Head backstage on the set of CBS drama NCIS:LA and get up close and personal with your favorite undercover agents.
Two adults over the age of 18 are invited to visit the Hollywood set during filming of season 6. Signed cast photo is included.
Place your bid on biddingforgood.com.
You and a guest will visit the set of the hit television series, NCIS: Los Angeles in LA, listen to the full cast perform a table read, watch the show being filmed, and shadow a writer/producer!
NCIS: Los Angeles is an NCIS spin-off on CBS that follows the undercover agents of the NCIS Office of Special Projects, working from a Spanish mission headquarters in Los Angeles. Cast members include Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Barrett Foa and Renée Felice Smith.
You and one guest will visit the historic Paramount Studios lot in the heart of Hollywood to watch your favorite TV stars in action. Bid now to see behind the scenes of this thrilling show!
Donated By: Jordana Lewis Jaffe and NCIS: Los Angeles
Go to >> charitybuzz.com << to place your bid.
thebroadcaster.com lists an NCISLA Set Visit on hollywoodcharityauction.com until July 15th.
The package contains:
Bid & win your very special experience on the set of CBS’ #2 drama ‘NCIS Los Angeles’ !!
It’s worth every penny… 🙂
===> http://www.hollywoodcharityauction.com
thebroadcaster.com is the website of Minorities in Broadcasting Training Program; a non-profit organization formed in 1992 to provide training opportunities to college graduates in TV/radio news reporting, news management and film production.
EDIT: Due to problems with the recent bidders the set visit is up for auction *again*… please check before bidding if you are authorized to bid… if you’re not sure contact the seller !!
It was the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to fly out to Los Angeles and meet the cast and crew of NCIS Los Angeles! My partner in crime, sindee and I had just launched a new online site which was an off shoot of her very popular NCISLA Fan Blog. With an idea to make the new site look and feel different with original material and information coming out 24/7 we worked long and hard to create what was to become NCISLA Magazine. The new site was unveiled at the beginning of September and we were very proud of the results… but what would the NCISLA team think?
Our site visit was set for the beginning of November. Although I had lived in the San Francisco Bay area years ago, this was my first trip to Los Angeles. sindee and her husband, Mark were old pros, having visited the City of Angels many times in the past, so they graciously acted as my tour guide on this trip. On the first day we visited many tourist hot spots that also happen to be some of the great location sites used on many episodes for the show. It was fun exploring the famous Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, Marina del Rey and Hollywood Boulevard which were all iconic tourist sites but I was seeing them all through NCISLA eyes. “Look, that’s where Callen ran up the escalators… Deeks and Kensi were walking on this side of the pier… That’s where Sam parked his Challenger!” Not exactly highlights in the LA Michelin guide book, but definitely a thrill for me to see for the first time.
NCISLA “Touch of Death” (3×21) Location ©sindee
The day before the site visit we received an invitation to visit Eric Linden (Chris O’Donnell’s stunt double) at his studio Action Factory Stunts. Eric and his fellow stuntmen were busy that day working out the choreography for a new video they were scheduled to shoot with Sam & Niko, the creators of several famous short films as Corridor Digital. It was fascinating and revealing time spent learning about the craft and how much work goes into one small part of a video. Eric and Joe Fidler took us through some of the fight choreography that they had been working on and Eric explained all the preparation and safety precautions that are used for each scene. It was such an enjoyable and informative day and we really want to thank Eric for inviting us to visit! (More on Action Factory Stunts in a future edition of NCISLA Magazine when we sit down with Eric Linden for an interview regarding his work on the show and his life as a stunt artist.)
The evening before our visit to the NCISLA set reminded me of the night before Christmas when I was 6 years old and waiting for Santa Clause to come down the chimney! I was so excited, I couldn’t sleep. I was finally going to meet a group of people who I have admired for their ability to entertain and bring so much enjoyment to their fans. I knew it was going to be a day I would never forget!
sindee and I set off mid-morning for Paramount Studios. Our contact was Erin, Shane Brennan’s assistant and she was meeting us once we got through the gates of the studio. Erin took us for a walking tour of the famed Paramount studio complex and despite the extreme heat that day, I was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the myriad of employers going about their business on this magical piece of land. We passed city facades, makeup trailers and Forrest Gump’s bench (yes, the real one used in the movie!) until we finally stood in front of Studios 8 & 9. The door that led us to the magical world of NCIS Los Angeles was very unassuming. But once we entered, we were greeted by a huge wall filled with a promotional portrait of Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J. This has got to be the place!
Paramount Lot Stage 8&9 Entrance ©sindee
Erin led us into a very cold but refreshing sound stage with food carts, extras buried in their e-readers and carpenters building new sets. I didn’t know what to look at first. Our first set we walked into was the gym and weapons range. Directly next to that was the arsenal. I expected things to appear different but I was surprised how everything was exactly the way it looked on the TV screen. Most of the set was in dim lighting but we had a chance to walk around and explore the nooks and corners of the rooms. Next was the interior of the boathouse and it was fun to find all the places you don’t get to see as you watch the show. We knew what was down the hall and couldn’t wait to enter the interrogation room. How cool was this??!! sindee and I took turns pretending to be our favorite NCIS agents grilling the bad guy on the other side of the table. We definitely felt like two kids let loose in a candy shop. What a thrill!
It was time to go to Stage 9 where the cast and crew would be filming a scene from episode 11 (Drive) in the Ops center. Before we walked on the set, we met some of the sound crew including Adam Key (@artwercadam) who gave us our headsets. As we entered the hallowed halls of the Mission, I couldn’t stop smiling. As much as I was looking forward to meeting the cast and crew, I was humbled to be standing right smack dab in the middle of the Mission! It was an amazing experience. As I got to walk around Hetty’s office examining her wonderful knick-knacks, I was in NCISLA heaven! The details of her office are seared into my mind. So many dramatic scenes and amusing conversations at her desk raced through my mind at the same time. Some of the best scenes from the show took place in this eclectic office of memories.
Hetty’s Office ©sindee
We walked out of Hetty’s office and into the bullpen and my first stop had to be Deeks’ desk. Compared to his fellow agent’s desks, his area looked very neat and organized. Hmmm… looks like Deeks’ was holding out on us! Kensi’s desk on the other hand, was filled with clutter and silly knick-knacks, Sam had a collection of his origami creations lined up neatly in a row and I still smile every time I remember the bottle of aspirins on Callen’s desk. The desk tops were all so typical of the characters who sat behind them.
After a tour of the Mission’s wardrobe room and the tech center we began our trip up the stairs to Ops. Everything had been very quiet to this point. We got to meet a number of crew members taking care of business on the first floor of the Mission but it wasn’t until we climbed the stairs that we could feel the energy starting to swirl. As we reached the top of the stairs, support crew lined the wall waiting to be called to do their jobs but our attention was turned to the bright lights emanating from Ops. And who should we see sitting outside of Ops and studying his script but Chris O’Donnell! If we had been amazed by what we saw on the first floor of the mission… we hadn’t seen anything yet!
Find out more on Wednesday when I reveal what happen next on our set visit to the set of NCIS Los Angeles! [EDIT: Find Part Two here…]
NCISLA Magazine is very excited to kick off a fund raising campaign for the ASPCA with our very first auction item on EBay. If you are a Dave Kalstein fan (and I know there are a lot of you out there!), we have a signed copy of his book Prodigy! This is a must for your collection if you are a fan and enjoy the stories Dave has penned for the show over the last 3+ years. My colleague, sindee and I were excited to meet Dave a few weeks ago at Paramount Studios where he graciously signed a copy of his book for the campaign.
Right after our set visit on the studio lot three weeks ago, we had a chance to sit down with Dave and talk shop about our favorite show. Dave wanted to know how the fans were reacting to the news of the new spin off. He assured us he wanted to continue working with the NCISLA team, which is where his heart and soul resides. We responded that the fans, for the most part were taking a wait and see attitude but showing some real interest in the new series.
We also shared why so many fans stay invested in the show year after year. We agreed that the enormous popularity of NCIS Los Angeles came down to one reason and that was the individual characters and their backstory. Dave shared with us that Shane Brennan called the show a series of small moments between the characters. I agree. It’s not so much the plot or storyline every week that is so important but it’s what’s happening to Callen, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Hetty, Eric and Nell that brings us back week after week for more. We want to know if Callen is ever going to find out more about his family or will Sam be able to work alongside his wife again and is there a romantic future in store for Densi? Of course, we love finding out more about Hetty’s exotic background and watching what makes being a geek so cool with Eric and Nell.
I remember watching The Job during season two (written by Dave Kalstein), when I first realized how important these small moments were. Remember at the very end of the episode? We see Kensi and Deeks sitting down together on the sofa, clinking Coronas and comforting each other after a long, hard day on the job. I remember thinking, “He likes her, look (pointing at TV)… he really likes her!” As a viewer, I was privy to a special moment and recognized what was happening before the characters even did! Kensi and Deeks may not have been too sure that a love story was about to unfold, but as the camera pulled back, there was a connection between this man and woman that sparkled on screen and that’s when the magic happened. That was just one small example of why we love these characters so much. As long as NCISLA keeps playing to the characters’ strengths, their fan base will always be there for them.
So, come on all you Dave Kalstein fans… open up your pockets and fire up your keyboards and help us raise money for this worthy cause to prevent animal abuse and cruelty. Go to the home page and click on Charity Auction. We want to raise a total of $2000 (or more!) by the time we have our 2013 NCISLA Familia meet up in Los Angeles on October 13 & 14. There will be a number of other auctions coming up throughout the year to help us reach our goal, so stay tuned and bid, bid, bid!
