Desperate Horsewives!
By Julie Hancock

I was the lucky winning bidder at the WCAR Indio benefit party for the Wisteria Lane tour generously donated by Alfre Woodard. I didn't quite know what to expect of the experience, but it sounded like fun and since I enjoy the show and Alfre's character, Betty Applewhite, I looked forward to the experience. I invited my sister from Kansas City who is a huge D.H. fan, my daughter who (I’m embarrassed to say) had never seen the show, and my best girlfriend from college to join me. I planned a day that would be a true LA experience for my family and friends, who are all happy, "normal" housewives! The day started out with mimosas as we departed Scottsdale on a private plane to Los Angeles. Alfre arranged for us to meet her at the DH offices at Universal Studios. It was a hoot to drive in the parking garage and see the reserved parking spaces for the various stars at Universal, including the characters from DH. The spaces were marked in their character's names, i.e. Bree VanDeCamp, Betty Applewhite, Gabrielle Solis and Mike Delfino. I must admit we were hoping our favorite plumber, Mike, would pull into his space just as we drove up!

When Alfre arrived, I knew right away it was going to be a special day. Her warmth, humor and generous spirit put everyone immediately at ease. We jumped in DH golf carts (Oh my God, for a second there, it felt just like a day at Indio!) and she drove us to the sound stage. Here, we toured the interior room sets where the filming occurs. The kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms looked so familiar, but it was odd seeing how fake things look when you are really close up. She took us to the infamous cellar where the notoriously evil Betty keeps her son chained up. We laughed as Alfre explained that she didn't really understand why her character was viewed as being so mean. "After all," she said, "Betty has never really done anything that bad!" "Oh that’s right!" I reminded her, "Chaining your youngest son up, poisoning him and slapping the other one around doesn't really make you a bad mom in Hollywood!"

Before we went to Wisteria Lane, Alfre made us "pinky swear" that we wouldn't divulge any secrets we might see on the street until the season finale. The episode where Susan's house burned to the ground hadn't yet aired, but you couldn't miss seeing it when we arrived on the street. It was so much fun walking down Wisteria Lane and seeing all of the homes in person. The character’s cars were all in the driveways, the fake flowers were all in bloom and the porches, though empty, looked just as cozy and inviting as they look on TV. We had a lot of fun posing like the character Bree, who in one episode passed out drunk on her lawn. Alfre directed us how to lie on the lawn just where Bree was passed out when her son turned on the sprinklers. She snapped our pictures and even posed with us showing us her most menacing "Betty" stare. After roaming up and down the street and in each of the houses, she took us to view many of the other Universal sets including the set where War of The Worlds was filmed with Tom Cruise. It was a fascinating “behind the scenes” tour.

Then Alfre took us to the studio restaurant where the producers and directors eat lunch. After introducing us to one of the show’s producers, she joined us for a delicious "girls" lunch where we traded horse stories and salad dressing recipes. Alfre could not have been a more attentive and pleasant hostess. I was amazed at her decidedly NON showbiz attitude. No wonder Mavis is such a sweet girl!

Our whirlwind day in LA concluded with some shopping on Robertson and dinner at the Ivy, after which, we caught the plane back to Scottsdale. It was a perfect ending to the perfect LA LA land experience! It was well worth the donation to West Coast Active Riders, and exceeded our expectations in every way. I am sure my sister will be retelling the day's events to her friends in Prairie Village, Kansas for weeks to come!

A special thanks to Alfre and WCAR for making this experience possible. Alfre, you are an amazingly talented actress and you made us all feel like stars for the day!

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