From the newsroom and news to come to me.

From the newsroom and news to come to me.

Good day there, I'm Andrew Bucklow. Now usually Bronte Coy would host this episode with an update on the latest happenings from Buckingham Palace. But I'm afraid our little Royal insider is that available this weekend, so you've got me instead. Some would say an upgrade, some would say not so much. I'm not an expert on the Royals at all, so I thought what I'd do is focus on the Oscars instead, which are coming up on Monday morning Australian time. And what I thought I'd do is re visit one of my favorite interviews that I did a couple of years ago. I spoke to a woman in twenty twenty two. Her name is Laura Kine, and she used to be a seat filler at the Academy Awards. How cool is that? She told me some amazing celebrity stories and revealed why she got banned from the Oscars. I'll play you some highlights from that chat in just a moment. Let's talk about the fact that you've been a seat filler at the oscars. How many years were you a seat filler for?

Good day there, I'm Andrew Bucklow. Now usually Bronte Coy would host this episode with an update on the latest happenings from Buckingham Palace. But I'm afraid our little Royal insider is that available this weekend, so you've got me instead. Some would say an upgrade, some would say not so much. I'm not an expert on the Royals at all, so I thought what I'd do is focus on the Oscars instead, which are coming up on Monday morning Australian time. And what I thought I'd do is re visit one of my favorite interviews that I did a couple of years ago. I spoke to a woman in twenty twenty two. Her name is Laura Kine, and she used to be a seat filler at the Academy Awards. How cool is that? She told me some amazing celebrity stories and revealed why she got banned from the Oscars. I'll play you some highlights from that chat in just a moment. Let's talk about the fact that you've been a seat filler at the oscars. How many years were you a seat filler for?

I do that for five years, every single year from twenty twelve to twenty seventeen. And then I did, I got I got kicked out, And I'll tell you why do you want to what do you want to know? First?

I do that for five years, every single year from twenty twelve to twenty seventeen. And then I did, I got I got kicked out, And I'll tell you why do you want to what do you want to know? First?

Well, I think we have to talk about why you got kicked out.

Well, I think we have to talk about why you got kicked out.

When you become a seat filler, you have to fill out tons of forms. They have to do a background check on you. You need to get like passport photos taken, the whole thing, and you're signing documents that say you are not allowed to take pictures with the celebrities, you are not allowed to speak to the celebrities, or you know, make any ruckus. You're supposed to be quiet. You have to wear this name tag around your neck when the cameras are off, and then put it behind you when the cameras are on. Just do our job, right. But it's so incredible that there were times when celebrities actually speak to me and I would have to pull out my phone and say, well, please get a selfie. And I posted those pictures and the guy who was in charge of the seat filling he saw that and was like, you just broke the rule. As a matter of fact, Yeah, there was a lady. They sat me next to a lady who had just won the Oscar for a short documentary film something like that. She was holding an Oscar and she just drunk and she said to me, Hey, do you want to feel what an oscar feels like. I'm like yes, So she hands it to me and I have her take a picture of me holding an actual Oscar and I posted that one too, and that really got me in trouble, but I had to. I mean, I still have that picture and it's amazing, so it was worth it kind of. But it's a very long day. You have to be ready by I think it was like ten o'clock in the morning, all dressed dressed up, just like the celebrities do long gowns. They have to approve the gown before you even show up, makeup, hair, the whole thing. And we it's a lot of waiting around until the actual oscars start. There's probably about one hundred of us and we wait in the ease of the theater and when the show goes to commercial, celebrities get up and use the restroom, go to the bar whatever. We are there to fill the seat until they come back. So when the cameras come back on, it looks like the audience is full, and a lot of times there was one time when somebody left. I wasn't a celebrity, but it was right there in the front and never came back. So I was there at the entire show. It was incredible. But when you walk into that theater and you see every single celebrity that uber famous in one place and they're all talking to each other, it's surreal. So I and one time, I think it was twenty fifteen, do you remember when Neil Patrick Harris hosted, Yeah, okay, well I was a seat filler then and they had they sat me on the aisle and then the lights went back up. The show was back on, and he was standing in the aisle and he goes, welcome back to the Oscars. Hey, are you a seat filler? And he pointed the mic to my face to be on TV? And I said I did. I thought it was a trick question because we weren't supposed to say that we're seating this, but I said yes, I am, and he goes, what's your name? I said, Laura. He goes, hi, Laura, and that went out to millions of people. My phone, which was in my purse on silent, of course, was buzzing, buzzing, buzzing in my lap. If people saw that, and it's a meme. Now it's a meme. You can look it up Girl in the Red Dress, Neil Patrick Harris and you'll find it.

When you become a seat filler, you have to fill out tons of forms. They have to do a background check on you. You need to get like passport photos taken, the whole thing, and you're signing documents that say you are not allowed to take pictures with the celebrities, you are not allowed to speak to the celebrities, or you know, make any ruckus. You're supposed to be quiet. You have to wear this name tag around your neck when the cameras are off, and then put it behind you when the cameras are on. Just do our job, right. But it's so incredible that there were times when celebrities actually speak to me and I would have to pull out my phone and say, well, please get a selfie. And I posted those pictures and the guy who was in charge of the seat filling he saw that and was like, you just broke the rule. As a matter of fact, Yeah, there was a lady. They sat me next to a lady who had just won the Oscar for a short documentary film something like that. She was holding an Oscar and she just drunk and she said to me, Hey, do you want to feel what an oscar feels like. I'm like yes, So she hands it to me and I have her take a picture of me holding an actual Oscar and I posted that one too, and that really got me in trouble, but I had to. I mean, I still have that picture and it's amazing, so it was worth it kind of. But it's a very long day. You have to be ready by I think it was like ten o'clock in the morning, all dressed dressed up, just like the celebrities do long gowns. They have to approve the gown before you even show up, makeup, hair, the whole thing. And we it's a lot of waiting around until the actual oscars start. There's probably about one hundred of us and we wait in the ease of the theater and when the show goes to commercial, celebrities get up and use the restroom, go to the bar whatever. We are there to fill the seat until they come back. So when the cameras come back on, it looks like the audience is full, and a lot of times there was one time when somebody left. I wasn't a celebrity, but it was right there in the front and never came back. So I was there at the entire show. It was incredible. But when you walk into that theater and you see every single celebrity that uber famous in one place and they're all talking to each other, it's surreal. So I and one time, I think it was twenty fifteen, do you remember when Neil Patrick Harris hosted, Yeah, okay, well I was a seat filler then and they had they sat me on the aisle and then the lights went back up. The show was back on, and he was standing in the aisle and he goes, welcome back to the Oscars. Hey, are you a seat filler? And he pointed the mic to my face to be on TV? And I said I did. I thought it was a trick question because we weren't supposed to say that we're seating this, but I said yes, I am, and he goes, what's your name? I said, Laura. He goes, hi, Laura, and that went out to millions of people. My phone, which was in my purse on silent, of course, was buzzing, buzzing, buzzing in my lap. If people saw that, and it's a meme. Now it's a meme. You can look it up Girl in the Red Dress, Neil Patrick Harris and you'll find it.

It sounds like such an amazing gig. I mean, how do you even get the job of being a set feller.

It sounds like such an amazing gig. I mean, how do you even get the job of being a set feller.

I worked with a guy whose cousin was in charge of that that sole thing seat filling, so I got it through my friend whose cousin did it. So it was just who I just knew somebody.

I worked with a guy whose cousin was in charge of that that sole thing seat filling, so I got it through my friend whose cousin did it. So it was just who I just knew somebody.

And is it PI at all or is it completely freight?

And is it PI at all or is it completely freight?

We don't get paid to do it. It's just the opportunity to be there is our payment. And it's just a lot of fun. And I've seen I've talked to Jack Nicholson. Now, mind you, they have to speak to you first. If the celebrities speak to you, you can you can obviously speak back to them, but you're not allowed to initiate a conversation.

We don't get paid to do it. It's just the opportunity to be there is our payment. And it's just a lot of fun. And I've seen I've talked to Jack Nicholson. Now, mind you, they have to speak to you first. If the celebrities speak to you, you can you can obviously speak back to them, but you're not allowed to initiate a conversation.

Stick around and the moment Laura tells us which celebrity was a bit of a dud, welcome back, I am playing you some highlights from my chat with Laura kay And, who was a seat filler at the Oscars for several years in a row. I recorded this chat back in twenty twenty two. Here she is telling me about some of the celebrities she met during the ceremonies.

Stick around and the moment Laura tells us which celebrity was a bit of a dud, welcome back, I am playing you some highlights from my chat with Laura kay And, who was a seat filler at the Oscars for several years in a row. I recorded this chat back in twenty twenty two. Here she is telling me about some of the celebrities she met during the ceremonies.

I sat next to Adele had a song that was nominated for an Oscar, so she was performing. I just so happened to be seated next to her husband at the time, and I remember thinking, what is she seeing this guy? He just was a dud and I was sitting in her seat. I was actually sitting in her seat. And well they ended up divorcing, obviously.

I sat next to Adele had a song that was nominated for an Oscar, so she was performing. I just so happened to be seated next to her husband at the time, and I remember thinking, what is she seeing this guy? He just was a dud and I was sitting in her seat. I was actually sitting in her seat. And well they ended up divorcing, obviously.

But.

But.

All the celebrities all seem to know each other, and they all gather right in the front of the stage kind of and they're all mingling. So that's the time where we would go and try to get self these people. So we asked Bradley Cooper, super chill, nice and then we abstu Leonardo DiCaprio, very quiet but a nice guy. We asked, oh, Jennifer Aniston, she kind of she didn't do anything mean, she was just very cold, I guess, but I would. I don't know how I would react if I saw someone coming up to me wearing a big lanyard around my neck that said setiller on it, you know.

All the celebrities all seem to know each other, and they all gather right in the front of the stage kind of and they're all mingling. So that's the time where we would go and try to get self these people. So we asked Bradley Cooper, super chill, nice and then we abstu Leonardo DiCaprio, very quiet but a nice guy. We asked, oh, Jennifer Aniston, she kind of she didn't do anything mean, she was just very cold, I guess, but I would. I don't know how I would react if I saw someone coming up to me wearing a big lanyard around my neck that said setiller on it, you know.

What I mean. And what's a fun fact about something that goes on in the room that would surprise a lot of people sitting at home watching it. What's something we don't know about?

What I mean. And what's a fun fact about something that goes on in the room that would surprise a lot of people sitting at home watching it. What's something we don't know about?

Oh, we had to bring snacks because it was such a long day that you know, we got hungry, so we had to bring snacks in our purse, and of course our purses were small because there were party verses. There was a couple of times when we were extras on the red carpet too, had us walking as like people who were just to fill it out a little bit more. And so that was really cool because people would just start taking pictures of me, not knowing that just by chance, if I happen to be a celebrity, you know, and that was cool.

Oh, we had to bring snacks because it was such a long day that you know, we got hungry, so we had to bring snacks in our purse, and of course our purses were small because there were party verses. There was a couple of times when we were extras on the red carpet too, had us walking as like people who were just to fill it out a little bit more. And so that was really cool because people would just start taking pictures of me, not knowing that just by chance, if I happen to be a celebrity, you know, and that was cool.

Well, the Oscars are coming up on Monday morning Australian time, and we'll have live coverage as we always do on news dot com dot au.

Well, the Oscars are coming up on Monday morning Australian time, and we'll have live coverage as we always do on news dot com dot au.

Have a good

Have a good

One follow I'll subscribe to from the newsroom wherever you get your potcom

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