I’ve finally had time to sleep a bit after traveling around and living out of a suitcase. My brain is less foggy, I have things to say, stories to share!
I was just in L.A. to make meatballs with Jimmy Kimmel. So I thought I’d give you a play by play of the behind the scenes action of my trip. It was… trippy. A trippy trip.
I stayed on Hollywood Boulevard. That in itself makes it a trippy trip because you can walk along Bugs Bunny’s star for example.
This is where I stayed. The Roosevelt Hotel, though I think I might start calling it the Roosevelt Night Club. I’ll explain why in a minute.
They are especially known for their very glamorous pool. Which turned out to cause me some problems. I’ll explain why… in a minute.
My first stop was a dress rehearsal at the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio. A girl’s gotta practice where she’s making her meatballs.
Look, it’s my name!
Past my name was a very swanky dressing room.
I’m thinking about installing one of these in my office, what do you think?
While I pondered that I went to do the dress rehearsal. It was great and very fun and the producers and crew were extra awesome.
Then it was time for hair and makeup. And that is when I realized what I’d done. Ya see… I’m pretty fair skinned. And I thought I could just sit out by the pool on the phone with all of the other nicely tanned girls and everything would be alright. But as I sat in hair and makeup I saw my skin starting to grow red.
“Uh oh,” I said to the two lovely ladies in charge of hair and makeup as I looked in the mirror in horror.
“It all happens so fast,” said the nice makeup lady.
And with that, she got out a thing they call an airbrush and hosed me down. It was kind of fun actually. A light mist of makeup that evens out your skin color. I’m thinking of installing one of those in my office also.
Then I strolled back to my swanky room. And I started getting text messages from friends far away demanding pictures and a play by play.
“I got hosed down with an airbrush!” I told them. “See?”
I blew them a kiss, snapped a picture and went to see about the snacks that had just been lovingly placed before me.
Snacks! I love snacks.
But my friends demanded more pictures.
“I’m busy eating cauliflower and dip!” I texted back.
And then I sent them this.
Then I got a knock on my door and one of the coolest camera men in the world came in and asked if I would be an honorary member of their Gunday Monday club where they eat wild game and drink wine.
“Oh my gosh you are so very cool, and yes I would love to be a member and I might move here now so I can be an active participant!” I said.
He gave me this green badge. I am going to sew it onto my jacket.
And then the show started! I watched from the room until it was my turn.
I also watched Jimmy scale the walls which is my favorite part of the show intro.
It’s a nice super hero suit.
And I loved this guy, his sidekick Guillermo. He ate a raw meatball.
And the band was rockin’. I actually started dancing when I got out there.
So was the audience.
Jimmy chatted with the audience a bit. Everyone was in good spirits.
Jimmy started the show talking about my book which was pretty hilarious… the most amusing line: “It’s as if Wolfgang Puck and Sarah Palin had a baby.”
Lovely Jennifer Love Hewitt was there talking about her fun new show The Client List. They brought a piece of the billboard from her show out which caused quite the stir…
Here it is… can you tell which part it is? They were going to send it to her grandma.
Then it was my turn.
I’m going to let these pictures play out like a flip book because there are many of them… it’ll be like you watched the show!
Good start Jimmy.
(He’s so funny).
Wild boar!
Oh, and remember when I mentioned one of my favorite new jewelry designers here called Key of A?
Well she custom made me a necklace for the show, and I am obsessed with it. It matches my bracelet. So thank you wonderful Key of A!
Talking about crossing my fingers so that airport security doesn’t confiscate my frozen animal parts in my suitcase.
(Apparently Jimmy is quite a good cook).
Reading out some of the recipes from my book.
Another amusing moment… about how I eat squirrel and such.
I think he was saying that if you are what you eat, then animals from the streets of L.A. would taste like cigarettes and I was saying they would probably have a smoky flavor.
Then I started imitating a Coot and explaining what it was. That’s me paddling with my hands…. oh dear.
Then Guillermo got in on the action. He had never had wild boar before.
He was looking at us with concern. In front of… the billboard…
“Boar balls!” Jimmy Kimmel exclaimed.
Catch! He threw one over to him. Raw.
He took a taste. Raw.
I indicated that I hoped he didn’t get trichinosis. Then we dropped them in the pan.
Homemade sauce is the best!
So is fresh pasta.
And so we tasted.
Then he said something funny about my book and I laughed like a goof.
Then, after 8 minutes it was all over!
It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a TV show.
And I even got a sweatshirt.
And then I got escorted to watch the Jason Mraz concert which was part of the show.
Except I didn’t sit here…
I sat here. On a couch on the stage.
Then, when it was all over, I went back to the Roosevelt which had become a full fledged night club. I walked into the lobby where there was a team of little people wearing sleeveless tuxedos. And they were very, very angry about something. I think a riot was about to break out.
So I made my way to the elevator.
Then friends starting calling because they were watching the show from other time zones. And even though I never have watched myself on TV I decided to watch since I had had so much fun. Except I had to prop my eyelids open and made it all the way through Jennifer’s interview and promptly fell asleep. I woke up an hour later and I had missed the whole thing!
Luckily there is the internet. And friends who take lots of pictures of the TV and send them to me.
After a few meetings which required a lot of driving through amazing palm trees… I made my way back to my beloved Austin.
I sat at my favorite hotel and had this.
It was such a fun time, but there’s no place like home.
If you’d like to watch the segment you can go here.
And the wild boar meatball recipe is here.
Thanks for all of your lovely notes and support. I love ya 4-eva.
