GARFUNKEL AND OATES

It's April Fool's day but there was no joke about being booked at 10pm last night.  That was not cool, but as I always say, work is work.  I'll take it.

The call time was moved up to 1:30pm from 2:00pm so I wasn't stressing getting to North Hollywood.  We were shooting on location at a Sizzler's on Laurel Canyon.  Our holding area was outside and when it started to get cold, they moved us in between the Sizzler wall and a truck.  It was still cold and we were all happy getting moved inside because it actually felt normal there.

The scene was quite simple.  We were all restaurant patrons except for some scenes where we were pedestrians walking around outside.  It was easy peasy and it was pretty fun actually meeting some fellow background actors.  One was April, a black woman with an amazing body.  She was very thin, but with great hips and shoulders and a thin waist.  She had some issues about whether she should move into a new apartment, but all I could think of was that booty.  It was plump and she also reminded me of Janet for some reason, probably because of the way he face was shaped and the way she smiled.

Then there was Lindsey, a fit waitress who smoked weed.  She was cool in a different way.  She was all personality and she was full of energy.  It was like go go go with her and it was no wonder she smoked weed.  For someone who smokes so often, I would have thought they would know all about weed, but she didn't.  She didn't know about sativas and indicas, about vaporizers and oil and concentrates.  I wanted to educate her, but she probably thought I was just a druggie.

We were wrapped about 10:30pm so we all got a little overtime.  As we were signing out, the brunette principal came by and thanked us for our work.  If that ever happens to me, I'm going to be the same way.  That little act made me want to watch the show, she was so cool.  I was going to try to meet up with Jansen and crew because they were at Cut Copy in Hollywood, but it never happened.  I was also hoping I might meet up with Sarah, but she was away.

So instead, I stopped by Zita's and hung out with the twins and their friends.  I ate some brownies, had a drink and yelled at them for allowing Zita to do nothing and learn nothing.  I told them they'd better teach her how to use the dvd player or else I'd force her to walk around the block the next time I visited.

(written 4/2/14)

RAY DONOVAN

I got to stand in for a minor character today so it was cake.  I didn't have any idea who the heck was on this show, but when I got into the van to get taken to set, Jon Voight got in and I got to see him.  He was the main character throughout the day, peeling potatoes and getting pissed off that he has a shitty job.

I only really stood in once and I spent the rest of the time just waiting to get called to stand in.  But it was mostly the actor that did the standing in since it was so crowded inside the Mexican restaurant we were in.

I'd wished I had brought my golf clubs since we had to park at Arroyo Seco, but I didn't so I just went home.

(written 4/2/14)

MINDY PROJECT #3

I was booked as a subway passenger and it was pretty cool hanging out on the fake subway that was on stage.  They even moved the subway a little so it felt like we were moving.

The scene had some mean teens messing with a rabbi.  One of the principals comes up and threatens the teens because he is also a Jew.  It was pretty crowded in the subway so I can only imagine how tough it was for the camera crew to do their thing.

My favorite conservative was also booked so we got a chance to talk about stuff.  She seems to have an issue with a woman she knows who has cancer.  She feels that the woman's belief and prayer to the virgin Mary may have caused her cancer.  I wasn't sure how to react so I just listened.  People have their beliefs and it's hard to convince them otherwise.

We did another scene on the subway but I wasn't told to change.  I guess I wasn't really seen in the first scene so it was all good.  After the other scene where the principal sees the rabbi again, we were wrapped.

I called Alex to see what he was up to and he told me he was just chillin' in Valley Village which is right next to Universal Studios.  So I visited him at his pad.  We hung out, visited his local dispensary, checked out a cool vape shop right below it.  The owner hooked us up with some wax and we got back to Alex' pad an hour later.

Then we met up with the gang downtown at the Grand Park.  We watched funky soul that played some breaks.  Alex met the Mexican mafia and then it was time to bail.

On the way back to Alex', Sri called to see what we were up to.  So we went to Roob and Rungo's but we had to wait a little bit before they got home.  They were wasted having come from someplace.  We argued about finance and investments and just partied until it was time to go home.

(written 2/23/14)

HART OF DIXIE #5

It was nice to get booked again, and also get booked with my car.  I was starting to feel like a regular.  John was there of course, and we said what's up.  It's nice to know that he knows me.

It was raining when I arrived and I couldn't get through the street where I usually park the car.  So I just went around and parked it on another street and ran to where we usually get signed in.  I was late but not as late as another guy.  John is cool though so he understood, but he was close to calling Central on the guy who was late.

We didn't work much today.  We just parked our cars and John told us we probably would be hanging around but not really working.  We did a few crosses on the street but we were so deep, it's likely we won't be seen.

After hanging out, we were wrapped and that was that.

(written 2/23/14)

HART OF DIXIE #4

I was cast as a townsperson again, but switching to hip bar patron.  John the PA recognized me and was in a pretty good mood today.  We don't really catch up on anything, but he's still got his spiel that he does every time the day starts off.

The first scene had us townpeople, but since they really couldn't see out the window, they just sent us back to holding after we stood around for about half an hour.  The 2nd 2nd's are cool but I wish they had a little more power to send us back if they had a better understanding we aren't being used.

Then the next scene was the one that was never ending.  There were actually four different parts to the scene that had a turnaround for each one.  So that's a total of eight different shots with about three to four takes for each one.  That translates to a high of 32 takes and that's why there was overtime and my feet ended up dying.  I felt sorry for some of the women who had blistery feet due to some of the shoes they had to wear.

I met a married blonde chick named Kristen who looked like Sarah Silverman to me but was prettier.  She had joined the Groundlings and had a funny and quirky sense of humor.  She was cool and kept things pretty fun between takes.

I also met a gorgeous Moldovian/Ukranian named Valentina Ivancenko.  She seemed like the typical, hard, Eastern European type, but she was nice enough to keep a conversation.  She was also a fellow Aquarian, but she seemed distant and a little standoffish, but because of her independent nature and can-do attitude, I turned into a sucker for her.

When we wrapped, a few of us had to stay and I let Valentina go without saying good-bye.  I didn't get that feeling she was really interested anyway so I din't think much of it.  But then, when I was signing out with John the PA, she was there with Elisa, the mutt who has an amazing ass.  I've worked with Elisa before but never noticed what a butt she had.  Holy shit.

Anyway, in the parking lot, I got to ask Valentina if she was on Facebook and with a kind of bitchy attitude, she was willing to give me her info as she hurried into the elevator.  Of course, she hasn't accepted my friend request.  But I know she will and who knows, maybe she'll go on a date with me.

(written 1/30/14)

NEW GIRL #3

Another evening call but I knew it wouldn't go to the super late evening since they had started pretty early.

I was booked as a hotel clerk and there were three of us.  The only unusual thing that happened was having us do a little interview on set.  They asked us to laugh and there was a white guy, a white girl and me.  They chose the white guy and the girl and I wondered why they did that.  We argued that it had to be a white guy since the character he was interacting with was a black guy.  And it couldn't be a woman since Zoey was also in the scene.  And it couldn't be me because I was non-white and then it'd be two non-whites interacting.  Or maybe he just had the best laugh?  Who knows?

So we spent our time behind the counter while the hotel (the Intercontinental right next to Fox) continued to operate  It was pretty fun seeing what was behind the counter and I was amazed there was so much crap behind there that you can't see when you're on the other side.  It was another example of perception and reality.

(written 2/8/14)

BONES #6

Booked as a valet.  I'd worked as a valet numerous times, but oddly, I don't think I've ever actually been used.  Tonight was different.  There were two of us, and one of the valets was a principal.  We had lunch first even though I ate already.  Then, when it got dark, they lined up the cars on the Fox lot and we all pretended we were at a fancy restaurant.

I did some easy crosses acting as if I was getting a car and the principal valet pretends he's not who he is as the Bones guys run after him.  They didn't run really fast since it was considered a stunt, so on the turnaround, they were replaced by a stuntman and stuntwoman who ran pretty fast.  Interestingly, I don't believe they changed the valet guy since he was just a guest star.

(written 2/8/14)