CRIMINAL MINDS: MEETING MANDY...AGAIN AND AGAIN!

Criminal Minds Diary, Day Two: I would not even want to guess how many people had told Mandy Patinkin that I wanted to meet him before leaving LA. As I told you in a previous update the scene they were rehearsing and filming that morning for "Honor Among Theives" was a very long scene. I watched as they did it over and over again. I also watched my watch because my time was running down on the set and it was going to have to happen soon. As I told you before, the scene ends with Gideon and Reid opening the conference door and walking quickly down the hall. Gideon enters his office and Reid continues on down the hall. I had all the things I wanted Mandy to sign in my hands so that I would be ready at a moment's notice but my three cameras were still in my purse.

After the fourth or fifth take Mandy motioned for me and "A" to come upstairs to Gideon's office and from his hand gestures I knew he meant to do it quickly. We entered the office and I spoke with Mandy for a few minutes while he signed the stack of pictures and scripts that I wanted signed. He told me a really cute internet story from years ago when the internet was just coming into its prime and how some of his concert fans had really jumped on it and had formed a fan club. It is a long story for another day but it was very darling. I did not have my camera with me at the time so we just talked until he had to leave to go shoot that same long scene again. Mandy reached the conference room set before "A" and I could leave Gideon's office and then we heard it......."Action". When the Director says action you do not speak and you do not move but the problem was we were stuck in Gideon's office and we knew from watching previous takes of this scene that the camera doesn't stop shooting until he is seen going into his office.....and we were in there. I asked "A" what the hell we should do and she said we should stay out of sight. The best that I can remember I tried to hide in the chair that was away from the door and she stood in front of the bookcase against a wall. When Mandy walked into Gideon's office he was more than surprised to see us there but we all did laugh when he realized we had gotten stuck in there. "A", God bless her heart, asked Mandy if she could please go downstairs and get my camera so I could have some pictures of him and I together and he of course said yes. I did get the chance to finish telling Mandy the things I had always planned on telling him and I did get pictures which I will always cherish. When I mentioned how hard it is to get tickets for some of his concerts he gave me the name of someone to call if I ever have a problem. Mandy is an intense person. Not in a bad way. When he is filming he is in character and I know we interupted his concentration that day. When we were done and he went back to the conference room to continue filming we made sure to get the heck out of Gideon's office asap. We went back to watching the filming.

I am very grateful that I was able to meet Mandy. Many people had to do many things to make that happen for me and I appreciate them all. There is still more to my adventure but I will save it for another post. :)