Jul 22, 2006

so hot right now

today, la is hot.

not "hott" in the paris hilton sense, but "hot" as in the "i could throw down some egg and tofu scramble and flash fry it on my driveway because it's effing 110 degrees outside, but instead i'll just go jump in the pool in my backyard since i have a house with a pool in the middle of la" hot. at least i'm not baking in some oven of a warehouse on a sidestreet in east la, all hot and sweaty at a supposed spring break college bar while filming the same dance scene over and over. that was last weekend.

this weekend, i'm moving on to bigger, better things. monday, i'm going to get fitted for a backround role that actually requires a costume, as opposed to my own personal thinning threads. i'm still a background actor, but i think i found the doorway leading to my own sag card, a recent topic of much discussion. yesterday, i found out that the minute 30 second audition over at the disney studio campus in burbank two weeks ago succeeded. sometime in the near future i may be brandishing a sword in the direction of johnny depp and his gang of unlikely misfits widely known as the pirates of the caribbean. maybe i'll get a pistol. i'm not sure what gentlemen in the british navy would use against those goulish enemies. i have yet to see pirates 2, so i have very little point of reference for this gig.

all i know is that, due to this forthcoming work, i will walk away with sag membership and--just as importantly--a tummy filled only the finest delicacies offered at the sag craft table.

Jul 21, 2006

a shadow in the background

i've done my fair share of extra work (or "background" work if one must use the pc term) since my move to la a few months ago. i have learned to expect nothing glamorous from the morning, afternoon, or often all-day-long series of filming scenes. in fact, i don't think i have spent less than twelve hours on the set, and usually in either a freezing sound stage or burning hot location with a very noticeable--and tangible--lack of air conditioning. instead, i look forward to the meal 8 hours after i arrive (usually signaling the half-way mark in the day), and just hope that the difference between the sumpuous and savory spread set out for the sag workers is only marginally more appealing than the sparse selection supplied to us non-union peons.

last week was the worst. after a long day staring at jewel's face while filming a special upcoming episode of las vegas in which she was featured, i thought things were turning for the better. the only diffence between lunch on the sag side and my side was the addition of a deliciously-crusted apple pie for dessert. i took a piece anyway. so really, there was no difference. a few days later, however, on the set of the forth-coming movie spring breakdown, i was miserably surprised at the blatant disregard for the minimum-wage non-union workers such as myself. after being pushed by the sag lunch table filled with grilled meats, chopped salads, tiered cakes, and blended smoothies, we were left in front of an empty table marked "non-union lunch." althought the table was quickly filled with food, it happened to be in the form of a small, dark, cardboard boxes, each of which contained a small sandwich, a cookie, and a bag of chips. just like kindergarten.

as most background actors will attest, the real reason for getting on these shoots is the hope that someone will notice us, give us a sag voucher, and we will be well on our way to achieving that coveted and elusive sag membership status. and apparently, all these sweaty days on the set raking in a massive 14-hour minimum wage income are worth it.

sidenote: the food may have been crap, but henry was able to make it into the shoot!

Jul 10, 2006

that's so runway


my apologies to all you project runway fans out there. you would have wet your pants and gone screaming from the room like a little british schoolgirl if you had seen what i saw friday night.

to be honest, the only reason i didn't act the same way is beacause i have never seen the show. sacrilege, i know. however, those of you know me will understand that, at any time i am not riding the streets of la on my vespa, snowboarding the slopes of aspen, or eating delicious and expensive food, i only have time for that's so raven on the disney channel. not project runway.

i enjoyed myself friday night as a v.i.p. with an open bar engaging in chatty conversations with people who think they are incredible because they were on the second season of project runway. i'm sure they design great clothing. and i'm sure they are witty and beautiful on camera. and i'm sure that i would be in love with them, too--if only i had more time to watch tv.

Jul 7, 2006

belle at the bowl


there's something about the poppy crooning sound of belle & sebastian that lends itself well to accompaniment by a full, live orchestra. and because of that, along with the music's folk-like accessability, the band was probably a shoe-in for a live performance at the hollywood bowl with the la philharmonic orchestra.

yesterday morning, i was gutted thinking i would have to miss the concert because i had to make my six p.m. acting class instead. but i was overjoyed when i breezed from the doors of a burbank acting studio and realized it was only 9 o'clock. possibly, i could still make the concert. i hopped on my vespa and sped through the dark los angeles streets on the way to hollywood.

i missed the shins's opening, but i made it just in time for a few of my favorite b&b tunes. it may have been a huge crowd (and sold out as well), but i was able to sneak closer to the front, hear some great orchestration, and throw back a bottle of grolsch.

Jul 6, 2006

hollywood and hilton

last night i told perez hilton i'm gay. i guess my career as an actor is officially over, unless i can somehow rise to fame as hollywood's little homo darling. that would work.

yesterday evening at memphis's lit, a small and intimate post 4th-of-july gathering convened in the hottest midweek hollywood hang. after introducing myself as an actor, perez blunty (as he would) asked me if i'm gay. first of all, i don't hide it well; second of all, i said yes. he wryly rebuffed, "then you're not an actor." and, after coming out to hollywood's premier ouster, i guess he may be right.