(Wish this photo wasn't fuzzy)
The Backstory: Gotta fill you in, but feel free to skip ahead (sorry a bit long).
Once upon a time, a couple decades ago I was introduced to Kristen Johnston through the show 3rd Rock From The Sun (Seriously one of my favorite shows ever.) All the actors were great on the show, but the way Kjo brought Sally Solomon to life was right up my alley.
Fast-forward to college in 2001 when I got tickets to head out to NYC to see The Rosie O'Donnell Show. I knew a Broadway show was in my future and I remember wanting to see The Women featuring Kjo, Rue McClanahan, and many, many more great actresses. Unfortunately, my trip hit just before the show opened.
Skip ahead to 2011, when I upgraded my cable TV package to watch the highly raved about show, Hot In Cleveland, with Betty White. Hey, guess what? TV Land's got a new show starring Kjo, Wayne Knight, and a few other actors I would come to love. Side note: Many people equate Wayne Knight with Newman from Seinfeld or from Jurassic Park, but I loved him in Space Jam.
So with a promising cast and a want to get my money's worth out of expanded cable, I was sure as heck gonna tune in. I believe it was during this time TV Land had social media bugs during commercials. Do you remember when Kjo's Twitter handle was @kjo58nyc? I do. This is where I learned that one of my favorite funny ladies had a book coming out.
I had to get GUTS, but shielded myself from knowing what it was about. Just like movies, I want to know as little about it as possible so I'll have optimum enjoyment. But when the author Tweets about the website and requests feedback, well, this marketing mind is going to check it out and provide feedback. And to my surprise, I got a response to my feedback.
It's funny how a simple response can put a smile on your face. Over the months of random exchanges, I would always have to fill in my brother and between us, Kjo jokingly became known as my "new BFF Kjo". So far from the truth it would crack me up.
I pre-ordered her book and devoured it when it finally landed in my hot little hands. There are several reasons why I was drawn into this book:
1. It was written as if we were sharing a conversation.
2. Many of her experiences paralleled events in my life.
3. I actually laughed out loud while reading it.
4. I felt like it was written truthfully and with nearly, if not, full disclosure.
The second season of The Exes airs and I reread my newly acquired personalized copy of GUTS, thanks to a book signing online order. It's inscribed to Janey... Not just anyone can get away with that. It makes me smile knowing that she took the liberty to call me that. And at some point I bought a GUTS shirt because it has my favorite quote on the back.
Then 2013 was knocking on the door and little did I know a Skype session with Kjo was in my future. I still remember seeing that @jelizo28 was one of the winners and my stomach promptly dropped and I thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"
If you know me, you're probably aware that once I get an idea in my head, the chance of it coming to fruition is pretty damn high. And thanks to Kjo, she planted the seed with a promise to get me tickets to The Exes if I make it out to LA. I accepted that challenge and thanks to a tax return, I was literally good to go.
How does my brain work? Well, I didn't want to bug Kjo for details regarding the taping, so I got a ticket through an online source. With a ticket in place, I could plan my vacation and made all necessary reservations. Now that it's all set, I guess I'll let her know I'm headed out to Cali in May. I mentioned I had a ticket, but she was kind enough to set me up with what I came to know as a Kjo Ticket. If my other ticket was official, how would this differ?
As I did last year when I went to LA for a taping of Ellen's talk show, I tweeted Kjo for a restaurant suggestion in the area. I got a first round response, but not a true suggestion. As usual, I didn't want to bug, so I left it at that, and had my expectations set for a possible encounter at the show of handing her my gift, stealing a hug, and petting Pinky.
As I did last year when I went to LA for a taping of Ellen's talk show, I tweeted Kjo for a restaurant suggestion in the area. I got a first round response, but not a true suggestion. As usual, I didn't want to bug, so I left it at that, and had my expectations set for a possible encounter at the show of handing her my gift, stealing a hug, and petting Pinky.
Now we'll jump ahead to May 15, 2013.
Since I already blogged about The Exes show taping, I'm going to pull out the Kjo highlights from my viewpoint and memory. To a certain degree the entire evening happened so fast and is somewhat of a blur. Too bad it wasn't like a "car accident" where it goes in slow-motion and remember every single second in detail.
Based on what Allan mentioned during the warm-up, it sounded like I'd have a pretty good shot at giving Kristen my gift after the show. She was going to sign a few items that were giveaways to some lucky audience members. Chances of seeing Pinky were pretty high because I've seen photos of Pinky making appearances during the curtain call.
As they introduced the cast I was standing, clapping, hooting and hollering. Being in the front row and the fact that the crowd was much smaller than a talk show audience, it felt kind of odd that I could potentially make eye contact with the actors. I had no true focus, I was just trying to take it all in.
A scene or two were taped and then Kjo stopped by to say hi to the audience. I'd venture to say our seats started about 5-feet off the ground, which allowed Kjo to reach above the railing and grab the microphone from Allan. She welcomed us all, took a few questions, and mentioned how she'd been fighting a cold.
As she started to exit, Kjo scanned the crowd at saw Shadley (sitting next to me) and stopped to say hi to him. Then she glanced to either side of him to see his guest and then my face. If there was any photo I wish I had from vacation, it would be the instant Kjo recognized my face. She said, "You made it!?!" I smile just thinking about it.
The super short conversation began with a half-hug through the railing. Kjo seemed a bit shocked that I was there, which is understandable because she didn't recall hooking me up with a ticket from weeks ago. Before she had to bustle off, I mentioned that I had a gift I wanted to give her. She pointed to Shadley and I, then motioned for us to see her after the show. [Insert Jane smile here.]
Any nerves, worries, or questions in my mind were immediately erased when Kjo recognized me. I was now free to float away and get lost in the taping of The Exes. It was a pure joy to watch them all work on a taping of an episode. I could have watched them tape all night into the wee hours of the morning, but before I knew it, they were done, cut, end scene.
The cast took their final bows, Kjo stepped up towards our seating area to motion Shadley, his guest (sorry, I'm horrible with names), and myself to sneak around to the left side of the stage. Imagine that, me sneaking around the side like the stars did before the taping and in between scenes.
At this point, I was playing the role of Shadley's shadow, and doing my best to stay out of the way. Grips were disassembling and moving items back and forth. People were mingling around and drawn to the stars like moths to a flame. Being a guest, I didn't want to do anything out of line, so I was just watching the interactions and flash bulbs go off. Kelly Stables was the only actor to walk by not already conversing with someone, so I thanked her for a good show. As the stage began to clear out and we became a few of the last people left, the unbelievability of the events unfolding were running through my head. I hope my mouth wasn't dropped open.
Kjo, Gaetano Romeo (Hair/Make-up), and Pinky made their way over to us. Kjo stopped to talk to someone, so I knelt down to pet Pinky, such a sweet dog! Next thing I know, Kjo's on the move and waving us for her to follow. So, follow her I did, to the final destination of her dressing room. What?!?!
Honestly, I had been ready to get a "brush off" because she wasn't feeling well. Pet Pinky, give her my gift, snag a hug, and mosey on back to the parking deck. But no, I was sitting in her dressing room. I'm so glad I was wrong. This is where I can't find the words for how kind and inviting Kjo was. You know the friend that says, "Hey, make yourself at home... mi casa es su casa"... well, Kjo didn't vocalize that, but she sure made me feel that way.
As Kjo headed into the bathroom to get de-costumified, we all sat around the coffee table on a couch and chairs. I'm wondering what my face must have looked like, possibly a deer in headlights? We chatted amongst ourselves and before I knew it, Kjo was back. The gal I skyped with was right before my eyes. I recall her buzzing around the room talking with us. I suppose I was a bit distracted trying to figure out how I would present her with the gift. It felt a bit out of place with Shadley and her being friends and me the outsider in the room.
She was standing across the room at her makeup table when I piped up, "Sooooo, I'm a dork, and have a gift for you." She came over and sat in the chair closest to me on the couch. I pulled out my "Olson style" gift box. (My family wrap gifts with miscellaneous boxes and Sunday comics.) Knowing that security might need to investigate the gift, I had it loosely wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a puzzle box. Hey, the pink flowers on the box were gift-wrappy.
As completely expected, Kjo gave me heck for the wrapping job. "How could you travel all this way and not even have a gift bag?!?" Anyway, as she opened it I mentioned that I tried to bring the Got Guts? quote video Aly made to life in this book I'd made for Kjo. She flipped to the mini foreword I wrote and read it out loud. I recall the mention of "you're going to make me cry" at some point. Well, I didn't want to do that, so as she was flipping through the quotes, I mentioned she missed one of the best parts... all the quote paper is made of elephant poop. Laughter and smiles... that's what I like to see. Beyond thanking me, she wanted me to thank all of my family and friends who helped with the project.
I don't recall the order of this, but at some point she had asked Shadley and I if we wanted a script from the show. I accepted... how cool! Kjo snagged a script from the show we saw and cover sheet to sign.
During this time several things were happening.
- Kjo was trying to gather her thoughts for signing my soon to be script.
- An extra from the show stopped by to say hi/goodbye.
- Kjo went outside to converse with him.
- I had a "photo shoot" with Pinky.
- Kjo continued to write on script.
- Us gals were opening up makeup samples Kjo received and testing colors on our hands.
- Pinky was bored, so I tried to help locate the treats.
- Makeup was shared if we wanted it (yep, not for me.)
- I grabbed the handy-wipes for us to clean our hands off with.
- I forgot to clean my own hands.
- I promptly got makeup on my pants... classic!
- Kjo finished personalizing the script for me.
- Kjo set us up to watch some The Exes promos/clips.
- Shadley had to explain to me how to operate a Mac while Kjo was packing up.
I swear, it felt like this all happened in five minutes flat... such a blur and so much fun.
Once the videos were done, we chatted a bit more and Kjo asked Shadley's guest if she'd read GUTS yet. The answer, no, because Shadley had yet to release it from his hot little hands (my interpretation of the comment). I reach into my bag and pull out a copy of GUTS to hand to her. Kjo intervenes and says, "No, you can't do that", with a look of awww, that's too kind, on her face.
In my head I think BOO-YA and open the book to the elephant poo paper note on the inside. Kjo read it aloud and the awww look seemed to turn into a heart melting, disbelief kind of face. She was also a bit perplexed. I said, "You haven't been following my Twitter feed have you? This is book #3 of 7 that I'm leaving random places during my trip." Funny how book #3 found a new home in Kjo's dressing room. I think I got another hug at this point. I got a photo of Shadley's guest with the book and tweeted it just like the rest.
Our evening was coming to an end and Kjo asked if we were parked in BFE. Okay, I know she didn't say BFE (Abbreviation for Bum Fuck, Egypt. Out in the fucking middle of nowhere.), but that's what it translated to for me. Next stop, piling into Kjo's car for a quick ride to the parking garage. I never expected to get door-to-door service, let alone her driving up to the 5th floor to for door-to-car service. Shadley was gracious enough to let me have shotgun and he and his guest sandwiched Pinky in the backseat of the car. While I sat in the front seat and chatted with Kjo along the short drive.
Oh yeah, and she made me put my seatbelt on. I was oblivious to the fact it was binging at me. Imagine that, I was caught up in the moment. Anyway, she pulled up next to my rental car and got out to say goodbye to me. I left with a hug and hearing some of the kindest words I've ever heard. I also snagged a hug from Shadley, he was so friendly all evening... it wouldn't have been the same without him and his guest.
The vision left in my head is how Kjo's about to get in her car and asks if I read what she wrote to me on the script. I mentioned I'd skimmed it. She told me, "Read it again, I mean every single fucking word!"
Since I already blogged about The Exes show taping, I'm going to pull out the Kjo highlights from my viewpoint and memory. To a certain degree the entire evening happened so fast and is somewhat of a blur. Too bad it wasn't like a "car accident" where it goes in slow-motion and remember every single second in detail.
Based on what Allan mentioned during the warm-up, it sounded like I'd have a pretty good shot at giving Kristen my gift after the show. She was going to sign a few items that were giveaways to some lucky audience members. Chances of seeing Pinky were pretty high because I've seen photos of Pinky making appearances during the curtain call.
As they introduced the cast I was standing, clapping, hooting and hollering. Being in the front row and the fact that the crowd was much smaller than a talk show audience, it felt kind of odd that I could potentially make eye contact with the actors. I had no true focus, I was just trying to take it all in.
A scene or two were taped and then Kjo stopped by to say hi to the audience. I'd venture to say our seats started about 5-feet off the ground, which allowed Kjo to reach above the railing and grab the microphone from Allan. She welcomed us all, took a few questions, and mentioned how she'd been fighting a cold.
As she started to exit, Kjo scanned the crowd at saw Shadley (sitting next to me) and stopped to say hi to him. Then she glanced to either side of him to see his guest and then my face. If there was any photo I wish I had from vacation, it would be the instant Kjo recognized my face. She said, "You made it!?!" I smile just thinking about it.
The super short conversation began with a half-hug through the railing. Kjo seemed a bit shocked that I was there, which is understandable because she didn't recall hooking me up with a ticket from weeks ago. Before she had to bustle off, I mentioned that I had a gift I wanted to give her. She pointed to Shadley and I, then motioned for us to see her after the show. [Insert Jane smile here.]
Any nerves, worries, or questions in my mind were immediately erased when Kjo recognized me. I was now free to float away and get lost in the taping of The Exes. It was a pure joy to watch them all work on a taping of an episode. I could have watched them tape all night into the wee hours of the morning, but before I knew it, they were done, cut, end scene.
The cast took their final bows, Kjo stepped up towards our seating area to motion Shadley, his guest (sorry, I'm horrible with names), and myself to sneak around to the left side of the stage. Imagine that, me sneaking around the side like the stars did before the taping and in between scenes.
At this point, I was playing the role of Shadley's shadow, and doing my best to stay out of the way. Grips were disassembling and moving items back and forth. People were mingling around and drawn to the stars like moths to a flame. Being a guest, I didn't want to do anything out of line, so I was just watching the interactions and flash bulbs go off. Kelly Stables was the only actor to walk by not already conversing with someone, so I thanked her for a good show. As the stage began to clear out and we became a few of the last people left, the unbelievability of the events unfolding were running through my head. I hope my mouth wasn't dropped open.
Kjo, Gaetano Romeo (Hair/Make-up), and Pinky made their way over to us. Kjo stopped to talk to someone, so I knelt down to pet Pinky, such a sweet dog! Next thing I know, Kjo's on the move and waving us for her to follow. So, follow her I did, to the final destination of her dressing room. What?!?!
Honestly, I had been ready to get a "brush off" because she wasn't feeling well. Pet Pinky, give her my gift, snag a hug, and mosey on back to the parking deck. But no, I was sitting in her dressing room. I'm so glad I was wrong. This is where I can't find the words for how kind and inviting Kjo was. You know the friend that says, "Hey, make yourself at home... mi casa es su casa"... well, Kjo didn't vocalize that, but she sure made me feel that way.
As Kjo headed into the bathroom to get de-costumified, we all sat around the coffee table on a couch and chairs. I'm wondering what my face must have looked like, possibly a deer in headlights? We chatted amongst ourselves and before I knew it, Kjo was back. The gal I skyped with was right before my eyes. I recall her buzzing around the room talking with us. I suppose I was a bit distracted trying to figure out how I would present her with the gift. It felt a bit out of place with Shadley and her being friends and me the outsider in the room.
She was standing across the room at her makeup table when I piped up, "Sooooo, I'm a dork, and have a gift for you." She came over and sat in the chair closest to me on the couch. I pulled out my "Olson style" gift box. (My family wrap gifts with miscellaneous boxes and Sunday comics.) Knowing that security might need to investigate the gift, I had it loosely wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a puzzle box. Hey, the pink flowers on the box were gift-wrappy.
As completely expected, Kjo gave me heck for the wrapping job. "How could you travel all this way and not even have a gift bag?!?" Anyway, as she opened it I mentioned that I tried to bring the Got Guts? quote video Aly made to life in this book I'd made for Kjo. She flipped to the mini foreword I wrote and read it out loud. I recall the mention of "you're going to make me cry" at some point. Well, I didn't want to do that, so as she was flipping through the quotes, I mentioned she missed one of the best parts... all the quote paper is made of elephant poop. Laughter and smiles... that's what I like to see. Beyond thanking me, she wanted me to thank all of my family and friends who helped with the project.
I don't recall the order of this, but at some point she had asked Shadley and I if we wanted a script from the show. I accepted... how cool! Kjo snagged a script from the show we saw and cover sheet to sign.
During this time several things were happening.
- Kjo was trying to gather her thoughts for signing my soon to be script.
- An extra from the show stopped by to say hi/goodbye.
- Kjo went outside to converse with him.
- I had a "photo shoot" with Pinky.
- Kjo left her laptop and the script outside when she met the other actor.
- I stepped outside to retrieve the laptop and script.- Kjo continued to write on script.
- Us gals were opening up makeup samples Kjo received and testing colors on our hands.
- Pinky was bored, so I tried to help locate the treats.
- Makeup was shared if we wanted it (yep, not for me.)
- I grabbed the handy-wipes for us to clean our hands off with.
- I forgot to clean my own hands.
- I promptly got makeup on my pants... classic!
- Kjo finished personalizing the script for me.
- Kjo set us up to watch some The Exes promos/clips.
- Shadley had to explain to me how to operate a Mac while Kjo was packing up.
I swear, it felt like this all happened in five minutes flat... such a blur and so much fun.
Once the videos were done, we chatted a bit more and Kjo asked Shadley's guest if she'd read GUTS yet. The answer, no, because Shadley had yet to release it from his hot little hands (my interpretation of the comment). I reach into my bag and pull out a copy of GUTS to hand to her. Kjo intervenes and says, "No, you can't do that", with a look of awww, that's too kind, on her face.
In my head I think BOO-YA and open the book to the elephant poo paper note on the inside. Kjo read it aloud and the awww look seemed to turn into a heart melting, disbelief kind of face. She was also a bit perplexed. I said, "You haven't been following my Twitter feed have you? This is book #3 of 7 that I'm leaving random places during my trip." Funny how book #3 found a new home in Kjo's dressing room. I think I got another hug at this point. I got a photo of Shadley's guest with the book and tweeted it just like the rest.
Our evening was coming to an end and Kjo asked if we were parked in BFE. Okay, I know she didn't say BFE (Abbreviation for Bum Fuck, Egypt. Out in the fucking middle of nowhere.), but that's what it translated to for me. Next stop, piling into Kjo's car for a quick ride to the parking garage. I never expected to get door-to-door service, let alone her driving up to the 5th floor to for door-to-car service. Shadley was gracious enough to let me have shotgun and he and his guest sandwiched Pinky in the backseat of the car. While I sat in the front seat and chatted with Kjo along the short drive.
Oh yeah, and she made me put my seatbelt on. I was oblivious to the fact it was binging at me. Imagine that, I was caught up in the moment. Anyway, she pulled up next to my rental car and got out to say goodbye to me. I left with a hug and hearing some of the kindest words I've ever heard. I also snagged a hug from Shadley, he was so friendly all evening... it wouldn't have been the same without him and his guest.
The vision left in my head is how Kjo's about to get in her car and asks if I read what she wrote to me on the script. I mentioned I'd skimmed it. She told me, "Read it again, I mean every single fucking word!"
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4 comments:
This is the most amazing story I've ever heard. Seriously. You got more hugs in one night than I've gotten in a lifetime. lol I'm so happy this was above and beyond what you expected and I'm sure it was just as much of an honor for her to meet you as it was for you to meet her.
I'm so glad I got to be part of your amazing evening. It was just six months ago that I had my formal introduction to Kristen's genuine kindness and filthy grace and I consider it a tremendous honor to call her my friend. And I am equally blown away by the incredible people that make up her tribe. You're an incredible woman, kind and generous, and I hope life brings you endless joy.
This is so incredible...how a "night at the office" for me could mean so much to someone.
You'd NEVER know you were nervous at all! You seemed incredibly in your skin.
You know, sometimes social media can be a shit-show. But it's because of people like you & Shadlei that I think it's worthwhile.
And your gift was so sweet & loving I still have no words.
Janey, you are one great human being.
Your new bff
KJo
This blog entry was a delight to read. I think back to all your plans for making your book (including how to find/buy the right hardware to hold it together), and who knew it would bring so many smiles to so many. Well done, Jane! Once again you've made me proud. Momma
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