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?