So I picked up my mom at 10:30 and headed toward Burbank. Once we parked and walked to the waiting area, a steady stream of other guests were arriving.

We were standby which means Ellen's Riff-Raff Room. Chances of getting in are contingent on no-shows but we're guaranteed seats this season.

It's always interesting to learn about protocol and watch how everything plays out from waiting to watching. Once our numbers were called, they announced today's guests: Pamela Anderson, Sugarland, Kerri Walsh & Misty May-Treanor.

One of Ellen's big things is dancing, so they really pump it out in the Riff-Raff Rm and EVERYONE is encouraged to get up offa your feet and boogie down.

Our "audience" coordinator threw a number of tshirts and buttons out at us over the hour-long wait. There must've been 10 people in uniforms just standing around trying to look important while doing nothing.

Just like her show, everything began at 4pm. The interviews were no longer than 10 minutes. Lots of commercial breaks. We all kept hoping Ellen would pop in and greet us. Nada.

The show will air Sept. 10th (this Wednesday). From what we saw, Pam Anderson's segment is forgettable. What made the show for me was seeing Misty May and Kerri Walsh.

Haven't decided on a future date for our guaranteed tix yet, but our audience coordinator gave me his card.