Sunday Funday at The Friend and more!

Sunday ended up being a really busy and fun day!  After I had my Table Read for Popcorn Talk on Friday I had an audition for a musical that's going up for the Hollywood Fringe Festive.  I got a call-back for the musical on Sunday evening so that was an exciting way to start my night!

A Vodka Mojito at The Friend

Sunday mornings Rutherford and I always take a nice long walk around the neighborhood, we do some training, and it tuckers him out for a few hours and allows me to get some work done.  I had my call-back in the early evening and it went really well.  I felt very connected to the character and had prepped it on Saturday so I was completely memorized.  After that I rushed over to West Hollywood to see my friend Mike Strassner in his Groundlings Show with my co-worker from Bar Lubitsch, Geri!  It was called, 'What Happens in Sunday Stays in Sunday' and it was my first ever Groundlings Show.  Such a fun time and Strass did a great job!

Jared, the owner of Bar Lubitsch was having a little Friends & Family Night at his new bar, The Friend, in Silver Lake that night!  DJ Matt Wise was spinning the tunes, there were complimentary Absolut and Tequila cocktails, and a bunch of my co-workers from Lubitsch were all going.  Unless we have something planned, it's really hard to get all of us together in one place at one time.  I don't usually go out in Silverlake as it's a trek from Culver City but it ended up being a great night.  It was great to see all my friends at The Friend ;)

Lubitsch Ladies, Lauren, Ashley, myself, Geri, and Anita!

Unfortunately, I missed Dinner so Adam and I had a little 'Office' night at my apartment and he made his famous Taco's and had a little Rutherford time.  A full day from beginning to end, filled with acting, inspiration, and good friends.  A perfect Sunday Funday.

Fern's Book Release!

One of my co-hosts from our 'Real Housewives of New York' Aftershow at Afterbuzz TV had her book release party a couple weeks ago!  We've all been long anticipating the release and I'm looking forward to reading her book, "Better in the Morning."

Fern's Book Release Party at Afterbuzz!

Megan, Ashley, Fern and I had to celebrate and take our first group photo during our Aftershow on Wednesday with cake pops and some Skinny Girl cocktails.  Of course we had to support Bethenny from the Housewives.  The party was on a Saturday night and my day had actually started out pretty awesome because I had an Audition in Hollywood at noon and while waiting to go in, the Casting Director from another project approached me and asked if I would come and audition for the short film they were casting.  I had heard of this happening but it had never happened to me before, so it was a nice confidence booster!  I did end up finding the project on-line and saw it was Non-Union so I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway, but hopefully I'll have some more good luck down the line for another project or role!  It was a busy day and I was able to squeeze in going to Fern's party before heading to work that night.  The party had catered food, beautiful desserts, and lots of people celebrating Fern and her book.

Fern is one of the most generous and kind people I have ever met and her positivity is absolutely contagious.  We've been doing the Housewives Aftershow together for the past two years so we've gotten to know each other pretty well.  You can check out some more stories on her blog here: http://www.blogher.com/myprofile/fern-ronay Or find more info on her website here: http://www.fernronay.com/

Celebrating Fern's Book Release at Afterbuzz TV during our 'Real Housewives of New York' Aftershow

"Better in the Morning" has been released on Amazon and Kindle so you can get the digital version or a hard-copy now!  And make sure to leave a review when you do read it :) Fern, you rock!

Extra Hosting Audition!

I had a fun audition last week for a Hosting segment on Extra.  This Hosting position was talking about Hot Deals, which could range from fashion to products.  I was excited and a little bit nervous knowing this was a big audition but that it was an awesome opportunity as well!  Right before I went in, I got a great pep talk from my Agent and was ready to go!

Matching Maria & I at the Afterbuzz TV Studios ;)

There were no sides ahead of time but when I got to the audition they had some information waiting for us.  The first thing I noticed was that every girl that was in the room, there were six of us, had bright royal blue on; either a dress or skirt and top with bright blue in it.  Clearly, it's the in-style color of the moment!  It's one of my favorite colors and I have a couple different dresses like that in my close but I was glad to set myself apart by wearing a navy dress that was fitting for the Extra style that Maria Menounos usually wears.  Foreign Exchange has become one of my new favorite stores and luckily I had just gone shopping that weekend and this dress was perfect for the audition.

After reading through three separate deals including pricing, options, celebrity fans, and other information for about 20 minutes I was memorized and it was my turn.  There were a few people in the room, in addition to another Host that was introducing our segment and playing off the information I was giving.  I really had a lot of fun with it and felt confident about the products.  The room seemed to enjoy my enthusiasm for the deals and it was one take and I was done.  Whew!

I just checked Extra.com today to see if any news had gone up and saw that they just hired someone a couple days ago and their first video went up today.  Even though it didn't work out this time I'd love to work for a show like Extra because of the opportunity to grow and learn from talented Hosts in a field that is interesting and exciting for me!  Hopefully I'll get called in for another project with them sometime soon :)

This Week's Auditions!

I've been battling that sore throat that was making it's way around LA and a week later, avoiding alcohol (ok, I had 2 glasses of wine), and eating healthy, I feel like I'm almost back to normal!  Luckily, I had Monday off to take a little break and rest up before a busy week with two auditions in addition to my normal work schedule.

On Wednesday I had a Hair Audition in Woodland Hills for a Webcast.  I got there early and was told it was actually starting 15 minutes later than planned and when I got to the holding area there were about 50 people already waiting so I was glad I got there when I did.  By the time they started the casting about 20 more ladies had arrived.  They announced that for this Webcast they were looking for girls with thinner hair.  They needed a short-haired and long-haired model.  Thankfully, some of the girls knew they weren't right for the casting with their full thick curls or extra long hair and thanked the stylist and left.  They do give some instructions and this one included no processed hair so as the stylist dismissed the bleached blondes I wondered why they would want to waste their time knowing they couldn't be cast in this project.  We are all so busy in our lives, so driving out to Woodland Hills isn't a five minute trip, it took me an hour round-trip, I'd want to make sure I fit the exact description of the casting.  As the stylist walked through the mass of girls and came to me she approved me for the next round.  We got cut down to about 25 and after they went through the short-haired models they got to us.  Now we had the stylist and director checking out our hair and the director loved mine, saying it was so full and pretty, and then pulled it back.  The stylist asked if it would be too much, and he said it just might be, but thanked me for coming and said I had a great head of hair.  From other conversations I heard it sounded like they were doing updo's and adding in extensions and with a full head of hair, mine would be too thick for the look they were going for.  Now, I can't really be mad about this, not even disappointed.  I got a great compliment and made it to the second round.  Let's just hope the next Hair Casting I go to, that they're looking for full bouncy hair and maybe I'll get that one ;)

Yesterday, I filmed a video submission for a Smile Design Center.  It was a wordy script and since I also had to read in Church, I had lots of memorizing to do.  It needed to be taped on a phone for quality purposes (over a webcam) and Neil helped me out by shooting it for me (thank you for not wanting to kill me after all those takes).  I think I did about 50 takes and just couldn't get it perfect.  I am a perfectionist and for me, it either got too saleswoman with a sales pitch, or too best friend and lost that excitement and energy.  I hate to give up on something but knew I had to walk away because the longer I was working on it, the more frustrated I got.  I tried it sitting, standing, in my heels, without them, and everything in between.  Maybe I was being too hard on myself because as I watched all the takes today to decide which one I was sending my Agent, I picked out two that I was happy with, though not perfect.  My Agent got back to me this morning after I had texted him last night saying I didn't love any of them and he said, a good painter must know when to stop; Casting was looking for personality and delivery.  When he saw both I sent, he agreed that his favorite was also mine, and it was natural and personable, plus my gestures sold it.  So...fingers crossed on this one...

It was great to get back into the Audition game and will be happy for more to come!

'Babes In Toyland'

I got it!  I auditioned for the role of Mary Contrary in 'Babes In Toyland' a week and a half ago and found out a couple days later that I booked the role!  When I first saw they were holding auditions I was super excited because I used to watch the movie with Drew Barrymore, Keanu Reeves, and Eileen Brennan all through the Christmas season (and Summer, guilty pleasure) and now I was getting to audition for it.

The audition consisted of a cold-read and song.  When I got to the audition and saw it was a scene from 'Music Man' I got a little nostalgic remembering I had played the role of Amaryllis when I was 14, and sure enough, the cold-read scene was one I did in that exact play, except this time I would be reading as Marian Paroo.  Since the play was a musical, we all had to sing so I chose 'Baby Love.'  I felt great about the audition and knew that it was a waiting game but I was really hoping to be cast.  I sent out a thank you for having me in to audition on Monday and by Tuesday I had confirmed the role of 'Mary Contrary' and was sent the rehearsal schedule, script, and music.

 

My hardly can contain myself smirk...
and this headshot reminds me of Christmas!

'Babes In Toyland' opens in a week and a half, as they have a very quick turn-around and prep for this show especially since it's for The Twinkle Theater.  This show is recommended for children 11 months to 5 years old accompanied by their family's as an introduction to theater.  As soon as I found out the show was for babies, I was totally in!  Of course, I would love for all of my friends in LA to come and see it as well because it is a Christmas/Holiday Show; there's singing, dancing, and acting, and will just be a fun experience, plus I might nuzzle you with a Teddy Bear :)

We've had a couple rehearsals already, meeting the rest of the cast, whom are mostly from the Midwest, ran through the script a handful of times, along with the music, figured out the blocking and this weekend we will probably be running through the entire show considering the following Saturday, November 30th, will be our first performance for the public.  The show runs on Saturdays at 11 am at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica on Lincoln & Wilshire Blvd and goes until January 4th.  So we will be performing 6 shows (one of which I will be in Wisconsin for, so someone will be filling my role that week) put on by the Creating Arts Company who will also have other shows running in the same weeks just on different days.

I'm so excited to be a part of a theater show again as it's been 8 years since the last time I did theater.  Singing to each other in rehearsals makes my ears smile, that's how happy I am, to be doing exactly what I love!  I can't wait for our first show in just 10 days!!

You can find out more information about the show and get tickets here:
Babes In Toyland Tickets

Audition & Karaoke

It's been a while since I had a Print Audition so I was very excited when I got a call from my Management Team that I had an Audition I could go to, but only if I wanted to attend.  Of course, I wanted to go to it; I remembered submitting for it a couple days earlier.

The confident cheerful gal!

The Audition was in Hollywood and for Reebok.  It wasn't your typical sporting Audition and I thought it would be more personable since the description had been so in-depth.  They wanted confidence, a life of the party, feminine but sporty girl, who was the center of attention.  In fact, we were told to wear a skirt or form-fitting clothes so they could see our bodies, and suggested heels, not tennis shoes.  When I got to the Audition Room we had a beautiful view of the Hollywood Hills and The Hollywood Sign.  You know you're in LA when...  The Casting went pretty quickly, aside from engaging a male model/actor who could barely get out a complete sentence.  I shouldn't have engaged but when he mentioned the Midwest, I couldn't help myself.  Lesson for next time:  Don't talk to anyone with a 'Homiez' hat in a floral print.  During the Audition, I expected a quick interview and then a few photos to see our body and legs but as soon as I got to the room, they had me take 4 photos from different angles and then said thank you.  It was in and out in about 30 seconds. 

As I had waited my turn, most of the girls were blonde and close to 5"10 so I knew it was going to be a long-shot for me booking it since they were probably looking for height.  I was still grateful to be called in and getting the Audition in hopes when something else comes up, I get called in again or they remember me.  It was another experience under my belt and a chance to be seen and that's all I can ask for!

This weeks Karaoke selection was a wide variety of songs since it was pretty slow so I sang some requests throughout the night.  My opener was 'Sweet Dreams' by The Eurythmics and I might have to retire it because it's such a long song and so repetitive.  I definitely prefer 'Here Comes The Rain Again' over that song.  Next I sang 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper for Marcus and we later sang 'Stop Dragging My Heart Around' which is one of my favorite duets to sing and has such great lyrics, thanks to Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks!  I changed it up with a little Nirvana doing 'Heart-Shaped Box' which I haven't sang in a while.  Art has been asking me to sing Michael Jackson again for weeks so I did 'The Way You Make Me Feel' for him and once again had a blast with it.  That's definitely a new favorite of mine.  Next up were my new songs of the night, starting with 'Like A Boy' by Ciara which I definitely need to do some more practice on, especially if I'm going to be dancing to it at a future Karaoke evening.  I'm still proud of my effort but needed a redeeming new song so McCracken and I sang 'Whiskey Lullaby' which was new for both of us and went awesome!  He had a couple friends come in and his girl friend sang some Jewel so I followed suit with 'Don't' and then she sang a song from Pocahontas and they requested I do 'I Dreamed A Dream' from "Les Mis" and both of my final songs of the night were ones I really enjoy singing and everyone at the bar liked as well!

It was a Karaoke night full of songs since it was slow but I know in two weeks when we have our Annual Halloween & Costume Contest Karaoke Night at Gabe's it's going to be busy, so next week will be another rehearsal before the big night!

Catch up time!

I can't believe 2013 is over half-way gone and we're nearing Fall!  I'm proud because I've got some great jobs that keep me very busy and I'm able to save up money to do all the fun things when I've got some free days.  I've been keeping my Resolutions for the New Year; I'm going out of town and traveling to new places, having spontaneous vacations, seeing tons of live music and bands, and trying new restaurants and recipes.  I'm also working towards getting Representation and had fantastic headshots taken by Hillary and am just choosing my favorites so we can get them sent out to Agents and Managers soon!

At Universal Studios for the Matchbox Twenty
and Goo Goo Dolls Concert!

Just last month in July I went to Punta Cana for a week-long vacation with Family.  I had never been to the Dominican Republic and while we all had a blast, it'll be a while before I go back to the Caribbean anytime soon.  I also saw Matchbox Twenty and The Goo Goo Dolls perform; two fun bands from the 90's!

I had my 30th Birthday in June and got to spend it with friends and family throughout the month (including our week in Punta Cana).  I've been working on new recipes and posting them on here more often and had the last photo shoot of my 20's with my friend, Kristina, the day before my Birthday.  June also started my Lector Duty at Church and I've been doing that for the past 3 months and just got our schedule for the next 3, so that's a fun and exciting way to enjoy Church!

In May, I had my first ever BIG SAG Audition since I had joined the Union which was exciting.  Even though I didn't book the Audition I did film a couple Match.com Parodies and got to put my Princess Leia costume to good use, once again.  I also got to see one of my favorite artists, Sara Bareilles, perform at The El Rey Theater and to make the month even more exciting, Emily and I made a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas for 2 nights and had an absolute blast.

I made my first move towards creating my Web Series this past weekend, pulling out Neil's brand new Canon Camera and just playing around with the video and photo functions.  We took a couple headshots and also filmed me doing an opening sequence for my show in a few different ways so that was a lot of fun and super creative!  I've got some ideas for the show already written down and now it's a matter of filming a couple episodes so I can put together a Trailer and get the show up on YouTube.

Testing the new camera...

I can't wait to get started on a show that's all my own :)  Set those goals and you can reach them!

Just Do It.

Last week I had an Audition for a well known Sporting/Athletic Company whose tagline 'Just Do It' is recognized world-wide.  I saw the Casting the previous week for all sorts of athletes and when a Runner role came around I thought I might as well submit and maybe I'll be called in.

 

Sure enough, on Sunday I got the Casting notice for my Audition on Tuesday at the Cheviot Hills Recreational Center!  I was excited but knew it only gave me 2 days to stick to a healthy diet and get a couple good work-outs in.  That Tuesday morning I went out on my normal run, going a steady 4 miles, and doing a nice 30 minute stair session and by the time I was done, I was exhausted and glad to have an hour to myself before the Audition.

When I got to the Rec Center there were about 10 other people waiting in line to Audition, so I signed in, and got into line as about 10 more people followed suit after me.  The Audition consisted of explaining our Running/Track History, as they were looking for people with real-life experience, whether it was 5k's, marathon's, track and field, or just an avid runner.  I used to run Track in High School, did the Alzheimer's Walk (where I actually ran the entire time) and consistently run to keep in shape.  As I was telling the Camera Operator about my experience I included a story about when I'm doing my stair work-out, where people ask me what I'm training for since it's a pretty intense work-out, and I normally just joke around and say, "I'm training for life," but at this time, I could say "I was training for this moment, right here."  The Camera Operator liked my answer and then told me run across the basketball court at a good pace and then come back like I just finished a race.  I had watched the people running and was hoping I wasn't going  to look awkward or like Phoebe running on 'Friends' and felt good about my ability and my adrenaline was running so I had good energy going for me.

 

The audition was short, sweet, and to the point.  This was a big campaign so I was really hoping this one would be the one I got but then this week I saw a couple more postings about the roles they were looking for, saying the people who came in for the tennis roles, weren't able to return the serves, so people should submit appropriately.  And then I saw it.  I saw the Runner role come up again, and this time it said they were specifically looking for Marathon style runners, who were extremely skinny and all muscle including a picture of someone who liked like they were running at the Olympics.

 

That wasn't me; and at that moment, I knew I didn't book it.  Was I disappointed?  Of course.  But that's not my body, and that's not what I want to look like.  I like being healthy and toned, having some curves, and eating everything I like in moderation.  This role just wasn't for me but there's the perfect one out there, and it's just around the corner!

 

Both Photos by: Dave Kleeman

Web Series Audition

A couple weeks ago I had an Audition in Hollywood for a popular Web Series that got picked up for Season 2 so they have plenty of episodes to cast and this session was for an episode to be filmed in the next couple of weeks.  It's been a huge hit since it came out in 2012 and has had over a million views on YouTube and Yahoo has been sponsoring it since it became widely popular!

 

Busy day...Work-out, Audition, Errands, and Dinner
at Wabi Sabi!  Happy Girl :)

I was going in for one of the Young Female roles that was described as stylish, sexy, and cute.  As I walked into the Casting Studio I saw one of my good friends, Andrea, was also auditioning so after signing in, and a quick catch up I grabbed a script and was prepared to do some Improv.  I had come up with some ideas before I had even gotten to the Audition for things I would want to do but saw that it wasn't going to be helpful because they were going in a different direction.  It made me a little nervous but I memorized the script, came up with some other ideas, and waited my turn.

 

The room seemed pretty warmed up and I was happy to see another friend of mine (and also an Actor in the series) who was helping to run the Audition and was actually 'reading' with me.  Since it was Improv, we had a script but we were told that we could deviate from it and make it our own.  After slating we got started with our date scene and had some fun with it.  We got a couple laughs and next up we did a complete Improv of dropping a date off at home and trying to get in some more 'romantic time' to not have the date end.  Either I've had some pretty respectful dates or it's been a really long time because I had a difficult time taking over the guy's role to try to continue the date, but used snuggling, a movie, a late night snack, etc, but my friend and reader was not budging, which is what he was supposed to do, taking on the girl's role.  I tried to keep it light and fun and hopefully they enjoyed seeing me do something interesting and different.

As I drove home I felt good about the Audition but realized I'd really like to do some more Improv and take some classes to improve on that skill.  I think that's a good note to take from it and be happy that I got some more practice at my Audition :)

Movie Audition!

Last week I auditioned for a new Sci-Fi/Thriller style movie at a Casting Studio in Hollywood.  After corresponding with the Casting Director over e-mail, ironing out all the details, we realized that the Director and I had worked together in the past on some projects together, and when I had originally looked at the casting notice it didn't click that it was the same person. 
 

Busted!

Wednesday was such a crazy day for me that day because I was taking care of Diego for a couple of days while Neil was in Dallas for work, I had my Movie Audition that day which took up a chunk of my afternoon and then I had Happy Hour plans with Kristina at Canal Club in Venice, whom I haven't seen in months.  We finally had some time to catch up, and it was straight to Karaoke after (of course, I had to stop home and snuggle my little Digalo first).

This was a new Casting Studio for me and they had you sign in on an iPad and I was completely lost considering I don't even have Internet on my phone...yes, I like to live in the Golden Ages.  After getting some help from a friendly guy waiting for his Dodge Commercial Audition I went into the room and saw a few people waiting to Audition.  They were running about 45 minutes behind but that was totally fine because I was able to delve more into my scene and even read a little of the script.  Of course, LA is such a small world that I actually ran into my friend, Meghan, whom I haven't seen in such a long time!  She was also Auditioning for the Dodge Commercial but they were even further behind than we were!

Blast from the Past...5 years ago with Bree and Meghan at Bar Lubitsch (long before I knew I would work there)!

When it was finally my turn I walked into the room, and M* said hello right away and shook my hand.  We talked a little bit about the Audition process and how happy they were to have so many people reading for all the roles.  I had the scene mostly memorized and felt comfortable with the dialogue and 'Tomboy' character.  One of the Actors in the waiting room had told me my character was a badass, so that was kind of exciting for me!  After slating and doing the scene, M* gave me a small re-direct, in which I took the note and then we were done.  Quick and painless :)

I definitely want to be working on something soon, whether it's this movie, a Hosting gig, or starting my own show...I feel like something good is going to happen in the near future.  Hoping those good vibes are coming for me!

Soap Opera Intensive Day 2

My Class didn't end when I left on Saturday evening, it was still going as I wanted to be as prepared as possible to do my best work for Casting Director, Bob Lambert, who casts Days of Our Lives.  The second day of our Intensive started on Sunday morning but I rehearsed as soon as class was done on Saturday and right up to class on Sunday morning!

Neil helped me prepare and go through my scene, being an awesome 'Cara.'  My scene was between my frenemy, Cara, and Amanda, whom I was playing.  Basically, I tried to get her deported because she's in love with my husband, but is marrying someone else and she confronts me on her Wedding Day.  The scene had a lot of fun moments and I was able to take my note from the first day to make sure that I had variety, levels, and changes throughout the scene to really build it and make it fun.  By Sunday morning I was memorized and Neil and I had played around with emotions and ideas for Amanda and I felt very strong and understanding of my character.

Annie and I practiced on Sunday morning of Day 2 as soon as she arrived at Act Now.  I had to laugh when she walked into the room because we were both wearing a sweater of the exact same color (Bright Royal Blue) and style.  We must have been on the same wave-length as we got ready in the morning and wanted to wear something bright that popped.  After running the scene a few times we hit a high point and decided to stop because we wanted to keep things fresh for both of us.

Day 2 began with Bob showing us some examples of good and bad Headshots and Postcards and also gave some notes for taking good headshots and what he likes to see on Resumes.

Next up, each scene went one by one into the room with Bob to run our Screen Test where we slated and then performed the scene.  Annie and I hit the mark as both of us really felt the scene and became a part of the world and Bob noticed and gave us some great compliments.  He said it was strong and perfect for the show, so different than yesterday, he could feel all of our emotions and we kept the scene going and the energy up.  He loved the emotion I had brought to the scene and my final moment where I actually had tears in my eyes.  YAY!  After each of us performed our scenes we got to watch all of them on camera and I was really proud of Annie and I and the changes we had made to make our scene pop and come to life!  It was very relateable and the connection between the two of us was strong and I knew my moments were truthful because I realized I couldn't remember what I did because I lost myself in the scene.

The last part of the day were one on one meetings with Bob and when it was my turn he asked about my representation and said I had really proved myself and he would love to call me in when a role fits me!  We talked about my headshots and a little more about the scene and I thanked him for giving me new ideas to think about, that I had learned a lot from him and that I was thankful for such a wonderful experience.  

I would recommend this Intensive to anyone interested in Soap Operas because Bob has a vast knowledge of information to share, he makes the class fun, and really helps you improve on your Audition skills and wants you to succeed.  He was honest and fair and ran his class with enthusiasm, and I can't wait to work with him again :)

Soap Opera Intensive Day 1

This weekend was crazy busy for me...I had work on Friday and Saturday night and had a Soap Opera Intensive with Bob Lambert all day on Saturday and then again on Sunday morning until the afternoon.  Running around well weekend was so worth it for a wonderful learning experience and a lot of fun!

The Intensive was at the Act Now Studios in Sherman Oaks and Bob arrived right on time and a bundle of energy and smiles.  He is a Casting Director for Days of Our Lives and used to Cast for All My Children.  We all introduced ourselves, talked about where we were from and what our experience was.  Bob was full of information talking about the types of roles they cast for Days of Our Lives, what to expect, pay rate, and the Audition process for each of them.  We had a note-taking session on all of this which also included expectations from Soap Opera Casting Directors and Audition notes specifically for Soaps.

We were all given a scene that we looked over in the hallway and 20 minutes later we were all performing our Cold Readings on Camera.  Bob gave some re-directs and ideas for each of the actors and some of us performed again and after everyone finished we all sat down to watch the performances on camera.  He gave me some great notes, telling me that I was a strong actor, had good pacing, and that I was living in the scene.  He said I could add more levels and variety so I made sure when I was Reading for the next Actor I was already applying that note.  When I watched myself on camera I saw what he was talking about and would make sure my next performance on camera would include that note.  I don't usually get to see myself Audition or on camera so it was nice to see what a Casting Director or Producer may see after Auditions.  This way I was able to see what worked and what didn't work which was super beneficial for future Auditions.  I was really nervous when I got up there and was actually shaking but as I watched the playback you couldn't tell at all so that was awesome!

What does this Headshot sell to you?

Next up we talked about the Camera Shots they use on Days of Our Lives and most Soap Operas, blocking, and what to do during your scene based on the camera angles.  Then he gave us some more notes on what to look for in your Sides and talked about our Headshots and Resumes.  I have an exercise I'll be working on this week to make sure my Headshots are selling me and how people see me.

The last part of the day was working with a Scene Partner where he gave us another scene and we would be doing a Screen Test.  So Annie and I worked on the scene for a few minutes, he gave each group blocking and then we rehearsed the scene once through and next up we were filmed.  Our scene definitely felt like it dragged and that was the first note Bob gave was that the energy was brought down with the emotion of the scene and even though there were some sad notes we still needed to keep it up and exciting.  When I saw it on camera, he was 100% right, we were kind of boring, and although he said both of us were living in the moment and were natural there was room for improvement and we were up for the challenge!

That was Day 1 of my Soap Opera Intensive with Bob Lambert and I felt like I had already learned so much and had so many ideas for what I wanted to do with my scene and couldn't wait to perform again and show him the changes I would make to make our scene exciting and feisty!  He's a fantastic teacher and made this intensive interesting and fun :)

Act Now!

I was on my way to my Act Now Interview on Tuesday with a 45 minute window to get to Sherman Oaks when Google Maps had predicted a less than 20 minute drive and I got stuck on the 405 behind an accident for nearly an hour and a half!  Thankfully, my Consultant at Act Now understands the traffic in LA (she is also an Actress) and just told me to get to the Office safely as I sat with my windows rolled down, sun shining in and jammed out to some music during my wait.

I've always wanted to play a Vixen on a Soap Opera!

Upon arrival at Act Now I made my way to their suite and after having an initial meeting, my Consultant left me with my 3 copies to rehearse for about 20 minutes until she came back; one was a Commercial copy, the second was a Comedy scene from 'Scrubs', and lastly a dramatic piece from an Indie Film.  I pulled out my notes to make sure I was getting the most from my scenes, finding a moment before, pulling from my own personal experiences, and allowing the words to disappear off the page as I started to memorize all three pieces.  Obviously, I wasn't going to have 3 different copies memorized in 20 minutes but I wanted to have a good understanding and be able to take direction if they wanted me to change anything.

The 30 second Commercial Copy was a breeze, fun and sassy, while the Comedy piece was very quick and after a quick re-direct I had the pacing spot-on and it became more funny as the scene went on.  The Indie piece had some great moments and I felt like I really connected with the character, wiping away a tear at one point.  Both Consultants in the room liked what I did and said those were parts they could see me playing so I was glad I was comfortable with the variety of scenes and was able to perform my Cold-Reads well under pressure in a short amount of time.

The point of meeting with Act Now was because they offer longer Workshops and Intensives to build a better relationship with Casting Directors and network.  I'm taking a Bob Lambert Intensive this weekend, as he's the Head Casting Director for 'Days of Our Lives' and it'll be my first Soap Opera Intensive!  I've been looking forward to this for weeks and I needed to have this meeting to make sure that I was at a high enough skill level to be placed in this workshop.  The second half of the Meeting was talking about what my type was and what shows I would like to work on and whom I should take Workshops with to have the opportunity to be called in for Auditions.  Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have a little more freedom with my schedule and will be able to take some more Intensives.

I'm so excited for this weekend...it's going to be crazy busy with work but I can't wait to do some Acting Work for Soap Opera's and learn some new skills!!

Weekend Auditions!

It's been a busy work week and on top of that this weekend brought my first two Auditions of 2013!  My first was on Friday morning for the new Myspace and the second one was this afternoon for the role of Mimi in the musical 'Rent!'

 

Myspace is doing a re-launch this Spring and it will no longer just be a social media platform it's going to be focused on Artists in all fields.  My Audition on Friday morning was in Hollywood at a Casting Studio and after filling out a long questionnaire about myself including my background, skills, aspirations, inspirations, and other fun info I was ready to do the on-camera Audition.  It wasn't actually an Audition, more of an interview from the questions I had answered, and like usual, I was being filmed and had to slate, but this video is actually going to go up on my new Myspace page once it re-launches this Spring!  Basically, they're editing the interview into a 1 minute video that will sell you and try to get sponsorship from producers looking for new talent.  I pitched one of my ideas for my own show that I want to film and put up on Youtube, and also talked about Hosting Karaoke, Cooking and making up Recipes, as well as Acting.  The interview seemed to go by quickly and about 10 minutes later they told me I was all set.  The totally random part of the whole thing was that the cameraman was from Wisconsin and the Interviewer's brother lived in Wisconsin and worked at Epic, which is where my brother used to work.  I love how small LA can be at times!

 

Today I had an Audition for the role of Mimi in 'Rent.'  I've been fighting off a cold for the past couple of days because everyone has been getting sick and to be perfectly honest, I knew I would catch it at some point because I come into contact with hundreds of people when I'm working at the bars or Hosting Karaoke.  I just hoped it would wait until Monday when the Audition and Call-Backs were over and as fate would have it, I woke up this morning and could barely speak.  I've been taking good care of myself all week, not drinking, eating healthy, and trying to get sleep even though I've been so busy with work.  So this morning as soon as I got up, I made this Immunity Boosting Tea, took a nice hot shower, had a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and tried to practice my two song selections which were 'Another Day' from "Rent" and 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles.  I figured if I couldn't sing my absolute strongest at least I would look the part of Mimi and put on some patterned tights,  my combat boots, left my hair wavy, and did more Latin looking make-up, to try to look as close to her as possible.  There was a dancing portion so they had told us to dress appropriately for that and I was comfortable but still looked the part.  I grabbed some hot tea from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the way and had a packet of Emergen-C in my bag for my water bottle when I finished the tea.  I prepared myself as best as possibly, trying to rest my voice and only sing when I had to.

 

Channeling Mimi from 'Rent'

When I arrived at the Audition it was in a 2 hour block and there were about 20 people that were auditioning for the Musical.  Everyone got to sing their songs first and then there would be a Dance portion at the end.  Most of the girls at the Audition were auditioning for the role of Mimi so I also said I would consider Maureen because it would give me another opportunity but I really wanted the role of Mimi.  We were told we only had to sing one song and to pick our best one and if they wanted to hear the other one they would tell you.  People went in one by one and I went outside to practice one last time before I auditioned.  I decided on 'Another Day' and when I got called into the room, the Casting Director told them my name and I went in with energy and smiles, got my starting note from the accompanist and sang my song.  My voice wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be but there was nothing more I could do about that and I had done my best to be able to make it through the song, so I sang with emotion, love, hopefulness, and strength as Mimi did.  I felt the part, I felt the song, and as they thanked me when I finished up, I knew that I did my best but that this time it just wasn't good enough.  Once everyone finished we went downstairs to learn the choreography and that was pretty easy and a lot of fun.  We got partnered up and worked through the choreography a few times, rehearsing it in front of the Directors and Producers and then doing it in small groups.  I felt a lot stronger in my dancing because of my theater background and my ability to have fun with the steps and add some flair to it.  I also knew, no matter how well I danced, they had already made their decisions for call-backs, so I had fun, smiled, and flipped my hair with sass.  

 

They announced the names of those who would attend call-backs tomorrow and I was not one of them.  I'm definitely bummed but there's nothing I can do.  I did my best and I got to Audition for a show that I've always wanted to be a part of and hopefully I'll get another opportunity when I'm not sick with a cold.  I'm proud that I went to this audition and gave it my all, no regrets, and they'll be more challenges and opportunities in the future!  As for my Myspace Interview, that'll be up in the next few weeks and I'll post that link as soon as I have it.  

 

Stay warm everyone and keep your eye on the prize!

Follow Through with the New!

This week has kicked off with a bang and I'm going to be working 4 different jobs in the next 4 days!  I'm Bartending at The Garage on Motor Avenue in Culver City on Friday for the Grand Opening and I worked my first shift on Monday for the BCS Title Game.  Unfortunately, Notre Dame lost, but it was a good shift and a great start to the week!

Yesterday, I got back to my normal work-out routine and I'm sore today from running my 3 miles and doing 6 sets of stairs...but it feels so good!  I also sent out a bunch of Cover Letter's to Agencies because I'm trying to get Representation now that I'm Union and I had a few referrals from friends and was hoping that would help.  I still need to mail in one hard copy to an Agency but it feels great to have set a goal for myself and achieve it.  That was part of my SWOT report, in setting weekly goals, and something as simple as e-mailing Cover Letter's is still important, and was my goal I set last week.

Last night, I caught up with my friend, Thi, and we had Dinner at The Belmont, one of our favorite places in LA.  We haven't seen each other in a couple months and she's heading back to New York on Sunday so we were in dire need of Girl Time!  Special thanks to Dylan for comping our cocktails :)  Thank you!

Dinner with Thi at The Belmont

Tonight I'll be Hosting Karaoke at Gabe's and my song choices for last week were: 'Bullet-Proof' by La Roux because I can't remember the last time I sang that, 'Rescue Me' by Fontella Bass since we lost an incredible singer this past Christmas, and 'Ironic' because there was an Alanis Morissette super-set.  My new song was 'Don't Speak' by No Doubt and I closed with Jewel's 'Don't.'

I've got a couple Auditions coming up this weekend and got my first screeners in the mail for the SAG Awards so I'll be watching some great movies as well!  Exciting exciting :D

Lea Michele & Hair Metal Karaoke

Wednesday was a rather eventful day when I got back from my 3 mile run and stair session I got a phone call from Sande Alessi's Office (Casting Director) that my submission for Lea Michele's Photo Double on 'Glee' was accepted and they just wanted to make sure they had the correct sizes and asked if I would be available for an interview on Thursday.  I work every Thursday at Irish Times at 11:30 am and am there till 7:30 pm.  I told them I would be free before or after but at this late of notice, getting off of work was going to be nearly impossible.  Sure enough I got the call after 8 pm that night that the meeting was at 5 pm on Thursday at the Paramount Lot in Hollywood and I had to attend in order to be considered for the job.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to go and what a disappointment :(  Mind you, just because I went to the interview didn't mean I was going to get the job as I'm sure there were going to be a bunch of girls going but it would have been a great opportunity that hopefully will come around again.

Onto Karaoke night though...there was a Birthday Party just finishing up as I arrived so the bar was full but we only had a few singers.  I opened with 'Wonder' by Natalie Merchant while Lee kept the crowd involved with his up-beat country tunes.  Judy was in early so she sang a couple Patsy Cline songs along with 'Superstar' by The Carpenters.  Khad made a surprise visit at Karaoke for the first time in over a month so it was great to see him and hear his awesome voice again, opening with 'Welcome to Paradise' by Green Day.  When Sean arrived he decided to start a Hair Metal Round so his one and only song that night was 'Sister Christian' by Night Ranger with Khad backing him up...Motoring!  Khad's Hair Metal song was 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' by Poison and he did a great job!  I want more 80's Rock from Khad!  I decided to join the fun and did Def Leppard's 'Bringing on the Heartbreak' which is one of my favorite Def Leppard songs and I had a great time with it; I think it was my best performance of it!

When Jamie arrived it started a slew of new songs from everyone with her doing a jazzy version of 'Sunday Morning' by Maroon 5.  Khad had some fun with Pearl Jam while Judy did duets for the rest of the night singing 'Bye Bye Love' with Lee and then 'I Got You Babe' with Foxy.  Jamie and I continued the night with a superset of Adele, her doing 'Someone Like You' while my new song of the night was 'Rumour Has It' and that's definitely a fun song to sing.  It's a difficult song and I'll be excited to sing it again when I know it better but I still had a blast with it.  Then there was a round of Disney songs with another duet by Foxy & Judy singing 'A Whole New World' from "Aladdin" while Jamie and I backed up Jasmine, and then Khad doing an amazing rendition of 'Mulan' because it's been a while since he got to sing it.  I did get to try my new song last week, 'Everything I Do, I Do it for You' a full note higher but something still isn't right so I'm going to continue working on it till I find the perfect start!  Jamie sang a couple more times, doing 'Angel' better than Sarah MacLaughlin and then singing another new song by Deana Carter which was beautiful as well!

Even though the night had to start a little later due to the Birthday Party and ended early because there were just 4 of us singing over and over again it was actually a really great night with a variety of music and lots of fun catch up chats had by all!  I'm really looking forward to our Theme Night in the near future...now I just need to come up with it!

The Call-Back

I'm finally into the swing of things at Bar Lubitsch and getting more comfortable with the bar, computers, and patrons.  I had my highest ring since I started there on Saturday, plus I was working Service Well so it was even higher because of that!  I was really happy with myself aside from the fact that I broke a glass into the well at the busiest time of the night and another Bartender and I were talking earlier about how long it's been since we did that.  Murphy's Law, I guess.  Anyway, it's been a while since I've worked in a bar on a Friday or Saturday night and even though we can't drink at Bar Lubitsch, getting to sleep after a busy Bartending shift has proved very difficult week after week.  This week was a little better because I was getting into bed around 4 am and falling asleep almost right away versus my 5 am bed-time.  My late night weekend habits have been proving very difficult for Sundays and getting up early to watch Football and being exhausted all day Sunday and then sleeping for 10 hours on Sunday nights to catch up for getting just a few hours of sleep a night on Friday and Saturday.

This Sunday I had no time to rest and couldn't be exhausted because I had a Call-Back for the Short Film I Auditioned for 2 weeks ago.  Luckily, I had Neil to help me rehearse for my 1-line scene.  I had to play a Drunk Newlywed which actually is far more difficult than you think because you need to be believably drunk without literally being drunk.  What do you do when you drink?  You sway, you slur, your gestures may be bigger and you're clumsy.  So we rehearsed my foot work, we rehearsed how I would say the line, and what my reaction to the other person would be, and how I would exit.  Then I took a shot, yes, one shot, to calm my nerves and take the edge off the Audition.

There were a couple other people waiting, one for the same part as me, and another for the main character.  Both girls who were reading for the Newlywed were dressed in white dresses with brown belts and brown boots.  I asked the one if that's what she had worn to the Audition and how lucky that she was reading for the Newlywed now!  She said no, she didn't know that you were supposed to wear the same thing from your Audition to your Call-Back, and perhaps in this case, it might not have been necessary but she did learn something at the Audition which can hopefully help her in the future.  Then we waited...

About a half hour later I was called into the Audition Room.  There was another guy that was going to play my Better Half and I was reading to camera (which as a Drunk Newlywed really didn't matter) but I was ready and prepared to do the scene.  Us Newlyweds walked out of the room, shook it out, and then stumbled into the room, tried to steady myself as we got further to our marks but relied on him to hold me up, focused on the camera for a few seconds made a realization and said, 'Iceman,' as I pointed, then realized I had a ring on my finger, 'I'm an honest woman,' with a little surprise and excitement, fist pumped, and flirtatiously said 'Iceman' as I stumbled out of frame.  The Director liked my first read, saying he really liked my instincts but that I should take the humor out of it, say the lines as if speaking them might make me throw up right there because I was that blacked-out drunk.  So my Better Half and I walked back outside, took a breath and tripped back into the room.  This time I nearly forgot what I was going to say which actually worked to my advantage as I slurred my words and barely made it across the room in our 'drunken stupor.'  It was definitely different than my first take, so I was glad I took the direction and gave them something different to see.  Then they told me they'd be filming in November, asked if I was available, and thanked me.

The whole Call-Back lasted about 4 or 5 minutes and then it was over.  I was definitely glad I had an idea before I even came into the room because I would have felt really on the spot and nervous to just perform without any inclination on what to do and would have probably been over the top and way too in my head about what I needed to do versus coming up with something organic as they had given me direction and some tips before we even started the Call-Back.  They're casting this week so it would be great to book a job for the month of November...fingers crossed!

Firsts in October!

Wednesday was a busy day for me because I had just gotten back from Las Vegas late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning and I had an Audition that morning as well as Karaoke that night at Gabe's.

Luckily, my Audition wasn't until 10:20 am but I had to get to Hollywood so after getting ready and re-memorizing my Comedy Monologue I was on my way to Space Station Studios.  The Audition was for a Short Film where I would be playing a Motel Owner who ends up taking a Thief hostage after he steals the identity of a Murderer.  I was right on time and got called shortly after signing in.  The Casting Director was there along with the Director and they had me take a seat, slate, and then perform my monologue.  They sat there straight-faced until I hit the punchline in the monologue when they both broke, smiled, and laughed.  After I finished the monologue the Director asked if I could do it again, except act as if I was Blacked-out Drunk.  I said yes, as I was up for the challenge but definitely found it difficult to make that switch after just doing it normally, and even more difficult being sustained to the chair.  I made bold choices, using big arm movements, moving around awkwardly in the chair, as well as raising the volume of my voice and even slurring my speech at times and changing some words, even forgetting certain parts.  They laughed as I made my way through the monologue and after that they thanked me and excused me saying they were shooting a few days in early November.  Hooray for my first Audition of the month!

After getting in a nice long run and work-out as well as going through hundreds of e-mails it was time to Host Karaoke at Gabe's last night.  I got started right away as we had a few people in at the beginning of my shift including a group of gals in for their Birthday's!  I opened with some Shania Twain and we had a bunch of Country songs in the first rotation.  Khad came in early so he was able to sing a lot throughout the night including the theme song for 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' and later on 'Mulan' making those Birthday girls go crazy!  It was definitely a musical theater night as Jamie and I both sang songs from 'Grease' even though we could barely hear ourselves over the vocals of the Birthday crew.  But I have to say, the Birthday girls brought it singing 'Hero' by Mariah Carey, 'Killing Me Softly' by the Fugee's and 'Stay' by Lisa Loeb.  There was even a showdown of Sara Bareilles but Jamie came out the victor getting a round of applause during her high note on 'Gravity!'  Of course, there were group performances and duets throughout the night and my new song was The Divinyl's 'I Touch Myself.'  Debbie came in and danced her way into the hearts of everyone singing 'I Kissed A Girl' by Katy Perry, and accompanying me with her dancing skills while I closed out the night with 'Mercy,' by Duffy.  It was definitely a fun night!

While Wednesday was a really long day, it was well worth the exhaustion after an awesome 2 days in Vegas...more on my trip in my next blog :)

Auditions, Headshots, and Wine Tasting

Thursday was quite a busy day for me!  As soon as I was up, I was heading to an Audition in Santa Monica for a Make-Up Campaign.  When I got to the Office, I signed in, and awaited my turn with a few other women.  The Audition consisted of me slating, and then talking about a skin issue I have and just being personable.  They were looking for females that had bad scarring, sunspots, severe redness or dark under-eye circles.  The product was for covering your skin issue with a new kind of make-up.  My 'issue' was a couple chicken pox scars; I know they're not that bad and not very visible but I thought I'd try to see if I would get chosen.  So I said that when I was little and got chicken pox I had scratched the pox on my face when my Mom had told me to scratch the one on my hand.  Of course, when you're 8 years old that's easier said than done, so I have a couple scars on my face that are just annoying, and I hadn't found any kind of make-up that could cover them and hopefully this product would be able to help me.  The Casting Director thanked me and said I was very cheerful and personable and that they would be shooting on the 2nd or 3rd of October.  I thanked them and was on my way home to change and get ready for work at Irish Times.

After getting the bar set-up, it was empty until 3 pm aside from Travis who came to have Lunch and hang out with me!  Thankfully, he kept me company during the down time and after 4 pm the bar ended up getting pretty busy and I had a good day overall.  While Travis and I were hanging out at the bar, he helped me go through some headshots since I'm updating my Acting Profiles.  After getting a few more opinions I'm down to a couple choices.  Let me know what you think :)

Choice 1

Choice 2

Immediately after Bartending on Thursday I went home to quickly change and get ready for Wine Tasting with Amy and the girls in Hermosa Beach.  Everyone was at Fritto Misto having Dinner when I got there and Jamie had some leftover food I got to try: a caprese salad which is my favorite, and a mushroom ravioli that was incredible as well!  The great thing about Fritto Misto is that you can bring your own bottle of wine in and there's a small corking fee but it would be awesome to basically, get to wine taste at Dinner if everyone were to bring a bottle.  Jamie brought a bottle of wine that was Lindsay's Wine, which she had to have me try and it was pretty good.  After Dinner, we went next door to Uncorked, where on the first Thursday of the month they do $15 Wine Tasting of 6 wines.  The place also had an Olive Oil tasting which was really cool.  It's interesting because I never thought of it, but they were so good; there was Jalepeno, Lemon, Garlic & Herb, so that was awesome!  The Wine was ok at the Tasting, nothing that really stood out to me, and I usually like picking from a couple different options but it was something really fun to do with a group of friends where we didn't have to drive to a Vineyard that's an hour away.

Amy, Jamie, Lyndsey, & Kayla at Uncorked in Hermosa Beach for Wine Tasting

So, Thursday was a pretty fun and exciting day, had an Audition, made some money, did some stuff for my career, and got to spend time with my friends having great food and wine!  What a great day :)

More Hair Fare

This Friday I had another Hair Casting in Woodland Hills.  This one was for a Video Shoot that took place over 2 days and was paying really good!  I haven't had a hair-cut since March so at this point, I'm in dire need of one, but keep hoping that I'll book one of these Castings because then they give you a hair-cut by a high-end stylist and they could color or hi-light my hair as well.

Thankfully, these castings are always at just the right time and traffic is fantastic!  I got to the Casting at 9:30 am about 15 minutes early and after signing in, waited till just before 10 am to be ushered into one of the rooms.  There were about 100 girls for this one casting.  Once we all were seated we waited a few more minutes until a Casting Director came in and announced the specifics for the shoot.  They were looking for Caucasian, Hispanic, or Asian women with straight to wavy hair that was shoulder-length or longer.  Right there, about 15 girls were excused from the room; I'm hoping they have their Agents to blame for that one and didn't drive all the way into The Valley to drive right back home.  Then the CD did a walk-through of the room excusing girls that according to him, would be too difficult to work with for this particular shoot; in this case, that meant anyone with over-processed hair, or girls that needed too much work done whether it be color or cuts.  I survived that round and another 20+ girls were out the door.  He did another cut similar to that one after talking to the client and getting a better idea for what he was looking for 20 more girls were excused.  All the red heads were gone which was a huge surprise because usually those are the first girls chosen to be kept or seen!  The Casting Director then had all of us move to one side of the room and he walked by each girl, passing or excusing her, and walked by me, saying gorgeous hair (wow, definitely made me smile), and after that we were down to just over 20 girls.  

At this point he put us into two groups, Virgin Hair and the rest of us.  I've never done anything permanent to my hair, but because I do semi-permanent color on occasion, even though my last time doing that was a year ago, I was still in the other group.  He then asked each of us for our headshots or book (portfolio) and took some time looking through each one.  He joked about my name and being too young to know that I was the Bionic Woman, ah, but I do, and said I had beautiful and healthy hair.  Score...I was apparently having a really good hair day!  I did find it interesting that over half the girls in the room didn't have anything with them, not even a headshot, but had their portfolio's on their iPhone to go through.  Unfortunately, those girls weren't included in the casting so I was now in the Top 12!  After taking our headshots to the client, he came back and announced the 7 girls that were going to stay to meet with the client, and unfortunately today, I was not one of those girls called.  He thanked all of us saying it was nothing personal, we were beautiful girls and that's why we were called in, and he would see all of us again soon.

As I left the Audition I was actually very happy and proud.  I had gotten wonderful compliments on my hair and had also gotten really far in the Audition process, watching exactly how they were running it, which was really interesting.  I had to be happy that out of these over 100 girls at this time, I was in the Top 12.  It just means that something else will come up and I'll get an opportunity the next time.  I don't know why this time I had such a refreshing and happy feeling about it, but I did, and I hope I can continue to bring that to all my auditions in the future :)