It is common knowledge among my friends, family members, acquaintances and associates that I am passionate about television. Ask anyone and they’ll surely tell you that I am an entertainment junkie.
They may also tell you that I frequently refer to myself as a future Golden Globe and Emmy winner.
When it comes to TV, there are a slew of different programs that I admire, but my all time favorite is “Desperate Housewives.”
It is a fact that I love that show – and everyone seems to know it.
So imagine my excitement when I took a coach class trip during Spring Break to sunny Los Angeles to visit a good friend of mine. Nearly a minute after landing, the first thought on my mind was, “I’m in the same time zone as Eva Longoria-Parker!”
Any devout “Desperate Housewives” fan knows that Longoria-Parker portrays the sultry and very superficial Gabrielle Solis on the hit ABC series.
To be in the same city as her – to take in the sights, sounds and smog was exhilarating!
I felt as though I had made it, despite the fact that this was only day one of a five-day trip.
Surely I’d bump into one of the housewives during my stay. After all, isn’t a celebrity spotted around L.A. every hour on the hour? Not one to wait to find out, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
My mission was simple – sneak onto the production lot of Universal Studios and get on the set of “Desperate Housewives.”
And I did. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.
It turns out that my friend was an intern for Universal last December. January was her last day of service, but that certainly didn’t stop me from trying to get on that set.
So we cooked up a strategy.
I would act as a tourist and she would pose as my guide.
After all, she still had her identification card and both of us had appeared in numerous plays for community theatre.
Surely we could pull it off.
Our mission began March 9, around noon. Wearing a pair of sleek sunglasses, my accomplice pulled her SUV into the Universal lot.
We were instantly stopped by security. Just as my heart began to race and I began to perspire, my friend flashed her old badge and we were in.
Upon passing security, we garnered a ton of suspicious looks from various production assistants and directors as we passed by the sets of “Burn Notice” and “Eureka.”
My friend insisted she knew where the “Desperate Housewives” set was and as a result we spent nearly 45 minutes searching the Universal lot.
After nearly interrupting two studio tours, we landed on the set where a number of important people walked around moving props and preparing cameras for filming.
My mouth dropped. I was in heaven. Finally I had arrived.
Everything was picture perfect.
Each house was immaculate. Each lawn was well manicured. The set was unblemished.
I was able to successfully snap a picture of my favorite character, Gabrielle’s house before the producers started pointing at us.
Clearly we had been caught and it was time to go. We put the pedal to the metal and scrammed.
While I didn’t get the chance to actually see one of the housewives, being on location was indeed a rewarding experience.
Not only had a dream come true, but also I felt invigorated.
Now if only I can persuade the series creator to hire me as a writer.