A Late Night with James Franco

We all watch Bravo, right? Well, next to our favorite shows like Real Housewives and Top Chef, is a little show called Inside the Actors Studio. For seventeen years, James Lipton (the show's host), has been interviewing the most gifted actors and directors in the entertainment industry. Following the likes of Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, Steven Spielberg, Tina Fey, and a long list of other accomplished artists, James Franco finally graced the Inside the Actors Studio stage at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts on Wednesday night.

We were all introduced to James Franco as Daniel Desario on one of the greatest shows ever, Freaks and Geeks. Later, he appeared as Harry Osborn in the Spiderman trilogy and as Tristan in Tristan and Isolde (which I saw three times in theaters--embarrassing, I know). His critically-acclaimed performance as James Dean in the biopic of the same name earned him a Golden Globe. From Pineapple Express, to Milk, and everything in between, it seems as if James Franco can tackle anything. Oh wait, he's also been enrolled in four graduate programs over the past few years; Franco is currently pursuing a doctorate at Yale, as he promotes two new films: Howl and 127 Hours, and his recently published novel: Palo Alto. Ok, James Franco really can do anything.

My twin sister has loved James Franco ever since his Tristan and Isolde days. When I got an email mid-October announcing this season's Inside the Actors Studio guests, taping dates, and ticket prices, I jumped at the offer. My sister immediately booked a train to New York (skipping her Thursday and Friday classes), realizing this was an opportunity she just couldn't pass up. As a Fordham student, this event was just a quick RamVan and subway ride away.

I am a James Franco fan as well. However, Inside the Actors Studio happens to be my favorite show. I've seen almost every episode, entranced by the honesty and candor of the guests, especially in an industry that can be so incessantly violating and intrusive. For almost three hours, Lipton went through Franco's childhood, his introduction to acting, and his many television shows and films. Thankfully, my sister got to see her childhood crush, in his most honest and vulnerable state, for only $30. I got to stare at him for 3 hours. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Living History: Election Night 2010

The set of "Vote 2010," ABC's election night coverage, under constuction.

I spend a LOT of money on concerts in the city. I get great discounts, but it still adds up...so I have to work to make up for it! Luckily, I think I have the best job in the world, which the last five days can attest to.

One of Fordham's hidden gems is our radio station, WFUV. Anyone who has been on my tour knows I can talk for hours about the radio station, and the great opportunities it offers. In a nutshell, WFUV is an NPR affiliate located on Fordham's campus, but not officially affiliated with the university. We have a staff of full-time, professional DJs, and have full NYPD press credentials. It is not your typical college radio station. We are one of the most respected and well-known stations in the tri-state area, and we are very proud of that. With a full-time, professional staff, WFUV represents an opportunity for a paid internship right on campus in the communications field to those interested, regardless of major or academic preferences. Students are employed in one of four departments within the station: news, sports, production, and promotions. I work in the news department, which has allowed me the privilege of interviewing Mayor Bloomberg, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, among others. My friends in Sports have been paid to attend Yankees' spring training, and friends from promotions attend dozens of concerts a month to promote the station. No matter where you work at FUV, it ain't a bad gig...

Through WFUV News, a coworker who also interns at ABC News got me a position there helping the network prepare its "Vote 2010" midterm election coverage. For a little over a month, I traveled to ABC News' World Headquarters on 66th St., and immersed myself in the world of the World News Tonight set. I think my mom was as excited for this experience as I was...she told anyone who would listen, and showed the blurry

picture I took of me behind the desk to any unfortunate person who crossed her path. This past weekend, rehearsals really kicked into overdrive, and I was scheduled to spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Halloween weekend at ABC News, 12 hours each day. Luckily, things went more smoothly than expected, and so while I did spend the vast majority of my weekend in the presence of some of the greatest news media minds in the country, it was bearable. Plus who am I kidding...Halloween happens every year; the politics dork in me wouldn't have passed on this opportunity if it was 72 straight hours over Christmas. Once every two years, my politics obsession becomes socially acceptable for a week before an election, and I got to spend the week leading up to this election with people who made my interest look juvenile. I earned such new respect for news anchors, producers, and the entire staff, because you would not believe the amount of rehearsing and adjustments we went through as the process continued.

Friday was the most interesting day, as in the midst of rehearsals for election night, we were promptly whisked off the set. Why? Several suspicious packages had been found in planes around the world, and it looked to be an organized terror attack...and Diane Sawyer had to break into ABC programing with the news. As I gathered my stuff, and walked from the desk, we brushed shoulders. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't even realize who I had just walked by until 10 seconds later when she sat in the chair I had just occupied. I watched her deliver the breaking news from the wings, awe-struck at her poise and delivery on a moments notice.

I would have kicked myself if I had missed my one chance to talk to Diane Sawyer, but it turns out my worries were futile. Saturday and Sunday, Ms. Sawyer, George Stephanopolous, Cokie Roberts, and the other personalities to be featured on November 2nd's coverage came by to get a feel for the set, and do a bit of rehearsal so that they'd be comfortable. Saturday, I spent over an hour behind the ABC World News desk...with Diane Sawyer. We talked politics of course, but also did a considerable amount of chit-chatting (Pardon this brief editorial: talk about a class act. I have nothing bad to say about Ms. Sawyer. She was gracious, funny, smart, and incredibly impressive. I kind of want to be her....). She even took a few jabs at my expense...

I am fairly technologically challenged unless the technology has an Apple logo on it. As I spent time on the set, they placed a giant touch screen to the right of George Stephanopolous' seat. Upon further inspection, I realized the giant screen was the Christmas present a politics dork like me would ask for for the rest of his life, but never get: it was an interactive map of the USA, with past, present, and projections of races across the country. You could zoom in, learn about the candidates and issues in the state, and examine districts, demographics, and polls from across the country. Basically, as soon as I learned what it was, one thought crossed my mind: before I leave ABC on Sunday, I will play with that...that's the coolest toy ever.

Well, when behind the desk with Ms. Sawyer during a bit of rehearsal, I acted as her co-anchor. She turned to me, gestured to the box, and asked me to "show her...." (I couldn't tell you what she asked me to show her, the minute I realized I was about to get to play with this new toy, I stopped listening...). I looked at her, looked to the box, and then looked back, finally breaking character and breathlessly exclaiming "You mean...I get to touch the box...!?" Boy did she have a good laugh at my eagerness on that one, and told me I could do whatever I wanted. I did explore the touch screen, and it's a good thing I was well behaved this year, because Santa better leave it under my tree. Thankfully a co-worker caught this little moment on camera from a monitor in the studio, which you can see to the left. Notice how fast my hand is moving, and how fascinated Diane Sawyer is. I guess I'm just that interesting... A close-up of the box is below.

Talk about a once in a lifetime opportunity. And only in New York. All I can say is wow...what an experience. Leaving on Sunday evening, my friend reminded me to be sure I watched the election night coverage on Tuesday to see all of my hard work pay off. I told her I wish I could, but I had other plans...

WFUV has given me some cool opportunities, but having press credentials to cover an election has to be one of the best. Last night, three co-workers and I spent the night at the New York State Republican Party Reception at the New York Hilton in midtown. We were each covering the Republican candidate in a NY race. I was reporting on Joe DioGuardi (who ran against, and lost to Senator Gillibrand), and last night would mark the first time I had ever gone on air live for the radio...only a little nerve-wracking. Even though republicans didn't do as well as they had hoped in New York, the mood was still quite energetic thanks to the strong national performance of the party. I survived on-air, interviewed the candidate, and headed back to campus around 1 AM to finish working on my story. A long night? Yeah...but I had just been a part of history. More than worth it.

I got back to my room around 2 AM, and my roommate was awake and kicking, much to my surprise. I was even more surprised when I saw what he was watching: election results on ABC. I jumped up and down like an excited child, and got to catch the last ten minutes of the newscast I had helped work on for so long. When Diane Sawyer signed off, I got a bit of a chill. Maybe someday I can steal that chair. Until then, the pictures from the weekend will have to suffice.

"From the Greatest City in the World, it's The Late Show with David Letterman!"

Even though I’ve lived twenty minutes from Manhattan all my life, I can honestly say that I didn’t take advantage of all the city has to offer as much as I would have liked. This year, one of my goals is to change that. So far it’s going well!

On Wednesday, a friend and I went to a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman at the legendary Ed Sullivan Theater. The show’s employees love to tell their guests about the amazing artists who performed there in the past. During the 1960s, both the Beatles and Elvis made historic appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show right in the theater we were in!

A taping of The Late Show is incredibly exciting and interesting to watch. A comedian warmed up the crowd, and then we were treated to some great music from the CBS Orchestra. The taping actually began after Paul Shaffer and David Letterman himself were introduced.

Luckily, we happened to be watching one of the most highly anticipated shows of the year. Academy Award-nominated actor Joaquin Phoenix was returning to the show for the first time since February 2009; the last time he was there, he was almost unrecognizable and his much talked about bizarre behavior seemed to even befuddle Letterman himself. Thankfully, he is now clean-shaven, and he apologized for his behavior. It turns out that the whole interview was a hoax that was being filmed for his new movie, a mockumentary called I’m Still Here, an inside look on celebrities and the lives they live. Dave was pleased to have him back, but he was also very focused on making sure the American public knew he didn’t know anything about what happened. Letterman also actually demanded (jokingly or not) that he be paid for appearing in one of the most important parts of the movie.

Our musical guest was Tom Jones, who you or your parents may know for songs like “It’s Not Unusual” and “What’s New Pussycat?” He’s coming out with a new album, and the first single sounded really good! After the show, I looked him up on Wikipedia, and he just turned 70! I think it’s amazing that he’s still making great music decades after his biggest hits!

The two of us had a lot of fun and would definitely go back if we’re lucky enough to get another set of tickets. We were really excited to know that we witnessed one of the biggest shows of the year. The media hype surrounding Joaquin’s return was astounding and to be privy, even if just for an hour, to the answers to the questions everyone was asking made the experience that much more special.

Whether you live in New York or are just visiting, I highly recommend going to a live taping for a TV show. If The Late Show with David Letterman isn’t your favorite show, there are plenty of others that tape here, including Saturday Night Live, Live! With Regis and Kelly, The View, and The Today Show.

If you want to get tickets to The Late Show with David Letterman, you’ll need plenty of luck or a lot of persistence. My friend and I got our tickets from a charity raffle, but there are plenty of other ways to try for tickets. Just make sure you know your Letterman trivia, as they like to make sure Dave’s real fans get tickets first!

For ticket information go to: http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/tickets/.

And if you want to watch part of Joaquin Phoenix's interview:

http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/video/?pid=_mqz629gJO_voi_RgNxlKIty9vHDwlUk&vs=Default&play=true