yay for being on tv!

so i was pretty excited when one of the local news stations posted a comment on the first day of school collage i'd posted on instagram.  they share those pictures during their morning news broadcasts if you include their hashtag, and you know i'm always all over that.  see:

i made sure to set the dvr to record the broadcast, so the bean could see herself on tv again (because who doesn't love that?).  they actually ended up sending a correction and changing the date, which was no big deal.  it was set to air this morning at 4:30, and so when the bean woke me up this morning i turned it on so i could show it to her.

we both cracked up when this flashed across the screen:

d-oh!  SO two years ago, abc7.  heh.  but that's okay.  she still thought it was pretty cool, and so we'll just try again next year.

still waiting to be discovered

remember when i told you that the girls and i got to attend a taping of nickelodeon's double dare reboot?  we'd been told that our episode was going to be the third one of the season, so when they started airing we kept an eye on the schedule to make sure we didn't miss it.

except that it didn't exactly happen that way.  so what i didn't tell you in the last post was that the kids who were competing on our episode were - well, let's just say they weren't exactly as enthusiastic as you'd typically see contestants on a game show being.  they all struggled to answer most of the questions and performed their physical challenges rather woodenly.  and so as time went on and we didn't see our team names showing up on the tv guide, we started to lose hope that we'd ever see it.  although i suppose they had an obligation to eventually air all of the episodes that were taped, and so we just kept waiting and hoping.

finally, about six weeks after we'd sat in that live studio audience, our episode aired.  yay!  we finally had a chance to sit down and watch it the other night, and were a little relieved when the nickelodeon folks did their magic and somehow managed to edit the footage into something that was a lot more interesting to watch than what we'd seen.

they didn't pan out to the audience a whole lot, but about nine minutes into the show, we saw them:

the camera actually stopped and focused on these two for a good five-plus seconds, and i cackled all over again at the memory of the producers seating the old lady with all the kids in one of the front rows.  unlike her mother and her sister, she doesn't like having any attention on her, and as we paused and rewound to watch them onscreen again i could tell she was torn between being excited to be on tv and mortified to be on tv.  heh.  and then as we got to the obstacle course finale, we spotted them again.  only this time, the bean was easy to spot while the old lady was mostly hidden behind a sign.

as for me, i was a little disappointed (but not surprised) as we watched and the camera never came my way.  and then as the end credits started to roll, the old lady yelled out "WAIT, LOOK!" and hit pause:

yaaaaaaay.  i made it on tv after all!  hahahahahahahaha.  and if you want to see our episode for yourself, it's episode 22:  kickin' cousins vs. seeker savages.

hit up that on demand!  the shot of the girls is totally worth watching.  don't tell the old lady i told you.

part of a live studio audience

if you're around the same age as me, you'll most likely remember a tv show on nickelodeon from waaaaay back in the day called "double dare."  i thought it looked like so much fun, and i would have loved to be a contestant to get to that awesome obstacle course round.  alas, i was too old for it and wouldn't have had any idea how to go about trying to audition for it anyway, and so i settled for watching it on tv whenever it came on.

it seems that all things 90s are getting a reboot and are cool again these days.  everything always seems to come back at some point, doesn't it?  and "double dare" was no exception.  i was super excited when they announced that they were going to bring it back, and while marc summers wasn't going to be the host anymore he'd still be a part of it.  the new host would be liza koshy, who is apparently youtube-famous, but because i'm an old fogey who doesn't do much youtube i'd never heard of her.

and then i was even more excited when i got an email offering tickets to watch the taping of the first round of "double dare" shows.  with the minimum age set at 8 and a taping scheduled for a monday morning, both my girls were able to come and so i went ahead and requested four seats (in case the hub was interested, which he wasn't).

traffic on a monday morning heading out to the west side is always pretty miserable, so we allowed ourselves tons of time to arrive on time.  the taping was at CBS studios in studio city, and luckily we managed to get through the traffic even with a stop at starbucks for some sustenance, pulling into the parking structure with about ten minutes to spare.  the ticket had instructed us to wear brightly colored clothing and that phones and cameras would not be allowed in the studio, so this is literally the only picture i took yesterday during our double dare extravaganza.

of course, as we checked in we noticed that everyone had their phones with them and weren't being instructed to leave them in the car.  ugh.  sometimes i wish i weren't such a rule follower.  although the girl who was taking our ticket did make it a point to thank us for not bringing ours in, so i guess rule followers are a little appreciated.  heh.

we stood in line for a little while waiting for everyone to get checked in, and then we were walked through the lot to the soundstage where the taping would take place.  it was such a cool set and looked just like i remembered it from the old days.  as we followed the staffers towards the seating area, we walked right past some of the pieces used in the obstacle course, like the giant pancakes and tacos and the best obstacle of all...pick it.  remember this (i borrowed this from my friend google)?

so because the old lady looks about 12 years old she was counted as a "kid" when we were checking in, which we both found immensely amusing.  and then it was even funnier when the PAs had her sit with the other kids while i was directed to sit in the very back row with the rest of the moms.  she turned around and giggled at me, and i won't lie, i was a little bummed to be out of camera range.  ha!

as the crew got the stage all set up and ready for the first physical challenge that would kick off the show, marc summers himself strolled out on stage and came over to say hello to the audience.  i'm pretty sure all of the adults were way more excited than the kids at this point.  and even funnier, he totally reminded me of my stepdad.  he was friendly and personable, and i had to wonder if he really did like being back considering that after the original "double dare" wrapped we learned that he had OCD and really struggled with the messy parts of the show.  he didn't seem bothered by anything as the taping continued, so i'm guessing all is well for the most part.

it was really fun to watch the show as the kids did their best to answer the trivia questions and play the games during the physical challenges.  the longest part of the taping was having to wait as the stage was cleaned up after each of those, because of course everything was gooey and whipped cream-y and super messy.  that was the part that took the longest, but the announcer who was there to entertain everyone and give us all instructions on when to applaud and stuff was always there to keep everyone occupied and happy.

i was pretty impressed with how well they kept things rolling and stayed right on time.  these things always seem to take forever, but maybe they figured that because it was not just a game show played by kids but also had an audience full of kids in a wide variety of ages, they had to be strict about staying on schedule.  we'd been told that the taping would run until about 2:00 that afternoon, and as the obstacle course part wrapped up and we'd given all of the applause and cheering they wanted, i checked my watch and it was exactly that time.  the production staff had done quite a nice job indeed.

the episode we were watching is the third of this new season with the first episode scheduled to air on june 25th.  if you happen to catch the episode pitting the "kickin' cousins" vs. the "[some last name that starts with S] slayers", keep an eye out for the bean and her sister sitting next to each other in the second row during the game part and then again standing behind obstacles 5-6 and me right behind obstacle 8.  ha!  and let me know if you spot us!

oh - and if you want pictures of the new set and obstacles, buzzfeed got to visit the set and take pictures.  i was a little WOMP WOMP when i spotted a few moms taking quick selfies with their kids with the set in the background on our way out, but that's okay.

kinda.

alright, fine.  i'm totally bummed that i didn't get a single picture in there.  dang it.

maybe we can go back one day.  and this time i won't be such a stick in the mud rule follower.  so there.

thanks a lot, simon cowell

our sunday funday continued after stopping off at home to change and hop back into the car.  this time we had the old lady's special friend with us for the drive to the pasadena civic center.  i'd snagged us some priority guaranteed seating tickets to a taping of one of "america's got talent" audition shows, and since we'd actually watched it last season we were excited to check it out.  the bean particularly enjoyed the show and the special friend had never been to a tv show taping before, so it promised to be a super fun afternoon.

there was a pretty good sized line to check in and pick up tickets, but it moved pretty quickly.

that was followed up with another super long line, but with assigned seating tickets in hand it was no biggie.

in case you didn't know, there's a chance you might end up on tv when you attend these things.

i knew they taped AGT here, but whenever i see this building i always think of "american idol."

we snapped these just before we got barked at by one of the security guys.  "no pictures on the stairs!"  sheesh.

it was warm and stuffy in there as we made our way upstairs to the balcony.

while we were up pretty high (and out of camera range, boo), we were right in the middle and had a great view of the stage and the judges' table.

and then we sat there.  and sat there.  and sat there.  the warm-up guy kept trying to perk everyone up with games and giveaways and stuff, but the crowd started getting belligerent as time ticked away and the show still wasn't starting.  we'd checked in at 3:00 with the show supposedly starting at 4:00, and then an announcement that it was pushed back to 4:45.  that came and went, and we got to watch a few acts rehearse and then they had us shoot some audience reactions - "okay, start with some soft clapping...louder!...more!...loudest you got!"  the bean had some fun with those parts and joined in the dance party even though there was zero chance she'd get on camera.

finally, the show started at 6:15. and as i'd predicted, the delay was due to simon cowell running super late.  he apologized to the audience, but i'm pretty sure his extreme tardiness resulted in us getting a shortened show.  i think we really only got to see 5 or 6 acts before the judges got up again, waved to the audience and exited the arena.  turns out there was another show scheduled for that evening, and they promised us all guaranteed seating again if we wanted to return for that taping.  alas, it was a school night and it was already too late for us by then anyway.

they're still taping, with tickets still available, but i think we've had our fill of AGT...for now.

"like, molecules and stuff"

so last week, my friend lilcee forwarded me an emailed invitation that she'd received from the discovery cube museum where she has a family membership.  they were looking for families with kids ages 4-10 to come and join them for a fun morning at their second annual "winter wonderfest" - there's snow play and sledding with a little science up in the mix.  one of the local channels was going to be broadcasting live during their morning news show, and they wanted kids to be there to showcase the event.  i RSVP'd for me and the bean and added in my co-leader and her two kids, and received confirmation via e-mail not too long afterwards.  we had to be there by 7:30 in the morning, so we were out of the house by 6:00.

we somehow managed to arrive early and sat in the car for a bit, staying warm and watching the manufactured snow blown out from a truck parked nearby.  when it was time, we headed out and got our first close-up look at where we'd be spending the next couple of hours.

staffers welcomed us and brought us to the same room where mini cee had had her birthday party a few months ago.  inside there was a table set up with breakfast goodies, hot coffee and juice.

we hung out in there for awhile as other families arrived and checked in.  and then it was finally time to go outside and get started on some icy fun.

the reporter, marla tellez, was already set up in front of the camera, doing a teaser clip for the next hour's live broadcast.

our girls got pulled aside to stand at the table where a museum staffer showed them a few science experiments:

and my co-leader's son was chosen to do a little sledding with marla for the first broadcast.

 selfie time!

parents were asked to stand back out of camera range, so the kids were featured during the clip and marla was able to walk through the snow area on camera without having to maneuver around us.

while the cameras were rolling, i managed to pull up a live stream of the broadcast and caught these screen grabs of our kids.

pretty cool, right?  and when that first piece was done the kids got to play in the snow again, building a snowman and throwing snowballs at each other.

for the next hour, the plan was to talk to the girls and ask them what they'd learned from their science experiments.  here they were rehearsing what they were going to say:

the bean was nervous about being on camera, but she was pretty excited to be featured too.  the rep from the museum that was helping the girls was super encouraging and assured them both that they'd do a great job.  except that when they went live, they somehow got placed in the wrong spot and missed their chance to talk with marla on camera.  d-oh.

she came over to apologize for the mix-up, and then invited the bean to do some sledding with her for the last hour's broadcast.  in the meantime, we grabbed a selfie with her:

and the girls had a blast sledding down both the short and tall hills.

and true to her word, when the last broadcast began marla had the bean join her on the little hill and even managed to squeeze in a quickie chat with her, where she finally got to answer the "so what did you learn here today?" question.

here's the clip, captured by the hub who was watching from home.

and then down the hill they went.

by that time, it was well into the final hour of the morning show.  we were all done, and left at the same time as marla and the cameraman did.  we were all pretty hungry, and with roscoe's chicken and waffles on the way home, - well, yeah.

we had one more stop before we called it a day.  along with the rest of our troop, we'd adopted a couple of families from a local shelter and used some of the proceeds from our fall product sale to shop for them off of their wish lists.  we had a family with a mom and three kids, and another with a mom and two kids, and had managed to pick up at least two items for each person.  everything was packed up in the trunk, and so we stopped to drop off the gifts so that the moms could have them in hand with plenty of time to wrap them all up.

snow, tv appearances, roscoe's, and a good deed.  not a bad way to kick off winter break, i'd say!