I'm keeping my red ticket.

Wednesday Night it was back to Hosting Karaoke and it was Sam's Birthday so he came in to celebrate and sing.  We had a pretty busy night because of the Pool League and a steady stream of singers, but for the most part, everyone kept it low key.  I did a couple duets, one with Johnathan and another with Marcus, and dedicated two songs to my Mom because it was her Birthday at midnight.  I hadn't sang 'When You Say Nothing At All' in a very long time, and I sang that for her my Senior year in High School for Cabaret, so it brought back a great but teary memory :)  My new song for the night was 'Undo It' by Carrie Underwood, and I'm glad I'm still keeping up with my resolution and challenge!

On Thursday night I got invited to a Press Screening of 'Wanderlust,' at the Hollywood Arc Light.  I was stoked because I love Jennifer Aniston and really enjoy Paul Rudd.  I actually just realized now why their chemistry was so great, because they had worked on 'Friends' together years earlier.  I just recently re-started 'Friends' from the beginning.  I have the box set and when I'm feeling bored I pop in a disc and continue where I last left off.  It still makes me laugh; every time.

Back to the screening, no cell phones, no cameras, no recording devices and I was sent into the theater.  I had a red ticket and was told to hold onto it so I could be seated in the VIP section.  Score!  Obviously, I picked up Sour Patch Kids on the way in, I can't enjoy a movie without some sort of candy or popcorn.  It took a long time for everyone to get sat but finally the movie was starting.

These screenings are really neat because you're seeing the movie before the general public is.  Sometimes it's a few days in advance sometimes it's weeks or even months in advance.  I don't want to give the plot away but I thought it was really cute.  I think this was a different role for Jennifer, she looked as beautiful as ever, and I'd never seen Justin Theroux act before, and he was crazy in a good way.  My only issue with movies now a days is that the weirder or grosser they are, the 'funnier' they are, and I don't really agree with that.  I miss the days of a comedy without saying derogatory terms or a scene involving everyone throwing up or doing #2 all at the same time.  I'm not saying it didn't happen back in the day, I'm just saying, it wasn't the premise of the movie, or what the writers relied upon for humor.  Overall, I liked it, but could have done without a lot of the nudity and over-emphasis of trying to be funny.  It's a different idea for a movie with a lot of known actors playing new characters.

After the movie was done, I was starving and really looking forward to Chick-Fil-A; especially since it was my first visit to the location that opened up in Hollywood last Summer, and had been over 8 months since the last time I had it.  How I missed my sauces!  Delicious...as usual.

Wish I could have been with my Mom on her Birthday since I was lucky and got to spend it with her last year but I'm sure we'll celebrate when I'm home this Spring with a trip to the Casino...I was just happy to hear she won big at midnight!  Happy Birthday Mom...I love you!

A Typical Auditioning Day in LA?

Thursday was a really exciting day for me because I had 2 auditions and a very busy day ahead!  Randomly, both required swimsuits, and I figured I'd rather have all the swimwear auditions in one day so I can solely concentrate on them.

I always prep for my auditions by making sure I have scripts read and any lines memorized.  I try to get a good night's sleep, and eat healthier for a couple days before, and also try to avoid alcohol for days sometimes even weeks building up to an audition.  Diet is extremely important when it comes to a swimsuit audition, and I'm not the type of person to starve myself, but I make sure I'm getting in a good work out with cardio and strength training so I look good, and that I'm eating healthy meals and avoiding anything that's going to make me feel heavy.  If I'm walking a runway, I want to float!  Other than that, a positive attitude and smile are key components!

My first Audition on Thursday was in Beverly Hills.  I saw a Casting Call looking for models of all heights and sizes who would be auditioning to walk the Runway for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week while wearing swimsuits or lingerie.  My first thought was what an amazing opportunity, and since there was no height requirement, I could actually audition!  I was notified on Tuesday of the audition, and that Janice was going to be present.  I immediately knew that meant Janice Dickinson.  Holy crap.  That woman is a legend, she's been on numerous magazine covers, TV shows, is a queen in the fashion world, and has a very out-going personality.  I was afraid.

I got to the audition at 12:30 pm and there was already a line of girls out the door and it only got longer as time went by.  It was a little chaotic but by 1 pm, cameras were rolling, the judges were ready, and auditions were beginning.  There were girls everywhere in swimsuits, putting on lotion or baby oil, re-applying make-up, flipping their hair, as I stood among them in my blue flowing dress, trying to keep it on as long as possible.  Perhaps this wasn't my best idea?

Janice actually came out and addressed all of us, saying we were fabulous, and she wanted to see everyone, and to please be patient because we were all important.  After almost 2 hours of waiting in my 4 inch heels (and I ran from the parking garage in fear I would be late, which was 4 blocks away), my back was killing me, but it was time to be confident, fabulous, and fun.  I walked into the room, full of excitement and introduced myself.  Why did I want to walk the runway, because I'm from Wisconsin, spunky, fun, appeal to both guys and girls, I'm real, and I blow fire :)  As I did my walk in front of the panel of judges I was shaking and incredibly nervous but continued to smile and give it my all.  Janice even said I had a nice tush, and could tell I worked out, and she thought it looked great (she was all about the booty with everyone else too).  They then commented how I could blow fire down the runway and no one else could do that, very impressive.  They asked my name one more time, as I said, Lyndsey Wegner, I heard the familiar, you're the bionic woman.  I gave a quick wink and walked out of the room.  I was still shaking on the walk to the car and was impressed that I stayed cool in front of some super impressive people.  Whew...I was so glad it was over!

I made a quick stop at home so I could run lines for a little bit and grab a snack and relax for a minute before I was off to my second audition in Hollywood.  Once again had to park super far from the building, and be cautious of parking in Hollywood because it's so easy to get a ticket, and once again I was off running in my 4 inch heels!  I really need to start bringing tennis shoes with me.  I can't say much about the audition other than I was auditioning for a role of a Co-Host for a show on a cable network.  I definitely felt much more confident at this audition and was surrounded by some more down to earth girls which made me feel a little bit more at ease while I was preparing for the audition.  I had changed out of my dress for this audition and was able to keep on my plaid pink button down and black shorts so that was nice as well, while the Casting Director commented on my 'pretty eyes.'  Quite a difference from the first audition, not that I didn't appreciate the first one, just a completely different experience.  I'm really hoping for a call-back on this one!

I guess it's not out of the ordinary to have swimwear auditions, especially in the city of Los Angeles, as it's sunny pretty much year round.  I have to admit, I'd rather memorize a scene and sit in traffic for an hour, than do a swimsuit audition, but I'm just lucky that I have the opportunity to audition for them in the first place, and won't have that forever, so I just have to be thankful for the chance while I have it!

After my second audition I went over to the Arc Light to see a Press Screening of 'Wanderlust'...but more about that in my next blog :)

Dragons, Jersey Shore, Downward Dog, and Music...OH MY!

Oh Monday, the start of the week, and it's going to be busy.  I couldn't be happier!

I headed off to my Audition in Burbank on Monday morning prepared, as a snobby girlfriend, who paraded herself in front of the boys, with a good back-story and everything I needed to rock my audition.  This audition was for '1000 Ways to Die' which I had worked on in 2010, but currently, my episode has yet to air.  I was hoping this time I would be cast, and finally have my Spike TV debut.  After about 10 minutes in the waiting area, I was called in for my audition, which was going to be all improv, and it definitely was!  I looked a little more 'Jersey Shore' than the Casting Director had expected and a quick change was made to my audition, and all my original thoughts and ideas were thrown out the window to be a Reality Star who owned her own Tanning Salon, a-la Snookie.  I think it's weird for my family to think that I could be ethnic looking, as they see me as their 'Little Lyndsey,' who is Irish and German (technically Luxembourg,) while in Hollywood, I could be Middle Eastern like Kim Kardashian, Italian/Spanish looking like Penelope Cruz, the cast of Jersey Shore, or Michelle Rodriguez, and even Jewish, like Mila Kunis or Lizzy Caplan, in which I've heard a reference before.  Needless to say, the quick change flustered me, and I felt like I didn't audition at my best ability.  I am glad to say, it's been a long time since I've felt that way, but frustrated that I was unable to rock the audition like I had planned.

Instead of letting the audition eat away at me all day, I'm lucky it was my day for Yoga.  I went in with a heavy mind and was able to leave a little more at ease with the days events.  After Yoga, I was starving so I went home and cooked up a nice pasta dish and decided on watching 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.'  First off...it took almost an hour to get into the movie for me, which at that point, hit a very graphic turn, and would cause most to turn it off at that point, but sucked me in to find out what was going to happen.  Thank goodness for IMDB, because I was able to follow along on the Plot Analysis, because I felt like the dialogue was very quiet, a little muffled, and hard to understand with the accents, not to mention, all the Swedish names made it confusing as to figure out whom the actors were talking about.  I actually look forward to watching the original movie with the subtitled Swedish.  Overall, I feel it's one of those movies you'll understand and like more as you watch it and more than once, although I think the average person will quickly move on past the graphic scenes as they are terrifying.  I definitely want to see it again, and look forward to the original movie.

So as the day started off rocky, and moved into a peaceful state, and yet again back to a hyper-sensitive state, I went into Venice to see Neil at Trip Bar on Lincoln Blvd.  We got there around 9:30 pm and literally, doubled the amount of people in the only Wine and Beer Bar.  Neil was able to play a full hour set, and while he was overcoming a case of Bronchitis, he rocked it out for a bunch of people that showed up to see him play!  The sound quality in the bar and his vocals were incredible as he played new songs and old, along with a great version of 'More Than a Woman' by the Bee Gee's, and yet finally, my 'Everlong' by the Foo Fighters.  Trip is definitely a great bar to check out local musicians as well as sporting events and new beers!

This weekend literally knocked me out, and I was so glad to crawl into my comfy bed and get a good night's sleep that night...finally :)

My LOVE for Cupcakes!

For those of you who don't know, Cupcakes, are one of my favorite things in the entire world!  They are a great Birthday present, and also, the perfect gift for anytime.  They are thoughtful, sweet, fun, and cute; not to mention, they are the perfect size to eat at any occasion.

Meggan's Superbowl Party was coming up on Sunday, so it was Dessert Time for me.  I usually make cupcakes and decorate depending on the occasion.  Luckily, my errands on Friday led me to Valentine's Day cupcake batter, so it was a Vanilla Cake with red accents.  So there I sat, on Saturday afternoon making my cupcakes.  I had also picked up some white Vanilla Frosting, which I dyed a beautiful shade of blue.  Trust me, it's difficult to get the right shade of Patriot Blue, as I didn't want it to be too bright, so I even added a drop of green and yellow dye, and luckily got a very bright shade of blue.  I knew I could have experimented to get a deep blue, but I had to be overly-cautious, because I didn't have enough time to practice with color.  I ended up with perfectly baked cupcakes and in my opinion, perfect frosting.  I did frost them on my own, because my helper was more interested in eating the frosting and my anal retentiveness, along with my wanting no lines in my frosting, forced me to eventually do the job on my own.   

Meggan had out-done herself with two infused vodka drinks.  The first being a Basil, Jalapeno, and Bacon infused Vodka, and the second being Mango, Watermelon, and Pineapple.  I had to try both, so I started off with a Bloody Mary, perfect for the start of the Football Game, and also perfect for checking out Aaron Rodgers Pre-Game :)  It was super spicy, but kicked off the game!   I switched over to the Fruity Vodka after the first drink and was able to enjoy Shrimp Dip, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, along with a Sausage and Corn Dip which was incredible.  Needless to say, we were all well-fed!

Superbowl 2012 Crew!

Although, the game didn't end the way I wanted it to, (with a Patriots Victory,) I was so glad to be spending time with some great friends.  My only quip...it's a Superbowl Party, if you're not interested in the game, and the invite says, 'Superbowl Party,' be fair to the people who are there to watch the game, and allow them to enjoy it.  As Actors, we all love to see our friends in commercials, and hope we can be there in them someday as well, but as Sports Fans, it's the Superbowl, a once a year event, and darn it, I want to see the game!

So...Go Pack Go!  I expect to see a Packer Victory next Year!

3D Mermaids in Bathtubs

Wow...the end of last week and weekend just flew by, so much in fact I'm going to post multiple blogs today because not only was it a busy weekend but a very creative one at that!

Thursday night I was pleasantly surprised with tickets to see 'Beauty and the Beast' in 3D.  I have never seen a 3D movie so it was something new and exciting for me to experience.  I haven't seen this Disney movie in years, but still remembered most of the lines and all of the songs throughout the show.  It's interesting to think how the designers work on a movie that's been on DVD for almost 20 years and how they make it 3D.  Clearly, it's the new 'it' thing as 'Titanic' will be done later this year, (I'm definitely seeing that) as well as 'Star Wars' being worked on as well.  I think the most obvious 3D effects were the weather conditions as there's a ton of rain throughout the movie, which was really neat to see, and of course I loved the snow.  I didn't feel like it was overly done but had some great touches that enhanced an already great Disney movie!  The only negative aspect of the 3D experience was the 3D butter and white cheddar topping I put on my popcorn...I over-did it, and that's hard for me to say!

Friday was an incredibly busy day because I had 2 auditions, errands, and Karaoke later at night.  My first audition was in Sherman Oaks and was for a bank.  Auditioning for the role of a know-it-all wife, I had to sit in a bathtub while blow-drying my hair, and then was allowed to improv on my last line.  I read 3 times and had a great one-liner, where even the Casting Director said, 'Wisconsin, you're funny.'  Even if I don't get the role, that's compliment enough for me!

Then I was off to Santa Monica for my "Little Mermaid" callback.  I got there early and was able to sing two songs, my original audition song, 'Baby Love' was first.  Then I did a scene from the Disney Movie and felt like I was able to show my range because it was a longer scene so I could show different emotions.  When my audition was done, I asked if there was anything else they wanted to see, and could I sing a different song, perhaps one from "Little Mermaid" and they said yes, so I sang 'Part of Your World.'  I felt my call-back was stronger than my audition!

I ran a couple errands and then met up with my friend Khad for a late lunch/early dinner.  He's Vegan, and always introduces me to new places to check out.  I've become a huge fan of Green Peas thanks to him, and haven't been there in months so I was looking forward to it.  Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations, bummer at the time, but exciting for future visits, so we decided on Vegan LA, for which I had never been.  I had an amazing Thai Curry with Vegetables and Grilled Tofu, which was huge and awesome; I was able to take half of it home with me.  I finished my dinner off with Vegan Carrot Cake.  It was a little dense and not as flavorful as I was hoping, but was still good.

After an incredibly busy day I made my way to Gabe's to Host Karaoke.  At Karaoke, Marcus and I decided to play a little game in which we use a word from our previous song to direct us to our next song.  He chose the word 'Dust' so all his songs had 'Dust' in the title.  My original song was 'Don't Stop' by Fleetwood Mac, so I sang 'Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now' by Jefferson Starship which also kept up with my New Year's Resolution, and then chose 'Never Gonna Give You Up,' by Rick Astley, which is one of my favorite 80's songs, and another new song for me.  Overall, it was a busy and very fun night with visits from good friends!

Even after a long day, I missed one of my favorite girls and talked to her till almost 5 am and headed to bed shortly after.  Good thing her boyfriend lives in my building, and it's just a walk down the hallway to bed for me!

I wouldn't change a day like this for the world.  This is what I am in LA for, to pursue my career in Acting and I couldn't be happier.

Casting & Karaoke

My Current Headshot :)

Once a month I get a Casting Newsletter that always has some useful information for us actors.  It was the 3rd time in a week that I heard or read, your headshot should sell you as a role, it's your advertisement for what you could be.  It sounds pretty basic, but I think sometimes we forget that, we just think if it looks good, then it'll work, but that Casting Director needs to see you as the character they are casting.  Any tips you can get from the CD are always beneficial to your career!  Perhaps I keep coming across this info because I'm getting my new headshot printed very soon and I need to get some feedback on my current headshot?  Opinions?  Could I be one of the girls on '90210', the girl next door, the snobby mean girl, the artsy fashionista?  Rachel or Monica from 'Friends?'  The Girls on '2 Broke Girls?'  Zooey Deschanel's character, Jess, a quirky teacher on the new TV  show 'New Girl?'

Speaking of headshots, I think I'm shooting a new set very soon.  I always say I want to get some Kim Kardashian style headshots and then end up just doing Lyndsey, so one of these days I need to go all out with a smokey eye, lashes, and pumped up lips!  As I spoke to a friend at Karaoke later, she mentioned that my outfit was a headshot I should shoot.  Jeans and boots with a button down, very girl next door, innocent, natural make-up and hair.  The more I thought about it, the better idea it became, because it could sell me as a younger high school age character and just a natural farm girl type which was what worked for me while I was hosting car videos for Power TV.  How I wish I could get a job for the Speed Network and Hosting about working on cars or racing!  Last year I was working for PowerTV and traveling all over the US for Car Shows like SEMA and PRI and it was such a blast with a really fun crew, not to mention, I was the only girl :)  It got me more interested in cars and working on them because it was new territory for me, even though I spent many days in my Dad's Auto Body Shop, helping him wash cars, pressure clean them, even help with changing the oil and sanding my own car so it could be painted. Here's my Hosting Reel for PowerTV!

Last night I Hosted Karaoke at Gabe's after almost a 2 week hiatus.  I really missed my job and my regulars and it was nice to hear that they missed me as well and were interested in how my job went in Spokane, which I was very excited to talk about!  We had another busy night of Karaoke which makes it more fun because the time flies and everyone is ready to sing on their next turn.  Continuing with my Resolution, I tried Mariah Carey's 'Someday,' which was a challenge but fun.  I like to experiment with new songs, and also sing songs I haven't sang in a while like 'Lights' by Journey.  Definitely a very positive day!

Pink & Red Candy Month!

It's the first day of February already!  We're already a month into 2012 and I'm feeling really good about this new year.  I've booked an acting job, taken a more active practice in my mind and body with Yoga, and worked on my communication skills as well as making creativity a part of every day!

I hated Valentine's Day and the weeks leading up to it for years, and I still strongly dislike it, even when I'm in a relationship, because I fear the worst of that particular day.  I'm opening up today about why I've hated it for so long.  In grade school, we did Valentine's Day Candy Grams, and handed out Valentine's Day Cards.  Every year I would get so excited to pick out my design and hand write each and every one for all my classmates, and when it came to the Candy Grams, I would buy one for each classmate or for a couple of my close friends.  I always brought Valentine's Day candy for everyone!  My Mom had always taught me to include everyone and be nice to everyone, and I'm not saying I didn't have my moments or made mistakes, but for the most part, I treated everyone with kindness and a smile.  Unfortunately, some parents didn't teach their children those values, or their children chose their own path and made their own decisions.  Many a year, most of the class would get a Candy Gram, and I would be the sole person left out, same with cards, and invites or parties.  I grew to fear and hate Valentine's Day just because I didn't like feeling left out or alone.  I was left confused as to what made me different from my closest friends who were included in the gifts.  I thought maybe High School would be different, and while our class was bigger, I didn't have to worry about the Candy Grams, nothing good really ever happened on Valentine's Day.  I would come home in tears and my Mom would sit there and comfort me.  I even had a boyfriend break up with me on Valentine's Day in college!

I've had a couple pleasant memories on Valentine's Day, flowers and thoughtful gifts from my awesome college boyfriend, surprises out here in LA from certain creative guys, and even a crush in College who remembered that I had said, 'The only good thing about Valentine's Day is the red and pink candy they sell,' and then on Valentine's Day he had a heart-shaped box filled with red and white candy, and was apologizing to me for not finding pink candy!  Lots of tears that day, and I will never forget that moment :)

While I no longer hate Valentine's Day, it's too strong a word, I don't necessarily look forward to it either.  Perhaps one day, I will have a reason to look forward to it!  For now, I've got my Mom's thoughtfulness, with sending me flowers and candy on February 14th every year, and that's just fine with me!

I hear my sweet tooth calling and it's onto some red heart candy and sweet tarts hearts for me <3