The First Thing I See When I Land in Milwaukee?

My breath.  A close second? Snow.  Everywhere...

A Little Bit of Grace

I got to watch a cast/crew screening of Grace last night in Santa Monica.  Grace was the film I worked on late last summer -- mostly shot on location up in Idlewild.  I must say that I don't really like seeing myself on screen in general (actually pretty common among actors, I have found).  I love the process of making a movie, but the actual watching of the finished product is hard to enjoy because I always see things I could've/should've/would've done differently. 

Nonetheless, thanks to the beautiful cinematography and some really poignant, powerful performances by the the other actors, I was able -- for the most part! -- to enjoy the movie.  This was the first time since we wrapped that the entire cast was together again, so that was fun.  Originally written by director Paul Kampf as a 30-minute short, Grace actually ran about an hour, but the pace seemed right on.  It was interesting to see what made it in to the final cut from the original script and what was left out.

I know Paul has some ideas for distribution as far as festivals go, so I'll keep you posted.

Warm Days, Early Nights

It is sunny and warm again here today.  Beautiful, in fact.  It was nice to play softball in shorts and a t-shirt this morning -- and still work up a good sweat!  I trust that I'll be welcomed back to Wisconsin by the open arms of Old Man Winter next week, so I have to take in this heat while I can...

The funny thing about it being in the 70's here this time of year is that it still IS December.  That means short days and early sunsets.  For 30 years or so, 70 degree weather meant to me that it would be light outside until 8 or 9 at night.  So, it takes some getting used to to have it so warm (and summer-like!) during the day, and yet it starts getting dark around 4:30 in the afternoon.

Anyway, I do look forward to seeing some snow and breathing in the crisp Midwest air at home, but at least weather-wise, I may be glad to get back here -- back to running in shorts and t-shirt weather :)

Time to Read

One of the best things about extra work -- besides getting paid and usually eating well -- is that there is often ample time to read.  So, in addition to catching up on my pile of unread magazines last week, I also got to read a couple books.  The best of which was Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, which I had somehow managed to avoid reading through umteen years of school.  In a discussion with my friend Greg (for a blog of all things reading, visit Greg's HERE) regarding a different book last week, I mentioned that for me the measure of a good read is the residue I'm left with afterward.  And Slaughterhouse-Five is still hanging with me...

Vonnegut's satirically bleak tale of war and despair, time-travel and free will is engaging, funny, and sad -- often all at once.  And man can that guy turn a phrase!  Here are a few of my favorite little nuggets:

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.

On the ninth day, the hobo died.  So it goes.  His last words were, "You think this is bad? This ain't bad."

"I am seeing all time as you might see a stretch of the Rocky Mountains.  All time is all time.  It does not change.  It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations.  It simply is.  Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber."

Billy hated the canyon.  He was sure he was going to fall in.  His mother touched him, and he wet his pants.

Ah, good stuff!  Anyway, it's nice to pass the time on set waiting for "Action!" to be called by pulling out a little paperback and disappearing into that world for a bit...

The Newest Member of the Disney Family

Congratulations to Gina who, after a lengthy and arduous application/interview process (including her facing of a 'firing squad' where she alone took on the questions of 10 executives), was just accepted into the Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellowship Program!  That's a long way of saying that she is now one of 8 folks (out of over 1600 applicants) who will be paid by Disney for the next year to do what they love to do -- write!

Way to represent for Midwesterners, girl!

(Here is a picture of Gina with the TV spec script that she used to get into the program - fierce!)

What $15 Million Gets These Days...

I spent the last three days/nights doing extra work on a party scene for an upcoming movie.  The location was this incredible mansion in Bel Air, which is apparently on the market for somewhere around $15 million.  Though with the current state of the housing market in California, I bet they'd take less -- make an offer!

The shoot was pretty easy, and I felt very English in my tight, dark plaid suit...

Auto Auditions

Last week I had a couple of car commercial auditions.  (Incidentally, one of my friends who gets a lot of commercials is currently in one of those ubiquitous Lexus holiday ads...)

Thursday was for a Dodge spot at Laray Mayfield Casting and Friday was for Chrysler at Lisa Fields Casting.  Since both callbacks were today, I'm guessing I didn't "advance in the competition."  I've really got to start getting some more callbacks -- it's been awhile!  Both of the auditions were for fun spots, but neither had dialogue, so it was even more about a specific look for these ones -- whatever that look may be.

Anyway, I'm grateful for the auditions.  Onward and upward...

Closing Time

Last night was closing night for "Another Play of the Dead," the show I was in at Psychic Visions Theatre.  The run was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed meeting so many new folks.  Thanks ladies of Psychic Visions for letting me play with you for the last six weeks!

Here is the entire cast of the show:






Here I am with Tracy and Suzie, the two ladies I shared the stage with in the piece "Meeting Cute:"

Trekking About

Now that Star Trek is out on DVD, I pulled a couple stills.  Looking for me during the assembly scene is kind of a 'Where's Waldo' exercise.  I am sitting right next to Uhura and two seats down from where Spock sits before he's called to come down to the front. (hint: when Spock is talking, look over his right shoulder to see my pensive/confused visage ;)

During the Kobayashi Maru simulation, I get to briefly be the center of a shot, looking bewildered in my pajama-esque flight suit.  Look for me when the power goes bonkers, and the lights dim for an instant and come back up...

Coming Soon the Christmas Holiday is...

Now that my birthday has passed (thanks for all the notes, messages, and e-mails!), I can get serious about Christmas!  For those of you who know me, you won't be surprised that I don't do much in the way of holiday decorations during the course of the year.  I keep my mom's stained glass pumpkin in my window all year round and that's about it...

But, I do indeed have some special decorations for Christmas; I have TWO, yes DOS, that I decided it was time to bust out.  As you can see from my pictures, these include my 6-inch Yoda as Santa figure and my string of Yoda lights now in place around my door.  Now, my apartment feels very festive.

May the Christmas Force be with you...

So True, Nikki...

From Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood:

So Why Is Most Of Hollywood Out Of Work?

By Nikki Finke | Category: Uncategorized | Sunday December 6, 2009 @ 9:59pm

According to BoxOffice.com, 2009's domestic cume has already topped 2008's record haul of $9.626 million from January 1 to December 31, 2008. More on Monday when actuals come in...

LINK to Deadline Hollywood

EDIT:
My friend John made the point that part of the cause of Hollywood industry unemployment is 'runaway' production -- that is, Film & TV shows are going to shoot in other states such as Michigan, New Mexico, or North Carolina that offer substantial rebates and/or tax incentives.  In an attempt to counteract this, California has recently passed some of our own tax incentives...

Another big factor is that smaller (independent) movies seem to be getting squeezed in favor of huge blockbusters.  So, there is a lot of money being spent, but on fewer movies being made which means less jobs for the working actor/crewman.

$12.43

At an Industry Event last night, the company was good, but the drink 'deals' were not so rosy.  I paid $12.43 (tax and tip included) for one glass of Bud Light and one glass of Coke at the bar.  Admittedly, I'm something of a cheapskate when it comes to spending money on drinks these days due to my lack of funds, but come on, that's pretty steep!  I was thusly reminded why I usually avoid such events...

Audition Tales

Thursday afternoon I had a print audition for Anthem Insurance.  They were looking for construction worker-types, encouraging "scruffiness" which was perfect since I have been growing out my beard for the last couple weeks and I was plenty scruffy.  But, Thursday morning, I got another audition notice for a Sears commercial the same day in Santa Monica.  And of course they were looking for clean-cut, approachable employee-types.  Curse the necessary duality of the commercial actor! :)

So, at 2:00 p.m. I got dressed in my flannel and jeans (and scruff) and went to the Anthem audition in Hollywood where they just took a few photos, ran home to shave and change into my khakis and polo shirt and then braved traffic on the 10 west to Santa Monica for my 4:25 p.m. appointment.  The Sears audition was for a fun spot (involving Kenmore washing machines and customers with sock puppets...), and as usual, I would love to book something for them!

Friday morning I got an audition notice for a Quaker Oats commercial which is great.  But, the breakdown said they were looking for joggers, in their early 40's only.  Now, I know I'm no spring chicken, and I've got some gray hair, but playing 10+ years older might be a stretch.  So, I called my agent just to make sure they really wanted me to go -- and that the casting director wouldn't get mad when I came in, not fitting the breakdown they had sent out.  After reconfirming with casting, my agent called back and said that yes, I should go.

So, I got my jogging clothes on and went to the office in West Hollywood.  Just as I suspected, most of the jogging dudes I saw there were 45-55, but oh well.  For the audition, we actually had to run back and forth a few times outside in front of casting and the clients (usually the clients aren't there until the callback stage, but that was cool.)  So, at least I got some exercise out of the deal!

Anyway, a few wacky auditions this week are just par for the course out here...  Alas, it is never boring!

Stills from A & D

So I got the "Extended" version of Angels & Demons to see if any more of my stuff got put in -- it didn't.  But, here are a couple frame grabs from some of the scenes I was in.  So, if you haven't seen it yet, you know where to look for me if you do ;)

A Singular Talent

Had the opportunity to see a screening of the Michael Jackson concert documentary, This Is It, last night. Whatever you think of Michael Jackson the person, after seeing the film there is really no doubting his absolute musical genius.  The rumors of a tired, old former pop superstar just going through the motions were greatly exaggerated.  In fact, the 50 year old looked spry, energetic, and danced circles around brilliant dancers half his age.  One highlight for me: Jackson being chased by Humphrey Bogart (in a scene from The Big Sleep) in a new filmed piece to accompany "Smooth Criminal" - outstanding!  This Is It is poignant and entertaining, an insightful look into a master at work, and easily one of my favorite films of the year. 

The screening was followed by a Q&A with director (and frequent MJ collaborator), Kenny Ortega.  It was both interesting and sad to hear Ortega talk about the unfortunate and "unnecessary" death of his friend.  One nugget that he shared was that he and MJ were working on producing a full-length musical feature based on "Thriller."  That would have been something...

Anyway, like I said, whatever you may think of Jackson's bizarre behavior and often, at best, questionable judgment (at worst, downright criminal activity), if you appreciate music, dancing, art -- and witnessing the process of artistic creation -- give This Is It a shot.

Thanksgiving Angels -- and Demons

That's right, Angels & Demons, the movie in which I had my first SAG principal role (albeit a small one) is out on DVD and Blu Ray this week.  As such, it is also my first shot at residuals.  So if you buy a copy, not only are you getting a decently-better-than-average big Hollywood whodunit, you'll be helping to line my pockets :)  Well, ok, I'm not likely to get rich from residuals for my couple weeks on set, but any little bit helps! 

Now, I just have to wait until those checks start flowing -- er, I mean
trickling -- in.

Feeling Full of Thanks

I have many things to be thankful for this year: a supportive family and group of friends, my health, the opportunity to be pursuing work in this crazy industry, just to name a few.  While I don't have the chance to go home to my family this year, I get to do the next best thing:  spend the day watching football and hanging out with my two favorite four-legged friends: Art and Moofy. 

We all would like to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!

Go Packers!

Shorts & Stubs

After helping out on the set of a short that Paul Kampf wrote last week, this week I had the pleasure of shooting a short scene for another of his films.  (From Grace, the film that I did this summer that he wrote/directed is in the final stages of post-production.)  This particular scene was only a couple minutes, an improvised 'interview' of sorts.  My part of the shoot was short and sweet, but it's always inspiring to be around Paul and the creative team that he's put together. 

_____

Wow, do I have some creative and enterprising friends!  Looking for a good Christmas gift for that sports fan?  My buddy from college, Tim, and his friend recently came out with the "Ticket Journal" -- a place to store all those ticket stubs from games and events, and a place to remember why each of those games was special.  I've been to hundreds of games, concerts, premieres, and events and have the pile of ticket stubs in a box to prove it; but unfortunately, after so many years, most of the specific memories of those games have faded.  On some of them, I have tiny notes and phrases about the events, but even most of those are smudged, illegible, or unintelligible...   

But, with the Ticket Journal, you can keep your stubs and jot down specifics (scores, who you attended with, what was memorable about the experience, etc.), and the memories can live on!  Anyway, I think this is a great idea; frankly I can't believe anyone hasn't thought of it before -- but kudos, Tim! 

HERE is the Ticket Journal website if you're interested in checking it out.

Up in the Air

Saw a screening of Jason Reitman's new film, Up in the Air, recently and really enjoyed it.  It's always refreshing around this time of year to see fun and engaging adult dramas.  It is moving and thoughtful, but not too heavy.  In fact, there is actually quite a bit of humor injected into the story, both by the actors and the writer.  The direction is spot-on and the performances are very solid; Clooney is great as usual (though this time, unlike in Men Who Stare at Goats, he actually has a decent script to work with), and there are a lot of nice cameos. 

It's not perfect, but pretty darn good.  I would expect this one to be in the conversation when awards time rolls around.  It almost makes me want to fly...

Honda Audition & Set Pics

Note: My blog posting has been a bit inconsistent of late since I no longer have internet at my place (my former neighbor, Rebecca, graciously let me use hers before she moved away...), but I hope to have that remedied soon.

Audition at Joe Blake casting today in Santa Monica for a Honda car commercial.  The wait was pretty long since there were so many dudes auditioning (about eighty minutes), but it seems like a fun spot.  I think I did pretty well and callbacks are before the holiday, so I hope to hear!

Here are a few pics from a set I've worked on for a few days the last couple weeks.  (It's an untitled TV movie -- Hallmark or Lifetime, maybe?)  These shots are from a beautiful spot in Moorpark that doubled as a mall for purposes of the film.  The location was like a gorgeous little oasis in the middle of the desert. 

The Best Laid Plans...

One of the perks of being a SAG Film Society member is that come awards season (i.e. now), I get invitations to free screenings put on by the studios/ production companies to promote their awards-bait films.  We RSVP'd and went to such a screening of 'Nine' this week -- complete with post-screening Q&A with most of the star-studded cast!  Great, right? They always warn that they overbook to ensure capacity, so arrive early.  We got to the theater at 6 for a 7 pm weekday show.  There was a pretty long line, but the line went on behind us even longer.  So, we assumed we would get in.  Wrong.  We made it to the front of the line and were the 3rd and 4th people NOT to make it in.  There were at least a couple dozen people who went ahead in line during the wait to 'be with their friends' and another 20 or so people who were on the SAG Nominating Committee who were allowed to skip ahead.  So, if it wasn't for all that crap, we would have gotten in easily.  And there were hundreds of people still in line behind us who were not happy.  Why they would overbook such an event by HUNDREDS of people is beyond any rational person's thinking.  It is a horrible, horrible system that could be corrected pretty easily, but given the low priority that we masses in the line rate,  I doubt there are any changes imminent.

Dairyland Greyhound Park Closing - 900 Dogs Need Homes!

With the closing of Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, WI on December 31, 900 dogs need to be adopted or the poor things will be euthanized.  I've heard nothing but wonderful things about adopted greyhounds.  If you're looking for a family dog or just a companion, check out this site:

Dairyland Adoption Website

"900 Greyhounds will need to be adopted otherwise they will be euthanized, now is a great time to consider adopting a Greyhound. They are very loving and laid back. They don't need the space people think they need. They are great for an active family because they have been crated almost all their lives and they sleep about 18 out of the 24 hours a day. They are just looking for someone to love them and supply them with a warm bed!!!!

They test the dogs to see if they are cat friendly and or small dog friendly. They also know if a dog should be a single dog or if they would be great in a 2, 3, or 4 dog house!!!"  

The Adoption Center is open seven days a week, please call for an appointment.
Contact the Diaryland Greyhound Adoption Office at (262) 612-8256

5522 - 104 th Avenue
Kenosha, Wisconsin 53144-7450
Located at the intersection of I-94 and HWY 158 in Kenosha, WI

Redundancy Department of Redundancy

For at least the 4th or 5th time since I've been here, I went to a casting/audition for a Wells Fargo print job -- at the same photographer's studio.  One would think that they would just keep the pictures of the oh, 500 or so actors for the next time instead of setting up another entire shoot day.

Anyway, it was a quick 5-6 pictures, and luckily for me the studio was very close to my place, so it wasn't too much of a time investment.  And, it would be nice to get the gig one of these castings...

Whew!

Over the past week I have: gotten over my cold (finally!), had two softball games (both wins), seen two screenings (The Road - brilliant! and Brothers, followed by a Q/A with the lovely Natalie Portman, a few days of extra work, a print audition, a commercial audition, lunch with a friend in town from London, a couple CD workshops and two weekends of my show, "The Play of the Dead."  Whew. 

Just trying to keep busy!

Useful Down Time

Well, I finally got the cold/sick thing that's been going around.  So, while I was sitting on my couch yesterday with a plugged-up head -- pretty useless -- I decided that between sneezing fits, it'd be a good time to write out some postcards.  Postcards are a good way of staying in touch with industry folk: for me mainly casting directors that I have auditioned for or taken workshops with.

So, I wrote out some two dozen postcards with updates on what I've been up to -- my play, the various projects I've been working on -- and lumbered over to the post office to mail them.  The hope is that my postcard (with my headshot and website address on, of course) will find its way onto a casting director's desk just as they happen to be looking for someone of my type.  While possible, that is something of a long shot.  Still, if that doesn't happen, I think it's useful just to have my face in front of them -- even if it's only for two seconds before the postcard finds the trash can -- and remind them that I am still out here and keeping busy.

There is no real quantifiable way to know if this plan works (unless a CD calls you in and tells you it's because if your postcard), but I think it's worthwhile nonetheless.  And no doubt writing and sending postcards is a better use of this downtime than watching Judge Judy and Jerry Springer...