'Team Ellen' Kiwis get LA-style VIP treatment
01 May 2009
‘Team Ellen’ - the three New Zealand students whose social networking efforts saw them realise the dream of meeting US chat show host Ellen DeGeneres - are due back home after being treated as VIPs in LA.
Kaitlin Spedding, Lauren Mabbett and Nick McCabe from Canterbury in the South Island were entertained in the VIP lounge at LA International airport before boarding their Air NZ overnight flight to Auckland, ending what they describe as "an unbelievable dream".
The youthful trio, who dubbed themselves ‘Team Ellen’, have spent a week in LA staying in a luxurious hotel, being driven to tourist highlights in a limousine and appearing as special guests on ‘The Ellen Show’.
YouTube diary
The dream trip came about when the students, who are all studying television radio and performing arts at the NZ Broadcasting School in Christchurch, posted a video diary on YouTube saying they dreamed of being in ‘The Ellen Show’ audience.
When Ellen DeGeneres picked up on their mission through the Twitter social networking site, she tweeted back with tickets and an invitation to spend a week in LA with the support of Air New Zealand and Discover Los Angeles.
The Ellen Show
During their visit the students made two appearances on ‘The Ellen Show’. The first was a surprise when they found themselves on stage with the star host during what they thought was a tour of the television studios.
DeGeneres showed footage of the students’ visit to LA which included highlights like Disneyland, then gave them named Ellen Show jackets and commented that she wanted to visit New Zealand.
"I am dying to go to New Zealand because it’s gorgeous there, it’s unbelievably beautiful, the nature and the trees and stuff - everything is totally different," said DeGeneres.
For their second appearance the students were armed with an invitation from Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand for Ellen and her wife Portia to visit New Zealand.
It’s not yet known what her reaction was.
More information:
Kiwi tweeters on Hollywood dream call
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
