Insider Secrets of Club 33 Revealed!

Ever since I visited Club 33 in February 2010 and wrote about it, it has been one of my most popular posts here on Red Carpet Closet and it has been my top viewed video on YouTube.  Well, the day has come and Disney has revealed some insider secrets about membership because they are opening the waiting list for the first time in a decade.  The Orange County Register divulged the details today and I am here to give you all of the highlights:

1.  When: Beginning Friday, May 4, 2012, Disney is sending official invitations to the first 100 people on the 800-person waiting list.  These names have been on the list for 10 years since that was the last time Disney had an open waiting list.

2.  Membership Costs:  Individual initiation costs are $25,000 with a yearly membership of $10,000. This is a huge increase in yearly membership which stood at $3,600 for years.  You can be grandfathered into the old price, but it will exclude all of the new perks. Corporate memberships involve a $40,000 initiation fee and a yearly membership of $10,000.  Affiliate members will pay a $5,000 yearly fee.

3.  New Perks:  This part is rather exciting!  There will be a new lounge called 1901 in California Adventure for members and it was named after Uncle Walt's birth year.  It is located at the bottom of the Carthay Circle Theatre, but it is solely for drinks and small bites versus a full service meal over at Club 33.  Valet parking, exclusive sneak peeks at new attractions, and VIP itinerary planning are also a part of the membership now.  In addition to all of these new perks, an individual member is now given 4 annual passes to both Florida and California parks plus 50 day passes for guests.  Corporate members will receive 100 days passes.

4.  The List:  Well, if you are currently on the list, all 800 of you aren't getting in as invites are only going to the top 100 for now.  The good news is that the list is open!  Get on and join the wait.  Hey, you never know when you will get to be at the top and invited to drink a cocktail in that secret location in Disneyland.  Here is the email address for the Club 33 waiting list:   club33interest@disneyland.com

What do you think of the new perks for Club 33 membership?  Let me know on Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus.

Check out my original Club 33 article from February 2010.

Disney Dreams

I love that I look really tiny under the big Fantasia hat.

I'm sharing this photo with you because this image represents making dreams come true to me.  I don't ever think the 10-year-old me would ever think that I would be standing on the Disney studio lot in Burbank not once, but twice in a month's time. Sure, it was just for a screening, but it represents everything to the little me from the suburbs of Boston.  I have always loved anything Disney:  Disney World, Disneyland, Club 33 and I'm off to the D23 Expo in Anaheim this weekend.  It was Walt's animated creation, Jiminy Cricket,  that told me "When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true." (Wait, I'm taking advice from a cricket??!!) After dealing with a lousy end to 2010, 2011 has been a reminder to rediscover my dreams.  Little by little, that is happening and I'm truly grateful for it.

What are you doing to make your dreams come true?

Lyrics:

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those to love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

The Top Five

I hope everyone has an incredible and safe time tonight.  As 2010 draws to a close, here are some Top 5 lists for you.  It's been a great year here at Red Carpet Closet. Thanks for being a reader and a friend.  Happy New Year!

Top 5 Most Read Posts of 2010
1.  Disneyland's Club 33:  I have a feeling this post will be at the top in 2011 too.

2.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet, The Sequel:   What?!  You didn't like Part One as much?

3.  Publicity and Web Series:  My most controversial post of the year, but it always draws in a lot of readers.

4.  Behind the Scenes of Mommy XXX:  Well, this focused on Sony's web series about an adult star, Demi Delia, raising two kids.  The series was shot in a very Osbourne-like reality show way and this episode was shot in 2009.  Demi started to manage the mistresses of Tiger Woods, so I imagine the tabloid aspect of this entire tale drew many readers here.  It is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever covered.  Read the blog, watch the episode, and I think your initial perception may change.

5.  Behind the Scenes with Taryn Southern:  This lovely lady had a great year, so I know there are many guys out there drooling over this smart, ambitious actor/producer/writer/host/singer.  If you aren't familiar with her, check out some of her work, she's one to watch.

Top 5 Most Absurd Searches on Red Carpet Closet:
These always make me laugh, misspellings and all!

1.  "Does (sic) and Don'ts for a Red Person":  Um, hmmm, I don't discriminate by color on my blog.  Anyone can mess up on the red carpet.  I guess you were looking for this post?

2.  "I want to see your peacock behind the scene (sic)": Okay, I realize these are lyrics in a Katy Perry song, but I don't write about Katy, peacocks, or Teenage Dreams, this is more my style here at Red Carpet Closet.

3.  "Kristyn Burtt piernas":  I rarely write about the crazy things people put in a search engine to find me, but I remember my 7th grade Spanish.  Thanks for looking at my legs, I think?  I am not going to direct you to the photos, instead you can enjoy me all bundled up at the State Fair of Texas.  Enjoy!

4.  "Rachael Hip Flores boyfriend":  Hmmm, I am not sure if Rachael has a boyfriend or not.  I will ask her, but here is my favorite story about Rachael in 2010 when she won a Streamy Award for Anyone But Me.  Well-deserved!

5.  "her choir robe":  As a lapsed Catholic, I don't have much use for choir robes these days, but I did wear one this year for the XBox 360 Kinect premiere. Was this the style you were looking for?

Finally, I was able to discover a lot of new blogs and make some great online friends this year.  Here, in no particular order,  are a few other writers to check if you don't already follow them:
New Blogs to Check Out in 2011:
1. Jenna Birch at Seven Style Notes:  She's 18, a strong writer, and just adorable.
2. Shauna Sever at Piece of Cake:  I gain 5 virtual pounds every time I read her blog.
3. Emily Schuman at Cupcakes and Cashmere:  There are lots of fashion blogs, but I don't think anyone does it better.
4. Elle Sees at Elle Sees:  A great overall blog, but her posts on throwing theme parties for everything from Mad Men to NYE are my favorites.
5. Indiana Adams at Adored Austin:  Probably the quirkiest and funniest blogger of the bunch.  She makes me laugh and I know she would be the kind of girl I would want to have a cocktail with.

2010 in Review: February

I had to go back and look at what I did in the month of February.  I always have a gig in Chicago, but the rest of the month was kind of a blur.  However, I have a lot of fun photos that really capture my month:

1.  We were in Chicago and away from all of our significant others on Valentine's Day, but this was a really fun champagne and chocolate-covered strawberry filled evening with my pals, Melody Freeman and Ted Napolitano.

2.  I finally got behind that door and found out what Club 33 was all about.  It is a must for any Disney geek and it is my most popular post of 2010.  What's behind that door?  Unicorns, rainbows, and all the magic of Disney.

3.  Chicago is the most enthusiastic city we hit with Toyota Live each year.  We even gave away a 2010 Prius live onstage which was so thrilling, the winner grabbed me in a huge bear hug when she was declared the winner.  I'll be back in February 2011 and hanging on the jumbo LED wall again.

4.  This was the first infomercial I had shot in awhile and it became my first in a series of four infomercials that I shot in 2010.  It was a great day on set with fitness expert, Jennifer Galardi.  If you want to see the final results, wait for me at 2 AM on your TV or click here.

5.  The Streamys "For Your Consideration" screenings were in full force in February as I covered the red carpet for Koldcast TV at the Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies showing.  Here I am with eventual Best Director nominee, Scott Brown, of Blue Movies.  You can see some of the footage from this evening here.

Come back tomorrow at Red Carpet Closet for a review of March 2010 with Atlanta, paparazzi photos, A Good Knight's Quest premiere and more!

October: Monthly Wrap-Up

It's been a week of premieres, panels, and infomercials, so my posting has been a bit lax.  I will be back with a vengeance on Monday and I will post more on my awesome week on set in Nashville with an infomercial icon.  In the meantime, here is what you were reading this month on Red Carpet Closet:

Top 5 Posts:

1.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet: The Sequel:  This continues to be a heavy hitter with a majority of the readers coming from overseas.  I'm not sure what is drawing them in as awards season is still six weeks away, but I appreciate everyone stopping by to learn a little about putting your best foot forward on the red carpet.

2.  GQ/Glee Controversy:  The photos are all here, you can chime in with your opinions on Lea Michele's spread-eagle photo spread.

3.  Happy 20th Anniversary, 90210!:  A lot of you certainly remember the Brenda years and those delightful mom jeans.

4.  Disneyland's Club 33:  This post continually makes the monthly Top 5 list, but it slid a few numbers down.  Maybe you are finally tiring of this topic?

5.  Behind the Scenes with Taryn Southern:  This lovely lady is a multi-hyphenate:  actress, producer, writer, singer, and host.  Learn a little more about my pal, Taryn.

I decided to also do something new for this monthly wrap-up:  The Top 5 Most Absurd Searches:

1.  "Berbank Delai":  Um, not sure what this means, but it sure is close to this post about getting stuck at an airport.

2. "Can You Have Carpet for Kinect?":  Okay, this isn't a video game blog, but I did attend the launch of XBox 360 Kinect.  Even armed with that knowledge, I have no idea if you have to have hardwood floors or carpeting to play a video game.  That would seem a bit exclusionary, no?

3.  "Glasses Mark Gantt Wears":  Well, I do know Mark Gantt, but I don't know about his glasses.  He is the super hot star of The Bannen Way.  Do you want me to ask him what kind of glasses he wears?  Mark, maybe you could chime in the comments section.

4.  "Something Serious in Olga Kay's Life Right Now":  Yep, I know YouTube sensation, Olga Kay, too.  I think she is okay, but thanks for your concern.  Maybe Olga can reassure all of her fans with a comment below.  Olga, are you okay?

5.  "Smarties Halloween Treat Holder":  That's some interesting phrasing, but is this what you were looking for?

Have a safe and sweet Halloween!  See you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

Weekly Wrap-Up

It's been such a fun first week here at the State Fair of Texas.  The weather has been beautiful and tomorrow is the big Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl, so it should be an action-packed weekend.  Here are a couple of photos from the week and a wrap-up of what you were reading this month at Red Carpet Closet.

I'm in a tornado with the Tundra!

The Top 5 Posts for the month of September.  If you missed one of them, catch up here over the weekend:

1.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet:  The Sequel:  It's hard to believe that this post was from July 2010, but I think it made a resurgence with the Emmys and the fact that it has a clip of Anna Torv from Fringe.  She's a lovely gal and a popular one too.  

2.  It's Giveaway Time:  Well, this giveaway is over.....today!  I am proud to announce the winner of two tickets to the Web TV Prom on October 20th.  Congratulations, David August!  In the meantime, head on over to read the comments about everyone's prom experiences.  Priceless.

3.  Emmys: Part 2:  A fun weekend was spent hanging out at the gifting suites with my favorite TV stars.  Check out the photos in this post, I bet you will recognize a face or two.

4.  Disneyland's Club 33:  Yes, it is here again. It's always in the Top 5.  If you have no idea what Club 33 is, then this post is for you.

5.  Web Series Wednesday:  This one snuck in at the last minute.  I posted this article earlier this week about some upcoming shows.  Sure, it has a whiff of nepotism, I am making cameos in a few of the shows.  Check out the on set photos from the shoots.

The Toyota Live team, Week 1 rocking the bumble bee wardrobe.

In parting, my fellow co-host departs tomorrow, so a big thank you for stepping in and making this week so much fun.  We danced, we sang, and he even did The Worm. (voluntarily!)  Thanks, Chris!

I hope your weekend is filled with laughter and fun, make sure to let me know what you are up to this weekend in the comments below.  See you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

Monthly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday!  I am going to do a weekly and monthly wrap-up all in one for this Labor Day Weekend. Let's get started so all of you can enjoy your long weekend sooner versus later.  Here we go!

For those of you who are Twilight fans, here's a blast from the past with BooBoo Stewart who plays, Seth Clearwater, in the series.  I worked on an adorable series with him called Blue Dolphin Kids back in 2006-2007.  BooBoo and his sister, Fivel, were so charming in this series about discovering the fun of Hawaii.  I narrated and they hosted.  Check out this one minute clip with all of us and see how little BooBoo looks.  Cute!

Yesterday, I was shooting on location in San Diego at Streamlight Video for one of my regular clients, LawInfo.  Here's a great look behind the scenes of what it is really like on set.  The clothes don't fit? Call in your instant tailor:  the clothespin!

The reality is much less glamorous than the illusion.....

If you are in the LA area, here are two great charity events that I will be participating in.

September 10th:  Fashion's Night Out:

September 22nd: Web TV Prom:

For the September 10th event, I will be covering it for Mingle Media TV and the September 22nd event, I will be hosting the Live Stream for This Week In, so for those of you who live outside of LA, you can watch it live from your computer.  They are both great events to support some terrific charitable causes.  I hope to see you there!

Last but not least, here are the Top 5 posts you were reading in the month of August.  If you missed them, this long weekend is the perfect time to catch up:

1.  I guess you are just like me, you love your Bad TV.  A lot of you were searching for Jeff Lewis of Bravo TV's Flipping Out, so thanks for coming to me as your source.

2.  It's no secret that I do a lot of work in the Web TV community, so it is fitting that my round-up of Web TV news made it to the Top 5 last month.

3.  The Coach Poppy Project has brought a lot of you here.  The winners were announced the other day. Were you one of the winners?  I wasn't.  Boo!

4.  Every month, this post makes the Top 5.  You all want to get into Disneyland's secret Club 33.  Oh, you didn't know Disneyland had a private club?  Well, I got in!  Take a look.

5.  Anytime there is a big awards show, this post resurrects itself.  I am glad it is useful to those of you sashaying down the red carpet.  Here's my perspective on some Dos and Don'ts on the red carpet.

Okay, I call that a week!  Have a great long weekend.  Let me know what you are doing to celebrate Labor Day in the comments and remember, you have three more days to enter the Emmys Event Weekend gift basket.

July Round-Up

Happy Monday, Everyone!  To kick off the week, here's a round-up of the top 5 posts you were hitting in the month of July:

1.  Club 33:  Okay, I get it, this is going to be my top post of 2010.  The mystery of Club 33 has long taunted Disney fanatics, the lore of what is behind that nondescript door.  Well, I got behind the gates, here's my visit to Disneyland's Club 33.

2.  Vampire Mob:  He's a Vampire.  He's a Hitman.  He lives with his mother-in-law.  Find out why this web series with the Marcia Wallace and Kirsten Vangsness keeps bringing you back here: Vampire Mob.

3.  5th Annual ITVFest:  The Independent Television Festival is going on now through August 5th.  Check out the Gala from 2009, 2010, and my red carpet interviews.

4.  Something Exciting is Coming:  Yep, it is coming soon with Open Sky Project.  Read the post, sign up, and join me on August 10th.

5.  Taryn Southern:  I interviewed Taryn for The Web Files earlier this year.  She has been cropping up quite a bit on your searches of Red Carpet Closet.  Yep, she's smart and hot so, go check out the episode with exclusive Behind the Scenes footage.

Thanks for stopping by Red Carpet Closet, I can't wait to see what your picks are for the month of August.  Be sure to comment below and let me know what you think of everyone's eclectic picks for July.

Gone Fishing

While I take a much needed holiday break, I will leave you with a couple of posts you may have missed.  I will be back posting away next week with all of my adventures and an upcoming event in Chicago for Women's Health Magazine.

1. The legend of Disney continues into 2010 with my post showing behind the walls of Club 33.  This was posted on Disney Food Blog and every week, I find new friends thanks to Uncle Walt.

2. This next article was written in 2009, but Demi Delia is an interesting woman.  As a former adult star, she is raising two successful and smart kids.  Crackle.com chronicled her life in an online reality show, Mommy XXX.  Demi also made headlines again a few months ago as an alleged mistress of actor, David Boreanz.

3. Who knew that one iPhone photo would cause such frenzy?  Yes, I was there for the 2010 fire at Cobo Hall in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.  See what all the fuss was about.

4. This article gave me my first hate email.  It was about Publicity and Web Series, but someone got their panties in a bunch over what I had written.  Tubefilter also referenced the article in a recent post as well.

5. The Legend of Neil fans are exactly that.....legendary.  Their continued support for our episode of The Web Files with Sandeep Parikh and Tony Janning is amazing and I always appreciate them stopping by. Here's their behind the scenes feature:  Legend of Neil.

So, that's the Top 5 at the halfway point of 2010.  Let me know what your favorite article has been this year.  Leave a comment and tell me what you think.  Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Disneyland's Club 33

UPDATE:  Check out the latest information on the waiting list and new perks for Club 33 here. 

Anyone that knows me understands that I am a HUGE Disney dork. The parks have always been a fun place for me to visit whether I was 3 or 33 years old. My family spent a considerable amount of time visiting Walt Disney World in Florida during cold winter breaks when I was a kid and once I moved to LA in 2000, Disneyland became a fun day trip several times a year. I became clued in on a private club that Walt Disney had built to entertain VIPs at the park back in 2001. Walt never had the opportunity to see this club finished, but I made it my mission to find a way into the famed Club 33.

I spent countless visits taking my picture next to the sign, hoping that maybe one day I would make my photo a reality. Well, 2010 was the year it all came true. My super cute boyfriend was able to make a connection with someone that had a corporate membership, and that is how my December 2009 birthday gift came to be. It really was one of those friend of a friend of a friend of a friend situations, so whomever you are, thanks for making one of my top wishes come true. Scratched off the bucket list!

You receive free admission to both parks the day of your reservation and we checked in at Guest Relations over by California Adventure. Our day happened to be the wettest day I have ever been to at the park, but no lines makes for easy ride hopping. The reservation was for 1 PM, so we were told to check in 15 minutes early. We headed over to New Orleans Square and checked in by pressing the hidden bell. They asked for the name of the reservation and then buzzed us in. Turns out, our table wasn't ready, so we had to go out and do the whole process again ten minutes later. Hey, it's Hollywood, you always get a second take. To see my grand entrance, here is a short one minute clip: Club 33
Once we were let into the lobby, the concierge gave us a brief history of Club 33. It is decorated much like a Parisian hotel lobby right down to the lift that was replicated by Disney Imagineers. Americans are kind of chubby, so the lift only holds about 3 average sized people...maybe in France it would be 4 or 5 people. There is a set of stairs to the left of the lift, so half of us hiked it up while I rode the elevator to the top floor.

Much of the decor was selected by Lillian Disney with lots of antiques like this harpsichord rumored to have been played by Elton John during a visit.
The infamous bar! Yes, this is the only place in the Disneyland park where you can drink. (California Adventure allows alcohol to be served in several restaurants.) The bartender was quite a character, but we enjoyed him because he said, "heavy price, heavy pour.". Yep, the drinks were strong and delicious.
Along the walls, there were beautiful wardrobe sketches from the movie, Mary Poppins, along with renderings of Disneyland back in the 1950's, and a fantastic photograph of Walt with Shirley Temple at the Academy Awards.

During media interviews when I worked at the Kodak Theatre, I was always asked about the restrooms. I don't know why people are obsessed with how fancy a bathroom is, but if you are one of those people, these next two photos are for you. This is what the Club 33 bathroom looked like.....vanity area....

And their really odd shaped toilet........

For me, I always want to know about the food. So, all of you foodies out there, enjoy!

The menu....I chose the Monkfish, but our waitress kept trying to get us to order the Chateaubriand. She never stated that it was the best on the menu, she made it sound more like a fire sale on beef.

The opening course is a buffet of cheeses, lobster tail, shrimp, salads, and soup. I was hungry.....

And then my meal came, so I had to find some room for my Monkfish with Lobster Bisque.

But wait, there's more! Dessert buffet filled with every sweet you can imagine. The purple cake thing was not so good, but my Hostess cupcake lookalike was amazing.

But there's even more! It's my birthday celebration, so I also received a Mickey Mouse chocolate mousse cake. Yum!

After eating we headed outside to the balcony to check out the view....

The wet view below with umbrellas and ponchos in sight. This is looking towards the Fanstasmic stage. If you eat dinner at Club 33, you might be able to catch the early showing of Fantasmic from this location. The back end of the balconies leads you into New Orleans Square by the restaurant, Bayou.

The infamous vulture that Walt didn't live to see, but it was designed as one of the Disney animatronics to talk to the dinners and listen in on their conversations.

In fact, he had microphones built into the chandeliers so the person behind the vulture could spy on people dining at Club 33. (microphone in the center of chandelier hanging down.)

And all good Disney attractions lead to a gift shop. We bought an $18 (suckers!) shot glass with the Club 33 insignia. We also managed to take home a few napkins lifted from the restroom, our cocktail stirrers, a pen, and a few chocolates. Hey, it's a once in a lifetime visit! We spent over 3 hours here and it was well worth it....especially the ride on Space Mountain after a few cocktails!

Are there any Annual Passholders reading this? I would like to get my hands on these vintage pins. Email me if you have the hookup. (My first and last name at Gmail)

Now, a few parting shots of our day around the parks....Tower of Terror!

Space Mountain.......

Buzz Lightyear......

Thanks for celebrating with me at Club 33!

Just a few Club 33 details:

14 year waiting list for membership

Waiting list is CLOSED as of Spring 2007

$10,450 to join for an individual and an annual fee of $3,275

$27,500 for a corporate membership with an annual fee of $6,100

Reservations are taken up to 90 days in advance for members and up to 60 days in advance for guests.

P.S. For those of you that are Hidden Mickey fans, they do exist at Club 33. It isn't in the architecture, but in the cast members' Club 33 uniforms. Happy searching!

Many thanks to Disney Food Blog for linking to this post. If you are a Disney Dork and a foodie, this is the site to check out: Disney Food Blog

2009 in Review: December

Happy New Year! Thank you for an amazing 2009. Here's a final look at December......

In San Diego about an hour before 2010. Not my finest photo, but definitely my last photo of 2009.

At the LA show with my newest friend, Shannon Brown, Jr. For you Lakers fans, this is Shannon Brown's little guy. His daddy was busy signing autographs.

Our farm animals and their official Christmas 2009 photo:

I will be inside these gates on February 1, 2010. Google "Club 33" if you have no idea what I am talking about. Stay tuned for coverage next month.

Splash Mountain on Christmas Day 2009:

Outside the Pantages Theatre before a performance of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Thank you, Tiger B., for the amazing tickets! (Yes, that's Tiger B., not Tiger W.)

A Christmas treat in the mail! Thanks to Cookie and Dave for the snacks.

Our last shoot of 2009, Dorm Life! This episode is coming your way soon......

And a little Legend of Neil to start out 2010. This was our second to last shoot of the year.

My birthday and my favorite treat, cupcakes! 1 of 3 that I ate that day.
Here's to a wonderful new year and new decade. May 2010 bring many joys and successes to your life!