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OUAT – Oncers Take Manhattan Part 1

Once Upon A September Day
By Marissa @shortndsweet15

Last Thursday, my sister Nina and I had an amazing Once Upon A Time filled day. It started out as hoping to be able to see Lana’s guest appearance in “LIVE with Kelly and Michael”, but never could I have imagined the magical experience it would turn out to be.

We had to get to LIVE quite early (5 AM to be exact), because we didn’t have tickets and had to wait in the standby line. It wasn’t a guarantee, but we wanted to give ourselves our best chance. And when it comes to Lana, I’m always looking to support her in any way I can. Thankfully we got into the show! The wonderful Sara Ramirez from Grey’s Anatomy was first and then Lana came on with huge cheers from the crowd! Absolutely beautiful as always, it was so fun to see her talk about some of her favorite things about being home, and what’s in store for Regina in Season 2, including how we’re going to see a more vulnerable side to her this season. They then showed the sneak peek involving the mob scene at Regina’s house. During the whole clip, which I of course had watched endless times, I instead watched Lana as she watched the scene herself. It was so entertaining to see her watch herself on the screen. She had these priceless facial expressions, especially after Regina says “You wanted to see your Queen?”, where she had this amazing Cheshire Cat-like grin. Even in those quick moments it was so easy to see just how much she loves what she does, how much fun she has with this character, and how absolutely excited she was for others to see the magic that Season 2 was going to be. I can only imagine how incredible it would be to watch a full episode of Once Upon A Time with Lana, a thrill I can only imagine 🙂

Following LIVE, my sister and I left the studio and walked down the street. Lana was to film her guest appearance on “The Chew” that same day, and it was only that morning that I found out that the studios for “The Chew” and LIVE were right next to each other. Because we were in the audience for LIVE we couldn’t try to see Lana (as many others did) as she arrived at the studio. So we were hoping that maybe we’d be able to catch her as she went in for “The Chew”, which was to start fairly soon. While my sister and I were standing outside, Michael Symon came out briefly. I was completely caught off guard when he came out, and he looked distracted so I didn’t say anything. But my sister and I must have made some impression on him because he would mention to Lana on “The Chew” about the shaking Evil Regals that were outside! Apparently I wasn’t as composed as I thought I was! I’m also glad that at 24 I still look about 16-18 😉 Shortly after Michael walked back in, a car pulled up and who walks out but Lana herself! She immediately saw me and gave me such a huge smile and wave. She had several people with her, including her niece, and she was being escorted into the studio, but being the incredibly sweet person she is, she immediately asked them if she had a few free moments. Even though I had seen this in Los Angeles at Paley Fest, and again in Vancouver while filming, her willingness to take any time she had to spare and spend it with fans once again blew me away. It’s one of the many things that I love so much about her, and one of the countless reasons why I have such tremendous respect for her. She truly loves her fans with all her heart and she is so appreciative of the (well-deserved) love that she’s received especially since OUAT began. Furthermore, my sister is a big fan of Lana’s and had never met her before so I was thrilled for her to finally get that chance . Lana talked with us for a few wonderful minutes, and was as sweet and as kind as ever. She then had to be rushed into the studio, but not before turning around and asking us if we’d be there afterwards. I was once again floored by how much she wants to see her fans and how she wants to spend time with them. The two of us grabbed some lunch and returned to the studio. We were joined this time by two other excited Evil Regals hoping to see Lana. Lana soon came out and talked with us for a little bit. She said how filming “The Chew” was so much fun and that we all would love it. One important person who was missing was my Evil Regal Sister Paige, and while I talked to Lana, my sister got Paige on the phone and Lana was sweet enough to talk to her and say hello…I was so happy that worked out 🙂 Lana then took the time to take a quick picture with us, give me an amazing love-filled hug, and then had to get on with her very busy day. She gave me another huge smile as she got in the car. I was so incredibly grateful for the moments my sister and I had with her, moments that’ll last a lifetime. With grateful hearts, Nina and I ventured on to the next part of our day.

Keep checking back for Part 2

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