Hollywood insider's report: Ellen, snacks and Simmons
David Perry, Executive Editor -- Furniture Today, January 17, 2005
Hollywood was calling. The red "on air" light was flashing as I approached the door to fame and fortune. "Closed Set" warned a big sign on the door. "Ellen DeGeneres ID required for entry."
A producer pushed the magic door open, ushering me into Studio 11 at NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif., where "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is filmed before a live audience.
As I walked into the spacious studio, there was only one thing missing: Ellen and her studio audience. The show had wrapped several minutes earlier. A few stagehands were still milling about when I entered the largely deserted studio, but the cameras were unmanned.
Although I didn't make it onto Ellen's popular talk show, I did get a rare behind-the-scenes look at television in the making. The folks at Simmons secured a VIP invitation for me so that I could watch backstage while Ellen gave away 250 of Simmons' new HealthSmart mattresses during her "12 Days of Giveaways" feature on the show.
That brought me to the NBC Studios complex, where Jay Leno, Dennis Miller and Ellen all film their shows. My name indeed was on the VIP list and I easily made it through the guarded main gate and into Studio 11, where my own private VIP room awaited. It was well stocked with a big basket of snacks, bowls of candy, and a refrigerator full of drinks.
Scott Whitaker, the Simmons VP who arranged the giveaway on Ellen's show, had travel problems and missed the taping. That left it up to me to sample the goodies in the VIP room while watching the show on a live feed.
The taping began at 5:30 p.m. I watched the show on a monitor while everything unfolded just down the hall from where I sat on a comfortable sofa.
It was a star-studded show: red-hot teen star Lindsay Lohan, veteran actor Jeff Bridges and the Simmons HealthSmart mattress.
DeGeneres gave away the Simmons beds early in the show. She talked about the problem of dust mites and proclaimed the HealthSmart bed "amazing." The audience loved it.
Later, producer Jason Gabel stopped by to see how I was doing. He said Ellen personally had approved the Simmons giveaway. "She signs off on everything," he said. "These are great ideas that would make great gifts. We focus on new and innovative products. The HealthSmart bed certainly falls into that category. You zip off the top and throw it into the washing machine. She thinks that's a great feature."
I never did meet Ellen in person. But I can say this: She looked good on TV.
