Bonus Tuesday!

I took yesterday off. I'm sure you were wondering where the Imminent Stardom update was as you woke on Memorial Day with nothing to do, and when you realized that there was no update, I'm certain that you wailed to the heavens in your grief. And then you got a bowl of cereal and forgot all about it. Well, faithful reader, because bloggers get to take holidays off, too, I didn't update yesterday. And therefore, you get an update today. Hooray!

I saw Revenge of the Sith yesterday, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I decided to ignore Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman and focus on the parts of the movie that really worked, like how gosh darn fun it was. The first two movies in the prequel had definitely lost the fun of the original trilogy, but I feel like this one got it back. And I loved all the moments that foretold the future that we already know, or things that we watched happen in Ep. 4, 5, and 6. And that sentence is really vague, I know, but I'm only halfway through my coffee and still waiting for the engine that is my brain to turn over.

Speaking of turning over, regular classes at Zenon are done for this session, which means that my ISP is over. Which means I have to pay for class again. With money or workstudy hours. I have a small stash of workstudy hours leftover from the fall, but they won't last all summer. I suppose I won't really have time for many classes anyway, so I'm not going to worry about it.

As for happenings in the world of acting, there aren't many these days. I'm supposed to be learning my lines for Our Town, and I'm getting there - the first act is done - but I've got to get crackin' this week and finish the rest of the play. I've had numerous auditions in the past month (I don't really want to count them exactly because it would probably depress me) and I've only gotten one job out of them. One. I know that that's the business, but last year this time I was booking jobs left and right, and now...now not so much. I don't think I'm doing anything differently, I think that the market doesn't need someone who looks like me right now, except for for industrials, and even then, I can't be in every single one. The business ebbs and flows, and I just have to get used to it.

Titles are annoying.

It looks like I'll have some work next fall in addition to my HPC shows and the possibility of two dance pieces to be performed sometime in the late summer/early fall. All this work falling into my lap is flattering, but I have to be careful about getting lazy. I haven't been trolling the audition notices like I should be, and I think I've missed out on a few film opportunities because of it. Nonetheless, it's not like I'm free this summer anyway. Or next fall, for that matter.

I took three dance classes today and I've never done that before. My body is feeling it now and cursing me. My thighs feel as though someone's been beating them with their fists. Sore sore sore. I took an hour of my hour and a half ballet class this morning, had a meeting, ate lunch, walked by the river, got caught in the rain, dried off, went to afro modern, decided to stay for intermediate modern (d'oh!) because Ariel was teaching, drove home, got Wendy's, took a loooooong bath, washed my hair, and now I'm ready for bed. Hooray for bed!

Living and Learning (that's so lame, but I couldn't think of anything else)

Yesterday I did something that I have since vowed I will never do again: I worked for peanuts. Well, not literally peanuts, but for a sum much less than I normally receive for on camera work. And, oddly enough, it was for the same outfit that bamboozled me last time with a tiny paycheck for a lot of work. Apparently, this is what happens when I don't fully think things through.

I got a call on Tuesday from an old co-worker asking for a favor, would I do this taping for them, I'd be paid by the hour, and they'd really appreciate it. I told her I'd call her back and think about it. I didn't really think, except that I wanted to help old friends out of a pickle. So I agreed. But then I started really considering what I had agreed to. The station that would be airing the show said they were going to play it five times, but according to the release that we all had to sign, they could play it anywhere in the world at anytime for the rest of my life and they wouldn't have to pay me or anyone else anything for it. I held off signing the release because I wanted to ask them just how they were going to use the footage, but in the end I realized that I was committed, like it or not, and that I had no choice or say - this time around - in how and how much I was to be paid for my time.

I'm not sorry that I was able to help my old co-worker, but I know now that I will not do anything like this again. It may sound snobbish to say that, but it's not really a matter of being a snob or not, it's a matter of protecting the business that is me. Being a professional on camera actor is what I do, and I can't give away what I do for a pittance just because it's an opportunity to be on camera. Someone who owns a retail store wouldn't give away their inventory for free just because someone asked them nicely (unless they're not a very good businessperson). My time and my expertise (heh) are my inventory. So in order to not lose the farm, I have to be more careful about what I agree to do. And if they had asked me to do it pro bono, I might have been happy to volunteer my time. Doing something for free feels good; doing something for peanuts feels insulting.


Anyway, onward. I have a dentist appointment in half and hour and then an audition. Must get going.

Ciao.

Down and Up Again in 48 Hours

Well, another weekend has come and gone, and I still don't feel like I actually had a weekend. I don't think they really exist in my life. I've probably said this before, but I pretty much work 24-7 on something or other. If I'm not actually making money, I'm doing something that is somehow related to generating more work for myself so that I can make some money. And if I'm not actually doing anything to try to get myself more work, I'm thinking about all the things I need to accomplish or schedule in order to keep myself sane so that I can continue to work. I don't think I relax even when I'm sleeping: I dreamt about doing a Target industrial a few weeks ago.

I had two auditions this weekend, on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's audition did not go well. I didn't even get a callback. I said to myself after I left that I would be surprised if they did call me back, and now I'm not surprised. Driving away from the audition and back to Zenon to go to class, I knew I hadn't done as well as I could have, hadn't connected with the character or made really strong choices. That's a depressing thought for an actor whose only income comes from being able to audition well and land roles, whether they're on camera or on stage. I decided to skip out of ballet after the barre section because I felt so crappy about it.

I don't usually react that way when I know I've had a so-so audition. Most of the time I audition and then forget about it so that I can be pleasantly surprised when I'm cast. I think I'd built the possibility of doing the show up in my mind to such a degree that I'd put all my autumn hopes on it. And then I didn't even get a callback. That's painful.

However, I got a call on Friday afternoon to audition for a rather larger theatre company on Sunday, and even if nothing comes of it, I feel like I redeemed myself during that one. It's nice to know that someone didn't cast you because you weren't quite right for the part and not because they don't think you can act. Even though I was late and feeling rushed and breathless, I had fun. (And sometimes I remember that the audition process can be just as painful for the auditioner as for the auditionee, so I try to make it fun for them as well. I hope they had fun today, too.) This particular show rehearses in December, goes up in January, and runs through the first week in March. I'll keep you all posted.

This evening I was supposed to do something nice and positive for myself after I did my two auditions. It's a good habit to get into so that one doesn't always associate auditioning with, well, hell. I ended up watching television and folding my laundry at my parents' house. I don't think that counts. And now I'm going to bed. My good thing will have to wait until tomorrow.

Oh! Congratulations to my sister for getting her black belt in Tae Kwon Do! She broke boards and everything. She's cool, my sister is.

Movies

I'm making this post in part, just to prove to a friend's coworkers that he knows me. So...hi, Australian friends of Adriano!

I went to see Kung Fu Hustle last night and I loved it. What a fun movie. The perfect combination of cartoons, kung fu, and kung fu clichés. And Stephen Chow looked really good at the end.

I think I'll go see Crash tomorrow at the matinee price. I'd like to see The Animation Show 2005 as well, but that may have to wait until later.

Um, that's all. I have to pee now. Goodbye.

The Weekend

I feel as though I can call myself a dancer now. Whenever anyone would say, "Oh, yeah, you're a dancer, too, right?" I would be strongly inclined to deny it. I could move well, but my technical skills did not approach "dancer" status in my mind. I couldn't pirouette, jump, or execute certain moves properly or without falling down.

And you know what? I still can't do those things properly all the time (i.e. my pirouettes still suck). However, my confidence as a dancer has grown exponentially in the past 20 weeks of Zenon's Winter/Spring session so that even if I don't do the step correctly, I'm doing it wrong with full conviction and the audience doesn't even notice I messed up.

For example, Zenon's spring scholarship show was this past weekend and I danced with two of my classes: Advanced Beginning Jazz and Afro Modern. Saturday was the only day on which I didn't mess up some part of the dance, but when I asked my friends if they noticed they said no. After last night's show I have two potential non-Zenon-related dance performances on the horizon. And I was extended the invitation to be a Block E dancer in the fall when I return, which means that I would be working with a choreographer on a specific piece over the 10 weeks of the session.

So, all in all, it was great weekend. And I shall be adding "dancer" to the title bar under my name on my résumé. :)

Dance performances this weekend

I'm happy it's Friday, but it doesn't really mean anything in my work world. I don't ever truly have a day off because I work for myself, and if I'm not out somewhere earning money, I have to be ready to go on an audition with only a few hours notice or I have to be doing things that are somehow related to continuing my ability to work. Tweaking my resume, making phone calls, going to meetings, updating my website; it never ends.

But I can't say I'd want it any other way.

---

I had dress rehearsal last night for the student show at Zenon. There are a lot of pieces and pretty much all of them are good. I enjoyed watching everything I was able to see. It's a solid show. I did the same thing in the fall with my advanced beginning jazz class and I believe we were the only class to perform; the rest were all Block E pieces. For those of you who don't want to click the link, that means they work with a local choreographer over the 10 or 20 week session and perform that piece at the end of the term. It's a lot of fun to watch, and if you're in the Twin Cities and feel like coming down, the shows are Friday (today), Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 and the cost is $8.

Getting back on track, we started the dress rehearsal at 9:00 pm, so we didn't get out of there until 11:15. Oy. And that was without two or three of the pieces. I think tonight's show is going to be the longest: every single piece performs tonight. The rest of the weekend is a little more broken up.

Nevertheless, I didn't sleep very well when I got home. I kept thinking through my steps and dreaming about them, and waking myself up with worry over missing something. I had a callback this morning at 9, and I was not very coherent on the way over there. And now I'm debating whether I should go do laundry at my parents' house or just go buy a new sport bra and a pair of black pants. Common sense would say just go wash, but I'm not sure if everything will be dry and ready by the time I need to head back to this side of town (5ish). What to do...

...I think I'll just go do laundry. The girl I was going to shop with this afternoon has not called me back yet, so I'll go ahead with my plans until she does.

Alright. Now that I've droned on and on about my not-so-exciting day, I go.

Ciao.

Almost Done

I have to of my last four HPC shows today. I'm relieved, to say the least. I'll miss the steady income, but I'm worn out on this show. I need a break, and my voice needs a break.

I'm been busier with on camera work in the last two weeks than I have in months. Lots of work for Target, a voice over here, a workshop environmental show there. Hence the lack of updating. Things will slow down for a few weeks, then I start rehearsals for Our Town and my summer is off to the races. I'm listening right now to the off-Broadway cast recording of the middle show of the summer and hoping that I can pull off the opening song, which is also the name of the show - "And the World Goes 'Round". I'm a little freaked out, but I asked a good friend to be my voice coach - however briefly - in exchange for teaching her some tap steps.

Alas, I have not eradicated the cigarette smoke from my apartment. My next door neighbor wakes and bakes, so to speak, and there are too many cracks in the walls in between our apartments for me to get rid of it fully. I do believe I'll start looking for another apartment. There isn't much that's affordable in this area, but I may be able to find something if I'm not in a hurry.

Speaking of neighbors, my downstairs neighbor, my lovable, cigar-smoking, loud-music-playing downstairs neighbor truly does cough or clear his throat once every three or four minutes. I've been home for about an hour, and one could almost set their watch by the harrumphing that comes through the floor. I don't notice as much when I'm only home in the evening, but now that things are slowing down, I'll be home more, and I guess that means I'll have to wear my iPod all the time when I'm home so I'm not driven insane. Or I could leave. I hate being driven out of my apartment, though.

ANYway, enough complaining about my apartment situation. I chose it, so I should shut up about it. :)

The Update Before the Update

I've had a busy month so far. Haven't had a lot of time to update here. I sleep when I could be updating, and frankly, I don't feel too guilty about that. :)

I promise I'll write in more detail later, but I just don't have to mental strength right now.

Keep On Keepin' On

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but we won't mention that, now, will we?

I'm listening the original cast recording of one of the shows I'll be doing this summer: And the World Goes 'Round. I'm hoping that the some of the scarier solos are not assigned to me, as I am not really a belter, and have absolutely no experience doing so. I have the opening song of the show (The World Goes 'Round, oddly enough), and that's sufficiently terrifying. I also don't really like how the whole thing ends. All of the songs are full of such intense emotions, and I feel like the wrap up just lets everything fall flat. People should be weeping with joy at what they've just seen, and the ending that's on this recording seems like they would politely applaud and that's all. I should petition to change it. Heh.

I had two auditions today, one more tomorrow, then another on Friday. I'm relieved that there are actually things to audition for, as opposed to February, in which I received maybe one audition. Even if I don't get any of these jobs, at least the opportunities are there.

I feel as though I should make a decision fairly soon about what I'll be doing next year, but I partly don't want to think about it and partly don't feel as though I can go yet. And, I'm not sure if I want that anymore, and by "that" I mean the routine of shooting a film that, for the most part, will be abysmal at worst and mediocre at best. I'm not saying that great films aren't made, but most of the time they're not made in Hollywood. Hollywood will get you the support that you need, yes, but they'll also try to change your picture into something it isn't or bury it if it doesn't live up to their expectations. And as an actor, I would have very little power anyway, so why am I even talking about making films of my own?

I want to do film. I know that much. But I think I also want to have some kind of control in how the films I am in are created, shot, and marketed. And there are lots of people and resources here that are willing to let me do that. So maybe staying in Minneapolis isn't such a bad idea after all. We'll see.

Music: Groovin' to "The Ketchup Song" at the moment. If you haven't heard it, find it. It's by Hijas del Tomate, and yes, it's in Spanish.

Books: Almost done with Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. The clerk at Borders didn't like it because it was less political, but I find that he tackled that topic in Wicked and didn't need to rehash it for this one (except I think this one came first...hm). This book seems to be more concerned with art and family than politics. I like that.