Dancing with the Stars, EXTRA and more.....

Bon jour ~

Tuesday was my bi-annual trip to see the taping of Dancing with the Stars!  This time my cousin, Andra and her longtime friend, Pam, went with me to the taping. 

As we were driving home, we remembered we forgot to take a picture of the three of us in front of the studio like we usually do.....I guess we were having so much fun, taking pictures of us in line was the last thing on our minds....... so this pic is from the last time we went.  

From the moment we drove up to Beverly Blvd..........we started having a BLAST!!   We met some wonderful people in line, secured spots #'s 15, 16 and  17, then we went to the "The Grove"  for a wonderful lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.

As we were entering "The Grove" we were asked by the television show, EXTRA, to be in their audience for the taping of one of their upcoming segments.  They started taping within a couple of minutes of our arrival.  Mario Lopez was interviewing, Michael Clarke Duncan.......from the movie~ The Green Mile~with Tom Hanks.  Mario's interview was great and I loved getting to know a little more about Michael Clarke Duncan.
Michael seemed like a great guy, all around.  I can't wait to watch him on "Bones", one of my favorite TV shows a little later this season.  During the interview, he introduced us to his girlfriend, Omarosa.  Most everyone will remember her as the "mean" girl from Donald Trump's Apprentice show.  But, I thought she was very nice and we got our pictures taken together.  I think the segment for EXTRA will air on April 21st so you keep your eyes peeled for it.

When the interview was over, Andra, Pam and I headed to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  And who shows up at the restaurant right behind us~ Michael and Omarosa~I guess we have the same taste in food.

Lunch was delicious.........I had their signature mushroom soup, my favorite dish, and a small salad.  Just the perfect amount to eat before heading back to the studio for the taping.

We ALWAYS have such a great time in line waiting for the show to begin.  We met some wonderful new friends, had fun chatting about the show and more.

I took out my new "bebe" duette from my purse and everyone around me loved it.  I was able to share Votre Vu with my new friends and since I always carry samples in my purse~I was happy to share with them as well.

We decided the next time we go to Dancing with the Stars we're going to book a night at the hotel across the street from the studio.  That way, we won't have to leave Orange County so early or drive home so late at night.

After a long............... wait we were ushered into the studio and got wonderful seats~about 4 rows from the front of the stage!  Perfect seats to see the beautiful ballet, Swan Lake, being pre-taped.

Swan Lake was fabulous!!  After the pre-tape they took some time to break down the set and get ready for the live show.  Cory Almeda, warms up the audience, he is the best.  We had such a good time at the "Tuesday Night Dance Party". 

Cory had everyone come down to the dance floor and we danced the night away with Cory teaching us lots of fun dance moves.  I took my shoes off and put them in front of the judges booth........to make it a easier to dance.  Cory took this picture of us and put it on his twitter page...  corylive@twitter.com

The 2 minute warning was announced before the show went live so we all went back to our seats......  All of a sudden I hear Cory, over the loud speaker asking, "who left their shoes in front of the judges booth?"  Everyone got a laugh at my expense.......and if you know Cory, he kept it going for a while, but he finally brought me my shoes!

The Live Show was fabulous!  We got to see two numbers by Jennifer Hudson.  She looked great by the way................ I luved all of the gold confetti that came floating down from the ceiling at the end of her first number.  From where we were sitting we noticed she made some strange faces after she finished singing.  When I watched the show after I got home, I found out why.  A few of the large confetti pieces stuck to her lips, so that explained everything.

Kim and Karina's dresses from the performance show were amazing to see in person.  I just love the costuming on this show!  As usual, it was fun to watch and interact with the judges during the show, Bruno is such a crack-up.  I have to say that everyone who is associated with this show is so nice and friendly.  You can tell they all love their jobs and it's like they are one big happy family.

I only made it on the show a "tad" bit this time, compared to my interview in previous seasons.......but, my cousin, Andra, was on a lot!!!  The only thing that disappointed me about the results show was I didn't want to see Sugar Ray leave the show just yet.  I was hoping it would have been Kendra instead.

After the taping we stopped at the security desk to pick up our cell phones and ipads (as they don't allow them in the studio) and then off we went to our favorite place to eat dinner, Maggiano's.  The food and dessert was delicious, as usual. 

After finishing off our yummy desserts, we headed home, happy to once again be able to get tickets to our favorite show.  Which leads me to my.......

~ beauty secret~ for today.......

When you have a fancy event to attend, and you carry a small bag.....take along your "bebe" duette!  It's the perfect size to fit into your purse and it will keep your hands smooth as silk.  The raspberry lip gloss with keep your lips "kissable, too"!  I "luv" the little attached mirror, it makes it so easy to do quick touch-ups during the night, as well.

ta....ta...Kathy Renee