Hipployta's Lounge Spot: 2006

Okay, the ABC mall event was scheduled to be at Paramus Park Mall in Paramus,NJ. Well, I just moved to New Jersey about a year ago, and some change, and I am not really familar with anything beyond my air force base, the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus, and my in-law city of Hoboken so I had to rely on Mapquest.com to get there.

Did I ever tell ya'll the story about me trying to use Mapquest.com to find Barnes & Noble when I first got to New Jersey? Oh wait that was the old blog..okay let's just say that trip didn't go well. The last direction was "Use Local Roads." WTH? I ended up calling B&N to ask for help even though I had no earthly idea where I was. Turns out all that needed to be added was a left at the light [because it leaves you hanging at an intersection] and go about 1/2 a mile and make the U-turn into Hamilton Shopping Center. As I'm leaving I see a huge turpike sign, it took me and hour and 15 minutes using Mapquest.com to get there and about 20 minutes using the turpike and my own directions.

So THAT was the last time I had to use Mapquest.com and you can see why I didn't have a warm and fuzzy feeling going into it.

Well this is what Mapquest.com gave me and there were only about 6 actual things I needed to do. The most of it seemed to be long stretches of driving. I did the directions from the Turnpike entrance closet to me which is about 15 minutes from me. Mapquest said it was an hour and 1/2 drive so that put me at an hour and 45 minutes.

So I started driving at 8:10 in the morning. I decided that since the mall opens at 10 and the event starts at 12 I'd get there really early to get a good seat and be able to go shopping a bit.

Well there was basically no traffic on the turnpike and all the cops were already with people pulled over so I cruised up there going between 80 and 95, speed limit is about 65.

I got off at Exit 11 and got on the Garden State Parkway, which speed limit turned out to be 55, and was doing between 70 and 95 depending on what the cops were doing. I remember a cop coning up behind me and then passing me going pretty fast and I was like whatever...until I looked down and realized I was doing 82...on the 55mph Parkway. That cop was going faster than EVERYBODY and with no lights on or anything.

Anywho I eventually saw Exit 163 and got of and about a mile up turned into the Mall. The directions from Mapquest.com were basically rubbish after the get off on Exit 163 point. They had like 4 more turns after that when I all I needed to do was make a left at the Paramus Park sign and go park.

This is Paramus Park

I walked into the building around 9:40am. I had manged to get there in an hour and 40 minutes going between 85 and 90 the entire way with a full tank of gas and no traffic.

There is NO way anyone could get there in an hour and 45 minutes from my house going the speed limit.

Mapquest strikes, or should I say lies, again.

Whatever, so I walked into the mall which was pretty empy except for Mall-walkers and an intriguing display in the center court. Hmm, guess what that display was...yup the Emmy Event

I walked up and asked the people hanging around it if this was the ABC fan event and they said yes. I walked up to the chair closest to the front and the entry for the talent and sat down.

One nice tech guy walks over and says, "You know the event doesn't start until 12 right?". I nod and let him know I had planned on being there bright and early. Well all of the ABC people working the event were really nice and came over and spoke saying if I needed anything just ask and so on . One woman, Emmy, sat down and talked with me for a bit. When she told me her name we both laughed and she said she had gotten alot of comments on it already.

A little while after I had been siting there awhile a nice guy named Tim came over and sat next to me. He asked me who I was and if I had ever been to any other fan events. I told him no but that I was planning on going to Renee and Trevor's concert in Nashville and Girls Night Out this year. Turns out Tim co-hosts these type of shindigs with Bob. Oh yeah the other host is Bob Guiney aka Bob the Bachelor aka Rebbeca Budnig's (ex-Greenlee, AMC) husband. Well, Tim told me about SoapJam and suggested I come out for that. He also said that they planned on doing some sort of trivia with Renee and he would try to get me on. I was estatic, well as happy as I could be that early on a Saturday, and told him it was nice to meet him.

Well, my camera, you know the Cannon Powershot SD550 I did a post on before, was dead. I absolutely could not find the battery charger to charge the darn thing so I was calling around trying to see if there was a Best Buy nearby. The Best Buy near my house, if you call 45 minutes away near, was all out of chargers that were separate from the camera so I had was on a mission. Best Buy does not open until 11 on Saturday...and I could not get any firm directions on where it was. So I used 411 to call the RadioShack in the mall. They told me that they didn't have any chargers for my camera. I'm fairly certain they didn't even look ya'll.

Well the people sitting closest to me said they would watch my seat and stuff and to go ahead and get something to eat and go to the RadioShack.

I did manage to get a charger that would charge the battery as long as I held it a certain way. I ended up using a plug next to the escalator to charge it and tied my headband around it to hold it in place. It looked crazy but it worked. The people around me were making jokes about it but were keeping an eye on it with me to make sure no one stole it. They were all a VERY nice bunch.

While I was coming back from RadioShack there was this vendor that stiched stuff onto t-shirt, bags, and hats. I bought a bag and had him stitch the following on it: Hipployta say Renee/Evangeline and Bobbie/Krystal RULE...I heart AMC and OLTL

The guy changed the spelling of Bobbie to Bobby but it still came out very nice. I gave the bag to Renee.

So Noon rolls around and Tim and Bob start the event.

The talk about all the shows and all of the nominees. They play a few games with the audience and fans and allow a few questions. One of the questions asked OVER AND OVER to Bob was if and when Rebecca was coming back to the role of Greenlee on AMC. Bob just Rebecca is going to be in a mid-season pilot called Out of Practice and is trying new things.

They stopped and Bob asked about the person who had been there since 8am. I was like hey I was here at 9:30 but didn't say that. Tim pointed me out and said he heard I had some sort of bag made. I held up the "Hipployta says" bag and they read it out loud while the camera zoomed in on it. I later had to explain my name was Shevawn and that Hipployta was my ABC, and everywhere else, screen name.

The rest of the day I was answering questions about past storylines and trying to help people win games. Bob made a joke that ABC needed to hire me as a Research and Continuity person. I was going to make a joke like, "Why so they could ignore me like they already ignore history" but I didn't.

Bob seemed REALLY afraid of Janet from Another Planet. He said he's sure that the actor is a lovely person but the character freaks him out.

Then they brought on the first talent...Elisabeth from The View

I didn't know how much charge I had so I was pretty stingy with pictures of Elisabeth.

They let a few fans ask some questions and they talked about her auditioning on-screen to be on The View. She talked about how she felt had to argue EVERYTHING so even at home she would debate over having a different kind of Pepper. She says her husband, Tim, got her to relax but that she was a nutcase to live with while the audition was going on.

Bob talked about her husband, who is a back up quarterback for the Giants, and her brother in-law, who is the Seahawks quarterback. You could tell Elisabeth was still upset about the loss and she made some jokes about it. They played a clip from The View from when she came back after the SuperBowl. After watching Elisabeth said she must have been feeling a whole lot more chariable that day.

Next they played some more games. If you won your game, and even if you lost, you got a tote back that had a t-shirt and Emmy popcorn in it. I'll show pictures of my winnings in a bit

Bob and Tim took a break after awhile and said they'd be back with the next guest. Someone from the audience got the smart idea to run upstairs into the food court and look down into the closed off section of the Emmy stuff. They started waving at someone down there and I yelled up, "Is she there?" The person said, "Yes" so I ran up too. It was Renee!

So then they come back on and bring Renee out. Renee walks up the red carpet but stops to touch anyone who reaches a hand out. I was standing up and clapping and when she walked by she stopped to give me a hug. I was very excited by then like everyone else and we were all yelling and clapping.

The first thing Bob did was point me out and say I had been there since 6:30 that morning...then he changed it to the night before and said I had been camping out. I just laughed and covered my face with a bag.

Bob and REG told us about how they first met at Wild World of Soaps. Before that REG was telling about how she first came to know about Bob. She said that she used to be really against reality shows because she wanted actors to get work but then she got a script for a mini-series based on The Bachelor. Bob jumped in to say he would have given REG the final rose and we all laughed. REG goes on saying she decided to watch an episode of The Bachelor to see what the script was based on. She said she turned on one episode like whatever I have to at least watch it once. She then said the next week she just had to know who got the next roses. She said she didn't do anything with the script and ended up watching Bob's entire season.

REG then began the Wild World of Soaps story. She said it was her first event and she was nervous but she was there with her Mom and her husband. She said she was checking in and her someone call her name. It was Bob. Bob said he had done research on everyone for the event but was really hyped to meet REG. REG said when she met him he complimented her so much in 5 minutes that she was in shock almost. They said they have been friends ever since.

She and Bob talked for a bit about storylines. When she mentioned Micheal Easton as That Man (yes she said John but you know that character is not the John McBain I knew and loved so I refer to him as "That Man" please reference the obsession post) everyone started cheering. REG made a joke about how no matter if he's there or not if she says his name people always start screaming. She spoke about Cris but we were all like NO!! She did said she would like JoVan to get back together but that John would have ALOT of apologizing to do. Bob mentioned her talent as a singer and she spoke about her time on Ally McBeal and how she sang backup for basically everyone because David E. Kelley had everyone sing at some point and time.

REG then went on to mention how the same people make Boston Legal and how you could see the simalirites in the show. I think Bob said something about her singing on the show but she said, "How about Evangeline goes on Boston Legal." She said, "I'm not kidding I've been lobbying for it." She said she thinks that Evangeline could take on Denny Crane and win.

Bob then stated talking about how Evangeline is this pillar of doing what's right in Llanview but how she's not quite doing that anymore. They talked a bit about how Van is the ONLY one who believes in Todd but she's doing what she believes she has to. REG said she could see why Evangeline protects Todd.

REG said she didn't think she could have done the triangle storyline if MA weren't playing Natalie *Hipp yelps because her fingers feel like they've been burned from typing Messica's sisters name*. Everyone started booing Messica's sister but REG was like ya'll better stop because Melissa Archer could show up here and she started laughing. Anyway REG continues that she was really worried when MA was in contract negotiations and there was talk of a recast because she didn't know if she could let someone else say those words to her if there was any chance that they might mean it. She also said she doesn't know how Messica's sister stole That Man away [translation is how Natalie *ow* stole John *ow* away..man my fingers hurt]

REG also made a joke about Evangeline being surrounded by beautiful men, Micheal Easton, Trevor St. John, and David Fumero. It just occured to me, why didn't they stick David F. in that modeling storyline? They could have used his old modeling pictures lol.

REG also mentioned about how Hilary B. Smith is wonderful and she needs to be back on the show as soon as possible. She says she knows it's not on screen but she's believes in her heart that Evangeline is sitting by Nora's bedside everyday.

Bob and REG then started talking about singing. Apparently Bob has been a singer his whole life but after the show when he would sing people would be like, "Great the guy from the Bachelor thinks he can sing now." He says when he heard the soap people were going to sing he said the exact same thing, "Great now the people from soaps think they can sing now." Then he said he say all of the singing credentials for people on the soap and how they are all so talented. REG brought up the One Life Many Voices cd and started talking about it. She said how Micheal said he wouldn't sing but he would take the photographs. She talked about the photos he took of her and how he ran outside to talk to Thorsten Kaye and then decided to shoot the picture of her through the window showing his reflection. Renee started talking about her music partner [her words] Trevor St. John. Bob asked about the song they performed Breakaway and said Kelly Clarkson better watch out.

They started talking about songs they knew and ended up doing a little duet on a song called...Hot Cars??? It was nice.

Then they started the trivia segment and brought me up on stage. They sat me next to her and made some jokes about needing security. The pictures at a distance and an angle were taken by a fellow fan with my camera.

The direct pictures that are clear and lovely were taken by Jean Suppa who apparently handles photos and videos of these type of events. She was kind enough to email me the ones of REG and I.

Let me say first that I had promised myself not to embarrass myself like I did after The Color Purple....but I failed utterly.

When I sat down I asked REG if she got my flowers in November. She immediately turned to the crowd and said she just realized who I was. She said I had sent her flowers to the studio in November, that it was very sweet, and thanked me. Off the mike she then told me she remembered me from The Color Purple too. I was like that's so nice!!!

They talked about and showed the tote that was to be my prize but I kinda took it out of Tim's hand and kept it just in case I lost the game.

he first question Tim asked was, "Who sang at Bo and Nora's wedding?" All I heard was Nora and wedding so I turned to REG and said Evangeline. All three of them [REG, Tim, and Bob] said wait and listen to the question. Then they said it again and I heard "BO and Nora's wedding" I then said, "Little Ritche, I was mistaken Evangeline sang at Nora and Daniel's wedding and Little Richie performed and sang at Bo and Nora's wedding."

They were like you got it. I then asked how do I get a gift card. They were giving out $150 and $200 gift cards from Sears and I wanted one if I could get one.

I started getting hot on the stage so I took off my jacket and Bob made a joke about me getting ready for the question.

So Bob goes, "Let me get out a hard question."

Before he asked it I was like,"Wait! You guys are asking questions from way before my time! I'm only 22 and Bo and Nora's wedding was like in 96 or something!" Bob goes, "Earlier you were answering questions about storylines from 30 years ago from all three shows so I think you'll be fine."

The question was, "At the age of 18 who debuted at the Grand Ole Opry. I think the choices were Kathy Brier, Bob Guiney, someone else, and Kassie DePaiva.

I said, "I want to say Kassie DePaiva but I'm not sure" Reg told me to say it louder so I said Kassie DePaiva and they said you got it!!!

I got my gift card, hugged REG again, and got off the stage.

I ran back up really quickly to give her the "Hipployta says" bag. I really should have taken a picture of it.

REG thanked everyone and got off the stage to go to the signing booth.

I walked over there and jumped the line to be next to CeCe and a few other online fans. CeCe had the Evangeline's Heart newsletter and was handing it out to folks so I of course got REG to sign it as well. We were all lamenting the fact that we had left our One Life Many Voices cds at our homes.

The first thing I said is, "I swear I'm not stalking you" REG laughed and signed all my stuff

I missed alot of Bobbie Eakes Q&A because I was in line for REG's autograph. I managed to get back to my seat in time to ask a question though.

I said, "Bobbie I've loved you ever since you were Macy on Bold & the Beautiful and hated Thorne and Darla for getting together but that's not my question. How do you thing Krystal would handle things if Colby were to come back because that is supposedly happening?"

Bobbie asked if I had read that somewhere and I nodded. She said, "I ask because I was reading my script for next week and Krystal and Adam are talking about Colby. When they talk about a character like that it's a pretty good indicator. I don't know how Krystal would react. I guess she would have a chance to be a Mom to Colby." Then she laughingly added, "That poor child." Then I asked, "What if Liza came back too?" Bobbie said, "Well if Liza came back then there would definately be some sparks happening." She then said she loved working with Liza's portrayer [I'm blanking on her name but she said it] and would love for her to come back .

She fielded a few more questions then headed over to the autograph booth with REG.

Unfortunately they set the line for autographs up while she was talking so when I went to get in line I couldn't. So I hopped and leaned around people to get a few pictures of Bobbie and REG signing autographs.

It was about 3pm and there was an intermission until it was time for the drawing so I took some picutes with the tote bag. Inside the tote bage a t-shirt and popcorn so I put the t-shirt on for the rest of the day [matched it with my headband and tank top].

They also had areas set up for fun Emmy stuff. For instance you could get up on a podium and give an Emmy acceptance speech. The best Emmy speeches will be used on the Mall tour commericals. I thanked REG and ME for inspiring and cried alot LOL. They gave out free stress balls and you got to take pictures with Emmy and they give you a free frame for it.

This is the popcorn that came in the tote bag and what Tim was giving out when he was stalling until it was time for the drawing. People were still getting tote bags but the big winners were the $150 and $200 gift cards

While Tim was stalling for time he let this guy walk the red carpet. The guy walked up it like a star, got close to the stage, and then did a crazy headstand. He held it for at least a minute and spread his legs and everything.

Well, I suffer from a REALLY competitive nature and told Tim I could do better because I would walk it like I own it.

So I walk down doing a supermodel strut...turn around to face the crowd when I got near the stage...and did a split....then I got up and did a back walkover LOL

When I got up I took a bow and grabbed my shoes and sat back down. The headstand guy walked up and made some jokes and then sat down.

It occurs to me that I hope to goodness the camera wasn't on.

They brought Bobbie back on to draw the ballot that won the trip

They brought the ballot box up and shook it up to get ready for the drawing. They also talked about what the prize was and if we didn't win here how we could enter the National competition at ABC.com. At this time Bobbie was like okay let's do this. She closed her eyes and reached in the box.

Well, the first name she picked wasn't there. An Angel something or other. They did the whole going and gone bit and she picked another name. Bobbie then asked if you could enter more than once and Bob said know. Bobbie looks at the paper and goes, "Angel no I'm just kidding" and everybody laughed. She called the winners name, which escapes me at the moment, and there was alot of yelling and happy times to follow.

The winner was unfortunately NOT me *Hipp wipes a tear* but that's okay. It just would have been a flourish to an already lovely day.

I'm pretty sure I'm heading to the event at King of Prussia Mall in Philly because I love Kelly Monaco too. Hopefully I'll see some of ya'll there.

Anyway I left the mall at 430pm. I decided that I wanted to leave while it was still light so that left no time for shopping *Hipp sheds a tear at the lost opportunity to destroy a new mall*

By the time I was back on the turnpike I caught myself letting my eyes close and the car drift so when I got to the reststop after exit 8A I got off and parked. This was at 530pm. I caught a 30 minute nap and once I felt refreshed I headed back on the highway. I know my exit was pretty close, exit 7, but I don't play around with fatigue and driving. It's just another surefire to get in an accident or get killed.

So I made it home, brought all my gear into the house, and fell asleep.

The perfect end to a great day. Although I wish I had remembered to eat something for dinner, all I had was some Chick Fil A at the Mall before I left.

Beautiful Kisses
Hipployta

Hipployta's Lounge Spot

Saturday, March 18, 2006

My Jovan Moment of the Day

The NEW Shakira video and another favorite hobby of mine: Anime

Sunday, March 12, 2006

My Day at and Recap of the ABC Emmy Mall Event from Saturday March 11,2006

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