Photo Credit: ABC
If you have been following along, which hopefully you have, then you know that a few weeks ago a group of bloggers and I visited Los Angeles for the of Disney•Pixar’s THE GOOD DINOSAUR. While there, we experienced a number of events and one of them was meeting , star of ABC’s Wednesday night comedy black-ish. Tracee met us in the studio lot, shook each one of our hands and introduced herself, and then walked us to the black-ish set.
Now, I have to ask, have you ever seen a set? I’ve seen stage sets from plays; I’ve even helped build one or two for school plays. I’ve also seen the set of say a cooking show while watching a reality series but I have never seen a REAL set … at least, not until now!
Photo Credit: Heidi with TheBraggingMommy.com
If I had to use one word to sum up the entire experience it would be WOW or maybe HUGE or WANT. Okay, so I can’t really settle on one word it seems. Even as we stood “outside,” meaning the pretend outside that we see on television, before we entered the “home” (set), my mouth had dropped open and I was having a difficult time taking everything in. In fact, I kind of flashed to that movie where they are taping the man’s life and they have this entire town built within a studio or dome or whatever you want to call it. Yeah, I was sitting there thinking, this could totally happen and I would happily sign up. Then we walked inside and I literally had to pick my jaw up off the ground. It was absolutely gorgeous and spacious and I wanted to move in. I kid you not; I wish I could live there!
Photo Credit: Heidi with TheBraggingMommy.com
The set, which in all reality could be a rather marvelous ranch, if they closed off the ceiling, is everything I want in a home. I fell in love with everything that I saw to the point that I was actually walking around snapping pictures so I could take them home to my husband. You see, I want to move and from the looks of things, our new street address may be black-ish. The floors, the kitchen, the décor, and the space! Oh my goodness, THE SPACE! This faux house, if you will, is larger than mine and I want everything inside. Did I mention that if I were to lie down on the floor, say in a hallway, and put my head against one wall and try to touch the other wall with my feet I likely would not be able to? Yeah, that is how big this house is!
Photo Credit: Olivia with This N That with Olivia
Let me just say, I was in such awe that during the “interview” with Tracee Ellis Ross I actually blurted out, “Every room is bigger than my house.” Tracee explained that the big rooms are nice because they make it easy for shooting. She noted that when she was on Girlfriends everything was smaller but the set was open, there was always a wall missing, because they shot on multi-cam. She said on the set of black-ish all of the walls close but in certain areas of the house there are times when a wall is off based on how a scene is being shot.
Photo Credit: Two Kids and a Coupon
Okay, okay, size aside, the thing that really struck me is the personal touches that went into the home; this truly is the Johnson family home. I have to be honest in saying I’ve never paid that much attention to the detail of a television home. I get it, completely, but I’ve never really focused on the details. Thanks to black-ish, I’m going to start! We’re talking pictures of the kids growing up, the Johnson family pictures, Dre’s hat and shoe collection (seriously, look at it), the personal touches to the kitchen including a junk drawer (where Tracee hides copies of the script and her cell phone), real snacks on the counter (Peanut M&Ms – my favorite!), and food in the refrigerator (although I didn’t look to see if the food was real or if it was just empty containers). Did I mention the bed? I think this is the softest bed that I have ever felt in my life. I didn’t get to try it out but I touched it and it seriously felt like a cloud … and it’s just a prop! People don’t show up at the house at night and actually sleep on it. Tracee talked about rehearsals on the set and joked about Anthony Anderson (Dre) and her napping in the bed during camera rehearsals but that’s it.
Photo Credit: Heidi with TheBraggingMommy.com
Everything about this house screamed “the Johnson’s live here” and every knick-knack and picture made it feel like a home. To see exactly what I mean, tune in to black-ish TONIGHT on ABC, 9:30|8:30c.
Photo Credit: Olivia with This N That with Olivia
POPS AND RUBY TRY TO SHOW THE KIDS THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS BY PARING DOWN GIFTS AND SPENDING MORE TIME TOGETHER, AND DAPHNE LIDO INVITES HERSELF OVER TO CELEBRATE WITH THE JOHNSONS, ON ABC’S “black-ish”
Photo Credit: ABC/Ron Batzdorff
“Stuff” – Dre thinks Christmas has become commercialized and is all about “stuff,” and no one loves “stuff” more than his kids. Pops and Ruby think they have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas and come up with a new plan to pare down gifts and spend more time together. The kids don’t handle the news well and hope that if they put on their best behavior Dre and Bow will cave in. Meanwhile, Daphne Lido (played by Wanda Sykes), who is single for her first holiday alone, invites herself to the Johnson family home to celebrate with them, on “black-ish,” WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 (9:31-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Photo Credit: ABC/Ron Batzdorff
“black-ish” stars Anthony Anderson as Andre “Dre” Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson, Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson, Marcus Scribner as Andre Johnson, Jr., Miles Brown as Jack Johnson, Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson and Laurence Fishburne as Pops. Guest starring is Jenifer Lewis as Ruby, Wanda Sykes as Daphne Lido, Peter Mackenzie as Mr. Stevens, Catherine Reitman as Lucy and Issac Ryan Brown as Young Dre.
“Stuff” was written by Corey Nickerson and directed by Ken Whittingham.
Photo Credit: ABC/Ron Batzdorff
“black-ish” was created by Kenya Barris and is executive-produced by Barris, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland and E. Brian Dobbins. The series is produced by ABC Studios.
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I was sent on an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles, California courtesy of Disney to experience The Good Dinosaur, black-ish, and a series of other adventures surrounding the movie. Regardless, all opinions expressed are still 100% my own.
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