Thursday, August 26, 2010

"Acting" vs. "Reality"

On set this week I was having a conversation with a friend about acting. It was a progression after my new agent and what I should do about pictures. She said that I as an "actor" it didn't matter anymore in the world of entertainment that now exists. Because of the glut of reality television and all the celebrities who are famous for being famous, i.e. virtually nothing, that an actor like myself had lost any edge in the entertainment industry. Because of all these "real" people acting is kind of moot.

Actors don't matter because everyone is equal in this polyglot miasma of cable, internet, television, youtube, etc. Everyone, no matter how untalented, is the same as someone who studied acting at Juliard. All you have to do is capture the imagination of the audience.

But what captures the audience? What creates a celebrity? Bad behavior, treating people like shit. Generally behavior that would be squelched if you were in kindergarten. Tantrums and an overwhelming sense of entitlement does not make someone talented. It makes them a brat.

Is anyone ever going to want to see some idiot from Jersey Shore do any acting of real substance? The situation doing Hamlet? I don't think so. What are they? They are the unbridled ego, the bad behavior that we all, at some point, would like to do. If there were no consequences or just plain didn't give a shit about being arrested for drunken disorderly. The exec producers of Bones were thinking of having the situation do a guest spot as a dead body on the show. But they decided against it. I don't know, but I doubt he could play a dead person believably.

How many reality TV shows have come along in the last 10 years and the cast becomes the media darling of the moment? A lot. Do you remember any of them? I don't. As far as reality TV goes, the Real Housewives of Wherethefuckever are never going to be watched by me.

Has entertainment changed? Yes. Youtube and the internet have created stars that then move to mainstream conciousness. But are they really that good? Justin Beiber anyone? If his voice were in the body of a 16 year old 5 foot tall 350 pound kid with bad acne, would he be famous? Probably not. The thing Youtube does is give a format for anyone to be seen. There are probably a billion videos on the website. So for anything to get noticed is small, and from what I have seen, most of it is crap.

It's arrogant, but I'd like to think as an actor I am not equal to all the idiots on the Jersey Shore. Or any reality show people. I'd like to think training and talent will set me apart somehow.

I may be wrong. But think of this in the days before the Emmy awards; if reality TV is really real, why does the Emmys have a category for writers of reality TV?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

View From The Monkey House

I'm finding jury duty to be something like being in a monkey house. I'm trapped in a box looking out. I want to throw my feces (hereafter called shit), or maybe I can borrow some shit to throw, at the other monkeys outside the box. The monkeys outside the box are the lawyers for both the plantiff and defense.

The really annoying thing is the monkeys outside the box are throwing shit at each other and the witnesses. It would be funny if the whole situation weren't so fucking annoying. The lead plantiff monkey is the most bothersome. Asking the same question 4 different ways. It seems the game is to make the witness say what you are trying to get them to say so they support your position. This tactic happens on both sides.

Since it would be improper to throw shit at them (I'd have to produce or procure shit to throw) I'd like to throw other things. Ninja throwing stars; small, pissed off, vicious animals; cluster bombs. Yes, yes, all these things would be very impractical and 2 of the 3 I wouldn't be able to get passed the metal detectors. But, WOW, I'm hating the experience.

I don't think I can ever look at another John Grisham novel or movie again. That's just not the way anything in the real justice system seems to happen. Fucker.

Monday, August 16, 2010

33 years ago today

Elvis Presley died. An unnecessary death. He died at age 42.

I've been a fan of his since I was a little kid. An Elvis geek, really. I actually saw him perform in Tempe Arizona March 23, 1977. The tickets cost $15 for th nose bleed seats. It was cool. I still remember some things about the concert quite clearly. It's a good memory.

When I work concerts sometimes I'll chat with the roadies. Some have been doing this type of work for decades. If I say I saw Elvis they always ask about it. That type of thing is legend.

He died an icon. He died a legend. But ultimately he died a man. As all of us eventually do.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles


I'm stuck doing jury duty in downtown LA. The Courthouse is catty corner across the street from the Disney Concert Hall. This is where we are parking for our jury service.

Now I have seen pictures of it in movies, in the paper. I remember the big deal that was made about this building when it was first opened. I got to admit I wasn't too impressed. I'd only seen pictures or drove by it.

Well, today after I finished lunch in the cafe of the Disney hall I walked around the outside of the joint. From the street you see soaring sheet metal waves. It's impressive, but honestly the outside is about 1/10th of the building. It has very cool shape and curves and surprising little nooks and crannies that look out over the structure itself or downtown Los Angeles. In one area is a small outdoor ampitheatre with really good acoustics.

In a small nook there was a sign made from post-its instructing you to "Kiss Me Here." It was interesting and kind of sweet.

The structure is covered in brushed stainless steel over most of it. In some areas there is mirror like steel so you can see yourself walking by it very clearly. In some areas you can see the structure that holds the thousands of stainless steel sheet in place. And if you pay attention you can see the numbering system used to place the plates. I saw #4816 in one place. So sheathing this building is thousands of individually numbered sheets. What poor architect had to number all the sheets on some drawing, and describe the dimensions and angles so they could mill the metal? The construction is amazing compared to your standard building. Nothing about this building is standard.

Amazing. Simply amazing. I'm going to take a lunch hour and do the self guided tour with the dulcet tones of John Lithgow telling me about the building.

I'm going down there with my camera to take pictures. I think if Monet were alive he would paint multiple versions of it to document the changes of light for different times of the day.

Monday, August 9, 2010

How To Survive Jury Duty Selection

It seems the only sure way out of jury duty is death. I imagine you need a doctor's note to prove you are no longer among the breathing. The Court would not take you at you non-existent, silent word.

There is an air of "I don't fucking want to be here" in the room that was almost palpable. Or maybe it just radiated all from me. Sometimes it was tough to tell as I certainly didn't want to be there. There are many places I don't want to be, but most have something to do with abject poverty and an inability to understand the language.

Anyway, Survival.

You need something to do. As very few people strike up a conversation with another juror, you need something to occupy your time. A book, magazine or newspaper is good. An electronic device; iphone, ipad, ipod, computer or DVD player. Though with the ipad you need to hold it up as it plays videos.

Julia Child's cookbook and a whole duck to prepare would consume a lot of time, though getting it all thru security and the x-ray machine would be tricky. The sharp kitchen utensils would not be allowed. And if you were able to fully dress a duck, what would you do with it? By the time you were able to get it into an oven 7-9 hours later you would have to be concerned with food poisoning. So I guess a duck, while entertaining is quite impractical as a diversion

Okay. That's it for survival. It seems that jury duty is something you must begrudgingly endure. Like leaf blowers or long flights in cramped seats. The only way out is to be dead or a felon. But how big of a felony? If you fill out the jury duty form untruthfully, it's against the law. But is that a felony big enough to keep you from doing jury duty? Hmmm...

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Republican Ads

UNTITLED POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENTS
Commercial NON-UNION
Usage: Web
6 spots


SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY BY 10AM WEDNESDAY

Rate: $100/half day Rate: $250/full day FOR THE ROLES OF NANCY PELOSI LOOKALIKE AND CLORIS LEACHMAN LOOKALIKE IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE SUBMIT ACTOR'S ONLINE DEMO CLIPS ALONG WITH EACH ACTOR
SUBMISSION.NOTE: Please make sure to google images of all the look-alike roles to ensure you submit appropriately!

Young Frankenstein Characters:
[ FRAU HARMON]Cloris Leachman lookalike
[ MONSTER]tall, big man
Why No Debate Characters:
[ 3 REPORTERS ]male reporters looking late 20's - mid 40's

The Wrath aka Star Trek Characters:
[ CAROL ]early 40's, blonde, mother, fairly attractive
[ SPOCK]Leonard Nimoy type
[ NANCY PELOSI LOOK ALIKE ]$250/day

Wicked Witch of the West Characters - must be able to do an imitation of them:
[ SCARECROW ]...
[ TIN MAN ]...
[ LION ]...
[ DOROTHY ]...

The World Has Had Enough/Pelosi Royalle Characters:
[ WOMAN DANCER ]sexy young woman
[ M ]Judi Dench type
[ Q ]original older man type
[ BARTENDER ]female, mid 20's
[ MINI NANCY PELOSI (LITTLE PERSON)]able to bug her eyes out. SUBMIT LITTLE PEOPLE.
[ CHARLIE RANGLE - LOOK ALIKE ]slight heavyset African American with salt and pepper hair, bushy eyebrows and moustache
[ HARRY REID - LOOK ALIKE ]grey haired distinguished older gentleman with glasses
[ MAXINE WATERS - LOOK ALIKE ]late 50's African American woman
[ HENRY WAXMAN - LOOK ALIKE ]balding with grey hair along temples, big ears, grey moustache, glasses

Saving Cloris Leachman:
[ LATINA WOMAN ]20 - 30 yrs., very pretty, speaks Spanish
[ LITTLE KID ]10 - 13 yrs. (think of Billy Mummy in that old Twilight Zone episode)

Above is a casting notice from Friday August 6, 2010. Just from the roles I deduced they are Republican ads. Notice: Non-union, and how little they are paying. I bet this will be a fucking hatchet job.

This is what politics have become. Isn't it sad? I'm sure this happens on both sides. What happened to debate? What happened to cogent thinking? This is politics as built by the Glenn Becks of the world. Slander and mockery.

Bullshit. Just plain Bullshit.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Prop 86'd

Prop 8 was overturned by a judge in San Francisco. In anticipation of a decision, both sides had prepared suits to appeal in the 9th circuit court if they didn't like the outcome of the decision. It's to be expected that something fought so passionately over by both sides would be going further. Probably all the way to the Supreme Court.

The Prop 8 supporters were on the radio almost immediately saying that the lifestyle was a choice. Many lesbians were molested as children. Most gay men were initiated into the lifestyle by older gay men. Blah Blah Blah.

Since I'm generally curious about things, I have asked some of my gay friends if they always knew they were gay or did it happen later. Most always knew they were gay. Some figured it out later and felt like they finally figured out who they were. So the assertion, usually the religious right, that it's a choice, is wrong.

I hope this decision stands. The legal grounds upon which the decision was made by the judge seem pretty solid to me, but I'm not a constitutional scholar. Though now radio and TV talking heads will have "activist judges" to clamor about. That should be amusing watching steam come out of their red, shaking, livid faces.

Gay marriage harms no "traditional marriage."

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Soapbox Derby

There's a commercial on TV lately that reminds me of when I was a kid. It's this kid who makes a car for a soap box derby. His dad tells him to do his best. The kid sees the other kid's car, a slick, tricked out race car obviously not made by a child. The boy's blocky car wins the race and the boy goes home happy having learned pride in doing something himself...

I was in Cub Scouts when I was in 3rd grade. They had a soap box derby competition in my troop. You were given a piece of wood and a set of wheels to make the car out of and guidelines for what was allowed. My dad said the same thing as the one on the commercial. I should do the work myself. He would help if I came to a problem.

Since I was a pretty self sufficient kid that was fine with me. My dad didn't have a tool shop or many power tools and, well, I was maybe 8 years old. Power tools are dangerous if in the wrong hands. So I set about making my car. I don't have a picture of it, but it was just as blocky or maybe more so than the one in the commercial. I painted it blue, gave it the #9 and thought it looked cool.

When I got to the derby that night I saw what the other kids had done with their cars. They had sleek sports cars that were one step away from being formula 1 cars. Oh, but wait, they did all the work themselves. The word "bullshit!" would have popped out of my mouth if I had known it at the time. All the other kids cars were made by the dads. On the underside of one car I remember seeing a space carved out and filled with lead shot to add weight to the car to make it go faster. It was epoxyed in to keep it in place. This was within the guidelines for the manufacture of the car. But I knew the kids didn't do it. My car looked like it was made by a kid. These were not.

I lost every race I was in. Badly. I don't remember who won. It doesn't matter. It did teach me that people don't necessarily follow the rules. And sometimes they win. I still am pretty self sufficent, but now have mad skills. Funny what a simple commercial can stir in the memory.

Just because the game is fixed doesn't mean you shouldn't play.