Box Office Blasphemy

Well Tom Cruise’s MI3 came out this Friday along with some disappointed ad execs who were sad to report an opening weekend of $48.025 million. The estimate for total gross from opening weekend was over 10 million more than what was actually accumulated.

Here is where I find things interesting:

The director of the film is “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams. who in my opinion is a terrible person. I realize that I am a hypocrite because I watch “Lost” every week hoping to be entertained, but truthfully this show is as bad as the idea for Tom to publicly release Scientology to the greater mass media and think that the global community will accept it as an acceptable lifestyle choice.

Why is lost the worst show in the history of tv?

Because nothing ever happens! Suspense and a decent base is a total cop out for creative writing. If you watch any popular and successfully show: 24, Prison Break, Sopranos, Big Love, Six Feet Under, Entourage, etc, they are creating a constant level of conflict and then resolving it. Just when you think that the show has peeked or covered all that can become interesting, they twist and suddenly you are hooked again after being relieved of the previous conflict. Brilliance finding new ways to solve an outstandingly difficult situation. THAT in my opinion is good writing and the making for a good show. Sadly Tom, and “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams don’t agree. Well I guess its their loss. An over 10 Million loss that is. Maybe next time the super giant execs of Scientology will think twice before trying to market an alien civilization in the volcano’s of the Hawaii to sell tickets to an old tv remake.

So I am in the process of transferring all of accounting from my regular bank(Washington Mutual) to the SAG/AFTRA Federal Credit Union. I basically decided to do this because of low interest rates and I am interested in building financial security with an association affiliated with my career. Plus they offer great interest rates and account deals.

So today I had some pretty important banking to do that I was scheduled with the bank for. My banker decided to not tell me he was “walking out” for the Latino immigration protest today. So I was unable to complete the timely obligations needed for my accounting that I was planning for. I have no political opinion of the matter aside from wishing I had some idea that my banker would be scheduling appointments he was not intending on following through with. Oh well. I guess the point being made did end up effecting my routine.

Brokeback Mountain apparently was screened at a Boston correctional facility because the guard felt it was an appropriate subject matter to show inmates. The guard is now being punished and the movie has been banned. Now thats box office blasphemy.

View the article.

I spent the day staring down luke warm nachos.

This scenario could be seemingly pleasurable for any average joe … but when you are literally being burned by backlight … and the spit bucket to the left of your leg is nearly full … well … things take on a bit a different tone.

anybody will tell you that getting commercial work is sort of a staple for the working actor in LA. The day rates are the highest for any SAG job, the food is usually pretty good, its quick work … a day or two at most … plus it’s a pretty good way to get used to how sets operate and the internal politics of copying live action onto celluloid. Plus … when they air on TV, the risidual checks can pay pretty good. Book a few nationals and you can make a pretty sweet living. i take a small amount of pride in knowing that i made more than twice my mother did last year in her 40+ hours a week job when i only worked … lemme think … 8 days? maybe 10 tops. Sure … it’s kinda silly, some would say sick … but hell .. someone’s paying … so fuck it. i’m in.

One of the things that i find most humorous about commercial shoots is the budgets.
As i write this some poor schlep is peddling his script around hollywood trying to scrounge together a few hundred thousand dollars to make a piece of art, a vision, a communication in aesthetics to the world at large.

Meanwhile, I’m sitting on a set with about 100 crew members making between $250 to $20,000 and more per day, full catering, full Kraft service, nice trailers, and a surplus of just about everything you could possibly imagine. All for a 30 second film that will be pounded into your brain over and over again in the hopes that the next time you have the munchies … you’ll think about a particular fast food chain.

guess it goes to show who really runs the industry ….

I’ve heard that Television is really just a way of keeping an audience watching between commercials … and when you look at the amount of money they put into commercials you start to believe it.

In a way then, we commercial actors provide an important service to the rest of the artists out there. We take one for the team in order to ensure that a platform remains for the vital messages of our time. We sacrifice so that Gilmore Girls and American Idol can be shown.

We few … may just be this city’s unsung heros.

So when somebody asks me how i can justify selling my soul to a multi-billion dollar corporation for an afternoon … first I point out the obvious financial rewards …

and then with pride … i wipe a little fake tear from the corner of my eye, take my 742nd bite of Nacho and and say:

“I do it for the Art.”

see you on the air.

commercial guy.

There is an ongoing conversation I have about who has a harder time in Los Angeles as an actor: Men or Women. I always figured it was harder for women since their seems to be such a constant demand and requirement for them to be both stunningly beautiful and willing to act as such. For guys you are aloud often to be kinda funny and ordinary looking so long as you sell it. Often the lesser attractive men become “character actors” but not always.

Then I had a conversation with my friend Rhona Mitra who is starring in just about everything these days including the new Jim Carey film(to visit her official home page click here). She said something that changed my perspective completely. She explained that men have an innate need to succeed to both themselves and their peers within their social environment. Immediately I thought of my own need to be successful to both myself and to support my family some day.

Interesting stuff. Either way it seems that the hardest working/smartest and savvy actors always achieve a decent level of success. I think the key is discipline.

Our Governor is one of the reasons not to live in LA. But he did recently pass an “anti-paparazzi law which I stand behind completely. Actors and celebrities deserve a degree of privacy. When gossip media want to follow Kevin Federline around all day and report on what coffee he is drinking and show a photo of him in his wife-beater that’s fine. But when they are bothering celebs with their kids and hitting them with your car a line needs to be drawn. Poor poor Lindsey Lohan.

Check out the article.

LA Casting is a website/business that submits actors and models for Films/Commercials/and Print Jobs. You can find a non-union and short films on there but mostly it is the industry standard for casting offices to call in Commercial and Print talent. My agents all use it to submit me for jobs.

When I moved to LA in 2001 they still submitted mostly all hard copy head shots and resumes. Now you can see several photos and a actors resume instantly. You can also update your photos via email and update your resume online in minutes.

I recommended LA Casting to a friend about a year ago because she couldn’t find an agent and wanted to go out and get submitted for jobs. Almost within a month or two she booked a national commercial and several small and leading parts in some indie films.

They have some pretty absurd things up there too though. If you are looking for a good laugh check out the “video head shots” section. I know that a lot of photographers pay to be listed up there to get clients but I think the best way to find a photographer is go with who your friends and you like. It is great to be able to download your sides for auditions though. My agent calls me and tells me to get the sides from the website and I can get them immediately instead of having to get them faxed or going and picking them up.

I think it is worth the money over all. I think its around $10 a month.

I think that it is amazing how this discipline is by far and away the most demanding of one setting their own set of guidelines.

If you book a commercial here and there you make enough money to live. This seems like a great thing until enough time passes and you realize that you have been working and yet you in no way have accessed the source of why you are here in the first place. This is the state that I am in now. I am realizing that I now need stimulation as an artist. I am bored with doing commercials and print ads(though I appreciate them fully). I now need to become a part of an Indie film or something interesting that I can actually feel challenged by. I think this will be an amazing progression and obvious step towards cultivating my purpose in an easily un-disciplined self employment venture.

Often times living and working in Hollywood I have found people (including myself) struggle when they aren’t getting called by their agent/s. It is often the most dificult situation because when your mind is overworking about the little oppertunitites that you have , chances are you aren’t performing well at the little auditions that you do have. I have found myself again and again in this situation. I think that the thing to remember is that there is always something to be working on. Whether it is discussing what you need to be doing more of with your teacher or your agent, or simply taking more classes and getting better at one preticular thing I think creating tasks or charactors or writing your own scenes or thoughts is the way or keeping the creativity machine well oiled. It is extremly important to do this so to avoid tailspinning into a deeper state or inertia. My acting teacher once said to try and have something to do after your audition when you are there. I think this is great advice because your mind isn’t overworking or judging yourself while needing to be at your most in-touch and at ease. Easier said than done I know. But I think it is a survival technique that I again and again have to exercise.

Last week my manager set me up a meeting with a well known agent. While speaking with my management they instructed me to be myself and to run the meeting like I would want it to go. They also told me to lie and say that I was 23 and not 24. All day I sat around contemplating the fact that I had reached an age in my career where lying was necessary. Although the more I thought about it the more it didn’t seem like something I felt comfortable doing. I think that for me the type of relationship I want to have with my agent and my career is one of honesty and one that is going to represent me to the most accurate degree.

So the meeting was going very well as far as those meetings can go. I have been in a lot of those meetings where the agents just blow smoke up your ass telling you how much they will work for you or they are totally pretentious assholes. This meeting however was less like an interview and more like a friendly conversation. Then the other partners came in and explained that they have been around for a long time and represent mostly older clients but are now considering taking on a few younger and newer clients. Then they looked at my resume and were excited that I had done some of the jobs I had done. Then the major question came. When I said I was 23 they were stunned. I don’t look old or anything….at least I don’t think I do, but they did not expect me to say that at all given my resume and the success of the so far conversation. Then they told my manager that I was too young or “green” as she put it. But after thinking about it the age thing was clearly the killer.

I am not at all upset. I think that the right representation for me will be just that. I am confident in my work and my self and don’t hang myself up on things like that too much. It does, however reiterate the importance of going with your gut in matters like these, and any for that matter. Lesson learned.