November 2011
The high I had from my time with Alison Brie didn't last as long as I wanted. Real life got a little harder after my freelance website no longer had stories picked up by Google News, and I got dropped from their news program when they did get taken back. I bounced back by writing about sports, yet my monthly pay did take a hit; which did make me more urgent to get my other projects done.
So by the time November came along and the temp agency finally called again, I was more eager for a break than usual. And few places are as good for a vacation as New York.
For the first time, I had been invited to temp on a show for the second time. "Saturday Night Live" wanted me back, as my past experience at Studio 8H made me more attractive than newer candidates. That did sound a bit unfair to those newer candidates; but not enough for me to turn the gig down. Especially since another lovely young movie star was hosting on my designated week.
On November 12, Emma Stone would be appearing on the "SNL" stage for the second time, just as I was appearing backstage for the second time. But her return was more highly anticipated, after she broke into the A-list with "Easy A" last fall, "Crazy Stupid Love" and "The Help" this summer and had "The Amazing Spider-Man" ahead for next summer.
When she first hosted last fall, the main joke in the monologue was how nerds wanted to make out with her, like they often did in her movies. I understood the sentiment; and not just because I seemed to have a thing for celebrity redheads.
This one was younger and yet still just as stunning, with the aforementioned red hair, striking green eyes, an equally striking sharp tongue and quick wit, and a husky voice that would likely be even more arousing in....intimate settings. All of that made her an easy target for Lindsay Lohan comparisons, but thankfully Emma looked too smart and level headed to end up exactly like her.
For all her recent success, she often said that hosting "SNL" last year was the highlight of it all, so she would undoubtedly be excited to return; like myself to a lesser degree. At the least, she was bound to be in a great mood....no matter what that entailed. But I was feeling good too, since I was returning to 30 Rock and I was better equipped to handle the "SNL" schedule this time.
I also brought something else with me on Monday, as it hit me how I could break the ice with Emma. I waited until I knew she was alone in the guest room; which brought back a few vivid memories with Anne for a moment. But I pushed that aside and knocked on what was now Emma's door.
Once she let me in, I introduced myself and only savored her looking at me and smiling for a half-second. I had my backpack in hand, which contained all the things that would keep me busy on long nights while I wasn't working. It also contained a little something for Emma as well.
"I know that yesterday was your birthday....so I wanted to wish a belated happy birthday and a welcome back to 'SNL' too," I explained as I handed Emma a birthday card I bought yesterday. My family always loved how I picked out the funniest birthday cards, and since Emma's 23'rd birthday was actually yesterday, I thought this would be a good skill to show off.
Judging by Emma's laughter after she read my card, it seemed that it was a good show. I covered my bases by asking "So I wasn't being out of line or creepy, then?"
"No, no. Unless funny's the new creepy," Emma reassured.
"It can be, but I didn't want it to be here. If I was creepy, I'd have gotten a 'Pocket Full Of Sunshine' card like in 'Easy A' for you. And that was actually available!" I said truthfully.
"Well, then thank you for being funny and original instead of creepy," Emma smiled and then actually kissed me on the cheek. This was the quickest that any actress had ever kissed me before, yet I knew it was way too soon to press my luck on that. So I just acted a bit bashful while keeping the actual conversation forward.
"Well, like I said, I just wanted to help welcome you back here. I know how much you loved it here last year, so there's a lot to live up to. I get it, since it's my second time here too....in a way."
"If it was still my birthday, I could order you to go on for me. But it's not, so I'll just ask nicely," Emma pointed out.
"I actually temped here last year, not long after your episode. I did Anne Hathaway's week, actually," I said while ignoring how I could twist those words into something dirtier. "And I temped here for '30 Rock' in November 2008 too....the pre-election part of it."
"Whoh, you have more experience here than me. How come they just bring you here every November instead of hiring you full time?" Emma asked.
"I'd like to know that myself sometimes. But gigs like this are a break from problems like that, so I treat them as such. I'm too much of a TV and SNL nerd not to," I explained.
"Say no more, I get how nerds tick," Emma pointed out.
"Well, I'll be sure not to tick the wrong way. I don't have any more to spare for cards, I won't ask you to make out with me, and I don't need any Spider-Man spoilers right now. So....I thank you for your time." I did take a risk by actually saying I wouldn't make out with her, But since this was a comedy bit, maybe she wouldn't take that so seriously if something came up later.
"I did have a good birthday. And this is going to be another great week here. And you did help get it off on the right foot, so thank you for your time too," Emma exclaimed. "You can go ahead and bug me with nerd ticks later....but I really can't give you anything on Spider-Man, sorry."
"Okay....I'll consider bugging you anyway," I offered, making us both chuckled as I exited the room. But after closing the door most of the way, I left it open a little bit to peek and see Emma standing the card up on her dresser. Satisfied that this meant she really was flattered and that I had broken the ice, I shut the door completely.
Me and Emma didn't hang out as much as me and Anne did before our week here, but we did find a few occasions to talk during down periods. I particularly took note in her denial that she and new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield were dating, even though he was slated to make a cameo in the show. According to her they were friends, but Sony and Marvel advised them to have no comment about a relationship status, to keep rumors alive as the movie got closer.
In a way that made sense, since they couldn't just rely on Spider-Man to sell a reboot of a origin story from 10 years ago. I held my tongue on that in front of Emma, although a joke along those lines would actually be in the monologue. In any case, if Emma was telling the truth, it eliminated one possible obstacle for later.
However, me and Emma didn't get to be alone in a room on Saturday afternoon, unlike me and Anne. There were a few moments to talk, but they were in public while everyone scrambled to put together the show. So with that window of opportunity gone, I had to resign myself to having my streak broken; which was what I got for actually thinking ahead to doing it this time.
I shook that off eventually and did focus in time to see Emma do the show. After it was over, she and the cast would head to the after party, I would help tidy up the studio, I'd show up tomorrow for a final review and she'd probably be off. You can't win them all; or at least perhaps you can't win 10 in a row.
Once Emma and the cast left the stage and the audience started clearing out, I made my way out of Studio 8H to wait for my post-show assignments. So I saw nothing out of the ordinary when one of my female supervisors came to meet me.
"Good, I found you," she stated, as I just nodded in wait for my task. "Now I can tell you that you've been invited to the after party at the Heartland Brewery."
Now all I could do was drop my jaw in confusion before I stammered "Oh, um....how is that, exactly?"
"I suppose you could ask Ms. Stone about it when you get there," she pointed out before leaving. It seemed like I would have to do just that.
When I got to the Heartland Brewery at Times Square, I said I was part of the 'SNL' group and they actually told me where to find them. So since it had been established that I hadn't been pranked; at least not yet; I went over to the private room where the gang was supposed to be. And they were indeed there, with Emma quickly catching my eye in a white blouse and pink skirt. She noticed me too and helpfully went over to meet me.
"Hey, you got the message!" Emma exclaimed, which didn't instantly clear up everything. "Did you actually get me invited here?" I inquired to get the ball rolling.
"I may have made a recommendation. After all the times you've worked in that studio, it's probably old hat for you by now. I figured this would help this week stand out." There were other ways in which the other weeks had stood out even more, but I wasn't going to bring that up; not yet. But this was almost as much of a shock.
"You really didn't have to....didn't it look weird that you got a temp invited? And won't this make the regular workers a little jealous?" I nitpicked.