Audition: Tidy Cat @ Dowd/Roman

Tidy Cat! My first audition ever for a pet product. No cats were present for the audition. They were ahead of schedule here, which rarely happens anywhere. I showed up, signed in, and was almost immediately whisked into the room. There were more girls than guys, so I was coupled up with two different "wives". The spot is simple and cute. Daddy needs to book!

Speaking of which, for those who don't know, we found out that we're due for a girl.

Audition: KFC @ Deborah Kurtz; AT&T @ Joe Blake

Back to back auditions, perfectly timed, conveniently located...nice. Both went great I think, aside from a slight delay on a line in one take at the KFC audition. It was one of those moments when I hadn't forgotten the words, they just would not come out of my mouth. It seemed like forever, but was probably just a second or two before I got back on track. Luckily, we were doing additional takes anyway. The AT&T was very smooth. After all that, I met a friend before he left for the holidays, and then had to jet off to work. Then, it was back to the house for holiday cleaning and visiting with another friend since we're departing Thursday ourselves.

Audition: Jack in the Box @ Alyson Horn

Jack in the Box is a fast food chain out here with some clever commercials. The audition was quick, good, and I got to wear the exact same thing I wore in my wedding. It's the nicest tie I have.

Baby: Overwhelmed R We

Anyone reading this --- it's not a registry.

My wife and I traded freakouts last night. We R going to be in/around Atlanta for the holidays, which is the only time we'll be around there before the baby arrives, and the only time for showers and such to take place. It's fantastic and so kind of friends and family to want to do this. Even though it's too early to be carting a lot of stuff around, we felt we should start a registry or something or at least start investigating the world of baby supplies. Friday, we went to Babies R Us after finding one about 40 minutes from our place. Mistake?

If you've never been in one, let me share. As we walked through the door, we were immediately greeted by a massive registry desk with about 10 chairs seated around multiple computer stations. Is there a "rush"/season for babies? We discussed before we went in that we didn't want to sit through a big sales pitch, so I stood while Corrin sat down to fill out the form. The lady asked if we were in a hurry. "Absolutely." The short version still took her 7 minutes, complete with a Babies R Us credit card pitch. "Just think of those 10% off coupons!" Ooooooooooooh. Then the manager has to come by and stumble through the same credit card pitch, even suggesting that people who buy something from our registry should be encouraged to sign up for the credit card and get 10% off the purchase. "Thanks, we'll be SURE to pass that along to all our financially ignorant friends and family."

Set scanners for stunned.
There we were, adrift in the sea of baby merchandise. With the constant reminders of unsafe manufacturing practices in China, not to mention their militaristic regime and penchant for screwing things up in the world, we do know that we'd like to avoid the "Made in China" label. What kind of bottles? Don't know, need to research. What kind of pacifier? Silicon vs. Latex. Silicon. Great, which ones? Classic Gerber - made in China. No thanks. Never heard of this brand - Made in Germany. We have a winner. Why is everything pastel? Diaper Genie II vs. Diaper Genie vs. Diaper Champ? Research. Fold up placemat thing. Sure. Washcloths - China. Onesies - China. I'm still not sure what a "onesie" is.

And then, the car seats, strollers and swings. Holy mackerel. 25 options each. Where do you start? I'm not sitting in it and I have to have one before I have a baby to put in it, so I can't even test the heft. How can I possibly differentiate? Infant seat vs. Convertible. Removable car seat bucket thing vs. Stay-in-car. Drop seat in stroller vs. Stand alone stroller. Some of those strollers R tanks the size of my kitchen. Where would I put that? How do they break down? Slide here, push there, lift this while depressing that and BANG--it's just that easy.

We know we want a baby pack thing. Hey, we can try those on! Where do you unclip the...tighten the...strap the...unhook the...snap the... Yes! I have achieved full pack-readiness! However, my pack is empty. Now, how do I know what it feels like to have an 8-20 pound sack of my progeny in there? Hmmm...you could just pull down on it. ummm...Ok.

YOU MUST HAVE A THEME FOR YOUR KID's ROOM!!! We don't even have a room yet! Blankets - China. Wraps - China. Hats - China. Sheets - China. Booties - China. Wooden freakin' blocks - China! Play mats - China. Now I picture China as a vast, very brightly colored, animal (possibly aquatic) themed play set. How can they possibly make everything, especially in a country full of so many cool things to play with?

The freakout. So, believe it or not, we weren't even freaked out at that point. We were so not freaked out, that we were able to go into a store where I could try on shoes and BUY them. Some of you know how difficult this is for me. Maybe it was an effort on my part to do something certain. My wife was there for the critical fashion eye. She brought me the candidates. "I like these. I will buy them. I am done."

Last night, was the freakout. I have a stack of books I'm supposed to read. Corrin was looking through possible registry sites after we decided that we don't really want to register at Babies R Us. Then, she started getting a little overwhelmed about having to decide on a stroller, car seat and all that now. She asked for help and asked that I start looking through "Baby Bargains" to find out what we really need. I did. That led to lots of detailed stuff about car seats I hadn't even known existed. The LATCH system. Which car seat fits which car? Huh? They don't ALL fit? You may have to drill a hole in your floorboard. What!? Call a Canadian dealer to find out the part number of this bolt. Are you kidding me? Every review of every seat and stroller has pros/cons that don't seem to really help you sort it out. On top of that, it's not a new book, so good luck finding some of those items. On top of that, we have to find a new apartment to store baby stuff for 3-4 months. Oh, and unrelated, Georgia got shafted by the BCS. My turn to freakout. Bourbon is good.

Where we "R" now.
Researching seats, strollers and non-store-specific registry sites. Researching whether it's possible that someone out there somewhere sells something that isn't made in China. The shower will almost have to be gift cards and whatever little things people give at showers. Crisis averted. Holiday excitement restored. Sugar Bowl enthusiasm in tact. Bourbon empty.

Audition: Microsoft @ Francene Selkirk

I believe this is my second time into this office. The audition went well I think, but again, it's one of those computery types. I seem to get called in for these, but I wonder if it's just as a counterpoint to the usual guys. Maybe I need to get some of those black, square framed glasses and give them a run.

Thanksgiving 2007

For Thanksgiving this year, we flew to Dallas to visit my grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousins on my dad's side of the family. Dad flew out too. It was a quick trip from Wednesday to Friday. We flew out of Burbank, which is waaaaay better than LAX. It's small, quick and friendly. Crazy. As part of the visit, we broke out some old home movies and an old projector. The projector still worked, which was a minor miracle, and the movies ran. It was quite a trip in the time machine to see the 6-year old me, my baby bro, my grandfather, my parents and everyone else 25 years in the past. Funny what you can remember so vividly.

This picture is from our lunch stop after we arrived in Dallas. We went to a BBQ place that was, as advertised, delicious. However, I don't quite get the diving connection. By the way, she's diving into a baked potato loaded with beef barbecue, cheese and sour cream. Good thing she's wearing a cap!


My Georgia Bulldogs are #4 in the BCS without a chance to win the SEC championship but virtually guaranteed a BCS Bowl. There's even a chance it could be the Rose Bowl, about 20 minutes from my apartment, or the Fiesta Bowl, a 6 hour ride to Phoenix. The Rose would be tough to make based on our travel schedule for Christmas, but if they get the Fiesta Bowl, we're going!

Life: Apartment Hunting in Los Angeles - things you should know

My wife and I are apartment hunting again. This reminds me why I hate looking for a new place to live. Here are a few pet peeves, some from Craigslist/classified services and the rest from the overall rental process.

1. Craigslist posts with generic email addresses (i.e. laishome@inbox.com) and identical photos posted on disparate listings clearly trolling to spam you. I will flag you all day and then come back and flag you again.

2. Posts that are purposefully miscategorized. Don't post in the rental section looking for roommates. Don't post your "lease to own" in the rental section. Don't advertise your foreclosure lists in the rental section.

3. Posts with headlines for a 2BR that turn out to be a 1BR with a den or a "spacious" 1BR. Folks, we know what a bedroom is. It's not the living room.

4. Posts that don't list the street address or at least the nearest cross street. There's no "luxury" anything in Panorama City, which brings me to...

5. The rampant abuse of the English language. I've included a handy decoder, but when in doubt, assume the opposite.
Luxury - having at least two walls and a sink
Deluxe - comes with lettuce, tomato & a trash bin
Lush - a dusty ficus tree circa 1977 in the entryway
Gorgeous - walls have been painted white
Adjacent - when connected to a neighborhood name (i.e. Sherman Oaks-Adjacent), if you close your eyes and imagine as hard as you can, you'll still be 15 minutes from Sherman Oaks
Quiet Building - noisy neighborhood, lots of traffic and vagrants
Charm - a nice looking man died in here 20 years ago
Lavish - the toilet handle is gold-colored and the tile is pink
Reasonable - unreasonable
Lots of Extras - you don't have to pay the lawnmower guy to mow our property and you get your own mailbox!
Renovated/Remodeled - new paint, carpet, we cleaned the mold off the tub, the tile isn't pink anymore or it's even more pink than before!

Strike

Today, a friend of mine picked me up and we drove down to Century City where the WGA was holding a unified rally for the day instead of picketing individual studios. This is officially the first time I've walked the line. There were tons of people there. Representatives from some of the agencies in town milled about with power bars, churros, donuts, sandwiches, etc. We picked up signs for "SAG in solidarity". It was very interesting. There was a sign that echoed my earlier post on the subject, wondering what's the big deal with "2.5% of $0?" If there's no money, you pay zero. Seems easy enough. At various points, we were mixed in with the staff from "My Name is Earl" with "The Office" crowd nearby. A couple of the guys from "Reno 911" were in costume.

Empty Coffee Cups

Felt like blogging about a pet peeve of mine. Last night, we watched an episode of "Life". I like Damian Lewis in the lead role, and I've generally enjoyed the first few episodes. However, last night, apart from some huge continuity issues, the specter of my pet peeve raised its ugly head. Ever notice those little coffee cups? Someone has one in virtually every episode of every show or one scene in every movie. Often, they are the paper variety with the plastic lids. Unfortunately, it is frightfully obvious that the cups are completely empty. You can tell by the way the actors hold the cups, pass the cups, gesticulate with the cups. I don't understand this. As many coffee cups as we've all held... If pretending is difficult, then why can't they put water in them to give them weight and a semblance of reality? I understand not wanting to put hot coffee in them, but the water makes a lot of sense.

Welcome to the world of my hyper-critical eye. Still, I hate being jolted out of the experience of the story by something so easily corrected. Anyone else?

Strike and stuff

We live in the vicinity of Universal Studios, and I've driven by there a couple of times since the writers' strike began. I've seen plenty of "strikes" elsewhere at which there's one or two people holding up a giant sign that says something like, "Shame on Ramses Construction". You see those and don't really think about them. This WGA strike is interesting because it's the first time I've really been up close with a strike that I understand enough to form an opinion. I see the writers' point.

Sometimes people read a few things in the paper and conclude that the strike is all about these filthy rich writers who already make tons of money off their cushy little jobs wanting even more money so they can fuel there coke habits. They're not all filthy rich, and not all have coke habits. I think. My understanding of this particular strike is that it is based on the considerations of "emerging media" or other fancy terms for internet streaming, downloads, etc. More and more entertainment is being offered via the web, and writers feel like now's the time to make sure there's an appropriate compensation structure in place to cover it. I agree with them. It is important. The trend seems to be toward more offerings online, which could conceivably take a huge chunk out of conventional TV/cable or replace it. You snooze you lose in this case. The studios and corporations want to deny or discount the potential of the internet becoming a major profit source for them. Here's where they lose me. If it's not going to be that big a deal, then...umm...what's the big deal? Let the writers have a percentage of $0. But it's not $0. There are ads on the websites. The online episodes may have ads before and/or after the viewing. As promotional material it drives viewers back to the network or particular channel. It would seem to be all tied in together to me. The outcome of this strike will affect the upcoming negotiations for SAG and other unions. So, it affects me. I hope it gets resolved soon.

Audition: Mr. Clean @ Craig Colvin

This was another of those after which you walk out laughing at the silly things we do in this line of work. Four of us guys went into the room at a time and were positioned behind four random objects (mine was a blender). Our mission was to smell the objects and enjoy the fresh clean scent over and over again until the session runner ended it. So, I smelled the blender and smelled it some more. Delightful.

A little Ghost Whisperer follow-up...the role was changed to require someone with blue eyes. So, no dice there.

What up Daddy-o?

This is another of the cool things happening right now.

Audition: Ghost Whisperer @ Donna Rosenstein Casting

This audition for Ghost Whisperer was a happy occurrence for a number of reasons. Obviously, it's good to get more auditions for TV/Film. It also validates my strategy to leverage my Atlanta network as well doing my own work. Houghton Talent, my Atlanta agency, is enthusiastically submitting me electronically. This was our first team hit. The casting assistant who brought me into the room said, "Chris, cool! I didn't know if you would make it since your agent was in Atlanta." The CD mentioned it too. Whatever it takes, you know. The audition went great...another guy who is doomed. Aside from "Passions" and Jimmy Kimmel, just about all my TV auditions have been for ill-fated characters. My callback ratio for TV prior to this is 100%, booking is 60%. I don't expect there will be any callbacks for this one. They'll just cast off the tape.

Audition: Home Depot @ Ross Lacy

I did a number of Home Depot industrials when I lived in Atlanta. This may be only the first time I've auditioned for a Home Depot commercial here. The audition went great. You've probably seen the spots with their NASCAR driver, Tony Stewart. This will be one of them. It would be interesting to work with a non-actor personality on a shoot.

Audition: Red Robin Restaurant @ Landau/McRae

This was a quick-hitter down in Santa Monica. I felt right for it and that the audition was good. The session runner was an actor I met at the Subway callbacks. He gave me a couple of ideas and we did it twice. Seemed fine. My first time in this office.

Audition: Jury Duty @ Burbank Court House

I got the call to fulfill my civic obligation. Right after I found out that I had to report, I got an audition for a FedEx national...naturally. I reported to the courthouse and decided against postponing my service since I have no way of knowing if one week will be more convenient than the next (auditions, work, etc.). I decided to just go with it and figured I'd be vetoed by the lawyers anyway based on my fairly closely-held beliefs in personal accountability and my ability to see through BS. When I finally got into the courtroom, the judge told everyone that the trial was expected to last at least 2 and a half weeks and that he would hear excuses or "hardships" from the potential jurors. As he went around the room row by row, people had the usual...single income household, contractors, childcare problems, etc. No actors, until me, the last person in the room. I made a quick joke about being surprised to be the only actor in the room, then just explained my situation and that while I'm happy to serve, the length of such a trial would damage my ability to develop my business which depends on short-notice availability. In particular, it would hurt at this time of year when things are so busy. He asked me some questions, and, after consulting with the attorneys, excused me. This afternoon, I got another audition for tomorrow. I'm glad it worked out.

Callback: Subway @ popcasting

The callbacks were in a different location, Santa Monica instead of W. Hollywood. The drive down the 405 in the morning is never much fun, but I left in plenty of time to at least avoid fretting about getting there. It was another video conference audition with the ad guys (I guess) on the video feed, but the director was in the room. We did it a bunch of different ways, and I felt good about my adjustments each time.

Audition: Budweiser @ TLC/Booth

This was my first time into this office...an important office based on the type of directors they work with. I saw a friend from my commercial class too. The wardrobe for this one was tough to figure out "Upscale professional and upscale casual moving attire". I settled on a golf shirt and khakis but took a button down in case it seemed more office-y. When I got there, the sides were from a weekend office football game. Some other actors were a little dressier like me, and others were casual. Nothing in the sides about moving. Later, we found out that the scene we were actually auditioning for had no dialogue, so we were given the lines from a different scene to overlay onto the moving scenario (kind of) instead. It was mostly, "work hard, drink beer to chill." I can handle that.

Between Subway and Budweiser, I managed to squeeze in another audition for an animation thesis at USC and a rehearsal for another student short I'm doing. Then, I picked up my pal Will for a quick writing/idea jam and then UCB improv class at night. It was a day packed with acting.

Audition: Subway @ popcasting

Recently, I've had several auditions at which the information (wardrobe, sides, etc.) given beforehand has nothing to do or very little to do with what's really happening at the audition. This was one of those. The email said to get the sides from the website. As there was only one set of sides I could find for Subway in a recent timeframe from this office, I set to work on them last night. It wasn't a ton of dialogue, but a hefty chunk with a lengthy list that had to be delivered. When I got to the audition, that scene was not the one I was auditioning for. Fortunately, the new one had less dialogue and a premise that wasn't at all difficult to grasp. That's also why I try to arrive at least 30min early...just in case.

Audition: Bud Light @ Joe Blake

A beer commercial too! Finally! There was a little trouble in this one...lots of dialogue and my scene partner and I weren't communicating somehow. I guess we'll see.

Audition: Comcast @ Ross Lacy

I go into this office a lot, but haven't booked or avail'd yet. This one was another improvised scene, a phone conversation with a brother I don't talk to much. I felt like I nailed it, and had a good reaction from the session runner. I'm way overdue.

Audition: Arby's @ Beth Holmes; Callback: NFL Network

Busy day... I've been in for Beth Holmes casting several times and seem to get close. This one was a little weird because the breakdown clearly said "casual", but most of the other guys there were dressed up. Sure enough, the spot was set in an office breakroom. How does that happen?

Got the callback for that good NFL Network audition. This one was weird too. I got there and was the only guy who looked like me for the role, and there were quite a few people. The sides were completely different and it was clear they were after the nerdy computer type yet again. I looked more like a guy in another role that had apparently already been cast. When will this geeky thing end?

Audition: NFL Network @ Typecasting

Great! A football spot at last! My first audition for this office went very well. We were improvising a discussion about football, with some written dialogue to get in there. I had the session runner and CD laughing which is usually a good sign.

Audition/Booked: Faithful Paradox @ USC

I haven't really been looking to do any student films in a long time, but I stumbled upon an interesting one. It's a well-written scene and a good role for me, so I went to the audition and got the role. It'll shoot one day in October.

Witness

On September 11 of last week, I was rolling in the car, finishing up a lesson with a student when I witnessed a terrible motorcycle accident. A guy on a "crotch rocket" zoomed past us heading to a point where the road gently curves left. Just as he began to pass, he hit the accelerator just a bit more and, unable to match the curve, began to slide toward the curb on the right side of the road. His bike grazed the curb creating sparks and causing him to completely lose it. The motorcycle crashed into the curb, the rider was thrown and one or both of them hit a light pole there. We stopped the car and I jumped out to get on the phone with 911. The guy was seriously messed up. Other passers-by came to assist, and I relayed the instructions from the operator giving as much detail as I could. It wasn't pretty. The guy lost at least the lower half of one of his legs and who knows what kind of internal injuries he had. I've never seen anything so horrible in person. It's bad when the operator asks if you can put the guy's leg in a clean plastic bag. I don't even watch that kind of stuff on the movies. It's a real reminder of how fragile life is and how a stupid decision can change your life in a moment. I don't think I'll ever get on a motorcycle after seeing that. For those of you riding them, be smart about it. For those of us driving any sort of vehicle, stay focused and vigilant.

Audition: SoCal Honda @ Alyson Horn

Well, again, I had another good read in the room. The session was running behind with some actors showing up 2 hours before their actual appointment times. When I'm sitting there waiting and waiting, I try not to beat the material to death. It can be difficult to keep your mind clear and not let the situation affect you. You think about feeding the meter or having to move your car to avoid a parking ticket. You think about the traffic worsening. Or, you just kick back, relax and try to avoid inhaling the dog hair flying around with the arrival of someone's pooch.

Audition: Wendy's @ Ross Lacy

I get called in to Ross' quite a bit, but haven't seemed to break through just yet. This was for one of the "red wig" series they're running now. To be honest, I don't have a good sense of how this one went. And so...as always, we wait and see.

Audition: Southwest Airlines @ Melissa Martin

I had another good audition today. It has been a little while since I've been in for Melissa. This one specifically mentioned improv as a requirement. There were still sides, but in the second take we improvised. I'm back in class at UCB and feeling good about stretching my improv muscles again. It had been a little too long. I felt great about the audition and the work I'm doing in the rooms.

Audition & Callback: "Life's Chronicles" @ Josh Einsohn and Melanie Burgess

Friday, I got an audition notice from one of the online casting resources I use scheduled for Sunday (today). I haven't had many from this particular site, so I'm not quite as familiar with the functions and layout as I am with the other sites. Somehow, in reading the parking instructions and reviewing my submission history, I got it in my head that I was auditioning for "Life" which is a new show that Josh is working on. The role I submitted for was only 2 lines. It was funny and weird, and I didn't want to overcook it. We did rent the NBC Fall Preview DVD to watch the pilot episode. This morning, I worked until 12, got home to go over the other characters' sides to get a feel for the show. The character description for my role was in one of the other character's sides. "Bald with a big beard..." Uh-oh. I quickly double-checked the audition notice and my submissions and discovered that there was in fact a short film I submitted for called "Life's Chronicles". I subsequently retrieved the sides for that...6 pages...with only 30 minutes before I had to leave to get there. Yikes. I got to work and got comfortable quickly, went to the audition, got the callback for the same afternoon. The callbacks went well too. I feel good about delivering another good showing with a new casting director. Melanie, the associate on this project, is also an associate on ER.

Right after the callbacks, we had some people over for a cookout to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. I got ice cream cake! Haven't had one of those in a while. He's out here for a week, and we're seeing some sights like The Getty Museum, doing some hikes, etc.

Surprise: Stainmaster Carpets

I got a surprise check in the mail today. The Stainmaster Carpets commercial I shot in Atlanta a bit before we moved was renewed. The residuals are nice even though it was a non-union job. Things have been kinda slow and very hot around here. I have an audition today for a UCLA student project and the second class of my latest improv level at UCB.

We were in Boston a couple of weeks ago for a cousin's wedding. Boston seems like a nice city, but we weren't able to explore much. I did have my first ever lobster. Tasty. This week, my brother-in-law is visiting, so we'll be roaming around here quite a bit. My Georgia Bulldogs kicked off their season last weekend with a whooping of Oklahoma State. I love having the game-watching festivities here with fellow alumni. Fall is great.

Sick: Hard drive disaster

Got word today that our hard drive is beyond recovery. I guess the universe is doing us a favor in not forcing us to put a price tag on our photos (which cannot be replaced) and our files (which will be...with time). Now, we have to get a new computer and a new laptop. Yeehaw. I will never be without back up again.

Audition: AIG @ Lisa Fields

This one came in about an hour and a half before my appointment. Luckily, it was in the morning, so I could do it with no problem. The role I was reading for, according to the breakdown, was an audience member. When I got there, they said I was, in fact, to be singing on stage a song I don't really know with no music. Supposedly, they didn't want it to be too good, which means they should love me.

In other news, my procrastination in backing up the files on our home computer is either going to cost us a significant amount of dough to recover the data (photos, biz files, etc.) or we'll just have to cut our losses and lose it altogether. The hard drive broke down Thursday night sometime. I find out today how many pounds of flesh the recovery place wants to give me my files back. And, it all could've been prevented with a little $100 backup drive. Don't procrastinate people. Back up!

Audition: Hungry Man @ Beth Holmes

Lots of same-day auditions popping up recently. What can I say about how it went? You know the drill.

Audition: McDonald's @ Jessica J.; Audition: Wendy's @ [skirts]

Fast food marathon for me today. The first was a blue collar deal with a few lines and an office I hadn't seen before. The audition was running a little behind, with my second audition scheduled within a half hour of the first. Luckily, the second was more flexible, so I made them both. The Wendy's audition was another of those in which what they intend to pull off in the spot, with special effects, stunts, etc., is somewhat difficult to fake in confines of the audition itself. I often wonder how they make the translation when they watch the tape. Some auditions in the past included such challenges as floating on the ceiling or changing pants in "the car" while holding an unattached steering wheel. I won't say which one it was, but in one audition, my scene partner had to throw a rope up, ostensibly catching it on a building, and then climb it. In improvisation, we do crazy stunts like this all the time, and it works because we don't have props. It's all in the imagination. This guy had to use an actual rope. So, when you throw it up, it comes back down on your head...kinda tough to climb. It's a funny world.

Audition: Verizon @ Ross Lacy

I've been into this office a number of times, but haven't had any hits yet. Again today, I felt I had a very strong audition and the role was a perfect fit. The Fall football tie-ins are beginning which is good news for me!

Audition: Cisco @ Megan Foley/Chuck Marra

Another new office for me. I think this was more of an in-house/demo project than a commercial. It was tough for the guy in the other role. Mine was mostly reactions to the zany things he was doing. My scene partner and I were the first ones up, which isn't ideal when the audition involves a lot of physicality like that. Over the course of the day, the CD's get a better idea of how to set up the wacky stuff within the confines of the audition.

I had two workshops last week. One is a three-weeker with Christal Karge of Liberman/Patton casting, and the other was just a one-time thing with Will Stewart of Linda Lowy Casting. Both went great.

Seattle

We spent last weekend in Washington for the reunion and had a lot of fun. It was also exhausting and HOT. Apparently, the area was experiencing a bit of an unusual heat wave with temperatures in the 100's for the wine country area where the reunion actually took place. Last Wednesday, we flew into Seattle where my friend picked us up from the airport. The Seattle skyline is beautiful at night, and the view of Mt. Rainier on the flight in was also amazing. We stayed with him and his wife at their place in Everett before picking up Corrin's brother and grandma for the drive down to Yakima on Thursday. Since we had no set time to arrive, we took the scenic route through the national forest near Mt. Rainier. The drive was fantastic. Along the way, we saw a sign in Auburn, WA which read, "If it goes up or blows up, it's illegal in Auburn." Within a mile or so of this sign, we must've left Auburn, because we drove by a huge cluster of fireworks stalls scattered around a large lot. The lot itself was absolutely covered with debris from spent fireworks. Apparently when the hunger to light up the sky overwhelms them, the Auburnites can simply walk next door and Roman candle, crackle, shell, and rocket to their hearts content.

We stopped off in the park at a picturesque stream with views of Rainier, the forest and valley below, and a little snow right there by the road. The closer we got to our destination, the more signs popped up advertising FRUIT! of all kinds, various ciders, shakes and delights, and then, my personal favorite, Walla Walla Sweet Onions. I don't appreciate the onions themselves, but I like to read signs exactly as they are written. Somehow, this one came out with a bit of a robotic voice and the result was a funny bit that lasts and lasts. From Walla Walla Sweet Onions, I branched out into Walla Walla anything. One other favorite sign "Fruit Antiques". Maybe you had to be there.

On Friday, we took a leisurely float down the Yakima River with Corrin's parents and bro. The outfitter who rented us the raft had zero sense of humor, sarcasm or wit. She probably thought we were jerks or insane city-folk. That night, the reunion started with a dinner and showings of old home movies and photos. Saturday was a wine-tasting tour. Overall, I was unimpressed by the offerings of Washington wine. There were decent options at Bonair (very entertaining owner), Silver Lake and Sagelands (the best overall experience of the bunch and the site of our brunch on Sunday). The reunion ended Sunday, and we drove back to Everett to have dinner with our friends. We spent the night in Seattle and headed back to Burbank early Monday morning, then went straight to work.

Stay tuned

Acting-wise, not much has transpired in the last couple of weeks. I participated in a workshop with casting director Scott David. Due to some administrative issues, I didn't find out I was "in" until that morning while I was working. As a result, I didn't have a chance to work on the sides until just before the workshop started. Neither of the character choices really fit me, but I picked the scene with a cop since that's something I could definitely play on "Criminal Minds". The performance went well. He redirected me and complimented me on my versatility in taking the adjustment. You never know when the workshops will pay off. It could be a while before you get called, but I feel good about the work I've done in these so far.

Corrin and I went to see "Wicked" for her birthday. It was a good show. The witches in particular were excellent performers. The show itself didn't have as many memorable songs, and some of the tie-ins to "The Wizard of Oz" didn't make sense. We had dinner beforehand at The Smokehouse in Burbank. It had an old Hollywood flavor and the food was tasty too. Overall, it was a great night out. We leave for Seattle in a couple of days for a family reunion (Corrin's side). I've never been to Washington state, so I'm looking forward to it.

Audition: "On the Lot" promo @ Beth Holmes Casting

Beth Holmes was the CD on the Best Buy avail I had late last year. This promo is for internet use. The audition went great. Oddly, the callbacks are supposed to be Saturday morning. I never get auditions or callbacks on the weekends. It has been an amazingly busy week, and that would top it off. I'm pleasantly surprised at the level of activity for the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, it makes things tough on the driving day job (especially an unexpected weekend conflict), but I work for some great people who help me make it all work. I enjoy the teaching too, so everyone wins in the end.

Audition: Digiorno's @ Ross Lacy; Audition: V8 @ Craig Colvin

Suddenly this month has taken a turn for the busy. Summer is usually slow, but I like this better. It's also crazy on the driving job right now. Funny how it all lumps together. The Digiorno's audition was good...just a couple of buddies watching a game and eating some pizza. Why I'm not already in a million of these I don't know. I've been into Ross Lacy's office quite a bit, and I'm about due for a booking there.

Around 1pm, I got a call for an audition at Craig Colvin's place at 4:54pm. That's exact. The same-day calls a pretty rare, but I'm thankful I have a day job that works with me when it happens. Priorities...ya know. The audition involved getting slapped by my wife several times. She surprised me one of those times which made for an even funnier moment.

Audition: ESPN @ Alyson Horn Casting

My first time in this office. The role was a young dad out shopping for team gear with his son. No real sides, but we improvised a little bit. I was matched up with a talented, quick-witted fellow. Went great!

No Cigar

Once again, I'm left to ponder the senselessness of "avails". Seriously, I am encouraged to have made the avail stage several times already this year. I'm just due for a paycheck.

It's like they say, "You're great. We could totally use you in the spot. Don't schedule anything until we call you the day before shooting/travel/wardrobe to say we're in love with someone else." All this time thinking of our hopes and dreams, what we could've been, the fun we could've had, the Tabasco we could've sold... Now it'll be interesting to see if some of the more humorous lines I improvised in the audition and callback end up in the spot anyway.

"Is it hot in here or is it just me? Oh, that's right, it IS just me."
"I'm classic! I'm the Clark Gable of hot sauce."
"When we stand next to each other, I look even hotter."

AVAIL: Tabasco

Well, this is the first time in a while that I've basically felt like I've nailed every step of the process and I still don't have the job yet. However, I did get through to the next phase landing the "avail". It's my third one so far this year. Maybe the ad guys are finally returning to the normal fellas instead of the skinny nerdy techy types. Tabasco is right on the money for me. It's almost time for the beer spots to get cranked up for football.

Callback: Tabasco @ Gabrielle Schary Casting

Got the callback - Feeling confirmed, not in a Catholic way. The callback went just fine again. I was paired up with another chap from KSA. We were both playing the same role at the original audition. For the callback, we were reading both roles anyway. I felt great about everything, and on the way out, was stopped by the session runner to return and read again. The director said he felt like maybe I was stepped on a bit and wanted to give me another go. I suppose that was a good sign that they liked what I did in the first go 'round. I'm not sure the second time was quite as funny, but I do like to improvise.

Last night, my mom and I went to see a taping of a new sitcom called "The Bill Engvall Show". It was fun from an entertainment standpoint and very interesting to watch the mechanics of the production itself. The show debuts in July on TBS.

Audition: Tabasco @ Gabrielle Schary Casting

My mom is in town this week. Today, we drove down to Long Beach to meet an acquaintance of hers for lunch. We had tasty ribs at a bbq joint there and I located another Chick-fil-A. Afterwards, we drove to Santa Monica for my Tabasco audition. The breakdown mentioned a red t-shirt, though red is usually one of those colors you're never supposed to wear on camera. The audition had sides, but the session runner said they wanted us to play with the lines and improvise in our own style of humor. Sometimes that is more difficult once they've given you a specific script. However, with the lingering aftertaste of bbq baby back ribs on my palate, I felt like I nailed it.

Audition: Skittles @ Francene Selkirk-Ackerman

This one was just plain goofy. They seemed to be looking for the slacker type, which usually isn't me. However, just reading the spot, it seemed more appropriate as an office-y type. Guess we'll see what happens...as always!

Audition: Time Warner @ Kathy Knowles Casting

Back to Santa Monica, this time for morning rush hour. The audition went very well. I was supposed to be matched up with a female as a couple, but the audition holding area was just a bunch of guys. The session runner mentioned that it always seems to happen that way...the guys show up on time or early while the ladies run late.

Audition: TW RoadRunner Cable @ Joe Blake Casting

This morning, my wife and I went for a chilly hike in Burbank's Wildwood Canyon. Just before we left, I received an email notice about the audition. The character description suits me perfectly. The drive to and from Santa Monica on the 405 late on a weekday afternoon suits me a little less perfectly. However, the audition was speedy and great. Tonight, I'm attending the second of two workshop sessions with Traci Moscowitz of Valko/Miller Casting (Boston Legal).

Day 15: Passions - episode 2011 "The Final Chapter"

In a saga with so many "last" days, it seems odd to have finally made it to the actual last day. I had a few short scenes in which I get to continue making light of Luis' impending doom - "Torment with a smile." When it was all over, I thanked the cast and crew for making it such a fun experience. I stopped by the casting office to say, "Thanks" and "See you again." Then, I began the march of the unemployed actor back to my car and went home to mail more agent submissions.

Of course, nothing is ever final in Soapland. Perhaps I'll reappear on a desert island to terrorize Fancy and Luis after their luxury yacht sinks in the South Pacific. Maybe Miguel will get framed on some drug smuggling charges in South America and land in the third world prison where I will just happen to be part of a mentor exchange program. Maybe I am Alistair Crane! I gotta run. I'm meeting the 1/2 Man-1/2 Woman for drinks. Or am I? Muahhahhhahhhahaaaa!

Office work

I've been very busy the last two days. There haven't been any auditions, shoots or even shifts at my day job. I just tackled the office work that's part of my acting career. There were agent submissions, manager submissions, notices of Passions airdates sent to film/television casting directors and even commercial casting directors. There were trips to the office supply store, the printers and the post office, hours spent researching client rosters on the internet, hunting down addresses and trying to determine which casting offices are still open (pilot season is basically done). I coached a couple of my friends on audition scenes. I met with my scene partner from the In Demand Showcase to hash out ideas about shooting our scene and getting it performance ready again for potential meetings. I packed a lot into the unexpected days off from my job. Already, I've received one response from an agent. Tomorrow, I'm getting a haircut. Next week, I'll need to begin planning for my reel, deciding which scenes from my most recent job will make the cut with the other material I've collected. Then, we've got to clean this apartment. But I guess this isn't a blog about housekeeping.

Day 14: Passions - episode 2005

I had two relatively short scenes today with Luis and Pilar, who was new to me. Pilar is played by Eva Lemus.
My scenes were first up after lunch. Galen didn't see me until I stepped out for rehearsal, when he remarked, "Oh no...not you again!" The first 6 episodes I shot will finish airing tomorrow. The next 6 will begin airing May 8th I think. Episode 1984, which aired today, was the episode in which I got to blast Oliver, Galen's stunt double, with a high-pressure water hose. That was fun. In fact, I went into Jackie's office that day after taping and she said, "I've been watching you on the monitor...I heard you say, 'This is too much fun!'"

Shooting: Spec Commercial for Jon Hill

My friends Jon and Leigh Hill from Atlanta live out here and I shot a spec commercial for them yesterday. I don't remember if I blogged the audition... Anyway, I was playing a young dad who is confronted by the "birds and bees" question in the park. Corrin came along too and threw the frisbee around for a while. We had fun. The young actor playing my boy was a bundle of energy, so getting him to stay on his mark was a real challenge. Near the end of the shoot in a small park in West Hollywood (-ish), Rip Taylor randomly dropped by to see what was going on and network I guess. That was hilarious.

The shoot didn't take too long and then I spent an hour in an indoor cycling class at the gym. This is my new favorite form of exercise. I've dropped about 8 pounds in the last few weeks. It's a sweaty affair, but engages that competitive spirit and sense of accomplishment in me more than the treadmill or the elliptical machines. That's why I enjoy it so much.

I'm shooting another episode of Passions this Monday and next Monday. That may be it. It has been fun watching the first few episodes. Today's was particularly good for my reel.

Day 13: Passions - episode 2003

Today was tough. I had two scenes with a bunch of lines that did not just roll off the tongue. It was the first time I flubbed a line while shooting and it happened twice. It's no big deal and happens all the time in general, but one of the lines in particular was so difficult to say that I got in my head a little bit. Guess we'll see how this one turns out.

Airdates: Passions

I just received word that due to a preemption somewhere, the airdates for my episodes were pushed back 1 day. I've adjusted the schedule below. Since the May dates are a little farther out, I'll let you know of any changes there.

NBC - 2pm (Eastern and Pacific)

April 24-27, 30

May 1, 8-11, 14, 15

Suggested episodes that were particularly fun for me:

April 26, 27, 30

May 11, 14, 15

Also, I just got a script for this Monday. Surprise! But I'll take it!

Day 12: Passions - episode 1995

And the final day arrives at last. Today, I had two scenes with Emily ("Fancy"). These were originally Mike's. As a result, the content led to a big change in my character, which should be fun to watch. I dropped off some headshots at various CD offices on the lot today, and stopped by Jackie's office to get her opinion on a few agencies I'm targeting. She gave me some feedback and suggestions that will help tremendously. She also told me that there will likely be at least two more days - April 30 and May 7. Neither is set in stone yet, but so far all of the "maybes" have turned into "reallys". So, it wasn't so bad to leave knowing that it probably wasn't the final day after all.

Day 11: Passions - episodes 1993, 1994

Episode 1993 was originally scheduled to be my last. As a result of the changes, I also shot episode 1994 today. My scenes were pretty much at the end of the day, though my call time was 12:45pm for afternoon dry-block. There was one scene that was a little tricky because of the confines of the space we were working in and the number of people involved.

The scenes in episode 1994 were originally Mike's. Mike and I have established different characters, making these next two episodes an adventure. There's some fun stuff.

Day 10: Passions - episode 1990 (partial)

Since we were only doing one scene left over from episode 1990, today went by fast. It was good to be back after the break. I also got some great news. Mike, the other recurring guard, got a big guest star role on NCIS that conflicted with his episodes this week. Jackie called me to ask if I was available for Wednesday. Of course I am. So, I'm taking on his additional 2 episodes, giving me a total of 12 now.

Audition: Carl's Jr. @ Lisa Fields Casting

This is funny because two out of the three times I've been in for this casting director, I've had to take off some article of clothing. Last time it was my pants for the Allstate Mr. Change-your-pants-while-driving thing. This time it was my shirt. I was the first actor in again. The audition consisted of eating a little spear of fruit while looking at the imaginary beach scenery.

Day 9: Passions - episode 1991 (partial) & 1992 (partial)

Two partial episodes today. We did the remainder of episode 1991 and part of 1992. I also found out today that the other scene in ep. 1992 that I'm supposed to be in was cut. That was going to shoot on Monday the 16th. Instead, I'll just be doing part of episode 1990 on Monday the 16th. It was another laid back day. Call time was 11:30am, and under the direction of Phideaux Xavier once again, things were moving quickly. We didn't have a long wait before we shot the first scene. The second scene was just after lunch. By 2:30pm, we were on the way out. That gave me time to get my smog check done for the car registration. When you're waiting there watching the guy hook all the gizmos up to your car, it's tense. It's almost like your waiting for the results of some important blood test. I got a little anxious, but the car passed with flying colors, so we're good for another two years.

Day 8: Passions - episode 1991 (partial)

Today was a short scene that's part of episode 1991. "Partial" means they're shooting pieces of different episodes on the same day. The production coordinators who schedule this stuff must be good at puzzles. Call time was a very reasonable 2:30pm. The dressing room I used today had a leather recliner in it, so I took a light nap while waiting for my scene. There were a couple of last minute changes, line cuts and line swaps, but they didn't make a huge difference. However, the other guard had one line that kept cracking us all up, starting with Galen who plays Luis on the show. Once he started the laughing, we had a tough time avoiding it. Though it took us a couple of extra takes, we managed to finish and I was on my way home at 5:30pm. Not a bad day's work. I'll mention again that the cast and crew are very welcoming. Most of my scenes and chats cast-wise have been with Galen (Luis), Adrian (Miguel), Emily (Fancy), Mckenzie (Sheridan), and James (Sam). The other guard who is recurring is played by Michael.

Day 7: Passions - episode 1990 (partial)

I got a surprise call yesterday afternoon with my call time for 7:45am. It was a surprise because it was not a day that I knew about and a script I didn't have. Since it was to be one scene in which I have only a couple of lines, I decided to just pick up the script on set rather than make an extra trip. When I arrived, I was greeted happily by members of the cast and crew, again adding to the "at home" feeling. I was glad to be back too. We didn't get to my scene until after lunch due to some stunt scenes taking a bit longer than planned. Once we started working on my particular scene, it only took about 10 minutes and then I was done.

Day 6: Passions - episode 1985

Day 6 was a pretty quick one for me. I was only involved in a couple of scenes. The director was Karen Wilkens, who also directed the second episode last Friday. While I was in my dressing room, I got another call from the casting director. They've added three more episodes for sure, which will tape on April 16 and 17. We were flying back from a friend's wedding in Memphis on the 16th, once again proving that if you want to book a job, just buy plane tickets. So I spent the afternoon dealing with the flight change. The cost difference on the same airline was ridiculous. They wanted about $900 MORE to change the return flight from Monday to Sunday. We ended up cancelling those tickets and buying a direct flight from another airline for a couple hundred less than that. Craziness. At least we'll be able to change our original tickets at some other point during the year and we have a few more flights planned.

Day 5: Passions - episode 1984

Today, I got to do one particularly fun scene, which I obviously cannot reveal at this point. I was all business during the take, but laughing a lot off camera. Tomorrow is the final day of my original six episodes, and it's hard to believe. I'm glad I've got the other two lined up for next week.

Day 4: Passions - episode 1983

Had a lot of fun again today...See a recurring theme? Today's director was Gary Tomlin. He was very cool and low-profile. We had some excitement in the scenes, but I can't say any more than that for now.

Day 3: Passions - episode 1982; Audition: Man v. Woman (pilot) @ JAM Casting

I'm switching to episode numbers in the title so I don't keep typing "CBS Studio Center" over and over. At least the number will change. It occurs to me that I may not be able to blog daily about this experience. I can't really get into details about what I'm doing because I'm sworn to protect the secrets all the WWW's Passion-ites demand to know in advance. Why do soap fans want the spoilers? Isn't it better to just watch and find out? I understand the fun of speculating and all, but not the search for real spoilers. Anyway, it was another fun day on the set. Today's director was Phideaux Xavier. There was a lot more talky-talk and actiony-action for yours truly. I'm feeling ever more at home on the set. It'll be sad when the run is done.

My call time for Passions was 7:15am. We finished up around 11:45am. Then, I drove home to lose the "hat hair" and get ready for my first pilot audition. It's a remake of a British show call ManStrokeWoman. The sides consisted of 3 scenes and we were asked to choose one. I was in and out in about 4 minutes. The casting director did comment on my resume, "Passions...uh-oh." Whatever that means.

Day 2: Passions @ CBS Studio Center

Today was a blast. Call-time was 7:15am, but I've got no problem rolling out of bed to work. We did the dry-block first. Then, I retrieved my wardrobe, and was happier with the pants. Pants are important. The atmosphere on the set was light and fun, but still efficient. We knocked out the dry block and then they shot 5 or 6 scenes before my work started. By 11:30am, I was done and on my way to play some Wiffle Ball at Griffith Park with Will.

On the ride out, I got a call from Jackie Briskey who let me know that the producers and director were pleased with my work. Cool. Then, she let me know that I'll be working on April 4th and 5th as well. That's two more episodes, taking us to 8 for sure...possibly 12-13. I let her know how much I appreciated the opportunity and how much fun I was having on the set. I forgot to mention that a drop-off I did on the lot yesterday resulted in a pilot audition for Monday. Now, I just have to figure out how to make it to the audition on a break.

Day 1: Passions @ CBS Studio Center

Last night was interesting. The excitement really began to hit me. Some other stuff hit me too, like how funny it was to be sitting in a car doing my "day job" knowing that on Thursday I'd be doing what I most enjoy doing. I also received the 3 remaining scripts for next week. This is too much fun.

Call time 11am. Arriving today, I felt some nerves kick in too. It's a bit like going to a new school for the first time...a school where you don't know anyone personally, although you do know they've all got model good-looks, and where you have no idea what sort of customs, traditions, and personalities you'll encounter. I parked on Gilligan's Island, or rather, in the parking deck which stands where the lagoon scenes for Gilligan's Island were filmed, filled out my contracts and paperwork, picked up my costume and visited the make-up folks where I was basically passed through because my face is already perfect -- OR because they understandably wanted us to look less polished than the heroes...hmmm...

Preparation for taping generally involves a dry-block rehearsal, which is a quick walk-through of movement and marks without the acting. Once the scene is up, there's another rehearsal for camera. During this one, everyone behind the scenes works on their own moves and responsibilities. Then, you shoot it...maybe twice, maybe not. By the end of the day, I was much more comfortable with the process. I walked away with a healthy respect for the work these actors put in every day. It's no easy task. Tomorrow, we'll have a different director and more fun in store.

More good news

Yesterday, I got confirmation on the 4 additional episodes of Passions shooting the week of March 26, making a total of 6 episodes. Additionally, Jackie said they may be including me in four more episodes shooting the week of April 16. That would be cool. Of course, we're supposed to be flying back from Memphis on April 16 after a wedding weekend, but I'd change the tickets in a heartbeat to come back a day earlier. I received my first two scripts today. Very cool. I have a lot of respect for what these lead soap actors do every day.

Audition: Yahoo @ Ross Lacy

Yep, another one. Note the post before the Passions audition titled, "The Calm Before...?". This is how it goes - no auditions, then everything all at once. Weird. Anyway, this one was good. I'm not sure I nailed it, but it was just a few quick lines. They'll bring people back based on the look. I didn't see a shoot date or callback date.

Since I'm going in on these other jobs that potentially shoot during my stint on Passions, I called the casting director to see if I could get confirmation on those four additional episodes. She said she still doesn't have the schedule lined up yet, but that I will be working March 26-29 on those four. As soon as she gets the schedules, I get the official "you're hired." I went ahead and booked out with my commercial agents based on our conversation. There's a chance I can make an audition that pops up on those days, but it's not a guarantee since I don't know how the days will play out.

Audition: Home Depot @ Craig Colvin

It has been a while since I had a commercial audition. I got the call today at 12:00pm for a 1:30pm appointment. I was almost to the gym, so I just hung a U-turn and headed back home to change and grab a bite beforehand. The audition was a quick one-liner. Of course, the callbacks are scheduled for my first shooting day on Passions and the spot will shoot during the next week when I'm scheduled for the 4 additional episodes. Always the way...

Improv Grad Show

My Level 1 class had the "graduation performance" yesterday. It actually went very well indeed. Our last couple of class sessions were much more productive, with people making big strides in their comfort level on stage. The instructor broke out a great exercise for the last class on Saturday. We did a straight scene about a guy who discovers his roommate slept with his girlfriend. Then, we played the same scene again, basically repeating all the lines we could remember, but this time the girlfriend scenario was replaced with "you ate my frozen pizzas". It was a great lesson in substitution and playing the truth of what you know with high stakes. The instructor also did some side-coaching in other scenes that helped a lot. For the show, we divided into two groups. Each group did 3 monologues and about 20 minutes of scenework. Overall, I was very impressed with the results. I had a lot of fun and I think everyone else seemed to enjoy getting out there and doing it.

The Summers of Our Youth

In lieu of an improv rehearsal today with Will, we finally held the first ever (in the personal history of those involved) Wiffle Ball Day day. That's 2 days in 1! We made the plan around 10:30am. I struck out in my drugstore search for the official ball and bat. Oh they had the cheap knock-offs, and I'll buy some generic stuff on occasion. However, allow me to save you heartache and disappointment. Remember this - there is NO substitute for the Official Wiffle. For those of you not in the know, the "Official Wiffle" bat is a yellow, skinny plastic tube, and the ball is ... this one:

After my family moved to Atlanta from Dyersburg, TN, I spent several summers back in TN with my grandparents. Virtually every day, my neighborhood friends and I would play Wiffle Ball for hours and hours. We wore out the grass in my buddy's front and back yard until his dad would force us to move our stadium down the street to the church yard. I wrecked my bike and broke my wrist on the way to one such meeting. We kept stats, mainly home runs, through the "season" that consisted of regular 1-on-1 or all-time pitcher games with ghost runners and the classic home run derby.

And so, armed with fond memories, I picked Will up and we headed to the nearest Toys 'R Us. After some searching, we found the required tools. From there, we drove around the corner to Griffith Park, where we settled on a large, flat, grassy area. The field was perfect. There were ideally placed trees to serve as both foul lines and the home run distance. We centered home plate just in front of a 50 gallon drum. We reassigned it from trash duty to umpire. Hit the drum, it's a strike. We collaborated on the rules and spent the next two hours chasing Wiffle balls and swinging the ol' bat. Final score: Chris - 29, Will-28 in a barn burner. My closer pitched a shutout inning to seal the victory. This has tradition written all over it.

Booked: Passions

Exciting news...Last night while I was working the casting session, I received a message from Jackie Briskey. "I have a role for you that's much larger than the one you read for." I returned her call this morning. The bailiff had about six lines. The role I'm now taking, a guard, recurs over at least 2 and up to 6 episodes. So far, I've been hired for the first two shooting March 22 and 23. Jackie can't officially hire me for the remaining 4 until next week. Those will shoot the week of March 26. It's an AFTRA union job, so I'll have to pay up my dues and officially join.

Audition: Passions @ Jackie Briskey

I received a call from this casting office on Monday for the audition on Wednesday. After I got the call time and had a chance to reflect, I could not figure out how my headshot landed on their desk. I haven't really submitted to any soaps, but I'm certainly not complaining about the opportunity.
The role was a courtroom guard, a bailiff basically. If you've ever seen an episode of this show, you'll understand why I was playing the humor. The audition was on the CBS Radford lot, which is a nice small studio 5 minutes from our apartment. I got there a bit early to sign in and asked the casting assistant if she had any idea how they found me. She said Jackie keeps great files. Fair enough. After a few minutes of waiting, the girl who was in the room auditioning came out. It was Sarah Loew who was also in the In Demand Showcase I did a few months ago. That's when it clicked for me. Jackie or someone from Jackie's office must've seen the showcase. Sure enough, when I entered the room, she mentioned picking up my headshot in September and I saw it was my half-hour shot, which was the one I used in the packages. The read went great and I was on my way.

Afterward, Sarah and I went up to visit our commercial agents at KSA who are right around the corner. The girls all got into some bonding over their pole dancing exercise class. I guess it's Jazzercise for the 2000's. From there, I went to run a casting session for a friend in Hollywood. They were seeing a bunch of kids for a graduate student thesis project. There were some very talented, funny and interesting young actors. I was impressed!

The Calm Before...???

Here's what I've been up to for the last week or two. Will, from my previous post, and I have held two rehearsal sessions for whatever it is that we're doing. We were right about the instincts. We do connect and play well together. Our first rehearsal was a little rough around the edges. I felt a little out of practice in the two-person form, and found that I wasn't listening properly or engaging my environment...and I was having a hard time not bursting into peals of laughter at Will. Funny man. Anyway, rehearsal two was a dramatic leap forward. Whereas in the first rehearsal we kept the same two main characters and spun flashback or "elsewhere" scenes off them before returning to them again, the second was more free. We allowed for different characters in totally different scenes. By the end, they all connected somehow as the best shows tend to do. The listening was ratcheted way up and we didn't miss or drop information. Whatever the show ends up being, it'll be good. I'm excited about the way we communicate and our ease with recognizing transitions, offers and games. In that way, it's a similar feeling to what Jim and I caught onto in the early rehearsals for JaCKPie. I haven't attempted a two-person show with anyone else, and it's fun to experience differences in the way we complement each other. Jim and Will have different styles and personalities, but we look to be heading toward a similar result - high quality, truthful, fun shows.

The audition world has been slow since the two near misses. I've been in a couple of casting director workshops and received fantastic feedback in both. I've been dropping off submissions for various tv or film opportunities as they pop up, and I'm very specific in what I submit for, which is sensible and efficient. Corrin and I have been volunteering at an elementary school, working individually with kids to help them write a 5-6 page "screenplay". The culmination of the 6-week process is a show Monday night when the kids get to see actors perform staged readings of their scripts. My writer has been a lot of fun. She's had a knack for finding the story, creating interesting characters and she came up with a smart ending. It has been a cool challenge helping her clarify and organize those ideas.

Improvisation of late

I feel like one of the reasons my commercial auditions have been rocking recently is my return to improvisation on a more consistent basis. The people in the class I'm taking aren't exactly on board with the teacher, because, in my opinion, he didn't foster a supportive, encouraging environment. Instead, he openly mocks people's mistakes, which poses a massive obstacle to the class' willingness to put themselves out there. It's a Level 1 class with people in there who have never performed before. If I were new to improv, I'd probably never do it again after this. However, despite the issues I have with that, I am at least getting in a weekly workout. Last night, my wife and I went with our friend Will (of the group Johnny Lunchpail in NYC) to see Bob Dassie, Craig Cackowski and Rich Talarico in Dasariski at IO West. They were fantastic. Their patience, truthfulness, listening and superhuman use of information was a pleasure to see. Nothing was wasted. No information slipped by. It was a clinic in long-form improv. Will and I have decided to start workshopping something. We don't know what it'll be yet, but it's got us. We'll definitely be improvising...maybe writing as well.

To no avail

Since the TLC shoot dates start tomorrow, I emailed my agent today to see if decisions had been made. She emailed back, after calling the casting director, to let me know that the job was booked by people other than me. Ah well. As I said, these are still positive signs, they just aren't legal tender for all debts public and private.

Avail: The Learning Channel

Another avail notice came in this afternoon. It's great and all, but I'll be happier to actually book the job this time.

I did a little follow-up with SAG regarding the awkward wardrobe/avail thing. I was told that if you are on avail and wardrobe calls you with a date and time for your fitting, you've been engaged for that project and they must pay you your day rate. The loophole in my case, I suppose, is that the lady told me to come in the next day, but danced around giving me a time. The contact at SAG said it was definitely strange, but must've been an error. I wonder if this wardrobe person knows how close she came to putting the production on the hook for a day rate being paid to someone not actually booked. If she's ignorant of the situation and repercussions it's probably not as bad as if she knew and was calculating the whole thing. Next time this happens, I'll just tell them to contact my agent with what I need to know. It makes me rethink putting my cell number on the size card at the audition.

Callback: TLC @ SpotCasting

4 callbacks from 6 auditions. Something has gotta give. I felt great about this one, so we'll see if the old "you never can tell" rears its head. My appointment was at 10:45am, and by 11am, only one set of the three people in the scene was there. I was hoping to not have to go first this time, but I waited until 5 minutes before my call time to sign in and I was still the only guy. My scene partners were good. The director completely reconceived the spot and changed things around. He was good at explaining and clear about what he wanted, which is a huge help. After the first group, they asked me to hang around and go again with the next one. That one went even better than the first. One of my partners mentioned that I had a "Jim Carrey" quality. I'm still a little surprised by that even though I've heard it A LOT.

Lesson Learned: It's never booked until it's booked

Last night around 7pm, I got a phone call from an area code I didn't recognize. I answered and was immediately greeted by someone working wardrobe for the Cellular One spot who launched into telling me what she needed me to bring to my fitting Tuesday. Keep reading. So, I just grabbed a post-it and jotted it all down. When she was finished, I asked what time I was supposed to meet them. "Production will call you with that." No problem. Naturally, I was pumped up. This was a SAG job, meaning I'd finally be paying up my initiation fees and all that. The shoot was supposed to happen Wednesday or Thursday, which also meant I'd be scrambling to get down to SAG before the shoot. I left a voicemail with my agents at KSA last night saying I'd been contacted by wardrobe and had apparently booked the Cellular One job. I figured I'd talk to them to get the details of times and such before rearranging my schedule with my employer. My head hit the pillow with that Christmas Eve excitement.

Alicia, from KSA, called back this morning with the surprising and incredibly disappointing news that I had not, in fact, booked the job. She says this happens way too often. Wardrobe gets a list of all the people in the final running and they try to get ahead by calling everyone on the list. So, when wardrobe calls you first...50% of the time it's legit and 50% of the time it's BS. Wow. Shot down in a blaze of safety pins. Well, now I know - if it's coming from anyone but my agent or the casting director themselves, it's not booked.

Audition: TLC @ SpotCasting - AVAIL: Cellular One

I felt great about this one. It was a quick hit comedic promo for TLC. After the audition, I did a drop off for a Numb3rs episode downtown and mailed another submission.

This has been a busy week culminating in the call I got today from KSA telling me I'm on avail for the Cellular One spot. I felt like something was going to happen this week with all the callbacks. Again though, avail notices are tough and ambiguous. You don't know if it means you're just in the mix or if they're leaning toward someone else but keeping you in reserve. It's odd. Part of me would rather not know anything about it until I'm booked, but the practical side of me is happy to know that I'm on avail for statistical purposes at least.

Callback: Cellular One @ Kathy Knowles

The callbacks are rolling in, which is great. It's nice to have some momentum going. I feel like something good is on the way...perhaps several somethings. On the slight downside, I've had to make last minute schedule changes at the old day job 3 days this week. I know that's tough on my supervisor. I'm not sure how the callback actually went. It was very different from the first audition and the director didn't seem quite sure what he wanted to do in the improvised scene...of course, I was the first in my category to go in. Sometimes it pays to be the experiment and sometimes they don't even figure out what they're looking for until you're gone.

Audition: Dept. of Defense PSA @ Liz Paulson Casting

Another new office to me. The audition was tough. It required some serious emotion and was more along the lines of a theatrical audition. I found it a bit challenging to get in the proper frame of mind while sitting in the chaos of the waiting area. So, it was good to do it.

Callback: McDonalds @ Craig Colvin Casting

This was good. In the room, I got the feeling they're looking for something else. I did my thing and it's up to them.

Audition: Cellular One @ Kathy Knowles Casting

My first time into this office. The breakdown said I was to be part of a couple, dressed like we're going to see a rock band and will have to make out with each other. I went with the ripped jeans and rock t-shirt as did basically everyone else who showed up. However, the sides were about a stand-up comedy show, having nothing to do with a rock band or making out. Very strange. Despite this, the audition went fine I think. The girl I was paired up with and I had the same last name.
***My ultra cool wife would like it to be known that the rock t-shirt in question was HERS. Specifically, it's a Red Hot Chili Peppers/Lollapalooza shirt.

Funny: Chris Crosses Paths with the Karate Kid's arch nemesis

Saturday night, we were at a party hosted by one of the studios where my wife teaches Pilates. There was a guy there who I was never really introduced to, but reminded me of someone. By the end of the night, I had decided he bore an uncanny resemblance to William Zabka - mid '80's bully of such films as Karate Kid and Back to School. As we were preparing to leave, I finally walked over and said, "Does anyone ever tell you you look like 'Johnny' from Karate Kid...you know...'Finish him, Johnny!'." He says, "I am him." Why don't I keep these thoughts to myself in this town? I was so embarrassed. He was very nice about it and we had a great conversation. In fact, he recently wrote and directed a music video send-up of his role in Karate Kid. So enjoy the video of the song, "Sweep the Leg" from No More Kings.

I also started taking an improv class at Upright Citizens Brigade Saturday. I was feeling the call back to improv and launched into this one from the ground level. I'm going into it like I don't know anything..learning their method, their approach, their emphases. We'll see how it goes.

Audition: McDonald's @ Craig Colvin Casting

For those keeping track, Craig is the casting director who basically gave me my commercial break by bringing me in for the AAMCO spot and referring me to agents. I just sent some postcards last week about the JaCKPie show that I did over the holidays and basically to say Happy New Year. He was on the list. We talked a bit about football as we usually do. The audition itself went great I think...just reaction shots. On my way out, Craig said, "So, I'll see you again very soon."

Callback: Lowes @ Joe Blake Casting

Fairly quick turnaround on the callbacks. Seems like it usually takes a few days to a week to get the word. I do have to amend my previous post though. Upon reviewing my files, this makes me 3 for 4 at Joe Blake. There were a ton of people there since the callbacks were going on for about 4 different spots. They were running a bit behind, but had to get someone in who had another appointment. Luckily, I was grouped with him so we got in with our session in the middle of a different one. Once again, I think it went great. We ran it twice and they only gave one adjustment. Ah...the old wait and see game begins.

Audition: Lowes @ Joe Blake Casting

Got the email for this one while I was at Disneyland Friday. We had a blast there. It's much smaller than Disneyworld, but still a good escape. Our favorite rides were Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and the teacups. They have a spectacular show around 9pm on Tom Sawyer Island called "Phantasmic", which imagines Mickey Mouse's pleasant dream turning into a nightmare with appearances by the various villains, etc. That was a highlight of the trip as well.

I'm 2 for 2 in callbacks at Joe Blake's office. This one was playing a younger associate who's being quizzed by a co-worker. I was in the first group to go, but I still felt pretty good about it. So, we'll see.

Audition: Roundtable Pizza @ Jeff Gerrard Casting

My first audition of 2007 went well I think. There were three of us in the scene, and I was playing an executive at a rival pizza company. It was my first time in for Jeff. He was good at making suggestions and giving direction and my scene partners were all fun to work with.