Hey, Bonnie, I Want My Hog Dog and Root Beer!

Thursday was the last taping day for The Bonnie Hunt Show, so, of course, we went trekking out to Culver City for the last time this season. We were trying to remember all the guests we had seen but seeing as how the early stages of geezerhood are setting in, it was difficult.

You have to wait outside on the sidewalk to check in with Marcus. He is a doll. He said he was going to the beach this summer and do nothing but get a tan which he totally deserves. So, we are standing in line with at least 120 other people. (Being that my tag was #119 and Townsie had #120. Aren't I smart?) For the first time I parked on the street right where we were standing in line which was kind of cool. Everyone is friendly in line because of course we are all there to see Bonnie. Suddenly, I hear yelling and there is a commotion. A lady wearing jeans, a white shirt, long black hair is yelling at the people in front of us because they are not moving out of the way fast enough to make room for the man with her who is in a wheelchair. He is pretty twisted up in his wheelchair, long gray shaggy hair, but he is maneuvering that chair well to get around us and the tree. As they pass us, she is SCREAMING and cussing but it doesn't sound Spanish to me, but whatever language it is, she is pissed. She is waving her arms around and acting all agitated. They get about 50 feet past us, right next to my car damnit, and she is still yelling. Everyone in line is now looking at her like she is nuts, which in retrospect was probably not the best thing to do to a crazy person. But what we realize is that the man in the wheelchair has jet propelled himself down the street and is a dot on the horizon. He was not even with her.

She crosses the street, walks down the street and I think she is gone, but no, she ends up going the other way on the sidewalk swearing at us the whole way. Now I think she is gone. What was I thinking. We hear a big diesel work truck come tearing down the street. Townsie said it sounded like it hit something as it turned the corner. It is the crazy lady driving. She is honking her horn, still yelling, driving down the middle of the street like a bat out of hell. We were all hoping she did not turn around and plow us under. The cute little security guard tried to get the plate number but only managed to get the last 4 numbers. Hard to tell because I could barely understand his English either. Poor Karen missed all that excitement as she was stuck on the 405 freeway.

We finally get in, get our purses and bags searched, go through the metal detector and go to the benches they have right outside the studio to wait. It really is so sad to me that I have no pictures to show you. They had a cute hot dog cart set up outside with all the fixings which was something new. I was SOOOO hungry, again. Normally, they pass out the hot dogs and root beer as you walk in to get seated. Being the baby that I am I always whine that I don't want mustard or ketchup, especially the ketchup. This time, we wait and wait as always, walk in but no hot dogs. The show is about to start and still no hot dogs. We got separated so I am sitting with Townsie and we are both starving. Hebrew National is the new provider or sponsor or something and they were going to film them passing out the hot dogs first. But they didn't tell us that, so when they finally pass them out and I start eating mine, the warm up guy says wait, don't eat. What?? At this point, I don't care, I start picking pieces of my dog and eat anyways. I know damn well they are not going to film me.

The show finally starts and we saw Dick Van Dyke who stayed for the segment where Bonnie talks to her mother, Alice, which was hysterical. Alice tried to pick up Dick. It was so cute. Then we saw Common, a rapper, who is in the movie Terminator Salvation with Christian Bale and then Dick Van Dyke sang with his group and we got a CD.

All in all, it has been a fabulous season going to see Bonnie. Maybe we can get her to come out to Temecula. It would be fun to show her the wineries and Old Town and try to find a good dog. Probably end up at Costco. They have the best hot dogs. Gotta show those Hollywood folk what good food is all about.