Live from Stand Up To Cancer

After two months of living and breathing Stand Up To Cancer, the amazing telecast happened today and luckily I was there to see it happen. After hearing so many personal stories of how cancer has affected so many people, it was great ending with such a spectacular event, although I cried some more. Granted the work isn't done yet, but still the big day is no longer looming. Did you watch, did you like it?

Anyway, early in the afternoon at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, as rehearsals were going on onstage, I was up in the press room seeing the different celeb personalities share their stories on the red carpet. Let me start with the stars that I had a personal experiences with.

Jennifer Aniston

One of my favorites. If you asked me who are the three celebs I'd most want to meet, I'd respond with Katharine Hepburn, which is obviously not going to happen, Robert DeNiro, who I luckily saw earlier this year at Tribeca Film Festival and Jennifer Aniston. As Jennifer was leaving I bravely followed her, noting that she nodded and smiled at the security guards that said hello to her as she walked by, so I took the chance and asked, "Jennifer can I get a picture with you?" and she kindly said sure. So not only did I speak to her I got to put my arm around her tiny little waist. I also told her that I used to have a Friends Newsletter, I'm sure she had no idea what I was talking about but I told her how I was so excited and probably mumbled a few other things, but I have no recollection now. Wow!

Fran Drescher

The Nanny named Fran was the second celeb that I was most excited to see at the show, so I couldn't let the chance pass by and not attempt to talk to her. I said the first thing that came to mind. "The Nanny wasn't on Lifetime this morning, I usually watch it when I'm getting ready for work." She did her infamous laugh and said "Yeah, my parents were complaining about that." Wearing a Cancer Schmancer button she went on to say that The Nanny will now be on Nick at Nite. I guess I'll be tuning in there instead. But how sad that when I was growing up Nick at Nite used to run I Love Lucy and Green Acres episodes and now it's airing Family Matters and The Nanny?

Mandy Moore 
As she waited to enter the press conference stage, I couldn't help but notice how high her heels were and feel the pain of my significantly lower heels, so I said to her "Your feet must be killing you" and she motioned with her fingers and said "a little bit," but conveying with her face that she meant a LOT. Very sweet and down to earth.

Jon Favreau

Was being very sweet and patiently waited his turn to address the press, with which he shared the fact that his mother died 30 years ago of cancer. Terrible.

Abigail Breslin

I rode up in the elevator with the Little Miss Sunshine actress, who was wearing cute little cowboy boots with fringe hanging off of it. She handled the press line like a pro and on her shirt under the 'In Memory Of' Stand Up To Cancer shirt was the hand written name of "Grandpa Larry" who unfortunately died of cancer.

Josh Peck

I kept staring at him trying to figure out how I knew him when it hit me, he was in The Wackness, which I reviewed earlier this summer. I asked him if he was really from New York and he said he was and I told him I was too and we then quickly discussed locations. I also asked if we could take a photo together.

Jennifer Garner

I didn't get to speak to her, but I loved looking at the Alias hottie, who was glowing and showing her baby bump.

Neil Patrick Harris


Jason Mraz

He nodded at me and looked like he was about to speak to me but was being led away.

Casey Affleck

He kept making the press laugh.

Dana Delaney

This Desperate Housewives actress who I'll always remember from an episode of Moonlighting and the movie Housesitter, taped her mammogram for the show. I liked her glasses.

Melina Kanakaredes


Ellen

The cameramen kept yelling out congratulations to her on her marriage, but she sped through the press line in her sneakers pretty quickly.

Charles Barkley

Easily stood a foot taller than everyone on the press line.

Forest Whitaker


Sharon Osbourne


Marissa Jarrett-Winkour

A cancer survivor and recent mother who said this her first time away from her baby.

Jimmy Fallon


Kate Bosworth

So skinny!

America Ferrera


Marlo Thomas


I also saw upclose: Sugarland, Sheryl Crow and her baby, Salma Hayek, Christina Ricci, Rob Lowe, Gary Shandling, Patrick Swayze, Zachary Levi and Julia Louis Dryfus, just didn't get pics. Yes, I'm totally name dropping but it was a lot of stars in one night.

And lastly, here's a photo of me up in the second mezzanine where I was seated once the show started:

Also if you want a Stand Up To Cancer/SU2C shirts like the ones worn by the stars above go to their CafePress.com page.

21 comments

  1. OMG! How cool are you?! Can't believe you got you picture taken with Jennifer Aniston! A least you said something to her...I would have been struck dumb! What an amazing night...thanks for the low down and cool pictures!

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  2. Hi there! Nice photos - lucky you! I just wanted to let you know that it is not Nikki Blonsky who is a cancer survivor and has a new baby. Nikki is only 19! :)

    That is actually Marissa Jarrett-
    Winkour, who played Tracy in Hairspray on Broadway. Nikki played Tracy in the 2007 movie version.

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  3. I'm so proud of you and your involvement with this project.

    Mom

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  4. I am so proud of you! The show was amazing!

    Mandy's shoes aren't too bad but they do look like they hurt.

    Kate Bosworth needs a sandwich!

    Ah, Jennifer! I am so happy you got your photo with her.

    I loved the show. I cried countless times. Dana Delaney's mammogram was so encouraging to watch. I couldn't help tearing up when Christina Applegate started to speak. I cried the most when Haley Berry and co. spoke for the people with cancer.

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  5. Thank you IndyChick, I recognized her but looked up the wrong name on Wikipedia then. I'll fix it now.

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  6. congrats on the big night tara. i'm sure you worked your butt off. always good to have some fun with such hard work.

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  7. I am so proud of you and how much you've worked for this!!

    I didn't get to see the telecast...I'm not sure if it was on here. (find something on TV here is crazy b/c of our wack channels! LOL)

    GREAT pics! I'm so excited you got a pic w/ Jennifer Aniston!!

    ~SL

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  8. Ahhh! I'm so jealous you got to meet Jennifer Aniston and talk to her and take a picture with her! She is also in my top 3 celebrities :DD
    lucky duck!!!!

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  9. looks awesome, great job working on all of this! looks like a blast back stage. hooray for su2c. BTW, close to 1M views on youtube!

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  10. Holy crap...I am totally star-struck!

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  11. I think that it is GREAT that you are actually standing up to cancer and that you got to meet such a bevy of high profile individuals while promoting a cause that you truly believe in. I love the photo of you and Jennifer Aniston. So cool :). I love Fran Drescher, you are such a lucky gal!!!

    Best wishes!

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  12. Hey, I don't know you but I got an email from you.
    It's great you got to meet Jennifer Aniston and Fran Dresher, I love them!

    -itzdaiana

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  13. Ahhh! I'm so jealous you got to meet Jennifer Aniston and talk to her and take a picture with her!

    -----------------
    me too!!!
    lucky you!

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  14. How happy must you be! Not only do you meet Jennifer but have a picture too! That is awesome. Too bad George Clooney did not make an appearance.

    I have the concert DVR'ed will see it tonight.

    How proud am I of you! Planning a destination wedding and a huge event like Stand up to Cancer!

    Great job! Love you.
    Gem

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  15. That looks like you had an awesome time and I'm so happy how well the broadcast went.

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  16. tara that is so awesome. so cool you got to see and interact with so many stars and glad to hear that none of them were mean or anything. i seriously love mandy and jen garner, ah love. love the recap and glad it was all got a great cause :)

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  17. Hey there, didn't know you were involved in SU2C (I worked with them on a few projects). For better or for worse, I didn't attend the live telecast on Friday but glad you had a great time and saw your work come into fruition!

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  18. All of the celebrities are just as gorgeous in real life as they are when they are airbrushed for a mag. Thanks for sharing all of that and how awesome it must have been. You looked like you fit in perfectly!!!!

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  19. What a cool gig. Good for you for speaking to Jen Aniston. I typically chicken out in situations like that. As for the show itself, I made it half way through (on DVR) before it became too much for me. Lots and lots of tears so I had to turn it off. I'll finish the last half this week.

    And totally unrelated...sorry to bail on you (and Pinkberry) tonight. I had a client meeting come up at the last minute.

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  20. Hey, that's cool. Josh Peck is actually my neighbor... Although, I probably shouldn't divulge that info, seeing as I don't know the guy.

    Oh well, at least there's a security gate.

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  21. I haven't replied here in forever, but I just had to tell you how excited I am for you about Jennifer Aniston! I'm a fellow Friends fan and I have been on your newsletter list since back in the day, so I feel like that's one of "us" in that picture! Congrats girl! That's way better than my Courtney Cox story!

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