It Was Oscar Weekend.........

............and I was majorly annoyed! They shut down a bunch of streets in Hollywood and West Hollywood and the traffic was crazy. There were so many celebrity parties all over town last night. Yesterday morning I had a job interview over in Hollywood, and on Sunset Blvd, the tow trucks were out in full force. I have never seen so many tow trucks in my entire life! Sunset had to be clear of cars, yet there were about 10 cars parked on the street right in front of where my interview was, and there were 10 tow trucks there hooking up to them ready to take them away. It was insane. In the meantime, I could have cared less about all the Oscar stuff because I had rehearsal for my film that I will be shooting in about a week. It was fun, and we found out that we will be shooting on the beach in Malibu! Not bad huh? I think it will be really fun and I can't wait for it to be put together so I can watch it, and then show everyone else.

As for work this week, I was on CSI: NY on Wednesday. It was pretty much a very long and boring day. Nothing to say there. Thursday I was back on Grey's Anatomy. Yeah I know, I have been on there a lot lately. This day was pretty uneventful as well. However, Friday I was on Close To Home and this is where I met my crazy. First of all, let me start by saying that I still have not met anyone that has ever seen Close to Home. Out of all of us background people, no one had ever seen the show. Does anybody watch it? I don't know how it is still on the air. I mean, you would think at least a few people would say they watch it. Anyway, back to my crazy. It was this guy, he looked like he was 16, but he had to be at least 18 to be working on the set. I was originally going to have to you all that I met a crazy, but that I didn't have a story to go along because he didn't talk, or do anything for that matter. He would just sit there, the whole entire day staring into space. He didn't talk to anybody. At one point, he would look up at the ceiling with his mouth open going "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", and everyone was looking at him all confused. Then, he started gargling with his own spit. How nasty is that?? Then, we were shooting a scene, and inbetween takes, he started doing this dance that looked a lot like Irish River Dancing!! LOL No joke. He obviously didn't care about looking stupid. Then, later on, he revealed his voice to me. It was really late. By the way, we were there that day from 7 am to 11 pm, so this was around 10. I got up to go get some soup and hot chocolate because it was freezing. As I was leaving, this kid goes, "If you're going to get soup, I'm going with you". How did he know that? So, he followed me there, not saying anything. We got our soup, but then they started filming, so we couldn't go back to the stage the same way we came. I said to him, "Oh, I think we can go this way back to the stage". Well, this crazy flat out ignored me! Didn't even acknowledge what I said. What the hell?? Where do these people come from?

Well, I thought I had more to say, but I guess I don't. So, here is the positive quote of the day:

"At some point we have to stop allowing life to happen to us, instead, we must happen to life - living our lives by design, with deliberate purpose."

--Deya Direct!, EURweb.com

I Am Officially NOT A Crazy!

You all know how I am only trying to stay in a positive frame of my mind, hence my positive quotes at the end of my posts. I believe that positive energy breeds more positive energy, and the same goes for negativity. I didn't even realize, but a friend of mine brought this to my attention the other day. On January 2nd, I did my first post on positivity and demanded that I only think positive thoughts. I don't think that it is a coincidence that in the month of January alone, I was contacted by 4 talent agencies, I signed with one of them, I booked a role on a student film, and I booked a role on an independent short film! More happened in the month of January for me than in the entire first 6 months that I was here! If that isn't full on proof that the mind is a powerful thing and can attract what it puts out, then I don't know what is. It's very hard to stay positive in such a negative world, but you have to force yourself.

So, what's the point of this post? Well, a random person found my blog and thought it was interesting. This person is getting started with an acting career in LA and they contacted me for some advice, particularly for getting into background work. I wrote back with my honest advice, because lets face it, Hollywood is a confusing place and with all the scame artists and creepy people around, it's hard to know who to trust. This is part of the message this person wrote back to me:

"First of all, congratulations on getting an agent and taking the next step! Thanks a million for writing back and giving me a heads up on the agencies -- some good advice from a sane person helps a LOT. I've got to say I admire your drive and ambition, I think you're going to be famous in about 10 minutes".

How nice is that? See, little things like that give me another surge of motivation to last me another few months. So, I had to share. Oh, and notice she said it was nice to hear from a "sane" person. That most likely means she has run into some crazies of her own and I'm NOT one of them!! haha SCORE!!!

Now It All Makes Sense

Remember how on my last post I said that there was all kinds of chaos on the Grey's Anatomy set? Well, I clearly see why now. If anyone watched this past Thursday's episode, the very last scene of the night was the first part of what we filmed just one week prior, with Meredith in the emergency room. Usually, when an episode is taped, it airs 4-6 weeks later. This means that production on Grey's was waaaaaaaaay behind. Everyone was stressed. And when I went in that day, I noticed they were moving at lightening speed. Usually, it takes a few hours and many takes just to do one scene. I've been in scenes where the director did 19 takes!! On this day on Grey's, they were doing 2-3 takes maximum and moving right along. Crazy crazy day. We are approaching the end of the season anyway, with most shows finishing up in April or so, so things do get behind and get hectic. Let me also say here that Ellen Pompeo was nice on this day too. It was funny though, because I remember when she walked onto the set and I though to myself, "Man, is she late or something and not have time for hair or makeup?". But, she didn't need hair and makeup because she was just rescued from the water.

So I guess this is where I'll talk about my token "crazy". On Valentine's Day, I was back on Rush Hour 3. We did an explosion scene and I played a paramedic. There really wasn't much to the day at all. We only worked for about 10 hours. I went through the whole day looking for my crazy, but I was unsuccessful. It made the whole day pretty boring, but then he popped up at the end of the day. It was this older man, he had to be at least 55 years old. I think he played an FBI agent, and so I wasn't near any of them all day, which is why I didn't run into him sooner. Anyways, it's the end of the day and everyone is changing out of their costumes into their regular clothes. Our changing rooms are in these trailers that they have. They are small, and only fit 2 people at most. It was cold since the sun went down, so they had the heat on in the trailer, but it was at maximum. It was burning up in there. So, I'm in there changing, and this man comes in to change too. He starts talking, A LOT, and I have no clue what he's saying because I really didn't care! I mean, I can't even remember what he was saying, I just remember a lot of cuss words, expecially the F word. He was pissed about something. So, I'm minding my own business, changing my clothes, when he FARTS.....loud! Now, I'm a guy, and normally farting is funny. Come on, we all do it!! But when you're in a small trailer, that's literally 12 feet by 5 feet, and it is hot and stuffy in there....it's just GROSS!!! Luckily, I was just about done changing, and I got out of there before my gag reflex went into action! Ugh. Where's the respect people!?!?!? And this guy looked like he just sits around all day and eats hot dogs and farts all day. Seriously!

I want to ask everyone.....have you ever questioned your own normalcy? I mean, think about it. Crazy, weird, or strange people, don't know that they're crazy, strange, or weird. If they did, they wouldn't do or say the things that they do, right? Sometimes I meet so many weirdos, I think to myself, "Am I the crazy one? Am I normal?'. Because there certainly can't be this many crazies in the world. I mean, what if other people think I'm crazy? haha I am not!! But I did have an embarrassing moment the other day. I can't believe I'm about to tell this to the world. Anyways, we have a window in our bathroom (I just know everyone is jumping to conclusions with just that sentence, lol). The back of our apartment, where the bathroom is, faces another apartment building, so there is a little walk way between the 2 buildings. Our aparment, is just a few feet above ground level since we live on an incline. So I went to go take a leak, and the window was open, but I didn't think anything of it. So I'm peeing, and u know the sound it makes, tinkle tinkle whatever. Well, it was kind of loud, and as I'm MID-STREAM, some lady walks by, and as a reflex to hearing the sound, turns her head toward the window and we make eye contact!! AHHHH She could only see me from the chest up, but still!! NEVER AGAIN!! I hope she doesn't live around here. Geez!!

So that's all I have to say for this post.

Positive quote of the day:

"A good example of the power of persistence is show business. From all over the world, people have come to Hollywood seeking fame, fortune, power, love or whatever it is that human beings call success. Once in a great while someone steps out from the long procession of seekers, and the world hears that another person has mastered Hollywood. But Hollywood is not easily nor quickly conquered. It acknowledges talent, recognizes genius, and pays off in money only after one has refused to quit. The secret is always inseparably attached to one word, persistence!"

--Napolean Hill once again. I can't help it, the book is so good I think everyone should read it!

This quote is one that is important for me to read very frequently. I'm such an impatient person, so that is one of my personal obstacles. One thing that I do know I have, though, is persistence. I'm a fighter, and honestly, I have accomplished everything that I've put an effort into, so I don't know why I worry so much. Oh yeah, it's that damn loan debt that I have!!!

Some New Pictures

At the request of my agent, I got some new pictures taken. When I first moved here back in July, I knew I would have to re-shoot once I got an agent, because they would have an idea how to market me. This new photographer that I went to is amazing and the pictures look much more diverse than my first batch. I'm only putting 2 up on this blog, but there are more with me in some other clothes, including a suit. Maybe I'll some of the other ones in the next post. They are big files, and as you can see they're screwing up the alignment of my blog and that bothers me! Hey, I'm a Type A personality (as most med students are) and I'm a perfectionist. Oh well. As for the pictures, I don't think they're terrible, but as they say, we are our own biggest critic. The photographer did great, but I could have done a little more. But, I won't bore you with my nuances.

Thursday I was on Grey's Anatomy again, and can we say "drama on the set!!". Surprisingly, it had nothing to do with the cast. Isaiah Washington was there, and he seemed happy. He was smiling and cool, but he laid low the whole day. I think that rehab did him some good, lol. Thursday was the first time that Patrick Dempsey was working when I was there. He seems like a really nice guys. It was the first time that McSteamy (I don't know his real name) was there too and he seems cool. Basically everyone was working that day except for Katherine Heigl (Izzie) and T.R. Knight (George). We were there from 9 am to 11 pm! Long day, but I met some cool people there. They were actually normal people, not crazies. Normal is boring huh? I admit, I love my crazies, but there weren't any there that day. The drama came in because at one point, the writers and directors couldn't agree on some shot, or they were moving too slow or something and they were yelling at each and arguing and of course you know I was in the corner cracking up. I just can't help it! Is there something wrong with me?? I laugh at everything! As this was happening, the lady across from me looked all serious and scared. She probably thought I was the most immature person there. You think I cared?? Anyways, the events happening in this episode are "JUICY", and that's all I can say. I was reading the script thinking, "oh my gosh, this is crazy!". The episode I'm in is the 3rd one of this three part trilogy episode they're doing or some crap like that. You'll have to watch and see!

Production on my short film got pushed back to early March. That's the biz though I guess. It was originally supposed to be shot the last weekend in January, so it's been pushed back a lot. I just got the script a few days ago and it seems like an interesting story. I think it will be fun to do.

Ironically, two friends from Ohio are here visiting in LA. I hung out with one all day Friday and the other for a little bit on Saturday. So, the current number I've friends from Ohio I've seen since I moved are up to 3 now. I still haven't seen any family since I moved. That's the longest ever. It's all for the greater good though. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

Positive quote of the day:

"But then comes the fear: 'What if I do take responsibility and do go out, and still fail?' Don't worry about that. If you have talent and there is a positive energy about you, you will succeed because others will notice you, want to be around you and want to work with you."

~Lindsay Chag, casting director

RIP Anna Nicole Smith

Normally I probably wouldn't do this, but I liked Anna Nicole. She made me laugh. She was a crazy! I felt sorry for her because she seemed to never have the proper guidance in her life, even as a kid.

I actually think most people liked Anna. I mean, people might have been annoyed by her antics, thought she hung around the wrong people and made stupid decisions, but she was a good person. She meant well, and she was nice to people. My mom loved Anna Nicole too. We used to watch her show on E! lolol

I almost knew it was inevitable that her life would end early and on a tragic note. I hope that doesn't sound morbid, but she lived life in the fast lane, she had a problem with drugs and it all caught up to her. I'm not saying she deserved to die at all, but with all of our actions come consequences. We may get away with most things, but it only takes getting caught once for things to go awry.

My Neighbor Is A Crazy!!

Just when I started to go through "crazy" withdrawal, I got my fix from my neighbor and from some girl at work. I'll infuse those stories into my discussion on work, as always. Monday I was on the show Girlfriends. It was a regular, boring day, but the cast members were interesting. Tracee Ellis Ross (daughter of Diana Ross) seemed really nice. She has a lot of energy, that's for sure. She was just all smiley and nice. The girl who plays Lynn on the show basically pissed everyone off. We were all ready to shoot a scene, but the crew was just sitting around not doing anything. We're all like, "what's the hold up"? The director came over to us and said, "We're waiting on an actress. This is not good. Don't ever do this". It was funny. I mean, you hear about this all the time, but I had never seen it happen since I've been doing background. Then again, I haven't worked with Lindsay Lohan yet, haha. The guy who plays William on the show is s-t-r-a-n-g-e! He would walk around inbetween takes staring off into space. And there were other times where he would just stand there, making the weirdest faces. It was so weird. I mean, I've caught myself making faces if I'm in deep thought, but his weren't like that. But it didn't look like he had Huntington's chorea either (if you don't know what that is, google it). He was just weird!

Tuesday I was on Scrubs again. Now, this day would have been a total crapshoot if I hadn't met a crazy toward the end of the day. It was this girl who was 29, but she looked and acted like a 16 year old. Her hair was a mess, but she had beautiful skin and teeth. Anyways, she kept whining all day long, so we finally asked her what her problem was. It was that kind of whining that people do over and over again when they want to tell you something, but they want you to ask first. You know what I mean. So, she promptly tells us that she can't stop thinking about this guy she had sex with. She also made the decision to tell us how great it was. Ugh. So, she tells us they did it first 4 months ago, then she lost his number. It was so good she had to see him again. So, what does she do? She writes him a letter and then goes to his house and slips it under the door! Isn't that a little stalkerish? Why couldn't she just mail it? I thought it was weird, but apparently it worked. Dude called her and they hooked up a second time, but now he hasn't called her since. Then she asked us if we thought it was weird, or freaky that she had a fantasy that involved her, and two gay guys (use your imagination). The purpose of me telling this story is to prove the point that people share TMI!!!! The whole time she was talking, I just kept looking at her and wanting to call hair and make-up over to help her out with her hair! Oh, this was the first time I was on Scrubs that Zach Braff and Donald Faizon were there as well. Both are cool.

So as I'm heading out my door this morning to go work on All of Us, I see my neighbor (an older lady) peeping in the front window of one of my other neighbors. I mean, she was all upin their bushes, right up at the window. It reminded me exactly of Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched. I said "hi" to her and almost scared her half to death. She explained that she heard the neighbor's dog whimpering and she was trying to see if it wass ok. Keep in mind this is at 7 am. I was trying to hold my laughter in. I talked to her for a few seconds, and as I was leaving, I assumed she would have went back to her apartment (or at least acted like she was until I was out of sight), but she went right back to their window! I was laughing all the way to my car.

It's been a busy week, but I'm just glad to be back to working everyday. I'm still getting things together for my agent, and hopefuly in the weeks to come I'll have more and more great things to tell!

Quote for the day:

"The only way to build confidence is to achieve, with no more but no fewer challenges to doing so than one's peers"

~John McWhorter

2007 Started off OK!

Well, it seems like 2007 came in and things just started happening for me. Small things, but "things" nonetheless. Baby steps. I actually want to take it slow and steady and work my way up. As far as work, it's the same routine. It was pretty cool on Wednesday though. I worked on a new pilot starring David Duchovny. It's not titled yet. We shot at someone's mansion in Malibu. The house was on the side of a hill overlooking the pacific ocean. The whole time, I just kept thinking, "This is someone's life? Someone actually lives here!". We were there shooting a high school house party scene on the back patio until 1 am. It was COLD that night and some of us had to get in the pool. They heated it for us, but coming out of the pool was torture. There was this guy there, and I wouldn't call him a "crazy", but he made a comment that I just don't understand why he didn't keep it to himself. When I fisr saw this guy, I thought he looked a little nerdy. He reminded me of the guy in the American Pie movies with the red hair and freckles. You know who I'm talking about. So, I was talking to this guy and he goes, "I'm playing the nerdy guy at the party that can't get a girl to talk to me. That's not too far from me in real life?" Why do people say things like that?? What am I supposed to say to that? "Yeah, I can totally tell."? I mean, it reminds me of this lady I met on ER. We had just checked in and she busts out her lipstick and says, "Well, I better put on my face before I scare everyone away!". Geez......these people can't think of anything else to say??? Next time I'm going to play along and agree with them and see what they do. Seriously!

This weekend I was back on Rush Hour 3. We were shooting a traffic jam scene at an intersection in Downtown L.A. That means I basically sat in my car for 2 days straight! It was soooo boring, but you get paid extra for using your car in a scene, so that was cool. Chris Tucker was there this time. He is funny, but his high pitched voice is solely for his career. I heard him talking to the director and he sounded normal. Mia Tyler was there too. She is Steven Tyler's daughter, the goth one. They had her made up all pretty though. I don't know if she was just making a cameo or if she has an actual role in the film. Brett Ratner is directing this film. Do you guys know who Brett Ratner is?? If not, let me explain. He's directed many films and many rap videos, but more importantly, he know Mariah Carey personally and has directed several of her videos as well, including We Belong Together. This means I've come in contact with someone who knows Mariah personally! I'm one step closer yall. I just can't wait until she gets her (long overdue) star on the Walk of Fame so I can be there. Gosh.....I'm so sprung!

Now, onto more good news. I was going to wait to tell everyone this, but what the heck. I got the phone call on Thursday that I've been offered a role in an independnt film!! SWEET! I auditioned twice for it and the diretor liked me and wants to use me. This is good because this short film is going to be submitted to film festivals. That's a lot of exposure for an actor. Film festivals are also great for networking. The director actually made a film in 2005 and won the top honor at a film festival. She eventually wants to make this current film into a full length feature film. So, cross your fingers and hope it does really well. We shoot the weekend of February 17th.

Positive quote for the day:

“Have your plans carefully in mind of what you will do when success arrives, because just when it seems least possible, the tide will turn for you."

~Catherine Ponder (The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity).