TV Stardom

Take 1

By a freak of fate, my parents went to high school with David Letterman, so they wrote and got me four VIP tickets. We sat front row center of the balcony, which are probably the best seats in the theater. However, the balcony is rarely shown in audience shots. That night was no exception. So, we didn't get on TV, but on the upside, we got to see Fiona Apple live!

Take 2

After waiting outside NBC studios for two hours, we got standby tickets #6 to #12 for the Conan O'Brian show. That afternoon, we went back to wait in line. The pages took the first 10 people through the security check, which left 2 of us behind. We waited for around 10 or 15 more minutes before one of the pages returned. She announced that they would be able to take 2 more people, but that would be all. Holding ticket #12, I was the last person to make it in. We all ended up standing along the wall, but we didn't mind too much. Especially since the guests included Samuel L. Jackson and Norm MacDonald. Once more though, we didn't get on TV. In fact, they didn't show the audience at all that night, because they did a post show taping, during which everyone was standing and we were in the back.

(Takes 3 and 4 aren't in chronological order, if you care)

Take 3

After failing twice to get into the Conan O'Brian show with standby tickets, it became almost a tradition for some members of the group to walk over to Times Square and stand outside the windows of the MTV studios and wave during the taping of MTV Live. More than once, members of our group could be seen waving from down on the street. Yes, a few did plan to wave at the "Window on America" during Good Morning America, but no one really wanted to get up that early. Besides, MTV Live is probably watched by our peers 1000 times more than Good Morning America.

Take 4

It took a few tries to get into Conan O'Brian, which already shows that persistence pays off. One of the times that our cohorts were waving at the MTV Live window, the show was hosting a game of "Freeze Frame" [they show a frame from a music video, and people call in to guess what it is]. Around the fourth or fifth one, they decided to choose someone off of the street and brought Andy back up to the studio. There they chatted with him a bit and gave him the chance to guess at the video still. He guessed wrong, but was given a prize anyway. He ended up walking away with an MTV T-shirt, a signed Chumbawumba CD, and a $50 Blockbuster gift certificate. Much to Andy's joy, a number of people back home happened to see the show, as well as a pair of strangers we passed on the street a few days later, who recognized him. 

Andy showing off his prizes

Back to NYC page

Back to Meg's Incredible Waste of Bandwidth.

1
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws