Flying Cars and the Return of the Zit

Always happy to get castings so I have to start off by NOT whining about my drive to Sherman Oaks, today, although I would have given my right arm for a car with wings. I swear - I'm done complaining about my drive. Just had to mention that I envisioned a bat mobile or jet fueled hydraulic pumps sprouting out of the sides of my Honda mini-van, so I could fly away over all the nasty, backed-up traffic on the Ventura Highway...okay, onto the real stuff...my chin zit showed up again. Weird, ya know, since today's audition for a VERY BIG JOB was an infomercial for a vacuum cleaner...didn't I deal with this same zit during my filming for the Mop & Go infomercial? Hmmm, what is going on here? OMG, it will become my personal brand...the gal with the zit on her chin. Lovely. Anyway, the casting agency probably saw about 20-25 women for this, but as they say, you have to swing the bat to get a home run...or, something like that! It's so crazy, this biz, and it's sort of like gambling or childbirth - bare with me, I've done both. You take chances and spend money on it (gas, your time, wardrobe, headshots, etc.) and hope for a few small pay-offs here and there and a few big ones, too! Or, childbirth. Painful and a bit scary, but you forget about it right away, especially if you book a job - even a small one. Don't you all want to jump into this biz, now!? Yeah, right. Stick to Vegas and c-sections! Shalom and Peace on this upcoming Easter weekend! (BTW, I did book a testimonial job for an ad agency. Thank Yooouuu! The pain is gone already!)

Freakazoids on Melrose

Whew! Two days in a row of driving the 101 North into Los Angeles. Traffic, accidents, traffic and more accidents, oh, and more traffic. But, I did book a gig. The paying kind, again, so all good. Melrose Avenue is too f-ing fun. Crazy shops, boutiques, tattoo parlors and freakazoids walking around mingled in with the trendy, corporate types. Love it! What is it about being around funky, different people? A ZZ Top-looking guy riding a motorcycle with a suit on...a clown-juggler-mime looking character eating a sandwich next to me in Subway, and a beautifully-muscled, seriously cool "brother" chatting on his cell phone, inside some very expensive sports car, parked right next to my lovely, soccerMom-Honda Odyssey van and a few homeless or downtrodden folks mingling about. Today's audition - I don't think I was their type. You sort of get that inkling when the casting director asks the person before you to stay in the hallway for callbacks and then says, "thanks for coming in," to you. Whatever...it's the biz. Anyway, my zits have cleared up, just in case you're wondering...ah...yeah...and I am really enjoying my personal training job at Total Woman. Co-hosting on KSBR tomorrow, too. (ksbr.net). I am into so many different things right now. Just seeing what sticks, if you know what I mean. What kinds of things are you hoping might stick? "And, did I mention, I just shot a steamy love scene in a new flick starring Ashton Kutcher...APRIL FOOLS! Peace Out!

The Mop and The Zit

I know what you're thinking, gross. How in the world do those two things tie in together. Let me explain. I shot my testimonial for the Spin & Go mop this afternoon. This morning, to my horror, I awoke with a fairly large red bump on my chin. Being no stranger to acne breakouts, I knew immediately, I was in for a battle. Can't touch it. Don't mess with it. By God, don't try to squeeze it. How is that luck? I get a fairly large gig, good pay, and I bring along my friend Mr. Pimple. WTF?! Anyway, as they lighted my shot, all I could imagine was the zit growing larger by the moment, literally taking over the entire camera lens and looking grosser by the minute. Truly, it wasn't that bad, but try doing your lines (faster than you had planned) with Pimple-Land on your mind. What a drag. Anyway, got through it and I believe the client was happy. I can't imagine him saying, "hey, you didn't have a zit in the audition" or "can we shadow that zit on her chin..." but that was what I was imagining. And, yes, I covered it up with make-up. Still, I knew it was there. I'm sure it will be gone by tomorrow morning, so I can look really good for my spin class...and, no, I am not adding a pic to this post! Here's to adult acne...making you look like a teen when your middle-aged. (I still don't feel any better.)

The Sound and The Mop

Spent all day at 100.3, The Sound in Los Angeles yesterday, filming and interviewing. Seriously, fun! I could do that for a job, as in everyday. Hopefully, the footage will be as good as I think it is. The Sound is a newer rock station in our market. And, Whew-Hoo, I booked that infomercial/testimonial for the Mop & Go I auditioned for last Sunday, when I was driving home actually thinking I actually had a chance on that one. For once, I was right, in a good way. (Verses the self-talk that goes something like this..."well, that sucked. I definitely didn't get that job.") This is such a strange biz. I'm all excited about a mop...

Testimonial Time and Getting Screwed

Two auditions over the last several days, both for testimonials. Funny thing, after I was done, I actually wanted to buy the product and service! Hate to admit our dirty little secret, not that you don't already know, but those are "posers" and "fakers" when you see ads with satisfied customers. Well, not all of them...but, most! Anyway, felt good about both the companies so that helps! In fact, I was feeling really good about today's audition so I was happily driving home from Marina del Rey - all good and thinking to myself, "what a great day" - until the driver in front of me, who appeared to be going around a car that unexpectedly made a right turn, actually didn't and I couldn't stop in time, thereby slightly tapping the back of her bumper...enough to leave a small imprint of a little screw from my front license plate on her rear bumper. Back to f-ing reality. Nothing like getting screwed by a screw...If I do get lucky enough to book one of the jobs, the pay will probably be eaten up in "bumper" charges. Whatever...working on a new VO job and get to write as well...should be starting a new infommercial VO job tomorrow...now, if I can just not jump anymore rear ends...okay, you know what I mean! Drive carefully!

Did I just See Two Naked Women?

Yeah, I think I did! I will be filming a newscaster role for an independent film called Justify. Really nice production values; a great production/directing team and a role that I know I am suited for so I am thrilled that I will have a clip from this. Recently saw the trailer on the movie, which is incidentally getting festival interest, and saw two naked women getting it on - yes, they were hot, too...not that I noticed...ewww. And, not that I wouldn't have agreed to the part, I just didn't realize that it was a festish film. Okay, now you are all interested, aren't you?! What a coincidence that I just did my last podcast on intimacy, too. Anyway, have new headshots that I love, yet all of the sudden I have been getting more VO than on-camera. Go figure. I guess I need to redo my VO reel... Improv class is going well. Love being the most inexperienced and unprepared...umm, NOT...but, it's so good to be out of one's comfort zone. A lot of F-bombs flying in there and I have a real love affair with that word, so that makes it fun. Picked up some PT clients...whatever it takes! Hope you are all surviving the lay-offs. Peace Out!! :)

Stretch Thyself

Recently shot a Sammy Hagar music video at Chapman University. Song is called "LOUD," and it's rather quite rockin' out! Not sure when and where it will air...speaking of which, the Wayne Brady "You&Me" video is playing on his site. If you look hard enough, you might see part of a blade of my hair on the left side of the screen...yeah...but, still fun to do and be a part of. So why the title Stretch Myself? Because I am in an intermediate Improv class at South Coast Rep that is a challenge for me. Everyone else in the class has had improv classes and/or a lot of theater. Yikes. You really gotta think fast and have lots 'o trivia stored away. I'm having a hard time even accessing "six one word movie titles" in about 20-seconds and that's just during the warm-up exercises. Anyway, I'm feeling a bit anxious about all of it, but I know that's a good thing! Instructor and classmates way cool, too! Also, I just signed a contract to voice and edit for an audio book company. I have a beautifully-written, ancient literature piece called Adam Bede that is "kickin' my ass," and is certainly a big s t r e t c h for me as a VO artist - the endurance aspect of it, really. The text is quite enjoyable, thank goodness, although I have to read a bunch of Huckleberry Finn-like slang such as "we'i wenup to the brook and sawitdunn fullo'rain"......and, finally, this isn't a stretch, but I just landed a role as a reporter in a non-union feature film. This is one of the roles that I have been wanting to play - a natural fit, I would think, so I'm looking forward to reporting about a dead body or something like that! I kind of feel good about 2009, which seems odd, since our economy is in such turmoil. But, we have new national leadership, and I am getting some work, so I'll ride this positive momentum as long as I can!