Flew to California with my sister & met up with a bunch of friends who'd flown from New Hampshire and New Mexico, to see the Price is Right a couple years ago (to bid adieu to Ol' Bobby Barker). While we were there, we went a Tonight Show taping.
I started to get the feeling, while we were in California, that all show tapings involve audience Q & A sessions in commercial breaks -- which is awesome. There were (as made apparent by the photograph) six of us at the Tonight Show, but despite our enthusiasm, we didn't get called on to ask him a question (although I had no idea what to ask had I been called on ... maybe something about chin implants?).
And of course we were kind of hoping to get some sort of interaction with him. And we really didn't want to go home disappointed. But as he did his sign-off, it became disappointingly clear we weren't going to get an opportunity to shake hands, high five, or make silly comments about his chin being much larger in person. boooooo.
As we're walking right past him -- AND HIS SECURITY GUARDS -- to exit the studio, Susan (my sister, and the girl on Jay's right) get's the idea to call his name.
Susan: "hey, Jay?"
Jay Leno: "hey!"
Susan: "Great show, we really enjoyed it. Could we take a picture with you?"
Jay Leno: "oh, thanks and of course. Come on up here, guys."
BOOYA!
So the six of us climb up on stage, remember SIX of us, and Jay Leno's assistant proceeds to tell us we're in the wrong place -- "I'm sorry, Mr. Leno isn't taking any photographs." So I said, "no, no. Jay invited us up here to take a picture." (also there on stage was Rosanne and some other people.) Assistant Asshat probably has a hellacious job of keeping Mr. Leno where he's supposed to be and making sure he stays on schedule, but that's not my fault. Susan asked, and he obliged. So yeah, we went over Assistant Asshat's head ... and yeah, she was definitely a little put off, but whatever.
Meanwhile, the entire studio is emptying out and people are clustering and gathering and loitering and gawking (which, I'm sure, is precisely why Assistant Asshat was opposed to our detouring Jay). I imagine some people were pissed that we were invited on stage simply by asking.
One middle-aged, scraggly woman was so hopeful to get a photograph with him, she even attempted to blend in with us and claim to a rather large security guard that she was in our party. It felt kind of fantastic to be asked by a security guard if she was "with us." And it felt ultra empowering to say "No sir, only these five people are with me."
He was totally cool too. He asked where we were all from; and then when he got such a varying response, he was curious how we knew each other. We had some general small talk and definitely some laughter. His suit was stiff -- like FRESHLY pressed. Super freshly. And look at him with his arm all draped over Susan's shoulder (also, Bob Barker hit on her).
So anyway, we held up his entire afternoon by stopping him long enough to take a picture, write down our address, and get him to sign a few things. In the eyes of his assistant, I bet those brief moments threw off his entire day.
Again though, not my problem. Thanks to Susan's giant balls and to Jay's total coolness level, we were able to get a photograph of all of us with him and his people mailed a copy for each of us. Too damn cool.
Yay California. Yay RPT.
Definitely a Top 10 experience for me. (and no, that wasn't a Letterman reference, although I do like him better...)
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