the new place...


I was talking to Zak a little while ago about twitter and he quipped, “This is pretty much the end of personal websites, huh?” and I pretty much agreed with him. I mean, I still find having a personal website very useful, especially for my acting work, but as far as sharing what’s going and voicing opinions and all that, twitter’s proven to be a really great tool.

That being said, I still should be doing a better job of keeping this page updated! As usual, life has been on overdrive, the most obvious result of this hyperactivity being that Whitney and I have finally moved to a new place. Honestly, I think a lot of people were getting tired of hearing us talk about hoping to move--we have been complaining about the hunt for probably eight or so months! But we loved our old place and had no reason to make any real major compromises when it came to what we wanted out of a new home...and then this place comes along, not a block and a half away, and, well, we basically had to take it. We’re still renting, which, honestly, is fine for me right now, owning sounds like a pain in the ass and I doubt we can afford anything resembling the place we are renting now.


The living room...slowly getting into shape

So, things are good. Work is super challenging right now, as I immerse myself into a totally new paradigm for our products (it’s a pain but it’s a good thing), and my Norton Table character made an appearance at our global sales and marketing conference in Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun, I got up on stage and basically introduced the senior staff in the consumer business, making jokes about each of them as I went down the list. What was crazy is how little I could actually prepare for the piece! I had a few notes about each person, but really, as I was standing backstage, I really didn’t have that much to go on, I was really relying on thoughts coming to me once I got in front of people. It was crazy--like, it goes against everything I’ve learned regarding rehearsal and preparation, but I have been doing these interview shows so often that I realize that once I hop into character, thoughts, reactions and jokes actually come to mind much more quickly than if I try to anticipate and plan everything out. I am a bit nervous--I certainly can’t depend on things coming to mind, but it was nice that everything clicked that one time.

The acting front has been irritatingly slow. I had a great pilot audition a few months ago, but nothing came from it, which doesn’t really matter because I don’t think the show is going to be picked up anyway. I have jumped back into acting class with Brian Reise, which has been great, and have been attending quite a few workshops with casting directors at ITA. Basically, I am trying to shake things up a bit, because whatever I have been doing for the past year or so just has not been working.

I’ve gleaned a few things from some of the workshops that I wanted to get down on “paper”. If you are an actor, you might find these tips useful. If not, you may find them interesting and useful in terms of keeping things in focus when interacting with folks.

• When auditioning, focus on the person you are interacting with. Like, really, it sounds so obvious, but it can be really hard to focus when you are in a room with a lot of people watching you, not to mention dealing with the camera, the monitor, etc. If you are being filmed, what is important is not entertaining the folks in the room, but making sure that you nail the performance as seen by the camera. The best way to do this, it seems, is to focus, intensely, on the person you are reading with, really listening, really engaging with them--this focus will be picked up by the camera and be seen by the producers. This was a big change for me--I usually entertain the room, you know? By grounding myself with the other person, it helps keep the scene moving from an honest place.
• If your character is asking a question, realize that this question is often the key to the character and, probably, the scene. Figure out why the character is asking it, understand the implications of the answer to that question--whether or not you get an actual answer. When the character is asking a question, the character is admitting a need--the character wants that answer, he has an intention to get that information. Like it or not, that old saw about needing an intention for your scene still holds up and, if committed to, will give the scene a strong foundation. I was trained to ask, “What do I want?” at the beginning of every scene (some teachers suggest asking that for every line) and I think I stopped doing that at some point. The scene is there for a reason--TV and film are so expensive that it would be cut unless it was absolutely necessary--that reason is the key to expressing that character as best as you can.
• When you are auditioning for a part, for those 3-4 minutes, that part is yours. No one else has it--you have booked it for that period of time Don’t think of the audition as a try out--it’s the job, it’s the actual opportunity to do the piece. I had some teachers insist we drop the word “audition” and replace it with the word “job.” This can be a useful tactic, not only because it helps you focus on the piece more, but it takes out the “this is just my best try at the part” factor. The audition, the interview, is you--it’s you doing the part, it’s you on the set, it’s you during lunch, it’s you working with the director, it’s you being hired.

I will add more items to this list as I go, but those are the first ideas that come to mind. I go on so many commercial auditions that I think I have started to be much less stressed about them, which is technically a good thing, but I think that it might have lessened the stakes a bit. I don’t know--I really don’t...commercials are just so quick, so specific; you don’t even get the script until you show up and then your audition is not so much a scene but a quick situation. It’s tough.

From the Hotel Laguna, in Laguna Beach

Much coming in the next few weeks. I will be up in San Francisco for the Apple Developer Conference, I’ve got a wedding coming up, Ravi’s planning a big birthday, and, of course SDCC is coming up in July. My weekly article at iFanboy is back on Wednesdays, and I am working on at least two murmur articles as well. I’ve also submitted three treatments to a producer...we’ll just have to keep pressing on.


PS - My friend Matt Ferrucci has just started his new webseries, Real Men Real Issues, and he’s doing a great job adding new content to the show on a regular basis, unlike this website. Check it out and see what you think.

Tags: life, acting, auditions

That’s me as a Zebra.

Happy New Year!

It's been awhile since I have been able to share some new publicly available work (most of my stuff has been internal for my company), so I'm stoked to share this Disney spot with you. This was my first real voiceover job and I am just thrilled that the response, both from my friends and Disneyland/World fans, has been so positive.

2010 has been fairly busy, with a lot of writing and inklings of projects that I hope I can write more about in a few months. We'll see.

Okay, I am just going to post this now--have a great week!

Culver City Rainbow...

As I have mentioned quite a few times, this year has been pretty terrible as far as actual acting works goes. I am pleased to report things have really picked up (though I am waiting to hear back on a gig that I really thought I nailed last night--if I don’t hear soon, I didn’t get it, which kind of sucks). Like I mentioned last post, I did end up getting a very cool voiceover gig and today I had quite an amazing experience recording with some very, very amazing voiceover actors. I worked with a director who does tons of cartoons--like so many--and she was really warm and encouraging and supportive and awesome to me. I worked quite a few people in the room (I think 5 other actors, including 2 Emmy winners) and we had a blast recording this spot which will air in January--yes, I will post it here as soon as I possibly can!

Vaud and the Villains at Cirque Berzerk last Friday

Topsy turvy week. I was all set to accomplish certain things--like I had a plan--and I just spent most of the week reacting to stuff and trying to balance out plates of jumping kittens...at least, that’s what it felt like.

But things are good. I was disappointed that I didn’t book a commercial that I knew I nailed - when you get high fives from the casting folks and great feedback from the director, you kind of get your hopes up -- but nothing came out of it...well, other than a happy casting director and encouraged director, which are very good things. But it would be fun to actually book the job as opposed to feeling good about callbacks. Still, makes sense, the commercial had tons of little vignettes, many of them involving kids, so it was getting more and more expensive. Whatever.

I was heartened by an audition I had for the comedy Better Off Ted, which I checked out a bit on the web and appears to be a pretty good show. I had my audition for them yesterday at 11:30 and got a call less than two hours later that they wanted me to come back in. This is very good, because while commercially I am pretty used to getting called back, this hasn’t really been the case for television and film auditions. There was a bit of stress that the callback might happen on Monday, when I will be up in Cupertino doing some interviews with Symantec executives, but thankfully, it’s gonna happen on Wednesday. Regardless of what happens, what is important that the casting director knows me and likes what I am doing, so the odds of the office bringing me in are that much higher. Quite a relief.

I am doing a workshop with a casting office that does lots of movies, which should go quite well. I am just trying to shake things up a bit, getting myself out to different people, because what I have been doing so far has not been working...of course, nothing has been working for anyone this year, but still, it’s good to shake things up a bit.

I am on a bit of a health kick. What they say about the camera adding 10 pounds is kind of true--one does look a bit...wider? on camera. So, I am watching what I am eating and am finally back on my regular workout schedule, which got shot to pieces during my European trip (I balanced it out with a lot of walking, but that only goes so far).

What else? Not much, sad to say. I am working on a review of Battlestar Galatica: The Complete Series for murmur.com but I have no idea when that will be done. This weekend is taken up mostly with class, then traveling to Cupertino for a day of filming on Monday.

See ya next week!

Whew...what a difference 18 months or so makes. I am sitting in the juror’s waiting room in downtown LA, getting ready for what should be a very long day. Last time I did jury duty, I was in the Criminal Court building, right in the middle of downtown, which was pretty cool; there were plenty of places to walk to for food, and it was just kind of fun to be downtown. Today, however, I am on the edge of downtown and it’s a wasteland. This building is a fortress--really narrow windows and just awful feeling. Everything that was wrong with government buildings built in the late 50s and 60s. Well, at least they have wireless, which they did not have last time I was here.

I have been incredibly busy. I am filming a bunch of interviews for work and basically creating an internal video podcast for my business group (jeez, that sounded corporate). Of course, I am trying to do too much with it--the main feature story is a 70s style talk show, complete with me doing some strange European accent as I discuss things with our senior vice president, kitschy music, “man on the street” question and answer segments, etc. I am enjoying the filming and directing, but the actual production, the editing, is a challenge. It’s just amazing all the things you have to keep straight. I can see why people are always doing pickups and reshoots; I have an answer to a question that’s really good, but at the end of his sentence, he looks down and laughs...I just am not sure I can use the footage, so now I have to reshoot it. It’s really frustrating, but it is creatively frustrating, so I am learning and these experiences should make future videos a lot better. While I thought I had everything pretty well scripted out, when you are in the heat of production, it’s easy to forget things. I guess that’s why you have script supervisors, right? They keep the production team focused on the task at hand.

It’s all a bit intimidating--I have basically been asked to suddenly produce a web channel and while I have lots of opinions and ideas on how to make a successful show, making it is a challenge. But so far, it’s mostly been technical issues, and technical issues can be overcome and solved. I think by the time I get my third or fourth show out, I will have figured out my groove.

Had kind of a cool weekend. The writing staff at ifanboy.com did the the Pick of the Week podcast---it was the first time that none of the original hosts/creators did the show---and it was a blast. Of course, we had some technical issues so we ended up having to tape the show twice, one way too early in the morning and then, later, we found out that there were some problems, so we had to all meet up on Skype at 9:30 that night and redo it. It was a better show, of course.

The good thing about jury duty is it forces you to completely disconnect from your normal routine. Like, I can’t to work, to auditions, the gym, the comic book store...I can’t really do anything but deal with this moment today. And write. And read.

I have the opportunity to send my scripts to one of the hottest writer/producers in Hollywood. He’s a really, really nice guy, totally down to earth, and I really respect (and enjoy) his work. So, now-- I have a connection. I just need to finish this damn script and pitch it.

time to get to work...again!

Tags: acting, directing, working

Okay, it's Tuesday and I have a cold sore the size of a grape on my lip, a (group) lunch with a senior vice president of my company and a ton of work to do, but I need to finish this up...

Went snowboarding this past weekend and had a blast. I have been trying to go all winter but so far, each time I have gone locally, it was a total bust (literally, if you bring my busted thumb into the mix), so I had high hopes for this trip to Mammoth. I mean, after my last visit, I basically was ready to give up, because I just wasn't getting it and the whole idea of spending a bunch of money to go up and down a hill, over and over, again, falling throughout, just wasn't making any sense. Thankfully, everything was much more fun and interesting, and I remembered why I was drawn to it in the first place: it was new, it was physical, and it really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Like, when you have to go down the side of a mountain that literally gives you vertigo looking at it as you go up the lift, you are forced to dig deep and just go for it the best way you know how, right?

I was twittering a bit while I was up there, but basically I figured out how to turn consistently and I didn't break anything. It was a lot of fun, and I was relieved that I was actually learning how to build on what I was learning, run after run. I also came face to face with the limitations of my physical body. Like, I am in shape, but after four hours, I was beginning to make mistakes. Mentally, I was ready but my body was lagging a bit by the time 3pm rolled around. I was carving too hard on my left hand turns, I was hesitating when I should have been committing and just getting sloppy. Of course, when it's that time of day, everyone's kind of flubbing here and there so I didn't feel too badly, but it was still interesting to experience. It's not like I my typing gets worse toward the end of the day, you know?

So, I will post a few pictures of the scenery, but all in all, I'm relieved.

Okay, that was snowboarding. Now we move to acting.

I had dinner and spent the evening with two Broadway actors on Sunday night (along with some other friends). I was talking to a woman who was 75 and had made a living as a stage actor the entire time--she never had to wait tables. She had just come off of playing the Nurse in Medea in Canada, and we had a great conversation about breath and its relationship to intent; she opens up with a wish to the gods and she had initially thought she needed to get the line out in one breath, but then realized it worked when she broke it up with intakes of air. I suggested that this made sense, because often when you are in that "wish making" mode, you pile on wish after wish, and the breath supports that moment, gives encouragement to those wishes--you see kids do this all the time. We had a great chat about this and she remarked that I should be teaching or directing, which, I must say, coming from her, was one of the nicest compliments I've received in years.

Again, it's those moments of validation that I guess I need just to make sure I am not deluding myself, you know? If I can have an evening talking about acting with two fantastic, well known and celebrated actors, where it's a real give and take, then I have contributions that I can make. Now, now...well, I am not sure. I am doing what I can. Tricia remarked that when she got into acting when she was in Australia, it wasn't something that everyone wanted to do, compared to today. Like, it wasn't a career that normal people wanted to pursue, so it was easier for her. So, she got in early..and stayed. But you know what? Even with her experience? She still has to audition. Never stops.

This is a tough time for actors, moreso, I think than any time before. We all know that there are fewer shows being made and fewer movies being released this year, but what you may not know is that many, if not most, of the "good" roles are being offered to movie stars first. If you watch TV at all, you've seen this happening. I've talked about this before, so I will leave it there, but it's a strange time now, to be sure. I'm sticking with it, of course, but I gotta say, it would be nice to get some auditions. All in good time. In the meantime, I can relish evenings like Sunday, where I can listen to stories and experiences and enjoy moments of inspiration that made me want to be an actor in the first place. Inspiration is all around us, we can just get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to look and listen.

Tokyo Taxi

I had a funny audition experience yesterday that I thought I would write down. I got this in my email box the night before (this is how I learn about auditions, I get an email the night before):

The following contains meeting information for: <<Spot Name>>


-----
Client:           Mike Romo
Date:             Thursday, February 19, 2009
Time:             3:00 PM
Status:           E-Mail Client
Role:             Basketball Players
                 Comedy. Comedy. Comedy. Should not look athletically
inclined. These are buddies hanging out on the weekend. Rate: 3 x scale

Wardrobe:         Lame workout clothes: if possible sweat shorts, t-shirts,
socks pulled up to their shins, sweatbands on wrists and head.

...
-----
Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Basically look like the guy from Juno and nail the audition, right? So, I got my wardrobe together (I had to pilfer Whit’s sock drawer to get her knee highs that she uses for rollerskating), went to work, ran out of work at lunch, go to the audition, changed in my car, and ran up to the audition hall.

It was hilarious. Waiting to go in were a bunch of guys in workout clothes. About half of the guys looked a little like me (and assorted variants)--white nerdy looking guys who just looked like pathetic nerds. The other half were 7’ tall actual basketball players, who were looking totally buff and super sporty, and who were basically real life jocks. So, all of a sudden, we were back in grammar school--all the nerds were kind of hanging out with each other--even though we were not really nerds, at least not all of us, we were just guys dressed up as nerds, but it didn’t matter, the social construct just kicked right in. It was hilarious. I mean, I honestly haven’t felt that kind of vibe since high school. Oh, there was no bullying or anything like that, everyone was very nice to each other, but we were all cracking up, like obviously some guys got one breakdown, but there was apparently an “in shape, good looking, athletic build” breakdown that a bunch of us certainly did not get.

I went in with four guys who were all about my height plus one African American guy who was at least 7’ tall, totally amazingly good looking, played pro basketball for three years, like, total amazing athlete guy. Huge arms, the whole thing. Really nice, super nice and just laughing at how mismatched we all were. When we did our photos, it was him first (Sheldon), and then the camera person had to bring the camera down a full foot to focus on me, with my polka dot headband and “Oscar the Grouch” t-shirt and she literally just laughed outloud. It was classic.

The audition was fun, though--I mean, who knows what’s going to happen with it, given the two totally different categories they called in--and that, in the end, is what matters, really. That’s all you can do, really, is just enjoy the process, because wanting a job from it is just going to set you up for disappointment in the first place. I had four auditions (one straight to callback) last week, and I didn’t get a single callback--for parts that I was perfect for, on auditions that were no different than the ones I have booked from--and I must admit, it was a little disruptive, emotionally. Like, I had no idea why I didn’t get called back, and even though I keep telling myself not to think about it...I still think about it, of course I do, you know? That Thursday after yoga class, when I didn’t have any messages in my voicemail...ugh, that stung. Mildly freaked me out all Friday.

This Wednesday we had class, it was on camera “bad guy/bad girl” night, and I played what was basically the action cop breaking up a hostage situation, 24 style. I did as best as I could, and technically, I succeeded in establishing the right angle (I had to look towards my left but be looking straight ahead and to the right, so it all looked very dynamic), but when I came on, every one just laughed. Now, it makes sense--it’s a ridiculous situation and I don’t usually play this stuff, and, from certain angles, I tend to remind people of Paul Giamatti, since my eyes were kind of bugging out a bit and I had this kind of grimace going--but it was, I admit, just a little frustrating...you want to be able to do this stuff, you want to have a look that can be used for any kind of job, and it’s possible, you just have to keep yourself up. For instance, right now I need a haircut and I need to drink less coffee and get more sleep so I can fend of the dark circles under my eyes. Like, I can see that being a problem, especially with bad lighting, so I just have to do it.

It’s an interesting time now. There is not a lot of work for anyone, and the work that is out there is often going to much more established names (I saw an ad with from Alan Tudyk from Firefly and from Dulé Hill from The West Wing and almost did a spit-take--why do those guys need to be doing DirecTV commericals?!) and it can be irritating, but so what? A lot less irritating than losing your job and having two kids to feed.

Onward!

Tags: acting, auditions, commercials

Last week, I ended up visiting both of my agencies. My commercial agency was actually bought by another one (I am now represented by Talentworks Los Angeles for commercials; ACME is, as of last Friday, done--check out the press release if you are interested), so I got to go to the new office and sign a bunch of paperwork. (On a sidenote - I am with the same agency as William Shatner! How rad is that?) Suffice to say--I am really excited about 2009.

I’ve talked about it before, but the relationship one has with their agents and manager is just so...specific, you know? I have a small phalanx of great people that are working, hard, to get me auditions. Just getting an agent...I mean, that took awhile, and then it took even longer to find an agent that was able to get me work in the first place. I am incredibly fortunate, really, to have Imperium-7 and Talentworks working with me, it is incredibly humbling.

Anyway, I had a really good meeting with Emily, Brian and Mandy at Talentworks. They have been very supportive and encouraging and have always made me very welcome whenever I come by and say hello. And I was grateful to them for being so great on Friday, to be honest. It’s been a tough year, as you know. I’ve done a lot of work, but most of it was non paying. Great experiences*, sure, but, like, I’m not helping anyone pay their bills, you know? So, when you meet with your agents, there’s this feeling, this overwhelming feeling, of “thank you for being so patient--it will get better, it will!” The fact they kept me on during the move brings me to the title of this entry--it’s validation, it’s trust that this team believes in me and that belief, that support is, really, one of reasons why I keep at this. It’s the main reason, of course, but it’s a big kick in the ass to keep me positive.

All people, but artists and performers in particular, despite their loud protestations, need validation. However, to admit it somehow means that you are weak, that you are doing your art to please other people. And, to some extent, that argument is correct. I act to entertain people (friends and family especially), to make them feel something. If I suck at it, people will not be interested. If they are into it, then there is a degree of validation to my endeavor. To an extent, that validation keeps me going, it makes me work hard to be “better” -- to make more honest choices, to rely less on theatrical tricks, to work in projects that people will want to watch. Validation does not mean “you’ve done it, you’re good” -- it means, “hey, you are on the right path, keep going.”

So whenever I get a nice email from my agent or manager, even a short one, it puts a skip in my step. I know how that sounds--it could very well sound needy and lacking of self confidence. It’s not, trust me. If I was lacking in self-confidence I would be living somewhere else.

Validation has changed, for me, through the years. When I first started out, like, in high school, validation came in the form of laughter and applause. Makes sense; those were first cues that I was getting something right. Then, later, in college, it was more about getting validation from other actors and directors (something that has definitely not gone away (nor will it ever)). When I was doing summer theater way back when, I loved that I could do a show for a bunch of people who didn’t know me--I could just do the show and disappear into the night. There, the validation came from making each show sharper and fuller. In New York, it was all a mix. Now, the validation comes from the feedback and training I am getting in class and, of course, from the others I have discussed above.

Of course, there is overt validation--how many people come to see the show, what reviewers say, etc. Ironically, in my day job, I have the same challenge--the products we release are offered up, for validation, I suppose, to the Mac community and Mac press. I have several press interviews next week to talk about what we are doing and whenever we get a new product out, we are constantly wondering what the product reviews are going to say--the higher the rating, the higher the validation, resulting in credibility in the Mac community and, business wise, increased sales.

We all wrestle with validation and our relationship with it. Every job requires someone to validate how well we are doing. The struggle with growing older is figuring out to compromise the feelings of “I don’t need the validation of someone who doesn’t get it, man” and “Wow, if I do a good job, there will more opportunities”. To accept the value of external validation without compromising your independence and idealism, to enjoy that wrestling match...is that where the wrinkles come from?

--------
* These are already posted on the web at Enormous Productions, so I feel like it’s okay to talk about them now Remember those spots I did for work? Well, here they are. Hope you like them.

Tags: validation,acting,work

Well, what to say, really? The once a week article in iFanboy has made keeping this thing updated more difficult than ever. However, the wait was worth it, methinks, because so much has been happening.

Man, what a weird month. I have actually been acting more than ever, it’s just in a variety of ways that were both unforeseen and unpaid. I was asked to help produce a few promotional spots for work--I will have them posted soon, when they are “ready”--and it has been a really fantastic experience. As I mentioned before, I wrote/co-wrote a few of the spots and everyone who has seen the initial edits have been very, very enthusiastic about them.

The shows what the camera is shooting. I love the lighting. We got the bottom light by using a frame of lights that the camera shot through, below:

It was really wild to have a crew (a small crew, sure, but still, a professional crew) work together to create the scene that I wrote for the camera. It was just an amazing, feeling really. I am looking forward to seeing what you all think of the spots! That’s Todd, the director, checking out the shot.


This is us going down to the beach to shoot one of the spots. It was pretty, but the high tide produced waves that totally soaked me--I had to throw out my shoes and my iphone and camera go wet and died. Argh.

Once the actual spots go up I will explain more about them, promise.

Went up to the country this weekend, which was a nice getaway. Whit and I are looking at some property up there, just for fun--I am beginning to come to grips with the idea that we may not be able to afford a place in LA in the near term, but we might be able to get a little place in the country, which would be a great hideaway. We'll see, but I am really liking the idea so far...

Random:

1 - I'd like to give a shout out to Paul and the test of the crew at the Star Trek:Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. Whit and I have visited gone there quite a few times and have always had fun hanging out with everyone there, and we were both super bummed that we just could not make it out to bid everyone farewell when they closed last week. It's totally geeky, to be sure, but everyone involved was incredibly good at their jobs and it was a fun to see them all in action. It's gonna be really strange to go to Vegas and not visit Quark's to hang out. I'm sorry we missed out!

2 - I was going to go on a full on political rant, but I think I'll hang out a bit. I find it hard to express how cynical the Palin choice was, but I find it even harder to understand how seriously people seem to be taking her. Over the next few weeks I hope people take a deep breath and focus on the issues and not the marketing-friendly personality comparisons. For the record: I tend to prefer a more educated, more experienced and politically savvy president. I think the country has already experimented with the so-called "outsider" -- we've had 8 years of it-- and we know the outcome. So much to write, but I will pause.

3 - DJ'd my friends Andrew and Patricia's wedding two weeks ago and it was a lot of fun. The crowd wasn't really a dancing crowd (though I did have people dancing the entire time) but they all seemed to enjoy the tracks. I just realized that I...ugh, I don't know. There are some people who actually understand how to talk to a DJ, and then there are the people who treat the DJ like a jukebox. Look, when you go to a party or a wedding, just realize that the DJ, most of the time, has things pretty dialed in. S/he knows what songs work and when a song doesn't work s/he's figuring things out and will provide a track that will get things back...on track. Now, we don't mind taking a request--it IS a wedding after all--but, really, don't make a request within 2 songs of making the first request. I had one girl come up to me no less than five times and it's like, "Yes, I heard you, I will play what you asked, but you need to recognize it takes time to build up to your little tune"...ugh. I don't know how "real" DJ's do it. I have a few friends who are not married yet whom I would gladly DJ for if asked, but otherwise, I think I am done, to be honest. Who knows. I like doing it, but some gigs are easier then others.


drat. I am so busy I just need to post this.

last weekend at the beach

I've had a few cool things happen this week and I have a few minutes, so here we go.

Work's been really interesting because I have been given a few opportunities to write, act and co-produce a few video spots-- comedy sketches, really-- that have been used for a variety of purposes. The few I did over the summer were used internally to help some sales groups (they were pretty funny but were really specific to the business...still, they were well received in context) and they went over pretty well. Over the past few weeks I have been working on some other spots that are going to be in broader circulation--you'll see them next month--and I have to say, it's been a lot of fun, this whole writing thing.

The thing about writing screenplays is that it's basically all about the dialogue and I really, really like writing dialogue. I just love writing how people talk. I think this mostly comes from reading scripts by David Mamet and, more recently, Wes Anderson (who writes a more formalized, more stylized way of speaking, to be sure, totally, but still, it's great dialogue). While I have the normal struggles with figuring out plot and arranging scenes in a way that keeps the audience engaged, the dialogue comes pretty easy. Half sentences, self-interruptions, stammers...bring it!

Anyway, this week we did some filming of a few of the new scripts I wrote (four, to be exact) and we brought in two other actors, and filmed them as if we were on location on the real shoot day. I gotta say, it was a really cool experience to watch them do the scenes--it was really, really rewarding, in this different way. Not in a "wow, my words are so great" but in this weird, like "hey, you're helping create something" kind of way. It was just really fun and I came home feeling pretty jazzed (and relieved) that the actors were able to do the scene without fighting the lines, you know? Although I still have quite a few pages left on my current screenplay, but this was a good sign--it encouraged me to keep working on it.

I also had a really, really good audition for an upcoming TV show this week. It was a pre-read (that's the one where you go to the casting director and do the audition and then, if s/he likes you and thinks you are good for the part, sends you to the producers to see what they think of you), but, again, if it goes well, the casting director will keep your stuff around for the other projects they are casting. This is the second time this has happened, and I think it's because the scripts I am getting are actual scenes, where I can work on a full arc within the scene, specific beginning, middle and end, you know? I worked on this one with my (amazing) coach and, like last time, the audition went exactly as we had worked on.

And, now, of course, we struggle against the hardest aspect of acting: you can nail it, you can do it as well as you possibly can, both from a technical perspective and an...honesty? perspective (ie, you're making it up, but it's completely grounded in something real within yourself that relates t the character's personality or the situation), and it doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to get anywhere near getting the job. All the other funky applies--how you look, what the other character looks like, your build, your experience, favors people might owe to other actors, etc etc. But still, all you can do--and I think we've said this before--all you can do, whatever you do, is your best. And if you become this person that always delivers their best, eventually the world will sync up with your hopes.

HA!

Just while I was writing this, I got an email back from my manager--apparently the casting director thought I was good and if another role on the same episode opens up, they are going to call me in for that. I wasn't misanthropic enough--one who dislikes other people--which I really did try to do, but...well, there you go. Almost a compliment, in a way? My manager just noted that "a good performance is all that we can hope for"--I'm mean, in my soul, I am not misanthropic. I can act it, yes, and I've played similar characters on stage, but when casting for film and TV, you can't "trust" the actor as easily when you know you can find people who are more naturally a certain way in their beings. This is good, folks, I am really happy.


Regardless, we move forward...

Other stuff. Wedding to DJ at the end of the month, trying to figure out what to do for Whit's birthday, seeing Pineapple Express tonight with Gary, gong to a BBQ tomorrow, going to a birthday party tomorrow night, totally screwed up my hip after running 3.5 miles the other day (to see if I could and I could but wow, the next day I was all kinds of sore)...

have a good weekend!

Posing with the iFanboy "Who Needs a" Booth Babes

Wow! Long time no talk. I actually had a bit of a panic--I lost the website on my local drive, so when I was at home longing to update the site, I couldn't until I got back to work and got my backup. Still have no idea what happened, but it's all back, so that's good.

The past few weeks have been a blur. I went to Comic-Con (check the iFanboy story here) and that was pretty great (photos here). I ended up having a pretty fantastic last day of the con, where I was able to get lunch with James Sime (the man behind Isotope), his gal Kirsten Baldock (author of Smoke and Guns) and Darwyn Cooke (one of the best creators working today, in my opinion), which was a lot of fun. It's weird, you know? Like, the whole comic book thing. For awhile, it was just my own thing, and was basically a curiosity for my friends--like, I really didn't talk about them that much, but I just kept reading them and all was good. Over the past few years, I have inadvertently gotten more and more involved in the comic book community, which has been a lot of fun. I mean, I remember driving to San Diego three years ago with Whitney listening to the iFanboy podcast and Whitney kept saying how I should be on the podcast since I kept talking back to the guys and explaining what they were talking about to her. Flash forward to the present and I already have one show under my belt in addition to the column! Funny how things work out that way. Whit and I were also mentioned in Whitney Matheson's PopCandy column, too, which was fun.

But back to the lunch with the gang. Yes, it was fun having lunch with someone whose work I admire like crazy (I think I have all of his recent books), but it was also just really interesting to learn more about and more about the industry and the personality types and the challenges you meet when making a living making funny books. It's a completely different world, and it was fun to hear Darwyn's battle stories.

Then, that night, completely out of the blue, Whit and I joined Kirsten, James and Jon to have dinner with Grant Morrison and his lovely girl Kristan. Like, if you are a comic book fan, you know how cool this is, to be able to write about having dinner with Darwyn and then have dinner with Grant. Like Darwyn, Grant is a major creative force in the industry--he's rewriting the DC Universe right now in Final Crisis--and we had a great discussion that went from astronomy to philosophy to mythology and back again. It was a fantastic night and capped off a truly fantastic show. I must say, I am happily surprised that Whit and I have gotten more on the "inside" of the comics scene---getting a chance to talk about stories and art have inspired both of us to keep on being creative. I mean, Whit took Grant and Kristan around JPL the other day. How cool is that?

I will probably write about this in my column next week, but these conversations and others have really shown me that comics are a great way to tell timely stories (you can write, draw and publish a comic faster that it takes to write a novel or produce a film, with fewer people getting in your way) that go beyond regular prose but stop short of a movie. Comics are a great way to tell stories that can incorporate the concepts that one might be more used to reading about in regular books but with the imagery, design and spectacle one might see in movies or TV. I'll go off on this next week.

In other news, summer continues and things are definitely picking back up with the acting life. I have been on a lot of auditions and callbacks but the big news was that I was called straight into producers for a show last week. In the June 25 entry, I talked about an audition I had that went really, really well but was disappointed to hear nothing back about it at all. I admit, it sent me into a small tailspin--really small, but my tail spun just a little bit--because again, I knew I had nailed something, I knew I had absolutely rocked the audition, but nothing came out of it. Well, I did get something out of it--another audition. Basically, I guess I had made an impact on the casting director, so when she had a role that she thought I would be go for, she skipped the pre-read (where I audition for her, she tapes it and then sends the tape to the producers who then decide whether or not to bring me in) and brought me in with her to audition for the producers and writers in their production office and studio. It was a tiny role, but the audition went well, and even though I didn't get the part, at least I did well, which makes her look good, makes my manager look good, and everyone's happy. It's been said that you only need 5-6 casting directors on your side to get a career going, so hopefully's she's gonna be part of TeamRomo™.

Other items:
- Matt, Pepe, Jonathan, and Eugene were here for a few days after their crazy BroTrip™. It was great to see them all, especially Pepe, who spends his time in Berlin, so I rarely, if ever, see him.

- Zak, Megan, and Kendra are up in San Francisco this week and I am really frustrated that I can't come up to see them. I mean, I could, but it would probably only be for awhile and I am planning on getting out to New York in September or October anyway, so I will check them out then.

- Work is going really well. I am actually spending part of my time writing scripts for a few projects that you may see on a computer screen near you; I will keep you posted. It's quite cool to get a chance to use my background in acting and writing in my day life, it's a very nice perk. We have a LOT of stuff I am working on, which is both exciting and intimidating. Busy...

Okay, time to go. Happy Day.

Tags: comics, comic-con, san diego

Old New York headshot. Black and white, natch.

Had interesting morning. I am going for a pre-read, which is basically an audition for an audition. It's what happens when you don't have a lot of theatrical credits but you have enough going on and solid enough representation for a casting director to spend some time with you. This is pre-read is for a series regular role on a fairly high profile (in LA, at least) pilot that has a few notable names and the part is one of those parts that an actor like me is well suited for. Not huge, but fun, and, if done consistently well, the kind that you can (slowly) build a career with. I am sure there are lots of people going for it, but again, it's about commitment and hope, not about expectations and anyway, I'm not writing about the part, I'm writing about the coach that I saw this morning.

I have been having a good time and keeping my chops up with my weekly acting class, which has been terrifically effective in getting me to relax and get out of the way so I can do the actual work. It has provided me with a vast array of experiences so I when I get to certain kinds of auditions and meetings, I won't be all nervous and freaky. It's a great tool for a working actor, and, as such, is inherently different than the more "classical" acting classes, where character and motivations and intentions and actions are discussed, analyzed and sculpted, all from the actor's own experience and history. The coach I had early this morning (before work!) was very much the kind of teacher that I was used to seeing long ago, before I came to New York, so I admit, it was really an adjustment. I was even at times finding myself resistant to some of the questions we were going over, like when trying to figure out what I wanted from this line or what my action was going to be for that line. But I had done it before, right? This was my entire acting experience for years before I came to LA, so I found myself settling and really working on the various beats.

It was really exhilarating. Acting is trippy because you are asked to feel and say things in ways that are so specific that you do these mental and emotional backflips trying to incorporate the intentions. I know, this sounds all touchy feely, but, that's exactly it, right? Touching parts of your experience, feeling what's going on, and then letting that work inhabit the moment you are portraying. It was hard, to the point there would be times when I would get a little direction, and my brain would just go into overdrive while I stared into space. It's like my Mac when the fans start coming on. It doesn't move, but it gets really hot and then the fans come on, whiirrrrrr, and you know something is happening.

The end result of my session is an audition that will be much more interesting to watch, much more grounded in life, and should add an angle, a series of colors, to someone that could be just regarded as "strange co-worker of main character." It was intense, but it felt so damn good to work in this way again. I had forgotten about how analyzing a script really is like being an emotional conductor, trying to bring all these elements into harmony, to make sure they build, peak, and fade just at the right time to make the scene really hum.

We'll see how it goes. What's good is that I am ready for this audition in a way that goes beyond technique, beyond comfort, beyond commodity. Now I just have to trust the training and let all this just come to focus this evening for my audience of one.

Tags: acting

I have been thinking a lo about TIME these days, which perhaps is no surprise. Time passes and that's that. It's just been going very, very quickly, as I am sure you are noticing. I remarked to Zak this morning that I feel like I overslept in 2008 and I am about 15-20 minutes late for everything.

As I was falling asleep I was kind of thinking about acting and well, you know, how I fit in with the rest of the community here in LA. There's this young actor on a show that Whit really likes that has a role that's a real career starter. He's pretty good, he's good looking, and he's intelligent (he used to be an accountant, quit to be a model and actor, and now he's got a great series regular role on a primetime show)--and he's 26. I'll be honest--I'm not 26. I don't even want to be 26, but you know, you hear about how LA is obsessed with youth, blah blah blah--and I guess that's true, the extremes are certainly out there with all the plastic surgery and that kind of thing. But it's also just a place where young people gravitate towards, not unlike San Francisco and New York. You just kind of notice it a bit sometimes. I auditioned for a role to be a co-host of a Tech show where I was supposed to be a tech expert who knows how to help businesses with their technical infrastructure, who reads Wired magazine, who knows tech culture and what's happening in the tech world. I was basically auditioning to be me, right? The audition, which was just an interview with legitimately technical questions (what kind of freeware security software is out there? what kind of backup infrastructure should small businesses think about? what kinds of machines would you recommend?) went great--this is my life--but I also knew that they were looking for someone in their late 20s. And I told them that I was not in my late 20s and also told them that they didn't want someone in their late 20s, that they wouldn't know as much as I do. And it's true! I defy the vast majority of actors in LA to setup an office in afternoon. But if I don't get the role, I bet I know why...!

Of course, of course, in many ways, age is an illusion. Charisma, energy and optimism can really shift people's perceptions. But every once in awhile, you think about it, at least in this profession. The flipside, of course, is that as you get older, you tend to reflect on your choices and your history and wonder, "was this right?" It's useless, of course--but those thoughts can sneak into your head as your brain settles into sleep. I thought about it last night, how I have definitely been at the party and showed up at the right time, but I feel sometimes like I was in one room having a great time talking to people, then hearing uproarious laughter in the room next door. Once I finally made it into that room, the joke was over and though the people were still there, things had moved on. But still, the party's great, right? Life is good.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between "hope" and "expectation". I was actuall talking with my mom last night about this and we basically discussed how expectation, as a rule, is an illusion, a situation or reality that basically can never come true as one imagines. Take the typical New Year's Eve dilemma--oftentimes, people will have expectations of the crazy party they finally decided on, or whatever plan they made, and most of the time, it will go differently (better or worse) and the expectation will probably not be fulfilled. However, hope is far more general and a lot more open-ended. You can hope you have a good time, but you are not expecting a good time, and the stakes become lower, more manageable. My mom suggested that expectations, being so much more personally specific, are driven by the ego, which makes a lot of sense. We also discussed this in acting class, where Brian remarked how he thought it was crazy for actors to come into LA expecting to have a career just open up to them with in a year or two, that things would just work out and all would be great. You can hope things work out, but you certainly need to be patient, certainly need to relax with the expectations so your hope can be maintained. I also think that it's been really interesting how Obama has been using the concept of hope to rally his supporters--it's easier for groups of people to agree on hope than expectations.

Ah, Friday morning thinking.

I have some cool things happening this weekend, but I am going to keep it a secret. Believe me, if it all works out, it's gonna be very, very cool and actually a nice checkmark in my little "to do in my life" book. Should have something to tell you in a few weeks.


What else? Oh, I am reading Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris. It's awesome.

Oh, and my uncle Toby just came out with a new book. He's been getting a lot of press on this. Let's see...the book is called Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories. The press has been incredible. Check out this interview on KQED's Forum and this article from the LA Times Book Review. It's always amazing, really, to reflect on just how amazing a writer he is. It's really been amazing to watch his career and talent and legacy, really, grow as time has gone by. Very inspiring and proof, real proof, that if you just stick to it, you can do what you want.

Okay! two posts at once. I've got a lot of write today so I will end this here. Have a great weekend...

Tags: life, acting, people

Big ass TV! run for your lives!

(Deeeeeep breath.) I randomly went to CES on Tuesday, which was pretty cool, if only because I have always wanted to go to the show just to check it out. I have some pictures here, but they are not all that good, you can see lots of stuff if you dig around the web a bit. But it was cool, I mean, it's always fun to do something you have always wanted to do, right? But still--if you can afford a TV that is 7' tall, you are probably going to have a separate room with a projector, right? But I guess perhaps this could be used in public spaces...


It's gonna be a crazy month, more crazy than usual. I have an actual pilot audition for an actual series regular on Monday, which is notable because: a) I haven't had one in awhile and b) there are not all that many pilots getting shot because of the Writer's Strike. So, if your brain needs some thoughts at 2:40pm on Monday, just say to your brainverse, "Hey Mike, break a leg, that would be fun if you had a good audition because if you get it you can take me out to dinner and we can make jokes." I am really excited because I am actively leveraging some of the stuff I gleaned from a repeat viewing of Special Thanks to Roy London which lives on my ipod and offers some great items to think about before an audition. I really, really love the character and the script, so I need to just enjoy the process and be grateful to have a chance without projecting too much into the future.

(Very much enjoying the just-purchased Juno soundtrack, by the way.)

What I am trying to with the audition, by the way, is to use the moment of actually being in the office auditioning for the part as the emotional foundation/intent of the actual scene. Like, when I talk about loving my job, I am just going to be basically talking about how I love to audition, how I love the chance to act. It's the same intention, right, and I am not doing any substitution or anything like that. If I am nervous, I will just be nervous, and that's that. why fight it? Acting is reacting, sure, and acting is exposing, yes and above all, acting is about letting go and just living. I am fighting the normal impulse to imagine the moment and to provide an idea of how I want things to go--why add that kind of pressure? Why worry about it, really? The moment will come, it will happen, and then it will pass. That's all I want to have as far as expectations go...it's hard but I gotta try, otherwise, I'm just gonna fall into the same traps that I used to fall in. No more!

On a somewhat related note, Whit's surgery is a week from now, which is also quite a big deal and something that I am trying to prepare myself for without getting too crazy about it. She's probably going to be in the hospital for 2 nights and I assume it will all be quite intense. Rocco asked if I was ready and I was like, "I guess, I have no idea"--I really don't know what is going to happen, so it's actually irrelevant if I am ready or not--it's gonna happen and I will do everything I can to make it easy as possible for her. Doesn't matter, right? Accept the moment and deal.

But in-between those two events, I will be in San Francisco for MacWorld to check out the new announcements, see what my competitors are doing, say hey to friends, talk to a few press folks...should be a good time. It's being cut short due to Whit's surgery, but that's okay. I'm usually done with MacWorld after a day on the floor anyway.

Tech rants/hopes/predictions:

1 - Warner's Blu-Ray announcement sucks; I bought my HD-DVD player (it's a better system, IMHO for a variety of very consumer-friendly reasons) and now I'm stuck waiting for the Blu-Ray folks to come out with a reasonably priced, fully-functional player that's not the PS3 (I have a tendency to get burned by Sony products). None of this matters, of course, given the Internet distribution model that is rapidly becoming a fine alternative to buying discs...

2 - I have no idea what's happening at MacWorld, but I would guess that the an updated AppleTV will come out. If it can play Blu-Ray discs, that would be awesome, I admit. I bet they will introduce that sub-compact flash ram MacBookPro, and I can see them releasing the 16GB iPhone. I assume we'll have to sit through the Office 2008 stuff during the keynote, too.

Okay, let's post this thing.

a pic of a postcard that I made for one of our shows way back when in New York.
We actually did a whole photoshoot down in the in the subway, late at night.
I was on my hands and knees with a dog collar on...

Tags: CES, mac, macworld

San Francisco from Sophia's living room

Wow, what a week. Had a fantastic time in San Francisco during the Thanksgiving, and got back just in time to see Starting Out in the Evening, our friend Andrew's latest film. It's getting incredibly good reviews, and I was stoked to be able to see it on the always-important opening weekend...here's to hoping it gets some legs and opens in other cities. There has been a lot of attention given to Frank Langhella's performance, and I have to say, it really is a fantastically great performance--one of those kinds of roles that can only be fully expressed in film, really. He's so subtle and so...quiet (but focused, and alive in a way I think only those in their twilight (as the character feels himself to be) can be)...you need to see that kind of role done in a dark room, in a movie theater--it's just such a delicate thing. It wouldn't work onstage--you can never be that close--and on TV, well, you would have to see it in a dark room and not be distracted. No matter--it was a triumph, and the calls for an Oscar nomination are not unwarranted. I am so proud of Andrew, I can't tell you. He has been working toward this kind of success for a very long time and, honestly, it inspires me to continue to find ways to enjoy this often (I admit) frustrating pursuit. If you get a chance, check it out.

(click on the poster to see the trailer)

So, I was paging through a magazine today and, as is often the case this time of year, this magazine was telling us who the best entertainers of the year are, who the break out stars are, which of the big names are still relevant, that kind of thing. And, like, okay--look, this is not an ego thing--but really, this profession...it's just so damn random, and articles like this just make it look so easy. I mean, sure, the odds get better the longer you stay focused (for most of us, we hope) but, let's see, I went to class last night, and throughout the night, I saw some very, very good actors do some very, very good work. It's like this in every class. I would say that there are several--more than several--people in my class right now who are just as "entertaining" as any of the people in these magazines, and the other students? They are well on their way. Not to take away anything from the success of my fellow actors, it's just the pedestal that they get put on, well, it must be intimidating for them a bit but it just seems so...I dunno. I mean, next year it will be the same thing, right?

I had written a bunch of stuff but I just deleted it because it was just ridiculous. I was basically just frustrated, which tends to happen this time of year. Forgive how this might sound, but when I look at this stuff, I get frustrated because I know I can do it. I know others who can do it. It's not a competition, I know this...it's not even anything, but I mean, if I were an accountant (nothing wrong with accountants), it's not like I would be surrounded by magazines and shows and "news" telling me how there are so many other accountants that are doing so well, that are pushing accounting to the next level, that are living the accountant life that can see so tantalizing, with all the many exciting accounting gigs they are able to part in. I guess with acting it's just a lot more obvious when you find you are not where you want to be professionally.

No matter. It is working itself out. Every time I watch Chuck I send a message to my manager telling him that I am feeling a tad depressed and he always tells me to not think about it and to enjoy my day and everything that I am doing. Which is good advice, but when I see a show that I just want to be on and contribute to, it's nervewracking.

(I am very much enjoying the iTunes release of Daft Punk's Alive 2007, by the way. While it's not totally surprising since I have the recording of the Coachella set and I was at the actual show, it's still superbly dope.)

On the work side, we shipped three products this week, which is very cool. Most of my team is taking a bit of time off, I am just catching up on some loose ends and looking forward to solid yoga class tonight, then dinner with Allison, who is in town for a conference, and then the weekend.

Tags: travel, general, acting, starting out in the evening, daft punk

The picture above is kind of a joke, I am friends with a few members of the production team on this spot that I shot yesterday and I walked to my trailer door to see "Mr. Romo" taped on it. I laughed out loud, I think many an actor has thought about that transition--when do you go from "Mike" to "Mr. Romo"? Box office pull, no doubt.

Good news! I filmed another commercial yesterday--though I should mention that I am basically a featured extra for a skin care commercial that will not be aired in the US or Canada, but if I can get a clip, I will make sure to post it. For the second time in a row, I worked with a "big super star actor"---the person I worked with yesterday is an international super star, been around for many years, and it was really a pleasure to get a chance to meet someone like that, and it was fun just to work, even for a really short time, with a true professional. As with any professional in any kind of job, you just end up learning a tremendous about just by being in the same room with someone like that. Totally relaxed in between takes, then absolutely, incredibly focused during. He (he's a he) also made a point of introducing himself right away and basically put everyone at ease. I feel silly that I am not saying the name, but I gotta wait till the spot comes out, so I will just shut up about it.

Nick, Drue and I just got back from seeing Beowulf in 3-d IMAX, which is apparently the way to see the movie...it's funny to try and compare it to the last movie I saw, No Country for Old Men. It kind of shows you just how different movies are becoming, in a way. Country is jaw dropping amazing because of the direction, editing and, most of all (I would argue), the acting. Beowulf is amazing because there's all this crap flying around and it looks like it's gonna hit you right in the $%(*%@ face, dude! It was cool, but my eyes are killing me. It was well edited and had some sequences that could only happen in a truly virtual world (when the camera can go anywhere you like, there's a certain flexibility). The 3D effect was quite good, I mean, it's the best 3D you are going to find in existence, methinks, and there were a few shots where it really was gorgeously effective---sprawling landscapes and wide, expansive establishing shots were much more interested and engaging than the sword point right at you or the blood dropping down at you (though that stuff worked, too). It was more than just the longest cut-scene in history, it was a well-done fable (if way too violent for the kids, which was refreshing, in a way). What was trippy is that there were several very long takes on the character's faces and the audience endowed these pixels with human emotion, giving them life, even though it wasn't real at all. The experience was there, but it was like listening to music ripped from a CD at a low bitrate (I know, it's nerdy but it's relevant in many ways)--you can hear it, you can hear all the elements, there's just not enough behind the elements. The cynical part of me wants me to ask whether modern audiences even care, really, just as long as they get "most" of it, the feeling...but I don't honestly think that anyone would really accept, fully, that a virtual "actor" is going to deliver the same kind of experience a "real" actor would provide. (The fact that I can even write this sentence shows, once again, that we are living in the future.)

Beowulf is worth seeing (in 3D, in IMAX), if only to see what the studios are trying to do bring people into the theatres. Is this "the future"? Nah. It's neat, and it works for some movies (the stereotypical "Hollywood" movies, I guess) but these kinds of stories are the minority. Still, these stories sell more than others. Witness Transformers, featuring, again, non human characters moving the story along.

20 years ago, we had Roger Rabbit doing this with drawings. What will the technology-straining "movies" of 2027?

It's amazing, really, and I will admit I hate being just a witness to all of this. I want to be part of these changes, I want to make sure these changes are good.

One of things that I kept thinking about during Beowulf was how I really need to get out of my element, like, seriously out of my element. I've had this very cushy existence and I would love to get out of here for awhile and find some way to test myself, my physical and mental strength. Funny that one would have to "research" a way to live in a more challenging way. I have to use a computer to figure out how to live a more simple yet more engaging life? And I come to thinking about this after watching a movie told entirely by computer created actors in a computer generated world dealing with computer generated crises?

Tags: acting

my dad's cool 1967 MGB GT

Busy weekend. The talk at Santa Clara University went really well; Leanne and I had a great time meeting other SCU theatre/dance/tech grads and the whole affair went pretty well. I realize now that one of the tricks of teaching must be that tension between wanting to get all the information you want to share out all at once because of the time, but that not being possible due to time and the general flow of the conversations that take place. We had a really solid panel made up of actors, dancers, technicians and financial types, which was great, but I could see it being a little overwhelming. All of seven of us were pretty happy to talk about pretty much anything, but, you know, it's not like the audience knows exactly what questions to even ask. I can remember that one of the last things I would have wanted to do on a free Friday (and gorgeous) afternoon was spend my time listening to a bunch of old people tell me how what I need to do to survive in this crazy life. That being said, I would have gone anyway, of course..

It was really interesting to see how the general make up of the department had changed. There are apparently something like 54 female majors and 15 male majors, which is a real challenging situation for casting, especially given that there are approximately 20% fewer roles for women actors. Trip away. What was really interesting, however, is just how smart the students were. I mean, they were really thinking hard about what a life in entertainment would actually mean financially, and there were a surprising amount of students who asked about the technical and administrative positions, which offer a more stable and consistent income. I did what I could to offer substantial tips and suggestions, and tried to tell as many stories that illustrated the various aspects of working in LA and New York as I could. I had a lot more to talk about (I barely touched on headshots and reels and managers and agents, etc) but maybe I can go up and have a more actor-focused discussion in the spring. Regardless, I am trimming my notes to make a little handbook for the actors that might be of some use.

My brother Patrick is a junior at SCU so he watched the seminar, and it was fun to have him there. SInce I last saw him he's cut his hair and grown another 4 inches and his summer job building an environmentally friendly house (to be show in DC) has made him very lean and apparently quite strong. Crazy! The theater staff were very happy to corner him and suggest the he audition for a show in the spring and to attend an acting for non majors class...very cool, I hope his schedule permits it.

The rest of the weekend was spend with the folks (saw a fantastic production of Sweeney Todd at ACT) and hanging out with Paul and Al. San Francisco was doing its best Spain impersonation, and I must admit as I sipped coffee and beer at the "Rev" down their block, I did fantasize about living there again. Someday. The Blue Angels were in town as well, which was loud and fun. I wasn't able to see James and the rest of the Isotope crew; I will have to plan something with them next month...

I think my ACL is all screwed up, which is really annoying. It was fine in my workout, but I took a yoga class last night and, oddly enough, plow pose tweaked it--like, my one foot could touch the floor, but my left one could not. Weak weak weak. I have had pretty good luck with injuries but I jammed it last week during spinning and I thought I had taken enough time off...oh well. The real bummer is that this is the last week that we're gonna be at our current building---the gym is literally downstairs. Nick and I are pretty freaked as far as figuring out a new workout schedule...friends will remember that I was not always in the best of shape and I admit, I am nervous about the new situation.

Today I actually have a gig--I am doing ADR for the Comcast spot, re-recording new dialogue for the spot that was airing earlier this year. Should be fun; I've auditioned for an ADR job in the past, but I have never done one "for real". Huh. Suddenly a little nervous. Gotta use it!

Tags: acting, fitness

It's been a bit of time since I have updated this and I apologize for the delay. As usual, the delay is a mix of a lot going on and most of what was going on not all that interesting. There have been a few bewildering "almost-got" callbacks and auditions, which I hate writing about, so I will resist, but every so often...grr.

It's one of those weeks where I'm just tired. It's quite possible that I have Whit's cold, which was mostly more "tired" than "sick and ____". No matter.

Last night, I went to my first big time musical in quite a long while. We saw Wicked last night at the Pantages and it was pretty terrific, all in all. As a show, it was a pretty typical modern musical, with several different song types with nice, if not necessarily spectacular, dancing. The story was great, really clever and I can see why the show is such a big hit. The leads had played (and in one case, originated) the roles on Broadway and in the tour versions, so there was an easy strength to their performances. Eden Espinosa, in particular, had an incredible vocal presence and brought the house down three or four times. The other lead, Megan Hilty, had excellent comic chops and her voice was so fluid and effortless that it was easy to forget she was actually singing and not lip syncing, if that makes any sense at all.

It has been awhile, I admit sadly, since I have seen a "big" show. Sure, I have seen a few plays here and there (including a terrific all male Shakespeare presentation of Twelfth Night from the Old Globe at UCLA), but for some reason, I have not forced myself to get into any of the shows playing at The Geffen or the other major Los Angeles theaters. There are several reasons for this that I will delve into below, but I guess what I am really writing about is this series of edgy realizations regarding my relationship with acting on stage (made edgier by the fact that my last show, a mildly chaotic Lear with a traveling group in New York, was not one of my better performances).

First off, I prefer and relish the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience. That's my baseline talent--live performance. Everything I do comes from that enjoyment, whether it's doing a speech for a wedding, presenting ideas in a work meeting or just talking with friends at a party. Once a week in acting class I get to perform in front of a small audience, so I do have an outlet, but obviously it's different than being in a "real" play. If I love it so much, if I am supposedly designed for this kind of thing, one might ask, why don't I go out on more auditions? Well, as I have discussed many times before, I am unable or reluctant to spend the amount of time it takes to rehearse day in and day out for 8-12 performances stretched out over a month or so, especially if I am not getting paid for the work. So, that means I have to audition for stuff that's more professional, which means I have to have my days free for rehearsal. Which means I can't have a normal full time job, which means I could not support myself, really. Oh, I am sure I could find some paid tours that would help with expenses, but then I would be away from LA, making it harder to get opportunities in film and television, which would make it easier to make acting my full time job, complete with time off, during which I could be rehearsing plays during the day.

A lot of chickens and lot of eggs. The key, for me, is to make a living acting in film and TV so I can audition for stage work when I have time off. That's my mantra, it's what I tell everyone my strategy is. But that strategy seems very...far away when sitting in an audience watching people my age and younger doing it, right in front of me, having a great old time. Which is fine, that life...that life is particularly focused and exclusive to other experiences. When you are doing a show of that scale, a Broadway show, it is your life, your days are designed in such a way that you are at peak energy from 8-11pm. You never see anyone. You are never around. You live for the show. I've done that, not at that scale, but I have dealt with that time commitment before, and it was great, but I missed a lot. And while that's fine for awhile, eventually it just stops making sense or became unsustainable.

Lots of excuses, okay. One makes one's choices and moves forward, and I don't regret the moves I have made for my career at all, but watching that cast last night engage the audience got me to reflecting a lot on what I enjoy about this whole effort. The other day I bumped into a friend who was at the LiveEarth concert in London. He said my PSA for LiveEarth played a few times in the stadium, indeed, it played several times in all the stadiums and venues where LiveEarth happened. In London alone, there were something like 53,000 people at the show. So, even in half of the people were paying attention and got a chuckle out of that PSA, that's 25,000 people entertained--wham! More people in 22 seconds than I have been able to entertain in my shows so far. My goal, it would seem, to entertain as many people as I can, would seem to be active and healthy and working. But I wasn't there, you know? My work was, one of the 22 second takes that I did in Pacific Palisades a few months ago, that was there and succeeded in what it was supposed to do, but I wasn't there, and I think that that distinction was really driven home last night, that I enjoy actively entertaining people and being able to feel it happening. Which, what does that say about me? That I like the attention? No, that's not it, that really isn't it -- I have written before how one of my fondest acting memories was when I was doing a summer stock theater in Pullman, Washington, and just be able to leave and be anonymous after the show was over, knowing that I had helped make an entertaining evening for the people who came to the show. It's not about me, it's about sharing that moment with the audience, that's what I love.

Which is not possible, most of the time, when working in film and television! Oh, the irony! That the only way to make a living acting would seem to remove the primary element of enjoyment I getout of it! It's kind of like the roses that are bred with no thorns--they have no scent.

Of course, it's not all that dire. I love working with a director and I loved hearing the crew's laughter after a scene is done. I love that, it's totally gratifying and it's the essence of what I am talking about, but it's not the same. But it will have to do for the time being.

So, I left Wicked with a mixed sense of inspiration and frustration, mildly queasy as I wondered quietly to myself about the validity of where I was in my career and how things were going. They are going more slowly than I like to admit, but they are moving forward and I am confident, I mean, I know that this is how I am gonna get things done. I've not done any of this the "typical" way, so I don't expect things to happen in a typical time line. The past week has been tough--I left two auditions thinking that I had nailed the part, that I was going to definitely not only get called back but actually book the part and I didn't even get called back! Humbling, to be sure....nothing is certain, that, and the passage of time, those are the only consistencies in this life.

Tomorrow I drive to San Francisco to spend time with Oliver and other friends and family before he goes off to China. It should be a good, head-clearing visit. I'll take pics and write.

Tags: acting, stage

Tags: iphone, acting, tech

Zak and I playing records a while ago, probably 1999 or something.
I wasn't working out back then, I guess.

A varied and harried day today. Work is stacking up and it's all manageable, there are just a lot of things happening and it's tempting to just sit back and let other people drive some of these efforts, but I am not that tempted and, anyway, I have an opinion about it and I want to get in the mix. It's good to be busy, but just once, it would be nice to be busy building a set or painting a very large painting or building a house or something more physical. My eyes are red not because of allergies or anything fun, I am just staring at screens really intensely right now. Stupid.

I got gently freaked out when I read that basically when you turn 30, it's half time, life is basically half over. At 30, your major organs start to decline, etc--it's all here. And, like, okay, I know--what's the point of worrying about growing older? Time, remember, is the absolute variable, uncontrollable and persistent, literally nothing one can do about it. We can improve the moment, sure, but we can't slow the sucker down. Now, I am not really freaking out, but I do admit, I really dislike the idea of growing older and pretty much have been that way all my life. I want to say it's related to not wanting to miss out on things, but...it's more about making sure I do what I want to do, to get what I want out of life. It does remind me of what Ravi said about life being a bottomless pit, where you keep adding experience after experience but are never satisfied, and kind of like what Steph was mentioning, how there is never a plateau in life, where you get to a certain place and it's all clear and easy from that point on. So life is an uphill battle as you slowly slide downhill.

Now, I do feel an artificial stress about this because of the acting career, I will readily admit. I am constantly reminded, several times a day, of someone younger getting some movie or booking some role, etc. Yesterday while I was waiting around for a callback, I listened to the other guys, all clearly older than me (3-5 years), discussing the parts they didn't get, the house they couldn't afford, the short films they were working on, etc, etc, and I gotta admit, it's distressing, you know? This one guy was talking about how it was getting so slow that he was looking for a regular job, that kind of thing. I mean, I have a regular job that I actually like, and I am always talking about how grateful I am to have a life like this, but it really did drive it home. Acting is not a good fit for people who have to responsible to other people. So rough. And it's 10 times harder for women, absolutely, so it's selfish of me to even worry about it, to be honest. My thoughts return to my upcoming visit to Santa Clara, where I have to talk to the students about the business of acting. I mean, I remember when older folks would warn me about how hard it was, how impossible it was to make a living, etc, and thinking, "Yeah, maybe it's hard for you, but [for some reason] I'll do okay." Well, you know what? I am doing okay--it's just been a very different path to this "okay" than I imagined.

Such is life, right? You have expectations of the future, expectations that are not based on any kind of real fact or experience, and then you get let down when things don't go according to this made up plan? You gotta let it go..Stumbling Upon Happiness talks about this in detail, actually, I need to finish it.

The one thing I know I will talk while I am there is the importance of actually taking care of your physical person. Not only because of the obvious benefits of a healthier heart and looking fit and healthy and basically better on camera/on stage, but because taking care of yourself is actually something you can control and be proactive about in the acting business. I may not be able to control whether or not I am going to book any of the last three spots I just got called back for, but I sure as hell know I can make spinning tonight so I don't get all chubby and tired looking for future auditions. The illusion of control, I think, is something that artists of all kinds need. Maybe not full control of everything, but something related to their craft. Painters can control their brushes and pencils so their tools will not fail them when inspiration strikes. Writers can control where and when they write. Musicians needs to make sure their instruments are in tune and ready to go. We can control aspects of our lives so that when opportunity strikes, we are ready. For actors and dancers and singers, we rely, heavily on our mind, our breath and our physicality. So, when I look at that picture above, I can at least appreciate the fact that even though I was younger and my internal organs were supposedly more efficient or whatever, I know for a fact that I am in the best physical and mental shape of my life, because I work out 4-5 times and do yoga 3 hours a week. And, happily, I don't do it because I have to, but because I want to--I actually really enjoy it, it makes me happy and fulfills very important aspects of my life...and that's the best way to approach any task, whether it's writing an article, singing a song, sketching a face, or teaching a class.

Speaking of which, it's time to get back to that work.

Tags: acting, life

One of my favorite pictures of Whit from our time in Tokyo

Well, I was having quite the slow week, one of those weeks that are basically forgettable, which is sort of distressing. I mean, live every day like it's your last, right? Well, not when you are living past 40, I guess. On the acting front, I have had a few voiceover auditions, which are great, but I just am especially good at not thinking about them anymore. Do your best and forget about it, Kelly the manager says, which is seemingly the most Zen way to go about this whole process. Do your best and forget. (Insert 2 paragraphs thinking about how weird it is to live through time that you are pretty sure you are going to forget about a month later.)

Well, it's Friday and I was all happy to sleep in a bit and shave and have a nice relaxing day, I'm wearing shorts, I'm in before it gets too hot, and I am pretty much ready to do some work as the rest of the office and Los Angeles gets in their car and vacates the area. Then I get to work and I find that I totally missed a meeting and then I get a call and now I have an audition in North Hollywood in the middle of the day, which is doubly bad news because I am in shorts and now I gotta go home and change and then go to North %$(%*@ Hollywood and do my thing then rush back to work. Plus I just found out I have a meeting about an actual movie role next week with the Weinstein Company. Holy crap! It's just a meeting, no script, so it's all new and I am very excited. I am going to go early to clas--ARGH! no class next week. Dammit. Well, I will figure it out. Exciting, and suddenly the week is a little more memorable.

On the anguished tech nerd side of things, I read this very good article on Blu-Ray/HD-DVD and now I am in a quandary. Long story short, despite some very tempting titles exclusive to HD-DVD, it looks like Blu-Ray is the way to go. Sure, the HD-DVD players are cheaper but there are really only two options--the Microsoft HD-DVD player for the Xbox 360 or the Toshiba boxes. I think, honestly, that the prices are going down because they know the format is going down. So, I am thinking that if I really want to do it (and I am still not even convinced of that), the best way to go is to get the HD-DVD player for my Xbox and just hang out for the Blu-Ray prices to come down. Such a pain. Oh, and I know, everyone's talking about streaming and downloading and all that, but for some reason, I guess I like having a library of books and movies. I like taking a bunch of movies with me on the road.

Looks like I am on my own this weekend; Whit's going to Jackson to hang out with Kristi and her boy Rivers so I am probably gonna go to yoga, get my comics, maybe organize the comics, play records, maybe even go out dancing, go to Gary's bbq, and find a few pools to soak in.

Hope you have a good weekend!

Tags: acting, HD, DVD

Ah, those were the days--me doing my make up back in college.

Remember when I was talking about how it would basically be impossible for mass transit to be a fully effective solution for people who need to jet across town at a moment's notice? Well, it's still true, but there's another side of it--everything is just so spread out here in LA. This morning I had an audition at 11:30 in Burbank, which is about 20 minutes with no traffic, and about 45 minutes with traffic. There would just be no way to get there as quickly using public transportation, unless I had several hours to kill. And then I had to go back to my place, change clothes, deal with work issues, then jet over to the office. Impossible without a fully pervasive and reliable public transportation infrastructure. But, oh, if we did--it would be so awesome. Ah well.

Had a solid audition this morning for a new show coming in the Fall. It went well; I mean, this is exactly what I am training for in class, going to theatrical auditions and doing well, but still, whoa, I was nervous! I am getting pretty good about nerves when it comes to commercials, mostly because I've been to a lot of the same casting directors and they all seem to know me and it's all quite comfortable, which it a terrifically big deal, as you might imagine. But when it comes to the TV/Film stuff, I have not gone to nearly as many casting directors and although the setup is basically the same, the stakes are different, primarily because these casting directors are the gatekeepers to the profession that I am working on. So, I get nervy. Everyone does, sure, and the trick is to go beyond the nerves when you are in the room, but that's a trick that you can only figure by actually going on a bunch of the auditions. But it went very well, I was actually quite relaxed and it was probably one of the better TV auditions I have had this year. Now the hard part--not caring, but having to care, whether or not I get called back to do the same thing for the producers, which would make my manager and agent very, very happy, because so far, that simple step up has eluded me (for a variety of reasons, none of which, I have to hope has to do with technical skill or even talent).

Okay, this weekend should be fun. It's Whit's birthday so we have a few things we're doing, which is good. Oh, I gotta say, I am really, really enjoying Weeds season 1, which Netflix has hurled at me. Recommended.

Tags: acting, auditions

a friendly Dalmatian iMac at a friendly cafe in friendly Tokyo

So, Apple introduced three new iMacs today, which actually look pretty good. They are definitely making machines that look more "futuristic" than anyone else; I love the fact that the keyboard has a system power button on its side, that's pretty sweet. It's been years since they last had a power button the keyboard, it's interesting that they brought it back, though for the iMac, it makes sense--it's lame to have to reach all the way around to turn it on.

The new iLife and iWork suites look pretty okay; I will write something up when I have had a chance to use them. I am particularly interested in the DVD authoring stuff (though Steve seemed to imply that burning DVDs was a bit passé, I still like 'em).

I got called back for a web ad for Nissan today. It's a fine a spot, funny, even, but it's just odd that there were 7 people in the room to check out something that is supposed to look like a cheap YouTube video. It's going to by much more--it's got some nice special effects in there--but I don't know. It's going to be the same amount of work (if not more) as a "normal" spot, and from an acting point of view, there is obviously no difference, but the pay--and I don't mean to be bitchy about this, I'm just saying, is all--is just kind of lackluster. I guess this is the whole point of the upcoming negotiations between the various unions and the producers; the advent of the web is far more jarring than anything to do with DVD extras and that kind of thing. Web video is going to be with us forever, the spots lasting longer than TV spots (of course, many TV spots end up on the web anyway) so the whole residual system, everything, will need to be reworked. It's gonna be a nasty fight, I bet, but this is the future and given the amount of web spots I have gone out for over the past few months (several, like 4-5), this venue will only continue to grow.

Anyway, we'll find out if I get it tomorrow (it shoots this week!).

Oh, some podcasts that I am finding pretty funny that you may wanna check out: Totally Rad Show and Geekscape. Both links are set to the video podcasts, but I trust you can figure out how to get the audio only one. You're smart like that.

And now, off to the dentist's.

Tags: imac, acting