greggor
01-27-2005, 07:06 PM
My wife and I attended the taping of Ellen last Monday (January 17) and loved it! For anyone that's going to a taping we've provided some answers below to a few questions that appear to be asked regularly on this forum as well as ones we had ourselves.
If you're going to a taping and want to experience it all on your own without any help please don't read any further.
Q: Is there a dress code?
A: Yes. No jeans are allowed. We want to note though that there will be a few VIP guests arrive and they were allowed to attend the taping wearing jeans.
Q: Are there places to sit while waiting in line?
A: Unless you have a folding chair that you can take back to your car you'll be sitting on the bare sidewalk. There are trees lining the sidewalk so shade shouldn't be a problem. They come in handy on a hot, sunny day. We took some blue gardener's kneeling cushions to sit on and they worked just fine. We left them behind for people to use. With a little luck they're still there! ;)
Q: Are you allowed to take a camera or cell phone into the taping?
A: No cameras are allowed into the studios. Cell phones are allowed as long as they're not camera-phones and they're turned completely off the entire time. You aren’t even allowed to have them on vibrate while the show is taping.
Q: How early should I arrive in line?
A: We got there at 9:15AM and were the 11th and 12th people in line. By Noon I'd say there were a 100 or so people there. I'm sure this varies depending upon the weather, day of the week, guests, etc. I was told the studio holds 205 people.
Q: Are we seated according to line number?
A: No. First let me say that no seat in the studio appears to be bad but your position in line won't necessarily guarantee you a seat closer to the front. (It will guarantee that you make it in the studio instead of the riff-raff room as long as you're not the 206th person in line.) We were seated about 5 rows back even though we were 11th and 12th in line. As you're entering the studio they pick and choose groups of people that they want to have up front or in a position to be on camera more. Once again though, every seat seems to be a good one in the studio so don't worry if you don't get right down in front.
Q: Are there bathrooms nearby?
A: There's a park across the street from the sidewalk where you line up. There's a building in the park that has restrooms. We didn't use them or talk to anyone that did so I can't verify their conditions. There's also a hospital a short 5-minute walk away that some were using and commenting on how clean they were.
Q: Are there places to eat nearby?
A: Nothing right there where the line forms but you can take about a 15-20 minute walk up to Alameda Ave. and there's two or three places to grab a quick bite to eat. I think one of them is called Weinerschnitzels and another was Acapulco's. I was also told that Pizza Hut and/or Dominos will deliver right to the sidewalk where you're lined up if you call them.
Q: Are there places to stay nearby?
A: I believe there's a few hotels in Burbank but I'm unsure of the names. I didn't see any hotels real close by but that doesn't mean there aren't any. We stayed in Beverly Hills and reserved a shuttle back and forth. It was about $47 total one-way for 2 people and it took about 20-25 minutes; but it was worth it since we didn't want to have to deal with the LA traffic. Now that we look back on this decision we're still very glad to not have driven because the traffic was horrible in our opinion. If you're courageous and good with directions take a shot at driving. It looked like many did. Some took a cab and had them drop them off as well then phoned for a pick-up after the taping was finished.
Q: Is there parking?
A: There's some on-street parking but it gets taken quickly. I guess there's a lot for visitors to park in but I didn't see it. It must be away a little bit from where the line forms.
Q: What time is the taping?
A: Our show taped at 4:30 but it seems like most are taped around 5:30. They last for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes depending upon taping situations.
Q: When will we be seated?
A: For our day of taping it went like this...around Noon an intern from the show comes out to the line and answers any questions you may have, offer directions, information, etc. Then around 2-2:30 a group of interns comes out and hand out cards with numbers on them. Your number is in relation to your position in line. When they hand you your number you must show your ID and the tickets that were mailed to you. They verify them against their list! Around 3:00 groups of 25 people are escorted inside the gates of the NBC lot. Here is where you pass through a metal detector and any cell phones, camera-phones, cameras and other illegal devices are confiscated if you have them. Take them back to the car before you're escorted into the gates. Otherwise, you'll lose your place in line. Inside the lot are two rows of benches. Each row probably holds 50 or more people. There are TVs there and you'll get to watch Ellen's show that day as it airs in LA. People can go to the bathrooms in the NBC lot at this point too. They let 10 people go at a time. Here you'll sit for another hour watching the show but it goes so fast and it's way better than sitting out on the sidewalk. You are allowed food/drink in this area but you will not be permitted to take it into the studio. Then around 4:00 you'll all be escorted into the riff-raff room; again in groups of 25. It is REALLY cold in there - about 50 degrees! From here you'll be given instructions on how to behave during the taping of the show. No chewing gum will be allowed - I saw one girl get it confiscated during the taping. Finally, they'll call the first 50 people to head up the stairs and enter the studio. Get up there quick, there's plenty of line jumpers!!! This is when they'll seat you according to where they want you. It's cold in the studio as well but once the music starts and everyone begins to dance you never notice it again! :)
If anyone has any other questions that we didn't answer above please feel free to ask and we'll do our
best to answer them.
Thanks!
If you're going to a taping and want to experience it all on your own without any help please don't read any further.
Q: Is there a dress code?
A: Yes. No jeans are allowed. We want to note though that there will be a few VIP guests arrive and they were allowed to attend the taping wearing jeans.
Q: Are there places to sit while waiting in line?
A: Unless you have a folding chair that you can take back to your car you'll be sitting on the bare sidewalk. There are trees lining the sidewalk so shade shouldn't be a problem. They come in handy on a hot, sunny day. We took some blue gardener's kneeling cushions to sit on and they worked just fine. We left them behind for people to use. With a little luck they're still there! ;)
Q: Are you allowed to take a camera or cell phone into the taping?
A: No cameras are allowed into the studios. Cell phones are allowed as long as they're not camera-phones and they're turned completely off the entire time. You aren’t even allowed to have them on vibrate while the show is taping.
Q: How early should I arrive in line?
A: We got there at 9:15AM and were the 11th and 12th people in line. By Noon I'd say there were a 100 or so people there. I'm sure this varies depending upon the weather, day of the week, guests, etc. I was told the studio holds 205 people.
Q: Are we seated according to line number?
A: No. First let me say that no seat in the studio appears to be bad but your position in line won't necessarily guarantee you a seat closer to the front. (It will guarantee that you make it in the studio instead of the riff-raff room as long as you're not the 206th person in line.) We were seated about 5 rows back even though we were 11th and 12th in line. As you're entering the studio they pick and choose groups of people that they want to have up front or in a position to be on camera more. Once again though, every seat seems to be a good one in the studio so don't worry if you don't get right down in front.
Q: Are there bathrooms nearby?
A: There's a park across the street from the sidewalk where you line up. There's a building in the park that has restrooms. We didn't use them or talk to anyone that did so I can't verify their conditions. There's also a hospital a short 5-minute walk away that some were using and commenting on how clean they were.
Q: Are there places to eat nearby?
A: Nothing right there where the line forms but you can take about a 15-20 minute walk up to Alameda Ave. and there's two or three places to grab a quick bite to eat. I think one of them is called Weinerschnitzels and another was Acapulco's. I was also told that Pizza Hut and/or Dominos will deliver right to the sidewalk where you're lined up if you call them.
Q: Are there places to stay nearby?
A: I believe there's a few hotels in Burbank but I'm unsure of the names. I didn't see any hotels real close by but that doesn't mean there aren't any. We stayed in Beverly Hills and reserved a shuttle back and forth. It was about $47 total one-way for 2 people and it took about 20-25 minutes; but it was worth it since we didn't want to have to deal with the LA traffic. Now that we look back on this decision we're still very glad to not have driven because the traffic was horrible in our opinion. If you're courageous and good with directions take a shot at driving. It looked like many did. Some took a cab and had them drop them off as well then phoned for a pick-up after the taping was finished.
Q: Is there parking?
A: There's some on-street parking but it gets taken quickly. I guess there's a lot for visitors to park in but I didn't see it. It must be away a little bit from where the line forms.
Q: What time is the taping?
A: Our show taped at 4:30 but it seems like most are taped around 5:30. They last for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes depending upon taping situations.
Q: When will we be seated?
A: For our day of taping it went like this...around Noon an intern from the show comes out to the line and answers any questions you may have, offer directions, information, etc. Then around 2-2:30 a group of interns comes out and hand out cards with numbers on them. Your number is in relation to your position in line. When they hand you your number you must show your ID and the tickets that were mailed to you. They verify them against their list! Around 3:00 groups of 25 people are escorted inside the gates of the NBC lot. Here is where you pass through a metal detector and any cell phones, camera-phones, cameras and other illegal devices are confiscated if you have them. Take them back to the car before you're escorted into the gates. Otherwise, you'll lose your place in line. Inside the lot are two rows of benches. Each row probably holds 50 or more people. There are TVs there and you'll get to watch Ellen's show that day as it airs in LA. People can go to the bathrooms in the NBC lot at this point too. They let 10 people go at a time. Here you'll sit for another hour watching the show but it goes so fast and it's way better than sitting out on the sidewalk. You are allowed food/drink in this area but you will not be permitted to take it into the studio. Then around 4:00 you'll all be escorted into the riff-raff room; again in groups of 25. It is REALLY cold in there - about 50 degrees! From here you'll be given instructions on how to behave during the taping of the show. No chewing gum will be allowed - I saw one girl get it confiscated during the taping. Finally, they'll call the first 50 people to head up the stairs and enter the studio. Get up there quick, there's plenty of line jumpers!!! This is when they'll seat you according to where they want you. It's cold in the studio as well but once the music starts and everyone begins to dance you never notice it again! :)
If anyone has any other questions that we didn't answer above please feel free to ask and we'll do our
best to answer them.
Thanks!