At the Dolby Theatre with the Oscars Stage

One of my favorite things about living close to Los Angeles and Hollywood is getting to go to cool events.  In January I found out about the Kelly and Michael Live After Oscar Show thanks to a great ticketing company that I follow on Twitter called 1ioata. 1ioata gives out free tickets to several shows and concerts. Depending on the popularity of the event tickets are not always available on a first come first serve basis. When I got tickets for Kelly and Michael I just needed to enter my information and was immediately given two priority tickets. If you have priority tickets you are guaranteed to get in as long as you show up when instructed. If you get a general ticket for an event you will want to get there very early because not everyone with a general ticket will get it. For very popular events 1ioata will have a lottery drawing for who gets tickets and will have you write an explanation of why you should be picked. So far I have not gotten any tickets that way but hopefully one day it will work out. Check the bottom of this post for information regarding 1ioata.

To be honest the only reason I got the tickets to see Kelly and Michael was so that I could see the Dolby Theatre while the stage was still the way it looked the night before at the Oscars. And I was hoping that some of the winners from the Oscars would show up as well. I did hesitate for a moment though when I got my tickets and saw that I would need to check in by 3am! The instructions that came with the tickets stated that we would need to park at the Hollywood Bowl and would be taken on a bus down to the Dolby Theatre. The parking lot opened at 1:30am and check in would go from 2am-3am. I arrived at 2:15am and was shocked by the crowd when I got there. I assumed that because it was so early in the morning that it would not attract a large crowd.  I realized that I had underestimated the Oscars and Kelly and Michaels fan base.

Luckily since I had priority tickets I knew that I would be getting in but I definitely felt for those who were in the general tickets line since there was a chance that they would not be getting in to the show. We were encouraged to dress as if we were going to a nice dinner and it was very amusing to see how everyone interpreted that. Outfits ranged from prom dresses to pajamas (I do not believe the pajama ladies were allowed in). I was checked in by 3am and then we were lined up in groups of four to get ready to load onto the busses. If you get to go next year I would like to share with you that the Kelly and Michael crew brings merchandise from coffee mugs to umbrellas and t-shirts so keep that in mind if you are a big fan and bring cash. Around 3:30am my group was brought into a tunnel that would take us to a bus.  Once we got in the tunnel we were informed that we were not allowed into the Dolby Theatre yet.  It was after 4:30am by the time we were on the bus and moving towards the theatre.

Once inside the theatre we were lined up in the lobby and were not moved into our seats until 5:40am.  Once I took my seat I was very anxious to start taking pictures of the beautiful stage.  I loved getting to be in the theatre with all of the Oscars stuff still there.  Before the show began this man to my right announced to all of us that there would be no picture taking once the show started or you would be forced to leave the show.  I was disappointed by the news because I wanted to document as much as I could so that I could share it with you all here.  As the show began I saw lots of flashes happening to my left.  It was coming from the people a few sections over who did not have such a strict crew member with them.  I can see why flash photography would be an issue but if flashes are off I saw no reason why we could not take pictures but I did not want to risk getting kicked out.

Right before the show started they lowered this beautiful screen with Oscars on it.

The stage was so incredibly beautiful!

Waiting for the show to start!

Kelly and Michael came out a few minutes before 6am and you could tell that they were very tired as they had been up all night (like the rest of us).  The first guest was Neil Patrick Harris and it was great to see him and listen to him talk about hosting the show.  I loved his opening number but that was the only part of the show that he was involved in that I enjoyed.  However, having met Neil I know what a kind and fun person he is and it made me sad when he mentioned that he felt great until he read twitter.  After Neil I was hoping that J.K. Simmons or Eddie Redmayne would show up but no one else from the Oscars came.  I can understand that at some point they need to go to sleep but it was still disappointing.  Flo Rida came out and did a song which was ok but not that exciting.  The professionals from Dancing with the Stars came and danced and three guests came on to talk about the best looks from the red carpet.  I am really shocked that no one mentioned Jessica Chastain who was my red carpet favorite.  At the very end of the show confetti fell from the ceiling and I took out my phone because I figured at that point the show was ending what were they going to do kick me out?

I am not sure if I have ever seen so much confetti.

The Dolby Theatre has four levels and I was in the second level about six rows back and had an excellent view.  I was surprised by how close to the stage I felt considering where I was sitting.  The people who were down in the front row and who got to interact with Kelly and Michael had gotten to the Hollywood Bowl before the parking lot opened so that they could be the very first ones there.  So that is up to you how early you get there should you chose to go in the future. I was satisfied with my seat and my view but if I was going with a other people then I might have been interested in getting there earlier.  After the show there was no rush to have us exit and people stayed quite a while taking pictures.  I got a few more pictures and then headed out because I was tired.  When I got outside of the theatre the line waiting for the buses to go back to the parking was really long.  I walked back with a big group of people and was in my car by 7:24am and there were no buses in sight!  So if you have the energy I would encourage you to make the walk and save some time.

To me staying up all night and all the waiting was worth it just to be inside such a special place the day after the big event.  However, it is very early in the morning and does require a lot of waiting around.  I would recommend the experience and it is free which is wonderful!  I think next year I will try to get tickets to see Jimmy Kimmel’s After Oscasr Show go get dinner and then head on over to the waiting area for Kelly and Michael, just an idea.  Thank you to 1ioata for the tickets I had an outstanding time!  And if you cannot find anyone to go with I would encourage you to go alone.  I went by myself and stood in line next to a very nice lady who had lots of interesting stories to share and enjoyed hearing my stories as well.  It is a very fun group of people so do not be discouraged if you have to go alone.  Good luck for getting tickets next year!

For information on how you can possibly go the Oscars red carpet please visit: http://mybelleelle.com/celebrity-events/how-i-went-to-the-2013-oscars-red-carpet/

1ioata website: http://1iota.com

1ioata twitter: https://twitter.com/1iota

And I encourage you to follow my twitter account for information about events like this: https://twitter.com/lovemichelle89

Also the purse lover in me has to share this cute Kate Spade purse my parents gave me for Christmas! It was the perfect purse for this occasion.