3 Days in the City of Angels – Jimmy Kimmel Live!
/
Our reason for departing Griffith Park early was to get ready to attend a Jimmy Kimmel Live! taping. The tickets are free, but must be ordered in advance. I found the 1iota website, signed up, completed the form, then waited to hear if tickets were available. It was pretty easy. By the way, there are lots of ‘free’ audience tickets available on request in both California and New York. Several late-night shows, movie premieres, daytime shows, game shows, etc. Check out the 1iota website as well as others for more information.
I received a response within a few days that confirmed we had been approved for ‘priority’ tickets along with our QR codes, all the instructions for check-in, guest guidelines, what to expect, dress code, parking and everything that was a no-no and prohibited from entry ranging from ‘odorous or excessively stained clothing’ to white shirts to weapons, drugs and tobacco products, to cell phones and cameras. The list was long, but not particularly onerous. We figured we could come up with clean clothes and leave all our weapons and drugs behind for a couple of hours. Cell phone and camera would be more difficult, but doable.
Ovation Hollywood Mall with ample parking facilities is directly across the street from the El Capitan Entertainment Center, our check-in point. With a validation ticket from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, we were able to park for 4 hours for $3… quite the bargain.
Since we were early, we took a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard, checking out LA’s most popular attraction, the Hollywood Walk of Fame. According to Wikipedia, this ‘landmark consists of ~2,800 five-pointed terrazzo-and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street…” The sidewalk was mobbed, and though I was able to snap a few stars, I finally gave up. After checking out a couple of very pricey souvenir shops without making a purchase, we headed to the check-in point.
Hollywood Walk of Fame - Photo credit - Fabio Achilli
We arrived at ~2PM for a 4PM taping. The line was long, but the crowd was in good spirits. Kimmel staff joked with us and kept us informed about what to expect. It was hot, and coolers of bottled water were available and encouraged.
The check-in line was long, but the crowd and the staff were in good spirits.
Cell phones were not allowed inside the theater, and we were told we’d need to ‘Yondr’ them. As the entry time neared, staff wandered through the crowd asking us to completely turn off our phones and then deposit them into small pouches. They were then locked and handed back to us. We later passed through a security checkpoint to ensure we were complying.
Finally, it was time to enter the studio. It was so much smaller than we imagined. We were directed to our seats, and then the audience was ‘prepped’. We were told when to stand, when to clap, when to laugh, and when to applaud and yell. We had a few trial runs to make sure we were up to the task. David was so enthusiastic, he lost his voice during the prep and could only croak during the actual taping.
Jimmy was on vacation, but Rosie O’Donnell was hosting and the regular crew, including Guillermo was there. Rosie was a hoot. Her monologue was funny with surprisingly hardly a mention of Trump, her long-time nemesis. She talked about her life in Ireland, her teenage daughter, Clay, about life in general in a joking, self-deprecating manner. It was very enjoyable. Laughing wasn’t a problem.
Her first guest was 3-year-old, Leona, singing ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’ with the gusto only a 3-year-old could conjure up. She was adorable. Rosie called her a ‘cutie patootie’. We couldn’t help thinking of our grandnieces in Rhode Island entertaining us with the same song on our last Christmas visit.
I nicked this pic from the YouTube video
Main guests included Jean Smart from ‘Hacks’, which we’d never watched nor heard of, and Richard Gadd, creator and star of ‘Baby Reindeer’, which we heard of but never watched. Evidently, we lead a sheltered life. Nevertheless, we were entertained.
As we left, we each received a full-size Frozen doll (Anna or Elsa… we got one of each) and two TY Olaf furry snowballs. Some little girls are going to be quite happy to receive them.
Cell phones unlocked and returned, arms loaded with dolls and furry snowballs, we recovered the Ioniq in the massive parking garage, paid our $3, and headed back to our hotel. It was a full day, and we were tuckered out. A quick walk to Ralph’s from our hotel provided supplies for an in-room picnic dinner, and we were ready to plan out our next day in LA.
It’s off to the Getty museums next time. Join us for some world-class ‘cultcha’.