I attended the TVLAND Icon Awards on April 10th, 2016. The show was taped one week in advance airing on April 17th, 2016 on TVLAND. After attending the show last year I was hopeful that I would get to go again this year. My excitement for this years show grew after it was announced that John Stamos would be receiving an award and that the Beach Boys would be doing a tribute to him. I am a big Full House fan and I have loved the Beach Boys ever since I was little.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that fans can attend various award shows. Getting to go to an awards show is fun and exciting. It is an incredible way to see some of your favorite stars and have a unique one of a kind experience. Plus, the tickets are complimentary and you can bring a plus one. How do you get tickets? Last year tickets for the TVLAND awards were given out by a website called 1iota. This year on camera audiences gave out the tickets. Once I found out that the tickets were available I shared the link on twitter.
The show this year was held in a hanger at the Santa Monica Airport. When I learned about the location of the show I was interested in seeing how the space would be transformed. I was very impressed when I walked into the venue by how it was decorated. It was very easy to forget what type of building I was in when I looked around. The stage was colorful and very well put together. The floor where the honorees and invited guests sat was nicely done. The floor was covered with white tables with clear chairs. The tables were decorated with flowers and some fun decor. Lining the sides of the floor were cute booths that lined the back side of the tables. Myself and many others filled in chairs raised above the floor. I would have loved to have taken pictures to share with all of you. Those of us who had tickets but were not considering invited guests were not allowed to bring our phones in.
Prior to the start of the show they pre taped a segment with Bob Odenkirk, from Better Call Saul, paying tribute to SAG President, Garry Shandling, who passed away this year. I am assuming that Bob was unable to stay for the show as this was taped before the invited guests had taken their seats on the floor. They moved a lot of the people from my section to fill the front tables so that they could get some shots of Bob from the audience without it looking empty. It is a good thing that this show was pre taped as it started late due to one half of Key and Peele running late.
Host George Lopez kicked off the show and while he was not terrible I found his hosting mediocre. The first honoree of the night was someone that I have been a lifelong fan of, John Stamos. Fuller House co stars Lori Loughlin and Dave Coulier came on stage to talk about John. Next his Grandfathered co stars Paget Brewster and Josh Peck came out on stage to introduce the Beach Boys. John Stamos has had a long friendship with the Beach Boys and was responsible for having them appear on Full House. Since then John has toured with the Beach Boys when his schedule allows.
The Beach Boys sang three songs which was so much fun. Each of the two previous times that I have seen the Beach Boys I have hoped that John Stamos would be with them. After the Beach Boys performed one of my favorite directors, Garry Marshall came out on stage. Garry joked that he is known as the show business Godfather of John Stamos. He recommended John for Full House which obviously turned out well for his career. At this point I was fan girling more than a little bit. The Beach Boys, Garry Marshall and John Stamos all in one place? It was more than I could have hoped for.
John accepted the Timeless Icon award . He seemed very honored to be receiving this award and got a little emotional during his speech. I was thrilled when following his speech he took his jacket off so that he could play drums with the Beach Boys. Next to be honored were for comedy duo icons were Key & Peele. That was followed by the Instant Icon award which was accepted by Oscar Winner Cuba Gooding Jr., on behalf of the cast and crew of American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson.
Ellen Pompeo came on stage to pay tribute to Debbie Allen who was receiving the Trailblazer Icon award. Dancers came out to perform to the theme song from Fame. Debbie, who I know from Grey’s Anatomy, gave a moving speech which I found inspirational. Actor Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory was voted the TV Character Icon by fans. He was not in attendance but taped a thank you video.
The show ended by honoring Norman Lear with the Impact Icon award. Both Seth MacFarlane and Jane Lynch honored Norman. Amber Riley from Glee, along with a gospel choir, performed a medley of songs from Normans TV shows. It was an honor to be in the same room as someone who has contributed so much to the entertainment industry. I feel so blessed that I was able to experience the awards show in person. It is a much different experience when you get to watch the show in person compared to watching it on your TV. My goal for next year is to be on the list of invited guests so that I can get some fabulous pictures to share with you. If the opportunity ever arises for you to attend an awards show I would encourage you to do it at least once.
Who would you have liked to see at the TVLAND Icon Awards?
