(if by chance you don’t like OPRAH or can really give two hoots about reading this very long story…you should stop reading now ;)
This all started a very long time ago when I knew I wanted to do something special for my mom, who is turning 60 this December. When my dad turned 60, I threw him a large surprise party with friends from the past & present and of course his family. It was a HIT and he loved it! My mother on the other hand, did NOT want a party. With the passing of her sister over a year ago, she has not been in “the mood” to celebrate like that. (Penny, my dear aunt, lost her battle to IBC – Inflammatory Breast Cancer, at TOO young of an age, leaving a sister, 2 sons, 1 niece (me), grand children, children in-laws, and too many more to mention).
I have memories of having brief, unimportant conversation regarding OPRAH with Penny with or without my mom present. It would come up if we were talking about a current topic… “Did you happen to see that OPRAH show the other day when “so and so” was on?” We all liked watching Oprah and have for many years. If my memory serves me right, I KNOW that having Penny and my mom join me at an OPRAH taping would be a fantastic experience for the three of us (or even just for my mom and her). Well…this never happened because it was never planned.
Now, my mom is turning 60 and in a non-party mood, I have to do something. I asked her awhile back if seeing OPRAH would excite her. (I would normally not reveal a SURPRISE like this, but with my mom being kind-of “non-excitable” these days, I really had to know before I got on this MAJOR TASK of getting tickets that THOUSANDS of people seek). She said to me “Yeah, that sounds fun”, in her “take it or leave it” voice. So, “Okay” I said to myself….”what do I do with THAT?” Well, that was enough for me so I went on TASK to get tickets.
Getting tickets: Now the way it is suppose to be done, you are to log onto Oprah.com and fill out a reservation request during the times they are accepting requests. Which, I must mention, are very few and far between opportunities. I did this a million times, only to be welcomed by a “Sorry, maybe next time” email. I would do it again, and again, and again. I would also fill out the “Be On The Show” questionnaires, trying anything to get there. I even told a story of how I was one of Harry Connick Jr.’s biggest fans. (I’m a fan, but not the biggest..It was just another attempt). That never worked either. I then decided it was time to start reaching out to the people/friends that I have or even simple acquaintances to see where that would get me. I emailed Gayle Guyardo (who I met before doing a TV interview), friends with TV connections, FaceBook friends in the entertainment business that I thought could help, anything. Nothing panned out. The last person I talked to was my friend Daniel. I told him my story. I called him my ANGEL friend before this day. But now, as you will see, he is my confirmed angel. Let’s just say he knew someone at HARPO, but with that there was still no guarantee like all of my other tries. So I sent an email to this person explaining who I was, where I got the email address (who I won’t reveal their name), and WHY I want tickets SO bad. Fast forward to a week later and I had a reservation for 2!!! This was happening, meant to be!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!
Now through this process of rejection emails, my mother would say “Oh Well” still in her “take it or leave it” voice…only the voice was getting more “Ho Hum”. She thought this was never going to happen..Too good to be true. She was starting to decide that a fancy dinner out was going to be good enough. The day I called her and told her I had a reservation…I got a “YIPPPEEEE” on the phone. This time in a “OMG” voice. A voice I had not heard in awhile. This was going to be good.
I made the travel plans….and we were in motion. The Friday before we were scheduled to leave, which was Nov. 13th (a bad day for some, not for us) I received an email from an employee in the audience dept. that this was now a DOUBLE taping! WOOO HOOOO! What this means is that we were not going to see ONE show taping, but we were part of a TWO show schedule. What they don’t tell you is what the topic is. That was a VERY WELL kept secret.
The wheels started turning. What could this be? What would make this a 2 show taping? We made about thousand and one guesses before we actually walked into the studio at 9:30am on Wednesday the 18th. We made instant buddies with all the ladies around us, all wondering the same thing, each with their own interpretations of what they heard or what they thought. It was like a bunch of 13 year olds talking about boys and how cute they are.
This is a picture I took of the studio as we left.
The Studio: We were told to get there at 11am, but we showed at 9:30am. I had heard that getting there early would be a plus, better chance of good seats. So we went. We were let in almost immediately into security where the music was PUMPING. Oprah had it cranked…Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson, the blood was flowing, my body was moving, and I was beyond happy! While security removed my phone, all the paper in my purse, the picture of Penny and my mom (we still don’t know why??), I was bouncing and dancing in my boots. We were there!! All I kept thinking was “Oh my god, I am standing in Harpo Studios”. My mom was just as excited….she herself was bobbing around a little bit. We were led into a waiting room upstairs that held about 15 poster size pictures of Oprah with some of her biggest guests. The music was still jamming, a very good crowd-warmer, I thought. We were given a boxed lunch from Café Bacci, which was actually very good and told we must eat before they let us in the actual studio.
The room slowly filled with about 200 (maybe more) people. Early on we noticed that the group was all women, no big surprise. Soon, a train of men starting making their way in. WHAT is going on? All of us “teenagers” started changing our guesses to the shows topic. A MAN show? Ray Romano’s movie? A show about Single men? HMMMM??? Still, no one had any FIRM answer.
When we started to make our way into the actual studio we saw a TV monitor that said “Oprah and PEOPLE magazine salute America’s HEROES!” We were thrilled to be there, and honestly any topic would be great, we were just so blessed to be walking into the actual studio itself. An audience mgr. pointed at the two of us and sat us in the middle section. We had great seats.
After we took our seats, we were then greeted by an audience warmer, who took the mic for awhile and talked with the audience, made jokes, loosened everyone up, until Oprah made her way in.
The studio was filled with so many crew members. Cameras, Make Up, Hair, Techs, the whole crew was on spot and ready to go. So were we! We waited for the Grand entrance of Oprah, but instead she just kind of snuck in. It was not a huge entrance like you see on TV. It was more laid back than I expected. The crew was calm, collected, doing their thing, while we waited for the 5 second countdown until Oprah’s first words.
The First Taping: First introduced on stage was Hero #1, Captain Sully!! He looks exactly what you would expect. In person = on TV. The taping went on to introduce 87 passengers from his flight (this explained why all the men were there), and the first responders on scene! One female passenger was re-united with the EMT who pulled her from the Hudson River. (If you live under a rock and don’t know the story,
click here.)
Next, Oprah went on to introduce
cheerleader heroes from a PEOPLE magazine story who were surprised with a person meeting with Miley Cyrus and her concert tickets, the editor of PEOPLE magazine, 6 US Postal Service Employees with amazing stories of heroism, and
Wynonna Judd who sang to the servicemen at Fort Bragg. Oprah then acknowledged the men and women who lost their lives at Fort Hood.
Through the taping they broke for commercials. It was interesting to see how they tape the show as if it was live. The efficiency of the process was much evolved. Within 2 minutes they would rearrange audience members, shuffle guests on and off stage, change out front row guests, hook up mics on people, and move cameras. While off camera, Oprah would have small talk with crew members, rarely the audience. She was very WITTY, cracked jokes, and was extremely down-to-earth. She made comments to her hair and makeup people, complained of her shoes hurting, and kept the audience’s attention without really trying. She also looks exactly what we thought. In person=on TV! With one exception…she is shorter than I imagined. I am 5’5” and she is most likely shorter than me!
The Second Taping: The Heroes taping lasted for about an hour, so I knew we were close to seeing what was in store for PART 2! At the last little segment came on camera again and she said that there is more. She has a surprise for the entire group of heroes in the audience. That there was a celebrity packed event about to happen. In her trademark Oprah “yelllll” she announces:
“We have Tim McGRAAAAWWWWW!” and he runs out!
“We have Alicia KEEEEEEEYYYYSSS!” she comes to the stage..
“And SUGARLAAAAANd!” and then the two of them run out..
If you look real hard you will see me and my mom right there..she is in the blue with white collar, and I am next to her with the turquoise sweater, leaning over. I captured this on a TV promo (at home) and then took a picture!
“Andrea BoCCCEEEELIII!” and “David FOOOOSSSSTERR!” and they come out!
“MARY J BLIIIIIIIIIGE!” and
“JENNIFER HUDSOOOOOOOON!”…soon they were all on stage and the audience was going crazy! I could of have had a camera in my face at that point..but I was so delirious I could see nothing but the 7 of them standing about 30 feet in front of me. Man, I needed my camera!!
They went to commercial break. Very quickly the set started to transform from a sterile white stage to a winter wonderland, filled with snowflakes, snow, lit trees, colored lights, the works.
The celebs left, and came back in pairs. First up was Alicia Keys on piano and Tim McGraw. We soon learned that this was a Christmas show and that all of these amazing voices were there to sing Christmas songs and promote their albums. (Which by the way, we walked out with their Cd’s too!).
Alicia and Tim sang like they had sung together a hundred times, but this was actually the first! Alicia looks perfect in person… so beautiful. Tim is so handsome and much shorter and smaller than I expected. But still HANDSOME!
After the break, Oprah sat down with them for some “coffee talk” where she asked them about their own Christmas traditions.
Next was Sugarland and Jennifer Hudson, then Bocelli and Mary J Blige. Bocelli and Blige sang “What Child is This” from his new Christmas CD, which stood my hair up!!!! Oprah shed a bit of a tear here. David Foster was on piano.
All this took over an hour to tape, but I really never looked at my watch much. I didn’t want to have it end.
They all had a bit of coffee chat with Oprah regarding the holidays. All of the performers were perfect, and sang like they do on CD….just simply flawless.
Oprah said to the camera.. ”All viewers can download this music from Oprah.com, and our studio audience can download them on their new IPPOOOOOOODDDDSS!” We all went nuts. I did notice a camera on me and my mother at that point, so we MAY be on TV here?
Soon the taping was coming to an end. We were pleasantly part of a little surprise had for one of her executive producers, Lisa, who had been there for 15 years and moving to CA to run the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Remember the little girl,
Charise from the Phillipines, who was recently on singing her little heart out? well, she came out and sang for lisa who had found her and given her this live changing experience. The audience was boo-hooing again.
We sat there attentively like little school children all wanting more, more, more, but soon released by section to head back to security to get our belongings.
We got our Ipod’s, Cd’s, and Dunkin Donuts gift cards, and grabbed a cab to head back to our hotel.
Today is Friday the 20th, 2 days after the taping, and I am still reeling. I am so blessed to have had this experience with my mom. I would have had it no other way. A great memory for me and her…one that I will treasure forever. Happy Birthday Mom!!! I love you!
One of the many things I learned from this opportunity was: It IS who you know that matters OR you have to be VERY lucky. And Lucky is a word that has never described me.
The Heroes show airs on Tuesday, Nov 24th so be sure to watch. I am not sure when the Christmas show airs, but will find out..;)
