Metal & Karaoke

I just got back into LA on Monday Night so I was getting a 4 day week this week.  I knew I had a lot going on, being back in Wisconsin last week for 6 days and trying to play catch-up but the family time is always worth it!

On Friday Night, Neil and I headed up to Tarzana to check out his client's band, Superfix, play at Paladino's.  I had never been there but Neil has talked about it for a long time, saying a Pat Benatar cover band used to play on Friday's, and hopefully, we can catch that one of these times!  The show we were seeing was starting an hour later than we expected so we got to check out the band before, Superfix.  They had Gogo Dancers, played Metal music, and were really loud, so not my type of music but weren't too bad to listen to while enjoying a couple cocktails.

Superfix was on next and I was impressed how on schedule they stayed starting promptly at 10 pm!  They usually have a female singer but she was apparently replaced for this show with a dude who had long blonde hair.  I'm not going to lie, his entertaining capabilities were on, he was really excited to be there and worked his butt off, but once again, Metal music is really difficult for me to listen to because I like to hear the lyrics and when you scream them, it's just noise to me.  The sad part of the whole thing was that the music was awesome.  Neil's client, Eric was an incredible guitarist and I also thought the drummer was really good.  The songs were catchy; I just didn't like the vocals on the songs, but perhaps that would be better with the female singer.  I guess we'll just have to check them out a different time :)

On Saturday night I was Hosting Karaoke at Gabe's.  The night started off a little slow but picked up immediately and after our first rotation got 10 more people signed up to sing.  Because we were so busy I happily gave up my chance to sing so other people could.  Sometimes it's nice to take a break.  I opened the night with some Fleetwood Mac and was really feeling it and hoped the night would be a good one.  Khad and his sister, Jamie, came in and had a couple friends in tow, along with Sean and his girlfriend, Julie, and some of her girlfriend's from their Girl's Night earlier.  It ended up being a super busy night.  Personally, I think the best part of the night was the fact that I had a really good time through all the crazy and busy, and everyone was feeling that same vibe ;)  I wish we could have had another Double Entendre performance but we ran out of time and I had to close the show with a new song since I hadn't sang one all night so as a last minute decision, I sang 'Send Her My Love' by Journey.  I definitely wasn't prepared for the song and would like to sing it again after I've listened to it once or twice.  I also lowered the key by 2, so perhaps singing it in the normal key would be a better choice.  Overall, everyone was happy, tipsy, and enjoying the Memorial Day Weekend!

So here starts another week and once again it's a 4 day week...lots of craziness and lots of busy ahead so stay tuned!!

The Odyssey and Disney Supersets

I got back from Wisconsin on Tuesday and I had an audition on Wednesday!  I was really looking forward to it all weekend because I found out when I was at home.  There's a Summer Children's Theater in Culver City that I auditioned for last year and I was going to miss the auditions this year because of my trip to Wisconsin and luckily one of the Directors said I could come straight to call-backs on Wednesday!

So on Wednesday evening I headed over to the Veteran's Memorial where auditions were being held and went straight into the Audition Room.  B* (the Director of the play 'The Odyssey') even asked how my trip was!  Then I performed my Comedic Monologue and felt really good about it.  I found it a couple years ago in a movie and felt like it was a really fun piece and not completely like me so it's one of my favorite monologues to perform.  B* laughed and then handed me two different scenes to do as a cold-read.  I read over both scenes twice and then B* came in to read them with me.  

The first scene was between 3 different types of characters:  guests, the Gods, and the servants.  I made sure to address each of them differently and after the first read through he said he liked my choices but to make them even more different especially when speaking to the servants, so I did that and he said it was great.  The second scene was basically one long run on sentence in a 2 minute monologue.  In my first read through of that I made sure to emphasize certain words but keep it flowing quickly.  When I got done he told me to find a specific rhythm and smile throughout the whole monologue, and I felt like I did a much better job the second time through with his direction and B* said that was just what he was looking for.  We discussed my schedule and I was so happy to say I had no conflicts and was completely available for a rehearsal schedule, he said thank you and that was it!

I actually felt really good about the whole process and have missed theater so much I really want to get back into it at some capacity.  I e-mailed B* this morning to thank him for having me come in and he e-mailed me back shortly after saying he loved my energy but unfortunately couldn't find a part for me and to blame Homer for making 'The Odyssey' so heavily male, but that he looks forward to working with me in the future.  You can't get them all and it just pushes me harder to book something else, but I still had so much fun auditioning for it :)

Last night after my Audition I had my first night Hosting Karaoke since I was back from Wisconsin.  I was really excited to be back and we got started right on time!  I sang a bunch of duets last night, 'Lucky' & 'Unforgettable' with Jerry, and sang background for some fellow Karaoke singers as well.  Khad and Sean both came in so I knew there were going to be performances by Double Entendre as well as super fun choices being made, like George Michael by Sean, Otis Redding by Johnny, and Khad singing 'Personal Jesus' by Marilyn Manson which followed my new song of the night, 'One of Us' by Joan Osborne.  Debbie came and actually danced on stage this weekend at Boogie Nights at The Greek when they honored Donna Summer so she sang Donna Summer to pay homage to her.  Of course, the night would not be complete without a superset, and tonight it was Disney songs, started by Sean's version of 'Part of Your World' from the "The Little Mermaid", Khad's "Mulan" song, and Khad joining his sister Jamie for 'A Whole New World' from "Aladdin" and I couldn't miss out on the fun so I closed with another new song for me, 'Colors of the Wind' the actual "Pocahontas" movie version!  Fun was had by all and I look forward to Hosting Karaoke on Saturday this weekend!

Playtime!

One of the great things about going home to Wisconsin is being able to spend time with my cousin's kids and since I had so much family in town from out of state and another continent that brought more babies around!

Friday night was Olivia and my Dad's Birthday so I was able to meet Dru for the first time and see Olivia who was 2 years older than the last time I saw her.  I hadn't seen Greta or Grayson since Christmas but was happily surprised when both of them remembered me.  My cousin, Nicki, has so much patience as she's the guinea pig for the kids; always playing with them and baby-sitting, and just being a good cousin and God Mother!  As soon as I got there I was playing Hide & Go Seek, jumping in the balls and answering Olivia's questions.  She might be the smartest child I have ever met!  Since she lives in Japan she is bi-lingual in Japanese and English which is so cool!

Grayson all ready to play 'Bomb'

After Dinner, and after 3 requests to come and play, I headed back downstairs to play 'Batman' with the kids.  Grayson has a Batman costume so I ended up wearing the headpiece and playing Tag with the little ones.  A little while later Olivia opened presents and Grayson made up a new game.  Find the Bomb.  I tried to teach them 'Hot & Cold' but it may take another year before they can figure that one out.  Just around 9 pm we tried to get them settled down with a movie; while that was quite a predicament to find something all 4 kids under the age of 5 would like, and that Nicki and I wouldn't fall asleep to, we settled with a 'Land Before Time' movie.  Olivia snuggled in right next to me and I just about melted.  They were so sad when it was time for bed and we had to leave but I knew we would see them soon.

Movie Time with Olivia...CHEESE!

Then on Saturday we all went to Church and when Olivia and Dru saw us there, Olivia came right over and ended up sitting next to Mom and I.  Of course, Mom being the grown up has fruit snacks in her purse, and the next thing you know she's giving them to Olivia and Dru sees them saying, 'Chewies' in her adorable 2 year old voice.  We told Olivia to save some for Dru but they were gone quicker than you could say Chewies!  LOL!

When Mom and I came over on Saturday night for cards at my Aunt Lindy's, Grayson came running outside yelling my name and asking me to play.  As we walked in each kid came up and gave me a hug.  Talk about feeling loved.  It was one of the greatest moments of my weekend...no joke!  We got over there pretty late so it was nearing bedtime for all and while Olivia made her best effort to stay up late and give a reason as to why she didn't want to go to bed, she gave out hugs for 15 minutes and then when we had all caught on she trudged off to bed, only after Dru had given us goodnight hugs as well.  Grayson and Greta didn't go so easily...Grayson ended up over his Dad's shoulder, pouting and so cute, while Greta went kicking and screaming, but not before Mom and I kept reminding her of the bug under her arm and my suggestion for more soap.  Of course, being 3 she went straight to her Mom and said, 'bug,' lifting her arm and 'more soap.'  Ooops...sorry Katie!  We were all told later that both kids were asleep before even getting home, less than 5 minutes later.  Way too cute!

I already miss the little ones and can't wait till I can see them again.  I'm sure they'll be smarter than ever and even cuter :D

What happens in Wisconsin...

I'm back in LA after a wonderful 6 day trip back to Plymouth, Wisconsin.  To be perfectly honest, the time back home went way too fast and I wish I was still hanging out with my family for a few more days.  Normally, I'm pretty excited to get back to LA and back to my friends, work, and acting, but this weekend went by all too quickly and I wish I had just a couple more days with my Mom & Dad to relax since it was such a hectic week!

My flight got into Milwaukee around 6 pm on Wednesday and after my parents picked me up we had to stop by Potawatomie Casino for Mom since we were nearby.  Dad and I headed to the bar to grab a drink while Mom played her 'free' cash.  I ordered my first Amber beer and it was delicious!  Dad and I talked sports, LA, what's been happening in Wisconsin among other things.  After about 45 minutes Mom had lost her money and we were getting ready to leave.  She told me to play the 'Wizard of Oz' slot machine since the last time we went I actually won a bunch of money on it.  I wasn't feeling it but played a couple pulls anyway...nothing.  So Mom sits down at the open one next to me, puts some money in, and 2 pulls later wins almost $1100!  I don't think any of us could believe it...it was one of those surreal moments that happened in slow motion.  The number just kept going up and no one got excited or yelled because I think we were all in shock.  Dad pulled that cash voucher out immediately and went to cash it before we left.  Mom's never won that much so we were all very excited for her.  Good for you Mom!  We went to Lisa's Pizza in Milwaukee, where my Mom and Dad had their first date over 30 years ago and is one of our favorite restaurants to go to and usually a staple when we're in Milwaukee.  The food was delicious like usual.  By the way, a parking ticket in downtown Milwaukee is $19 in case you were wondering (and we didn't get one, just inquired) while one in LA is over $70.  I was also able to meet up with a good friend of mine who went to Winona State with me but now lives in Plymouth.  Dan was heading to a Baseball Game that weekend so we met up at Antonio's to have a couple drinks, or for me, a Leinenkugel's Berryweiss and chat!

On Thursday Mom and I went to Oneida Casino in Green Bay.  Yes, this was something we planned, and while I'm not a big gambler, Mom enjoys it and I knew we would get to spend time together so hopefully I would win like I did the last time we went around Christmas.  That was not the case, Mom and I both lost...a lot.  I just wasn't feeling any of the machines that day but Mom and I had a lot of fun together, watching all the crazies, including a woman who stayed at the same machine for the whole time we were there (which was about 5 hours), winning and losing.  We took a little walk outside and enjoyed the fresh Wisconsin air and also had the Lunch Buffet which was really good...Cheesy Bacon soup...oh yes!  We made it home in time to watch a movie with Dad before bedtime for everyone!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Friday was my Dad's Birthday and we were having a Birthday Party at my cousin's house, because of all the family that was in town, and we were also celebrating Olivia's 4th Birthday as well.  During the day I went to the library to check my e-mail and get some stuff done.  It's amazing that it smelled the exact same way it did when I used to go every week as a little kid and that brought back awesome memories.  I was really happy to see that when we got to my cousin's house, Greta and Grayson, her kids, remembered me, and Olivia seemed to recognize me as well.  It was my first time meeting Dru and I was excited to see the rest of my family as well and catch up with them since they were visiting from Japan and Texas, as well as the fam that still lives in Wisconsin.  I ended up playing with the kids the majority of the time I was there and had a blast.  I'll get more into that in my 'Playtime' blog!  After the Birthday Party we all headed over to Antonio's to have a couple drinks and I was meeting up with my good friend, Brittany and her boyfriend, Josh.  I had never met her boyfriend and hadn't seen her in at least 2 years so I was very excited to catch up!  The Lakers were on, I was hanging out with my family, and good friend and saw some other friends from Plymouth High School.  Meg, we definitely need to set up a fun photo shoot for December!  When we first got there we ordered 2 beers and 3 drinks, which cost $18.50...how I miss Wisconsin prices!  It ended up being a really fun night and hopefully it won't be so long before I see my friends again.  Friday also ended up being a creative day for me because I was in the mood to write some lyrics.  So I pulled out my notebook and wrote down a few lines and feelings.  It was slightly difficult to get into a creative mood this past week with all that was going on but I'm glad I was able to keep up with my Castings and e-mails and get some lyrics written while I was home.

Britt & I at Antonio's in Plymouth

On Saturday I started cleaning out our refrigerator when I couldn't find something I was looking for.  We threw away a whole bag of expired food...it was like the Black Hole in there.  There was even cheese from 2001!  Bobby made it home in time for lunch and Dad grilled out.  I was excited to be eating a Johnsonville Bratwurst.  That night after Church (once again, more on that in my 'Playtime' blog) we went to St. Anne for Dad's Birthday Dinner.  We played Spades during our hour long wait and then sat down to have our dinner.  It's been a long time since I've had a steak and it's always perfection there!  We got a Birthday Cake and sang for Dad before we headed back home.  Then Dad and I made our usual stop by Rosie's Bar for a couple drinks before heading over to Lindy's to play cards with the whole family. 

Potato & Pasta Salad...YUM!

Sunday was my Aunt Nadene's Celebration of Life.  She passed in November from Throat Cancer and we wanted to have a gathering to Celebrate her life.  Her iPod played in the background along with a slideshow of pictures she had.  Over 40 people came, many of whom I haven't seen in years, and got to catch up with.  It was great to see everyone, have a great meal, and enjoy some cake while turning a negative situation into a more positive event!  It was an absolutely beautiful day outside so Mom and I went for a walk after the Celebration.  Before Bobby left we all ended up outside shooting a couple rounds on the .22.  Dad had blown up a frying pan just a day or two before and had now placed golf balls on a string to shoot over 100 yards away from the deck.  I didn't hit anything on my first round, but the first bullet out of the .22 on my second round hit that golf ball round and round.  I was done after that :)  Unfortunately, earlier that day I had found out I had an Audition that afternoon for a movie in LA but couldn't attend.  I hate when that happens but there's nothing I can do while I'm in Wisconsin and I'm super aware of what day the audition is to make sure I'm available when I submit so something must have changed to make it on a day while I was out of town.  Bummer!

The Wegner Clan

Monday was my last day in Wisconsin so Mom and I went on a long walk that morning before we played cards, just me and her, while snacking on leftover food from Sunday.  Dad came home from work early so that we could go to Dinner at Cheesecake Factory in Milwaukee before I got on my flight to LA.  When we got to the Airport my flight had been delayed for a half hour but instead of leaving me at the Airport to wait, my parents stayed with me and we played a few games of Spades before I made my way through security and right onto the plane.  The whole time back home just went by so quickly and perhaps that's a good thing because now I want to go home much sooner than my planned Christmas trip.  So Wisconsin watch out...I may be back sooner than you think!

Oh, and Chewies.

Swimsuit Contest?

Once again I'm trying to play catch up writing blogs for the past week!  I was in Wisconsin for 6 days and just got back late last night.  On top of all that, I didn't have much free time, and since we have dial up back home (yes, it still exists) there was no way I was going to be able to update my blog!

Last Tuesday I had a Swimsuit Audition for a Swimsuit Contest.  It was paying $100 just to be in the contest and you had the potential to win prize money as well so I thought it would be worth it to audition!  I got to the Audition location in Beverly Hills and made my way to the 4th floor suite.  Everyone was very cheery and upbeat when I got into the office.  I was able to go in right away and met T* who was going to be one of the judges for the Competition/Contest.  She went to get the Director of the show as soon as I got into the meeting room.

I met B* who was very out-going and friendly, which is always nice at an audition; plus makes you feel so much more comfortable especially when you're going to be in a swimsuit.  We all chatted for a couple minutes, both women complimenting my blue dress, and then I got into my swimsuit.  I slated and they took a couple pictures.  Then they had me walk the room and pose like I would at the Contest.  Of course, it's nerve-wracking because you want to look good but I tried to look confident and smile, I do a much better job of that then trying to be 'sexy.'  When I was done and was able to get back into my dress we did the interview process.

Some of the girls who got into the Contest weren't going to get paid and they asked me if I would do it if that was the case, and I've always been told to say things are negotiable, so that would be negotiable.  Then they talked about their Production Company and some of the projects they have coming up asking if I would be interested, which I said of course I would.  Both women said I had great eyes and they would love for me to be in the show as one of the paid models but that it was up to a panel of male judges and that I would know in the next few days.

I felt good about the audition but wasn't sure if the Competition would be something I would want to do.  I just had a feeling.

Well, on Sunday I got an e-mail saying I was picked to be one of the girls to get paid just to be in the contest.  It was a Vh1 Personality Hosting the Event with 3 Celebrity Judges and after looking at the flyer I realized I probably wasn't going to feel completely comfortable doing this and while it was a great compliment to be chosen and I'm appreciative of everything I am offered, I just had a gut feeling.  So in following my gut, I'm going to politely decline the offer and hopefully I won't regret making the decision to forgo the Contest.

Best of luck to all the Ladies that were chosen and will be strutting their stuff on Friday!  Rock on :)

Guinness & Music & Yogaglo

I wondered why last week flew by and as I'm writing these entries I'm understanding!  So much was going on and I kept really busy.  On Saturday I was Bartending at Irish Times from noon until 7 pm.  It was my first time setting up on my own so it was a nice little work-out for me as well, getting ice, taking down bar stools, running back to my car because I had left the instructions in there and it was parked 2 blocks away.  Once everything was set up I had some time to hang out until some guests arrived.

Last week when I had worked they were filming something when I arrived and about an hour after I opened Karen, (she used to Bartend there and is a good friend of the bar) came in with a Boom Operator (sound guy) to get bar noise for the film.  We got to talking and found out she has an insane schedule next week because she runs her own Casting Company.  She said she had seen my headshots and submissions on LA Casting previously and said to make a note when I submit saying we know each other from Irish Times and also gave me her e-mail.  YAY!  My first customers arrived after 2 and the day stayed steady till I closed.  I had a rush right around 5 pm which kept me running.  Most people that came in had lunch or dinner so there were drink orders, food orders, and lots of chatting.  Plus, a bunch of games were coming on so it ended up being a really awesome Saturday.  I'm getting to know the regulars now and making new friends too!  

I left the bar just before 8 pm and headed home to get ready for my friend, Mike's show at Molly Malone's.  I saw him play there a couple months ago and was excited to see him play again since I now had his CD and knew the songs better.  I really love the style of his music and his band and him jammed on stage; Neil pointed out they were a lot like Dave Matthews, which I could definitely see, but I don't like Dave Matthews voice, and Mike's is so incredible.  He's got one of the greatest voices I've heard and huge range!  On top of it all, it was so great to see Amy and Nic, and Mike's family, and it's always awesome to see a big turn-out and people showing support for a good friend!  I loved singing along this time and rocking out with Mike and he closed the show with a cover of The Darkness's 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' with the full band so it rocked!  

Molly Malone's

Talk about a busy Saturday and busy weekend!  I always look forward to my Yoga class on Monday's and after the weekend I was stoked to be in class, even though my favorite teacher, Jo, is out of town for the next two months; I figured I'd try another teacher's class.  So today we worked on stretching our legs and really getting deeper into the stretch.  After doing this for about 20 minutes it was really interesting to see how far you had come from the beginning of class.  The last 40 minutes of class we worked on inversions, doing shoulder stand and head stand.  I'm actually a little sore from it so I'm definitely missing Jo's class right now!  I really like flowing too and today's class was concentrating on Hatha Yoga which is more sustained poses and for someone who doesn't do a whole lot of inversions or in most of the classes I've taken, you're only doing it for 5-10 minutes, this was a big change for me.  I'll just have to keep working at it!

Whew what a busy week and I can't wait to do it all over again this week, except this time, I'll be back in Wisconsin for it!

Wifey Day

One of my good friends, Meggan, is leaving for Portland in a couple weeks so we planned a Wifey Day so we can spend some time together before she leaves.  We like to call it Wifey Time since we met in College at Winona, when we got cast in the play, 'The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told' where we played lesbians.  She was the girly girl and I played the butch role, who had a child on stage, but that's another story; therefore, we became Wives :)

Cabo Cantina with Megs!

So on Thursday Meggan came over to the West Side and we decided a fun night out in Santa Monica was just what we needed.  We always have a good time together and make whatever we do a ton of fun and always memorable.  Of course, we get to the Parking Garage in Santa Monica and Meggan realizes she doesn't have her license (she's over 25), and we both decided at that point, no matter what happened, if we had to go home early, we'd get some wine and hang out having a girl's night.  We hit up Cabo on the Promenade first, walking in the back door, and grabbing two seats at the bar.  The Bartender told us it was 2-4-1, exactly why we were there, and sat with our pint glass cocktails.  We decided on the Sunset Rolls which were always my favorite and as usual they were delicious!  Eric, my old Manager from Cabo Brentwood was working so he bought us a shot before we left too (Megs took most of mine, as I was driving later on).  Always a fun place to go to but in my opinion, the worst place to work!

After that we hit up Fraiche which had Happy Hour until close!  Everything was more expensive but still discounted compared to their regular menu and since we had already had something to eat we weren't starving.  I also recognized the Bartender there because he's good friends with my good friend, and we met originally at Fraiche on Main Street about  a year ago!  Meggan and I decided to split the Truffle Burger but start with the Salmon Tartare which was awesome!  The burger was so good too and both were the perfect amount of food.  This is where Meggan and I started to part ways; I was driving so I had to be responsible so I sat sipping my glass of wine for an hour or two while Meggan had an amazing Grapefruit Martini, then an Old-Fashioned (which was actually really good as well) and then a Sazerac.  Oh Megs.  Of course, our adventure at Fraiche wouldn't be complete without shots from Cole, so we had a super creative shot with cucumber and mint that was so refreshing I wanted to be drinking it outside at a cafe!

Wifey Day in Santa Monica

After that we walked down the Promenade to our next destination because we wanted to do a little Karaoke.  On our way, I saw the most graceful running fall I have ever seen.  Meggan literally tucked and rolled and clearly felt no pain.  When we got to Britannia they were carding so we couldn't get in so we walked down to The King's Head and while Meggan was playing darts I ordered a couple beers.  Megs lost her purse at one point but luckily I found it by the dart boards...thankfully there were honest people out that night, because it would have been gone if they knew it was a Kate Spade bag.  By now it was after midnight, I had my call-back the next day, we had been out since 5:30 and we were slowing down.  So we joked around and enjoyed most of our beers before I called it a night for us and drove us back to my apartment.

Megs & Ben...their first kiss.

On Friday afternoon Meggan and I went and played with Ashley's pig, Ben, for about an hour.  Meggan had never seen him yet, and it had been weeks since I last saw him.  He's definitely gotten bigger, but much more comfortable around people, and was more playful.  Ben can do tricks now too!  She was really excited to see him and play with him and he was such a good boy for us.  After that we picked up some Taco Bell and set out by the pool for a couple hours to soak up the sun, re-live the past evening's activities (like why Megs had the huge bruise on her knee from her incredible fall) and relax after a crazy night!

Our night and day was a success; it was quite eventful and I wouldn't expect anything less from my Wife ;)

The Call-Back

I got the Call-Back!  I'm actually surprised I did but very excited since this is the first audition my Agent has sent me out on in months and I got called back in.  Hopefully, this will let them know I'm working hard and they'll try to get me out more often.

 

On Friday I went back Santa Monica for my Web Service Call-Back.  When I got there this time, the room was full of people, both men and women, and once again, I was the baby of the group.  There were even some guys who were at least 15 years older than me, and for a Dad, there's nothing wrong with that, but I wouldn't be able to play his wife, because I'd look more like his daughter.  My only hope would be that if they liked a younger guy I had a better chance to be booked!  I picked up a set of sides and started memorizing both parts, and about 15 minutes later I was told to just work on the second part.  So for another 20 minutes I sat memorizing and chatting with people in the room.  It was a friendly group, most of us discovering we were from the Midwest, and even another person from Wisconsin, and a friend of mine I haven't seen in a few years was auditioning for the husband role.  We said hello on his way out and gave me his card because he's a Manager at American Junkie in Hermosa, and perhaps I can get a job Bartending now that I know someone.  Darn you LA; it's always about who you know.  

 

After about 45 minutes I got called in and everyone in the audition room seemed to be in a good mood.  When I got to my mark I looked up and saw the cue card with the first set of lines on them.  What!?!  I was told to memorize only the second part!  But I didn't want them to see my nervousness so I stayed calm, smiled, and took my time.  After doing the lines through once, they asked me to do it again, making it more conversational, (Meggan had given me some advice before my audition, helping me think of what someone would say to me, to get me to say the lines back to them, to keep it natural) so I thought of that, and tried to be relate-able and show them my frustration, and how other people have similar issues.  I was hoping they would go into the second part so I could show them the positive side and how great a product they had, but after my second time through they said great.  Then the Casting Director asked me to give him a look that I know far more than my husband thinks he knows, so I gave a cute little smirk and he laughed.

 

When I left I felt a little disappointed in my performance.  I mean, if everyone is memorizing the second set of lines and they have them all perform the first, then everyone was thinking the same thing I was, and the only thing I can hope for is that I held it together better.  It would be a great way to keep everyone on the same level.  But I can't think that I didn't do a good job because if I'm the look they're going for, then they'll understand we're all nervous, and I just might not be right for the part, or look too much younger than the husband role they cast.  And once again it becomes a waiting game.  The commercial shoots tomorrow, so I know I didn't get it.  But as my Mom said to me, and sent me some awesome e-mails that week, if it's not this, then it's something else, and God has a better role planned out for me to get!

 

It seems as though my Workshops are helping me to stay calm under pressure and that's always beneficial to auditioning.  I'm still really glad that I was able to get my first call-back after a long lull with my Agency and hope to go out more consistently now!

Krazy Karaoke

Where did last week go?!  I had so much going on I haven't been able to keep up with my blog or my Journal and I'm days behind, so I'm writing a bunch of blogs today to catch myself up!

Last week I Hosted Karaoke on both Wednesday and Friday!  I was really glad to have the previous Friday off and take a break from Gabe's for a week, so this week I was really excited to get back to work.

Wednesday started off really slow, not even getting started until after 10 pm.  After the first round of singers we had 5 people signed up and we all did a super-set of George Michael songs.  I sang 'Careless Whisper' by Seether a couple months ago, so I decided to try George's version, and I was so nervous and actually intimidated by it at first.  It got started and I had to change the key one line in, but then I got more comfortable as the song went on, and I actually had a lot of fun with it.  I'll definitely try it again now that I've worked on it.  Marty showed up and brought a bunch of people in the bar and all of a sudden we had a busy Karaoke night!  We had a lot of singers and people singing crowd favorites.  Neil ended up coming in and charming the crowd with an R&B song, who knew?!  Marty did his usual 'Sweet Child of Mine' and brought the house down!  We, or I should say, I attempted to sing 'Without You' from "Rent" but I just don't know the song well enough yet.  Neil did a great job on it, but I needed a lot of help.  'Another Day' will always be my favorite from the show, but I couldn't find it in our database that day, so we did 'Light My Candle' instead, which is always a fun song to sing!  My other new song of the night was 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles.  I made it through the song, and got a little choked up at the end, because it's such a beautiful song, and has sentimental value to me, but I think my favorite moment was when I hit the high note and whole room erupted in applause.  It was a really cool moment and Neil told me the whole room loved the song and he was really impressed that it was my first time singing it and was so proud of me.  I can't wait to sing it again!

Then on Friday it started off slow too but got really busy really quick because we had a 30 person Birthday Party!  I felt like I lost my voice early on so I didn't sing very much because I wanted to give the people coming in a chance to sing, and I could take a break then!  It was nice to see some regulars of S&S hanging out at the bar when I walked in; they had found out I was coming in for Karaoke so they stayed to hang out.  So sweet!  There was plenty of fun songs for the crowd like 'Sweet Caroline,' 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot,' 'Edge of Glory,' and even a little LL Cool J.  I was really proud that I was able to stay patient all night long and use some of the tips my Karaoke Host friend uses when he hosts at Brass Monkey.  He's got tons of experience and has seen it all and his tricks worked!  Marcus came in towards the end of the night and had discovered some new music so he sang 'All Summer Long' by Kid Rock which is such a perfect artist for his voice, plus he had so much fun with the song!  I closed the night with 'All I Really Want' by Alanis Morissette and was glad to get home after a long and busy night!

Since I'm heading back to Wisconsin this week, I won't be back to Karaoke until next Wednesday, but I'm hoping for a Karaoke Adventure back home :)

An Audition...YAY!

I found out yesterday afternoon that my Agent got me a Commercial Audition for today!  I was so excited since things have been really slow right now, so I haven't been going out lately, and I'm starting to get stir crazy to shoot something or work on something new!

My audition was in Santa Monica, less than 10 minutes from my place, so after printing off a fresh resume and stapling it to my headshot, I was out the door in my Homeowner/Mother outfit.  What does one wear to look like a Homeowner/Mother, well, I tried to make myself look older; there's a first for everything, especially doing something like that in LA!  I wore my trouser slacks along with a white lacy tank top and silver cardigan over the top and did my make-up in neutral colors.

I actually went to the wrong suite first; what they had given us in the directions was wrong so I had signed in and needed to write my Agency's phone number down and when I went into my purse, saw I didn't have my phone with me at all.  Now that's a first!  Talk about feeling completely helpless.  Luckily, I found the correct suite just outside and 2 doors down.

When I got to the audition, the two other girls that were there were dressed similarly, although more business-like, and a few years older than me.  I know I'm on the young end of the casting, but they must have liked something about me to call me in, and I'm just happy to be going out for an audition so I'm definitely not complaining!

I grabbed a set of the sides and started memorizing right away.  The audition process went really quick so a couple minutes later, the Casting Director asked if I was ready, and I asked for just one more minute.  He gave me a couple notes about what they wanted and a minute later I was slating and taking photos in the audition room.  The audition is for an on-line Web Service, so I had to show two different sides in the audition.  The first was frustration with having to do research on my own, and having trouble getting help if I mess something up, but then excitement talking about the service that does all the work for you with no hassles.  After my first time, the Producer or Director asked me to do it again but change it slightly, so I went through it one more time, really exaggerating both ends, but still being likeable and friendly.

When I left the audition I felt good about it; not great, but that's not always a bad thing.  Sometimes I can feel really good, but the people in Casting just didn't like me or what I did.  Other times I feel like I bombed and they'll love me and book me on the job.  I was glad I was able to give two different versions of the script and that my words were clear and I didn't have any mistakes!  It would be great to get a call-back after a little break in my auditions, so please keep those fingers crossed :)

A Different Kind of Sunday Funday

This past Sunday I picked up a shift to Bartend at Irish Times and as I got there, a whole film crew was just finishing up for the day.  And before they had even gotten all their equipment out of the bar, I had customers in to watch the LA Kings Game!  It ended up being a really fun Sunday; since it's Spring, Softball has started, so a bunch of teams came in together and ordered drinks and food, thankfully, all staggered, but kept me busy all day long!  I even had a Saint's visitor, and of course, Hell Fires & Baby Dragons were to be had...long live The Baby Dragon :)
  

A regular I see at Gabe's for Karaoke was in and actually asked me a really interesting question, what do I like better, Bartending or Hosting Karaoke?  I wasn't quite sure how to answer because I really enjoy doing both.  Right now, Bartending is sporadic, but I really miss it when I'm not doing it.  When I was working at Cabo, I was so unhappy, but when I was at Saint's, it was by far one of the best jobs I've ever had!  To top it all off, Bartending is great money and most of the time, doesn't even feel like work because when you're busy and having fun the time just flies by.  On the other hand, Karaoke is practicing my career and my craft even though I don't pursue singing; it keeps me on my toes and is always fun and exciting to sing and perform.  Do I miss the late hours when you're Bartending and working until 3 am, probably not.  But I miss the job itself terribly and will be really happy when I have a steady Bartending job sometime soon.

After I was done with work at Irish Times I headed up to North Hollywood for Dale & Thi's Game Night.  Thi's leaving for New York in a couple weeks so we all wanted to get together before she left.  We usually have Game Nights every couple of months and it had been a while since our last.  The first game of the night was Balderdash.  I had never played and we had walked in just after they started so we joined in and it was actually a lot of fun.  There were a lot of laughs but also a lot of distractions and it was taking forever to finish a round...before we knew it, it was 2 hours later and we hadn't even gotten half-way through the game.  After working an 8 hour day at the bar I was really exhausted but wanted to make sure I could spend some time with Thi before she left since I'm going back to Wisconsin next week.  I'm sure I was probably a little cranky.  Cranium was up next but we had so many people we had to split into 3 teams and things just got kind of messy...too many people to focus on the game and I felt like there were just way too many distractions to even have fun.  I wouldn't say I'm super competitive; I like to have fun, and at the end of the day, it's just a game, and no one is going to remember who won 5 years down the road, but someone has to know the rules of the game and keep everyone on task.  We probably should have just spent the night socializing or playing drinking games ;)  The cool thing about Cranium and the group we had is that everyone is super creative as most of us are actors or in the entertainment industry so we all do get involved and excited about the categories, whether it be whistling a song, doing charades, or drawing with your eyes closed, and even the word categories are fun.  I love spelling backwards, but I'm a nerd.  The last game before everyone went their separate ways was Celebrity; where everyone writes 5 names down that are known celebrities and then there are 3 rounds where you act out and talk about the person, then on the 2nd round can only give a 1 word clue, and the last round is charades.  I had never played before but again we split into 2 teams and that game was definitely faster-paced.  We'll have to remember that one for next time!

Time flies when you're at Game Night and before you know it, it's 3 am...so to bed it was, after a very long and eventful Sunday Funday.

Just don't know what to do with myself...

Don't know just what to do with myself...

That's how I felt on Friday night when I didn't have to Host Karaoke for the first time in a month!  Go figure I would end up singing somewhere ;)

While I was out in Hollywood earlier this week for a Birthday Party I ran into an old friend of mine, who produced a demo for me and another girlfriend of mine that was going to be shopped to big record labels.  Plans fell through, but I ended up with 4 really well-produced, very original songs, and some studio recording experience.  He's still playing music and mentioned he was going to be at Red Rock in Hollywood performing on Friday and said he pulls up people to sing with his band and told me to come.  It sounded fun and interesting and since they only play covers, mostly 80's or new pop music, I thought it would be really different since I'm used to singing Karaoke, and there, I would have a live band behind me.

I haven't been to Red Rock in years and it ended up being pretty busy in there.  Neil came with me to support my live singing Hollywood debut, and I was glad he was there.  He does this all the time, so he was a great person to have around.  They were playing for a couple hours that night and told me I would be singing a whole song on my own, 'Separate Ways' by Journey, and I would be right before their set break.  In hindsight, I should have just looked at the lyrics before I went on-stage, but I saw my friend reading from a music stand so I figured I could glance there if I needed to.  When it came time to sing my song, I was a little nervous, as it was a pretty big crowd, and I wasn't in my normal setting; this was definitely out of my comfort zone.  The music started and I loosened up and just rocked out with the 2 man band!  I was so proud I hit all the high notes and it was a lot of fun, aside from me forgetting the first line of the 2nd verse (DOH)!  It's strange how when the words are in front of me at Karaoke I don't even rely on them, but when I don't have them, and there's a billion distractions going on around me, I forget a line.  I guess the lesson here is be prepared!  All in all a really great experience that I can hopefully do more often!

There were no words for me on that music stand!

After the show, Neil and I went over to Gabe's, because what Friday night would be complete without some Karaoke.  It was a 'Manic Monday' kind of night, and a good close to the evening.  It was definitely a creative day!

As for tonight, I'm relaxing after a very eventful day.  I frosted cupcakes, made appetizers, and spent time with good friends at Malibu Wines for my roommate's Birthday Celebration.  There was a wide array of food and goodies, plenty of wine to go around and lots of laughs.  But after spending a few hours in the sun drinking some vino it's amazing how knocked out you feel!  I declare a Movie Night :)

Cheers!

Appetizers & Cupcakes

Here are some simple ideas to make cupcakes more special or personalized, as well as some really easy appetizers!

When I'm making cupcakes for someone or an event I try to personalize them for the party or friend.  This weekend we celebrated my roommate's Birthday so knowing Funfetti Cupcakes were her favorite, I made those.  Then to make them more special I asked her what color her dress was and colored the frosting to match it along with festive sprinkles.  For Halloween last year, I made orange frosting and topped each Cupcake with candy corn.  If the Birthday boy or girl has a favorite candy you can put that on top, or if you're going to a 4th of July Party, why not use blue or red sprinkles.  It makes the cupcakes or cake all the more fun and totally personalized for every party!

Tricuit Bites

Depending on your taste, get a box of Triscuit crackers, I love the Rosemary & Olive Oil, and had never seen the Dill & Sea Salt so I also got a box of those, along with a log of Goat Cheese and picked up some red and orange peppers, (I had some leftover zucchini at home and arugula).  

For the Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits I picked out the full square ones that weren't broken or anything and put some Goat Cheese on them.  Then I used a tiny piece of the arugula and placed it on top of the Goat Cheese.  I had chopped the peppers into half inch pieces and placed one of each color on top of the arugula.  It was a nice punch of flavor but still very easy and involved no baking or anything.

For the Dill & Sea Salt I also put a small amount of Goat Cheese on top and then put a zucchini on top of the Goat Cheese.  Then I used some fresh black pepper and sprinkled that over them.  These were almost like mini cucumber sandwiches!

Both appetizers felt very light!  My only qualm was that because we were outdoors for the party and it was an hour drive and very hot outside, the goat cheese soaked up into the crackers so they weren't as crisp as when I first made them.  What was even stranger was that the cupcakes sat in the sunshine for a couple hours while we were celebrating at the vineyard and were no longer pink when everything got packed up; the sun had actually faded the color and the frosting looked white.  What a crazy science experiment!

Both dessert and appetizers were a big hit and made me more excited to try new ways to spice up your simple Triscuit cracker :)

Karaoke & Party Planning

I was excited to get back to Karaoke after having a frustrating week last week but getting advice from a good friend of mine who's been Hosting Karaoke for years helped me get re-invigorated for last night!  Although, I'm glad to have my first Friday night off in a month tomorrow, I was glad to be working on Wednesday :)

It ended up being a very quiet night with a bunch of regulars that got to sing quite a few times.  They were happy to get to sing so often and everyone that was in the bar was singing, so everyone was very supportive as well.  We opened the night with a Beatles Super Set, so everyone that was signed up on the first round (all 5 of us) sang a Beatles song, so that kept it fun and exciting for everyone, since we were trying new music.  I love doing Super Set's, and it doesn't happen very often, but I love the challenge of it!  My new song of the night was 'The World is Not Enough' by Garbage per request by Jerry.  He asked me months ago, and since we just updated our system and added over 3000 new songs, we finally had it.  Talk about a difficult song!  I was still proud of my performance, but I want to practice that one a few more times before I try it again.  Art sang a song from a James Bond movie after me, and remarked at how difficult his was too, so I think James Bond songs are just a more challenging type of song to sing for some reason.  Jonathan came in to visit with a friend and while both of them were killing some Karaoke he wanted to sing 'I Got You Babe' before he left for the night, so Sonny and Cher we were.  I closed out the night with 'Hold On' by Wilson Phillips for 2 very supportive gals that were too shy to sing the song, but wanted to hear it.  I love when everyone is having a good time and happy to be around people singing Karaoke, and everyone in the bar was awesome last night!

Today I was supposed to have a Photo Shoot in Laguna Beach for a Swimwear Line but everything was running last minute and the weather was cloudy down South so it got canceled.  I'm glad we're re-scheduling but I'm bummed I didn't have that pizza I wanted earlier this week!  I try to eat more healthy than usual and avoid alcohol (aside from special occasions like the S&S Reunion) for a week or two before a shoot, and especially when I'm going to be in a swimsuit so I'll be getting my Pizza Hut on later this week I'm sure!

Instead, I got a ton of stuff done, castings sent out, errands ran, mini-Birthday shopping for Jessica's Birthday Party this weekend, along with picking up groceries so I can make an appetizer for the Party along with some cupcakes.  We're going to Malibu Wines to enjoy the sunshine, good food and friends, and of course, a lot of wine!  I love making cupcakes so I'll be doing that and experimenting with some hors d'oeuvres.  Jess already has some ideas as well and is trying some new recipes for bruschetta.  It's supposed to be gorgeous outside that day, so I'm sure we'll all have a lot of fun B)  Yay for a productive day!

S&S Reunion

I spent the rest of my weekend editing photos from my Photo Shoot from Saturday, took an awesome walk around the neighborhood, and caught up with friends.  I'm so happy with the pictures from my shoot; they turned out really good, and I'll definitely be able to use them (since they're versatile and different from what I have, with all the different looks) for submissions.

Another photo from my Shoot :)

Last night was the Saint's & Sinner's 1 Year Closing Reunion at Irish Times!  There was actually a huge turn-out of staff members and regulars.  The whole bar was packed with S&S friends and family.  I didn't realize how much I missed some of the people I used to work with, like my door guy, Mike, who works in Hollywood now.  I was almost in tears when I saw him!  And of course, when you get our whole crew together, it's bound to get crazy.  There were Hellfires lined up at any part of the night, 10 of them, or more.  Hellfires were one of our Signature Drinks at Saint's & Sinners: 100 Proof Cinnamon Schnaaps with a 151 floater, lit on FIRE and dropped into Monster Energy Drink.  It was really the shot of choice at the bar and anyone new that had never been to bar usually had one bought for them by someone because that's the type of people the regulars and all of us were.  We welcomed the new that have become the close friends and family we all appreciate now!

Just the beginning...

Now, the night would never be complete without Fieron crawling across the bar and body shots happening at some point.  Well, a year ago at the closing party, it was Truck and I, crawling across the bar, having fun and putting on a show for the patrons, just having a good time and making people laugh.  Somehow last year, I ended up with sugar all over me, in my hair, in my pockets, down my jeans (best shower I ever had was when I got home that night), in my crawling across the bar.  Almost immediately after my bar crawl I jumped behind the bar, thanks to Ian, caught up the bar-back by washing some glasses, and then got to pour drinks for about 15 minutes.  Oh, how I missed being behind that bar!  Well, fast forward to this year's party and the familiar 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' comes on and Fieron's on the bar pointing to me, so I got up on the other end and danced my way across the bar, laughing the whole time, because I had only gotten there a half hour ago, hadn't even drank part of my drink yet and already the craziness was happening!  But, that's just what we did at Saint's.  Needless to say, lots of photos were taken and everyone was smiling.  Although, this time, the sugar was contained.  It did become a top's off party at that point, but Little Lyndzo has grown up, at least for now.  I'm doing Truck & Heat proud!

Before the night had closed down there had to be a bar shot and toast.  Fieron made an amazing toast to everyone and Pancake Breakfast Shots were enjoyed by all.  Bacon and everything!  It was an amazing night with awesome friends and memories to be shared.  And I'm sure everyone's already looking forward to next year's festivities :)