I really wanted to follow up on I Am A White House Christmas Decorator with a fun post about how I was asked to be a seat filler for The Lincoln Awards-A Concert for Veterans & the Military Family at The Kennedy Center last Wednesday and call it something snappy, like, I Am A Kennedy Center Seat Filler. This concert was a televised event to recognize those who have helped and supported our military in a big and awesome way and I was really excited to be there.
Backstage at The Kennedy Center
I pictured myself rushing in between set changes to fill vacant seats next to Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lewis, and Gavin DeGraw’s plus one as they took the stage. I imagined passing Miss America or Nick Jonas in a frenzy of activity as I desperately tried to make it to their seats before the cameras started rolling. I mentally practiced looking dignified for my big close up. Maybe I would be caught on camera in Brian William’s clan and people would wonder if I was the sister to Pan? Maybe there would be some glitch that would be funny or I would become a celebrity bestie, you know, in the 5 seconds as I dodge in and out of rows.
Alas, I sat on Row N, Seat 2, next to my friend Stephanie and watched from beginning to end in that one seat, filling it as well as I could:) Nothing really too funny to mention except for the fact that the camera man’s cord went as far as Row N–so there he would stop and record us for audience reaction (for what felt like hours)–good thing I practiced looking dignified.
I wasn’t even going to write about any of this, but then I watched the Golden Globes last night. The quote of the night came from Tina Fey:
“George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year. Amal is a human rights lawyer, who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected for a three person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza Strip. So tonight her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award.”
Right?
What is it about celebrities that completely dwarf real people and their accomplishments? I’m completely guilty of this. Here I am at this amazing Kennedy Center event honoring people who have made a huge difference in tens of thousands of lives and I’m trying to find Bruce Springsteen? And when I google this event the headline is about Nick Jonas–not about Dean Kamen who developed a prosthetic arm that is near natural, or Britnee Kinard, a wounded warrior advocate who has turned her own struggles into a way of helping thousands of others with the SD Gunner Fund.
I’d love to see the honorees Justin Constantine, Ken Fisher, Jackie Garrick, Dean Kamen, Britnee Kinard, Bruce Springsteen, Kayla Williams, Dick Young, Team Rubicon, and Walmart (well maybe not Walmart exactly) walk the red carpet with a little paparazzi and get all the same perks as A-List Hollywood.
Journalists receive Pulitzers and scientists receive Nobel Prizes and I bet the general public have no idea who won what last year. I don’t.
I’m really not trying to preach. I just think Tina Fey made a hilarious and very accurate point. Despite all this I would TOTALLY be a seat filler for the Golden Globes. If you know someone, email me.
If you would like to learn more about these amazing Americans who were honored or to just see me looking dignified in the audience it will be aired on PBS, March 4th at 8 pm.
You can read the details for the The Lincoln Awards at The Lincoln Awards: 2015 Winners/Friars Club and Military Times.
