L.A. Trip
March 13-22, 1999
Please click on an image to see a small portion of my favorite pictures.
Okay, first, I was visiting a gal I met on the "James Horner Discussion Board" on the internet -- Sheri. I got off the plane Saturday at noon and we met up at the airport. We then left and drove to Torrence, a small part of L.A. about 20 minutes from LAX.
There, we met up with AliRan, another gal from the Discussion Board. After yapping about everything under the sun, we all drove to P.V. (I don't remember what it stood for, but it's a beach) and had a picnic.
At about 5:00, Sheri and I said good-bye to Ran and headed over to Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills where we hooked up with Tom, the administrator of the Discussion Board, and his parents.
We had dinner there and walked around Planet Hollywood. As Sheri lives in southern Orange County, it took us about an hour to get home, and we both crashed in at about 11:30.
Sunday, I met her husband, Ron, who is a mainframe repair guy, and her son, Scotty, who is 7 years old. We all went to church, and then Sheri and I drove down to Tijuana. Tijuana was a bitter sweet place. The shops were ultra cheap and all, but there was a LOT of poverty. Little kids as young as 3 years old lined the streets holding cups begging for money. It broke my heart.
On the lighter side, I had the strongest margarita (tasted like a glass of tequila and some strawberries!) in a bar there, and bought a bunch of stuff. At about 4:30, we headed out towards San Diego to visit one of Sheri's friends who wanted to meet me.
On the way to her house, we stopped at a beach -- La Jolla -- in San Diego and watched the sunset. There were about a dozen sea lions that were sleeping on the beach... they were really cute.
We then stopped at the Hard Rock for a bite to eat, as we had not eaten all day. Then, we headed across town to meet Sheri's friend. San Diego is about as far from Orange County as L.A. is, we got home around midnight.
Disneyland was Monday. We got there around 10:00, and it rained until about noon. This was actually a blessing in disguise because a lot of people stayed home and the lines weren't that bad. The best ride was "Indiana Jones."
Sheri, Ron and Scotty were all there, so it was nice to hang out with the whole family. We got back home around 8:00 and as Sheri had never seen the X-Files, we rented the movie and ordered Taco Bell. It was nice to relax for a few hours! :-)
Tuesday was awesome! Sheri and I left her house at about 10:30, and drove up to Hollywood. We saw the Hollywood Bowl, which is a beautiful, HUGE, amphitheater in the hills. We then went to Todd-AO after I had contacted Kirsten, the studio manager. She said that we could come out and see the sound stage, though nothing was really going on. We got there and were invited in with a client parking pass (which will be in my folder of "cool stuff to keep"!). We headed in the building and met Jay, the stage manager. He was the sweetest guy and took us to the sound stage that I have seen in so many times in pictures. It was simply breathtaking in its beauty. The floors were light wood, a gigantic screen graced the front wall, and a large, stately podium stood squarely in the center of the room. Oh, we both just about melted! Jay (who has worked with Dr. Horner dozens of times) was telling us all sorts of things as we stood in awe of the huge stage. Some questions I, personally, got answered: yes, Horner DOES play his own piano cues (i.e. Sneakers, Pelican Brief, Searching For Bobby Fischer, etc.), but when the piano is another instrument in the orchestra, he has Ian, Ralph, or Randy play. Often, there are 2 or even 3 piano parts in each score. Jay even showed us the piano that Dr. Horner prefers in the studio and plays all his cues that he records at Todd-AO.
Both Sheri and I got the opportunity to stand on the great podium that Dr. Horner, Mr. Goldsmith, Mr. Williams, and countless others stand on when conducting their music. I was also informed (and confirmed a rumor that I had heard) that Dr. Horner never, if he can afford to, uses a click track, and writes long pieces of music as compared to many others who write short cues.
After the stage, we went into the mixing booth where we met up with a fellow Todd-AOer, Andy, who was mixing something, I believe. Anyways, Jay and Andy
both told us that this is where Dr. Horner records the synth and piano cues of his scores. The board in the booth was amazing. I don't know the ins and outs of
mixers, but I could tell that THIS one was DA BOMB! :-)
We went back into the main lobby, and chatted with Jay and a gal, Kim who was at the front desk. Kim said that they all love when Dr. Horner comes into do a
score because he reserves the stage for days, even weeks at a time. Jay said that Horner will rehearse a piece for several hours (3-4), then record two or three takes of it. Any other polishing will be done after that. Each mentioned that he is quite the perfectionist, but also stated that he is a gentleman and very fun to work with. Jay and I also had a long talk about the industry and film music in general, as he has worked in the same, or similar facility at various studios for many years. In our conversation, one thing led to another, and Sheri and I told them about the WEB Site and discussion board. Jay knew about it, but Kim didn't, so I showed it to her on the computer. She was amazed!
Kirsten came back from her lunch at this point, and confirmed the kind words that the other three had said about Dr. Horner. It was so nice to hear people whom he works with, when he's recording, on a daily basis say such kind things about him.
On our way out, she showed us Dr. Horner's reserved parking spot, and Sheri and I being the schmucks we are, took pictures of us by the "Reserved - J. Horner" sign.
After Todd-AO, we went to Mann's Chinese Theater where all the hand prints are in the cement.
My favorite was Jim Carrey's. I also took pictures of Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, and others.
We then made a trip to the hills to meet up with Jeff Davis, a famous D.J. whom my brother wanted us to meet. He was really nice and gave me and autograph to give to Ben. The three of us shot the sh*t for about two hours before Sheri and I headed back to Orange County. Truly, an awesome day!
Wednesday (whew!), the four of us went to Universal Studios. The first thing we went on was the Tram Tours which took us around the back lots. We saw the clock tower from "Back to the Future," "Leave it to Beaver's" house, the shark used in "Jaws," the house from "Psycho," and tons of other stuff. The rides at Universal were great. The "Back to the Future" ride was a simulator... made me kinda queazy! The best ride was "Jurassic Park." It was like Splash Mountain, only twice as high and twice as wet! The shows were great too.
The best one was a water stunt show from the film "Waterworld" (the show was WAY better than the film!). After that, we headed over to a pizza place in Hollywood to meet Ron's parent for dinner. (Everyone wanted to meet the Wisconsin chick!) Drove home, and got back around 1:00.
Thursday, Sheri and I drove to San Pedro and met up with Mark McKenzie. After getting a bite to eat, we headed to Sony Pictures.
Mark showed us the Sony Sound Stage, formally MGM. It was so cool -- you could literally smell the history in the air. The room is extremely dead, making it one of the most popular places to record in town. After Sony, we went to 20th Century Fox. Again, there was nothing going on, so we were able to go on the sound stage. It looked a lot like Sony's in that it was dark and dirty. On our way out, we passed by a building and Mark said, "Hey Julie, aren't you into the X-Files?" The building was one of two stages that they film "The X-Files" on! There was a big sign that said that it was a closed set and visitors would be thrown out, but as the door was open and at Mark's urging, Sheri and I went in. All the sets were pushed to the middle of the stage, so we didn't see a whole lot, but I did see the back of one that said "Mulder's Apt. Piece #3." People passed us all the time in the five minutes we were in there, but Sheri and I were both dressed up, so I guess they figured we weren't tourists!
We took pictures when no one was looking! Hehe! We came back out, and Mark said that he talked to one of the guys outside the set, and he said that the crew was filming on location in San Pedro! So, we headed back to Mark's house to get Sheri's car. Sheri and I drove around San Pedro after we said good-bye to Mark, but we didn't see anything. Oh well! We then headed over to Long Beach to visit Sheri's younger niece, who wanted to meet me. We had dinner there, and got back to Sheri's house around 11:00.
Friday, Sheri and I drove up to Santa Barbara to visit Tom (from the Discussion Board). The drive was beautiful... ten minutes away from mountains and five minutes away from the ocean. Tom brought us to UCSB, and he and I looked through the Bernard Herrmann collection. They didn't let us take pictures of anything or photocopy anything, but we did look through "Ana and the King of Siam," "Vertigo," and "Citizen Kane" before the library closed. The three of us then headed back to L.A. and went to the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. That was a trip! It was Ladies' Nite, and they were hilarious! Tom then came back with Sheri and I to her house. We got in around 2:00.
Because we got in so late, we slept until 10 on Saturday. While Tom was hanging out with Sheri and her family, I did my score analysis homework upstairs. Then, we started packing for the Oscars. We got down to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion around 6:00 and set up camp (i.e. our sleeping bags on the sidewalk).
We partied as no one could go to sleep -- there was a night club blarring music across the street until 3:00 in the morning. Finally, at 3, we went to sleep. Unfortunately, we only slept until 4 because the sprinkler system came on and woke us all up with a nice little shower! Tom and Sheri took our gear back to the car then, and I saved our spot in line. The line started to condense around 6:00 in the morning, and we were on our feet from that point on. I got interviewed a lot because I was from Wisconsin, so that was fun. As we were waiting in line, Todd Newton, from E! television, walked by.
I screamed at him, and asked him for a picture. He said yes, and I got my picture taken with him. We finally began to see the front of the line around 11:00. They were letting people in in groups of 10, and when our group was the next to go in, they informed us the bleachers were full. That sucked more than anything's ever sucked before! We had to run to the side to get out of the way of the angry mob that started pushing up on the cops.
With the disappointment of the Oscars, we decided to go to Santa Monica and hang out on the beach.
Santa Monica was gorgeous, and I found some sea shells and got very very wet! :-) We headed back to Sheri's in laws to watch the Oscars on there and to get Tom's car, which was parked in front of their house. On the way back to Sheri's, she and I decided we needed to do something nice for the people at Todd-AO for being so wonderful. We got back to her house around 1:00, and Sheri started baking a carrot cake (which was totally awesome!). I made a cool looking card on the computer for them and started packing.
Monday morning, I called Todd-AO to see if we could come over again. They said they'd love to have us come again, so we headed out and got there around noon. We presented them with the carrot cake (which they totally loved!) and Kirsten brought us back into the stage.
I asked her if it would be possible to play that 9' Steinway we had seen last Tuesday. She said yes, and we uncovered it. I sat down and arpeggiated up a G9 chord.
It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It was so rich. I played the beginning to "The Ludlows" from "Legends of the Fall" and Sheri took my picture. While Sheri played the piano, I talked with Kirsten some more and found out more little tid-bits and stories.
I then stood on that great podium one last time.
We said good-bye and Kirsten said that anytime I wanted to come back, to just stop in. Sheri and I then headed to a deli for some lunch and then to the airport. It was such a fabulous vacation! I learned so much, and I still stagger at the amount of stuff we did!
A special THANK YOU to Ron and Scotty for sharing their wife and mommy with me. To the folks at Todd-AO for the experience of a lifetime. To Mark McKenzie for showing us around the studios and his ever-flowing wealth of knowledge. To Tom and Ali Ran... not all people on the internet are nuts.
And, last but most importantly to Sheri for welcoming into her home. Sherbear, you truly are "el grande sexy chica!"
At about 5:00, Sheri and I said good-bye to Ran and headed over to Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills where we hooked up with Tom, the administrator of the Discussion Board, and his parents.
We had dinner there and walked around Planet Hollywood. As Sheri lives in southern Orange County, it took us about an hour to get home, and we both crashed in at about 11:30.
On the lighter side, I had the strongest margarita (tasted like a glass of tequila and some strawberries!) in a bar there, and bought a bunch of stuff. At about 4:30, we headed out towards San Diego to visit one of Sheri's friends who wanted to meet me.
On the way to her house, we stopped at a beach -- La Jolla -- in San Diego and watched the sunset. There were about a dozen sea lions that were sleeping on the beach... they were really cute.
We then stopped at the Hard Rock for a bite to eat, as we had not eaten all day. Then, we headed across town to meet Sheri's friend. San Diego is about as far from Orange County as L.A. is, we got home around midnight.
Sheri, Ron and Scotty were all there, so it was nice to hang out with the whole family. We got back home around 8:00 and as Sheri had never seen the X-Files, we rented the movie and ordered Taco Bell. It was nice to relax for a few hours! :-)
Both Sheri and I got the opportunity to stand on the great podium that Dr. Horner, Mr. Goldsmith, Mr. Williams, and countless others stand on when conducting their music. I was also informed (and confirmed a rumor that I had heard) that Dr. Horner never, if he can afford to, uses a click track, and writes long pieces of music as compared to many others who write short cues.
After the stage, we went into the mixing booth where we met up with a fellow Todd-AOer, Andy, who was mixing something, I believe. Anyways, Jay and Andy
both told us that this is where Dr. Horner records the synth and piano cues of his scores. The board in the booth was amazing. I don't know the ins and outs of
mixers, but I could tell that THIS one was DA BOMB! :-)
We went back into the main lobby, and chatted with Jay and a gal, Kim who was at the front desk. Kim said that they all love when Dr. Horner comes into do a
score because he reserves the stage for days, even weeks at a time. Jay said that Horner will rehearse a piece for several hours (3-4), then record two or three takes of it. Any other polishing will be done after that. Each mentioned that he is quite the perfectionist, but also stated that he is a gentleman and very fun to work with. Jay and I also had a long talk about the industry and film music in general, as he has worked in the same, or similar facility at various studios for many years. In our conversation, one thing led to another, and Sheri and I told them about the WEB Site and discussion board. Jay knew about it, but Kim didn't, so I showed it to her on the computer. She was amazed!
Kirsten came back from her lunch at this point, and confirmed the kind words that the other three had said about Dr. Horner. It was so nice to hear people whom he works with, when he's recording, on a daily basis say such kind things about him.
On our way out, she showed us Dr. Horner's reserved parking spot, and Sheri and I being the schmucks we are, took pictures of us by the "Reserved - J. Horner" sign.
After Todd-AO, we went to Mann's Chinese Theater where all the hand prints are in the cement.
My favorite was Jim Carrey's. I also took pictures of Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, and others.
We then made a trip to the hills to meet up with Jeff Davis, a famous D.J. whom my brother wanted us to meet. He was really nice and gave me and autograph to give to Ben. The three of us shot the sh*t for about two hours before Sheri and I headed back to Orange County. Truly, an awesome day!
The best one was a water stunt show from the film "Waterworld" (the show was WAY better than the film!). After that, we headed over to a pizza place in Hollywood to meet Ron's parent for dinner. (Everyone wanted to meet the Wisconsin chick!) Drove home, and got back around 1:00.
Mark showed us the Sony Sound Stage, formally MGM. It was so cool -- you could literally smell the history in the air. The room is extremely dead, making it one of the most popular places to record in town. After Sony, we went to 20th Century Fox. Again, there was nothing going on, so we were able to go on the sound stage. It looked a lot like Sony's in that it was dark and dirty. On our way out, we passed by a building and Mark said, "Hey Julie, aren't you into the X-Files?" The building was one of two stages that they film "The X-Files" on! There was a big sign that said that it was a closed set and visitors would be thrown out, but as the door was open and at Mark's urging, Sheri and I went in. All the sets were pushed to the middle of the stage, so we didn't see a whole lot, but I did see the back of one that said "Mulder's Apt. Piece #3." People passed us all the time in the five minutes we were in there, but Sheri and I were both dressed up, so I guess they figured we weren't tourists!
We took pictures when no one was looking! Hehe! We came back out, and Mark said that he talked to one of the guys outside the set, and he said that the crew was filming on location in San Pedro! So, we headed back to Mark's house to get Sheri's car. Sheri and I drove around San Pedro after we said good-bye to Mark, but we didn't see anything. Oh well! We then headed over to Long Beach to visit Sheri's younger niece, who wanted to meet me. We had dinner there, and got back to Sheri's house around 11:00.
We partied as no one could go to sleep -- there was a night club blarring music across the street until 3:00 in the morning. Finally, at 3, we went to sleep. Unfortunately, we only slept until 4 because the sprinkler system came on and woke us all up with a nice little shower! Tom and Sheri took our gear back to the car then, and I saved our spot in line. The line started to condense around 6:00 in the morning, and we were on our feet from that point on. I got interviewed a lot because I was from Wisconsin, so that was fun. As we were waiting in line, Todd Newton, from E! television, walked by.
I screamed at him, and asked him for a picture. He said yes, and I got my picture taken with him. We finally began to see the front of the line around 11:00. They were letting people in in groups of 10, and when our group was the next to go in, they informed us the bleachers were full. That sucked more than anything's ever sucked before! We had to run to the side to get out of the way of the angry mob that started pushing up on the cops.
Santa Monica was gorgeous, and I found some sea shells and got very very wet! :-) We headed back to Sheri's in laws to watch the Oscars on there and to get Tom's car, which was parked in front of their house. On the way back to Sheri's, she and I decided we needed to do something nice for the people at Todd-AO for being so wonderful. We got back to her house around 1:00, and Sheri started baking a carrot cake (which was totally awesome!). I made a cool looking card on the computer for them and started packing.
I asked her if it would be possible to play that 9' Steinway we had seen last Tuesday. She said yes, and we uncovered it. I sat down and arpeggiated up a G9 chord.
It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It was so rich. I played the beginning to "The Ludlows" from "Legends of the Fall" and Sheri took my picture. While Sheri played the piano, I talked with Kirsten some more and found out more little tid-bits and stories.
I then stood on that great podium one last time.
We said good-bye and Kirsten said that anytime I wanted to come back, to just stop in. Sheri and I then headed to a deli for some lunch and then to the airport. It was such a fabulous vacation! I learned so much, and I still stagger at the amount of stuff we did!