...even said 2 words to him. :-) Anyway...

So I've been helpin' out Tyson & Michelle install their flatscreens and wire all their equipment in their new house and this morning (I guess it's technically yesterday morning now) their cable guy was comin' and I was hangin' out there to answer any questions before we headed down to the studio. Whew, helluva run-on there. Now Ringo was rehearsin' from 2 to 3, my meeting was at 3, and then the show started at 4:45. Cue talkative cable guy who was seemingly auditioning for us. 30 minutes turned into an hour and turned into another and for fuck's sake we left at 2:10. Chriiiiiiiiiiist. Luckily Ringo was runnin' late. We get there around 2:35ish and he had just walked in.   When I first saw him it was kinda giggled at myself because really, what did I expect? Yup - that's Ringo. And then he sat down at the drums just messin' around. Like 10 feet away from me. That's when it got cool. That's when your mind starts imagining the other 3 around him, the recording sessions at Abbey Road and it hits you just who this guy is. It doesn't even matter that he was the one that sang off-key, didn't write anything, and truth be told was a somewhat mediocre drummer. As Paul likes to say now "There's only 2 people in the world that know what it was like to be a Beatle". And it's a powerful statement when you really look at it. So I sat there taking it all in and being quite "smiley" the entire time. They went through the 4 songs (yeah, he did 4 songs on the show - take that Regis) and did a couple twice. Sorry, I just realized I need to explain that parenthetical. Earlier in the week Ringo walked off the Regis & Kelly show because they wanted him to cut his song by 2 minutes for more interview time. Google it - it's funny. Anyway, it was great to watch him messin' around, they even played part of "Act Naturally" which was cool as a Beatle Nut - and ended it with "A Little Help from my friends". And of course you do the ol' "If I was just focusing on Ringo at this particular moment, this could be a Beatles reunion." Ha... and you picture them all there. Beatles fans are goofy.   So the meeting with Dorian was up next and wow, talk about a refreshing talk. A woman who has been at the network for nearly 20 years and was completely down to earth. Through Vinnie's emails she had already seen the Price is Right and the Young & The Restless bits and beyond just me putting it together, she was floored that I was able to get those sets. I showed her the Up & Adam open which she admitted was better than what they had now and she seemed quite impressed all the way around. The best part was explaining what happened with "Up & Adam" and how it was all parlayed to me last year. She couldn't believe it. She just looked it me dumbfounded and had some very funny replies to it all. The reason this was so nice for me was that hardly anyone involved ever did this. In fact the person you would think would at least offer a kind word, the messenger in that whole event, kinda did the exact opposite the rest of the time we worked together. Everyone else just blew it off like it was no big deal... and Dorian was the first to look me in the eye and say: "WOW. That's horrendous. You must have been devastated." That was a very, very nice feeling. Not that it means anything but... YES I WAS. LOL. Only in recounting the story does it even hit me anymore just what a 2x4 to the face that event was.   So that sentiment in the room is very good. This is the paying your dues part of the business that you never really understand what role it plays. A story like "Up & Adam", as tragic as it was, lends itself to a little karma. I mean this woman didn't do anything to me - but that story resonates, and she does what she can. She sees a guy in front of her who is no longer "green" in this industry, who has done credible work and been very close - and she'll go to bat for me. That's all you can ask for. We spoke about particulars with Ferguson's show and it's definitely a harder nut to crack considering it's about the only show in town right now with the writer's strike. And the avenues within the show that are already in place are pretty set (writers, recurring characters) - but there's so many things I can do, it just takes a little brainstorming. I mentioned how Leno premieres "Jib-Jab" cartoons or something along those lines - or hell, even doing a great opening for the man (who didn't even have an opening until JUST recently). There's a lot of potential here and she said she would set up a meeting with the producers and took my info. And that's as good as it gets. I'm gonna brainstorm on my own to think of just how many ways I can help the show - and you just go from there. So can I tell you how I touched a Beatle yet?   Good.   So from there it was right back to the green room and incredibly, Ringo was hangin' out with maybe... 8 or 9 other people. When I came in he was actually blocking the door a bit and I had to put my hand on his shoulder and say "excuse me" so he could let me past. And there it is ladies and gentleman. I touched a Beatle. LOL. Tiny man. Like - 5' 4" if that and wafer thin. Startling really. Anyway - I grabbed a little food and we all just kind of stood around talking. I actually had my camera with me but of course that's not happenin'. And I really didn't say anything to him... because there just wasn't anything to say. Again, this wasn't the set of the sopranos or even like the time I met Jordan where I could be a little risky. If I do anything to piss this man off and he says anything to anyone...I lose it all. I hurt a friend who helped me and a potentially HUGE opportunity with the show. So I just ate my little sandwich and "hung out". Which was incredibly cool. He joked with one of his band members about "double-dipping" and laughed about Seinfeld which was amusing. Most of the time he was talking to his female background singers which was also quite amusing. I mean, 40 years ago they would be... well they wouldn't be doing anything - but the "equivalent" would be wetting themselves - but today, some 67 year old guy was trying to be "charming" and they were being "polite". You just have to shake your head. I mean, if a living Beatle has no pull in this arena, what hope do the rest of us have? Then again, who among us will be pushing 70 and singing rock & roll? So I guess he's closer to having luck here than all of us combined.     The show itself was a bit odd considering he played 4 songs and the interview was 2-3 minutes. It was more like a concert. Ferguson was funny as usual. He's so underrated. I watched the prompter during his opening monologue (front row is fun) and was quite impressed at how well he delivers that puppy. He's so natural and really does ad-lib a lot of it. Fun to watch. Now I can't speak to whether Dorian had any control over this, but it was rather amusing how well you could see me in the crowd shots. I mean, there's no "Where's Waldo" goin' on here...   Let's see here... OK, I'm the guy in the hat next to that girl. Heh.     Yeah - hard to miss really. In fact I think more people would recognize me in that shot than from The Early Show. Again, I really have no idea if Dorian had anything to do with that (she's in the booth during the show) but it is very sweet if she did. And Michelle was able to sit me down in the front which certainly helped. That was one of several shots throughout the show...   ...as we all rocked out to Ringo. The band was quite good actually and the crowd was crazy. I mean - there's only 113 seats in that place and it was loud. There's been more people at a TRINITRONS show but it felt and sounded like 5 times as many. Nothing louder than Ringo Starr singin' "A Little Help From my Friends". And you just have to giggle at the line: "What would you do if I sang out of tune?" ("I'd still stand here 'cause you're a Beatle") Hahaha, sorry Ringo. 40 years ain't changin' the fact that you're flat 90% of the time.