The First Rain

I have been in L.A. for about 3 and a half months now and it rained for the first time yesterday, since I've been here. It wasn't very much and it lasted for only 30 minutes or so. It's just amazing to me: 3 months with no rain. It rains every other day in Ohio. I'm surprised it wasn't acid rain that melted everyone's skin away considering all the smog here in L.A., hence the picture on the left. Plus, it's October, and the average daily temperature here is 75 degrees, whereas in Ohio it's in the 50's right now. I've never lived anywhere but Ohio before and I'm not used to such a steady climate. I love it.

I only worked two days this week which sucked because I was bored out of my mind. There is so much to do in L.A., but it's not really fun when your other friends are working and you don't have anyone to do them with. Wednesday I worked a show called All of Us which is a show on the CW network starring Duane Martin and Lisa Raye. Tisha Campbell (Gina from Martin and My Wife and Kids) was guest starring that day. In real life she is married to Duane Martin. It was cool. I was in a restaurant scene and everyone on the set was really laid back. Nothing special happened that day. Oh, but guess who was directing this particular episode? It was Alfonso Ribeiro aka Carlton. Makes sense. Will Smith created the show. Alfonso was cool but he's gained A LOT of weight!

Friday, I was back on Vanished. I played a hotel staffer. Once again, they gave me some good camera time. There was a small fight scene, scuffle rather, in the hotel lobby, and they needed another person to step in and help. So, naturally they approach me to do it among the other 20 extras, haha. BUT, still no speaking lines. I should've just asked them for a line. That's how one of my friends got a line in a show. Oh well. This time I will watch the previews on Monday nights so I can be 100% positive when this episode is going to air, then I'll let everyone know. By the time this episode airs, hopefully I'll be doing something bigger and better anyway. Who knows. Hollywood is brutal.

The only interesting thing that happened to me this week was someone that I ran into, and actually talked to in the grocery store earlier this week. This person can be considered a legend. At her peak, she was a huge music star. I think she had hits starting in the 60's and going on into the 80's. So, I'm walking around in the grocery store and coming around the corner I see a head full of some big, wild hair. This woman is wearing a purple, suede sweatsuit and pushing her grocery cart. She turns her head toward me, and I'm looking right at Diana Ross!! THE Diana Ross from the Supremes. I kind of froze for a minute because I'm standing right in front of someone who is really famous, and then I just said, "Hi, Ms. Ross". She said, "Hi, how are you?" I said, "I'm fine", then we went on our merry ways. She was nice, and she's the most famous person I've met since I've been here.

Well, remember the Japanese video from my last post? My mom and sister thought it was stupid. They didn't even laugh. I don't know why I think it is so funny, but I do. I said I'd post part two, so I still will. If you think it's dumb, then don't watch it, but I think it's hilarious. They tried to get creative and add in some scenes with actors. My random observation for this video is that the camera guy keeps zooming in on the girls' shoulders, of all areas. Just something I noticed.




Ok, that's it for Japanese videos. I'm over it now, lol

My Worst Day in L.A. Thus Far!

This blogging every few days thing is going to really get to me sooner or later, but what the heck. I can write if people show an interest.

Hollywood really worked me the last 2 days. Thursday I was on a show that premiers this fall and it's called Vanished. Call time was 8 am and we didn't get out of there until 11 pm, which means I didn't get to bed until after midnight. I had to then get up at 4 am Friday morning to be at Universal Studios for another show called Re-Animated. This show contributed to my worst day ever here in L.A., but I'll get to that in a second.

There were 2 things I wanted to say about being on Vanished, but I can only remember one. I need to start writing stuff down so I don't forget anything. Anyways, this is going to seem kind of bad on my part, but yall know how I am. So, this episode of Vanished was filmed on location at City Hall dowtown. We were more than half way through the day, and everyone was sitting outside, under the tents they had set up for us. I'm there talking to some of the other people, and a few feet away from us is this fat man talking to some people. He was trying to be funny and tell jokes and stuff when all of a sudden his chair broke from underneath him and he went crashing to the ground. I did one of those things where you start laughing, then you pull yourself together real quick and hold it in. This is one of my biggest challenges in life: containing my laughter. Ask anyone who knows me well. I admit it's bad, but I can't help it. If something is funny, I laugh. It's like a reflex. So, I'm holding it in, make sure the man is not hurt, then I start laughing again. Then one of the production people come over to see what happens as the man is still on the ground, obviously embarrassed. The chair is completely demolished! Seriously, it's just like a chunk of metal and plastic. So the man starts explaining what happened, and that it has actually happened to him before. He admitted that he heard the chair giving way earlier and that he should have gotten another chair, but he didn't.

Now, I'm not trying to be mean, but the man had to be at least 350 pounds. You're gonna tell me that it's happened to him before, he knows he's big, AND he hears and feels the chair making sounds that it shouldn't make, and he didn't do anything about it?!?!?!?!! Give me a break. Big people have to watch out for those things just the same as I have to watch out for my laughter, because I know how I am. It reminds of the issue of airlines charging big people double if they take up 2 seats on the plane. It makes sense. That's another seat that the airline could have sold to another person. Does that make sense to anyone else? He could have so easily saved himself the embarrassment, but he chose not to. Oh well.

On to my worst day, which was yesterday. I had to go to Universal Studios for the new show Re-Animated. I just knew from the title of this show that it was going to be a bad day, but I wasn't quite sure how. I get there, and it is a kids show. The scene they were shooting took place at an amusement park. And you know what that means???? Yep, upwards of 300 little brats screaming, yelling, being hyper, etc., etc. It was terrible. There kids hitting us with balloons, popping balloons, punching and kicking the people in the furry costumes. And we were there for 10 hours. I was talking to people who have been doing background work for a long time and they said this was the worst show they'd EVER done. I agreed, and all we did was bitch about it the entire day. Don't get me wrong, I like kids, and I'm good with kids, but I can't take 300 of them unsupervised on set (most parents waited in the holding area). We heard kids cussing, talking about sex, and all kinds of other stuff. I have never been so annoyed in my life. Never again!!!!

Then you have the infamous stage mother. I'm sure you guys know what they are like. There was one scene where a few of the kids had to ride on a train that went through the park while all the other kids were just runnin around the park and stuff. We saw one mother harassing the director to put her son on the train because his best friend was on the train. The director told her they had enough kids on the train, and she told him to take one of the kids off so her son could go on!!! And the kid was just standing there. He couldn't have cared less to be on the train. And on top of that, this is BACKGROUND work. There were so many kids there that you won't be able to see their individual faces. I feel so sorry for kids whose parents are stage parents. The parents push them and push them and punish them if they don't do something right. And in reality, the kid probably just wants to be somewhere playing with his friends than being on a set all day. It's crazy. I had never been so happy for a day to end. I had worked 25 hours out of the last 32.

Hopefully within the next few weeks different things will start to manifest, if you know what I mean, so that I can post some really exciting stuff.