Sunday, June 29, 2008

clooney strikes again (no pun intended)

seriously~i have always admired george clooney's ability to use his brains and his humanity and talent all at once, and remain humble and gracious. like the real classic movie stars we all adore. having read this i am even more impressed. the man needs to be in a more powerful position. it could change so many things for the better. i hope the establishments read his memo and take his thoughts to the table. nothing short of brilliant.

Friday, May 30, 2008

okay, can i just gush for a moment?

what a great frickin' week. most of you know i booked a U/5 on "Little Britain USA" for HBO. and my guest director was David Schwimmer.
well, i had rehearsal for this on tuesday and shot wednesday, and because of certain props and schedules & stuff, i ended up being on set basically all day on both days! i'm sure at some point in my career this might be irritating, but at this point i absolutely love being on set, watching everybody work and being around the vibe. people kept thanking me for being so patient, and i just kept telling them i'd rather be on set than somewhere else.
on tuesday, other scenes were being rehearsed too, so i got to meet (besides the stars of the show, David Walliams & Matt Lucas) the fabulous & inspiring talents Rachael Harris & Bob Stephenson, along with a few other burgeoning actors. it was awesome being ensconced in good working actor vibes!
as for wednesday, i discovered the previous day that my shooting schedule may suffer a bit in order to work around..... STING. yes, that is correct, sting was shooting a segment for an episode on the same day as i was, and i was on set with him, able to watch him act & sing & play some crazy-ass multi-stringed instrument (looked like a sitar crossed with a handheld harp) from a few feet away. :)
(my sister must be peeing herself about now... especially when i say, coll, he was inches from me, chatting with matt & david and introducing his daughter Kate around.)
so life is GOOD.
then yesterday i was in the area so i swung by the casting office to drop off some thank-you-baklava, and today they called me to come in & audition for a role on The Sarah Silverman Program on monday. i'm not sayin' it was the baklava, but either way i LOVE those ladies over there!
sigh. man, do i feel like a different human being when my life/work is going the way i want it to, when i am where i am supposed to be, surrounded by the sort of vibes and character of people that understand my dream and have their own to share...
it's gonna be tough going back to the bar job tonight. but i am soooo so grateful for this wonderful week. i needed that, badly. thanks, universe!
cheers, and thanks for allowing my gush!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

things i've been thinking about

well, the writers' strike is in full force, with everyone just having gone back to the table to actually try and sort out an agreement. while my previous post about it not really affecting my career is sorta true, it also turned out to be sorta not true. residual effects are widespread. also people around town are vehement if they happen to be opposed to this action, and i am constantly resisting debates when i'm at my survival job and elsewhere. all i can say is what i tell all the debate vultures: "i really hope they are able to resolve this quickly, and in a way that has positive results for everyone." i do, after all, believe not only in a union's right-to-strike (could be growing up near detroit and in the autoworker's union family or just common human decency) but also in this particular strike. and not just cuz i think it'll save our union trouble in the months to come.

on another topic, i am preparing for the end of the year. which means slowdown time around here, and with the strike that comes early this year. end of year for me means a closeout/review of the past year, professionally, and a revamping of my 5-3-1. that's goals set for 5 years, 3 years, 2 year, and 6 months. i do this every december or january. in glancing over this years goals as the months have passed, i've realized that for the 3rd year in a row, i have overshot on my goals. now this could, if i were a different person, upset me, make me think i had repeatedly failed or underachieved or whatever negative thought-beast takes roost in this particular circumstance. however, i am not a different person, and i think i've figured out it is far better to believe you can do more, shoot for the stars, and get as far as you can, than to aim low and give yourself goals which do not challenge you personally or professionally. i seem to have that skill in the bag. :) ergo, i'll be aiming high again this year and for many to come.

the other thing i've been thinking about in terms of goals: i have a list. 2 lists actually. one list is of women whose careers i admire, whose professional footsteps are ones i'd like to follow as i continue on my career journey. the other is of people i would like to work with, directors & actors. wanna hear? okay, here goes, in no particular order.



professional footsteps
meryl streep (duh)
laura linney
judi dench
cate blanchett
holly hunter
hellen mirren
maggie gyllenhaal
jodie foster
drew barrymore
glenn close
susan sarandon
kyra sedgwick
joan cusack
work with
everybody on the other list, natch
clint eastwood
peter o'toole
gene hackman
george clooney
ellen burstyn
johnny depp
ben kingsley
sidney lumet
craig gillespie
jeff bridges
tim robbins
kevin bacon
john cusack

okay, so that's what i got going on in my brain right now.
these lists are certainly missing a few names that aren't on the tip of my tongue right now, but for the moment, in case any of you fabulous people is googling yrself, maybe you wanna know you're on my A list.

cheers

Friday, November 2, 2007

writers' strike

yup, it's happening 12:01am on monday.
will it affect my burgeoning career? not really. not, anyway, if they resolve things by the end of the year.
unless of course the teamsters strike in support. that would be bad (teamsters also include casting) very very bad.
so cross your fingers some last minute negotiations happen this weekend. this town will be shut down soon if something doesn't get sorted.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

new & better vibes

wow, so my theatrical agent debacle has, as hoped, turned out to be the best thing for me. i was released from my contract over there just as i started to set up meetings with new agents. perfect timing, so as not to have to deal with that paperwork myself. and NOW i know why i didn't book any work with them~they might have wanted to hold onto me then! aHA!
SO i am now oh-so-happy to say that i am repped theatrically by the same fab-u agency that has been repping me so well commercially for the past year+. i have been so happy with them, and the agent running the theatrical department used to be on the commercial team so she actually KNOWS me, GETS me, and believes in my abilities!

SUPER BIG YAY!


all i've ever wanted in an agent and feared i would never get!
prepare yourselves for lots of exciting news in the near future. i do believe this is the start of a beautiful career & the culmination of the perfect team to make it happen.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

moving forward

okay, so my audition went great, but i haven't heard anything so it doesn't look like i'm a front-runner for this episode. but i walked out knowing i did the best i could (which is AWEsome) and that's all ya can do in this godforsaken business! so i'm moving forward and hoping they bring me in for something else. hey, maybe it'll a be a big fat guest star or a recurring next time and i'll book! maybe they are SAVING me for something bigger and better!
meanwhile i have started a new class with an interesting chap. it's just a 5-weeker and the set-up is a little odd because the experience level in the class rides from either end of the spectrum. there being only 10 of us, it makes for interesting work. the thing that really excites me about this is that the teacher, bruce ducat, has held many roles in this industry and not only does he know his stuff, he's the first to say "here's what to do. and anyone else will tell you a different way to do it. and so will the next guy." in terms of searching for a manager to supplement my less-than-illustrious theatrical agent situation.... i feel like i was lead to this class and this guy by a bit of synchronicity. we'll see what develops over the coming weeks. but i really like his vibe. a lot.
and just as importantly, i feel like he is someone who actually sees (or is starting to) my potential and commitment, who gets the idea that i am a great investment of time & energy because i am of the 1% who is going to make it in this career.
sounds like maybe i'm getting ahead of myself, but i don't think so. as always, i trust my gut. and my gut says that, whether it's a professional relationship that develops out of it or not, this class and the presence of this gentleman in my actor life are going to be very important to my near future!