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“The Price is Right” was already booked solid, so unfortunately after getting up at the “crack of dawn” and waiting in line for hours, two of our board members, Joe Strzyzewski and Laurie Muffler and member Jody Lane came back to our hotel disappointed. I guess they were only like three people away from getting in. We have never had a reason to work with the game shows so they had to just go and take their chances like everyone else. The sitcoms work the same way, even with tickets you wait in line for hours and then you’re never promised you’ll get in. That’s why it’s so nice being a member of Viewers Voice, we always get VIP treatment, never have to wait in line and the seats are always excellent.
On the other hand, Viewers
Voice Vice President, Jon Krieger and members Gary and Doug Saugstad, who went
While all that was going on, I took my two cameramen, Jim Rhode and Rollie Krieger and my photographers, Deb Perkins and Dawn Spoto to Los Angeles to do an interview with Jorge Zamacoma , executive producer and creator of “10-8.” Jorge has written and produced for some of the most prominent crime dramas on television; “Law and Order,” “St. Elsewhere,” “Miami Vice” and “Third Watch.” I was surprised to learn he had Wisconsin ties and his parent live in Wauwatosa. It was hard concentrating on the interview; Mr. Zamacoma was a very handsome man and easily could have been an actor on his own shows. You can read the interview in a future TV Viewers Voice column and see it on our Viewers Voice TV Show on the local access cable channel 14 in West Allis.
The skies were overcast but Venice Beach is always a beautiful sight to see. The ocean has a mystic charm about it that always makes me feel that life is such a miracle. The “10-8”cast and crew were set up right on the beach with all their trailer’s and equipment. The beach looked like a studio set and you can’t even imagine the equipment being used and what it takes to do a few scenes on location, unless you see it for your self. They were just finishing shooting a car chase when we arrived and Danny Nucci who plays Deputy Ricco Amonte was in this particular shoot. It was going to be awhile before the next shot was going to be ready to go, so we decided to go for lunch at one of the café’s on the beach.
I always love going to Venice Beach but there are some pretty weird characters that hang around there and sometimes it makes you feel a little uncomfortable. My daughter Debbie was with us and she had some reservations about leaving the set and eating in the area, but we didn’t want to go too far because the next scene would be ready to go in about an hour. We did manage to find a little place that we could walk to, called Seaside Café that ended up having some pretty great food and service.
When we got back on location the rest of our group had joined us and the crew was just about set up to start shooting again. While we were waiting Nan brought over one of the cast members to meet us; Travis Schult who plays Deputy Chase Williams on “10-8.” Travis is well-known to Daytime viewers as Ethan during the first three seasons of the NBC Daytime drama, “Passions.” He was not only good looking but was a very nice young man and he spent a good deal of time talking to us and posing for pictures. After a while he had to go back to get into uniform for the next scene.
The scene we were going to be watching was set up outside one of the seaside café’s, much like the one we just ate at. In between takes, which is usually at least a dozen times, Nan introduced us to the cast members. The first actor she brought over to us to meet was Ernie Hudson; he portrays Sgt Deputy John Henry Barnes. My first impression of him was how tall and muscular he was, when you see these people on television you never can really tell how big they are. Hudson has starred in many movies but the two I loved watching him in was “Ghostbusters” and “Miss Congeniality.” It was really an honor to meet him and his jovial personality made you love him.
The next two cast members we had the pleasure of meeting were the two gals on “10-8.” Jamie Lunar, Senior Deputy Ryan Layne, was the first to come over and talk to us. The fellows in our group were real excited to meet her. Jamie first got her start on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains.” I was excited to talk to her because I was a big fan of “Melrose Place,” where she played Lexi Sterling for two seasons. The guys remembered her best in her role as Rachael Burke, a former prosecutor-turned FBI agent on “The Profiler. They couldn’t wait to have their picture taken with her.
Shortly after we caught Christina Vidal, Deputy Gabriela Lopez, on a short break and she came over and chatted with us for awhile. Christina was just recently in the Disney movie “Freaky Friday.” She was a tiny little gal and seemed a little shy but has a very sweet personality. She is the sister of Lisa Vidal who plays on Lifetime “The Division.”
The next cast member to join us was the fellow all the female members were waiting to meet, Danny Nucci. He was eating a snack to keep his energy going until break time. Handsome and nice, what more could you ask; those big brown eyes just melted into your heart. What can I say, at my age I’m still a sucker for good looking guys.He was excited that Viewers Voice wanted to support the show. One of Danny most widely known roles was that of Fabrizio De Rosssi, Leonardo DiCaprio’s ill-fated best friend, in the highest-grossing film of all time, “Titanic.”
After we got done talking to Danny it was getting late and as much as we hated too we had to get back to the hotel.
“10-8” is on the ABC network on Sundays at 7:00-8:00 p.m., CST. If you haven’t seen the show it’s a good one. It’s an edgy, humorous take on the L.A. Sheriff’s department’s rookies and their trainers, from the front lines to the patrol cars.
In my next column we’ll be going to the set of “7th Heaven” and presenting some awards, until then let your voice be heard
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The
fourth day of our trip to Studio City, California was an interesting one. In the
morning some of our members went over to try and get on the set of “The Price
is Right,” three members went over to the set of Fox’s, “That 70’s Show” and
five members and I went to do an interview with the creator of the new ABC
series “10-8.” 
to “That 70’s Show”, had a great time. They spent three hours getting to meet
the cast and visiting the sets on the show. “E-entertainment” was there
interviewing the cast for the start of “That 70’s Show’s” sixth season. They had
the privilege of watching that in process. They also had the pleasure of meeting
guest star Shannon Elizabeth (“American Pie”) and from what they told me that
really made their day. 
After
the interview all our members were invited to “10-8” to meet the cast and watch
the show being filmed on location at Venice Beach. When we arrived Aaron
Spellings publicist, Nan Sumski was there waiting for us. I’ve worked with Nan
since the first year that Viewers Voice got started; she’s an old friend who’s
always been there for us.