I am nearing the end of my class at The Groundlings and, while I am a little sad to say goodbye to some incredible actors (AJ Prats), I am also excited to keep moving forward.  I will be forever grateful to Scotty (Donovan Scott), one of the most incredible improv teachers EVER, I have found the classes at Groundlings to also be wonderful.  Of course, things are always slightly different depending on the people you are “working/playing” with, but we’ve had some great camaraderie and it’s been loads of fun!  Hopefully, one day ya’ll see me in the Sunday Company

"The Crew"

Is this really the "best" pose I could come up with?

Only in Hollywood can you book a commercial for a network where the criteria was to make a huge fool of yourself!   The audition asked me to act like I had won a million dollars.  Well…what would you do?  I threw in a bit of the running man, a little booty shaking and of course a couple of toe touches for good measure.  It was actually a ton of fun and I felt so incredibly stupid that the laughing came naturally.  Way to go, we shoot tomorrow and I get another paycheck – boo ya!

The Disney/Milk commercial was a lot of fun!  While they don’t tend to pay a whole heck of a lot of money, it’s a great way to practice and it’s fun being part of a team for the day.  I’m not going to lie though, I had the most difficult time with one of my lines.  Sometimes it’s the most simple thing in the world that thows you off.  No sweat though, we got the footage we needed and I can’t wait to see the finished product!

My "kids"

A few exciting things that I’m excited to tackle this month are:

I auditioned and was accepted into The Groundlings.  I start next week and will be going two days/week.  It’s a lot of class time but I’m looking forward to learning more.  A lot of really talented and super funny actors have gone through this school people like: Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Chris Kattan, Lisa Kudrow and many others so lets just hope that I can keep the momentum going.  It’s a great place to study and they offer multiple opportunities for industry people to watch the shows .  I still love my “original” improv teacher, Donovan Scott, but it’s always good to be uncomfortable so that you can grow.  I suppose I actually “started” my improv training with the Groundlings back in Seattle because I used to do improv workshops with Gary Austin when he’d come up to Seattle for the weekend.  Gary actually founded the Groundlings here in LA so it’s sort of like I’ve come full circle

Also, I started my class with Bob Lambert from All My Children and he is absolutely fantastic.  He took a lot of time with each actor, filmed us and gave us excellent feedback.  This class/workshop will continue for the next several weeks so I am excited to learn more.  I also have a workshop with Dorian Frankle tonight from Curb Your Enthusiasm so let’s hope it goes well!

That’s it for now….the next big job is out there waiting for me to find it! Gotta scoot.

I guess Disney is the one shop in town that seems to really have a shine to me, which I’ll take.  I just booked a commercial for “Milk” via Disney and guess what….I play a mom again!  Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something (fat chance mom). 

In any event, I was actually feeling a little discouraged because I’d been put on “hold” several times before for Disney and while I book a decent amount, it was getting frustrating.  Being put on “hold” means that you should hold a specific date on your calendar because the decision making process is down to you(me) and another person or two.  The odds of booking are fairly strong and so I’ve been known to let my hopes get ahead of the actual job only to find out that I didn’t actually book the job.  Nonetheless, the persistence and Saturday auditions (that’s right, Saturday morning) paid off. 

I think I’ll use the cash to buy some tile for the bathroom surround in our shower or…(gasp) maybe I’ll buy a new lens for my camera.  I am thrilled and have to remember that these small bookings are eventually going to lead to something bigger.

For all of you wondering if I booked the Hannah Montana gig…I think it’s safe to say that it’s a “no”.  I am disappointed of course but met Carol Goldwasser and Andrew Green (one of the producers) and they were fantastic and just very nice people.  I also think Richard Meltzer is a gem too and just count my blessings that I got called in at all.

One of these days, they are going to hire me for a recurring role   Until then, I’ll keep on keeping on.

xo

I think I mentioned that I started doing casting director workshops last month.  I figure that I’ve beentaking classes and preparping myself for auditions and I’d like to get myself in front of some people who can actually hire me.  I was a little reluctant at first but after my first workshop with Sherie Hernandez at Act Now and receiving good feedback, I thought it was worth my time and my money. 

I signed up for two more through Actors Key.  One with Howard Meltzer who casts Hannah Montana (an AFTRA show) and one with Deanna Andrews (The Bold and Beautiful).  I received excellent feedback again and hold onto your hats….was called in on Thursday to audition for the role of Sharon on Hannah Montana.  Wait, it gets even better – - I got called back again on Friday to read for the producers! 

It was a great experience and Carol Goldwasser and the producer, Andrew Green, were very very nice.  They truly seemed to be on the actors side.  They were encouraging and kind to me and this was such a blessing and a great way to end the week!  I am pleased that the casting director workshop was helpful in helping me with this opportunity.  At least now I know that they are not a waste of money.  Of course, I’d love to get the part but feel encouraged and fortunate that I made it this far.  The one thing I keep learning about the business, like most things in life, you have to create your own opportunities….no one is going to do it for you!

Disney, AKA “the Mouse” hired me for another commercial that will film this Thursday!  You’ll be surprised to learn that I am again playing a mom in a Sara Lee commercial.  Let’s hope I get some quality air time! 

I also had a great meeting with Coast to Coast Talent last week.  I spoke with theatrical agent, Amber, and she was very warm, kind and constructive.  I am certain that there are many brunette women in this town, like myself, who have more credits than I do yet, I have to believe that there is definitely an agent out there who will see me and my potential and want to take a “chance” on me.  I know that my work ethic is unparalleled and I believe my acting chops are good esp. after spending the past two years seriously honing my craft. 

I remain optimistic and believe everything will work out for the best.  Look, I’ll level with y’all – - in light of the recent tragedies in Haiti, my needs are not important and I am just thankful to be living in LA and making a go of it in an industry that I love and with a loving husband by my side.

One thing about the “biz” is that you have to keep current photos.  This means that I often find myself in need of lots of photos but I don’t have lots of money.  It’s all a balancing act in regards to money.  You see, I don’t want to skimp on a photo but I also have a difficult time justifying this expense – - at least until I start raking in the cash.

Over the last few months, my agents at Wilhelmina have been asking me to get some updated photos for my zed card.  A zed card is like an extra large postcard that you take to castings to give to the casting director.  On this card you should list your stats (height, sizes, coloring, agency information) and it’s nice to have several photos on it that offer a wide range of “looks” for the casting director to review.  In addition to these “zed” cards for my print auditions, I also needed to get a new headshot for my commercial and theatrical auditions as well.  The images I currently have are good and I love them but my hair has grown and it’s been a little over a year and so I figured I would try to squeeze a couple of these shots into the shoot as well. 

Lucky for me, I have a great old friend who used to also live in Seattle and she is a fantastic photographer who now lives in LA and is a full-time rockin photographer!  Paige Craig is rad!  She has such a keen eye for lighting and a great personality (not to mention an amazing camera and lens – I totally checked out her gear now that I’m a budding photographer myself   Paige actually did our engagement photos over 7 years ago in Seattle and she always delivers excellent work.   I can’t wait to show ya’ll the final pics but here are a few of my favorites!  I’ll post my “headshots” in a later post. Enjoy!  

This is likely a much longer entry but some exciting things that I’m grearing up for are as follows:

1.  More Casting Director Workshops – -Jeff Greenburg (casts Modern Family and did all the casting for Cheer, Eli Stone, and many more) on the 12th.  I’m also working my soap angle and going to do a workshop with the casting director for the Bold & the Beautiful.  I should also note that my feedback from my first workshop with Sherie Hernandez (she does the casting for Melrose Place and 100 Questions for Charlotte Payne) was awesome!   She gave me written feedback that said I was “hilarious” so we’ll see if I ever get a chance to show the rest of the world. 

2.  On hold for a hidden camera show for the Game Show Network “a la Punk’d”  Filming would begin end of January and would be SO much fun!

3.  Big meeting with a great agent next Thursday the 7th - – fingers crossed!

4.  Filming the next episode of Judith and Judis

That’s it for now.  I know there is more but you’ll just have to wait

I’ve been filming the pilot, Buskers, for a couple of weekends and I think it’s going to turn out really well.  Not only do I think the idea and stories behind these street performers/buskers is compelling, Michael, the producer/creator, is a great guy who is a consummate professional and is very talented.  I mean, he has a great eye too – -he cast me   tee hee.  Saturday morning/afternoon we met in Hollywood to shoot a few of my stand-ups and then moved over to Griffith Park, which was a nice setting for my interview with Silvio the magician. 

Silvio is an incredibly talented magician!  I won’t give his whole story away but he actually enrolled in magic school in Germany when he was only ten years old!  Who even knew there was such a thing.  It’s fascinating hearing about the journey he has gone through and I love this about the show.  All I have left to complete is some voice-over work in the sound booth and then Michael will edit it and shop it around to the networks.  Here’s hoping and praying that they love it and they love me as the host! 

You can find out more via the website www.buskerstv.com  for more updates, production status, etc…

Wrapping up the day on Hollywood Blvd with Producer/Creator, Michael White