SANTA MONICA, CA (ANS) -- Would you like to cover the red carpet this Saturday” Dan Wooding asked my husband Raul over the phone.

“Sure” we agreed. Another unknown adventure waiting for us.

The red carpet begins to fill up

It has been a while since I covered a red carpet. The last one was at the Beverly Hills Hotel and I almost got into it with a Reuter’s photographer over me talking to Natalie Grant in the photo section of the red carpet and I got to talk to Pat Boone. I was wondering how this one was going to be. All we knew was that it was an award ceremony for magicians and that it was also a benefit event for Feed the Children.

When we got to the location, Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, I was thinking, ‘this must be a fancy shmancy place by the photos I saw online.

After we parked a quarter mile away from where the action was, as we got near, from afar we saw a white haired man looking into a device.

“Is that Dan?” I wondered.

It sure was. I felt like we were meeting an inspector from those Masterpiece Mystery series, about to get our new assignment or some clue to the next place to catch the criminal.

“This one records in stereo” he said gleefully, showing us his new recorder.

As we were directed toward where the media check-in was, we saw a man getting out of a Rolls Royce.

“What year is it?” Dan asked the man who was wearing a red suit.

“It’s a 92 convertible” he said. “It’s a classic” I figured he was one of the actors or magicians that would carry a car like that.

As I looked where we were heading, it looked like we were heading toward an old airplane hangar, thus the name should have had given me a clue.

“Looks like the red carpet is indoors” Dan stated as we went in this hangar. The place was decked out all in black. Tables were being set, a bar in the middle and toward the back, the red carpet and the media.

“Ahh man, they are here already.” I said as I saw photographers, small television program camera crew and other reporters claim their spot on the red carpet.

We went to go check in and get our papers with the photos of who was going to show up for the award night.

Now the red carpet is humming with 'stars' and reporters

Half of them didn’t look familiar. Part of me wondering what was I going to ask them, another wondering if I was going to see that photographer from the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“The Most Interesting Man is going to be here!” I pointed to my husband. I am totally against beer drinking but the commercials for Dos Equis with the Most Interesting Man are ingenious. Now this guy I did want to meet.

Dan was being shown where his spot was on the red carpet was. Along with other media oulets, they tape a 5 ½ by 8 ½ paper with the name of the media you represent. We were next to Los Angeles Magazine and Mother Nature Network.

“Don’t let the photographers push you around” I said to my husband. “You avoid eye contact with them!” My husband wondering what lions den he was going to be thrown into.

“You can stay right here Raul” Dan points to were the reporters usually stand.

We begin to hear the commotion of trigger happy photographers from afar. Looked like an actor came in. It was Greg Frewin. We was up for the Magician of the Year. I really didn’t recognize him but for the fact that their PR people are next to them with a paper sign with the person’s name on it avoids reporters like us go through the embarrassment of asking who they are.

“Karen, I want you to meet Gerri. She is from the Mother Nature Network.” Dan points out to me a 6ft or-so lady that had been chatting with for a while as we were waiting with the rest of the reporters. “You should get an interview with her!”

Her name is Gerri Miller. She is a celebrity correspondent for Mother Nature Network.

“I interview actors at events like these and just ask them what they do to be green.” she said.

Then I see Daniel Baldwin coming. Gerri moved on to interview him. Dan was interviewing Kate Flannery from The Office. I kept looking around to see if I saw the coordinator of the event to see why they chose the Egyptian theme for the event. Jason Earles from Hannah Montana was up on the red carpet, followed by other kids like Laura Ann Kesling from Bedtime Stories, Leo Howard from Leo’s Little Big Show.

From far away I saw him, The Most Interesting Man. It’s funny what post-production does to make someone look good on camera. He was about my height, didn’t have women flocking around him like in the commercials, plus he looked sun-beaten.

As he got closer I wanted to interview him but it was impossible. The camera crew had gotten to him before I did. Then I hear Dan calling me.

“Karen, I want you to meet Ms. Riccardo. Her son is getting an award for Teen Magician of the year. Get a couple of quotes, will you?”

“This is his first award,” she tells me while looking over to see if her son is on the red carpet. “He’s done shows in Manhattan, Staten Island, and Vegas. I actually showed him his first magic trick with a small handkerchief and ever since then he’s done magic tricks in front of his friends and family….” then she stops and says, “There he is, there’s my son!”

Tommy Wind, 19 years old and already won an award for best teen magician. As I was rushing to get an interview, Dan beat me to it, then other media reporters.

The afternoon progressed with other stars appearing on the red carpet and the area that we were in was packed full of onlookers and family members that were snapping photos over all of the reporters. From far away I saw Robert Wagner and Jill St. John. You can tell they weren’t stopping for interviews.

“This is one interview I want to get.” Dan said.

“I first interviewed him in England when he was doing a role in a movie back in the days. I must get an interview from him!”

Robert Wagner gives an interview to Dan wooding

Then, as I was changing the batteries of a small point and shoot camera that I had brought along the side, Dan disappeared on me.

“Where’s Dan?” I asked my husband. As I looked over, I saw Dan crossing the red velvet rope to go across the whole red carpet.

There he was, interviewing Robert Wagner. I was expecting security to drag Dan off the carpet any minute. I was mortified. Dan was more daring than The Most Interesting Man.

After a couple of minutes Dan comes over like nothing happened.

“He remembered me!” Dan said. “As soon as I told him that I had interviewed him in England for a movie he was doing over there, he recognized me.”

From the other room where the award show was going to be presented, a man announced for everyone to start heading inside as they are about to start filming the awards. Quickly the crowds were dispersing and as fast as the media came in, they packed their cameras, microphones, lights and video cameras away. In less than 5 minutes the red carpet seems deserted. Lights were being turned off. A couple of artists were still lingering on but they were hastened to go inside by their PR people.

Yes, the media is a zoo.
 

Karen Gonzales is a freelance writer who, along with her photographer husband Raul, runs http://www.rgphotodesign.com/