Applause

I have to admit the past year I have been partaking in some fun free entertainment....as a studio audience member. Fortune has given me the chance to see Martha Stewart (3 times!), Dr. Oz (never had heard of him and quickly discovered he has a cult-like following), The Marriage Ref, Carson Daly's New Year's Eve Special (blogged about in December), The Late Show with David Letterman and today I found myself at a taping for CBS Morning Show with a Christina Aguilera concert. All and all, not bad for my rookie year of a "studio audience member."

photo compliments of Mrs J. Brown

I have learned a few things, enjoyed watching the logistics of the shows and even scored some fun giveaways along the way. Martha Stewart is by far the easiest experience. She has her own compound. The line moves quickly, there are seats while waiting and they typically move you into the studio without much wait. And Martha has some great audience giveaways. Martha is definitely an awesome business woman and it shows. She is also humorous and very becoming in person.




The hardest audience experience are shows that tape at 30 Rock. I would chalk most of it up to the fact that there are a billion things going on in that complex so logistics are a little more difficult. Audience members are lined up and held for pretty long and typically moved to another area with some hurry up and wait. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the Marriage Ref. Not so much for the show itself but the fact Jerry Seinfeld spent some time chatting with the audience. Pretty cool.

Letterman was awesome because he is Letterman! That experience was easy and fun as well since he has his own studio. Making the experience even better was we had "group tickets" so it was fun to be with ten of my favorite people.

Get studio audience tickets if you have a chance. Wear comfortable shoes, relax during the waiting part and sit back and enjoy the show! It's free...does it get any better?