We lucked out and ‘had connections’ so we didn’t have to wait in the long line outside of the studio in hopes of getting in. We went directly to the ‘VIP Guest Services’ area and checked in. We got to wait in the air conditioned area until about 25 minutes before the show started, verses outside all day dealing with the elements. I can only imagine what the person whom thought that they were first in line thought when this long line of guests approached and got to go in to the studio before him. After walking to the front of the line and we cleared security, we were escorted directly to our reserved seats.

Both tapings were fabulous. Last time we got to sit in the green room and have snacks before the show and this time we were surprised with the opportunity to take photos with Jay after the show had ended. One of the impressive things was the fact that the man that introduced us to Jay actually told him our connection to the show while introducing us. I thought that it was great that Jay was made aware of our connection as well as the other VIPS’ connections to his show.

Merrill – thanks again for another fun afternoon at the Jay Leno show!

Is it too late to get my copy of our group photo with Jay?

For years, when I‘d watch Jay or Dave or any show with a live audience, I would wonder what these people had to do to get in the audience. Did they order tickets ahead of time? How far ahead? Did they have to wait in line for tickets to be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis? How many hours before the show did they line up? Of course, I guess I wasn’t too interested in finding out the answers to these questions, since I never actually researched it. But, now, I know. . .at least for the Tonight Show!

People did wait in line, but being among the VIP audience members, we did not. Our tickets were waiting for us at Guest Services- just a short 7 minute walk around the NBC Studios building. We waited in line for a few minutes to “check in” and get our tickets. While we were waiting for a page to escort us to the studio, we had the opportunity to browse the NBC Studios gift shop- conveniently located at Guest Services! Given that I had never done anything like this before, I figured a souvenir was in order and purchased a tee-shirt for myself and a hat and a hat pin as souvenirs for 2 others.

About 30 minutes and $45.00 later, we were off to walk around the building again to enter the studio. Because we were special (I found it amazing how many “special” people there actually were at Guest Services. . how’d THEY get their tickets?? Do they all have different friends of a friend of a friend or is it the same friend of a friend of a friend that got our tickets???), we strolled right past all those poor people who actually had to wait in line for their seats.

When we entered the studio, I was surprised how small it was. I’ve heard people say that the sets and the auditoriums are always small, so I was expecting that, I just wasn’t expecting it to be THAT small. Even when I looked at the show on the TV screens being played in the studio, I was struck by how much bigger everything looked on screen than it did in real life.

The staff really does make the experience fun. As Merrill mentioned, Jay came out before the show and “warmed” us up, as did another person who worked for the show. He also told jokes and gave away Tonight Show merchandise. The band kept us entertained during the commercial breaks.

It was cool to see the show being taped (I had an advantage over Merrill- I knew who Jo Jo was because I’d just seen her on Today earlier that week performing the same song), but the before and after the actual taping were the really neat parts- all the “behind-the-scenes” stuff. However, the highlight, of course, was getting to go up on stage, shake hands with Jay, and take a picture with him. It definitely made my trip to LA and totally paled my mother’s celebrity experience of shaking Conan’s hand in NY!

Ok, Merrill, I fulfilled my end of the bargain. . .can I now have my copy of the picture with Jay, please????