New headshots today!!!

I picked up shifts at Universal Sunday and Monday and wish me luck - this afternoon I'm having new headshots taken! I should be getting my beauty sleep right now, so here's a quick copy-and-pasted look inside an email I just wrote to someone very special:

Anyway... you may be surprised to read that I'm not at all packed and ready for my photo shoot and I'm not the least bit stressed about it! Odd. I have come to realize all I ever worry about are the things that never end up mattering in the end. I have a few outfits in mind that I know will be great. I've looked at a lot of other peoples shots and in most cased you barely see the clothes, so I'm trying to keep it simple on myself. I've decided to go with my hair hot rolled - not like crazy curly or done up, but just normal with some body and bend at the end. I'm going to take my blow drying and if half way through I have somewhere to wet and straighten it, that'll be cool... if not, it's not a big deal. Instead of the tedious clothes and makeup stuff I'm thinking about what sort of moments I want to capture - by that I mean planning the things that will be running through my mind and coming out through my eyes and expression. Of course the most important thing is that they look like me, but if the picture represents a character when a casting director looks at it, I want them to see what line my character is saying. I think that is far more important than worrying if my outfit says "bad girl" or "nerd" or whatever... Does that make sense? [Photographer's name] is giving me a great deal - $200 for 3 to 5 looks, so I'm just going to go have a good time and trust the result will be better than what I already have...

"You're from the Midwest, arent' you?"

These were the words from a stranger behind me as I stood in line at Samuel French, a bookstore specializing in all things theatre and film. I turned around, smiled and asked, "How did you know?"

This happened Tuesday and I had just come from my audition for the country music video. The role was a cute but sexy 17 year old preachers daughter who runs off with a hot motorcycle bad boy. Thus, I was in brown boots, tight jeans and a cute but simple top that showed cleavage. My make up was minimal and my hair was in a headband, in hopes of capturing maximum youthfulness.

The first gentleman and the guy behind him both agreed they could "just tell" I was from the Midwest. "How old do you think I am," I asked. He literally took a step backward, shaking his head and refusing to answer. "It's fine," I laughed, "We're obviously all in the industry..."

"Do you want me to insult you high or insult you low?"

I assured him he wasn't going to insult me at all. He remained hesitant until I insisted he stop over thinking it and just say whatever number had originally popped in his head.

Finally he answered, "Well, before you opened your mouth I'd say between 20 and 22, but now that we've spoken I'd say 27 or 28."

Interesting...

The yes-man behind him agreed again, "I thought you were younger at first too, but you carry yourself very well."

"Damn maturity!" I joked, thanked them and went on my way...

My man got a callback!

I know what you're thinking, "Huh? I thought your 'manfriend,' or whatever odd thing you call him, was a sales manager in Ohio, not an actor?" That's correct. But, after he did a great deal of cleaning, organizing, fixing, fussing, weed-pulling and temporary pet relocation, a showing of our home has proven hopeful. A couple who, according to their realtor have not like the past 20+ homes they've seen, looked at ours Saturday and would to come back for a second tour!

In my world, that's called a callback! :)

I am so proud of my beau! I know he's put in a lot of work on annoying little things that I regret not helping with before I moved.
Thank you baby, you're the best!

Ah, yes, auditioning is why I moved across the country!

It seems projects in this town come in waves; some weeks the booking websites will be full of great breakdowns, other weeks, there's nothing... There has actually been a good amount to filter through lately. Although, I've been more selective in what I submit for; by that I mean I play the role of casting director and only submit for parts that I truly think I'd be called in for. I've heard from multiple casting directors that submitting for everything not only lowers the percentage of auditions you get, but never getting called in also lowers your self esteem! It's better to submit a little and get called in a lot. With gas prices and the dread of LA traffic, I also careful consider travel versus compensation versus networking and experience.

Anyway, I had and have some auditions which are thankfully helping to pull me out of that funk I kept whining about. This past Friday I auditioned for the director and writer I worked with for the short musical festival back in May and June; they're doing a play that will be part of the same theatre company's "ACTober Fest." I doubt I got the part at this point because I haven't heard from them, but at the audition they were pleased that I "got" the character and all the nuance in the writing. They said my acting and facial reactions were wonderful, but that I was a bit too perky for this bitchy, dry character. I don't think there's much I could do about that; sweet and perky is probably how they'll always see me, since that was the character I originally played for them for four weeks.

Whether I get it or not, I finally experienced something I should go into every audition with - calm and confidence. Because I knew exactly where I was going and the people I'd be auditioning for, there were no nerves, no panic about being on time and finding parking, no concern that the project might not be what I thought it was... I was able to walk in without a care in the world and give a solid reading that I'm proud of. As an actor, that is all you can ask of yourself.

I booked legitimate extra work on a non-union film for this afternoon. I was going to get fifty bucks for six hours of work as a high school prom-goer, however, I had to bail on them at the last minute. I hate looking unreliable, but in this town you have to take the better opportunity... In this case, my acting teacher, who is also a casting director, alerted the class to a breakdown for a popular country singers music video that he is casting. I was called in to audition for the 17 year old, sweet but sexy teenage lead; my audition is right in the middle of the extra work. Everyone always thinks I'm younger than I actually am, but 17? I don't know, but I'm willing to show up with next to no makeup and channel my inner teenager to the best of my ability!

My guilt about bailing lessened when I got a second audition for today that would have also conflicted with the extra work. This audition is for a non paying student film. When it comes to submitting for student films, I go through phases; sometimes I ignore them completely, other times I'll submit if the story or character intrigues me. Or, in this case, if the shoot would be convenient. This student film is shooting on Universals backlot! In my submission notes I wrote that I as a tour guide I already have clearance to the backlot. I don't know if they're calling me in based on that convenience, or if they really like me for the part; either way, I would absolutely LOVE to actually act on the backlot. Even for a student film, it would be fucking amazing! The funny part is, the role is a bustling New York pedestrian. Hhhmmm... Where exactly on the backlot are they filming? I can't wait to walk in to the audition and ask, "You realize New York street burnt down about four months ago, right?"

Speaking of Universal, I'll be auditioning to get into their prestigious industry showcase this Thursday. They only take twenty guides (meaning ten scenes, each running two minutes or less). I've been told you often have to pay to get into talent showcases, and even then they're usually at some seedy bar with no real industry folks in attendance. So the opportunity to be in a completely reputable showcase, now in its 23rd year is very exciting! Although he's not in our class, my acting teacher allowed my scene partner/fellow tour guide to come to class last night and worked with us before and after the cold reads with the guest casting director. We're doing a hilarious scene from the musical, turned movie, The Full Monty. No, no one gets naked in our scene, but I do throw a g-string at him with rage, thinking he is cheating on me. In actuality he's trying to become a stripper to make extra cash; it's funny because both the character and my scene partner are bigger guys. It works for us because we're both musical theatre types; it works for the showcase audition which will be cast by TV types because fat guys with cute skinny wives are very common on TV sitcoms right now. Thus, we're showing both our talent and castability!

And now that it's going on 4 a.m., I should probably get some beauty sleep to help me look more like a 17 year old...

Tram Take-over: Kathie Lee Gifford!

Yesterday I picked up a shift at Universal and when I was called out to give my first tour around 10 a.m. there was a strange buzz in the air. My manager and his manager were both on the load line, the emcee was trying to get the unamused guests excited that they'd be having a "special tour" and we waited and waited and waited...
But no trams came.

As it turns out, Kathie Lee Gifford was there to sort of give a tour and tape a segment for the 4th hour of the Today show that she now co-hosts. Several of my coworkers were just annoyed that it was creating an unnecessary wait for the guests, but I was actually excited to see her in person!

After about 10 minutes they sent out a Japanese language tour. I was told Whoopie Goldberg once did the same thing and caused an hour and a half load line backup! That sounds a bit embellished, but who knows! After another 10 minutes they decided to resume "regular" un-special tours. The poor emcee had to turn all his hype into the introduction of the guide. Thank goodness it was not me who had to deal with disappointed, confused and pissed guests who had been in the "next" spot for over 20 minutes! I hopped on the tram after that with guests who were still in the queue and probably oblivious to the fact something odd was going on. It's amazing what tourist don't hear, even when your trying to get their attention over a microphone!

When I returned about an hour later Kathie Lee had gone out; I was on a break at that point and I the thought did cross my mind that I could lurk around the unload area for her tram to return, but no...
My stomach was killing me and honestly, what would be the point? I suppose if I was a huge fan of hers, and if my ultimate career ambition was to host, I could have found a way to say hello. But since neither of those things are true, it wasn't worth looking like an ass, potentially getting in trouble, and quite frankly peeling myself off the couch I was on!

Upon further research I found that Kathie Lee and her co-host Hoda Kotb are both here in LA trying to rile up some publicity. A line from the Today show website reads: "Move over Brangelina, TomKat, McPalin... there’s a new couple taking up Us Weekly real estate: HodaLee!" Riiight...

I'm told Kathie Lee sat in the guide seat, on camera and made funny jokes while a veteran guide who was on mic, but off camera, delivered the actual information. I'm sure it was a really fun tour; they said Kathie Lee was very sarcastic, probably making great jokes that real guides aren't allowed to make! I think the segment will be on the Today show Monday or Tuesday.

Blogging from a bar - OMG I'm so old!

tonight I went with a cast mate from the short musical festival to see my former on stage boyfriend in an excellent production of the musical Assasins (sp?). Afterward we went with several members of the cast for drinks. Cool. I'm battling stomach cramps, but that's been the case for two weeks now...

My cast mate/ rides boyfriend also joined us and when she found out that a home town friend was visiting LA and hanging out at another bar we decided to stop by. Only this isn't just a bar, it's a deafeningly loud sports bar turned night time dance club full of drunk 20 year olds.

This could be fun if my stomach weren't killing me, or if all these size negative girls who have never even heard of cellulite weren't everywhere...

Adult Juice Boxes

Okay, so I've had a rough week or so...

I did feel better after solidifying a plan of action, as far as my career is concerned, however loneliness and a lack of structure have plagued me the last few days. I have found myself back on an insomniacs schedule, which does not allow me to do things like... oh, I don't know, find a new job!

I was up until like 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, then slept until 2 p.m.ish that afternoon. Upon waking and tuning around twice I had to rush out the door for a 4 o'clock meeting with a scene partner to rehearse before an acting class that ended around 10 p.m. Then I went grocery shopping at midnight; all the night time stock guys remember me and are so nice! I'd much rather navegate around their cardboard boxes in an otherwise empty store than deal with other people's carts and screaming kids during the day...

I was up until like 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. What did I do all night? I can't even recall. I did not watch TV, but nor did I take care of important emails because my mind just wasn't crisp enough to do so. I think I organized my desk, oh and I purused Craigslist for jobs and rental homes that would be ideal when my man and animals get to LA...

Anyway, an alarm always goes off at 11:11 a.m. reminding me to call work to possibly pick up an extra shift, then my beau called me. After speaking to him I rolled back over to get a little more sleep, assuming I'd wake up around 1 or 2 p.m. No. I opened my eyes and reached for my phone to see that it was SIX fucking p.m. Wednesday evening! I was utterly confused, temporarily convinced it was a mistake! No mistake, I'm just a mess.

Each and every night my beau encourages me to call someone and go out to make myself tired. "I just don't understand how it works in this town..." I argue. There are not any fun night spots in walking distance to my apartment and I don't drink and drive. "I don't know anyone here well enough to ask them to come pick my ass up, go to a bar, but not drink so that I can..." I tell him. Not drinking or even having the desire to is better for my health anyway.

However, during my midnight shopping excursion I found something that I am coining the adult juice box. I always take a look at the cart of random items with reduced prices at the grocery. (It's usually hiding in a back corner somewhere.) I found mini wine boxes for $1.73! They're actually called tetra packs, by Vendange, and they contain 500 ml, or 3 glasses. For less than two bucks! I bought like five white zins, a pinot and a chardonney. The bargin shopper in me couldn't resist and if it helps me fall asleep tonight then that makes it all the more worth while...

A bit of clarity.

Thankfully, my meeting with my acting teacher went really well and I feel much better than I did. Having been out here for nearly half a year, I just needed to refocus for the next stage of establishing myself.

My first month or so was consumed with finding an apartment, then I focused on finding a job and went through an extensive elimination and training process to secure that job. The past month or two I worked as much as I possibly could, but with the tourist season and thus my hours abruptly ending, I was left with nothing and too much to do!

The sad part of the summary above is that it doesn't involve any acting stuff. I lucked into a good class that my roommate had gone to, as well as free workshops offered at work. The first agency I went to was horrible, but they took me and I haven't shopped around for a better one, because at least I can say "I have an agent..." I was fortunate to get two roles in that musical festival when I first got to town, but have only booked two other things...

I'm proud of the things I was able to accomplish in a short time; much of it was thanks to good timing, so now I need to do my own homework and make other important things happen.

So the number one focus is getting new headshots. There is a possibility that a new manager and/or agent might want different shots, but a good rep would give you 3 or 4 months to do that. It's a risk worth taking because my acting coach believes I'll be signed easily when I'm met in person, but I need better pictures to get in the doors of good offices.

Step 1: Research photographers
Step 2: Schedule a shoot
Step 3: Choose wardrobe; have the shoot
Step 4: Research reps and choose which offices to solicit
Step 5: Select best shot(s) and have it reproduced
Step 6: Tweak resume and write a cover letter
Step 7: Mail new headshot/resume/cover letter
Step 8: Follow-up on mailings and schedule meetings
Step 9: Have meetings
Step 10: Sign with a manager and better agent

Yeah... not quite as simple as "get new pictures and an agent," huh? :) I didn't expect it to be easy; the stress comes when things you need to do are undefined blobs floating around your head and you don't know where to start! I'd rather have a tedious 10 step to-do list than huge, general, unprioritized ideas.

I also need to research more intensive technique or theory classes, which I got leads for today, and buy and read some popular actor books.

The issue of holiday travel is still not solidified; my teacher seems to think there will still be work through the second week of December and that LA is "dark" through the first two weeks of January. I'm not as worried about his judgment of whatever decision I make though, thanks to him getting a better understanding of my relationship, which I swear he knew about... He said, "You'll get bored at home after a week or two anyway..." I rebutted, "I'll probably be busy packing up our house..." He became much more understanding after I explained I live with my beau, our house is on the market, we've been together nearly five years and are a totally committed, both wear rings, but have no desire to do the paperwork and declare the "m" word.

After that his tune kind of changed and he shared advice once given to him... "Establish your California residency first, then establish your acting career." He didn't mean government residency, I got that, but something else he said led me to clarify, "I live here. I'm in a lease...," fearing I'd confused the man who admits to having done too many drugs in the 70s!

We did understand each other and there's certainly no arguing with the fact that life is less stressful and more fruitful when you're completely settled... So anyway, I have more clarity with which to keep plugging along and hopefully a better understanding from my LA support system.
---

Also, he told me to stop doing paid audience work. "It's the bottom of the food chain." Indeed it is.

Feeling the gloom settle in…

Today I was paid audience for three episodes of a new talk show, The Doctors. I have no doubt you will see me in two of the three, as I was in the front row, next to various guest that spoke from their audience seats. At the end we taped a commercial for actual viewers to get tickets; for that the hosts sat in the audience and I was right next to the hot lead doctor. After a long day of freezing to death on the Dr Phil adjacent set, I fear my appearance won’t be up to my standards; nonetheless people in this section were hand picked, much like America’s Got Talent yesterday.

As for the show, my prognosis is fatal. It needs to personality and statistics STAT. The segments were really drug-out and the hosts were well-spoken but repetitive in their verbiage and boring at times. The biggest flaw I found was the lack of information; it seemed like they didn’t answer the questions because so often all they could say is “it depends on the patient” or “consult your own doctor.” The show starts out with a very The View-like vibe, as the four doctors chat about a hot medical topic; I was especially frustrated with the lack of facts or statistics used in their discussion during this segment.

The highlight for me was when actor John C. McGinly was a guest to talk about having a son with Downs Syndrome; he plays Dr. Perry Cox on Scrubs, one of my favorite shows! Today was definitely the most excited I’ve been over the handful of celebrities I’ve seen since moving to LA!

Despite that ten minute positive star stuck-ness, my head is still spinning, as I mentioned yesterday.

Last night I simply could not get to bed and once I did lay down I could not silence my mind. I may have gotten an hour or two of sleep before having to get up again. When I got home from the show taping this afternoon I just vegged out, napping for a few hours. On this exciting Friday night in LA I’m going back to bed before midnight…

Over the years I’ve come to know my emotions and body and I can recognize when a gloomy fog is settling in around my head and heart. Instead of dealing with an issue and setting it free, all of a sudden everything is a point of stress swirling around me and I can’t seem to take care of things or make a decision. I can’t turn my mind off, focus or find the positive side. Unlike some women, the fact that it’s nearly that time of the month is not the cause, rather horrible timing that certainly won’t help.

I’ve been here for five months and now that I’ve sort of figured out how things work, I feel I have some tough decisions to make. Do I focus on getting a good manager and agent and trust I’ll get acting work or do I find a great day job, save up money and focus on taking classes? One thing I can’t figure out is how people balance their acting career and day jobs; scheduling in this town is a nightmare and it’s so hard to gage which auditions are worth calling off your day job to go to. After two or three sick calls, most jobs fire you, so I just don’t know how people do it.

Of course I’m stressed about the process and expense of getting new headshots. Do I get them sooner in order to find a manager and better agent or do I wait to get those reps, then go to a photographer they recommend? Is my current shot horrible to the point I should stop submitting it and making a fool of myself and again, just focus on classes for a while? (Seriously, you should have seen the faced of the two industry pros who hated it.)

Then there’s the matter of holiday travel, trying to meet with two different scene partners, one of which is an extremely challenging and stressful scene that had me in tear after our last class (not character tears, my tears of frustration and self-contentiousness, as it's a scene requiring sexuality and movement that I'm surprised I can't seem to pull off) and believe it or not, body image issues. Oh, and I’m trying to find the best way to handle massive amounts of ridiculous drama on another non-anonymous publication I author. Not to mention general loneliness, wanting to get our house in Ohio sell, but not knowing how exactly things will play out if that happens before my lease it up in this crappy apartment...

Tomorrow morning I’m meeting with my acting teacher, who can hopefully help answer many of these questions, but I’m even stressed about that meeting. It doesn’t seem smart to show weakness to anyone in this industry. He is also a casting director and his wife is a manager who represents a good amount of people who are or were in the class; I don’t want either of them equating my shitty week to a lack of strength, ability or commitment within this very tough industry. As I mentioned in a reply to a comment below, he makes you feel extremely guilty when you miss any opportunity. I know he’s going to tell me to limit my holiday visit home; I’d rather he not know where or why I’m disappearing for a month, but he’s the only person in the industry I have to go to for this kind of advise. He is extremely helpful and in offering meetings like this to all his students, he goes above and beyond what most teachers do. So hopefully it goes well in the morning, I feel like I can’t leave his place feeling any more confused or stressed than I already am, but who knows…

JERRY SPRINGER ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT…as a joke during the taping of America’s Got Talent.

The America’s Got Talent taping was pretty cool. I was disappointed that it was a results show, so I didn’t actually get to see the contestants perform. I did, however, get to see Natasha Bedingfield sing. Sshhh! It’s a secret; although it was taped yesterday, it’ll air and look live for an episode next week. She was amazing and her new song, “Angel,” will no doubt be a hit. Jerry Springer was funny and humble with very self deprecating humor. Casting employees specifically placed the audience members. Although I was separated into the “pretty people line” and sat right over David Hasselhoff’s shoulder, my mom said in the shots she saw the audience was dark.

Oh, and here’s my sleazy Perez Hilton style gossip – when the contestants walked onstage the prettiest girl from the Taubl family and Jonathan Burkin, a baton twirler from the Toledo area, were holding hands. Friendly support or budding Hollywood romance? I don’t know, but they both got the boot.

Conveniently, this NBC show is taped just a mile from my apartment on one of the CBS lots. (That happens all the time. Here’s another one – Ghost Whisperer films on the NBC Universal lot, but it’s owned by ABC and airs on CBS.) However, this morning I have to battle the traffic to get into Hollywood to the Paramount lot for a taping of The Doctors. I really hate doing this type of paid audience work, but I just remind myself that if I’m not auditioning or tramming, I may as well make some extra cash.

In other news… I had a horrible stomach thing this week that I’m pretty much recovered from. Now instead of a bloated stomach, it’s my brain that is swollen with frustration and difficult decisions.

Tonight I had a workshop at Universal, which was great. It was with a former actor, turned casting director, turned acting teacher. We did an exercise to help identify our type in order to help us know if we’re correctly representing ourselves and going for the right roles. I am. She also critiqued our headshots, which left me in a bad mood. I know my picture sucks. An agent at a similar workshop told me that a few weeks ago. Here’s the funny part – they both think it looks unprofessional because the background is obviously a backdrop. “It’s obviously taken in a studio,” she said. Hhmmm… someone with a studio and backdrop are unprofessional? They really seem to like outdoor shots with out-of-focus walls or greenery. So I showed her an outdoor shot on my phone taken by a different photographer (who shoots the BenGals). She still didn’t like it. “You look like the prettiest girl in a small town.” Yep…

It’s kind of like when Tyra tells girls on ...Top Model, “You’re pretty, but you don’t look like a model. I’m basically being told, you’re pretty, but your headshot isn’t representing you as a professional actor. It makes me feel like my submissions are a waste time until I get new shots. The silver lining is that I can use my crappy picture as a justification for not getting as many auditions as I’d like to be getting!

I do see and understand what they’re talking about, I just don’t think it’s as horrible as they make it out to be. It doesn’t matter what the background is, it’s a quality issue and the photographers “eye” for theatrical headshots. The only consistent fact about headshots is that they’re subjective! But when credible sources start agreeing that yours suck, it’s time to make some changes. It’s just SO frustrating because I have so many “professional” pictures of myself – none of which work in this town and this industry! What a waste! As a result, I find photo shoots hugely stressful – Which photographer to choose? What to wear? How to do my hair? The awful part is that there’s no guarantee; you pay whether you like the results or not.

Remember that stressful photo shoot that I missed with my crappy agent? They contacted me two weeks ago about rescheduling it. I’m tempted to do it because it would be good experience and free shots, but I feel badly taking advantage of them, since dropping them and getting a better agent is #1 on my to-do list!

*AAHHH – HEAD SPINNING*

I was already stressed today because I had a realization – Thanksgiving. I’d been trying to figure out my December holiday travel and had completely forgotten about Thanksgiving. I have a “free” round trip flight with Frontier for signing up for their credit card that I was planning on using in December. Due to blackout dates, I’d be home for the holidays for about two and a half weeks. I was already worried that was too much time out of LA, then I realized that if I do go home for Thanksgiving too, I’d only be back in LA for two weeks between the trips. That doesn’t seem worth the expense and hassle! On the other hand, I can’t fathom missing Thanksgiving; we celebrate at both my parents and grandparents homes. So do I take a long-ass holiday, using my free ticket to fly home for Thanksgiving and not come back to LA until January 2nd or 3rd?

That would make me feel like a slacker in terms of my career. Although, I’ve heard LA is pretty quiet during the month of December. Then again, I’d pay a whole months rent for a place I didn’t stay! On the other hand if I'm in Ohio the whole month of December I’d be there to celebrate my Mom’s birthday and 5 year anniversary with my guy. Although, I’d have a nervous breakdown if I missed another opportunity, like the PBS callback that I missed when I was home last month. However, if I sit in LA for those two weeks and don’t get an audition or a Universal shift, I’d be so pissed! But what if I book the flight, then our house sells and my man is staying with friends and I’d also have to stay with friends or my parents and annoyingly live out of a suitcase for a month. On the other hand… As you can see, I’m driving myself nuts!

I emailed my acting teacher about the work climate here in December. My beau said that if my coming home for a month gets the house sold quicker, he’s all for it!

She works hard for the money ~da-da da-da~ So hard for the money ~da-da da-da~

... She works hard for the money, so you better treat her right...

Well, not really! (Are those even the right lyrics?)

Actually I've been sitting on my ass for the money. Right now I'm rushing out the door for a taping of America's Got Talent. Two hours of my life as paid audience for Jerry Springer is worth $16. :( I think it'll be good though, I'd watch it for free! Tomorrow, on the other hand, is probably going to suck... I'll be working the new talk show The Doctors, produced by Dr. Phil's son.

As for tonight, it's a live taping, so if they turn the cameras on the audience, look for me in a black dress!

Greetings from Bingo America

No, I was not selected to be a contestant... :(

My first clue was when I saw rush notices for paid audience members. So here I sit as a clapper. Oh well, at least I'm making money today.

And here's the inside scoop - host Patrick Duffy was replaced with Richard Karn, aka Al from Home Improvement. I talked to him. :)

More later...

Being a voice in "The Actors Voice"

When I started this blog I chose to make it as anonymous as anything on the web can be. These are personal rants, ramblings, moments of vulnerability and complaints that might cause industry professionals to think negatively of me. So imagine my surprise when a casting director left me a comment on my August 26th post! "Crap!" I thought, "Where did I slip up?" I looked the casting director up and was further confused by why her picture was utterly familiar to me, yet knew I hadn't met her...

As it turns out, she, Bonnie Gillespie, found me through an innocent web search (of sorts) and she's not only in casting, but also an author. I recognized Bonnie's picture because I see it every time I log onto Actor's Access, one of the submission sites I use, for which she writes an article "The Actors Voice." She works to stay in tune with actors needs and concerns to inform her writing. Specifically, my frustration with type casting and our correspondence here in the comments under that post were part of her September 1st article, "Your Type is a Shortcut."

I recently engaged in a little online conversation with a new-to-LA actor who was finding the whole "type" thing discouraging. Specifically, she's not too into the Hollywood obsession with actors playing their primary type "over and over" to the exclusion of all of the other types those actors can also be.

Fair enough. I get the frustration...

You can try clicking above on the title for the rest of the article, but it may be restricted to members. If so, Bonnie took the time to leave me some incredibly helpful advice in the comment below, which is basically the same as the article. The really ironic thing is at my last workshop, the casting director referenced one of Bonnie's books!

Big web, small world!

Bigots in Blacklick!

Ohio is already a saddening word to me right now, since a jet took my Manfriend back there this afternoon, then moments ago the local LA news made it even worse with a story about this sign:

After the report ran the hot female anchor turned to her co-host and asked, "Where was that, not here, right?" "Ohio," he replied. I kid you not - her response was: "Oh, that makes sense!"

"That makes sense???" NO! No, no, no, no! Nowhere, no time, no how does that make sense! Thank you "pastor" Allison from Blacklick for making Ohio look ignorant, offensive and bigoted.

What ever happened to churches teaching that whole 'love is patient and kind' thing? Havens Corners Church seems to prefer judgment and scare tactics.