Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Martha Stewart and an Anomaly


Yesterday morning, when I was walking back from having coffee with Judy, a pleasant young woman approached me and asked if I'd like to see a taping of the Martha Stewart show.
Since I have never seen inside a TV studio, I said yes.
So after lunch I went and joined the cheery fellow attendees on 26th Street.
Many were from out of town and had dressed up nicely.
Some had initially arrived at 7:30 in the morning.
Everyone was very good spirits..........
 
...including James the young man in charge of security at the front door.
There was a certain amount of waiting around as lots of chipper, competent young people with headsets and clip-boards rushed about efficiently. People chatted and Joey Kola kept up an antic banter.
People had photographs taken of themselves in front of MARTHA signs.

The studio audience numbered around a hundred and  people entered the studio according to marks on their tickets.
We were 'wrangled' wonderfully well.
"Anyone with a green stripe?"
"Anyone with a star?"
"Anyone with a pink stripe?"
Those of us who had none wondered what we lacked. A bit like not being chosen for a gym team in junior high.

The studio is large, well-appointed and surprisingly chilly.
We are instructed when to clap or say "Mmmm...."
Joey Kola laughs and dances about, reminding me of a Shakesperean clown.  He keeps up such a constant banter of terrible jokes we smile anyway. He promises extra cheery people prizes. 
At one point he plays catch with Martha Stewart using little tomatoes.

The show is taped, but, since it won't be aired until Friday, I'll keep you in suspense as to the content -- suffice it to say that the crafts section included use of a glue gun.
Here is Joey Kola posing with Michelle from Florida.
We were given little presents at the door.
A good time was had by all.

36 comments:

  1. sounds like fun, so instructions were given on all the oohs and hmmm...i always wondered about that one :D

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  2. Sounds very well rehearsed, but fun nevertheless!

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  3. How fun is this?! Wow, you lucky girl! I used to be a huge fan of Martha in the 90's, but somewhere along the line I lost interest. Funny about the "extra cheery people" technique!

    I must watch Friday! Will we see any of you in the filming?

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  4. Sounds like great fun, did someone hold up boards with 'hooray' or 'mmm' written on

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  5. Did you ask her about the quality of her Macy's towels? Or why she didn't employ me on 2002? Hehe...

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  6. Get back! I have a glue gun and I know how to use it. Do as I say and nobody gets hurt! Sounds like a fun experience. :)

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  7. Sounds like so much fun!Lucky you.
    Jas

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  8. Hehehe. I may be wrong, Elizabeth, but I rather suspect that your tongue was placed firmly in your cheek when you hummed "Mmmmmm"?

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  9. \that all sounds quite exciting - your shots of the studio mske it all look quite professional. Wonder what you will think to the show - you will be watching of course. Shall be interested to hear what you think of the final result and how it differs.

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  10. How fun is that! I think it's so interesting to know what goes on behind the scenes....even orchestrating Mmmmmmm's...

    x..x

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  11. Ah, too funny! Still fun though, eh? I used to be a Martha follower, but it got to be too much work ;-) Great pics from "the inside"!

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  12. TV and movie studio sets are always frigid to off set the tremendous heat the lights on stage give off.

    Sounds like a fun experience.

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  13. ooooo, how fun is this! wish I was home Friday to watch! perhaps a peek of you in the audience shots or elsewhere? - Martha endures and so do her fans - an icon in her own time...

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  14. Oh Lucky YOU! That was a very fun post and thanks for taking us along, as usual- have camera, will travel! You are the best! Martha herself always seems- chilly- perhaps if she warmed up her studio a bit....
    Grteat post- so much fun!

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  15. This happened to me once at Rockefeller Center in the 80's. I was asked if I wanted to see The Tom Snyder show, and I did, and I got to sit in the front row. My first tv studio experience also. The guests were Dr.Christian Bernard, the famous heart surgeon, and then Albert Goldman, who wrote that horrible book about Elvis. They actually cleared the studio for his interview. Guess he didn't feel safe, or was afraid of the heckling that was sure to come. You just don't mess with the King!
    But my brother had the best tv audience experience - The Howdy Doody Show in the 50's!
    Gosh, I miss New York!
    Catherine

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  16. Sounds like you had a lot of fun,Elizabeth. I can picture you checking everything out with camera in hand...lol

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  17. Sounds fun and surreal at the same time! Let us know when it airs! :-)

    (Word verfication: "barnsd." Past tense of plural "barns" defined by a two-year-old??)

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  18. I get a kick out of that first picture; were those women sisters, or just best friends who travel in the same herd?

    I visited Persephone today . . . and came back with three new lovelies.

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  19. What an opportunity for the insider look at the workings of 'show making' and to see how Martha Stewart is doing. Imagine all of that mess. She's such a fighter.

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  20. Well I guess this was an ineresting and different way to spend an afternoon in spite of all the hype. Glad you got to go.

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  21. Oh fun!
    My kids used to go to all kinds of shows in Hollywood. Did you know some shows PAY you to sit and laugh on cue?

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  22. This sounds like a blast, Elizabeth. I love that you are out and about every day. You bring NY to the rest of us.

    Thanks.

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  23. Sounds interesting and fun. Great to be randomly picked like that.

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  24. How much fun to see behind the scenes! Martha Stewart is good friends with Jane Green, another blogger/author in my sidebar. It’s funny all these connections one finds in cyberspace. I was always picked near last for gym class, but it didn’t have much to do with my clothing.

    I love your moon shot in a post below.

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  25. What a thrill! I'd love to go to something like that!

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  26. What fun! I heard Martha speak once several years ago and was impressed by how tall she was! I found her to be very nice, and I've learned so much from her over the years.

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  27. Wow, that's so neat! I've always wanted to go to the taping of a show to see how it's done and what it's like to be in the audience. How fortunate you were to be approached and asked to go. New York is one of the only places where that will happen. I miss it!

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  28. SO glad you turned the sweater around!

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  29. Glad you had a good time. I've been to a lot of these show tapings but not Martha's.

    Paz

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  30. Sounds like you had fun. The couple of times I've gone to tapings of things, they were so *slow* and *long* that we were bored silly before it was half over. You *need* a Shakespearean clown!

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  31. How cool Elizabeth, I love her show :o)

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  32. You got to see her use the glue gun? That's priceless!

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