GREY’S Anatomy and more

Posted on February 26, 2009

Well that casting director workshop with Linda Lowy has paid off.  Not literally just yet, but I’m sure hoping!  I had an audition for a Co-Star role on Grey’s Anatomy this morning!  I found out about it last night, and then went in for a read at 9:45am.  It went really well, and the casting director…not Linda Lowy…John Brace…asked me to hang out at the commissary until 10:30am.  I went back in and read for the producer, director, and Linda 45 minutes after my first session.  It went great.  They cracked up after I finished.  Linda remembered me and we joked around a bit.  She said she was glad to see me and that she was happy to be a bridge for my career.  Pretty cool, huh?

The only downside (if you can even call it that) is that the other two guys up for the same role seemed to be best buds with all of the casting assistants and associates.  But in the end, it’s the director and producer that decide based on the performance…hopefully.  And it’s in God’s hands, anyway.  I truly did my best.

The ER audition rocked pretty hard core, too.  We were put in groups of 3.  My “mom” and “wife” and me.  The two of them had a really long scene, and I entered with my 2 lines at the end.  There were 5 groups, so 5 of us guys, and I’m guessing that whoever gets the mom role will need a son that resembles her.  How incredible would it be if I booked that, huh?  Daggum Marilu Henner was in there reading for the mom role!  Could I pass as her son?  No word yet, but my agent still has hope since it’s a 2 hour episode.  Casting takes a lot longer.

I also had a callback for that D-Wade T-Mobile spot on Monday.  It went well, I guess, but I was way too stoked about ER to care.  It’s usually that “I don’t care/confidence” that gets you the gig.  But it was shooting today, so maybe not.

I had a Heinekin audition on Wednesday that went great.  It would air in Europe only.  And then I had a VO for a superhero cartoon.  So all in all, a damn exciting week.  I really hope something comes from ER and Grey’s.  How bout both?  Why not?  As long as we’re dreaming, why not dream big!?!?

I should also mention again that I’m VERY excited about opening my musical, Makin’ Hay this weekend!!!  I hope you can make it to one of the performances.  It runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, February 27-April 5th.  Again, there are half-price tickets available on goldstar.com, plays411.com, and lastagealliance.com

Thanks for reading!  I’m pretty aghast, humbled, and thankful for all of this recent activity.  Keep thinking good thoughts, praying, and checking back!  I’ll keep you posted.

E.R. Trauma and D-Wade

Posted on February 20, 2009

Hey there peoples!  So, I was a little cranky after getting so close with two commercial avails last week and not having either one of them come through.  But there’s nothing that can turn that frown upside down like a little more hope.  I have a theatrical audition for the series finale of E.R. on Monday!!!  It’s just 2 lines, but I consider it a HUGE opportunity.  I mean, E.R. is like the old man of doctor shows.  I would say granddaddy, but there’s also St. Elsewhere and General Hospital to contend for that title.  But look what it did for Clooney.  The possibilities are endless, right?  Needless to say, I really hope I get it, and would appreciate some great thoughts and prayers on Monday around 3pm.

I also had a T-Mobile audition yesterday for Liz Paulson at 200 S. La Brea that went great!  I got to play the schlubby honkey who is terrible at basketball but loves to play.  A la Philip Seymour Hoffman in Along Came Polly.  Right up my alley because I completely suck at basketball and actually loathe the sport because of my deficient skills.  Nevertheless, I am a pro at making an ass of myself, and so this looks to be right up the ol’ alley.  It’s a bunch of talentless goofs trying to have moves like Dwyane Wade.  They post a Youtube video of it as a means to trash talk him.  Only they are awful in it, and one dude (me, maybe) actually injures himself in the attempt.

Voice over has picked back up.  I had a reading for Burger King and one for the new Monsters vs. Aliens video game this week, and I have one for a new Fox pilot today.  I’m finding out more and more about looping, and would love to find one of those groups to join.  Apparently, it’s impossible to break into because the money is so great.  Loop groups are voice actors who give voices to, for instance, all the couples in the background of a restaurant scene in a film.  You probably (like me) just thought it was ambient sound, but those are actually real conversations mixed to a lower and somewhat indiscernible level.

The musical, Makin’ Hay, is going pretty well too.  Everyone is just trying to stay healthy.  We go into tech tomorrow.  That’s where all the singing and dancing gets thrown into the mix with lights and an actual band.  Stuff like that.  It’s pretty tedious, but it has to be done, obviously.  I’m excited about opening!  There is some REALLY funny stuff in it.  Hope you can come.  We open February 27th and run on weekends until April 5th. Shoot me an email through the contact page if you want to get tickets.  They may have some deals going on in a week or so.  Have a great weekend!

AVAIL for COX Communications!!!

Posted on February 13, 2009

Okay, so, wow.  I just spewed my guts about how pissed I was that I didn’t get that Miller Lite spot, and now I’m on avail for Cox Communications.  This stuff is so crazy.  But at least you guys are on the roller coaster with me.

So, needless to say, I feel a bit better, there’s some silver lining on the clouds. (I have no clue what that cliche means, by the way.)  Hope is always great, isn’t it?  Hope drives people to risk it all for love, to pursue their dreams, and basically is the fuel for anything good we have in the world.  Hope is AWESOME!  And now my hope tank just got filled up again.  So once more unto the breach dear friends.  (I do know that one, it’s Shakespeare. Henry V)

This spot is pretty hilarious.  My “wife” is shopping and asks me to hold her little dog while she tries on an outfit.  I then cradle the dog like it’s a football, strike a Heisman pose, do an endzone dance, and then point out to the crowd while my wife looks on in disbelief.  It’s an ad for their DVR.  “Do you like sports?”  Something to that effect.  But I love making an ass of myself so this would be great.  Not to mention refuel my jets from the Miller Lite no go.

But hey, we could get swamped on this one too.  Not to be bleak, but realistic.  However, I’ll keep hope.  I hope you will too, no pun intended.  It’s more fun that way.

Thanks again for reading.  I felt so much better seeing emails and comments and facebook posts from you guys.  Stay tuned to see what goes down, and thanks for letting me live out loud.  Okay, so that sounds kinda lame…

Released from Miller Lite

Posted on February 12, 2009

And then there’s the totally crappy days in the life of an actor when you get completely rejected.  This actually happens quite a bit.  I realize that most of the content on this site is happy and hopeful.  It is my idealistic thinking that some agent or manager is gonna visit the site, and if I have some hard truth (about rejection, we’ll say) in it, then they’ll shy away.  No one wants to back a ship that may even have the chance of sinking.  L.A. is so weird that way.

So here’s the hard truth.  This sucks eggs sometimes.  It gives your soul a good battering.  I can tell myself all day that it has nothing to do with talent, that I’ve had so many successes, and even that I’ve got a callback today for another spot (Cox Communications).  None of it really helps.  But, there are some days when I can take rejection quite well.  I realize that there is more to life.  That I live for different ideals and purposes than just the “bigger, better, more” mentality of most in our culture.

And to be honest, this spot had nothing to do with talent.  I didn’t even say anything.  It was all based on look.  And then my inner girl comes in and says it’s because Miller LITE doesn’t want a schlubby dude in their spot.  They want people to think that they will actually get skinny if they drink their beer.

I realize that people are losing jobs, our economy sucks and all of that.  What do I have to bitch about?  And I don’t want this to come across as a complaint.  It’s not.  I know the deal.  I knew the deal going in.  But there’s an underbelly that I wanted to share.  The shadow I wanted to expose.  And, to be honest, even writing these few paragraphs has been cathartic.

Thanks for listening, as always.  I’ve always wanted this to be a place where people could share in the good times and the bad.  So, chin up.  We’ll get ‘em next time.  And what doesn’t kill us…..oh good grief.

Miller Lite AVAIL!!!

Posted on February 10, 2009

I’m on avail for the Miller Lite spot!  Oh man, this would seriously be a dream come true.  I have wanted a beer ad for so long.  I hope I’m one of the 1st choices and not just a runner-up guy.  Wardrobe fittings are Friday, so if we don’t hear anything by then it’s probably a no go.  Which, of course, is a possibility.  Think great thoughts and say some prayers for me!

I went to a casting director workshop last night.  A casting director workshop is where you pay money to audition in front of a casting director and ask them questions about their side of the industry.  I saw Linda Lowy and she was really incredible.  I was a little nervous, and I had to go first, which totally sucked.  I made all the mistakes that everyone else could learn from and correct in their own reads.  I just get too big and actor-y sometimes.  It comes from theatrical training.  I’ve just gotta be conscious of toning it down a bit for Film and T.V.  I’m sharing this because it is an honest look at myself as an artist.  It’s my Achilles’ heel, and something I need to always be conscious of.  Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity to read for her and hopefully I’ll maintain this relationship, she’ll call me in to read for her, and some roles will follow.  Sometimes these people can be totally nuts.  She was one of the kindest, most well-spirited people I’ve ever met.  Just totally open to us.  All in all it was a great experience.

L.A. Rain. Tastes Great. Less Filling.

Posted on February 6, 2009

Hello there friends!  Thanks for checking in on me, as always.  I’ve had a busy week.  My show, Makin’ Hay, is midway through the rehearsal process.  It’s so much fun!  The people are so great to work with.  Sometimes you get a lot of divas and pretentious boobs in the theatre, but these folks are really the bees knees.  It’s a lot to juggle…singing, acting, dancing.  I’ve never really been a musical guy, but I’m having a blast, and I think the show is gonna be pretty daggum good.

I’ve got a callback today for Miller Lite!  I’ve always wanted a beer commercial because they usually air a lot, and, well, I like beer.  You have to be 25 to even audition for beer.  I moved to L.A. when I was 22.  There were 3 years of anticipation there.  Bud Light or Miller Light?  Which would it be?  I was just certain that on my 25th birthday the beer people would be rushing to cast me.  I look like a good ol’ boy who likes beer, right?  Well, here I am 28 and I can’t even get a PBR spot. (I love PBR, by the way, and I thought it made a good joke.  In actuality, I would rather have a PBR spot than any other…come to think of it, I’ve never even seen a PBR…oh, nevermind.)  So send up some good thoughts for me around noon today.

VO has been pretty quiet.  I didn’t go out at all last week.  First time in 3 years.  But I’ve got a couple today.  One for Boston Market at I-7, and then an Interactive (video game) at Hollywood and La Brea.  And then on to rehearsal.  I’m thankful to be busy and to have so many opportunities.  I’m also thankful for the rain in L.A.  It slows traffic to a crawl, but it’s great to fall asleep listening to it!

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