| On Friday Debi and I drove from Paso Robles to LA. We made it to Ryan�s broadcasting area just as his radio show was starting. Because we had tickets for the TCA pre-party that night, our plan was to try to catch Ryan at Star at the end of his shift before heading to the party. We checked into our hotel and spent a few hours relaxing and getting ready and of course listening to Ryan on the radio. Since we didn�t really know how bad the Friday LA traffic would be, we ended up getting to the Star building a little early, around 6:15. We miraculously found a parking spot on the street and just sat and listened for a little while. During that time I spotted Laura Innes (Keri Weaver on ER) walking from the WB studios towards Ryan�s building, kinda cool. Around 6:30 I decided to call the radio station to try to talk to Ryan, but after putting me on hold the phone girl told me that they weren�t taking any more calls because it was so close to the end of the show. So we went back to listening and waiting. A little before 7 we decided to head into the building and hang out in the lobby to hopefully see Ryan leaving. The Star building also has a lot of other offices and businesses, plus a busy restaurant/bar, so there were quite a few people going in and out. I kept thinking that someone was going to tell us to leave or at least question what we were doing just standing around, but nope, no one said a word, not even the security officers. The building is structured so one set of elevators goes between the offices and the lobby and there is a separate set of elevators between the lobby and the parking garage under the building, so our hope was that Ryan would have to at least walk through the lobby to go from one set of elevators to the next to get to his car. Debi and I had decided that if we didn�t see him by 7:30 we�d leave, but I guess neither one of us really wanted to do that because we stayed a little longer. Good thing we did because around 7:35 Ryan rounded the corner coming from the first set of elevators and instead of heading to the parking elevators, he turned toward the stairs, which we just happened to be standing on the other side of. (the stairs go down to the parking garage too and there�s kind of an open area in the lobby above the stairs � it�s difficult to explain, but Ryan was on one side of the stairs and we were on the other) Even though we had been waiting in that lobby for about 45 minutes, it still kind of caught me off guard that it was actually HIM standing there, plus he looked FABULOUS � great tan, hair done, tight black t-shirt, fitted jeans, black shoes � absolute perfection. (the shirt is actually the EXACT same one he wore for the TCAs only in reverse, black shirt with white writing instead of white shirt with black writing) Across the staircase I said, �Ryan?� He turned and said hi and I asked if we could talk to him for a minute, but at the same moment a man who had been wandering around the building earlier came out of nowhere on the same side of the stairs as Ryan and approached him. Ryan kind of looked back and forth between us and the man and said, �Are you guys together?� but I said no and he started talking to the man while we stood back. Turns out the guy was there because he was trying to get his daughter on American Idol. *rolls eyes* Ryan was EXTREMELY nice to him and didn�t act annoyed at all, just told him that he�d be out at the Rose Bowl for the auditions on Sunday but that the �real� judges didn�t get involved until a few more steps into the audition process and he really didn�t have anything to do with who made it on the show. After a minute or so the man left and Ryan turned his attention to us. :D I think I said hi again and told him that we were just fans who wanted to meet him. He looked me right in the eyes, held out his hand, and said, �Hi I�m Ryan.� Well DUH of course you are, that�s why I�m there! lol I shook his hand and told him my name, and then he did the same thing with Debi, who was standing a little behind me. His eyes are amazingly beautiful in person, something that pictures just don�t capture, not really a bright green but kind of light brownish-green� I can�t describe it! Anyway, after we all introduced ourselves I told him that we were on vacation from the Bay Area and that we listen to his radio show over the computer, so he asked us what we were doing on our trip. I said that we were going to the TCAs and he said, �Oh the Teen Choice Awards? We were just talking about that upstairs. I�m gonna be there too. They start early don�t they? Like 5?� Then he opened up the folder he was holding to look at his schedule. Debi said something about the doors closing at 6:30 and the show starting at 7 (that�s what is printed on our tickets) but we found out the next day that he DID have to be there early to host the pre-show blue carpet celebrity arrivals so he probably WAS there at 5 or even earlier. That man�s schedule must be INSANE. Debi then told him that we were also going to American Juniors on Monday, and he was like, �Really? You�re coming to the show? You have to make a sign that says �I love Ryan.�� I asked him if he would come over and talk to me during the show if I made a sign for him and he said, �Of course! If you have a sign with my name on it I have to say hi.� So I told him I�d make one, which I did. :D (small yellow poster board with I {heart} Ryan on it � look for it on tv lol) Then he asked us what part of the Bay Area we�re from and when I told him San Jose, he commented that Lisa was from there too. This was my opportunity to figure out something that�s been bugging me for a long time � I asked him if he had worked in San Francisco because I SWEAR I remember him being on the radio here for a very very short time period like 10 years ago. He told me that yeah, he worked in SF for 6 months at K101, which is now our local Star station. Yay, I knew it, mystery solved, and directly from Ryan�s own mouth! He thanked us for being there and was about to leave but I asked him if we could take pictures with him and he was like, �Sure, do you have a camera?� Hello, would I ask to take a picture if I DIDN�T????? He said something about taking individual pictures with him and then we could �swap� the camera so we could each get one � Debi loves that he used the word swap like 3 times. lol *dirty Ryan thoughts* So he put his arm around me for a picture and then we �swapped� and Debi got hers. I honestly don�t remember anything about what he felt like, how he smelled, where his hand was, I was just too stunned I guess. All I was thinking was DON�T BLINK. After our pictures we thanked him and said goodbye. As he was turning to go down the stairs I said, �By the way, you look REALLY good today,� and Debi added, �Despite what Lisa said about your shirt.� (earlier on the air Lisa was making fun of him for wearing a t-shirt to a nice restaurant for lunch) He smiled and thanked us and went on his way. *sigh* Debi and I grabbed each other�s hands and walked outside to the car, where I squealed ecstatically for a few minutes. EEEEEEEE!!!!!! He was SO friendly and talkative and just an absolute sweetheart, smiling and totally looking us in the eyes the entire time. He made me fall in love with him even more because he was just as wonderful as I'd hoped he'd be! It was too late for us to get the pictures developed that night, so we decided to bring them to one hour developing the next day. Still in a Ryan daze, we drove back to our hotel and then caught the shuttle to Universal, where the TCA pre-party was happening. Unfortunately that turned out to be pretty lame, but we got to see JoJo from Fame/KIIS FM and DJ Skribble from MTV and some other guy singer that everyone was squealing over and taking pictures of but I had never heard of him and now I can�t even remember his name. *shrug* We spent the rest of the night exploring the Universal City Walk, which was crazy busy. I fell asleep thinking about Ryan and actually had a CLEAN dream about him which involved him laying on a bed. lol On Saturday we had nothing to do but kill time before the TCAs. First we brought some film to one hour developing, including the roll that had our Ryan pictures on it. Then we headed back to the Universal City Walk to see the Titanic 3D Imax movie Ghosts of the Abyss, which was totally cool. After the movie we picked up our pictures and stocked up on poster making supplies for AmJr since Ryan had personally asked us to make a sign for him. lol We spent the afternoon watching Legends of the Fall on tv and getting ready for the awards. We arrived at the Universal Amphitheatre around 5:30, just before they opened the doors to let in the crowd. We tried to figure out where the celebrity arrivals were happening, but sections around the amphitheatre were blocked off so no luck for us there. As we got inside Debi looked in one of the doors to the auditorium and who was on the big screens larger than life but RYAN! We had no idea he was doing the pre-show, but it was definitely a nice surprise. For the next hour+ we got to watch Ryan interviewing anyone who would talk to him, including Kelly Clarkson (she and Ryan matched lol), Jillian Barberie (Ryan closed his eyes and puckered up for a kiss as she came up to his platform, nice big close up on the screen *swoon*), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Ryan kept looking at her chest), Jessica Simpson (who was wearing the same shirt as SMG but in a different color), Nick Lachey (too gorgeous to be on the same stage with Ryan, hottie overload!), the Rock, Justin Guarini, Jim Carrey, Evanescence, Deborah Gibson, the AmJr kids, and a bunch of other people that I can�t remember. Being at the TCAs in itself was very cool. I thought our seats weren�t going to be great because we were a section away from all of the celebs and we were way off to the side. However, we came to realize that almost all of the celebs came through the door right next to us in order to get to their seats down front. *happy dance* We were able to catch close glimpses of Ashton Kutcher, Keanu Reeves, Adam Sandler, SMG, Jim Carrey, John Voight (no clue why he was there), JC Chasez, Brittney Snow, Justin Guarini, Colin Ferrell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Evanescence, Kelly Slater, the AmJr kids, the cast of 8 Simple Rules, the cast of Everwood, the cast of The OC, the cast of 7th Heaven, and tons of other people, including Ryan. :D And just as cool as seeing all of these people just a few feet away, they let us take as many pictures as we wanted! I don�t know how well they�ll turn out because sometimes it was really dark in the auditorium and there were lots of security guards around, but I took at least 2 rolls of film so hopefully something will come out halfway decent. EDIT: The pictures actually turned out pretty well, much better than I was expecting. You can view all of them HERE Two highlights of the show for me: #1 Watching Ryan. I was *somewhat* concerned that he was there with a woman sitting next to him, but this eventually turned into hysterical laughter later in the show when I realized she was his MAKE-UP ARTIST! lmao Yep, the man had his make-up lady with him and I caught her touching him up right before he went on stage to accept his awards. (one for American Idol, one for fashion � figures!) Totally classic � Ryan brings his make-up artist with him instead of a date! lol Highlight #2: Watching JC Chasez. He showed up late and left early, but there was one segment where he was more entertaining to watch than what was happening on stage. Justin Guarini and Brittney Snow were presenting some kind of �grossest reality tv moment� award and they brought out this guy they called Bob the Exterminator or something like that. �Bob� had a whole jar of live cockroaches and he started putting them all over his face and then started eating them. This in itself was absolutely revolting, but the funniest part was that JC was completely disgusted too. He was covering his eyes, covering his mouth like he was going to be sick, writhing around in his chair � it was hysterical! Watching a pop star totally freak out is quite entertaining. lol The most disappointing part about the TCAs was that, like JC, almost all of the �important� people left early, including Ryan. As soon as they�d present or get their awards, they�d go backstage never to be seen again. Jim Carrey, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Lee Curtis, and a few others came back into the audience after their stage time, but hardly anyone stayed til the end. Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, and Britney Spears NEVER came into the auditorium at all. We watched that door like hawks and were able to see A LOT of celebrities, it just kind of sucks to know that they don�t always stick around. Now that it has aired, I have to say that it was very very odd watching the TCAs on tv. Not just because I was there and I knew exactly what was going to happen, but they changed it! They showed everything in a different order than they filmed it. Jim Carrey�s award was presented first but they showed it during the second hour; JC didn�t even show up until the awards were half over, yet they showed him presenting at the beginning of the show; Evanescence performed after The Donnas but on the show they reversed it; during the broadcast they showed Ashton get his second award before they showed the first. It was ODD and I have no clue why they didn�t just air it the way they originally filmed it. It was also strange because during the taping I was totally NOT paying attention to what was happening on stage because I was so focused on who was coming in and out of that door. There were so many things that I was like, �When did they say that?� or �I don�t remember that AT ALL,� just because I wasn�t paying attention to the actual awards during the taping. The door was my priority! Sunday was our �down� day, although you�d never know it by what we did. Debi and I spent the entire day driving around visiting our personal hot spots, some planned, some unplanned. We started out by locating CBS, where American Juniors is taped, so we�d know exactly where to go the next day. Then we went back to where Nick filmed his Help Me video to take pictures in the DAYLIGHT this time. (no pouring rain either!) We also found a couple of spots from the video that we couldn�t find back in December � Molly�s and the Sound Factory. In the process we accidentally discovered a great view of the Hollywood sign (much better than from Griffith Observatory) and lots of old time Walk Of Fame stars that we didn�t even know were there. Our explorations continued with Koi restaurant, Le Meridien hotel, the building used as the exterior of General Hospital, the house from Charmed, various locations of the famous LA coffee chain The Coffee Bean, a drive up and down almost every street in the Toluca Lake area (Debi picked out our future houses where we�ll live with Greg and Ryan lol), and a wild goose chase for The Ivy restaurant. We also ended up hitting 2 malls � the Beverly Center and the Glendale Galleria, which is MASSIVE � and driving in circles around Disney, ABC, NBC, and the Star building. By sundown we were pooped and headed back to the hotel, where I spent most of the evening making my I {heart} Ryan sign, glitter and all. Because the �tickets� for American Juniors don�t guarantee admission to the show, we decided that we should be out the door on Monday by 6 am so we�d have plenty of time to line up. That meant waking up at 5 so we�d have time to finish packing and check out. *bleck* After discovering and filling Debi�s flat tire, we made it to CBS around 6:30. They weren�t letting cars in the parking lot until at least 8:30, so we found a spot on the street and then lined up with the other 20 or so people who got there before us. The morning draaaaaagged (despite witnessing a car accident in the CBS driveway), but we met some nice people in line, including one girl who had tried out for AI3 the day before at the Rose Bowl. A little after 8 I got my sign out of the car and left my camera there � on purpose � they said if they caught you with a camera they�d take it. *pout* At 8:30 they let Debi move the car into the CBS lot, and then finally around 9:30 they moved the line from the street to inside the property in the shade. (thank God) They numbered us off and Debi and I were #s 30 and 31 � no problem, we�d get in for sure. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Around 10 am they explained that they had a certain number if tickets they were giving out and everyone else would be seat fillers. If a person with a ticket showed up for the seat you were filling, they�d kick you out. We still thought we were totally safe being #s 30 and 31 out of almost 200. Nope. Turns out they have a policy where if you don�t get in, they give you a guaranteed ticket for another taping, which is nice but that also meant that they had already given out A LOT of tickets for the show to people who had been there on other days. By the time we got to up to the guy giving out the tickets, there were only FIVE tickets left � 3 together and 2 singles. IMO Debi and I should have been given two of the three seats that were together, but since there was a group of 3 behind us, THEY got the seats together and Debi and I got split up. We were in the same section (across from the judges), but she was in the first row and I was in row 9, which turned out to be the LAST row. I was NOT a happy camper, but at least we had tickets � all of the other people were still in limbo. They finally let us into the studio around 11:30. There were A LOT of seats still open once the people with tickets had been seated, so eventually they started to let in the seat fillers. Since my single seat happened to be in the last row, TONS of people who were in line WAY behind us ended up sitting IN FRONT OF ME. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! I was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. Finally there were only a couple of single seats left towards the front and I asked the guy in charge of seating our section if I could move since I was a single and had been separated from my friend and had gotten there a lot earlier than the people still waiting outside. Thankfully he moved me to a seat two rows directly behind Debi. Now we were ready for the fun to begin. A lot of the show is a blur � all I know is I was able to unabashedly gawk at Ryan for nearly 2 hours. *sigh* He looked heavenly in a baby blue t-shirt and light tan pants. When he first came out on stage (before they started filming), I was of course holding my I {heart} Ryan sign and he looked right at me and waved. (at least I�m pretty sure it was for me, that�s what I keep telling myself lol) During the taping I felt so close to the action, like I could make eye contact with everyone. On tv the audience looks so big and distant, but in reality I felt like I was right in the middle of it all. Throughout the course of the show Ryan totally impressed me. He is NOT just a host; he was running everything! OK, well not really, the directors and producers were making all of the decisions, but Ryan was so in control and composed and aware and on top of things, it really was like he was in charge. He pointed out when they should get shots of the parents crying, he explained everything that was happening to the studio audience, he ad-libbed his lines and didn�t use what was on the teleprompter. It was definitely a treat to watch, and I respect him so much more now. He still joked around and was thoroughly entertaining, but he was also extremely intelligent, well-spoken, and professional. What you see on tv is only 1/10th of what he�s responsible for. Some interesting tidbits about the show, especially looking back after seeing it on the air� Ryan winks at people � I don�t know why, but he did it at least twice that I saw, very cute� When Deborah Gibson was first introduced, Ryan told her not to bend over because she was wearing a low cut shirt and it was a family show. She told him to take a good look because it was as close as he was ever gonna get, and he responded that he felt sorry for himself if that�s all he was ever gonna see because it wasn�t very much. OUCH. They cut all of that out of the broadcast, but it was really really funny� After each singer performs, they actually STOP taping to reset the cameras. This means that the judges have a few minutes to think about what they�re going to say, which I didn�t know. It also explains why Ryan seems to lag on the side at the end of each performance � he has to and then they film him entering when they turn the cameras back on� The producer (Nigel) and assistant director (Debbie) actually sit in the audience during the show. You can see them down on the floor if you look closely. The other floor seats are strictly for family members and special guests� During Katelyn Tarver�s performance there was some technical problem and they stopped her. Ryan said that had never happened before. When Dionne Warwick (the guest judge) was making her comments, she complimented Katelyn for keeping her composure and not letting the technical problem phase her. However, because the tv audience will never SEE the technical problem, they made Dionne re-record her comments and then edited them in for the broadcast. Ryan was very tactful and sweet explaining the whole thing� They were supposed to have Simon Cowell via satellite to comment on AI3, but Nigel said he forgot to tell Simon. During the taping they left it out and invited us to come back the next day to be part of the audience for Simon�s satellite feed. If you looked really closely during the broadcast, you could tell that Ryan�s hair was a little different and his 5 o�clock shadow was a little darker for that segment � all because it was filmed the next day� RJ from AI1 was in the audience, and during a break Ryan brought him on stage. Then Ryan proceeded to do imitations of Randy (�dawg, yo dawg�) and Paula, but RJ and Nigel jumped in when it was time to imitate Simon� After Morgan�s performance Ryan commented on his dancing and did a little dance move of his own. They cut it out of the broadcast unfortunately� After another performance, Ryan imitated Gladys Knight making moaning noises: �Mmmm, mmmhmmm!� Totally adorable and very funny, and luckily they didn�t edit it out� After Katelyn�s performance they had her little sister sing Rockin� Robin, and the audience spontaneously joined in for the �tweet tweet� parts. Nigel thought that was cool so he had us re-record the tweeting about 5 times. Ryan also did a little tweet tweet himself as he was saying the phone number for people to use to vote for Katelyn� Ryan only flubbed up once, but they would have had to re-shoot it anyway because there was some other problem with the stage set up, so basically he just gave them a reason to stop taping and re-set things sooner. The taping didn�t end until around 1:45, later than expected. During one of the ending takes, the kids and Ryan ran out into the audience. There was a person at the end of the row in front of me with a sign that said something about hugging Ryan, and he had said earlier that he�d come over and �take care of that� later. I couldn�t really see what was going on because as the contestants ran into the audience, the kids in the audience ran up to them, creating a little chaos. Debi was in the front row and she saw Ryan coming over to give the girl a hug, so she got my attention. As soon as I figured out what was going on, I ran to the aisle and held up my sign. Ryan was starting to go back to the stage, but he looked at the sign, looked at me, waved, and mouthed, �Thank you� really big. I wonder if he remembered that he TOLD me to make the sign. lol After the last take, Ryan pretty much RAN backstage and disappeared. Because the taping was running late, he had just over an hour before he had to be on the air at Star. Everyone filed out of the studio and into the parking lot. As we were walking to the car, Debi said that she couldn�t stop looking at the people driving through the parking lot just in case it was someone important. *coughRyancough* I told her that I was doing the same thing, and as I turned around to look at the car approaching me, sure enough IT WAS RYAN! For a split second I was like, �No way, I�m imagining this,� but yes, it was THE Ryan Seacrest driving right through the crowd in his silver Mercedes, yet no one had noticed him. And then I had the biggest teenie moment of my life. *hanging my head in shame* When it registered in my brain that it really was Ryan, I shouted his name and literally RAN over to his car on the passenger side flashing my I {heart} Ryan sign. *shaking my head* I�m so lame. Thank God Ryan is such a wonderful man or he would have sped away as fast as possible. But instead, without hesitation, he rolled down his window to talk to me! *shock* I still can�t believe he did that. If I was him, I would have locked the doors and ignored the psycho girl with the sign who unnecessarily attracted attention. I guess he had done a quick change inside because he was wearing a different blue t-shirt (brighter blue) and very yummy sunglasses. *thud* He reached his hand across the car from the driver side to shake hands with both me and Debi and said, �Thanks for the signage.� (one if his favorite phrases, he used it during AmJr too) I told him that we were the ones from the radio station on Friday and that we were going back to the Bay Area that afternoon, and he said he remembered us and wished us a safe trip. Total sweetheart, especially under those circumstances. It would have been nice to have my camera handy though! We said goodbye and walked away from Ryan�s car toward our own assuming he was driving away. When we reached our car and looked back, Ryan was still there! Other fans had come up to the car and were talking with him. If I had known he was going to hang around, I would have RUN to Debi�s car to get my camera. But just as I was getting my camera out, he started to drive away. I did manage to snap a couple pix of his car though� for future reference. lol We briefly contemplated the idea of following him, but #1 we KNEW where he was going so we didn�t really have to follow, #2 we didn�t want to come across as total stalkers, and #3 we lost him when he turned out of the parking lot. We eventually managed to find our way back to the Star building and considered eating at the restaurant there, but we decided that it would be bad if Ryan happened to see us again, and plus if we went in, we couldn�t listen to him on the radio. Instead we gassed up the car, checked the bum tire (which was fine for the rest of the trip), and ate in a McDonald�s parking lot so we could still listen to the radio. Around 3:30 we were about to get on the road but I wanted to try to talk to Ryan one more time, so I called the radio station. (I know, I�m selfish lol) I told the guy who answered the phone that I wanted to thank Ryan for being so great with us on Friday and earlier that day and to congratulate him on his Teen Choice Awards. He put me on hold and a few minutes later Ryan picked up! He said something like, �Is this Angela?� and when I said yes, he said, �Hi this is Ryan.� (he always introduces himself lol) Then he started talking about getting sun over the weekend, and I commented that he spent all weekend working, which led us into a discussion about the TCAs. I said that I was there and I saw him interviewing people from the blue carpet on the tv screens inside the auditorium, and he seemed surprised that the coverage was fed inside live. He talked about Jim Carrey and I said he was gross, but Ryan said we couldn�t say specifics because it needed to be a surprise for the broadcast on Wednesday. Ryan also brought up Ashton Kutcher and I said he was there without Demi, and then Ryan and Lisa talked a little about Ashton. I told them that my favorite part of the show was Ryan winning his awards (which he also said we couldn�t talk about because it was supposed to be a surprise) and that I caught Ryan getting his make up done before he went on stage. He asked, �How did you know that?!� and I said, �I was watching you!� At the end of the conversation he said �Thanks Ang� and �Bye darlin�� and I practically melted right there in the car. I wasn�t sure if he was going to play it on the air because the phone connection didn�t seem very strong and he kept saying we couldn�t talk about certain things, but I was thrilled that I got to talk with him again, especially since it was about something entertainment-related. Debi and I got on the road back north and kept listening to Ryan for as long as possible. We knew from when we drove to LA in June that we were able to get Star to come in up to 60 miles away, so we figured that we had a little Ryan time left. He played a conversation with another caller and I was pretty much convinced that he had scrapped mine, but then around 4:10 I heard Ryan say my name! He played our whole conversation on the air! I was majorly freaking out in the car. I had forgotten half of what I said and I could barely hear what he and Lisa were saying to each other while I was on the phone, so it was nice to be able to relive it that way. Within a half an hour we were totally out of Star�s broadcast range, but hearing our conversation on the air was the perfect way to end a wonderful Ryan-filled weekend. :D |
| A Weekend with Ryan Seacrest |
| August 1-4, 2003 |
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