I , too , have seen a few celebrities since I started working as a paid “extra” with Central Casting. Some highlights from my three-week resume:
“King of Queens”--Airline Pilot
“ER”--Baptism Attendee
“Joan of Arcadia”--Hospice Doctor
“CSI“--Neighborhood Onlooker
“Las Vegas“--Hotel Security
“Desperate Housewives“--Pool Party Guest.
I’m not sure when any of this is going to air, but most of it should be in late April or May. Careful “King of Queens” viewers might notice an airline pilot following Doug as he wheels Arthur--on a luggage cart--through an airport terminal. Fans of Las Vegas might notice a gray blue suit brush by Mary as she finally learns the identity of her secret crush. Depending on the editing of “Desperate Housewives” you might see a guy with a striped shirt and goatee, shaking hands with Carlos and Mike, staring at Gabrielle as she stomps across the patio in a rage, standing next to Edie and Felicia, walking away from Bree and Rex, jumping up from the gazebo as “someone” falls into the pool, or following Susan as she runs down Wisteria Lane.
By the way, the sets for these shows are amazing in their detail. The one used for “King of Queens” is a permanent set with a full-scale plane interior, detachable cockpit, gangplank, waiting area, baggage claim, ATM, bar, etc. You can check it out at http://www.airhollywood.com/airplane_mockups/cockpits.html
click on “Slideshow.”
In addition to the work, Daryl and I have done more sightseeing. We had a real geek day where we tracked down the buildings used in 90120, the Brady Bunch, Charlie’s Angels, Melrose Place and Fantasy Island. That night we ended up on the red carpet of the Kodak Theater watching the last-minute preparations for the Academy Awards. The following week--like the guys in the film “Sideways”--we drove up to Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, and the Danish community Solvang. Downtown Solvang looks much like Fantasyland and has lots of places to shop and eat, but there are no rides. It was a beautiful weekend and we stopped at two of the missions on the California Mission Trail.
The week after that, we finally had a hotdog at Pink’s. This LA institution is famous for ALWAYS having a line. [It’s also in the opening credits of “Joey.”] We waited for 45 minutes but it gave us time to catch up with Sara King, Jason Lasecki, and Derek Peterson who were in town.
The next day, Daryl tracked down Walt Disney’s gravesite and the garage where he and Roy first started their movie venture. Both are about 10 minutes away from our apartment.
Friday night we attended a taping of “That 70’s Show.” It was the finale of the 7th season, the last episode before Topher Grace leaves the series and Ashton Kutcher scales back to a recurring role. There were so many “Production Guests” in the seats that only 72 regular audience members were admitted; Daryl and I had tickets number 69 and 70. As you can imagine E!, ET, and Access Hollywood were there as the show wrapped to capture the crew as they circled the Vista Cruiser saying their goodbyes. It was like being at a graduation party that happened to be crashed by MaCauley Culkin, Shannon Elizabeth, Demi Moore and her kids. It took the ushers 45 minutes to empty the audience.
Next month, we’re headed to Joshua Tree, Death Valley and several of LA’s museums. Stay tuned.
