Starring the beautiful Julia Roberts, the hilarious Tom Hanks and hosted by OPRAH WINFREY!! It was indescribably amazing. I can hardly put the dream-like experience into words... but I am sure gonna try.
We arrived to the studio, around 6:30am. We spent the next 2 hrs in lines, while our bags and coats were checked. Time, simultaneously stood still and flew by in a blur. We were buzzing with the excitement, of momentarily sharing the same air-space with my three Most Fav celebrities EvA.
It would be impossible, to properly describe how badly I wanted to attend the Oprah show. (...maybe, you had noticed from previous posts) Or to express, how much I Heart the Heck out of Julia Roberts. Finally, how Tom Hanks has delighted me since 'Splash'.
(as a young girl with long hair, a pool and a love for swimming... I was convinced, I was a mermaid.)
The Hour and 30 minutes, spent within the Studio, was beyond explanation. I tried to calmly absorb everything... mentally locking the moment in my mind, with video-like detail. Except... I was smiling and smiling and more smiling. I tried to behave calmly but imagined my appearance resembling a teenage girl meeting Justin Beiber. This is what I remember:
1. The studio, is actually very small. It feels intimate. The set was bright and the energy electric.
2. I saw several employees from Oprah Behind the Scenes. I may have waved at one as she passed... and she may have looked confused, as if expecting she must know me, since I had waved like an idiot.
3. Oprah: Is beautiful. Much thinner in person. Her dress was lovely. She walked on stage barefoot. Andre (her hairdresser, for those unaware) was nearby to primp. She seems very real and relaxed. She was kind and gracious to the audience. Speaking to us (Me... I felt like maybe she was talking to me...) several times.
4. Julia: She is everything you imagine. Tall, thin, perfectly dressed. Her hair was shinetastic. She laughed, her amazing laugh, several times. During commercial break, I almost blurted "Julia!! Be my Friend!!" I could feel the outburst, nearly escape my throat but was too nervous to rock the dream-boat, I was floating on.
5. Tom Hanks: He is attractive and SO VERY witty.
All three were exactly as I had hoped and more.
6. As you now know, Julia presented the crowd, with her Favorite Things. What you have witnessed on the Christmas show or even on Saturday Night Live, is EXACTLY how it played out. People lose their minds!! (Especially, my mother. I had to unlock her pit-bull grip, from my arm.) The anticipation, of what may be hiding under those presents, was more mind-numbing than unveiling the gender of your new baby!
7. Behind the Scenes/Commercial Breaks: Amazing!! Chatting together, getting stage directions, interacting with the crowd. It is the icing on the too-rich cake!
Final Assessment, On a Scale of One to Ten:
* Going to the Oprah Show: A Ten (right out the gate)
* Being invited to the Private Night-Before Screening (which I have ALWAYS been envious of...): A Fourteen
* Having Julia Roberts as the Guest: A Twenty-Four
* ALSO having Tom Hanks: A Thirty-Two
* Having Julia gift her Favorite Things: A Thirty-Nine
* Having the taping, be one of the last six shows, ever taped in the Harpo Studio: A Forty-Three
Conclusion: Attending this show, with all of it's perks and fireworks, was easily a 43 out of 10. An even better experience, than I could have imagined.
"God can dream a bigger dream for you, then you could ever dream for yourself." -An Oprah Quote
The only 3 things, I would have changed/included:
1. A hug from Oprah.
2. A hug from Julia.
3. There was an enveloped hidden under our seats (with a beautiful note to commemorate Julia's Favorite Things). I wish, the envelope included tickets for the 'United Center Spectacular'.(not because I greedily need more Oprah) but because I would have LOVED to share this experience with more of my ladies. (whatdoya say Oprah, now that we are Buds? A few more tix, for old times sake? I have very Oprah-enthusiastic girlfriends!)
It was a day I will NEVER forget.
Thank-you, Oprah Winfrey Show and
especially, the staff member who chose me.
I am forever grateful.
6 comments:
wtf did you get?
You have been in the presence of the "O" !!! I am thinking of coming to your town for the BBQ just so I can stand in your presence and maybe absorb some the the "O" radiating off of you. I watched the show and it was fantastic. I'm telling everyone that i know you and Page Turner and that I took your wedding pictures because we are best buds and by following a syllogistic logic, I'm best buds with the "O". I'm pretty sure my stock is going to go up here in Pumpkinville. Did both you and your mother get all that stuff? Did you really get a Tom Hanks expresso maker? By the way, congratulations on having a dream come true!!!
The expresso maker is being shipped. Value around $300. I'm excited for it!!
Bookkeeper feel free to say we are close friends. Your wedding pictures were wonderful. You are more than welcome to come to the BBQ contest. Fingers are still crossed that the sun will find us today. If you show, we will find time for autographs.
I still am having a difficult time processing that this really happened to you. If this wasn't a "hug a stranger" kind of experience I don't know what is. Can't wait to hear about it all in person!
So was it you who yelled 'OPRAH' when they asked who your dream dinner guests would be?!
Sounds like a fantastic experience, and it was a great show!
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