Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? (Pt.1)

So, Dylan had casually mentioned making a video of some kind for some reason.  I didn't pick up on it too quickly.  Mike was helping him and it was causing them to lose a little ground on a deadline or two.  Seriously?  Well, OK.  That was in mid to late-January, more or less. 


 [You may or may not know that Dylan has been working SO hard over the last 4+ years, crazy hours, tons of stress, and getting lots of great awards and attention, not to mention orders for his amazing furniture.  But the business side of things has always been, shall we say, just on the verge of having to call it quits.  It's a tough business.  OK, back to the narrative.]


I registered little bits of additional information over the next few weeks--enough to know that he'd gotten a positive response (from whom, I still didn't "get") and he was busy making another video or two at "their" request.  For one of them, he needed a few shots of Tom and me in his shop.  We worked that into one of our visits to SF in early February, I think.


Mid-February.  Dylan lets us know that a film crew wants to film him and his family in San Francisco. For a show.  Did it have something to do with Facebook?  I still hadn't paid enough attention until the thought of being interviewed on film terrified me down to my socks (it's winter).  Macy's, the department store is involved, I'm finding out.  And it's for a reality TV show on TLC.  It's starting to sound like a real Thing, but I didn't know what kind.  And there must be some sort of cool prize at the end.  And Dylan must be one of who-knows-how-many semi-finalists, or something.


We arrived at Emi's apartment, because it's way cuter and roomier than Dylan's place for a video-shoot, on Saturday, February 25th, obediently wearing no black or stripes.  I had made cookies to share with everyone.  They were those salty chocolate-chip kind that you have to refrigerate for 24 hours before baking.  It's completely against my character and life experience to leave chocolate chip cookie batter in the fridge without eating it all up.  But I managed, somehow (for an outstanding result, I must say).  Rachel had been summoned, too, of course.  She brought me a hipper kind of jeans to wear.  Rachel does what she can to make me more presentable.


That day, we learned that it was for a show called Macy's Million Dollar Makeover.  Whoa.  What?  We hadn't heard of it, but it was a real contest with thousands (more than 20 thousand) of applicants.  This was the second season.  And Vanessa and her crew and the Macy's people were there from New York.  And we had to keep it a big secret.


(here's a shot of just a little of the equipment they loaded in for the shoot)

All the video and corporate folks couldn't have been more friendly and supportive!  They made what was, for me, a completely intimidating prospect a little less frightening.  They totally rearranged Emi's living room to make it work for their interview of the four of us--so that we could be filmed sitting side-by-side on a sofa that was just a bit too small to make it look comfortable.  It was during that interview, that a. my mouth and brain decided to work against each other (Dylan, Tom and Rachel's brains were much better engaged), and b. we were told by means of a laptop video starring Clinton Kelly that Dylan had been selected as one of three finalists for the Big Prize.



Oh. My. Gosh.  One of only three?


I was starting to get the gist, now.  I still didn't understand the process for the contestants, or how the TV show was formatted, but Clinton Kelly told Dylan to pack up and get on a plane for New York.



(this is Vanessa and her assistant testing light and sound on the sofa before our interview)

(Tom and Emi hanging near the the cookies)

After the Big News, Vanessa and her crew spent a couple of hours setting up for (in the dining room) and interviewing Dylan by himself, as well.  I hung off to the side, listening to how easy and relaxed he sounded.  A natural.


(Dylan, waiting as the lights and sound get worked out before his solo interview)

There's a small piece of video of Dylan "packing" and us "waving goodbye", but I think TV audiences understand that as a bit of theater to tell the part of the story that, well, Dylan was really going to go to New York to participate in a real show sponsored by a very real and major department store on a network that we'd actually watched before.  

(above, "packing"; below, filming Dylan's "departure" for NY)

(waiting for the cue)


To finish off the day, we all trooped over to Dylan's shop, where there was more shooting, but, mercifully, no more interviewing.  We were all more relaxed and more energized, with the new information.  

About 10 days later, Dylan left for New York and a real shot at the Big Prize, but, at the very least, the best publicity he could ever hope for.


Next:  New York bound.