ABC -- Easy As 1-2-3

Rie Sinclair is a friend of mine who, along with co-writer Bob Hartry, has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for their song "Where You Are." Actually, the nomination will not become official until February 8th because votes have yet to be completed, but she's on the "vote list."

The song is used on the General Hospital soap opera and has generated a lot of buzz. As a result, Rie was invited to play the song for a TV show called Soaptalk, which airs on the SoapNet cable station. She asked if I would play acoustic guitar with her and I agreed. So, Saturday morning Myke and I left for ABC Studios in Hollywood (read Myke's post about the adventure here).

This particular studio lot apparently is one of the oldest in Hollywood, constructed circa 1920. Reportedly, silent films were shot there, as well as some classic shows, such as American Bandstand (stage hands that were there during that era said that Dick Clark lived up to his first name). It was interesting to meet the stagehands and the co-hosts of the show. The directors, stage managers, and camera operators were talking with Lisa Rinna, one of the co-hosts, about her recent appearance on Dancing With The Stars. It was also interesting to have my "make up" done (just moisturizer and a little lightener under my eyes) in a chair next to the other co-host, Ty Treadway, a seemingly nice guy with very tan skin and glowing teeth.

Rie and I played the song in front of the co-hosts and a studio audience and it was well received. Afterward, both hosts walked over to us and talked to Rie about the song. They seemed genuinely impressed (although this is Hollywood and one never knows). I was happy for Rie. She's really cool and a great singer/songwriter (you can check out some of her music here), who has been a struggling artist for several years. In addition to being a musician, she's an actress who does commercials (print and TV) and was in the 1999 movie Drop Dead Gorgeous.

After the taping, which airs January 24th at 6 a.m., 11 a.m., and 11 p.m. PST, we got a tour of one of the buildings that had some amazing editing and digital audio equipment. We didn't have time to see the other soundstages where Grey's Anatomy and a few other ABC shows are taped. Nevertheless, it was an interesting and fun experience. I sincerely hope she and Bobby win the Emmy award. It couldn't happen to nicer people. Go Rie and Bobby!