My Emmys Series Finale

I don't know if it was the champagne or just the euphoria from my early successes, but my inhibitations seemed to have completely disappeared by this point. (I do know something must have been making me high, because my feet weren't hurting me at all yet, and I normally can't stand or walk for that long without feeling the burn...)

My first faux pas came when I was standing chatting with two of my Sherwood Oaks group. We saw Masi Oka nearby and Stoddart went up and chatted with him briefly. He then asked if I would take a picture of them together, which of course I was happy to do. Stoddart thanked him and Masi started to walk away. In fact, it was pretty obvious he was in a hurry to get somewhere. So what did I do? I jumped in front of him and asked if I could have a picture as well! RUDE! (I did say something in Japanese to him, thinking that might elicit some sort of response, which turned out to be more of a deer-in-the-headlights expression.) But, like everyone else I'd met, he was very gracious and took the picture with me.

Apparently the photography gods decided to have the last laugh—could I have a bigger double chin in this photo?!

By this point, the show was winding down and most people were starting to head to the Governor's Ball, which was a couple of rooms over from the lobby. We didn't have tickets for that (they were around $700), but that didn't stop us from strategizing to see if there was some way we could get in there. Someone had suggested that you go up to security and tell them that your manager is in there and that he has your limo number, which you need to go home. Since I have no poker face whatsoever, I passed on that idea.

We were now surrounded by a mass of people, and I briefly considered just letting myself be swept in with the crowd. But considering my inability earlier to simply slip by a guard to get onto the “good” red carpet, I didn't see this as being likely to be a very successful tactic for me. Then somebody made the very good point that the ball includes a sit-down dinner, and it wouldn't be appropriate to try to get in there anyway, at least until after the meal. So we decided to just move out of the way.

It was just as I was turning around that I saw Stephen Colbert walking straight in my direction. I can't even begin to put into words how much I adore Stephen. (I'm not the only one. Even though I had posted a few pics in my first Emmys entry, his was the only one that caused people to write to me about how jealous they were that I had met him!).

Anyway, I was so taken aback that when he was within about a foot of me, I blurted out, “Oh my God, this is my dream come true!” Can you say “nut job?” I'm not even sure what I said after that, I was so gone, but obviously it worked out, since he did take a pic with me. (He was probably too frightened to say no...)

And even though this was a rather embarrassing spectacle on my part, I have to say I was thrilled when I saw the picture and realized he had given me his trademark “This is my [BLANK] friend” smile. (For those who haven't seen the show, he likes to show pictures saying “This is my black friend,” “This is my gay friend,” and—my personal favourite—“This is my Jewish friend,” which is always a picture of Jon Stewart looking extremely uncomfortable.)

We next moved into the atrium in front of the room where the ball was being held. So we were able to watch a few more celebs as they headed into the dinner. A few people I saw were Kyle MacLachlan, James Spader, and Kyra Sedgwick.

This was also where we saw Heidi Klum and Seal. And that's when it occurred to me that I hadn't taken any pictures with any women yet (yes, Anne, I did realize that! :), so I went up and told her how beautiful her dress was and asked for a photo. If you want to see it, you'll have to go back to the first entry. I mean, how much of a masochist would I have to be to post a shot of me next to that goddess—not just once, but twice!

As the crowd thinned out, the security personnel came by and told the rest of us to get out (more politely than that, of course). Some people were still trying to hang around, hoping to have a shot at getting into the ball later. But that's when it really hit me that I had no business being there, and so I went outside to wait for the rest of our group to take the limo back to the hotel.

Turns out, that wasn't such a bad decision. Because that's where all the stars came out after dinner to head off to the various after-parties, and I snagged a few more pics.

In case you're not sure who the guy is in the first pic (although the hair should be dead giveaway), you'll be able to tell in the next one, as one of his fans shoves a photo in front of him for an autograph.

By now, my feet WERE killing me, and it had cooled down quite a bit, so I was happy to head back to the hotel. And then I discovered that there is one place where I do fit in with the A-list—the limo lineup!

At this point, there was such commotion going around trying to match riders to their limos that I wasn't focused enough to catch pics of any these people, but I did find myself waiting right alongside Ellen Pompeo, Eric Dane (“McSteamy”) and his wife Rebecca Gayheart, and Jeremy Piven, who even rolled his eyes at me at the absurdity of it all. So perhaps I'm not so low on the totem pole after all... :)

THE END

Comments

[Anne]

Thanks for the great stories! I really enjoyed reading this series. The photos were great too. A day you'll never forget!!

[Leah Ingram]

Elizabeth:

This was fantastic. Thank you so much. I mean, I got my copy of People Magazine in the mail today, and what did I read first? Your blog entry on the Emmy's. Loved the fly-on-the-wall reporting and your chutzpah for getting all of those pictures. I think if I'd met the guy who plays Sylar, I would have run away. You done great, girl!

Leah Ingram
http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com