One of my more exciting filming experiences was on the set of Warning: Parental Advisory.  I was hired as an extra and a stand-in.  A stand-in is someone with similar skin tone, hair color and height as one of the actors.  The stand-in comes on set to literally stand or sit in the same place in which the actor will be filming.  Lights, cameras and equipment are set up around the stand-in before the actor actually comes on set to perform the scene.  I was a stand-in for Marial Hemingway, a very beautiful and rather well-known actress that happens to be the granddaughter of the famous Ernest Hemingway.  I did actually meet Marial on set, as well as her adorable little white dog.  I’m a dog lover, so it may have seemed that I was more interested in talking with the dog than Mariel herself.  But we did make a bit of small talk concerning her adorable little pooch, and that was that. 

Oddly enough, I also ended up standing-in for Dee Snider (of Twisted Sister… “We’re not gonna take it!”).  They did not have a stand-in for Dee, so they put my tall, blonde butt on an apple box to do the job.  He and I do have fair skin and long, blonde hair, but even at 5’10″ I was too short to be his stand-in.  So, while using the apple box (a little wooden box used during filming to make someone seem taller) they did a quick set-up as he watched from the sidelines.  Dee and I laughed at the fact that I was working as his stand-in for the moment.  I mean, afterall, an actor’s stand-in is usually the same sex.  But, whatever.  I had a good time, got to meet Dee Snider and got to spend some extra time on set soaking up the atmosphere.

Before meeting Dee and Mariel (and her little dog too), I discovered that an actor from one of my all time favorite tv shows was starring in this movie.  Jason Priestley.  Laugh if you will, but I am a big-time Beverly Hills 90210 fan.  And yes, I watch the new version now too – love it!  Here’s how my discovery of Jason Priestley’s presence on set happened.  I was working on set that day as an extra.  I was standing at “one” (original starting point for the scene) in my cute little businesswoman blazer holding my prop suitcase.  We had been going over what all of the extras were to do once “action” was called.  They were finally ready to film the scene.  As I stood at “one” all by myself, I watched Jason Priestley and Griffin Dunne (whom you would recognize as the teacher from My Girl) walk toward me to their starting positions.  I was definitely starstruck.  Because I didn’t know that Jason was in this film, I was extremely shocked to see Brandon Walsh randomly walking toward me on the set of a VH1 film in Houston, TX.  I mean, what?!  And I was alone, with nobody to share this with.  There were dozens of people around, but none within 10 foot of me.  Plus, they were all strangers.  They didn’t know how much I loved BH 90210, nor did they care.  I actually ended up in a small elevator with Jason and one crew member a day or two later on set at a different location.  I said nothing.  I wimped out.  I could’ve at least offered a mature “Hi Jason.  I’m Britney.  I’m a big fan of your work.”  But, no.  I didn’t bother.  I just stood there in silence.  I did the same thing when I met Ashton Kutcher, but thats another story for another time.  I did manage to ask Jason for a picture on the last evening I was to be on set.  I’m glad I at least got a piece of memorabilia.

As you can see, working as an extra or stand-in on a film set can be really interesting and exciting.  I happen to be fascinated by the filming process due to my passion for acting.  But even one without that passion can have a little fun as an extra and maybe even learn something as well.  My Dad was able to work as an extra on this film, and he has never been an actor.  But he definitely enjoyed himself and found the filming process to be pretty cool.  Check out your local film commission to find out about projects in your area.  Spend a day in the life of a film star!

Ok, so I abandoned you again.  I apologize.  Life has been hectic.  But now I finally get to fill you in on our experience at CUT, Las Vegas.  It certainly wasn’t as fabulous as our experience at the Beverly Hills location, but it was still exciting to go.  CUT, Las Vegas is located at The Palazzo.  Its one of many shops located within this beautiful courtyard just outside the casino.  In fact, we watched it “snow” in that courtyard as we sat in the lounge waiting for our table.  We were there in December, so the snow was part of their holiday festivities.  The service was excellent, as it usually is in a fine dining restaurant.  The bread was VERY tasty.  We joked with the “bread guy” about him just leaving us the entire platter instead of just 2 pieces each.  I do think he was actually willing to leave it, but we just laughed it off and sent him on his way.  My steak wasn’t cooked enough the first or second time around, but eventually it was good.  The fire alarm went off for quite some time, although there was no actual fire or emergency that we were aware of.  I must admit that was quite annoying.  Flashing strobe lights and loud sounds during dinner wasn’t the most pleasant experience.  Its the type of situation in which, as an employee, you can either go around apologizing to every customer like crazy, or you can simply shrug it off as if its no big deal.  Well, the staff definitely chose the latter.  They just acted like it wasn’t happening.  But eventually it stopped and everyone was good to go. 

For more information visit http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3801.

I’ll be in Vegas next weekend for my annual anniversary trip with the mister.  We’re planning a return to Wolfgang Puck’s CUT (went to Beverly Hills location last time) and plenty of other adventures.  I’ll fill you in when I return!

Live Like A Star…Sorta Tip: It’s usually pretty crowded, and there is A LOT to look through, so go on a day where you have some time to browse.  Also, go first thing in the morning when they open so things aren’t so picked over and the crowds are smaller.  Have fun!

Our visit to CUT in Beverly Hills was by far our biggest celebrity sighting adventure to date (not to mention the best steaks EVER!).  CUT is a Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse located inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.  First of all, I must mention the fact that the Beverly Wilshire is ‘the Pretty Woman hotel’.  You know the one.  Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, hooker, rich guy… yeah, that hotel.  That in itself is a great reason to check it out.  Plus, it sits on Wilshire Blvd at the end of Rodeo Drive, which is a very exciting location.  Here’s a photo of the hotel at night.

So anyway, I had heard and read a bunch about CUT.  It was even used as a filming location for The Hills on MTV showing Heidi and Spencer having lunch there.  They also ended up having their rehearsal dinner at CUT.
Click here to see their photos on the walls of the restaurant http://www.theinsider.com/photos/1206578_Heidi_and_Spencer_out_at_Cut_restaurant.
My husband and I always try to visit a nice steakhouse during our travels, so I thought this place would be perfect.   We would see ‘the Pretty Woman hotel’, hang out in Beverly Hills for an evening (which is always a fun thought) and have some good food.  I knew there was a chance of a celebrity sighting at CUT, but certainly didn’t expect what I got!

So it was my birthday and we were getting ready to go out in L.A. to a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.  Needless to say, I was already a very happy birthday girl.  We cruised on over in our Toyota Prius rental, which my husband initially feared would look cheesy and out of place… wrong!  The Toyota Prius must be THE most popular car in L.A.  Crazy.  Anyway, I had made a reservation, so we didn’t have to wait long to be seated.  In a matter of just a few minutes the hostess was showing us the way to our table.   It seemed a bit crowded simply because of the fact that the place was packed.  It was a Thursday night at about 8:30 or 9 pm.  As we weaved our way through I looked up for a brief moment and saw her.  There she was, with a light literally shining on her face (I thought it was the heavens but actually they just have great lighting in there)… it was the one and only Cindy Crawford.  I can’t imagine what my facial expression looked like at that moment.  Luckily, no audible excitement came out of my body.  I simply turned to my husband and said, “It’s f*cking Cindy Crawford!” in a low, quiet, yet forceful voice.  He could barely hear me, but at that moment he noticed a man sitting there with a hat on.  This struck him as odd because it wasn’t the type of hat you would expect to see in such a fancy place.  He immediately suspected it was some sort of singer or celebrity.  Well, he was right.  The hostess sat us at a table for two right next to the table with Cindy Crawford, her husband Randy Gerber, mega producer Jerry Weintraub, Kid Rock, Mary J. Blige and the man in the hat… Rev Run.  Yes, they were all at the same table, and their table was right next to ours.  Wow.  We were both shocked as we sat there trying to focus on the menus.  Here’s the thing, we have encountered celebrities before and are fully capable of staying calm and not acting like crazy people.  But this was a shock.  Might we had some warning things would’ve been different.  But we would have NEVER guessed that we would be seated next to this table with these people at it.  I idolized Cindy Crawford as a young girl that wanted to be a model.  My husband is a huge fan of Kid Rock and Rev Run.  And Mary J. Blige?!  Really?!  Holy crap!  Do you KNOW how many records that woman has sold?!  I mean, damn.  And Jerry Weintraub… well, his work is ridiculously impressive as well.

I must also mention the other celebrity sightings there (yes, there’s more).  Angelica Huston was sitting at a booth there in the restaurant.  When I went outside for a smoke (and to text my brother to tell him I was sitting next to freaking Cindy Crawford!) I saw Vivica A. Fox exit the restaurant.  Oh and we even saw Star Jones eating there with another familiar face that I can’t name.  Later in the evening Star approached the celebrity-filled table beside us to say hello.   And finally, Mr. Wolfgang Puck himself appeared from the kitchen.  I mean, really?!  The guy has tons of restaurants and he happens to be at this particular one on this particular night?  He approached the celebrity-filled table as well to say hello.  As he turned from their table he saw us, made eye contact with me, and asked how we were doing.  My husband told him that it was my birthday and I got a very friendly “Happy Birthday” from Mr. Puck himself.  :)  Happy Birthday to me!  Here’s a photo of the main dining room at CUT.  The pink arrow points to the celebrity-filled table.  The green arrow points to our table.  The blue arrow on the booth was where Angelica Huston sat.  And the other blue arrow is where Star Jones sat.

The celebrity sightings that night were wonderful.  My husband even shook Kid Rock’s hand outside after dinner, which was fun for him being such an admirer of his music.  We also met some really cool non-celebrity folks there at the restaurant that bought us a drink.  But I absolutely must not forget the delicious food!  These are by far the best steaks we have ever had!  The food at CUT is just perfection in my opinion.  And after our meal we went over to Sidebar and had a drink.  It’s located just across the lobby from the restaurant.  Parking is valet through a back entrance that takes you directly to the restaurant lobby.  The entrance is not on a public street which probably makes it very appealing to celebrities (no papparazzi).  And speaking of, we did not approach these celebrities during dinner.  CUT is a place where these folks can go without dealing with papparazzi or crazed fans.  We actually witnessed one guy being escorted out for attempting to approach their table with a camera.  So we definitely kept our cool.

That’s a birthday to go down in history.  :)

For more info visit the website at http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3789.

I walked 5th Avenue with my husband on our first visit to New York City in 2007.  I remember the moment I saw Tiffany & Co on 5th Avenue for the first time.  We were on the opposite side of the street.  I stopped.  I stared.  I reached out for Ryan, with my eyes still glued on Tiffany’s.  I must admit.  It was a moment!

Believe it or not, I did notice other things on 5th Avenue.  First and foremost, the one and only Saks Fifth Avenue, that’s actually on 5th Avenue.   I went on in and bought a new thing of Chanel lip gloss.  Yes, I could have waited until I got home to get lip gloss, but I just had to buy something there and get a Saks shopping bag!  For more info on Saks check out their website at www.saksfifthavenue.com.  We also caught a glimpse of Trump Tower, which you have probably seen on television if you’re a fan of The Apprentice on NBC.  As you can see in the photo above, Trump Tower was covered with an enormous ad for Gucci.  I can’t even imagine how much Gucci paid for that.  Anyway…

5th Avenue has been known as one of the most expensive streets in the world.  It originates at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and runs northward all the way to the Harlem River.   Go be a star and check it out!  For more fun trivia visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Avenue.