THE PRICE IS RIGHT 01/15/2014

Coooooooooommmme On Down! You're the next contestant on.... 

THE PRICE IS RIGHT!

I grew up hearing those words as watching The Price is Right was a staple during the summertime. It looked like so much fun to be jumping around and acting a fool on camera. I never realized it could be a possibility.

Until now...

That's right! On January 15th, 2014 I took my Mother and two friends to a taping of The Price is Right with Drew Carey. "WOW" is how I would sum it up.

TICKETS:
Tickets can be obtained via
http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/The_Price_is_Right
up to 60 days in advance. It'll say right on the website if tickets are available and they are ready to print as soon as you put your information in. You may request up to 4 tickets.

There are two types of tickets:

Priority tickets are guarantee admission into TPIR. They hand out about 200 of these bad boys.

General tickets are standby seats. This means that once Priority files into the studio, then General tickets will be admitted. All in all they allow around 300 people into the audience.

***TIP***
It was our experience that no one in the General Ticket status was picked to bid on items. Everyone that was selected was ahead of us in line with Priority Tickets.

LOCATION:
CBS Television City
7800 Beverly Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90036

PARKING:
We had the luxury of having my mother with us, who is disabled. That handicap parking is THE BOMB as you're able to park right inside the studio on Genesee Ave. The tickets indicate that parking should be done at The Grove Parking garage, which is a few blocks down.

LINE:
We had tickets for the noon show so we arrived at approximately 9:20 am and were numbers 8-12 in line. There is nowhere to sit so standing it was! And strangely enough, it was HOT that day. Yes, in January it was hot. No shade + no sitting = hot.

The line began at the guard shack on Genesee. At around 10am, the line was split into the two ticket holder categories: Priority ticket holders were to the left of the guard shack on Genesee Ave and the General's were to the right of the guard shack. Once the Priority Ticket holders moved, we were numbers 3-6 in line for Generals!

(Bonus- you can see the Hollywood sign from here. Sweeeeet)

They began admitting Priority around 11 am and they had until Noon to check in. Once noon hit, the staff began to process the general ticket holders in. I received number 207 so we knew they were letting around 93 more general ticket holders in.

ENTRANCE: 
Once inside the studio, you enter the line near the studio under some shade (YESSS!!!!) and keep moving up in line for about the next 45 minutes. This is where you fill out paperwork in case you win, receive your name tag (YAY!!!) and take photographs for the producers and for a souvenir.

The souvenir photograph is $20. It's in front of a blue screen so don't wear blue or you'll be "see-through". 

After the photographs, you sit on a different side of the building and wait for the interview. During this time, a waitress comes by and offers food to be ordered for a nominal fee, such as burgers and pizza.

THE INTERVIEW:
The producers interview you in groups of 10-20 people so it's imparitive that you stick out and shine! Be prepared to answer questions about what you do, your favorite game on the show, if you watch the show, etc. Make Stan and the other producers  WANT to pick you! Remember, dramatic personalities make the show ;)

After the Interview, you're lead to the backside of the studio where there are more benches. (Time: around 3 pm) Here is where you'll walk through the medal detector, they'll search your bags and will confiscate your phone. There are television screens playing TPIR and the staff delivers the food that people ordered from the other waiting area. This is relax time! Take a break, make sure to use the restroom and EAT. For the past 2-4 hours, everyone's nerves have been in bundles because of the process. Then before you know it, it's time to enter the studio.

GAME TIME:
The studio is SMALL! Not like the big room you see on TV. They must use a fish eye lens to give the illusion of space!

Remember how we were numbers 207-210? The Studio was full so we were seated in the very back row in the folding chairs. No studio seating for us! UGH! Others who had smaller groups could fit in the crowd in other places.

The announcer (George) comes out, Drew Carey walks out and it's GAME ON! It happens EXTREMELY FAST. (Time: around 4 pm)

Everyone is screaming and clapping and it's SOOOO LOUD in there. They call the first four players down and because you can't hear, they also write the names on cue cards for the audience to see. The games are played, the set is redone during commercial breaks and Drew talks to the audience. The game starts playing again and there are cameras EVERYWHERE. More games, more cameras, more clapping and hollaring. Then it's the last person to get called to "COME ON DOWN"! Is it you? Is it me?

Damn it. It's neither.

Everyone's dreams are crushed that they didn't get picked but the announcer claims that if you just keep that energy level up, they'll pick another person to "come on down" to get a "$100 prize". So people do- and you do... Unfortunately.

GAME OVER:
We exited the studio at 5:30 pm.

OVERVIEW:
People are hopping up and down and yelling. You seriously are so amped up that you could either pass out or vomit. I was on the verge of blacking out myself. A day in the heat and sun with emotions on high, acting bubbly for hours straight then had a huge finale like this? It's overwhelming.

And I can't wait to do it again!

***TIPS***
*Bring cash with you for food
*Take some type of Upper before you come (KIDDING! Just kidding! I don't condone drug use!)
*The more "quirky" or unusual you are, the more the producers will remember you. Be charasmatic and speak as soon as you're spoken to. If you're going to be on TV, they need a person who can think quickly on their feet.
*Bring your friends!

THE BIG BANG THEORY 1/14/2014

Let's start this blog of with a BANG! 

The Big Bang, that is!

After months of trying to secure tickets for The Big Bang Theory television show, it finally happened. The ticket process is crazy and if you have attempted to score tickets for this show, you know how bogged down that website gets. Let's begin by walking through the process, shall we?

Wake up on a Monday morning, excited with the possibility that THIS COULD BE THE MONDAY YOU GET BIG BANG THEORY TICKETS! At 8:20 am PST, you log onto http://www.tvtickets.com/ and get your pointer finger ready for some serious mouse clicking. At 8:30 am PST, the website releases the tickets and a stupid message keeps coming up when you reload the page. It appears in big neon letters that reads: "ERROR". What is this junk? Well, it's the server being bogged down by so many darn people trying to get tickets at the exact same time. 

So you keep refreshing, in hopes that you come up with the form that allows you to input your personal information into it. Once you do that, there is a possibility that when you hit "submit", you'll get another error code. UGGGGGH! BUT on the off chance that it made it through: CONGRATULATIONS! You now have a ticket to the most sought after television taping EVER. Now you have to hit the backspace button and try again for whoever wants to go with you (and that's like EVERYONE you know) because each individual must have a ticket due to security reasons.

But you know what? Those months of frustration pay off because you're jumping up and down like a lunatic! Oh wait, maybe that was just how I reacted. 

NOW ON TO THE SHOW:
Filming takes place at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA at 4210 W. Olive Ave at Gate 3. It's beautiful here and parking is a breeze and its F-R-E-E. Not many places have a parking garage AND free parking so relish in this moment. 

Inside the parking structure is a nice waiting area that has picnic tables and benches, vending machines and bathrooms. Don't be fooled. This is NOT where your waiting begins. Fans waiting to see the daytime show "Ellen" are held here before The Big Bang Theory is authorized to use this facility. Your waiting begins on the side of the parking garage, outside, in the parking lot (behind that cush waiting area). There's hardly any shade, nowhere to sit and it gets HOT. 

My husband and I arrived around 1 pm thinking we were already behind schedule to be one of the first few people in line for the 6:30pm taping (and 5pm audience check-in time). We had "Priority" tickets. Wait, what does that mean?

There are two types of tickets for The Big Bang: 

Priority: you're not guaranteed admittance (nobody is guaranteed) but there's a 99.9% chance you'll be seeing the show. Sometimes more VIP's show up than expected so that's why they say "no guarantee". VIP's are friends and family of the cast and crew so if you don't have the hookup, then there's no guarantee. 

Standby: You're not guaranteed AND you're on a first come, first serve basis. That means, after the VIP's and Priority audience members go in and are seated, then they'll allow the standby ticket holders to go in based on their placement in line. 

So, that being said: standby ticket holders usually show up at ungodly hours and stand around in unfavorable weather conditions on the CHANCE they will be admitted. You know, some of those priority ticket holders or VIP's never show up and that's where the standby's come in!

Back to my story- We had priority tickets and showed up at 1 pm. COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Everyone else in line had standby tickets and we were maybe number 34 and 35 in line. We waited, taking turns standing in line and at 4 pm, Audiences Unlimited (AU) Employees came out, announced the procedures and checked our tickets. We then split into two groups and headed into the luxurious waiting area inside the parking garage: Priority and Standby. Remember how I said we were number 34 and 35 in line? Once we split from the standby ticket holders, we were number 5 and 6 in the Priority line. 
*Note to self: don't show up that early with Priority tickets. I could have walked into the parking structure at 4 pm and would have been admitted without a problem. 

AU holds you there in the waiting area for about another 45 minutes and during this time they check the name on your ticket with the name on your ID, stamp your hand and give you one last chance to use the restroom. You CANNOT use the facilities once you are in the studio. Keep that in mind!

The AU staff then leads you across the street into the studios where the BBT is, past where Conan, 2 broke girls and Mike & Molly are filmed. You are then taken to the medal detectors where they search your bags and pat you down. CELL PHONES ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE STUDIO GROUNDS. They'll tell you to put them in your cars (do it or they'll confiscate them.) This is one of the strictest tapings I've been to concerning cell phones. 

After that, you're lead into the studio, seated by an AU member then wait until Curtain Call! Everyone is pumped up and there's not a bad seat in the house; the sets span across the entire seating area. From left to right was a static set, penny's apartment, the elevator stairwell, Sheldon & Leonard's apartment and then another static set. It was so surreal to see everything in person. Above where you are seated are monitors and microphones. They'll play you a showing of BBT while the set gets set up. Then the Audience Guide comes out, introduces himself, goes over the rules (basically just laugh and don't talk when filming) then he makes jokes to get everyone in the giggling mood and plays games in between takes so you're entertained THE ENTIRE TIME. 

At 6:30 the cast came out for their introductions, bowed to the audience then went to their markers to prepare for taping. Everyone got quiet, the monitors flared up with what the cameras were filming and the acting began! They'd tape a scene, stop for a few minutes, reset and tape the exact same scene again (sometimes with minor changes). You're expected to laugh as if it's the first time you've seen it. I will say though, that these actors are AMAZING. To go straight through a few minutes of dialogue without many hiccups and then do it again and react the way they do is simply admirable. No wonder why they get paid the big bucks!

Again, between takes, the Emcee is calling people up to do silly tricks and handing out candy. Your senses become overwhelmed. At the midway point, everyone in the audience received a cold slice of cheese pizza and a small water. BUT YOU'RE SO HUNGRY FROM BEING IN LINE ALL DAY WITHOUT FOOD THAT IT'S THE BEST DAMN PIZZA IN THE WORLD. 

Go ahead, ask me. Ask me how long the taping lasted? heh. 6:30 pm until 10:20 pm. Yes. You read that right. You're entertained for almost 4 hours straight. 


After the filming is done, the cast comes out for another curtain call and everyone leaves. Kunal Nayyar was the only cast member that stuck around and signed autographs. He was extremely nice and very handsome in person! (not that he's not on the show)


Everyone is escorted out of the studio and back to the parking garage and that's it- it's over. The moment you've been waiting for is done and then you realize "I just saw the best damn show in person" and become the envy of all your friends. 

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! I LOVE the BBT and have watched it since the first episode aired. I remember telling all of my friends about this show with geeks that I could relate to and now here I am seeing it in person. 

Thrilling. 

I hope this helped if you had any questions with what to expect if you have tickets to the BBT. For a parting shot, here are some tips of the trade:

***TIPS***

If you arrive early: bring a chair, umbrella (for blocking sun OR rain), snacks and water. You'll have the opportunity to take them back to your car before entering studio. 

Leave your cell phone in your car.

Did I mention to bring snacks? 

Print out your tickets and ensure you have your ID card.

Bring a sweater/jacket. The studio gets cold. 

Be prepared for a long show and late night. 

Laugh!

Make friends while waiting in line. There were people from all over the world with us. This helped past the time. 

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up! Tell me your own story of seeing the show and if nothing else, share your love of The Big Bang Theory. 

BAZINGA!