Got Talent?

Alan and I had a fun date yesterday. He had the day off so we headed to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium where we had free tickets to attend a taping of the NBC show called "America's Got Talent". This taping happened to be try-outs for the live shows which will air in July. The judges (Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell) watch the contestants perform and then decide whether they will advance to the next stage of the show or not. One thing I like about AGT is that it is a variety show so all kinds of talents are showcased. There were 3 singers, a magician, a dance act, a psychic, and another act that I can't remember what it is called, but a man used his body movements under a light that produced music. Some of the acts didn't get to go through to the next round, but one very special little 12 year old girl named Grace, who played the ukulele while singing an original song, sure did. She impressed the judges so much that Howie pressed the Golden Buzzer which signifies that Grace will automatically advance to the live shows. When Howie pushed the buzzer, the whole place lit up and gold graffiti dropped from the ceiling down onto the stage. It was quite dramatic. We were not allowed to take photos while taping was taking place, or I would have photographed it. I was, however, able to take photographs before the show started.

In the car on the way to Pasadena

We had to wait in a few lines and go through

security (for at least 1.5 hrs.) before being allowed to enter the auditorium.

This is what the Civic Auditorium looks like.

You can't really tell from this photo, but we got great seats (given out randomly). We were right on the aisle and I was able to greet Heidi & Mel B with a hand touch as they went down the aisle to their seats. Howie and Simon ignored me. :-(

This is what the stage looked like.

When the "Golden Buzzer" is pushed, the stage lights up in these gold colors and gold confetti drops from the ceiling.

After the show, we went part way home and stopped for some dinner at a Taco Bell (fancy, I know). I was looking for a table and felt like we were supposed to sit at this one for some reason -- AGT was etched into the table top. Omen?

In order to be part of the audience, we were required to follow a dress code. The instructions said to dress in dark solid colors and they specifically requested black, grey, dark blue, or maroon and our clothing was supposed to be hip and upscale. I fretted over what to wear because I don't have much in my closet fitting that description. I ended up having to purchase an outfit just for the show...but I will certainly continue to wear it often. I ended up getting a dress with a shrug. After we arrived at the taping, I realized I didn't need to worry about dressing perfectly as much as I had. Most people dressed very casually and many didn't follow the dress code at all. I felt somewhat overdressed for the occasion, but that's OK. No harm done. At least I didn't feel uncomfortable.

We had a great time at the show. The only downside was all the waiting. We had to wait in line, we had to wait for the show to start, and we had to wait between acts, but it was worth it in the end. I would do it again in a heartbeat.