DID YOU SEE ME ON TV ... AGAIN?

This time you should have.

Let me take some time to tell you about the Dr. Phil show. The only daytime talk-show I have ever attended, and I’m proud of that.

It all started with a recent trip to California. I asked Z if we could see a TV taping. I brought home a listing of shows taping the week we were visiting. That 70’s Show. Everybody Loves Raymond. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. George Lopez. That new Jason Alexander soon-to-be flop. And on and on they were listed.

She wanted Dr. Phil. And it almost never happened.

Everyday at work, starting in August, I would check the Dr. Phil website for audience reservations in October. I can only imagine the IT guys at my work, looking at the web logs and asking themselves, "Who is going to the Dr Phil site everyday?" I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they discovered it was me. Really. I wish I was a fly on the wall when they found out it was me!

For six weeks I checked the site until finally, one day, the link was there. Tickets available for the taking. I never told Z I was getting the tickets. I was going to surprise her.

I posted my information for the audience co-ordinator, and waited for her to call me with confirmation.

After work, I went home. Z asked me if Dr Phil called me.

Trying to hide my surprise, I replied, "No. Should he have?"

Z told me how the show had called my home number and not my specified work number. Now the surprise was ruined. But instead of booking show tickets, Z simply told the co-ordinator, "You’d better call him at work."

When was the last time an audience co-ordinator with a list of a hundred plus names took the time to call BACK someone? I’ll tell you. Never. They have an audience to fill and there are plenty of takers.

I frantically called back to the production line. I emailed another ticket request. I was begging for them to please call me back since it was supposed to be a surprise and now it isn’t, and someone is going to be really surprised if we don’t get to go now…

The show called back.

There are a lot of instructions given for the show. When to show up (3 hours before taping). What to wear (Business attire, no whites or patterns). What to bring (Lots of energy, water bottles allowed). What NOT to bring (Cameras, cellphones, knives, books for autographs).

Many of these shows tape two shows a day. An early and a "late" show. I had the choice of either a 10AM taping (arrive a t 7AM) or the 1PM taping (arrive at 10AM). You may not know the truth about LA driving, but I know enough from comedy specials that it is atrocious at best. There was no way I’d be leaving the house on my holidays at 4AM for a 40 minute drive that would take 3 hours at rush hour into Hollywood for a taping of Dr. Phil.

However, the later option didn’t allow me to eat lunch. I’m a big guy. I like to eat. Both choices had their drawbacks.

And I’m usually good at making choices. I’m good at the choosing part. But I always have that niggling feeling that the other option was the better one. Would I be right or wrong this time?

We headed down to Paramount after a BIG breakfast, and lined up to enter the premise. Security checks, metal detectors and release waivers signed, we were ready for the show.



(The back of my head is seen here.)

We all stood up when Phil entered. He is the star of the show after all. No one told us to stand. It was just spontaneous. Oh, and there was a guy warming up the audience just moments before Phil came out, so really we were still applauding from that guy.



And the women go CRAZY over this guy. If you could have seen Z when Phil came out... It was like a kid with giant eyes in a candy store. It was as if she had been taken to another place...

Kind of freaky. It was, after all, just Phil.

Fortunately, the show was one that I could appreciate. It was about Family First. Don’t ask me, I don’t watch the show enough, but apparently it is a continuing focus this season on putting your family first. And today’s show had a phenomenal family nominee.



I even got a close up. You need to really be paying close attention to get a close up. Focused on the actor(s), not the action. Show feelings. Nod. Smile. Laugh. Applaud. Wear a suit. Be one of only 10 men in an audience of 175 people.

Those things all add up to increase your chances of being on TV.

I take solace in the fact that Clint Black performed on the show. I’m not a Clint Black fan. I’m not a Clint Black hater either. But it was Christmas music in October, but at least I could tell people I went there to see a country singing celebrity instead of Dr. Phil. I have to spin somehow…



And for me, being in the audience was being an actor. I look like I’m enjoying it! I look like I’m surprised that there is a book and CD under my chair. I look like Dr Phil is my hero. Acting!

It’s not Shakespeare in the Round, but I’ll take what I can get.