HOLLYWOOD TV show tapings offer free tickets

For very popular shows, even ticket holders had better arrive early.
THE (RIVERSIDE, CALIF.) PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Hollywood has your ticket -- and it's free for the taking.
All you have to do is fill a seat in the audience of a TV show taping, which will probably be as close as most of us will get to the "American Idol" stage or Jay Leno's hot seat. You might even get to see your favorite celebrity up close and personal ... without having to worry about defending yourself in a stalking case.
The shows' producers "are really just looking for an interactive, energetic audience," said Dawn Divina of TVTix.com, one of several independent ticket brokerages that make money filling seats. Her company handles such shows as "Hollywood Squares" and "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," a perennial favorite.
But not all shows are created equal. Truth is, you'll have an easier time seeing country singer Reba McEntire on her WB show than you will singer Matt Rogers on "American Idol."
"On some shows, there could be a waiting list, like 'American Idol,'" said Michael Stern of On Camera Audiences, which brokers those tickets.
So how long is the wait? "All I can say is it's long. People have to sign up on our Web site. As soon as their ticket comes up, they're notified by e-mail. They can't choose a date," he said.
"American Idol" and "The Tonight Show" are the hottest commodities these days. But for most sitcoms, talk shows and game shows, getting seats is a cinch. With the Internet, fans can choose which day and show they want to see a show and print their tickets in advance. There are even e-mail lists for filming dates and show schedules.
"They can book tickets even the day of the show, as long as they have a printer. It's a lot easier than the olden days, when people had to write in for tickets or line up [at the studio] at 4 in the morning," Stern said.
Of course, you still can do that, too. In fact, if you want to make sure you see "The Tonight Show," it's best to get tickets at the NBC studio in Burbank, Divina said. The NBC Web site warns: "Arrive very early, especially in the summer months, as lines can start forming as early as 5 a.m., especially when they have a popular guest scheduled."
That's why it's important to get to a taping of any show early, even if you have a ticket in hand. To cover for no-shows, producers distribute more tickets than they have seats.
"Often, you get turned away, sometimes after a long wait in line," Los Angeles movie fan Mark Evanier writes on his Web site. "Sometimes they try to bait-and-switch you to another show that isn't filled."
Fans who get bumped get a VIP ticket for another taping, Stern said. "We don't want to turn anyone away, but it does happen, especially on the more popular shows."
The brokers don't pass out many extra tickets for a show as popular as "American Idol," but they might pass out triple the number of tickets for a show few people have heard of. Many of them are offered to tourists outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, at the Venice Beach boardwalk and at Universal Studios.