I love LA. I'm not being facetious, I really do! I love the climate and I feel right at home. Certainly part of the reason is that the past two times I've been there I've been seeing Craig Ferguson at the Late Late Show. And now that he's leaving the show in December, everyone is feeling the pressing need to see Craig do the show live at least once. This time preparing for the trip felt just a little bit sad. I made myself feel better by planning to go again before the end of the year. Expecting to meet fellow #RSA there, I booked my hotel and flight and kept everything crossed that I'd get to at least a couple of tapings.
I know a lot of people are sad that Craig is leaving the Late Late Show after ten years. Me too! But I love this guy. He's not leaving the planet, just this show. We will even have the chance to see him on TWO shows a day for awhile when Celebrity Name Game starts in September. I understood and believed him when he said he would only keep doing The Late Late Show as long as he enjoyed it. "Then you'll know I'm not one of them." Now it feels like this was his kindhearted way of preparing us for what was to come. He said that nearly two years ago at the Paley Center in NYC. What we didn't know was that he could have left then, but CBS did all they could to make him want to stay. So we're very lucky to have this extended time with Craig on this unique, brilliant show he's created.
I've been following what's happening with Celebrity Name Game since the first articles about it. Craig did the pilot in 2011.
-- http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/courteney-cox-david-arquette-sell-202163 --
Now we can look forward to the premiere September 22. As soon as I could find out who was handling the audiences for this I signed onto the wait list.
http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Celebrity_Name_Game
Word was they would start mid-July. I wasn't feeling brave enough to audition to be a contestant (plus I needed a partner), but I kept hoping for the email that would allow me to be in LA for both the Late Late Show and Celebrity Name Game. I was ready to make the transition right along with Craig. :-)
Then it actually happened! The email with a link to a long list of priority tickets to #CNG, so many that I wondered if it was okay to take them all. I decided to take the 12:45 and 3:30 seatings for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 18-20. I changed my flight home and added a couple of days at another hotel. (July is a busy time!)
My week arrived and I was in LA on a Sunday. By this time I had one Priority Late Late Show ticket out of four days. I was ready to be there for an hour or more to see if I could get in on the other days. Frequently people on standby get to see the show. But it's different now. In the first place, July. Everyone's on vacation, lots of people who can't visit any other time. 1iota is trying to accommodate these people, so if you've been to the show before, you'll probably be a little farther down the list. And of course there are a lot of people trying for just that one visit. So out of those three days without a ticket, I made it in once. Still better than not at all. And my friend Melody and I had tickets for Thursday. When we didn't get in on Wednesday, we went to see How To Train Your Dragon 2 at the Grove. Second time for me and I still cried. ♥
On Thursday we lined up with tickets and made it in to see two tapings of the Late Late Show. Of course it was fantastic! It was so good to be there again, enjoying the show and the Craigy chats between segments, seeing all the crew, and trying not to think about how much I'll miss everything about this.
Friday I was on my own, a little bit nervous going to a new place, expecting to see two of the new Celebrity Name Game tapings. It was very easy to get to Sunset Bronson Studios. I found a spot to park on a side street. (Make sure to check posted signs and avoid the 2-hour or 4-hour parking if you go. You'll find out why.) The line outside was in the shade, so the wait was comfortable. #OCA (On-Camera Audiences) is well-organized and posts rules on the tickets. Cameras and cell phones are not permitted and there is no setup to check them, so leave them in the car. If you forget, the audience wranglers will remind you before you get past the gate and you will have to take them to your car. Even though they suggest you dress nicely, the audience at this show is not on camera, at least not at all the tapings I attended. But you never know! Best to be prepared and follow directions.
If you have a priority ticket you will get in, and there's no need to arrive really early. Twenty minutes ahead of your ticket time should be enough. If you're arriving for the 3:30 show, you might want an umbrella or hat for sun protection. We were ushered in through security at the time on our tickets. Then we waited inside the courtyard between buildings. Bathroom breaks happened at this time. Take advantage - you'll be there for awhile and it's a very funny show, so things could happen. ;)
The set is large and designed as a nicely furnished modern living room. If you've seen the longer promo for the show, you'll notice some changes have been made since the pilot. The boards where the categories and names appear blend in well and make for a very attractive set. There are two teams per game, two contestants on each side with one celeb per team. At different stages of the game, the celebs or the contestants are the clue-givers. My favorite part is when Craig gives the clues himself. I'm skipping some details about the order of things, since I'm guessing most people want to know about Craig. He is excellent at this, and there's plenty of him on the show. Between his interactions with the contestants and celeb guests and his reactions to the clues and answers, he makes the show fly by. It's a very fast-paced game and the competition can get intense. These people are trying to win $20,000! Craig encourages everyone, keeps the peace or makes trouble (in the most enjoyable way :)) and always makes it fun.
You may spend more time there than you originally planned. This is a good thing. Two of the three days the 12:45 show turned out to be two shows and the 3:30 show turned into 3 shows, ending around 7PM. Why not stay for all of it? You never know what might happen. Craig recorded a bunch of short promos at the end of one day, and of course he improvised a few. We were laughing our asses off, at the same time trying to stay quiet so they could move along. Perfect ending to another perfect day. Thanks to Craig for that, and everything else that made this week awesome.
From the start of this visit, when I was just hoping for a couple of chances to see Craig and the Late Late Show, to two visits there followed by 14 #CNG tapings in three days, this trip has been remarkable. It's clear to me that the man we all appreciate so much deserves even more credit than we already give him. A full week of Late Late Shows followed by 18 Celebrity Name Games with your basic lunch breaks? (Still wonder if Craig had some of the Thai soup - there's a great place right across the street.) And then he's doing a week's worth of shows in three days at CBS so that he can go moderate panels and do a chat with Josh Robert Thompson at NerdHQ at ComicCon. So whether you join a live audience or watch the shows at home, you WILL find Craig. I've found that change can be good, and a lot of fun. I highly recommend the new game in town.
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