Socal Mom

What's On My Mind Today

I have 250 messages in my Inbox - and that's AFTER I pared down everything that came in overnight.

Can you say "over-stimulated"?

I'm taking the day to go through my messages, follow up on those that need a response and delete the ones that are no longer relevant.

One reason it's so full is that we had a gymnastics meet over the weekend that required an overnight stay.

Correction: We COULD have driven back home afterwards (in fact, most of the other families did that). But the meet ended around 6:30 and Megan was famished - as she usually is after four hours of physical activity. Actually, the entire family is hungry after these events, and I've learned the hard way that when it's over, we need to have a meal AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - or I'll get battered in the ensuing battle of low blood sugar between my husband and daughter.

We had a nice dinner with one of the other families (who decided to eat before they embarked on their own long drive home) and a good night's sleep in our hotel.

But here's the part that I can't shake. I had been shocked at booking the room that even a two-star hotel in this community was going for over $150 a night. I thought about that yesterday morning, while watching Treasury Secretary Henry Poulson on Meet the Press. Our economic sky is falling, and we shelled out $150+ to stay overnight in a community two hours away; living our lives as if nothing is happening.

And we're doing the same thing next week.

I have very real fears about the future. This is bound to impact the lifestyle of our family and that of everyone we know. It already has impacted us; my husband works for a geotech firm which, until this year, was working on a huge slate of housing developments, all of which have dried up. I am even worried for my wealthier friends; I have no idea what kind of investments are in their portfolios or how leveraged they might be.

I'm afraid to sign the catering contract for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah in April. I'm afraid that after all this hard work to keep her in gymnastics, that in the near future we might have to eliminate it from our budget. I worry that our wonderful new gym might go out of business in the near future; not because of any mistakes the owners make but just as fallout from the mess on Wall Street.

But worrying about every possible bad outcome isn't going to prevent it and all it can really do is make ME crazy. If there is one thing I've learned in my 52 years, it's that it is better and healthier to go through life with a positive attitude.

So I'm going to try to put the storm clouds out of my mind. I'm going to continue to live my life. And I'm going to continue doing what I think I can to make the world a better place.

That's why last night's Emmy broadcast was such a welcome diversion. Even though the five reality hosts bit didn't really work, I think the show was a lot better than last year's disaster-in-the-round. I love the look of the Nokia Theatre LA Live (it seems way nicer than Pasadena Civic, the site of the Emmy telecasts I used to attend, back in the day). I loved the way they evoked the sets from the classic programs of the past. And I even liked Josh Groban's manic medley of classic TV theme songs.

And I agreed with the Academy on many of the winners this year (for a change). I was disappointed that Jeremy Piven won again for "Entourage" - NOT that he doesn't deserve all the awards he's received for his work as Ari Gold - I think he's brilliant. But it would have been nice to see Kevin Dillon win for the same show. Or Rainn Wilson for "The Office." Or Neil Patrick Harris for his legendary work on "How I Met Your Mother." And as much as I dislike "Two and a Half Men," I've always been a fan of Jon Cryer. So they are all winners in my book.

I was pleased to see both "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show" honored with Emmys. I swear, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert and their staffs are doing a better job of reporting the news than the news organizations themselves.

I especially enjoyed tributes to some of my favorite programs of my youth: "Laugh In" was a must-see when I was Megan's age, as was "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." I don't think I got what was happening in Viet Nam back then until Tom and Dick Smothers used the war in their edgy comedy bits on that show. They were brilliant, and it really was a big deal when CBS abruptly pulled the plug on them. For years afterwards, there was a billboard across the street from Television City that translated the network's acronym as "Cancelled Brothers Smothers."

I got a little bit teary seeing Tommy accept his delayed award from 40 years ago. He's a funny guy - when I worked at the Tonight Show in the 1980's, I watched him backstage as he did a perfect impression of Johnny doing his monologue.

I got teary again when Mary Tyler Moore introduced Betty White. Again, in my Tonight Show days, the staff would rejoice whenever we booked her for a guest spot (she sometimes participated in sketches, too). Everyone loved her because she was such a delight to work with. She deserves all the recognition of her peers.

Finally, hooray for Tina Fey! I think Alec Baldwin got it right when he compared her with Elaine May. Tina is brilliant and I'm so happy NBC allowed "30 Rock" to stay on the air. Did you notice that most of SNL's nominations were for the episode Fey hosted - which was one of the few really FUNNY ones from last season? Or that nearly all of the guest performance nominations for a comedy were from episodes of "30 Rock"? Baldwin's own Best Actor win was gratifying too - he may have issues in his personal life, but the man is a brilliant actor, in both drama and comedy.

Finally - I'm jazzed that Mad Men was named Best Drama. Although it was a disappointment to discover that last night AMC aired a rerun (I guess they didn't want to compete for Emmy viewers).

All in all, a good night for the TV Academy. And a decent distraction for me, as I'm already feeling better by thinking about something so frivolous. As if nothing has happened.

Summer Television "Staycation"

Every year at this time, I complain about the dreck the TV networks throw on during the summer. And this year, after the agony of a long WGA strike and the threat of an actors' walkout, the diet of boring repeats ad inane reality is even worse (with the possible exception of CBS' "Swingtown," which debuted this week).

This is when I usually turn to HBO and Showtime, and British series on DVD. But with gas now selling for $4.69 a gallon in my neighborhood (to think I'm now missing the $4.29 price point I was bitching about last week)...

...this is turning into the Summer of No Disposable Income. I had to cancel my beloved HBO and Showtime. This year, there will be no "Entourage," "Weeds" or the intriguing looking "Diary of a Call Girl." I've laid down the law on those expensive British DVD's from Amazon.co.uk ... and the Netflix queue is now crammed with the shows our daughter misses from HBO Family.

There is a silver lining: The folks running our Basic Cable networks have taken a page from the HBO playbook and are offering some fine original programming during the summer doldrums (even hiring the same people who used to work on those HBO hits). Lifetime's "Army Wives" just returned for a second season, and USA Network is getting good reviews on "In Plain Sight," its Witness Protection drama starring Mary McCormack.

One of my favorites from last year was "Mad Men," and it's returning to AMC next month in all its cigarette-tinged, space-age bachelor pad glory. Other basic cable series returning in July are "The Closer" and "Saving Grace" (on TNT) and Burn Notice (on USA).

There isn't a lot of comedy on that list. Thank goodness for TBS, which has two funny sitcoms returning for their second season tonight.

I did not catch any episodes of Bill Engvall's self-titled series when they aired last summer (I guess I was too busy watching Vinnie and the Boys on Entourage), so the screener the network sent my home was my first time. I was pleasantly surprised: I liked it. I even laughed. Aloud.

Having toiled behind the scenes in TV comedy (which left me with a kind of funny bone immunity), that is saying a lot.

Engvall is a standup comic with a huge likeability factor. He anchors this very traditional family comedy with support from veterans like Nancy Travis as his wife, and former SNLer Tim Meadows as his best friend. The writing and producing team are also veterans, including Mark Kunerth ("Friends") and Heide Perlman ("Cheers").

I didn't need to view the screener for "My Boys," the second half of TBS' comedy hour. I was a fan of the series from its first episode, which introduced Jordana Spiro as PJ, a female sports writer who has been "one of the boys" for so long that she's forgotten how to be "girly" (that is the assessment of her one girl friend, a very girly magazine writer named Stephanie).

Spiro is a charming presence, as are all the "boys," especially the amiable Jim Gaffigan as PJ's goofy older brother. This show is a little more to my taste than Engvall's family oriented humor. It's a bit more adult, a bit more like "Friends" -- but not as sexy as "Sex and the City, "although in one episode they managed a pretty good send-up of Carrie Bradshaw & Co. They've also paid homage to films like "The Natural" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," which gives the series a richness that other sitcoms lack.

Last season ended with a cliff hanger: Who is the mystery man P.J. invited to use her extra plane ticket to Italy? The one who upgraded her to First Class? I have my own idea of who that will turn out to be... I'll just have to wait until tonight to see.

Monday Meme: 50 Greatest TV Shows

I found this on Florinda's blog a couple of weeks ago, and then promptly forgot about it (you know, I do not have as many brain cells as I used to).

This originated from a list published in a British magazine called "Empire." The rules of the meme are to:

1. Bold the shows of which you’ve watched every episode,

2. Italicize the shows of which you’ve seen at least one episode,

3. Star * the shows you consider “the best”

4. Post your answers

Since the list is British, there are a number of choices that I'm not familiar with -- but there were still enough to work with. But since I am such a self-avowed couch potato (I used to tell people I majored in Radio-TV-Film so I could write off my love of Mary Tyler Moore reruns as "research") I thought it would be a fun exercise:

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

 

Response to NBC honcho Ben Silverman's remark about the cancellation of the Golden Globes.

Proceeds from the sale of this t-shirt benefit the WGA Strike Fund. Buy one here.

Hooray for Dave

As an emeritus member of the WGA, I receive daily emails from the Guild leadership regarding the strike. This one just came in:

To Our Fellow Members,

We are writing to let you know that have reached a contract with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company that puts his show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson back on the air with Guild writers.  This agreement is a positive step forward in our effort to reach an industry-wide contract.  While we know that these deals put only a small number of writers back to work, three strategic imperatives have led us to conclude that this deal, and similar potential deals, are beneficial to our overall negotiating efforts.

First, the AMPTP has not yet been a productive avenue for an agreement. As a result, we are seeking deals with individual signatories.  The Worldwide Pants deal is the first.  We hope it will encourage other companies, especially large employers, to seek and reach agreements with us.  Companies who have a WGA deal and Guild writers will have a clear advantage.  Companies that do not will increasingly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.  Indeed, such a disadvantage could cost competing networks tens of millions in refunds to advertisers.

Second, this is a full and binding agreement.  Worldwide Pants is agreeing to the full MBA, including the new media proposals we have been unable to make progress on at the big bargaining table.  This demonstrates the integrity and affordability of our proposals.  There are no shortcuts in this deal.  Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7.

Finally, while our preference is an industry-wide deal, we will take partial steps if those will lead to the complete deal.  We regret that all of us cannot yet return to work.  We especially regret that other late night writers cannot return to work along with the Worldwide Pants employees.  But the conclusion of your leadership is that getting some writers back to work under the Guild’s proposed terms speeds up the return to work of all writers.

Side-by-side with this agreement, and any others that we reach, are our ongoing strike strategies.  In the case of late-night shows, our strike pressure will be intense and essential in directing political and SAG-member guests to Letterman and Ferguson rather than to struck talk shows.  At this time, picket lines at venues such as NBC (both Burbank and Rockefeller Center, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the Golden Globes are essential.  Outreach to advertisers and investors will intensify in the days ahead and writers will continue to develop new media content itself to advance our position.

We must continue to push on all fronts to remind the conglomerates each and every day that we are committed to a fair deal for writers and the industry.

Patric M. Verrone

President, WGAW

Michael Winship

President, WGAE

Relief for Strike-Induced TV Boredom

Tired of reruns? Missing your favorite dramatic TV shows?

There's good news on BBC America tonight: The second series of "Life on Mars" debuts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

I have already seen the entire series, as my husband and I COULD NOT WAIT until now to find out how modern police detective Sam Tyler copes with finding himself in the year 1973 -- and whether he makes it back to 2006.

This is one of the best television programs I have ever seen.

Here is what I wrote about it over the summer:

The tale of a 21st century cop who finds himself in 1973 at first sounds like a sketch on SNL... and there's a lot of humor in it -- but also a lot of commentary on how far we have come. Is Detective Sam Tyler "mad? Or in a coma? Or back in time?" As he tries to work it out and get back home, he has to function in a world that is quite a bit different from what he's used to... beginning with his new 70's partner, Gene Hunt, who embodies the very un-PC spirit of the time.

It's a cop show with elements of both "Starsky & Hutch" and "Doctor Who." The chemistry between John Simm (who plays Sam with such believability) and Philip Glenister's Hunt is amazing. This show is funny, poignant, and extremely entertaining. In fact, the entire cast is first-rate, as is the production, which really has the look and feel of the 70's (right down to the musical selections).

These episodes originally aired here last July, and I took this as a sign that they would be showing Series 2 (rumored to be even BETTER) this summer. So you can imagine my dismay when they announced an airdate in JANUARY.

(At least, ABC did not pick up the American version they had commissioned from David Kelley. It's not that I wouldn't want to see it done here, but aside from "The Office," we Yanks have a poor track record when it comes to adapting British TV... and I would have preferred someone like J.J. Abrams or Tim Kring obtaining the adaptation rights.)

"No way," my husband said. He promptly got on to Amazon.co.uk and ordered us a box-set of both series.

We have spent the last week watching the eight new episodes and you know what? The rumors are true. This show is amazing, and the final episode (which we watched last night) was truly mind-blowing... no "Sopranos" style disappointment here.

But unless I can collar my friends into coming over here to watch it, we have no one to share it with.

So do me a favor and watch this thing, so we can talk about it, OK?

(If you have problems with the British accents and slang terms -- and I realize not everyone has a live-in translator sitting next to them on the couch -- try turning on closed captioning. You'll be glad you did!)

Last Post of the Day About WGA

I know I said I'm tired of the strike.

But I also said I couldn't help following the news.

I found this video at the WGA strike supporters' site, UnitedHollywood.com.

It does a pretty good job of explaining the AMPTP's current offer:

The Strike Drags On

I'm officially tired of the WGA strike.

I know, that's easy for me to say since I'm neither a working Hollywood writer nor staff or crew member without a job. I have not been affected monetarily, and however it is resolved, it will have no impact on my future.

My weariness has little to do with the boredom of seeing countless repeats and reality shows on television, although I know that's going to kick in very shortly.

My problems with the current Hollywood labor dispute are more personal. As long as the writers are in the news, I am reminded of the failure of my Hollywood "career." As an emeritus member, I receive daily emails from WGAw President Patric Verrone, who was a Tonight Show writer when I was the writers' assistant. And whenever I see his name, I am reminded of how badly we got along toward the end of my stint there. (I do think he's doing a fine job of leading the Guild - I just don't like being reminded of mistakes I made and how hurt I felt by most of the writing staff by the time I left.)

The emails this week are urging the membership to keep focused. I get the feeling that after a month of this, walking the line has gotten old, and enthusiasm is flagging.

For the last three days, I've had reasons to head down to neighborhoods where studios are located, and I've finally seen the picket lines, and I don't see a lot of energy there. Despite my previous posts on the matter, I have been toying with the idea of contributing some additional picket power and joining them... especially when I learn of events like tomorrow's rally against Fremantle (which employs non-WGA writers for its wildly profitable reality shows) and a Paramount picket honoring Star Trek writers (I used to have a good friend who wrote for ST:TNG).

But then I remember the hurt I felt when I read the memoir of another of the Tonight Show guys, where he used one of MY spec scripts to illustrate why most people shouldn't even THINK about writing for television. He didn't use my name, but there was enough detail to know he was talking about me. (He referred to me as his "secretary," which I sort of was, but I used to try and make a distinction between being their personal secretary and a production assistant, so would refuse to do things for them if it had nothing to do with the show. This, of course, is one of the reasons why I ended up on such bad terms with those guys, because in order to feel important, they had to have a secretary to dial the phone for them.)

Never mind that a subsequent former boss -- who is now one of the movie industry's hottest writer-directors -- LIKED the same script (I saw the coverage on it, so I know he did). I only tend to remember my bad reviews, and this one has stuck in my graw. I admit that my self-esteem - especially in this department - is pretty shaky, and is relative to how much praise I receive from outsiders. I can be cocky and confident about myself one minute and then feel like a total asshat the next, all because one person didn't like something I wrote.

So I stay on the sidelines, despite the fact that there are a few people I would love to connect with again. There are just too many others I'd rather forget about.

For me, the WGA is like a club that WOULD have me as a member but changed its mind. And so while I read all the news with great interest and am rooting for them from the sidelines (because what they are asking for is REASONABLE, given the economics of that crazy industry and the short shelf life of most writers' careers)... I will be very happy when they go back to being invisible.

WGA & AMPTP to resume negotiations

We may not be doomed to a year of reality after all. I just received this email from the WGA:

 

To My Fellow Members:

This evening the WGA and the AMPTP announced that we will resume negotiations on Monday, November 26.   

This announcement is a direct result of your efforts.  It is the direct result of the hours you have spent on the picket lines, the days you've spent educating friends and colleagues, the boundless energy you've put into engaging with not only the

Hollywood

talent community, but people all over the country and the world.   It is a direct result of your dedication to this union and to each other.

Over the past two weeks we have shown incredible resolve and resourcefulness.  Every fifteen minutes someone sends me an e-mail with a new suggestion or a copy of a supportive news article or an entertaining and informative pro-writer YouTube video.  Actors, local legislators, fans, and fellow members of the

Hollywood

workforce joined us in droves on our picketing lines this week.  SAG's Alan Rosenberg and I were warmly welcomed in

Washington

D.C.

and offered support from every member of Congress with whom we met.  These developments all undoubtedly contributed to the decision to return to the table.

For 12 days I have repeated that a powerful strike means a short strike.  In that time we have proven that bad news won't slow us down.  Now it is equally important that we now prove that good news won't slow us down, either.  We must remember that returning to the bargaining table is only a start.  Our work is not done until we achieve a good contract and that is by no means assured.  Accordingly, what we achieve in negotiations will be a direct result of how successfully we can keep up our determination and resolve.

We have an abridged picketing schedule next week.  Next Monday, November 19, we will return to the lines but on Tuesday we have a Labor Solidarity Rally scheduled and Wednesday through Sunday we will not be picketing due to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  The picketing schedule for the following Monday, November 26 (when we return to the table) will be determined in consultation with the Strike Captains and will be designed to continue to have maximum effect on our employers and include both studio and location picketing.  We will keep you posted through your Strike Captains.

Once again, I thank you all for your efforts and ask you to continue to dedicate yourself to this cause with the same level of energy and enthusiasm that has gotten us to where we are today.  We are all in this together.

Best,

Patric M. Verrone

President, WGAW

SoCal Mom Goes Dancing With the Stars

Tuesday night, I found myself in the audience of one of the hottest shows in town.

I'm not talking about "Wicked," or even "Hannah Montana." No, I was able to score a seat at "Dancing With the Stars," which I'm told has a two-year waiting list.

It helps to have friends in high places. Also not so high places. My good friend Mary Ellen does wardrobe and is one of the people who creates the show's costumes. She arranged for me to attend.

Now, those of you who have been around here long enough may remember that "reality" TV is not my cup of tea. Until this week, I had NEVER viewed an entire episode of the U.S. version of "Dancing With the Stars." (I had seen an episode of the original British series, before it was brought over here.) I've got nothing against the show; in fact, if I had to rank reality TV in order of interest, I would put a program like "Dancing" at the top, because you're not seeing Joe and Josie Average humiliating themselves just so they can be on national television. The dancers are true professionals and the "stars" (for some of them, that's a pretty loose term, don't you think?) know what they are getting into. It is fascinating to watch an amateur blossom into proficiency. So I understand the entertainment value.

But until "Dancing" is scheduled against scripted programming that's less engaging than "Chuck," "Heroes," "Reaper" and "House," I'm afraid I'm not going to watch it. (Of course, with the WGA Strike, that day is going to come sooner than I ever thought.)

So why did I jump at the chance to see it live? Do you have to ask? As SoCal Mom, I can't be found shirking my duties as your reporter on all things strange and weird and exciting about living in this part of the country. And besides: with my daily commitment to NaBloPoMo, I would like to write at least a couple of posts that aren't all about me, my husband and my kid. I mean, even I get bored with that.

"I'm sorry, I can't get you into a Monday show," Mary Ellen apologized. "They're booked through the end of the season. But on Tuesday, you'll get to see Jennifer Hudson. That's something."

It certainly is. Like I said, I never watch "Dancing," so whether it's a Monday competition episode or a Tuesday elimination show made no difference to me. I was just excited to be going... until I received my instructions for show day:

"Your arrival time is: 3:15 pm. If you are not in your seat by 4:15pm your seat will be given up. Since this is a live show, we will not be able to sit any late arrivals. (Please make sure you give yourself enough time for traffic, to find parking at the Grove, and to get through the check-in table)."

OK. This is fair enough, and standard procedure for a show that airs live on the East Coast. It's similar to what we would tell our guests when I worked on The Tonight Show, back in the ancient '80's. Besides, I love the Grove and the Farmer's Market (and there are already plenty of posts here that confirm that). I figured I could get there early, park the car, have a nice lunch and do a little shopping before walking over to CBS Television City.

Then I read on:

This is a glamorous show, and a beautiful looking audience is a crucial part of the overall atmosphere, with that being said we ask the ladies come dressed in fancy cocktail attire, and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie. 

Please DO NOT WEAR- white, baseball caps, t-shirts with messages of support and PLEASE DO NOT WEAR JEANS!! Even if they are really nice or really expensive!!   No one wearing jeans will be permitted into the studio!

OK, well that's just NUTS. No jeans? To a TV taping?? I mean, it's not like it's the Oscars. In fact, the last time I got all dressed up in fancy cocktail attire at 3:00 in the afternoon was when I attended the Emmys (also back in the 80's).

After I calmed down I realized that the studio audience for a show like this is part of the atmosphere. I was suddenly glad my husband made me attend those charity events with him last month. At least, I would get one more wear out of the clothes I had to buy for that.

But that scratched any thought I had of spending time at the Grove beforehand. I was going to feel stupid enough walking around in evening wear at 3:00 p.m. I certainly wasn't going to do it at lunch.

Oh well. The final disappointing piece of the email wasn't unexpected as it's standard operating procedure at all performance events these days:

Additionally, please do not bring any cameras, cell phones/pagers, food or drink with you into the studio.  We also ask that you downsize any purses and other belongings that you may have with you for the evening.

So how did I get the photos you see here and on Flickr? I have to thank Mary Ellen for that.

"Call me when you get there so I can hold on to your camera and phone for you," she said.

What a friend. She not only met me at the gate, she got me the equivalent of a backstage pass and took me on a tour of their offices.

"Let me get a picture of you here on the confessional couch. Your readers will recognize that," she said. The couch on the left was occupied by a woman, in deep conversation with two business-suited men. I dutifully walked past her and posed on the second couch.

After she snapped the shot and we'd walked away, she whispered, "Did you see Marie? I wanted to ask her to pose with you, but she was obviously very involved." The stupid thing is, I did not notice that the woman on the couch was Marie Osmond, who I knew was having a bad week due to the loss of her father. Since then, the world has discovered that her eldest son was admitted to rehab. Could that be what she was discussing with such seriousness on the couch?

Mary Ellen then led me into the "quick change room." There were a couple of dresses hanging there. She grabbed the gold one. "I need to take this to Julianne," she said. I followed her outside the building, where the dancers' dressing room trailers are located. I waited while Mary Ellen made her way to the trailer. There were tons of people milling about; CBS Security, PA's on headsets, men in suits, Donny Osmond. Yes, this time I actually recognized the star.

I wondered if there was any way I could take a surreptitious photo of the man without having my camera or cellphone confiscated (as they would have done if my friend hadn't whisked me in past the normal security procedure). I decided not to risk it.

My tour of the offices concluded in the workrooms where the costumes are made. One of the other wardrobe women was putting the finishing touches on an outfit worn by one of guest star Fatima's dancers. She was basically molding the fabric to the woman's perfect body. I swear, I never saw so many absolutely gorgeous people in one place as I did backstage at "Dancing" (and I used to work in the same offices as "Star Search," and saw lots of prospective "spokesmodels" waiting for their audition).

It was nearing 4:00, so Mary Ellen hustled me on to the stage so I could get my seat (I was in the very back row of the section that faces the stage, so wasn't on camera -- which really, is OK with me). The proceedings began with the introduction of Cory Almeida, the show's warm-up guy.

The warm-up person is one of the great unsung members of any TV show that makes use of a live audience, as what you see on the air is not a true representation of how the show is put together -- even a program that goes out live, like "Dancing." Tuesday night is the hour-long results show, and honestly -- how long does it really take to say, "Cameron, you're going home?" (I'm assuming you fans out there have already seen the show!) So they do recaps, fake-outs ("And the first couple that's safe is...") and pad the time out with guests.

Tuesday night, we had one dance performance by Fatima Robinson and two numbers from Gloria Estefan (don't know what happened to Jennifer Hudson, who was originally scheduled to perform on Tuesday), and there were some set changes that had to be done between their bits. That takes time, so the show begins by pre-taping those segments in front of the studio audience, then adds them in during the live broadcast.

The warm-up guy's job is to keep the audience's energy level up. Cory was a master at it; cavorting around the set, into the balconies, leading the audience in applause (there are no applause signs on this stage; it is all led by Cory and other members of the crew). He kept everyone entertained during the down times by joking with audience members, challenging them to "Dancing" trivia contests (with real prizes) and offering bits of insider information. This was good, because two of the performances had to be re-shot, and I don't know about the rest of the audience, but I had a hard time garnering the same enthusiasm for the piece the second time around. (Imagine how the performers must feel!)

After Estefan's last song, the crew had about a half hour to get ready for the actual live broadcast, and that's when it really got wild. Cory invited the audience -- anyone who was game -- to come on down to the stage and dance.

It was like a really wild wedding reception: You had older couples who had been doing the moves for decades, and younger ones who had obviously been taking lessons, you had 20 and 30-something women boogying with each other just for the fun of it. (Up in the balcony was a group of gals celebrating having a girls' night -- Cory had a lot of fun with them.)

The highlight of this little audience party came when they started playing the Village People's "YMCA." That's when "Dancing" judge Bruno Tonioli jumped up on the stage and started making the letters. The audience roared. Then to the delight of the audience, Donny Osmond himself joined Bruno on stage and the two of them started dancing cheek-to-cheek.  Of course, the audience roared at this. The big finish came when both men stripped off their jackets and twirled them over their heads, like Chippendale's dancers.

"That has NEVER happened before," Cory announced breathlessly, as everyone took their places for the actual show. (When the show was over, Mary Ellen confirmed that the performance we witnessed was a first.)

The cameras began to roll, hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris took their places, and Cory directed us all to give them a standing ovation. (I had a few pithy things to say about the devaluation of the Standing O, but that will have to wait for another post.) I clapped so much my hands started to hurt, and I have to tell you, you miss a lot when you are watching it live from the audience. The din of the applause drowned out everything they said, so I was at a distinct disadvantage when it came to following the proceedings.

The stage was rather calm when they cut to the sequences that had been taped earlier. I noticed that during those times and the commercial breaks, Donny Osmond was being constantly approached by other audience members for his autograph, and I was suddenly very glad that I hadn't tried to snap his photo earlier on the lot. He and Marie had just lost their father and yet they were doing what they were raised to do; the show must go on and all of that. It's probably what their dad would have wanted. But celebrities really do pay a price. I would not want to be a public figure and never have a moment's peace.

The show ended at 7:00 Pacific time, and Cory directed the audience to leave, one section at a time. Mary Ellen caught up with me. "You don't have to," she said. "Maybe we can get a shot of you with some of the stars."

When the show ends, the cast stays on to answer questions from the press, who are holed up in a little room outside the stage during the show. The set was now teeming with people, all jostling for an opportunity to ask a few questions or get a photo with one of the stars.

One of the stagehands was kind enough to take a photo of us (and another guest) in the judges' seats. Mary Ellen tried to get Maksim's attention, but he was otherwise occupied. "Really, they're still working," I protested to my friend. "I probably have enough photos."

But Mary Ellen wouldn't stop until we got some actual series stars to pose with me. Edyta was very nice, even though her partner was the one who was voted off the show on Tuesday. And we ran into Mark Ballas and his mother, who is a dancer/choreographer in her own right and also trained brother and sister phenoms Julianne and Derek Hough.

Mark, who was wearing his "Team Sabrina" t-shirt, couldn't have been nicer. "Sabrina and I will be back to dance on the show next  week," he promised. He also gave me a card for Almost Amy, the band he's formed with his fellow dancer Derek. "You have to check us out on YouTube," he said.

I left the stage at 7:30 p.m., which gave me enough time to go home and watch it on TV. The fact that I tuned in to "House" instead doesn't mean I didn't enjoy "Dancing." I really did, and I hope Mary Ellen gets to work on it again next season so I can visit again.