Sharilyn Johnson, a Daily Show fan, went to the live election night show and couldn't get in. She didn't just show up and expect to get in, she had tickets for months, and had confirmed and reconfirmed a few times. She did everything correctly and still she couldn't get in. Out of the 250 people in line that night, only 21 got in. I guess there were a lot of VIP guests that night. The show screwed up. Johnson writes about it at The Huffington Post.
But I'm wondering if she's not overreacting to the entire episode when she says things like this:
My love for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert has nothing to do with politics. And at the core of it, very little to do with how hard they make me laugh each night.
Mostly, it has to do with the altars she's made for them in her bedroom.
No one individual performer has had more of an influence on my comedic sensibilities than Jon Stewart. Since 1994, I've consumed every ounce of his work. He always trusted his own voice, and had the strength to stand by his ideas of what was good even when it meant being fired. He worked his ass off to get better, from the early-morning sets at an empty Comedy Cellar to making the Daily Show what it is today. He takes none of his success for granted, and continues working hard every day. In his own words, "there is no 'making it'".
He would also probably say, "sorry this happened, but stop whining about it on the web. Security!"
Not sure why she even brings this up, unless she wants to up her word count and/or hopes that someone at TDS reads it and sends her VIP tickets (oh, wait, they did that and she turned them down).
I could write an entire book on my emotional philosophies of comedy, and how incredible it is that human beings have an ability to even do this.
And she probably will.
These were not my reasons for becoming a fan when I was 15. But I can't think of a better accidental role model to have had for the latter half of my life.
So if she was 15 in 1994, that means she's now in her late 20s. That explains a lot.
Her bio states that she "has had a life-long appreciation of all things comedic." Alrighty then.
Something tells me that when she pays to get something Fed-Exed overnight from Amazon.com and there's a delay, she compares it to the deaths of children in Darfur.
What happened to her that night actually sounds pretty memorable. If she truly has great comedic sensibilities, then she should see the humor in it. Sure, she couldn't get into the show, but she was in Times Square on election night, she listened to Obama's speech via a limo radio, got free CNN stuff, got to argue the election with others. She should look on the bright side (not to sound cliched and New Age-y). But she says this:
I hope you all were able to enjoy this historic moment surrounded by the people you love. Perhaps in 2012 I won't be prevented from doing exactly that.
Yikes. It's good for Stewart that he probably won't even be on the show in 2012, but I'm sure whatever new show he has Johnson will want to see.
Oh, and Sharilyn? If you get VIP tickets in the future and don't want them, send them to me.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-13-2008 @ 3:34PM
Anita said...
I hope people will read Sharilyn Johnson's original post before they scan your article after the jump. I agree she was a bit, um, upset but the first half of her article was incredibly logical. She received the tickets 4-5 months in advance, 3 confirmation e-mails and stood in line for 4 hours. Sure, the election night taping would be the most hotly contested and there's a possibility of being turned away, but she's right, the advanced e-mails could've said 'it's possible we'll turn away larger numbers than usual this time.'
While I wouldn't spit on future VIP tickets, I would be pissed about the advanced preparation. And, she's right, the Daily Show could've provided a live feed in another venue (although I could see their difficulties with cost-effectiveness).
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11-13-2008 @ 4:24PM
Jables said...
We had tickets to the taping in St. Paul during the RNC and didn't get in. If you read the fine print on the tickets, they basically qualify you to stand in line and don't guarantee a seat. We waiting in line for three hours, got turned away, shrugged our shoulders, and went to the bar. Deal with it.
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11-13-2008 @ 4:49PM
Butters said...
Anytime you go to a taping of a show, be it live or not, you are never guaranteed to get in. It doesn't matter if it is confirmed fifty times, 12 months in advanced, there is a good chance you will not get in. Each show is purposefully overbooked so that there is never a shortage of people to fill seats. This is clearly stated in the terms and conditions (found here: http://www.thedailyshow.com/tickets.jhtml).
"AS TICKET DISTRIBUTION MAY BE IN EXCESS OF STUDIO CAPACITY, ADMISSION IS NOT GUARANTEED. Producer/The Daily Show with Jon Stewart reserves the right to refuse or revoke entry at anytime."
It doesn't matter how far in advance that you book a ticket you can be refused for any number of reasons; over booking, security due to a celebrity in the audience, you are by yourself, you are with a large group or because you insist on wearing that awful Hawaiian shirt with a suit jacket.
By the way the same goes for free movie test screenings and pretty much any other event that is provided "free" by a company that needs audience reaction.
If you didn't know this before, well you know it now. So get your head out of the sand and stop complaining.
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11-13-2008 @ 6:09PM
pout said...
Anita,
They did provide a live feed at another location: the Jumbotron at Times Square. The show was also broadcast live, so she could have watched it on any TV that had cable.
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11-13-2008 @ 6:58PM
Uncle Nothing said...
I have a 2500 word article on the lousy service I got at Starbucks.
Where do I post?
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11-14-2008 @ 12:06PM
Frank said...
Sorry not liberal enough for Huffington Post.
Now if the poor service was at Wal-mart...
11-13-2008 @ 10:08PM
Jonny Rice said...
"What happened to her that night actually sounds pretty memorable. If she truly has great comedic sensibilities, then she should see the humor in it."
I was thinking the same thing while reading her article, Bob. A good writer like Sedaris, Eggers or Lamott would have turned a night like that a disappointing but ultimately rewarding experience. Instead, it comes off as just another internet rant. Too bad.
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11-14-2008 @ 7:53AM
Chris said...
I fear this crazy girl is one more traumatic moment away from becoming the next Mark David Chapman.
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11-14-2008 @ 2:49AM
Fandango said...
And let's not overlook the patheticness of ranting about someone ranting about not being able to get into TDS.
Thank you internet, for enabling me to whine about someone whining about someone whining about something that's hardly interesting to begin with.
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11-14-2008 @ 7:57AM
chris said...
You know, Bob must be a pure fanboy.
Oh you make a trip, have tickets. . .and you are denied. That is a pure mess up and. . .why the F would it matter "oh there is better things to do".
If any of us went to a show with tickets and bumped for some VIP people. . .I would say F the show and network forever!
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11-14-2008 @ 3:53PM
Joel Keller said...
Chris, you do know Bob's quoting someone else, right?
11-15-2008 @ 1:13AM
Dana said...
As someone who has been to the Colbert Report twice and the Daily Show once I think she is being unreasonable. Firstly VIP tickets don't meen celebrity, the Daily Show and Colbert Report give out VIP tickets to people who had tickets confirmed but didn't get in, so that next time they wont have to wait in line for nothing. I know this because I asked the staff, out of boredom and curiosity.
Also, as previously stated the tickets explicitely say that having a reservation does not guarentee entry because the shows overbook.
Finally, why did she confirm as many times as she did? The protocal is simple you request tickets, they send you a confirmation email, you confirm within twenty-four hours, two or so weeks before the show they send you a reminder email, anything else is unecessary and a waste of everyones time.
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11-18-2008 @ 10:05PM
Steve245 said...
The ONLY memorable thing about that show was at the very end, when Jon announced that Obama had won. The entire rest of the hour was substandard at best. She didn't miss anything.
That's like ranting about not getting fries in your drive-thru window, even though the fries you would have gotten were cold and stale.
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11-23-2008 @ 9:07PM
StillBash said...
Hum...
If she's such a fan why was she only 22nd in line? There's no excuse for that if you ask me. She should blame herself.
Any true fan would've put up a tent at the entrance a day before they opened the doors.
You can ask me how I always make it 1st to 3rd row at concerts with standing room only. I'm there early, and I bring a friend to hold my place. Either you're smart or you are left with a rant afterwards. So this all seems pretty dumb to me.
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