SAMANTHA WHO #3

I didn't even bother to call the line because I thought we would just need to wear our gallery clothes. So when I found out that we were changing into pedestrian clothing, I started to panic. Luckily, I had some clothes from Two and a Half Men in the car, so I walked back to the parking lot and got the change of clothes. Wardrobe was totally fine with it, so it was all good.

I wish I got a chance to take a picture of my car because it was used in the picture. It was parked in front of the cafe where a scene takes place. The only difference was that one of the prop men put an Illinois license plate on it. I thought it was kind of cool that my car also worked as an "extra" or, in industry terms, as a picture car.

Today was the season finale so for lunch, they decided to treat the SAG folks. However, Namic and I decided to eat lunch off the lot at Coo Koo Roo. It was cool, but I think it is a little overpriced for some simple chicken. Still, it was nice to get off set, walk around town in the sun and eat lunch outside.

TWO AND A HALF MEN

I love working on shows that have a live studio audience. Well, at least I thought I did. My only experience doing it was with How I Met Your Mother. Today, I arrived at the WB Studios for Two and a Half Men, a comedy with Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer.

I was cast as a beach bar patron and wore a Hawaiian shirt. Unfortunately, every other guy did as well. That's what happens when you listen to the casting agent on the line. Everyone listens to him. It didn't really matter though. The episode was over-booked and half of us weren't used. So I spent most of the day napping and talking about poker and philosophy with another nerdy extra.

A Japanese lady named Rumi was very nice to me. I was trying to figure out if she was hitting on me, involved with some multi-level marketing scam or getting me to join a cult she was in or something. I noticed a Japanese book she was reading from a certain organization, and she told me that Orlando Bloom was involved with it. It turned out to be SGI or Soka Gakkai International.

Her energy was great, but still a little odd. In the end, she mentioned a boyfriend, so I figured out that she was helping me because I was the only other Asian there. I didn't realize it until I was driving home. She was very helpful though, encouraging me to join an agency she is in that specializes in commercial work. She explained that commercial work pays even more than tv and movies. I didn't know this and am grateful that I met her. I know we will meet again.

SAMANTHA WHO #2

It's always nice to get on a show you've been on before. You know what to expect, you know what is expected of you and you know the kind of food you're going to get. However, today was a little different from the last time I was on the show.

It was a little larger call today, and the day was much longer. I guess I was lucky last time since we got out pretty quickly. Today we were given a one hour lunch but I didn't leave. I just ate what was given (egg & tuna salad). It was good enough for me.

Today was nice because it was the first time I really got a chance to use my chair. It's a fuckin' big chair because it reclines, but I gotta say it was the best 20 bucks I've ever invested. I got a lot of use from it and was able to nap between takes. The only thing I should have done was bring my little fold-up chair to set because we spent a lot of time on our feet.

The setting was an art gallery and we were all gallery patrons. We did one change as pedestrians and that was pretty much the day.

AMERICAN CAROL #2

The catering company was already wrapping-up by the time I checked-in at 6pm. I was lucky to get a burger and was glad I did. I knew we wouldn't be fed for at least six hours.

I saw Kelsey Graham today who was a lot taller than I thought he would be. He plays General Patton, who I suppose might be the ghost of Christmas past. I don't know though. I just knew that it was cold and that we didn't have much time to put our jackets on between takes.

I met John Ung who was an eager young man who had served two tours in Iraq. He seemed genuine and kind and wanted to learn more about investing. He was enthusiastic about 99 cent stores and I thought, huh, that's something I haven't thought about. They always say you have to invest in something you know, and that's what I told John.

As the night wore on, it got later and later, and I was shocked that it was 4 am in the morning when I asked what time it was. I hate late (or early) calls like this ever since I experienced one on Chuck. I feel too old to stay up like this and I feel like crap when it's all said and done. I thought I had it bad, but John had to check-in for his Navy job at 6:30am! He asked the PAs if he could leave early and they let him. I told him he should say he's fighting terrorism.

Then I met Hajj who was crazy about water. He said he had a Kangen machine which helped him grow his hair back, gave him the six-pack he had lost, helped replenish his strength when working out and gave him a 20 year olds stamina with the ladies. It was interesting to learn about alkaline water benefits, but it sounded like bullshit to me. Sure enough, it's another multi-level marketing deal, but it still made me curious enough to want to try this water.

AMERICAN CAROL

Movies are generally cool to work on, but you have to be prepared for a big call. After getting my sailor's uniform, I changed in the men's tent along with 30 other dudes. It smelled like a fuckin' gym and the ground wasn't even covered. The tent was put right on top of bare dirt and gravel. Sometimes, you wonder how a production company can be so cheap - or at least quite inconsiderate. How hard would it be to put some tarp down?

Still, it was nice to get back to get some work. I brought my chair which ended up being unnecessary since there were plenty of chairs and a lot of waiting for the shoot to start. Plus, there wasn't much room in the lunchbox since it was already packed with extras.

It got late and it got cold in San Pedro, a port town that reminded me of most other port towns I've been to. It was working class, a little rundown and obviously right on the edge of water. When the lights started to shine though, it was remarkably kind of romantic. Then I found out that Palos Verdes could be seen from where we stood so then I wasn't so surprised.

I forgot to bring my little stool and ended up standing until my dogs started yelping. I hadn't felt this kind of pain since I was a kid in Disneyland walking for hours. I was just glad that we got out around 1 AM which isn't bad for a 4 PM check-in time.

FIRST FITTING

I went to my first fitting this afternoon for American Carol. I was booked as a Navy sailor so the production company needed to make sure my uniform fit me properly. During a fitting, you go to the costume store and the wardrobe department has you try on different sizes and make sure your pants are the correct length, your hat fits, etc.

When it was my time, the wardrobe coordinator asked me what my name was. When I told her she asked, "what does that mean?" I thought she was asking about my first name so I said, "God's greatest gift." She replied, "oh yeah, that's cool." But it turned out that she thought my last name was my first name and she thought that's what my last name meant.

People are always curious where the name comes from and how to pronounce it. Over your lifetime, it gets kind of old, but recently, I've discovered it's a bit of a blessing to have things in your life that are unique. It's a way to start conversations with strangers and one of these days, I'm just going to lie about its origins and make up something good. Then again, I've discovered that there are statues in Italy that bear my name so maybe the truth really is stranger than fiction.

My hair needed to be trimmed so I got a little buzz from some barbers that were hired to make sure everyone's hair looked military-like. Since my hair had grown so long from not cutting it, I didn't mind at all, but I was a little worried that they would really give me a military haircut. But they didn't and although the side of my head was trimmed, they left the top super long. I should have asked if they could cut the top too. I'm just really bad at asking for favors.

Interestingly, the barbers were into politics and talking about conspiracy theories. Although they were black, they were still a little unsure about Barack Obama. They were tired of talk and wanted real action. Strangely, they spoke about the Illuminati and how there might be other forces outside our control that actually influence and manipulate our world and our lives in it.

One book my barber spoke about was "Behold a Pale Horse" by William Milton Cooper. He said it told of many things seem to be coming true these days. He said it was out of print, but it can still be found on Amazon and there are plenty of resources online that point to Cooper. After reading some of the reader comments about the book, I can't help but put it on my to-read list. I love conspiracy theories!

CSI NY the III

I got to play a cabbie today on location in downtown LA. It was a short shoot and my call time was 5pm. We got out about 11pm.

The 2nd 2nd asked for too many cabbies so one of the extras had to sit in the cab with me. His name was Floyd and said he'd been working background for the past nine months. He said it was on and off for him because he also runs a moving business.

It was interesting how he described delivering furniture to very rich folks. These pieces were worth thousands of dollars and he said these rich folk would switch out their furniture from time to time just because they were "trying them out."

It reminded me how you're only limited by what you think. When wealth is around you, you think relative to it. If you can break out of that mental environment, the possibilities are endless.