I remember the first time I heard about "Dancing with the Stars", and wondering who came up with that dumb idea. Seriously, who would want to watch a bunch of c-list celebretards dance around in tights, twice a week!?Well, that who became ALOT of whos, and the show has become HUGE. This season, it got even better, with a cast that includes Aaron Carter and Donny Osmond.
Never one to overlook a celebretunity (an opportunity to see/meet celebrities), I applied online for tickets to this season's DWTS. It was so long ago, I almost forgot. That is, until I got an email on Thursday. I simply had to respond immediately, and be at L.A.'s CBS Studios by 3:00 on Tuesday. No brainer, this one was! Yes, I'll be there, and not without my BFF, DeAnne.
The guidelines for attire are "formal, and absolutely NO jeans". It's fascinating to see how people interpret "formal". From sequins and fur coats to housecoats and flip-flops, we saw it all.
I knew from a prior stint at an awards show, that your appearance can vastly affect the whole live audience experience. I'm no raving beauty, but DeAnne IS, so I knew that our best bets at good seats were early arrival and HER appearance. For 4 days, I worked on her, and my message was clear: "DeAnne, remember, there is no dress cut too low, and no hemline too leggy". She did me proud, with a tasteful, yet leggy, BCBG Max Azaria dress, and smexy slides.
My look was easy, and not even all that important. With DeAnne by my side, I just had to look OK. One run thru one mall, and one hour later, I had a new dress, tights, and some very cute boots. Some of us have assets to flaunt, and others have things to hide, which is exactly why my new favorite look for dresses is the tights and boots combo. Hides alot of things.
We left San Diego at 9:30, and by noon, we were #30 and #31 in line. The line is right on Beverly, in front of the CBS Studios. The whole process of hearding us around was so organized, so efficient, and even sorta fun. Three hours in line seems like a lot of time, but we came prepared. Chairs, snacks, beauty tools, you name it, we brought it. Phones and cameras are confiscated before your enter the studio, in a modified full-body-cavity search. They REALLY don't want you taking pictures! I toyed with the idea of slipping a phone into the crotch of my tights, but chickened out at the last minute.
The happy hostess lady who seemed to be in charge of us, said there were 700+ seats inside.
Now, I'm no math wiz, but being #30 and #31 seemed like pretty good numbers for getting good seats. That is, until they started taking us in. A good 550 of those seats were already filled! Where did all of those people come from? I can only guess they were the VIP's, families, etc.., and came thru a separate entrance. It's safe to bet you don't ask Ozzy Osborne or LaToya Jackson to stand in line on Beverly for 3 hours.
Anyway, they led us in, and we were first greeted by a fine looking young man who asked "how many in our group?", then slyly and quickly sized us up and down. He whispered a code into his talkie, and motioned us to happy hostess lady, who was now seating us. Where they motioned us is key - directly to left of the stage, at the stage, in the front row! Our feet were literally hitting the stage, and we didn't mind one bit! Had the studio been empty, and they asked where we'd sit, it would have been those 2 seats!
God was surely smiling on us, as the musician that night was Taylor Swift. And yes, she is VERY tall, and VERY skinny, and seems comfortable yet a bit reserved. She sang a new song, and Love Story, twice. Her guitarist gave DeAnne his pick, which has a photo of Taylor on it. When you watch the live show on Tuesday, the guest star is not live. They are actually filmed first, to allow for re-dos.
We got an extra treat (yes, just when you thought it could not possibly get ANY better), in that they pre-taped Alicia Keys for a future show! Her piano was plunked right in front of us, so close that if her flawless skin had pores, we'd have seen them. And yes, she is VERY pretty, and YES, that ass is huge. The spandex tights she mistook for pants merely exascerbated the issue, butt maybe that was her plan. Anywho, she did her thing, and beautifully.
At 6:00 the live show began, and all of the dancers came out on stage. It all moves so fast at that point, but I'll share some tidbits:
Tom (the host) was friendly, shook our hands, and came over a couple times to let us know stuff that was going on, and to look at DeAnne. He said we were in the camera seats, and we'd be on camera alot. He was right. He says he is 5'9" and I believe it.
Samantha (the hostess) was even nicer. She talked with us, and yes, she is super-skinny, and even prettier in person.
Louie (the snowboard guy, not the pro dancer) was a bad surprise. He is not 100% human. He is actually an oompa-lumpa. The magic of televison makes him look much more humanly, and much more watchable.
When the nice little 24-year old Mormon gals sitting next us said "Donny, we're here from Utah", he practically jumped off the stage, came over to chat, and shook hands with all four of us. I'm guessing he's about 5'9" or 5'10', and yes, I have a slight preoccupation with celebrity heights.
Aaron kept peeking out from backstage, way before any of the dancers came out. He was so begging for attention, and should be a poster child for parents to give their kids plenty of love and attention. That said, he's my favorite.
Sprinkled thru the audience, we saw Rebecca Romaine Stamos and the other Eastwick gals, Greg Luganis and his boyfriend, Loni the angry loser from Design Star, and an American Idol guy. No Osbornes, Jacksons, or Osmonds we could identify.
Most everyone looks just like they do on TV, less 10 lbs. They all seem to be so bonded - hugging, and kissing and slobbering all over each other. You could see how badly they wanted to stay, and how sad they were to go (Louie & Melissa & their partners). After the cameras were off, all of the dancers circled the two ousted couples for a never-ending group hug.
As a total clutz, who dances like a white girl at the prom, I now have even more respect for their hard work and talent!
That's us, right by the stage.
It's hard to miss my zebra dress~
I would like to thank DeAnne for being the kind of friend you know you'll have forever, and for looking hot enough to get us those seats!
