A Stop in Stars Hollow and Meeting Milo Ventimiglia
Back in August, my mom and I drove down to LA to meet Milo Ventimiglia and Amanda Seyfried from their movie, "The Art of Racing in the Rain," which was an event hosted by Barnes and Noble at The Grove. The author of the book (the one that the movie was based on) was there, too.
We had to leave early to make it to the Barnes and Noble in time to get the event wristbands. We didn't want to risk getting there later and not being able to meet them.
Per usual, we made in plenty of time, waited in line, purchased our books and received the wristbands and info we needed to know to come back that night. I was officially meeting Milo Ventimiglia! I never thought that day would come. I've been a fan since the EARLY "Gilmore girls" days, and in the end, he was my favorite choice for Rory. And one of my favorite characters, because he showed a lot of growth over the course of the show and "A Year in the Life."
After we got the wristbands, we walked around The Grove a couple minutes and went into Nordstrom's for a little bit. We had an entire day to fill before we had to return for the actual event, and we didn't want to stay there. We've done that in the past and it's too long and tiring.
So, we ended up at Warner Brothers Studio for a tour... Again. What can I say? I love it there.
We parked and bought tickets, though we had to take a couple extra steps to get the SoCal resident discount, since we were already at the studio. We booked the 1 p.m. tour, but they were able to squeeze us on an earlier tour.
By this time, I could probably give the studio tour, but it's still exciting to visit different sound stages and other sets from favorite TV shows. We made a stop in Stars Hollow, visited the Ellen set and (thanks to my mom asking), we were able to visit the prop house, which I very easily could have spent hours in if given the opportunity. And then, of course, the tour ends at Stage 48, which is the self-guided portion, and includes the Central Perk set from "Friends" and the newest addition, sets from "The Big Bang Theory," which wrapped earlier this year. My mom and I got our usual photo on the Central Perk couch and even posed for a few pictures in Sheldon's apartment and in front of the broken elevator. Good times!
After the tour ended and I bought a few souvenirs, we went across the street to have a late lunch at Claim Jumper. Luckily, it took awhile to get the food, so we had time to unwind and cool down, because it was still HOT. We ate, looked through photos and then moved along to our next stop.
Just about every time I'm in Burbank, I have to visit this store called It's A Wrap, which has clothes from recently wrapped shows. This time, they had items from my latest obsession, "Jane the Virgin." I ended up buying a necklace that was from the set of "Nashville," so I was pretty excited about that.''
By that time, it was late enough in the afternoon that we made our way back to The Grove, so we had plenty of time. We sat at the café for a little bit, drinking our Starbucks and eavesdropping on interesting conversations and then decided to get in line.
Waiting in lines at events like this, you can meet the nicest and most interesting people, which we did. I made a new friend and we talked about life in your 20's and how it's an interesting time and of course, our love for "Gilmore girls" and other pop culture items.
Before the official event started, the author of the book, Garth Stein, came out to answer any questions that the audience might have. I kept thinking of something to ask and finally raised my hand after it seemed like it was starting to wind down. I asked him what the most challenging part of writing the book was. He seemed genuinely stumped for a second and said, "Wow, that's a good question." I secretly air-fisted a 'yes' in my mind.
Essentially, it was how many times the book was rejected. He pitched it to his then editor, and the editor said it wasn't going to go anywhere, because it was told from the perspective of the dog. Stein believed in the book so much that he decided to drop his editor. He attended a writer workshop and was talking about his idea and how no one was going for it. He talked to a fellow writer who said he should speak with his editor, because he was working on his book about a talking parrot. He talked with that editor, sent him the manuscript and the editor called him once he finished it in tears. The rest is history... So basically, you can't always take 'no' as a final answer. I was glad I asked a question after that. It was so insightful!
Time passed off pretty quickly, but it seemed like everyone had a decent amount of time with the stars.
I'd been racking my brain trying to come up with a question or something to say, but these events always pass off so quickly, that there's never as much time as I imagine to just have a conversation like you're meeting in a coffee shop or something. And I didn't really want to be the girl who was like "I've been a fan of yours for so long." I had nothing prepared and one look in Milo's eyes after he said "hi" and any words I had planned went out the window.
He had a way of holding such strong eye contact with everyone he met, though. Making someone feel seen, even if there isn't much time for "chit chat" says a lot and might even go further than the conversation would have. He just seems to embody all of those old Hollywood actors that have a good head on their shoulders and know what to hold onto in life.
I was in such a daze after getting my photo with them that I started to walk off and grab my purse on the other side. Then I heard my mom call after me. I'd completely forgotten about taking a group picture with my mom. When I came back around the corner, Amanda yelled, "oh yeah, family photo!" We posed. I told her she was so pretty and she thanked me and told my mom that she hoped we enjoyed the movie. She said, "I'm sure we will." Ha!
I was on a high the rest of the night! We said goodbye to our new friend and made our way back to the parking structure. My mom said Wayne Brady was standing next to me when we were waiting for the elevator, but I was so excited from the event I didn't even notice or recognize him at all.
It's meeting people like that that remind me of why I do love the entertainment industry, telling stories and all of the magic it entails. It was a great last hurrah for summer!
That's all for now,
Shelby