this is funny, right?

okay, i borrowed this from cynthia's newsletter. just so nutty....

"See if this makes any sense to you whatsoever: A woman in New Mexico believes that for the past five years David Letterman has been sending her coded messages via "special" words, eyebrow movements and body language, during his late night show. These messages have "told" her various things including that he loves her, wants her to give up her life in New Mexico and come to New York because he wanted to marry her and make her his co-host. All of this she says caused her mental cruelty, bankruptcy and sleep deprivation, and she has petitioned a Judge to issue a restraining order against Letterman. The restraining order, which the Judge signed (!), calls for Letterman to say 100 yard away from her at all times, refrain from "connecting" with her. The woman had also asked in her petition (acting as her own attorney) that Letterman refrain from thinking about her, and "release [her] from his mental harrassment and hammering." As you might imagine, Letterman's attorneys are requesting the court toss the restraining order, that it is an abuse of the judicial system and is frivilous. A court date has been set for January 12. And by the way, she also says she's getting mental messages from Regis Philbin and Kelsey Grammer."

movies movies movies

what better to do during the holiday hiatus than catch up on some movies?
not much! so here's what i've seen so far:

roger dodger: totally weird flick, and completely held my attention in the most skeevy sort of way. strange honest look at the freakiness of being human. and greedy. and egomaniacal. and co-dependent. okay. i'm done.

the chronicles of narnia (LW&W): great great great. i read these books when i was a kid and not the least bit disappointed in the film version. quite well done. i'm looking forward to the next. should be seen on the big screen, fyi.

good night and good luck: excellent work. clooney is really showing his stuff. brilliantly directed and acted. i'll keep my eyes peeled for the oscars which are bound to roll in.

crash: someone told me today that this film is in msn's top 10 worst movies of the year. uhhhhhh.... i don't get that. i guess i think it might have made some people very uncomfortable, enough that they denounce the film as a whole (circa "the passion of the christ") because i thought it was a very compelling film. great cast. and highly culturally relevant. ok, yes, it wasn't "wedding crashers." oh how terrible that someone is making real, important, socially relevant films. (sorry if this opinion offends....)

all told~if you haven't seen these films, i recommend every one. in no particular order. but very very soon.

so saddened by this...

john spencer, gone...

i found my new theatrical agent!

yes, that's right!

he just doesn't know it quite yet.
but this does *not* concern me in the least!
he will be mine....

okay, frankly i know that he generally does not become new rep to people of my (very modest and attractive) hollywood age. HOWEVER, i do not care. i will pursue this till he gets a restraining order... just kidding.... but really, this guy (whose name i shall happily reveal once he signs me) is absolutely at the top of his agent game, while still, for the moment, being at an agency which is not out of my league. his next 5-10 years are going to be amazing. that is obvious.

so for you TAN members who are wondering who the heck i'm jabbering about, i saw him speak at the network last night. hope you did too. unless you're in my category, in which case, the less competition the better. :)

into the holiday season

wow, a lot has been going on, what with thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays fast approaching... things are great, but it's a still a little weird seeing all the houses decorated for the holidays when the weather feels like a different time of year.

let's see... over the last month since i blogged:

• i have been auditioning regularly (and well! 75% callback ratio)
• booked and shot a short film
• continued my studies with john swanbeck and at second city
• started working on a 2006 film project as a production coordinator
• test shot with amazing photographer (and new friend~i volunteer with his wife at the animal shelter) kevin mcintyre... that thumbnail is one of his. nice, huh?
• got my 1 minute reel up on actors access (also linked directly to my site)~and for free! i won a drawing gary marsh did out of the sheila manning event i attended.
• still interning at 24 and am getting to know some of the producers, which totally rocks
• got to work pursuing my target list of theatrical agents. i WILL sign with one before i leave town for the holidays!!!!
• hosted a group brunch meeting/gathering for some actor friends
• screened the rough cut of my film "in between days" which i finally received from NYC
• began developing ideas with my writing partner for a short film
• attended SAG's SAGIndie presentation on low budget contracts

and other stuff... too much really i guess to be blogging all at once. i need to blog more often i think! most important, i have put 3 intentions out into the universe that i am holding to. if you wanna help in any way let me know :)

1. i will book a paid gig before i leave for the holidays
2. i will be on a t.v. series within the next 3 months
3. i will sign with theatrical rep or manager before i leave for the holidays

that's it! now go do your holiday shopping... i want something good!

the haps

okay, so last week i started a new class (in addition to continuing to study improv at second city). this one is more focused on the idea that i ultimately want my career to revolve around film, my true acting love. it's an on-camera intensive class with feature film director john swanbeck. and he is an excellent teacher. he has a knack for finding the right phraseology and/or analogy to fit each actor individually, in helping us to understand and to work out our quirks, ticks, rough spots.

i am very excited to be in this class, and hope for the chance to work with him on set in the future. he's been a director & coach to spacey and many others, and is now certainly what we all adore and hope for: an "actor's director."

in other news, i attended a presentation sheila manning hosted as a pro-bono-actor-support-type-thing involving the "5 secrets" that actors should know about how casting directors work, what they like, how they see us, etc. to paraphrase her words, there were *way* more than 5, and it was an extremely useful seminar. gary marsh was there as well as an additional resource regarding online profiles, pix, and submissions.

i also met a friend's manager and we all spent some time together afterwards. i'll be taking a one-on-one meeting with that manager this week. this is right in line with the goal i made last weekend: to obtain theatrical rep *or* manager who can pitch/submit me prior to the holidays (aka, pilot season). so yay!

picking up

just back from a trip to NYC and things are starting to hop for the moment back here in ho'wood.

i just went on a fantastic audition this morning (honda industrial) and~after pre-reading yesterday~am going to producers this afternoon for a co-star on "24"~you know, the cool keifer sutherland show.

i am very psyched to be going back in and hope that i am up for future parts as a result if this one doesn't come through.

cross your fingers everybody!

good things come to those who wait

maybe that should say that good things come to those who are persistent.
*gently* persistent. :)

i have finally signed with BBA for commercial representation and i could not be more excited and pleased. i love the agents i'll be building my career with, and the agency rep is top notch, without being too big for its britches. perfect fit.

i'll be taking the next level of improv study at sencond city. i continue to do my internship at 24, and have been picking up an extra slew of auditions lately. was out of the country (yes, again!) for a while and that slowed me down a bit, but things are picking back up and i'm feeling reinvigorated.

you see, i realized in my power group meeting this month that i had been devoting an absurd amount of time to some things in my personal life which are really not that important. especially in comparison with my career! i guess we all have those times of distraction, but i am extra motivated now and ready to refocus my energies back where they belong.

more good things to come soon....

impatience is a virus

okay, so i had my 2nd meeting with a particularly desirable agency yesterday~and it went great. i mean even if they don't make me an offer for rep, i know i had the absolute best meeting i could have had. but meanwhile i am dying to know if they want to work with me~if they choose not to, i am certain it has to do with the current status of their roster. i rocked.
okay, now i can only hope that i don't have to wait the whole weekend to find out. argh!

must....remain....calm.
must....be....patient.
must....restrain....self.

okay. i am cool, i am calm, i am zen.
hopefully i be back later with some good news.

what's the haps?

• starting an internship with the casting office of "24" on monday
• have 2nd meeting with a well-respected agency's commercial division this week
• been on a couple auditions
• been doing new targets mailings (ie, new fall shows, feature films)
• started improv studies at second city
• found out my film "the feast" was accepted into the international l.a. shorts fest
• actually started working on the reel i've been yapping about
• no surfing, but i did watch the meteor shower last night :)

in memoriam

here's to peter jennings.

stupid actor comments

okay, so this chick can pass her ability to choose her work over to me, since i believe i can actually make a difference in society by providing people with a safe getaway from the realities of life and also touch the deeper part of even just one person, make them think, cry, feel, believe... i think this is the most obvious & discouraging display i've seen recently of an actor not realizing what an impact they can have on the world. or perhaps just not wanting to take the responsibility...

maybe she's not old enough or doesn't have enough life experience to understand the power of this medium. maybe she's just not deep enough. but for that desperate, emotionally abused wife who goes to the movies to be inspired to leave and start a real life for herself; or for the kid in the midst of a custody battle who gets a chance to laugh, to stop worrying that it's about him, to escape from the thoughts of having to shuffle homes...

maybe, just maybe, if we care enough, actors can save a life or two in our own small way.

(i'm sorry if this seems crazy to you, but this is the backbone of why i have always wanted to be an actor...and it just about kills me that someone in her position career-wise doesn't get that valuable part of it. very discouraging.)

happenings

hello there at the end of a rather slacker week. it was my b-day on monday so i sort of took it easy. also this stifling heat and humidity *forced* me to go to the beach a few times....

but here's what did happen:

• went to hear about producing your own film. interesting stuff in terms of trying to develop exposure for yourself and showcasing of your talents. also dauntingly complicated. i really liked the woman who spoke though, TAN member stephanie saxe. i hope to keep in touch with her and maybe do some work on one of her sets.
• i signed up for improv class at second city--now just have to determine what level i can enter into. that happens next week.
• went to an info session on the writer's bootcamp based here in l.a. met jeff gordon and cameron graham there, had a little lunch, and discovered that i would like to scrounge up the money to do this. but that'll be a ways down the road. meanwhile, there is an opportunity to join their writer's group in an actor capacity, similar to that of safehouse. looking forward to it.
• heard manager christie thomas speak. a new management candidate for me--she really knows her stuff, has worked in other aspects of the business, worked in nyc for years, and has a really great (and dare i say unusual) attitude about her responsibility to her clients. definitely someone i'd like to have on my side!
• also spoke to barbara divisek, recently joined with the savage agency, via referral from a friend. i'll be dropping by her office monday to say hello and deliver my material. yay!

okay, that's it. nothing too crazy this week, but hey, i was busy laying in the sand and giving my boogie board a workout! surf lessons next week...... :)

walken on cats

i love this.

giggle.

new clip on my site!

hey, go to my web site if you want to hear a short audio clip from one of the songs i recorded with robert petrarca and tom fish for the film "finding gloria bainbridge." link is on the main page.

enjoy!

emmy nominations

yup, they are out....

and here they are, in case you wanna take a look.

notable absences:

• best male actor, drama~matthew fox, "lost"; noah wyle, "er" (his last season)
• best female actor (or maybe it'd be supporting..), comedy~eva longoria, "dh" (not that i vote for it, but it was expected)
• not a single CSI division was nominated for anything~awfully popular shows though to have such an L&O style franchise kicking

strange inclusions (my humble opinion only, of course):

• best male actor, drama~james spader, "boston legal"
• best supporting/male/drama~william shatner, "boston legal"
• best supporting/female/comedy~holland taylor & conchata ferrell of "two and a half men"

i'm not slamming boston legal here either. i find that show reasonably amusing. however...i just see other more suitable nominations. especially when i don't think william shatner repeating his character's name over and over in an elmer fudd sort of way (and this is on the writing, not him) is any sort of emmy-worthy material.

again, my 2 cents and not necessarily unbiased.

goal achieved!

so, i just got a call to take a meeting with brandon @ bobby ball. yippee!

in case you haven't been reading, right before i left on vacation i had made it a main short-term goal of mine to get a one-on-one with him. and voila! i guess persistence does pay off. also i think my instincts are right-on about the kind of generous, cool person he is.

it's not till the first week of august~but everyone please send good vibes and cross your fingers!

cheers!

i heart my job

so my print shoot went fabulously, and i got a check as i walked out the door~rare and absolutely lovely.

and the film shoot was this past weekend, and also went quite well. the small crew and my co-star were all wonderful people and lots of fun to work with. i hope that this turns out as well as i believe it might.

i also happened to get my hands on a bootleg copy of the muscial film i shot earlier this year (bootlegging only because for some reason the director hasn't sent me my copy yet....strange since it's obviously done...) and have started to do some editing work for my reel.

as well, i finally received a dvd with a few scenes and the trailer from the last project i did in nyc. have been waiting for this for a while, and though the actual film will have better fodder for my reel than this disc has, at least i have something to try and work with.

i'm currently going to pick up the printing of some new marketing material i put together and do my target mailing to my new commercial agent prospects (yes, i did go thru with dropping my agent last week).

as a side note, i saw "mr. & mrs. smith" with a friend the other night, and it was much better than i thought it would be. it was actually quite a bit of fun to watch! though the characters didn't have a ton of depth and the action/violence was a bit excessive at times, it was afun little flick. it would be a good time to play a role like that at least once in my career. they must have had a blast shooting that. but also saw this on the tails of reading this (extremely accurate and relevant) article in the toronto star about female characters and film.

in case you can't get to the article without a login...

Women are going backwards
Bewitched latest return to sexist days
Few strong role models, little romance
PETER HOWELL
Boys and men trooping to War of the Worlds this weekend will find plenty to engage them: Action, explosions and heroic Tom Cruise and plucky Justin Chatwin defending their family from nasty aliens.
Girls and women might enjoy the movie, too. But if they go looking for a positive role model, they'll look in vain. The main female figures are Miranda Otto as Cruise's pregnant and shrewish ex-wife and Dakota Fanning as his screaming daughter.
Neither Otto nor Fanning are given much chance to develop their characters beyond the stereotype of the angry ex or the terrified tot, and their experience is very much the norm this summer. Films hitting the multiplexes in recent weeks have been significant for the insignificance of their estrogen content.
Bewitched and The Honeymooners are both based on two of the most sexist TV shows ever. In Bewitched, the wife is ordered by her self-important husband not to use her natural abilities as a supernatural witch. In The Honeymooners, the wife is threatened to be knocked "to the moon" by her pugnacious spouse. (The movie versions downplay the mental abuse, but old memories die hard.)
Batman Begins has Katie Holmes as Christian Bales' supposed love interest, but she's barely there and the sparks generated wouldn't ignite a puddle of gasoline.
Cinderella Man, as good as it is, is concerned with the struggle by Russell Crowe's boxer character to find personal fulfilment, not with the hopes and fears of his loyal wife, Renée Zellweger.
War of the Worlds, a remake of a 1953 hit about aliens invading Earth, has the dubious distinction of dropping a key female character from the story. In the original George Pal production, Ann Robinson played the assistant and love interest to Gene Barry's hero egghead. In the new Spielberg version, Cruise is in control without the help of an adult female.
The comedy in Bewitched, meanwhile, is derived from Will Ferrell's Darren character stealing the thunder of Nicole Kidman's naïve witch Isabel in a gender-flipped remake of the old Bewitched TV series. Even when Kidman is getting even with Ferrell, she still seems far less sure of herself than Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha did 40 years ago on television.
The one big Hollywood movie that runs counter to this trend is Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in which Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are equally matched as married assassins hired to rub each other out. But the movie is violent and vacuous and makes no impact whatsoever on an emotional level. (Practically the only place you track down interesting female characters and serious sexual attraction is at arthouse and foreign films.)
There have been many theories advanced this summer for the alarming slide in movie attendance. High ticket prices, poor product, illegal downloading and competing distractions are often cited as culprits.
But perhaps a more subtle force is at work, one that directly affects half the population of potential moviegoers. If women don't see themselves presented realistically on the big screen, why should they spend big bucks to go to the show?
Some are starting to ask themselves that very question.
"Women are stereotyped based on what men think of us," said Stephanie Stonley, 24, a Toronto accountant.
"The woman in War of the Worlds is a cranky pregnant lady, and that's exactly what men think every pregnant woman is going to be like. With Katie Holmes in Batman Begins, it's irritating that she's the lady in distress and the man in the rubber suit has to come and save her. And in Cinderella Man, Renée Zellweger is way too pouty and always crying. She's like Edith with Archie Bunker."
Toronto filmmaker Deepa Mehta, 55, is also having trouble finding movies that speak to her.
"There aren't that many that strike me on a personal level that I would say, `Omigod, this would be great to see.' Because women usually play secondary characters. There's nobody out there saying, `This is where we are.'"
Some might argue that it's nothing new, since men have always dominated the movies. But the screwball comedies and film noirs of past decades always had strong women in well-written roles, and directors wouldn't have had it any other way. It is simply unthinkable that a Billy Wilder, Ernst Lubitsch or Frank Capra would have put their names to such vile nihilism as Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Where are the modern-day counterparts to the classy and confident women of yore? Women like Kate Hepburn, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Vivien Leigh really have no equals amongst today's Botoxed babies.
And it's sobering to think how little progress has been made. Bewitched and The Honeymooners were both damned by the Women's Liberation movement during the 1960s and '70s, yet they're considered ripe for renewal in 2005.
A movie remake of I Dream of Jeannie, a notorious TV series about a sexy female slave and her dominant male master, is in the works for next year. Kate Hudson, the daughter of Laugh-In punching bag Goldie Hawn, is set to play the unliberated role of Jeannie.
A lot of it has to do with the male domination of Hollywood and that hormonal 15-year-old boys are presumed to be the only movie audience worth courting. The lads want to see Katie Holmes' nipples protruding beneath a silk blouse — "She's the only district attorney in America who can't afford a bra," one woman ruefully commented — and they're going to get just that.
But men aren't entirely to blame, said Kelly Otter, an assistant dean and instructor at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in gender and cinema.
"We can't always absolve women from falling into the same trap," she said in an interview.
"Nora Ephron directed Bewitched, and she wrote it with her sister Delia, and they did it like a 25-year-old Hollywood male screenwriter who isn't conscious of what he's writing. They came up with the same kind of stereotypical roles and images that women are supposed to have in these kinds of Hollywood movies."
The sad fact is that all of American pop culture depicts women in a negative way, Otter said.
"I wouldn't look to American popular media for role models for women. If women were attracted to movies solely to find positive representations of ourselves, we would never go to the movies. You have to be able to look beyond that if you're going to get any enjoyment at all."
Negative media portrayals do take a toll, she added, although the impact isn't always apparent at first. Repeated exposure to starvation-thin actresses with artificially enhanced faces and bust lines leaves many women feeling inadequate and in need of an overhaul.
"Anorexia nervosa wasn't a problem 25 years ago. People then weren't going out and getting plastic surgery at the rate they are today. These images are having an affect upon our culture and women are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their images. These things do play upon our anxieties."
One of the side effects of the male domination of movies is the lack of real romance on the screen, and romance appeals to both sexes — even if men don't always admit it. You don't need soap opera antics or cheap melodrama to give a screenplay some emotional heft, and that usually means the yin-yang of a strong couple.
Where would Spencer Tracy have been without Kate Hepburn? Or Humphrey Bogart without Lauren Bacall (or without Hepburn in The African Queen)? Or Richard Burton without Elizabeth Taylor?
And yet so many of today's movies treat romance as something to be disdained rather than embraced.
The one place where women still find an important role is in the art films that are the lifeblood of film festivals. The Toronto International Film Festival announced this week that Deepa Mehta's new work, Water, the final chapter of her elements trilogy, will open this year's show on Sept. 8.
Festival co-director Piers Handling praised it as a movie that realistically deals with women, in a story about enslaved widows set in 1930s India immediately prior to the rise of Mahatma Gandhi. Water will have plenty of company with like-minded films at the fest, Handling promised.
"The range of human experience in what you see at the festival is extraordinary," he said.
"There are films about children and their experiences. Teenagers and their coming-of-age stories.
"People in their 20s and their anxieties. Adults getting married or in marital crisis. Elderly people confronting loss and death.
"You find the full range of human emotions and experiences, and that's what I've always loved about the film festival. But to a large extent, some of these films are just not commercial."
That's a very big "but," as far as Hollywood producers are concerned. Why strive to make noble and uplifting films that treat both sexes fairly and well, when you can earn vastly more money by pumping out formula thrillers, tired remakes, rote comedies and lazy TV adaptations?
As we're learning this summer, however, such logic isn't paying off at the box office the way it once did. Maybe it's time Hollywood started thinking more about its entire audience, especially the half that wants to see something other than whores, nymphs, victims or bimbos.

happyhappyjoyjoy

wow, and back with a vengeance, might i say!
okay since i've been back (less than a week, mind you) i have:

• booked a (same mentioned in previous post) print job
• had 2 auditions
• booked gig from first said audition
• which will shoot this week/weekend
• put up a scene at safehouse l.a. (writers group, in case you forgot)
• replaced my cell phone twice (argh!)
• has 2 wardrobe meetings
• remembered that this is *my* year.

so things are hopping now, and i assume, optimistically, that this is only an indicator of things to come! stay tuned...big break coming soon :)

i'm back!

i have just returned from my travels around scotland and ireland and am psyched to get back to work! though it was a bit of culture shock coming back into l.a. from those green expanses of the u.k. i think i'll be hermitting a bit until i get my city druthers about me again.

at any rate, i already have a print gig booked for next week, and just sent out a bunch of stuff today. so, perfect timing for my return!

aside from a jaunt to yosemite for the 4th, i am back in the saddle and starting to remember why i don't actually want to live in scotland (grin).

here's a little teaser in case you're interested:

i think that's dunluce castle, though i haven't organized all my photos yet... i *do* know that it's ireland, anyway!

keep an eye on my o/t blog for more details of my trip if you're interested.

a telling list

check out this list of top 10 films by some of our favorite/famous directors.
i haven't read the article part yet, which i will do....but i was struck immediately by the fact that according to them only a few films which rank up there were made in the last 25 years.
and that's pretty telling about the state of the industry/artistry if you ask me.

i happen to agree with that notion. mostly.

anyway, food for thought. enjoy.

yadda yadda

anything exciting to speak of.....?
YES!

• last week i was able to sit in on a couple hours of producer sessions with the casting director i have been interning for. it was the most valuable thing i've had the fortune to see as an actor. there is so much to learn about stress and pressure as an actor, perspective about what really goes on when you leave the room, being consistent with your work, exhibiting your ability to take direction and apply technical camera skills... i can go on and on about this. but i think you get the idea. very enlightening.
• i heard brandon olech, agent at bobby ball, speak at TAN last week. and i have since made it one of my main goals to meet with him one-on-one. he really just struck a chord with me~very down-to-earth and laid back without being laisse-faire about his work. it's obvious that he enjoys working with actors, and believe it or not that is reasonably hard to come by in this town. i also loved the fact that he can see the value in actors who may not be in the union yet. this is HUGE! so cross your fingers. it would be lovely to get to know him better.
• other little stuff, the usual....mostly it's vacation time around here. and i'm no different!

sort of a slow week

but i did get a few things done:

• was cast in a feature film reading, which will take place tonight, a decent script about high school couples and what happens after their first year of college when they come home for the summer. i certainly lived thru some of that and i'm sure all of you did too.
• also heard larry metzger of GSK speak at TAN. he seems really great, however he only takes union actors (naturally) so i am still stuck trying to get that accomplished.
• it's going to be over 100 degrees in the valley this weekend (yes, i live in the valley--gag me with a spoon, fer sure!) and i am preparing to spend tomorrow at the beach. not really work related, but...you can see how unmotivating that sort of weather is.
• i interned yesterday. and i sincerely recommend that when someone calls you to schedule an audition, you don't repeatedly refer to them as "babe." no, it doesn't make you seem hip, or european, or whatever you are going for.
• am helping out with some web stuff for the CF fundraiser for the film i worked on last weekend.

that's all for now. i'm spending a lot of time this weekend planning my trip to scotland/ireland so i can work next week without being distracted. well, that's the plan anyway...

where have i been, you ask?

well, let's see...

• if you read my other, off-topic blog, you'll know that i went back to michigan for a few days to see family.
• upon returning, i saw gwen hillier (casting director for General Hospital) and brian mccabe (agent/co-owner of agency mccabe justice) speak at the actors' network (not at the same time.)
• i went back to work at both of my internships.
• friday night the film "the feast" i shot in big bear for the 168 festival was screened for judging--it had already been elected into the top 20. i was not able to attend the screening so i haven't seen it yet.
• over the weekend i volunteered on a charity film project for the cystic fibrosis foundation, a cause near and dear to my heart because one of my nephew/godson's has CF.
• sunday night i attended the screening of the musical film "finding gloria bainbridge" which i shot earlier this year--and i was absolutely blown away by the finished product. i can honestly say that this is the first time i have watched a film piece i've been in and had my expectations exceeded by leaps and bounds. i am very excited to see where it goes and so proud of the outcome.
• i've been on 4 auditions.
• i checked out a potential gym.
• i've worked with 2 more writers at safehouse l.a.

so that's where i've been. my goal to be more attentive and less digesty here has failed this last session. i'm going to aim high again and try to update every few days so i don't get backlogged again. i didn't expect there to be so much going on this time of year! phew!

updates galore

hey there strangers
i have a few updates from the last catch-up posting, so buckle up!

• i went to big bear and shot the short film i mentioned previously. i came back with the beginnings of a cold and a serious sleep deprivation, and as soon as i was able went to sleep for 12 hours. i also came back to find out i'd missed 3 audition opportunities while i was away.....argh!
• the good thing is that the d.p. on the shoot, paul babin, was not only excellent at his work, but is a great person as well. i hope to keep in touch with him and work with him more as he moves into a directorial capacity.
• i also shot a spec commercial up in topanga on sunday~very funny spot for durex condoms. hope to link up to it here when it's edited. and as a side note, there is an amazing mexican restaurant up there called abuelitas. check it out--the food is top shelf. and no, i wasn't able to try the margaritas, since i was on the clock. :)
• continuing to study up on voiceover stuff, still reading and plotting out a class.
• have worked with 2 other writers at safehouse now, roger soffer and johanna stein, both excellent writers, very funny stuff.
• i've continued to intern with michael sonntag, and that experience continues to be invaluable to me as an actor, and fun for me as a...well, a human being. just a lot of good positive energy and open-minded love for actors. it's a nice experience to have.
• this friday i have an appointment to read for an agent whom i've gotten to know through interning and i am quite pleased about this, as i have recently discovered that my current agent has been submitting me for things i couldn't possibly be right for. i.e., male parts...and 50 year old women (i play early to mid-20s)....ugh. someone either isn't reading breakdowns or just doesn't care too much. anyway, it's a shame because i hoped things would work out. but that's not helping my career at all so i have to move on.
• i had the opportunity to hear mary lou belli, sitcom director and fomer actor/coach, speak at TAN. what a spitfire! she's under 5' tall but emanates this amazing energy and love for the art of sitcom which i found to be truly inspiring. i hope i have the chance to work with her in the future.

i think that's it for now...i'll try to post little blogs more often instead of these huge posts with too much information all at once! cheers...

the online scene is up!

check it out here.
this was a one-take-wonder type of deal, so it's not perfect, and as always, a few of my favorite moments ended up on the on the cutting room floor--but i still think it's a pretty cool little scene.
enjoy!

alright, here we go

so in spite of the great slowdown, some interesting things have been happening, and since i've been delinquent in posting, here comes the great catch-up.

• i started an internship with casting director michael sonntag, who is so super-cool, i can't even explain. i had a blast on my first day, and next time i will be able to do some reading in the audition room and really sink my teeth into seeing the other side of the process.
• my work with jim uhls (and eric stonestreet, btw) at safehouse la last week was excellent, fun, and got a decent amount of attention from the other attendees. i hope that means a greater number of invitations to read.
• i was cast in a short film which will be filming on location in big bear (fun fun fun) this coming week, so i am looking forward to getting out of town on legit business.
• i had an extremely positive self-introduction with a much-coveted (by me, at least) commercial agent, and i am crossing my fingers for a meeting/read.
• i met with an old friend from high school for coffee, and he re-ignited my interest in voiceover work--both voice acting and vocals (jingles)--so i am currently reading alburger's bible and selecting a beginner's class to get into in may.

okay, i think that's it for now...i will hopefully have more fun and excitement for you soon!

the great slowdown

sorry i've been rather absent lately, but with pilot season winding to a close, things have slowed quite a bit. but the things that have been going on are:

• safehouse la, the writers' group i mentioned before. i've been going every monday and have been in a scene every time except one--the week after i was on vacation. so that's good. i already had a call yesterday to work on monday with jim uhls, who wrote, among other things, the screenplay for "fight club." so i am pretty excited about that.
• an audition tomorrow for an indie film which seems pretty interesting
• working as an assistant to my acting teacher shari shaw, which is a blast (cause she's a blast) and helps financially
• wrote a short screenplay which i was hoping to get into tribeca film fest's new short film category this year, but i guess it will be next year due to logistical issues
• still interning at angel city talent agency, but am also actively trying to get involved with a casting office as an intern
• have a couple leads on getting my SAG vouchers which i am working on diligently

that's it for now. there are plenty of things going on with other people and projects in hywd that i could write about, but i'm going to continue plugging away over here with my mailings and such. after all, it is the add/drop period for agencies so...a prime time for me pick up someone who believes in me and my talent and wants to develop me. brilliant!

coming soon

through the actor's network, my scene partner, david levine, and i were lucky enough to be selected (through an audition process) to have a scene filmed and edited by the professionals at actor's access. and it will be available soon for viewing online! this is a great addition to my online portfolio until i get my reel together, and i'm pretty excited. i'll post the link once it's up.

is it possible?

will our business as performers suffer even more from the invasion of reality television than it already has? this article brings up an interesting topic--the american idol series has launched an invasion of its own...

The tentacles of the "American Idol" sensibility actually reach much deeper, into the very throat of the American musical, and may change forever the way Broadway sings. This is not a happy prognosis.
The style of vocalizing that is rewarded on "American Idol" - by its panel of on-air judges and by the television audience that votes on the winners - is both intensely emotional and oddly impersonal. The accent is on abstract feelings, usually embodied by people of stunning ordinariness, than on particular character. Quivering vibrato, curlicued melisma, notes held past the vanishing point: the favorite technical tricks of "Idol" contestants are often like screams divorced from the pain or ecstasy that inspired them.
The Broadway musical has always had its share of big-voiced belters, from Ethel Merman to Patti LuPone. But they have usually belonged to the tradition of Broadway as a temple to magnified idiosyncrasies, to performers for whom song is an extension of individuality. Which is why when Simon Cowell, the most notoriously harsh of "American Idol's" judges, describes a contestant as "too Broadway," it is meant as a withering dismissal. Carol Channing, Robert Preston, Jerry Orbach and Gwen Verdon wouldn't stand a chance in the court of Cowell. And if they were starting out today, they probably wouldn't stand a chance in Broadway musicals either.

just some food for thought. i thought i'd seen the worst of everything when a certain star of the dessert-likened high school virginity film was cast in a theatrical version of a classic hoffman role. sigh.

sidney lumet and slumps

i was given the gift of sidney lumet's book "making movies" several weeks ago. i began reading it while on vacation and i have since put every single one of his films on my netflix list. what an amazing talent, and what an admirable human being. his respect for artists of all types (including those many of us forget are truly artists), along with his candor and no b.s. attitude....
well i aspire to working with directors such as him, to becoming a respected actor in the eyes of directors with such all-encompassing talent and unimaginable creativity and dedication to the art of film making.
okay, now that i'm done slathering...
it's been a bit slow since returning from vacation, since the easter holiday is upon us, but i expect things to pick up again next week. i have/had an audition here and there, but nothing extremely exciting.
i did just read a wonderful script for a new 1/2 hour, which we will be working on in my class on tuesday--i am very much in love with one of the characters (aptly named "kate") and will do everything in my power to have a chance to read for it. it's some of the best comedic writing i've had the pleasure to read this pilot season. i would be so utterly happy to have a chance to be seen for it. and i am positive it will be picked up. so even if i'm not on it, watch for it--it's quite fun. it's called "dirtbags."
cheers, and if it applies, happy easter!

the actor's director

i find, like i imagine many actors do, that when someone asks me what i mean by referencing an"actor's director" it is not the easiest thing to describe with words. thankfully, denis leary has done it for me here:

Explained Denis Leary: "Here's what being an actor's director means. In this business, executives as well as directors and other people--nobody knows what they want, or everybody is trying to follow someone's agenda, and the last person they trust is the actors. So they all find this need to talk on and on and on and to tell you what you need to do--when, in fact, if you've hired the right people in the first place, they're already going to know what to do. The best kind of director gets out of your way and make everything else happen, and when you're lost or you have a question, they have an answer..."

also, the rest of this article is a worth a read. it is about one of the least recognized and most worthy actors of the title-noted sean penn/johnny depp generation. and i mean campbell scott.

it amazes and interests me how many really wonderful actors are so far from the radar and still making a successful and perhaps more joyous living at their passion.
and it gives me hope.

safehouse LA

last night was my official acting debut at the writers' group i mentioned joining. i was lucky enough be in a scene by aleks horvat with alex skuby and sean foley (would link for him but not sure which IMDB profile is accurate--anyway, i'm 98% sure he's the brother of scott foley, though i didn't ask cause i figure it probably gets annoying). my part was of a 5-year-old boy (go figure...), but it was great fun.
also hung out afterwards with a number of other very talented writers and actors as we grabbed a beer at a local joint. it was great fun to chat around with so many wonderfully talented people who are also just good fun and genuinely nice.
i look forward to seeing them again in 2 weeks.
i am going on my own personal hiatus for a few days so i will see you sometime next week.
cheers!

catching up

so i've been a bit absent this week...sorry about that. now let me see if i can recap the relevant actor-type events.

thursday i met with a new scene partner and talked over some project ideas--i am excited to work with him, as he is quite a talent and also a fun guy to be around. we haven't agreed on a scene yet, but i suspect we will before the end of today.
that night i went with some friends to a free preview screening of "off the map" and was disgusted to learn that there were only enough seats available for 2 of the 3 of us. so we ended up going for some wine and crepes on the promenade instead. i wonder how the movie was....i certainly had fun anyway.

friday i had an audition for a kellogg print gig. it went quite well i think and i am excited to hear if i've booked it. then i had my internship at the agency, but nothing eventful to speak of there.

saturday i finally saw "the cooler"--what an excellent film. that evening i went to the wrap party for "finding gloria bainbridge" and had way too much fun. i was able to see what they called a "rough cut" of the film--but it didn't look at all rough to me. in fact, i think it was fabulous and am very excited to get the final copy and pop some footage up on my web site.

that's it from la-la land for today. cheers!

good things

good news on the career front.

1. i was invited to be in a scene at the writers' workshop next week. since this will be the first gathering since i joined, i'm quite excited to be able to get up and strut my stuff.
2. the agency meeting i had friday has culminated in a sort of 30 day trial period, and they started submitting me already! crossing my fingers for some audition calls very soon (though hopefully not before mathilda is out of the shop...)
3. i've been getting a lot of audition requests--many for student films, but that's just fine with me. the more i audition the better i get at it.

my class

tonight i have my pilot class, and as i was preparing i just realized i forgot to post about last week's grand triumph over sitcom. yes, that's right, i've finally figured out how to conquer it! at the the very least i have figured out my sitcom "character." to use shari's word, my work was "brilliant" last week. you can't imagine how gratifying that is after working at this for weeks.

anyway, so tonight, i've apparently done well enough that i get a drama scene. which is just fine with me. seems like this year's drama pilots all have a bit of humor to them anyway, circa "boston legal" (aka, "ally mcbeal").

writers' group

i am so pleased to have been invited to join, via my friend emily, the safehouse LA writers' group. this is a venue for writers to put up pieces of their work for comment as they are working on projects.
what's in it for me, you ask?
i get to have an opportunity to read in the scenes. they select different actors each week and you get 1.5 hours of rehearsal just before the session. then you put it up in front of numerous other writers and actors.
these are well-known, working writers in the industry, and i consider it a privilege to be around them, watching them work, being part of the process.
now let's just see how soon i get called to read.

today's events & new booking

so today i have a rather busy day. 2 auditions and a meeting.

• first audition is for a grad NYFA film, in which i'd get to play a sexy psychologist--sounds fun to me, getting to use my brain and my sass at the same time.
• second audition is for an indie film, and the alliance group is casting it--they do a decent amount of stuff (and also apparently are related to a management team) so it's great to go in and read for them.
• the meeting is with a commercial agent to whom i mailed my new pix as part of a targeted campaign for representation. it is so nice to get a call from one of those offices, and i hope the meeting goes well. i can't imagine it won't as i am feeling very confident about my success in 2005.

as to the new booking, it's a USC grad short, and should be a fun time. they used a bit of the improv i did in my audition for the actual script, and because it's only 5 minutes, the shoot will be a quick few hours tomorrow. enough material to put on the reel, and takes very little of my time. perfect combination!

in case you are wondering about my callback, it went well. as far as i can tell! everyone was in and out very quickly so it's difficult to know. but i didn't seem to make any major gaffes so...one can continue to hope through today. and if i don't hear anything today then i assume they've passed since shooting starts on tuesday.

SAG/AFTRA 2005 theatrical contract enlightenment

i was reading this editorial type article on the possibility of negotiations on this contract after the march 1st ballot deadline. though i am not currently in either union, i like to stay abreast of what's going on. this article, though just 2 peoples' P.O.V., seems to address the matter in a way that gives real perspective on the issue.

In two prior contract negotiations, the producers’ negotiating team, the AMPTP (alliance of motion picture and television producers), absolutely refused to consider changes in the writers and directors Guild’s residual formulas for dvd’s. They faced possible union strikes there too and refused to budge. Those unions have seen the AMPTP’s resolve and backed away. The question is: why might the AMPTP be so resolved?? This important question is rarely asked when discussed by performers. Or if it is, the ringing simplistic indictment is because of their “Greed.”

Such an easy answer; so little to do with understanding our opposition.

Some people will tell you that dvd’s generate $22 billion dollars. But about a third of that money goes to the retailers (Blockbuster, Walmart, Target, etc.- who pay us nothing) leaving about $14 billion. Still a heck of a lot.

Now eliminate $4 billion dollars of sales on porn and $1.5 billion on sports shows that on which the Guilds don’t collect residuals. The pie is now $8.5 billion.

Subtract out another billion, because those are sales of product made before 1960. Residuals weren’t invented before then. The pot is now worth $7.5 billion.

Now eliminate producer production costs and other items to arrive at the actual profit, which the producers are required to base the monies owed to us; the total pie is $1.5 billion. Still a large number.

But, of course, it would be since $1.5 billion represents profits on all the dvd’s presently on sale and covering decades worth of films and tv shows. The reality will be that the actors will only see a gain in dvd residuals on product either made or distributed after July 1st 2005. That will still be a lot of money, but not as much as is being touted.

Moreover because of the way the residual pie is shared, the lion’s share of the extra money made would go into the pockets of the leads. Even so it is a transgression that actors share in so little of this burgeoning market and that is why this decision is so hard and so acrimonious.

“The producers are greedy. We’re only asking to increase our meager 0.9% share to a 12 cent increase. ” Well, every union negotiator knows that the AMPTP has a hard and fast mantra - "pattern bargaining." Which means for every "give" (like higher residuals on dvds or contributions to pension & insurance) the pattern of “giving” must be respected for the other unions. The pattern is as follows: one share to the writers, one equal share to the directors, and three equal shares to the actors (1-1-3). So when the actors ask for 24 cents (a 12cent increase on the 12 cents we already get), the producers think 40 cents (8cents to writers, 8cents to directors, 24cents to actors = 40cents). The pattern is a force of nature and each union uses it when they can to their own advantage.

You begin to see the AMPTP’s reluctance to budge on dvd residuals. Especially, when the tri-Guild (SAG, AFTRA, DGA) residual study educated us on how much producers lose on all but the most successful TV shows. Hard to believe, but it is a substantiated fact.

we as actors really need to start thinking about things thoroughly before we consider striking. not to say many don't, and not to say strikes have not been justified--but just like the presidential voting in our country, many people form opinions without or before knowing all the facts from every side. i think we all have a tendency to jump to one set of opinions and stick to them pretty fiercely, often basing them on incomplete information. it's all well and good to defend your rights, stand up for your principles, etc. i just feel a need to start focusing more on whether they are the appropriate points in a looming situation.

the bad with the good.

so, 15 minutes after i found out i have to replace the tranny in a car i just bought (see my other blog for my rant on this)...

i got a message for a callback on the episodic audition i had last week!

i had figured they decided to pass since the audition was last thursday, and television audition turnaround time is usually pretty quick...so it was great to get that call--especially on the tails of my other rather devastating news.

wish me broken legs!

oscar sense

well, although some of my actual predictions did not come true, at least all of the winners were in one of my two categories. just goes to show that perhaps either the oscars have become far too predictable or perhaps that we just aren't putting out enough outstanding film work.
either way, was i the only one who was boggled by the physical oddness of this year's presentation? i mean really. for some awards people had to accept them virtually at their seats, and others, they herded all the nominees up on stage together like cattle, also meaning that you the loser had to be standing right next to you the winner when the envelope was opened.
it seems a strange method, and i realize it was done in an effort to tighten up the show, bring the timespan back to something manageable, but couldn't we do something else...?
like say maybe...have clips of the songs instead of a whole performance?
tell me that wasn't the most boring part of the show and i won't believe you.
get to the awards, darn it!
they don't show the whole of each film that's up for best picture....
this seems like simple logical reasoning to me.
and the friends i watched with last night firmly agree.

anyway, i hope you all had as much fun last night as i did.
watch for me next year.

episodic audition

today i had my first bona fide episodic audition--for an established show (discovery channel), mind you, not a pilot. i think it went quite well. and the casting director was not only very relaxing to read for, he also spent some extra time with me, so i hope that proves to be a sign that even if this part is not right for me, he will want to read me again in the future.
meanwhile, i don't want to jinx it, but i think that i'll at least be getting a callback, based on what the CD had to say. so from there it's just up to applying the notes he gave me.
either way, it was an excellent first experience, and i felt really great walking outta there.

did i mention i love my job?

the oscars

with the oscars looming, i thought i'd add my 2 cents.
1st cent=who i would like to win
2nd cent=who i think will win

director

1. eastwood
2. scorcese

male actor--lead

1. don cheadle
2. jamie foxx

female actor--lead

1. annette bening
2. hilary swank

male actor--supporting

1. morgan freeman
2. thomas haden church

female actor--supporting

1. laura linney
2. cate blanchett

picture

1. million dollar baby
2. ray

withdrawal

so we wrapped our shoot for "finding gloria bainbridge" last night. and i am now in the throes of your typical end-of-project blues. i worked with some really great actors and even more wonderful people. anyone who says student films are as a rule unprofessional or not worth your while....well, they are just plain wrong. i had a great experience and look forward to the promised rough cut at the wrap party in a few weeks.
meanwhile i am on a mission to line up a new project and soon. i am so energized right now, and absolutely in love with my work. it is such a pleasure knowing that i couldn't possibly be happier with my career choice, in spite of its difficulties and occasional heartbreaks.

yesterday's happenings

well, yesterday i went to help my friend emily prepare for a theatre callback she had. it was great fun for me, sitting around her patio in the sunshine going over scenes with her. ah, the joys of my job. i really do love it. it is way too much fun.
then we had power group, which i was so happy to attend since i missed last month's meeting. i set my goals for the next month, and i am pretty pleased with the state of my motivation.
afterwards, a little bite across the street with 2 other actors, then back to hear casting associate brad gilmore speak. he works at bruce newberg's office. they cast a lot of musical theatre and some indie film, and are just starting to cast television. brad was very nice and funny and i enjoyed listening to him speak. he's one of those rare casting people who is not a former actor. in fact, he used to work for kpmg in nyc, perhaps with some former associates of mine from my day job there at drkw.
that's all from yesterday--nothing overwhlemingly exciting. tonight is dance rehearsal for our shoot this weekend. hope it doesn't rain all over us!

shoot weekend & off-topic

so i spent this friday thru sunday on set, shooting "gloria..."
(and i'm in a mess now because i had old age makeup on yesterday and of course the latex just destroys your face...but enough about my vanity.)
the shooting went well this weekend, and we are scheduled to wrap this weekend, closing with the rousing dance number. i'm enjoying myself but also looking forward to not being required to drive down to the dreaded o.c. three days a week. the driving part i love, and i have been listening to anna quindlen's book black and blue the last 2 trips--she's such a beautiful writer. but if you've been in l.a., you know about the ridiculous traffic. and of course the price of gas is sub-optimal for a starving artist.

>snip< off-topic blog

number 3

arthur miller.
this is so...unexpected and devastating.
i don't even know what to say.

sitcom frustration

i have a class with shari shaw on tuesday nights, ergo last night. it's a cold reading class for pilots; apt of course since it is pilot season. shari is excellent. and she's fairly well known for her expertise at the strange art of sitcom.
and her class is frustrating me to no end--in a good way.
see, really good sitcom work goes right against the grain of everything i've studied, learned, and taken to heart about not "showing" or "acting"--about being subtle, using the eyes, yadda yadda. i have never been so unable to grasp an acting style or concept and put it into action. not to say i don't get it, i do--completely. and my brain tells me exactly what's what and how it should be. but my body and voice are having a tough time letting go.
and shari keeps pushing me--because even though it's a pilot class, and we work both 1 hour and 1/2 hour, she's been giving me all sitcom stuff. which is part of the reason why i am so grateful to be in her class. what is class for, after all, if not to grow, push yourself, be challenged?
i must say, though, that after 4 weeks of working on sitcom material, i'd be okay with a week of heavy drama, my personal specialty. and i think she thinks so too, which makes me dig her even more. after all, a teacher who can "get" when you're at your breaking point or mired in frustration, and can help you work through it is completely invaluble. not to mention rare.

dinky

i spent this weekend recording the vox for a musical film i am working on. it has been a long time since i recorded in a real studio, and it was such fun. i was rather deflated to return to my "real" life, where i am not actually a star recording artist.

yet.

the studio we worked in is a new one, in fact not sure they have officially opened yet, but billy & his sidekick (i think his name was chuck) ran everything smoothly and professionally. it's in corona, dinky recording studio. and can i just mention that if you are on 91, the moment you see a sign for the corona exits, you are immediately overpowered by an awesomely pungent manure smell.
those of you who went to jmu with me may remember the dog food schtank of a rainy day in harrisonburg--well this is exponentially more assaulting.
fortunately, dinky does not share this odiferous unpleasantness. i would recommend them sincerely if you have a smaller project going on.
can't wait to add some music clips to my web site.

why not?

after reading this article about bob marley and the loss of his message in the face of, well, our cultural ignorance, i have started wondering why there has not been a big screen film made about him and his life and message.
oliver stone commemorated the drug-induced life and times of jim morrison (don't misunderstand, i am a fan of both his music and his writing), and though morrison did make a significant impact on the music world and the lives of many young people of that generation, he did not proliferate the sort of humanitarian message bob marley did.
i have always enjoyed marley's music, both the reggae feel and the lyrics, but it wasn't until i heard a bit more about his story, then watched a semi-documentary special on his life that i began to see the even deeper meaning behind his music. and i still remember when i was living in NYC the huge disappointment i felt the first time i was walking from the 49th street N train station to my gym at Worldwide Plaza and i looked up and saw a huge billboard, using bob marley's image or words--i seem to have blocked out the specifics--to sell something like tennis shoes.
i realize that perhaps his message may seem old-school or outdated in today's world. but perhaps that's the problem. dubya rants on about values~but he only applies that to certain people. i think he should take a more literal view of values and place value on the people, all the people, the way marley did.

is that 3 yet?

okay, so deaths come in threes. so we're currently in the midst of losing hollywood legends--3, to be exact.
whether you personally believe this or not, i have found it to be reasonably true.
so, we have had:

1. johnny carson
2. ossie davis
3. ?

now it's possible i missed someone, as i am still calling myself "too young" to know some of the hollywood legends of the past. even ossie was only a vaguely familiar name. it seems a shame that i wouldn't know more about him without reading it. so my excuse of "too young" should really be "too ignorant" in certain cases.

this goes back to a conversation i had with a friend, years ago, about how we don't have heroes any more, how we forget that these people who stood up for civil rights are not just part of the past. we all know that as much as racial prejudice has been decreased (or at the very least in some cases, buried) it still exists. and we forget how much worse it used to be; ergo we forget the people who went thru that struggle for equality to begin with.

more about heroes later....i feel a bob marley posting coming on.

if i did not miss someone....well, that means we're about to have another great loss. and soon.

popping the cherry

i think that since blog reading has become a recent favorite in my list of pasttimes, i must join the masses and create my own.
particularly since--as anyone who knows me can attest--i have a rather opinionated nature, and i don't tend to hold it back.
so, first thing first.
my blog name: actorkate; no i don't mean "actress"
i cannot tell you the number of times someone (99% someones=males) has had the gall to correct me when i answer the question of my profession by saying i'm an actor.
"you mean actress."
no, honey, i don't. we all know i have bosoms. it's obvious that i am female. what is not obvious is why you feel a need to differentiate between my gender and yours, unless we are at a tranny bar, costume party, or some other such place/event.
and if it seems i'm a bit passionate about this, you're damn right i am.
when's the last time you heard someone refer to doctress ruth westheimer?