LA LA BABY
It’s been a few since I last wrote, but life has gotten the best of me and it’s taken until now for me to finally get down in writing my amazing week in LA back in January. The intent of the trip was to go for work, but I was able to squeeze in a couple of days for myself to explore the area and venture out on my own, which turned out to be the best part of it all! The reason why? During those three days post conference in between spending time with friends and coworkers, I got the privilege of meeting with a makeup artist whom I have admired for quite some time, as well as got the chance to attend my first ever LA talk show! Both were experiences that truly put me out of my comfort zone but feel so grateful to experience them and can’t wait to share with you! Now, time to set the scenes….
scene one --
I follow a makeup artist named Spencer Banes on Instagram that I initially found through a couple of celebrities that I follow on the platform as well. What initially started as just an admiration from afar, turned to more of an online acquaintance once I decided to repost a glam-look he did on Jenna Dewan and tag him in it. I never expected to hear from him, but to my surprise he ended up reposting it on Instagram and commenting back to me! I was SHOOOOK!!! Even ask my coworkers, I basically leaped out of my seat... Anyway, without even taking a moment to think, I immediately told him how much I loved his work. His response? An appreciation for the shout-out and a compliment to my page. From there, we have occasionally interacted via Instagram but nothing that would ever make me think what I decided to do would be possible. Honestly, before even sending the message asking to meet up, I had immediately assumed that he was busy or had better things to do. And as much as I had hoped for the chance, I also had written it off already thinking there was just no way he would be willing. But to my complete surprise, he was more than happy to meet with me and even suggested a coffee shop that would be the perfect place to chat – I couldn’t believe it! Immediately I got butterflies because I had no idea what to expect but more so, couldn’t wait to find out.
The day of, I got to the coffee shop a little early so I could get settled and pick a good spot. I got to talking with the waiter to pass time, but before I knew it, I heard “Dana?” Spencer arrived looking fabulous in this long black peacoat, wearing the warmest smile. All the nerves I was feeling prior immediately went away and I couldn’t wait to get the conversation rolling. In the one hour we spent together, we learned about each other’s life stories and spoke about passions and dreams we shared within the entertainment industry. It truly couldn’t have gone any better! Before he left, he gifted me with one of his own products, as well as agreed to keep the connection open ended, which in my opinion, made reaching out in the first place all worth it!
scene two --
As you all know, NY talk shows are my thing, but in my three years of talk show hopping, I have yet to attend one in the LA area. I figured while I was out there it was worth trying to go even though I didn’t know anything about the logistics or the people who worked it. So, deciding to go out of my comfort zone again, I got tickets to the Kelly Clarkson Show!
The Kelly Clarkson show studio is in Universal City, which is basically Universal Studios. When I arrived, I had to check inside one of the parking garages to initially go through security and wait to take the tram down to the stage. When traveling down on the tram, we were given a mini tour of all the sets and stages that we passed, which I was LIVING for! To be honest, I had no idea half the shows that use those stages were shot there, which in itself was amazing to see. The ride lasted no more than 10 minutes before we stopped in front of the Kelly Clarkson stage. They had us line up against the side of the building and had us enter in small groups to be sat in the studio. During this whole process, I ended up standing behind someone from NY whom just so happened to also be attending the show by herself. I mention this because by the time we were about to be seated, we got paired together and BOTH got lucky enough to sit front row RIGHT IN FRONT of KELLY FREAKING CLARKSON!!! We were literally the two giddiest girls in the studio and could barely contain ourselves. The only major downside was that we were not allowed to take any pictures, so although I tell the tale, I don’t have pics to prove it happened… so hope you believe me anyway! The show taping itself took about two hours and was shot all out of order. The guests that day were Jeff Goldblum and Ilana Glazer, who aside from having the most amazing outfits, were such joys to listen to and gave us all the down low on their upcoming projects. Kelly in between takes was joking around with the audience and saved her karaoke performance for the end, which was the icing in the cake! I mean that girls vocals are truly iconic and like half the reason people come to the show in the first place, am I right? I was definitely one of them and feel so lucky that I got to experience her show (and vocals) up close and personal - it’s a moment I will definitely never forget! Well, until I meet her in person of course, then that’s a different story and might blackout for that one. But until then, this moment will be engrained in my talk show memories forever!
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If you lasted this long through this rant of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities from a month ago, much appreciated and hope they give you a little courage to go out and set a scene of your own!
Xx,
DanaBlair
