First Work Week

Everything does move faster in the big city! It was only my second day of work as an intern and I was interviewing Garry Marshall on the red carpet (or in this case, blue carpet) at the opening premiere of Jon Lovitz's Comedy Club in Universal City. For those of you who do not know who Garry Marshall is, he was the creater and executive producer of Happy Days (you know, with Fonzie). He was also the writer for the movie The Other Sister (one of my favorites). He's worked on numerous projects as the writer, creater, producer and/or actor. His extensive resume includes Laverne & Shirley, Brothers & Sisters, According to Jim, The Odd Couple and ER. What an honor to interview Garry Marshall! And my entertainment producer, Allan, said I did great! We only had time for two questions with Garry. The questions I asked were: "What are you expecting from tonight's show?" and "You've been making people laugh for decades, what makes you laugh?" I had to think of the questions on the spot. No time to be nervous. I was so proud of myself! And Garry was so nice! He later came back up to me during the show and told me he appreciated the interview with me. :)

Other celebrities attending the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club premiere were Jon Lovitz (of course), Lisa Kudrow, Dana Carvey, the Cheetah Girls and Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy from Married with Children).

Next week I'm going out with Allan every day to a premiere. Tuesday is the movie premiere for The Hangover, which I'm pretty excited about. It will be bigger than the comedy club event with more actors. Our entertainment reporter will be back from Vegas next week, so I will get to watch him in action too. Allan said I will probably get to interview someone again at The Hangover premiere if our reporter does not make it back from Vegas in time. Allan also told me that after I go to a few more premieres I can start going by myself with the camera man to do my own interviews! Interviewing Garry Marshall was such a rush, and I can't wait to do it again! Don't get too excited, Mom... only my hand holding the microphone will be on-air, not my face - haha!

My first week in LA has been a success. I'm not quite used to the late work hours yet (I work three nights a week from 4-11 p.m.). I'm much more of a morning person, which is weird for a college student, I know. At work, we usually take "lunch" around 7 p.m. if we're not out in the field. I have discovered that people rarely go to the restroom or eat in television. Whenever there is a break between dubbing tapes and searching for film to use in our broadcast (there is not many breaks), I have to run to the restroom or else I might not have a chance for the next four to five hours. You never know what's going to happen next in television ! :)

(Pictures from top to bottom: Garry Marshall, Jon Lovitz, Lisa Kudrow, Dana Carvey)

Day One: Feels Like Home

My first night in L.A. was spent with my parents, eating dinner at the Grill on Hollywood where we could see the Hollywood sign from outside the restaurant. Sitting on top of the Hollywood and Highland Center and staring at that sign was an out of body kind of experience. I could see myself in the moment, like I was watching a movie on my life. I had to reassure myself that, yes, this was real. I had finally arrived! It was a moment similar to when I arrived at the University of Texas campus for the first time. It was hard to believe because it was so perfect, but I knew I belonged there. It just felt like home. I have always known that I was supposed to be L.A. I haven't always known when or how, but just like everything else in life, it all fell into place. I feel so blessed to be able to come here with my school and have the opportunity to live here for the summer.

This is the furthest I've been from my family for the longest period of time, which will be a challenge (we're very close). I'm keeping this blog to update family and friends on all my experiences; so, be sure to check back for more pictures and posts!

Today I'm going to visit my place of work for the summer. I'm so excited, nervous, anxious and absolutely thrilled to get started! I'll be interning for a news entertainment department.

PS- For security purposes, I will not mention my actual place of work or residence in this blog. Always feel free to contact me if you want to talk about what's happening out here in L.A.!