Monday, June 1, 2009

A scientific encounter of the church kind...

First, my roommate and his friend apologized profusely about Saturday night; they paid for my entry and drinks at a nearby comedy club last night to make it up to me. It was good times.

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The following took place a couple weeks ago, the first time I went to Central Casting, and was hand written on scrap paper while I was at work last week:

She didn't look like an alien! She was an attractive, short, bubbly woman of Asian descent...

When I first ventured to Central Casting I was approached by a photographer on my way in, as well as a representative from another calling service. In terms of marketing, it is a smart place to catch people who are likely new to the biz. As I left, the afore mentioned woman approached me, offering an acting seminar. "It's being held at a beautiful French casting in Hollywood." she said.

At no point did she say the Church of Scientology but the flyer she gave me did and everyone knows that castle is called the Celebrity Center. It is an absolutely stunning mansion right in Hollywood. Of course it is gated and surrounded by bushes and trees. Across the street is a row of cute cafes. I've driven by a few times and wondered, if I were to sit at one of those cafes, might I see Tom Cruise?! It is an extremely congested traffic area and I quickly learned to avoid it, if possible.

Anyway, I chatted with the woman at Central Casting. She was extremely sweet and I'm always intrigued to hear what people are pitching... She spoke about the two guest speakers, a casting director and B-list actress. She mentioned the parking was free several times, but not the $17 fee written on the flyer.

The seminar began at 7 p.m. and I told her that's when I got off work and likely couldn't get to Hollywood until 8 p.m. She wanted my name to hold my seat. I gave her my first, but refused to give my last name. We joked about having our information "out there" too much. She was persistent though and although I knew I wasn't going to attend I somehow gave her my phone number.

I walked away asking myself, "why the fuck did I just do that?" Well, because I was smart enough not to give my email address which is my whole name! My outgoing voicemail message only includes my first.

That afternoon a man left me a voicemail to confirm and then another one around 5 or 6 p.m. That night I was honestly stuck on a call at work until 7:20. I thought about calling them back, as to not be a no-show, but I did not. I had made it absolutely clear to the woman that I would be late, if I made it at all. Then the man's message suggested I arrive early; their lack of communication made me feel I had no reason to be accountable to them. Even if I could have been on time, I would not have gone.

Please don't freak out or be concerned for me. I would never in a million years become a Scientologist. I am not a fan of any type of organized religion. I am, however, always interested in hearing the philosophies by which people lead their lives. I'm the bitch who would invite the Jehovah's Witness' into my home just to challenge them.

I personally try not to judge people based on their faith. I think the world would be a much better place if everyone would acknowledge that we don't all have to believe the same thing. The superiority complex people have about their religion makes my stomach turn! We really expect everyone to think the same about things as subjective and personally important as spiritual beliefs? Really?

I digress. As much as I would absolutely love to see the inside of the Celebrity Center, I don't even want to be on their radar! I should hope the Scienctologists would respect my disagreement with their religion; however, given their Hollywood connection I was concerned about being black listed! I mentioned that to my roommate and he joked that in this town, it's not the Scientologists you have to worry about black listing you, rather it's the Jews! Roommate #1 further shared that some of his friends had gone and described the experience like "being locked in a time-share meeting!"

According to #1s friends, at the Celebrity Center they perform some sort of test that monitors your heart rate in order to calculate your stress and negative energy, or something like that. Then they keep you there for hours trying to convince you to let them "fix you." He didn't know if his friends attended under the guise of an acting seminar or something else.

Needless to say, I was so thankful there were no solicitors of any kind the second time I went to Central Casting and though I doubt I'll get off so easily, I hope this is my last brush with the Hubbord worshipers!

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