Who here has been apart of a studio audience?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Politically Incorrect: This was back when it was on cable so they did general topics and taped several in one day. Also nice because they didn’t have to keep stopping for commercials.

NewsRadio: The episode with Janeane Garofalo as the guest star and when Phil Hartman was still with us (and actually before the show became a big hit, which was how I got a same-day ticket).

The Larry Sanders Show: The bits of his monologue were actually done in front of a live studio audience. Again, several episodes worth of material were done at once (with Shandling stepping out for a suit & tie change). They also filmed a “regular” shot with Norm McDonald talking to Larry and Hank during what would be a “commercial break” on the show.

I enjoyed all three, though it was funny with the NewsRadio bit because they were so professional, they’d just barrel through the episode, one scene after the next, usually only two takes per shot. The “entertainer” they provide to keep the audience animated was actually pretty funny (he claimed he was just a page). However, when they were shooting, I’d say at least 2/3 of the people were watching not the live action but the TVs hanging just above us–partially because the crews and cameras and such were in the way, but I suspect partially because we’ve just been conditioned to watching these shows that way in the first place. Also, Peter Bonerz (Dr. Jerry on The Bob Newhart Show) was the director of that episode!

22

Two days, two radically different talk shows.

First, whatever the name of Craig Kilbourn’s current talk show is. We were begged to attend while in line for the Price is Right (which was also fun, but not worth the time investment to do again). So, it was raining, and we didn’t have anything better to do, so we came back for his show.

People are seated so that the “cool” looking people got to sit in front (and I have to come to grips with the fact that I am no longer young and hip looking) for when the camera pans. Guy comes out to warm up the crowd, with the help of two or three obvious plants in the audience. Bribes us with chocolate and t-shirts to get exited. It works, sort of.

After the crowd is putty in his hands, and in the midst of a collective sugar-buzz, and would cheer a dead horse, Kilbourn graces us with his presence. It was then that we are informend that there were X jokes written for the show, that he only understood (X - 9) of them, but we were expected to laugh at all of them, funny or not. If a person didn’t laugh, then that person would be removed during the commercial break.

So that’s why the audience laughes whenever Craig stops talking. They think he just made a joke.

The next night, it’s the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. WHAT A DIFFERENCE.

The first 30 people in line get the best 30 seats, no matter what they look like. The first one out to talk to the crowd was Jay himself, in jeans and a T-Shirt, just to say hi and warm us up a bit before he goes to change. Then the normal warm up guy comes out, and explains that Jay needs to know if his jokes are funny, so don’t laugh if they aren’t, and Jay will recover enough to move on to better material.

No begging for audience members, no bribing the audience and threatening them to laugh. Before the experience, I hated Leno. Now I at least respect him.

LordVor

23

Several “variety” shows. One of which was THE SONNY & CHER SHOW.

AND—ahem—the RADIO show, 20 QUESTIONS. WOODY ALLEN’S RADIO DAYS always reminds me of it. He’s 3 days older than I am so it’s right on the money for me.

24

[hijack]
socpro69, you work for THH22M? You are now my personal lord and savior. I love that show! Only we lucky Americans snuggling up to the Canadian border get to see it. The rest of y’all are just missing out.
[/hijack]

25

Sheesh, I need to move to California then. If everyone out there looks like the people he has in his front row, I’m in the wrong town.

And Craig Kilbourn? “…two or three obvious plants in the audience”. That’s it!?! Nah, he has to have more.

Just out of curiosity, what would happen if you booed him during his monologue? I want to make a special trip out there to do just that. Can they forcibly remove you? What if you just sit there and stay silent, can they eject you for not following along?

If they can and do, then I’m making a beeline for my all-time favorite show, “The Price is Right”. Way to go Math Geek. That’s been a dream of mine since I was kid. I don’t care how long I have to wait in line. And I’m going to get a special t-shirt made too, “Bob Barker. You’re tits!”

26

Spoofe…

LOL. At the Raw I was mentioning, when Trips was going up the ramp after the match a guy the size of Spike Dudley jumped on the ramp and swung at him. Trips just looked at him and cold cocked him-left him laying there and kept walking.

Manservant…let me explain a little Chicago tradtion to you. At Wrigley Field the bleacher fans throw the opposing teams home run balls back onto the field.

At Allstate Arena when the heel wins, the ringside fans throw their cups of beer. And after you and your female friends spent time trying to look as hot as possible w/o looking slutty-we know what hotels the WWF uses and so far have met Y2J,the Dudleys,Edge and Christian,Test and Albert(next stop the Hardyz hehehe)-you don’t want to be doused in beer. Trust me on that one.

27

Quite a few; I used to live in L.A. The most notable was when my mom was on Jeopardy (taped in late '93, aired in early '94). She ended up tying for second and won a trip to Ireland. And a case of Werther’s Original. I still can’t face that stuff.

Second most notable was about the 12th time this friend of mine from out of town insisted on going to The Price Is Right and they had a different guy doing the “interviewing” than any of the previous times who seemed to really like my friend. My friend ended up on stage, winning a nice oriental rug and a china cabinet. We were all very happy, and very relieved…my mom and I had been to more than enough TPTR tapings for anybody. I will never forget sitting in the audience, practically hyperventilating with pure shock and relief…and of course I was happy for him. I was on camera for a few seconds too. Eek!

28

And here in L.A., the fans throw everything else… water bottles, wads of paper - someone threw a shoe into the ring at the Arrowhead Pond. The cameramen try to not capture this on film.

I remember when I was there, in the middle of a match (I forget which match), a girl started flashing the audience and EVERYBODY in the Arena stopped watching the ring. And when the security guys took her away, everyone started chanting “Asshole!”

Ah, L.A…

29

Spoofe,

Same in Chicago with the flashers-my little joke is when the Hardyz intro music kicks in,the shirts come off.
Lately though the security is being very anal about signs- I had a “Rocky Sucks” sign taken away but my sign that said “Hey Jeff Hardy-Come feed my need” got on air.

I’ve also seen guys dressed up as pre RTC Val Venis walking the arena, a guy dressed up as Terri-and looking more feminine than her, and someone dressed up as the GobbedlyGooker.

Gotta love wrestling fans. :slight_smile:

30

I too (like Spoons) wound up suffering through a taping of “Solid Gold.” Around 1984 or so–Rick Dees was terribly unfunny, though a nice guy, the warmup man was the only person less funny than he–tired gay jokes/entendres with the audience and crew. Mickey Gilley was there to lip-synch his song with the Solid Gold Dancers in Western mufti. We were told that we had missed Twisted Sister by a day. Not sure which would have been worse. But we couldn’t leave. I was in the Marines at Camp Pendleton, and we had to stick it out for the duration of taping.

Sir

31

Not all people in LA look like that, but enough that the people who wait in line outside NBC studios for 8 hours to get the chance to touch Jay seem to usually look like that.

And it was 2 obvious plants. As in, “people who were magically picked out by the stage manager to come out and entertain us, and ended up being entertaining people”. All a part of getting the crowd involved in the show, I guess.

And yes, if you booed obnoxiously, or just sat there, they would have either stopped the show or waited for the next commercial break to forcibly remove you, depending on how distracting you’re being. It’s not a public place, you didn’t buy a ticket, you’re their guest. Heck, one guest told a “groaner”, and we groaned, and we got yelled at during the next commercial break by Craig Himself. “We do not groan on this show.”

LordVor

32

Boy. Craig Kilborne really is an ass. You can’t even groan without him throwing a fit? My original analysis of him being a baby apparently is true.

But enough of that. I’m still interested in hearing other stories. I especially like the Price is Right comments. I don’t know about anyone else, but some day, some way, I’m going to get on that show. And I’m gonna win too!

I tell ya, it’s nice to have your goals in life set low. it makes things so much easier. Then again, figuring my luck, I’ll actually get up on stage an get that damn Clock Game challenge.

33

I’ve been to a few TV show tapings. The only one anyone on here is likely to have heard of is Red Dwarf.

All were pretty cool - and added to my enjoyment of the shows when I actually saw them, I think because I was in the know to what had actually happened - all the mistakes and bits that never made it into the final cut.