
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#6 |
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Back in St. Olaf...
Frequent Poster
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It really does sound like you had an amazing day! I can't wait to see it
I'm glad someone is doing something for the girls' 20th Birthday.
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#7 |
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I love 'Reba' & G Gs
Occasional Poster
Join Date: Nov 03, 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 78
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It's wonderful that you had such a great time. I can't wait to watch it! It's good to know that they're doing something for the girl's 20th anniversery!
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#8 |
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Member
Forum Celebrity
Join Date: May 23, 2002
Posts: 21,714
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Thanks for the kind words, everyone! It was such an incredible experience that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world! Happy 20th Anniversary to our beautiful Girls!!!
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#9 |
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Member
Forum Celebrity
Join Date: May 23, 2002
Posts: 21,714
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Major Thank You's to all of my fantastic and supportive friends. You have all been so wonderful and kind and have helped to really make this one of the best moments of my life, thus far! You are all the best!
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