Local Adventurer: Jimmy Kimmel Live

If you have ever studied abroad, which I did in Switzerland last semester, you know how your weekdays are filled with work and exploring local spots, while weekends are for traveling everywhere possible. There is a sense of urgency to see as much as you can, eat as much as you can and do as much as you can. Now at USC, that drive to explore remains. I’m a Pacific Northwest girl, so Los Angeles is all new to me. This column is dedicated to local adventures and places to explore in Southern California.

This week, I went to a live taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live. Anyways, I was sitting in WRIT 150 when I got an email explaining I received tickets for a taping that day. Being the responsible student I am, I skipped my afternoon class, grabbed a friend and headed into Hollywood. The  Studio is situated across from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and to my happiness, next to a Ghirardelli Soda Fountain.

I may or may not have thoroughly enjoyed a Treasure Island Sundae while we waited in line.  Thank goodness I did — we were in that line for a hearty hour and a half. But hey, the general tickets were free and I had my sundae and my best friend. So all was well in the world. General tickets, however, don’t promise getting in like priority tickets do. And if you are walking through Hollywood around 3 p.m. on a weekday and feel prompted to test your luck — there is a queue for standby tickets.

We finally entered inside the studio and promptly pushed through security. Phones had to be turned off while inside (and they do check). Unfortunately, no snaps of Jimmy. My water bottle was also confiscated to be picked up later. So yeah, apparently don’t bring a water bottle.

Security was followed by yet another line into the studio to be seated. Once seated, we got a run through of the rules by a guy in a beanie and tight shirt. Basically, we were asked to not cause a scene by interrupting the show unless we want to be jailed and to fake enthusiasm to the extreme. Next up was a comedian sent to warm up the crowd. While his jokes were decent, all he really had to do was pull out the promo prizes and the audience went wild. I did not get a shirt. It’s tragic. Again, we were reminded to clap and make noise when the green sign lit up and stop when the red did, a process made simple enough that even a UCLA student would know what to do.   

At last, Jimmy Kimmel came out, and yes he is even cuter in person. Between takes of interviewing actor Dennis Quaid (my childhood crush thanks to The Parent Trap) and comedian Bill Burr, he engaged with the crowd, conversing with the front row about their vacations in Los Angeles.

The whole crew was kind, entertaining the crowd as they went about their job. I do have to mention that out of the 40 crew members that I saw, only one was a woman. Just going to put that out there. Anyways, the taping ended with a performance by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. I had never heard of him before, but ended up with some new music to add to my playlist.

All in all, going to a live taping was a pleasant and interesting adventure. I personally enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of what it takes to produce a late-night talk show. Overall, it was a four-hour experience, including the time waiting in line. You can visit 1iota.com for tickets to this show and to other tapings in the area. Say hi to Jimmy for me.

Morgan Grimm is a freshman majoring in communication. Her column, Local Adventurer,  runs every other week on Thursday.