First of three - please bare w/me
Alright, guess where I went last night? So, thanks to my contact in the finance dept at Fremantle Media, I received four tix for Wed night's results show.
Don't know how much it's been mentioned but is shoots at CBS Television. The same place they shoot The Price Is Right and Bill Maher's HBO show. Different stages, of course. Like TPIR, the place looks bigger on TV than it is in real life. It's still pretty good size though.
I got there a little after 5 PM but it was just a little too late to make a pre-show taping they had. The call-in portion and that band who played, the one that won America's Next Top Band, was recorded then. I was surprised that they announced them as the winner. I was thinking that show got cancelled before ever reaching the finals. They had benches outside for people to sit. Plenty of standby people still there. They had a monitor that they'd turn on to show what was going on. They just said we had to be there by 5:30, I had no idea there'd be other stuff going on. It was no big deal that I missed it. I was actually kinda dreading sitting through audience warm up for the banality of it all.
Before they let anyone in they make you give security any cameras or cell phones with cameras until after the show. I had called to find out were cameras allowed since it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the ticket. The tickets, I might add, were these really nice luxury suite looking ones, only laminated.
I brought one friend who's classically trained and now does musical theater and a couple of co-workers who are big fans of the show. All three much more extroverted and hence natural wingmen. We were sitting on a bench waiting to go in and one of my co-workers told me my boss told her before she left, "Have fun. I'm sure it'll be great...Even though it's
just a results show and not a performance show." You know a bit of a dig out of envy. I said, 'well, did you tell him this is just as good? We get to see someone's dreams crushed before their very eyes." As if on cue, right then a PA comes out and says, "OK, do we have any friends and family here?" And three people sitting right straight across from me said, "Yeah, right here" and got up to leave. I just looked at my opera singing friend and we both had that "oh sh#t, that coulda been a disaster" look on our faces.
We get inside about ten minutes before the hour. The geek in me wanted to count cameras. I saw 3 roaming, two on jib arms that swung out over the audience. One of those NFL looking cameras mounted straight away and one higher up behind it. These were way in back and not sure if both were being operated. About two minutes before air someone brought out three coke cups to sit on the desk for the judges. I think Coke was actually in them. It wasn't until they took them away after the show that I saw a little spill and it was coke. I thought at first one looked like Sprite or water but I couldn't really tell. During one of the breaks or before they started, Simon had a large Styrofoam coffee cup but he was clearly making sure it stayed under the table, even though the cameras weren't on.
The seats were great. I was towards the right, behind Simon. Prolly about 6 rows between us. In front and just left of me was Dr Phil's wife. I wouldn't have known unless someone told me. I don't know if Dr. Phil has ever had his wife on as a guest but it's about time he saddled that lady down for a plastic surgery intervention. Next to her was her daughter-in-law who looked like that heroined-out bass player from White Zombie. Right in front of them was some circus freak w/a ton of tattoos on his face. Was he famous? I couldn't get a complete look at him.
First highlight of the evening was this was this chick walking through. First I couldn't get a good look at her at her because other people standing in the way but then she was being led by the hand by a little fizzy head girl. Then some people step out of the aisle and I got this great view of this totally rock hard body. Oh - my - goodness! Holly Robinson Peete in da house.
Seriously, considering she's in her 40's and has reproduced, she was looking a lot better than just about every woman in there. I thought she'd make a great gym spokesmodel. You know cuz some look fit but they're so athletic that I think a lot of women wouldn't believe even if they were locked in a gym w/nothing but water and a few pellets like a gerbil cage, they'd still never have that type of bod. But you look at Holly and think, "well, maybe not today but if I look anywhere near that tight at her age, I'll re-up for 24 Hr Fitness."
The energy was pretty phenomenal. They always want everybody to be really loud when they start taping for any show but this was really natural, like a concert. Early on in the taping, I think right at the first commercial break, during which they just have the warm up comedian go around giving out iTunes download cards or AI books, one lady standing up in the pit by the stage fainted. I couldn't really see what happened but there was some AD or something yelling into her headset over the PA for a paramedic. She was kinda frantic. Like you couldn't tell if the person was really hurt bad or they just wanted to get her the f* out the way before they came back from commercial. She walked out a side door under assistance.
I liked Jason Castro even though the judges weren't crazy about his performance. It was a perfect song choice for him. I thought David Archuletta was great. I think he's got an amazing voice. And David Cook can do no wrong. Looks great with the new 'do.
They did "Barracuda" with Fergie. I think she invited them to do it with her, so I guess that wins her a few points with me. Would have preferred it without her, though! 
