Tag Archives: studio

A Day At Universal Studios (or Trying Not To Let One Negative Thing Bug Me)

Posted on April 20, 2016 | 2 comments

Even though I had a full day at Disneyland on Sunday, on Monday I had another big adventure! I had scheduled an outing to Universal Studios with my Disneyland buddy June and some of her friends!

When I was new to LA, I had gotten an annual pass to Universal Studios a couple of times. Then when I worked there at Halloween Horror Nights in 2007, 2008, and 2010 I had free tickets from working. But since my last season of working in 2010, I hadn’t been back to the park. They had made a bunch of upgrades and changes over the years, but this month they opened The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter so I figured it was time to go back to check it out (it also helped that Costco is selling an annual pass for $94!).

Overall, I think the day went pretty well. But there was one thing that got to me. But first, the good stuff.

As soon as we got to the park, we made a stop to get lunch (we got there around 12:30). We could have chosen to eat somewhere outside the park, but we figured why not have some fun and eat somewhere inside. We originally thought we would eat at the restaurant in the Harry Potter area, but the restaurant had a pretty long line so we decided it wasn’t worth it. We ended up at the restaurant in the Simpsons area of the park and we all got some pretty yummy burgers!

After getting some food, it was time to have some fun! The first ride that I went on was the Transformers ride which had been built since the last time I was in the park so it was new to me! This ride is a simulator ride that does move around a track and has both a 3-D movie and sets combined. I really like simulator rides and I thought this one was extremely well done! The sets and screens blended together nicely and it really felt like we were moving the entire time! I wish we had time to go on it again, but since I have an annual pass I can now go on it whenever I want.

After that ride, we headed back up to the upper lot to meet up with one of June’s friends who was joining us. We met up at the Harry Potter section of the park where we got some Butterbeers to cool down in the heat.

Butterbeer

I thought it was pretty good and I think I’ll probably get it again the next time I’m at the park. We also wandered around the area a lot admiring how cool it looked and seeing all the kids use their wands to make things happen in the store fronts.

Wizarding World

We did ride the Forbidden Journey ride, but more about that in a bit. We also rode the little rollercoaster in that area. Even though it is a kid’s coaster, it did go pretty quickly and I thought it was really fun.

When we left Harry Potter, we headed down to the studio tour.

Studio Tour

One of June’s friends had never been on the studio tour and they had changed things since I had been there, so we were all pretty excited to go on it (plus, we got to be in the shade and got a bit of a breeze when the tram was moving). The studio tour is such a classic. I love getting to see the various backlot spaces and the fun things that are added to the tour (like King Kong) are always entertaining. And I love going past Bates Motel since that is where I worked for 3 years.

Bates Motel

Since the last time I was at Universal Studios, they had added a Fast and Furious thing to the tram tour at the very end. It is done similarly to King Kong with giant screens wrapping around the tram (and they even have a screen in the very front unlike in King Kong). It was really fun and a cute addition to the tram tour, but I do miss the avalanche/Mummy cave that used to be there.

After the tram tour, one of June’s friends needed to head home. We walked around the upper lot a bit checking out all the fun little signs that Universal has added to make the upper lot more fun (and more like Disneyland).

Universal Streets

Then we headed over to Waterworld to watch the show (and enjoy the shade in the stands). The show has been around for a while and it hasn’t changed much, but it’s still really fun to watch the performers doing the stunts.

Waterworld

Ok, now time to talk about the not-so-fun part of my day. The first ride we rode in the Harry Potter area was the Forbidden Journey ride. When that ride opened in Florida there were dozens of news stories about how fat people were being turned away from the ride. I knew that the ride here had similar restrictions, but a couple of my friends who are 2 sizes bigger than me rode the ride and had no issues. And I searched a bunch of online forums and it seemed like my measurements would fit into the seats just fine.

Harry Potter

I loved walking through the line (we took our time since there really wasn’t a line and we wanted to see everything) and right before you get onto the ride there is the “fat police” who looks for heavier people and makes them try a test seat to see if they fit. And yes, I got picked out by the fat police.

I’m sure the employee was trying to be nice, but it was pretty humiliating especially since everyone else walking through the line saw what was happening. And honestly, I fit into the seat just fine. I just wasn’t able to close the harness to the level they needed it to be closed for really random issues. First, the seat tilts back and since my hips don’t bend all the way I had to be part way out of the seat to get the harness to come down. And my arms weren’t able to get the harness all the way down (there was maybe an inch between me and the harness) because of the angle of the seating. But when one of June’s friends came over, she was very easily able to push the harness down to the level that they need it to be at. The employee said it would be fine for me to ride so we headed on our way down the ride.

When we got to the ride, I had the same issue with not being able to get the harness down to where my body is. I asked the employees there to help and they said they weren’t allowed to push down the harness (again, there was like an inch between my body and the harness). They were trying to take me off the ride when I finally convinced them to let June’s friend out of her seat so she could press the harness down for me. Even after everything was fine, there were 3 employees asking me if I was sure if I wanted to ride the ride and if I was ok. Yes I wanted to ride the ride! I was just mad at them because they wouldn’t help me pull a safety harness down (and I understand that maybe they legally cannot touch a safety harness, but I was still annoyed).

The ride itself was fun. I loved the half movie half real set aspect of it and even though the 3-D has been getting negative reviews I didn’t think it was that bad. But honestly I didn’t enjoy the ride as much as I could have because I really felt awful for being called out by the fat police.

I’m so insanely grateful for June and her friends for being so cool about all of it. They never made me feel bad and they also agreed that it was pretty ridiculous that they refused to help me. They didn’t make it feel like a big deal and after we were on the ride they never brought the subject up again because there was no need. But even though we weren’t talking about it, I was still thinking about it.

Now that I know that because of the tilt of the seat it is difficult for me to pull the harness down, when I ride again I’ll sit down first and have a friend help me pull it down. But this also means that I cannot go to the park alone if I want to ride because I need the help. Honestly, I think even if I was 100 pounds less I’d have the same issues because my hips literally won’t bend that way when I’m sitting tilted back. So it’s not even as much of a weight thing for me as it is a hip issue thing for me.

I really tried to not let the fat police incident ruin the rest of my day at Universal, but it definitely put a damper on my day. That one tiny experience was really the only negative thing about the day and it sadly is one of the bigger memories.

Hopefully the next time I go to Universal I will have a better experience and will have better memories of the day.

2 Comments

Posted in Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff

Tagged friends, movies, rides, studio, theme park, Universal Studios

A Screening At The Walt Disney Studios Lot (or “What The F@#- Is Cancer And Why Does Everyone Have It?”

Posted on October 28, 2014 | 1 comment

Through WIF, I was invited to an amazing screening this past week. It was for the film “What The F@#- Is Cancer And Why Does Everyone Have It?”.

Immediately, I was interested in attending the event. I was even more excited when I found out that it was held on the Walt Disney Studios Lot (which I have never been on before).

When I got my ticket for the event, I found out that I got to bring a plus one with me. I asked my Evil Twin, Shey, to come with me. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer many years ago and Shey was one of the people who really helped me deal with my mom’s diagnosis and what it meant for me. I knew that this would be a movie that both of us would enjoy and have a deep connection to.

When we got to the lot, we were both so excited to be there. The lot has not changed a lot since Walt Disney was there and it was so cool walking around to see all the different buildings and the signs of what departments they were on our way to the theater.

When we got there, there was a giant poster of “Frozen” to greet us.

The theater was gorgeous and amazing. The seats were super comfortable and Shey and I got there early enough to get some great seats.

The quick summary of the film is when the filmmaker, Allison W. Gryphon, was diagnosed with breast cancer, she looked for a movie to help her understand what it all meant. She couldn’t find what she was looking for, so she asked around to her friends to help and they created this wonderful documentary.

I wish I could explain how amazing this movie was, but I know that my words won’t do it justice. I wish that I had seen this when my mom was diagnosed (I think it would have been great for her to see it when she was diagnosed as well). It was such an honest viewpoint of cancer (mainly breast cancer) and answered so many questions that are either not answered online or are way too scary to look up online.

I know for sure that if I hear of anyone else being diagnosed with breast cancer, I will send them a link to this movie immediately (it’s available on iTunes and you should all watch it).

After the screening, there was a Q&A with the Allison.

The Q&A ran a little long (it was over an hour), but it was all very informative. The fact that Allison was able to create the documentary while she was going through treatments for breast cancer is so inspiring. And it proves that anything can inspire you to create a movie.

After the Q&A, I went up to talk to Allison briefly. She was so kind and generous with her time and all I wanted to say was thank you. This really was such a great experience seeing the movie.

Then, it was time for Shey and I to head out. But before we went back into the parking garage, I really wanted to get a picture of the building on the lot that has all of the Seven Dwarfs on it. We saw a security guard near where we were walking and we asked him if it would be ok to take a picture. Not only was it ok, he walked us to where the best view was!

While Shey and I were taking photos and just being in awe of the fact that we were there, the security guard told us some amazing Disney history. He explained that the Seven Dwarfs are holding up the building because the building was made with the profits of “Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs”. He also showed us where Walt Disney’s office was. Shey and I both assumed that that office wasn’t in use anymore and was preserved as a dedication to Walt Disney. Nope, they rent it out because it’s the best office that gets the most rent money.

We then said goodbye to the awesome security guard (whose name I never got), and then went back to my car.

I wish I could express how amazing seeing the movie was, but I’m really still taking it all in. It was one of those experiences that I know will stay with me for a long time. There are screenings still happening so if there is one near you, I highly recommend going.

And while I hope that nobody reading this has to go through a breast cancer diagnoses, if you do, watch the movie.

1 Comment

Posted in Family, Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged breast cancer, cancer, Disney, documentary, screening, studio

My Day At WB (or Feeling Like I’ve Never Left)

Posted on March 13, 2014 | 2 comments

Yesterday, I did stand-in work for “Mike and Molly”. If you are unfamiliar with what stand-in work is, basically I stood in for one of the main actors while the crew set up some shots for promos that they will be shooting this week. I was there so the main actor didn’t have to be (I’m sure I’m cheaper too). I had been a stand-in once before for the same actor a couple of years ago, but that was a totally different experience.

Last time, we worked at a photography studio. While that was fun, this time is was even better. We worked on the WB lot (where the show is shot)! And as I’ve mentioned before, I used to be a tour guide at WB so I know the lot very well.

My day started off by getting through the lot security (it was actually very easy this time) and getting a ride over to the soundstage that we were working on. The soundstage was on the opposite end of the studio, so the ride was nice. Once I got there, I signed my contract for the day, found a chair to sit in, and read my book.

The lighting takes a while to get set up. We were there for about 2 hours before I had to do anything. But I just enjoyed sitting there and reading (and getting paid to do that).

The stage looked pretty plain. There’s nothing shooting in there right now, and all they had up was a blue screen (so they can replace the background of the picture with whatever they want).

After being on that stage for a bit, we ended up moving over to another stage because everything was already set up over there. We moved over to stage 24, which is the stage that “Mike and Molly” shoots on. It’s also known as The “Friends” Stage because that is the stage that “Friends” shot on for a majority of their run.

I tried to get a selfie with the sign outside the stage, but the sign is so big so both the sign and I got a bit cropped out of it.

A funny thing happened while we were walking over to the other stage. I saw a bunch of tour guides with their carts driving around the lot. Everyone on the cart was looking at me trying to figure out if I was famous enough to want to take pictures of. Of course, I took a photo of the cart trying to decide if they wanted to take a photo of me.

Inside stage 24, it was set up just as if they were taping the show that day. The other stand-in and I sat up in the audience area while we waited, and for the first time ever in the audience area, I had my phone on me and could take a photo of the view.

It’s not as pretty to look at when there are crew carts in front and when it isn’t lit properly, but it’s still fun.

Before we really did any stand-in work, we had to break for lunch. I walked over to the commissary and ordered a sandwich (the WB commissary is actually very good and not too horribly priced). After I was done eating, I noticed what I thought was the VIP Deluxe tour cart right by the tables. I know that my friend, Dean, is the one who almost always leads those tours, so I waited by the cart to see if Dean came by.

After waiting for a few minutes, out came Dean with his tour group! As soon as I saw him, I interrupted whatever he was telling his tour to tell his guests that they have the best tour guide ever (Dean was the one who trained me when I was a guide). Dean seemed super excited to see me too, and we got to chat for a second before he had to take his group to the next location on the lot.

I spent the rest of my lunch walking around the lot, checking out some of my favorite locations.

This first picture used to be the hospital for “ER”.

And next is Stars Hollow from “Gilmore Girls” (it’s also been a ton of other locations, but that’s what I always think of it as).

My lunch hour came to an end and I walked back to the soundstage. They were finally ready for us to do our stand-in work after lunch. Most of the time was in the living room set, which is right in front of the audience area. So I got to stare at the empty audience bleachers and tried to image what it would be like to have an audience in there and I’m performing.

Before I knew it, my day was done. It was a very easy day and it might not seem like I did a lot, but it helped the crew get almost all the prep work done so that on the shoot day they don’t have to waste the lead actors’ time.

I walked back through the studio one more time to get back to my car, and I headed home.

It was one of the best days I’ve had in a while. I got to meet a ton of really great people and I got to spend my day on one of my absolute favorite lots to be on (it doesn’t hurt that I know that lot so well so I can wander and not get lost).

Hopefully there will be more days like this in the future.

2 Comments

Posted in Acting, Fun Stuff, Work

Tagged acting, Burbank, studio, TV

My Love Letter To The Actors’ Network (or Sorry Kevin, I Couldn’t Keep It Under 500 Words)

Posted on June 20, 2013 | Comments Off

Today, The Actors’ Network will be closing their studio doors. TAN (as we members like to call it) has been around since 1991, and I’ve been a member since 2006. Kevin E. West, president and founder of TAN, asked the members to share a favorite story of something that happened at TAN to put on their blog. It was requested that our posts not be more than 500 words. I wanted to share some things, but couldn’t keep it under the word limit, so I’m putting it all out here.

I first heard about TAN in 2004. I was at Loyola Marymount University in my first semester of my senior year (I finished early so this was during the spring semester). I took a theater class called Performance Training 4 (I believe it now is called Career Development). This class was taught by a manager and his goal for the class was to prepare us for the real world of acting. So he took us all around town so we could meet casting directors, agents, managers, photographers, and actor organizations. TAN was one of the places that we went to, and I remember being very impressed by it from the first moment. However, after I graduated, I tried to have a “real” job. It wasn’t until I was laid off in 2006 that I decided to pursue my dream for real. And one of the first places I went to was TAN. I became a member in October 2006.

One of the first things I attended at TAN ended up changing my life. This is a long story, so sorry in advance.

It was in November or December of 2006. An editor from Backstage West was doing a focus group at TAN. Initially, I wasn’t going to go, but Kevin sent out an email asking for more people to attend. Since I wasn’t busy that day, I went. While in the focus group, a few of us suggested that they follow around actors that are trying to make it so they can share their stories with everyone else. While we loved reading about actors who are successful, they weren’t relatable. And the editors decided to follow me and four other actors around for a year and write monthly updates on what we had accomplished.

That’s me in the blue on the front of the cover looking super short (and much thinner). I wasn’t paid for the articles I wrote, however I did get a free subscription to the magazine. And in August of 2007, I saw an ad for Halloween Horror Nights auditions in one of those Backstage Wests. I went to the audition, booked it, and had an amazing time. I met some truly amazing people including one guy named Todd. He mentioned he had a great agent and that I should submit myself for representation. I did, and got a meeting. I brought my articles from the past year to that meeting, and based on those (and a great referral from my friend Todd), that agent decided to represent me. And I’m still with that agent (and super happy with her and the team that she has created).

I know it’s a long path, but if I never joined TAN, I wouldn’t have been in that focus group, I wouldn’t have been featured in Backstage West, I wouldn’t have seen the ad for Halloween Horror Nights, never would have met Todd, and I doubt that I would have met my agent or would have been offered representation. This is all due to TAN.

I’ve also met so many amazing people at TAN. Some of my best friends are people who I’ve met in various lectures there. I’ve also met some amazing casting directors there. And I know for a fact that there is one casting director who cast me because of seeing me at TAN and at least two casting directors who have brought me in for auditions because of TAN.

I’ve learned amazing things at TAN as well. My tricks for watching everything on TV or organizing my contacts and calendar come from things that I learned from Kevin.

And over the past 7 years, there have been times where I questioned if I was doing the right thing. I felt like I was right in my heart, but sometimes my head liked to disagree. And all I had to do was go to TAN and hear some great motivation from Kevin or one of the amazing guests and I felt like I could take on the world.

Outside of TAN, I have to say that Kevin has been a wonderful supporter of me. He made a quick appearance in the twitter documentary that I produced. He also was a guest on Inside Acting Podcast (I’m the production coordinator for the podcast). He has always cheered for me for my victories. And yesterday, when I went to say goodbye to the studio, he told me how much he enjoyed that I did 5Ks. I had no idea that he knew, but again, I love the support.

I’m sad that something that has been such an amazing part of my life is closing. It won’t be gone forever as the membership is now going to be 100% online with webinars, but I will miss going to the studio, seeing my friends, and leaving with amazing information.

So, thank you Kevin for creating such an incredible place. I’m so happy for you that you are going to be able to focus more on your acting career. After running TAN for 22 years, you deserve it! I hope you know how much TAN has meant to me. I know that I haven’t attended events lately as much as I would have liked (hazards of having an evening thrival job), but I still use information that I got from you from 2006. I know that I would not be the actress that I am today without TAN. It has taught me, motivated me, and made me a businesswoman instead of only an artist. I will forever be grateful for everything that you have done for me.

And I’m putting in the request again, Kevin, that we need to have the Holiday party still (or some other annual TAN gathering). That way, I’ll know that I will at least get to see you once a year.

Comments Off on My Love Letter To The Actors’ Network (or Sorry Kevin, I Couldn’t Keep It Under 500 Words)

Posted in Acting, Celebrations, Fun Stuff, Tough Stuff

Tagged acting, networking, studio, The Actors' Network

A Burbank Day (or Spending Some Time At Warner Bros.)

Posted on February 13, 2013 | 4 comments

Yesterday, my adventure with my mom and aunt mainly took place in Burbank.

We started out by going from their hotel near Brentwood and we took the “scenic route” to go past Griffith Park to go to Burbank (if you aren’t familiar with LA, this is a very roundabout way to go).

We just walked around and looked at the view from the Observatory, but I could see the hiking trail that I conquered last year. The views were pretty nice, but I was so distracted I forgot to take any pictures!

Next we headed over to Burbank to walk around the WB lot. I worked at WB as a tour guide back in 2005, and a friend of mine got us walk on passes so we could explore and do some DVD shopping. After a little issue with getting our passes, we finally made it on the lot.

We walked around the backlot area where all the facades are and enjoyed the gorgeous day that we were having.

We took a couple of pictures.

And then we left the lot to head to The Smokehouse for linner (which is lunch/dinner).

The Smokehouse is a restaurant that my mom went to a lot growing up. She hadn’t been there in forever, but feels like the inside still looks the same.

We all ordered the prime rib sandwich (seemed to be their specialty), and I enjoyed everything except the bread (I had a taste of their famous garlic bread instead).

And then it was time to head back over to WB because the 3 of us had tickets to a taping of one of our favorite shows!

I love “2 Broke Girls”! It’s one of the shows that I dream of being on one day!

We got great seats in the audience, right in the second row and between the apartment and diner sets.

I’ve been to a couple of tapings before so I knew what to expect, but neither my mom nor aunt had been to one (at least as adults).

We were there for about 5 hours. It was a lot of fun getting to watch everyone work. And the director for this particular episode was Fred Savage (of “Wonder Years” fame)! As much as I loved watching, I couldn’t help feel like that was not a place that I belonged. I should have been on stage.

I think my mom and aunt had a pretty fun time at the taping, and now they understand what I do even more now. And my mom won a t-shirt!

This taping might have given me a little kick in the butt to work even harder as moving my acting career forward!

After 12 hours away from home, I got home yesterday exhausted. But we still have 1 more day adventure to go today!

4 Comments

Posted in Acting, Family, Fun Stuff

Tagged 2 Broke Girls, Burbank, studio, taping, television

Tag Archives: studio

A Day At Universal Studios (or Trying Not To Let One Negative Thing Bug Me)

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A Screening At The Walt Disney Studios Lot (or “What The F@#- Is Cancer And Why Does Everyone Have It?”

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My Day At WB (or Feeling Like I’ve Never Left)

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My Love Letter To The Actors’ Network (or Sorry Kevin, I Couldn’t Keep It Under 500 Words)

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A Burbank Day (or Spending Some Time At Warner Bros.)

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A Day At Universal Studios (or Trying Not To Let One Negative Thing Bug Me)

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A Screening At The Walt Disney Studios Lot (or “What The F@#- Is Cancer And Why Does Everyone Have It?”

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My Day At WB (or Feeling Like I’ve Never Left)

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My Love Letter To The Actors’ Network (or Sorry Kevin, I Couldn’t Keep It Under 500 Words)

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A Burbank Day (or Spending Some Time At Warner Bros.)

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