Below: Carrie Fisher, one of the “On the Lot” judges, living the dream.
So off we go into our borrowed Ford Escapes with cool license plates like “California 14.” We are going to the CBS studios to see a taping of the TV show “On the Lot.” We are given very detailed directions, but not given maps as our cars have Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
None of us has driven in LA before, knows where we are going, or used a GPS system before, so within our first few turns we are driving on the right highway, but going the wrong direction.
Ahh. The adventurous life.
In trying to correct our direction, we almost do a Nicole Richie and turn onto an on ramp. In our (and her) defense, the signage in LA is really weird – like the Stop sign at the END of the ramp before you are to merge onto the highway.
I am not driving. I woke up with the worst neck crick ever, and cannot turn my head even though I have swallowed a box of Robaxacet. But I am enjoying my passenger role, which I don’t take lightly.
I have been told by my good friend Janet that even though I am a good driver, I am a most excellent passenger. ‘Tis true. I love looking out the window and get totally drawn into the views and music, leaving the driver free to do as they wish.
So that’s what I did and somehow we ended up at the CBS studios.
Ah, the Studios. TV land. When I was growing up it was all magic. I wanted to be from Hollywood. Hollywood was better than Toronto. They had cool shows like The Partridge Family and The Price Is Right. We had The Beachcombers, about loggers, and The Party Game, where you could win a toaster. They had Romper Room.
At CBS we were given a tour of the building. And I mean the whole building. We were introduced to Set Designers, Costume Designers, the PR team, Producers, Editors, Director’s of Photography. The works. And everyone was dressed casually, super friendly, and funny. John Ratzenberger smiled at us from a doorway.
I realized I really was liking it in LA.
The Control Room was in a trailer parked out back. We traipsed through it single file and managed to not pull out a cable. One of our team of invited bloggers – oh, did I not mention that there were about 15 bloggers invited on this trip? Oops – silly me me me. Well, one of the other bloggers, I believe it was Liz from Everyday Goddess or perhaps filmmaker Michelle, asked the director if this was her dream job. She paused for a moment and then quietly said “yes.”
The studio was big and it was a live taping for “On the Lot,” the filmmaking reality series. We continued to be treated very well – which is a nice change. Toronto people tend to…ah…that’s another post.
The producer Mark Burnett, Mr. Reality TV himself (Survivor, The Apprentice, Rock Star, Combat Missions, Martha Stewart, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader etc. ) stopped by to answer some questions. I listened carefully because I really liked his jacket.
When asked about his successes, Mark (we’re on a first name basis now) said he’s been lucky. But he also said that he’s been kicked in the balls. Whether a show is a hit or a miss, he is not going to let himself be defined by that. His kids define him.
I thought his jacket defined him nicely.
And then he said something that really resonated.
The thing about America is they reward results. They love risk takers. It’s no fun playing if people are playing safe, not really trying.
What? Risk-taking? That is not the way I was raised. I was raised to play it safe and told to buckle up, keep a stiff upper lip, stop whining because you can’t get everything you want, who do you think you are anyway, just lie back and think of England.
And I believed if you a made a mistake it was a bad, bad thing.
But here, in the US, one is forgiven. Look at Robert Downey Jr., Eddie Murphy, Winona Ryder, Rob Lowe. Makes no difference at all. One could even argue…ah, but that’s another post.
I realized I was really liking it here.
And on to the show.
I am a comic improviser so I know the highs of putting on a live show. They are…very high.
I’ve also been to live tapings in Toronto, but this is the US. Everything is bigger, brighter, so even though I was jet lagged and exhausted because of lack of sleep, being an audience member at “On The Lot” was quite exciting.
After the show, in which 5 good short films were screened, we were invited on stage and the celebrity judges were dragged over to speak to us. We were allowed to ask them a few questions, to which they responded politely.
Gary Ross said you should study acting if you wanted to direct actors. Why some directors never think of that is beyond me.
Penny Marshall said there are no roles for women over 40 in film and that it’s better in TV. She liked A League of Their Own and Awakenings because they were real stories.
Carrie Fisher said she was living the dream and was genuinely having a grand time talking to us. We’re going to have lunch next time I’m in town
That’s because I like it here.
I’ll be back.
Team “Escape From Boredom” On The Stage of On The Lot.
Tags: Escape from Boredom, On the Lot, Mark Burnett, Ford Escape
Carrie is like an American Mary Poppins. Love. It.