DIRTY SEXY MONEY #2

Today was the first time I worked inside the Paramount lot. I'd been in the lot before to watch a Star Trek movie, but this time, I had to work. Unfortunately, the set was inside one of the smaller Paramount theaters which was located on the opposite side of the parking structure.

It was hot. I was wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt with a backpack and toting my chair. By the time I arrived in the check-in area, I was in full-blown sweat mode. My back was drenched and when I reached behind me to tuck my shirt in, I noticed my shirt was drenched too. It was embarrassing! There was a mirror on the set and when I looked at my back, I could see the sweat mark running all the way down it.

I considered changing my shirt, but after cooling off inside the air conditioned set, my shirt finally began to dry. I also stood outside for a little while trying to get the sun to dry me off. But it was so humid, it really wasn't working too well.

The scene involved Stephen Baldwin running for Senate and answering questions in the hall from Dan Rather. It saddened me to see what has happened to Rather. He's just playing himself now in tv and film, no longer the journalist he once was. Some younger folks probably don't even know who he is and will simply see him as a former news guy who was fired from CBS.

One of the PAs really annoyed me. He got a kick out of holding people from the craft services truck as if they were children. I didn't appreciate that but wondered what I could do about it. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the trouble to complain. Everyone does their job differently I suppose. On the other hand, what happens when most people don't say anything about things that bug them? Would anything ever change?

ELEVENTH HOUR

It was pretty tough finding anything out about this production on IMDB. Apparently, it's some kind of show where scientists are trying to save people from some deadly deal.

I was booked as atmo with car. It turns out that when you're booked that way, you're going to be doing some serious driving. I was driving and driving and reversing when the scene had to be shot again. I did not like it and I felt worse when I discovered there are "precision" drivers who are paid even more but are basically doing the same thing I was.

I spent the day with Frank who was a SAG guy who bitched about doing the same thing the precision drivers were but getting paid less. I told him he should feel fortunate given that he was SAG and was getting paid even more than I was. He looked like a slick guy, but I later found out that he was once a substitute teacher so I was able to bond with him a little.

Most subs are people who don't know what to do with their lives except that they want to make a difference (or just simply lazy and want to kind of make a difference). I probably fall into both categories sadly. Anyway, Frank decided he wanted to become an actor after struggling with his father's wishes.

Interestingly, it probably took his mother's death for him to realize that he needed to pursue what he wanted in life, even if others disapprove. In this sense, I knew what Frank was talking about because my father's death helped me to realize the same thing. Life is short and you have to take advantage of what it gives you, bad or good.

Anyway, Frank and I were sick of driving the cars around so we kind of encouraged each other to play hooky. He showed me a production store that sold all this carpentry stuff, but it also had a much larger selection of dvds for sale. So I showed him the museum and he was shocked that he'd never been there. He was as psyched about it as much as when Vanessa showed me the same thing. That's pretty much when I knew that Frank was the same kind of guy I was - a romantic, lost soul with a good heart.

We spent the day hiding in various lots, walking around the cafeteria and sneaking into holding areas. We werent' missed at all and even got a gas bump for all our "driving" during the day. I felt guilty, but our excuse was that we screwed up initially and got separated from the other drivers on the show.

THE MALAISE SPEECH

I heard about Jimmy Carter's Malaise Speech from 1979 on Bill Moyer's Journal news program. It's pretty fascinating and a little disturbing that much of what Carter spoke about almost 30 years ago is quite relevant today. A few excerpts:

In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

In little more than two decades we've gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. This is the direct cause of the long lines which have made millions of you spend aggravating hours waiting for gasoline. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our nation. The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation. These are facts and we simply must face them.

Carter had a 5-point plan for energy independence from OPEC. I wonder what happened?

HANNAH MONTANA

My first AFTRA gig! AFTRA is a different union from SAG and they are in full production right now since they have already signed a contract with the studios. There aren't any requirements to join AFTRA. You don't need any lines, any vouchers or $2400. All you need is about $1300 or so to join and you can be in the union.

The nice thing about AFTRA is that you don't have to pay the entire sum upon first working for an AFTRA membership. On your first gig, you get 30 days to work in any AFTRA show and you'll be allowed to keep any wages you make. However, after the 30 days are up, you must be willing to join AFTRA since all your wages will be used for membership. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to work in any AFTRA production.

I got to the Tribune studios on Sunset (which is where KTLA is located) pretty early. It was hot as hell and I made the mistake of walking all the way around the studio just to find out I was on the wrong side. When I made my way back to the proper entrance, I was told to go inside and just wait.

Most of the other extras looked much younger and that wasn't surprising since it's a young person's show. Also, I played a producer, so it made sense that I should be older since producers are generally older (or at least you would think they would be).

Our 2nd 2nd was a ball buster and she seemed stressed. It's interesting to see how different all of the people who work with extras are. Every single one has a different attitude and personality, but there are generally two types. The first is a little laid-back and the other is a ball buster. Laid-back types kind of assume you know what you're doing while ball busters assume you don't know shit. They'll go over things you already know and are very nit picky about things like leaving the holding area when you go to the bathroom, talking while on set and having your phone with you. Any little thing you do is always noticed by the ball buster.

I was surprised how large the set was. The beach and Hannah's home were set right next to each other and there was a fairly large studio audience bleacher section. I was impressed at how large the set was, but then again, this show is in its third season so it's been around.

I saw Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus, but it was a real treat to see Michael McDonald from MadTV. He was hilarious as the chef, and he was tall as hell. He had a comic's personality, always able to make people laugh and he had the most valuable trait of all - he looked funny.

It was nice to be fed lunch since most studio productions give you a walk-away lunch where you have to find your own food to eat. I wonder if this is an AFTRA thing or if it's just a Miley Cyrus thing?

WITHOUT A TRACE #2

I got to the Warner Ranch pretty easily this morning. For some reason, there was no traffic and I cruised all the way there. I was early by about 45 minutes and I suppose that was good because it took some time to find the check-in area.

While we were waiting for the PA to check us in, a lady drove up and gave us all a map of the Warner neighborhood. On it were the fake homes we could all see around us and which movies or television shows the homes were on. At first, it's hard to remember the movies the homes were on, but as you look at them longer, the memories begin to come back. I saw the Lethal Weapon, Pushing Daisies, American Beauty, Bewitched and others.

Today was the second time I've worked this show, but this was the first time I got to be really close to Roselyn Sanchez. She's quite petite but still lights up a room with her stunning exotic beauty.

I was able to chat with a few people about their background experiences which I've laid out in my other blog. It's pretty interesting that people can actually make a living working background and quite astounding that some can hit a pretty large payout with a little bit of hustle. It makes you believe that anything is possible.

When I got back home, I did a light workout even though I woke up with a cold this morning. I think I got it from an Asian guy I was sitting next to on Brothers & Sisters. He was coughing and sniffing and I probably should have stayed away from him. Oh well, summer colds usually aren't that big of a deal.

NICOLETTE NIGHTINGALE

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Internet? Anyway, I saw this beauty on Shootout on AMC and I wondered, how hard would it be to find her? Well, lo and behold, I did. It took a few searches but I knew I should have someone or some organization that did a pictorial of the women of Comic Con. Enjoy!

BROTHERS & SISTERS

Holding was set-up inside a production building within Stage 6 inside Disney studios. However, we got re-situated inside Stage 3 when it came time to shoot.

The scene was an auction and it was cool seeing Sally Fields. I'm always impressed by actors that have a long career. Either they have a good agent or they're really talented, but more likely a little bit of both.

I spent most of my time reading the paper and attempting to finish the "gentle" level sudoku. Time passed quickly and I was seated watching the auctioneer auction off some foreclosed housing. We wrapped pretty early, just about six hours.

HEROES

Parking was at the Eagle Rock Plaza and the bowling lanes were right on Eagle Rock boulevard. Today I played a Japanese bowler and I was nervous arriving on set because I didn't feel exactly all that comfortable playing someone Japanese. I mean, I'm a fan of the show and I've seen some scenes that are supposed to be in Japan. If this was going to be one of those scenes, how the hell am I supposed to pass for someone of Japanese decent?

However, when I got to the holding area (which was inside the bar that was inside the lanes), I noticed a lot of the extras weren't Japanese at all. I knew some of them were Filipino, Chinese and even Vietnamese. Some were also mixed, so I got a lot more comfortable since most people tend to think I'm either Hispanic or mixed.

I was grouped with one of the mixed chicks. I think her name was Tasia because I remember asking, you mean like Fantasia without the fan? She didn't respond of course. But she was cute and I guessed right that she was just 22. What we had difficulty with figuring out was her mix. She was Japanese and Austrian/Italian. I asked her if she was asked what she was pretty much all her life and she said yes. I know because I pretty much got those same questions when I got to college. Interestingly, she said I was typical of guys in Hawaii, or island boys, since I looked like I was of mixed decent.

She reminded me of this girl Erica from college that I had the biggest crush on. She was Hispanic, but she looked like she was some kind of mixed Asian. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling me and I was too young at the time to know that she was giving me "the hint".

Gwen was there, one of my old pals that I seem to run into whenever there is some kind of Asian call. I always tease her and Jeff about them going to Vegas and getting their groove on. I flaked on them since I felt it was more important to go to my nephew's middle school graduation, but I know I missed out because the hotel they told me about was really nice. Best of all, it was free and you know how I feel about free stuff. As I always say, if it's free, it's me.

I got to work a lot as a bowler, but I was mostly off camera or way in the back which was ok with me. The other bowlers on my lane and I started to goof off and have some fun acting like we bowled strikes, but in fact, we had to fake bowling because the sound of the bowling balls and pins flying around were just too loud.

It was cool seeing Masi Oka and James Kyson Lee work together. They were both down to earth and were cool talking to the extras about all the takes they had to do. What shocked me was that I later found out that Lee is actually Korean-American. I suppose his Japanese must be pretty bad among those who really know Japanese.

THE STARTER WIFE

Wow, it's been awhile since I've worked background. Getting up at 4 am wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. I guess when something feels novel to you, it's not so difficult being motivated. One of my brothers recently half-jokingly referred to me as unmotivated and I half-laughingly obliged. He knows me better than most and I think he's pretty right-on. What I've realized is that motivation can come from anywhere. It's really up to you to figure out whether something is worth it enough to go for it. It can be anything because at the end of the day, whether something gets accomplished and for whatever reason it got accomplished really doesn't matter. The act itself is done. Of course, that doesn't mean that the end justifies the means. It just means that whatever needed to be done is actually done.

I was one of the first people at the Culver Studios parking lot which sits right across the street from the studio and happens to be the same parking lot that Trader Joe's uses. I noticed a female get out of her car and head towards the studio, so I knew it was probably about the time to leave myself. The parking lot was pretty empty though, and when I worked on Las Vegas, it was much fuller. I thought the shoot must therefore be a lot smaller.

Many backgrounders showed up a little later inside the studio grounds and we began talking about various subjects. One of my favorites is how people get their first SAG voucher. It never gets old for me. I just need to figure out a way to record these stories because I've discovered that getting someone in background to write you an email is nearly impossible. Perhaps I can just get their names and do what Entertainment Weekly does and sign it "as told to Background Tales" (that's my somewhat feeble attempt at another blog by the way.)

We finally got checked-in and wardrobe made sure everyone looked pretty fancy. The Starter Wife stars Debra Messing as the ex-wife of a studio mogul so she runs around the filthy rich parts of town. The funny thing is that most backgrounders (otherwise known as extras) aren't even close to rich albeit filthy rich. But that's the beauty of Hollywood. It creates these mirages and fairy tales that seem so real, some people begin to forget what reality is. I remember that when my nieces were younger, they would always ask me if the movie they were watching was "real". "Well, they're real in the sense that these things are really happening, but they're not real in the sense that people are dying and getting hurt," I would try to explain. Then I would begin to think, hell, what is "real" to them? What is "reality"? How do you explain it? Then I would become uncle philosophy and begin to question reality and of course, they would slink away and begin playing Uno or go on Myspace.

After shooting one scene in which the principal actors are dining at an outdoor patio at a restaurant, the scene moved onto a toy store. Since they didn't need any additional pedestrians, I was able to take a nap. When I woke up after an hour or two, our PA told us that we would be wrapping very soon.

So today's shoot was a short one for me. A six-hour day and I got to go home and hang out in Brea with Jansen. We brought my Powerbook to the Apple store (which was packed with customers waiting for their iPhone) and dropped it off so they could take a look at it. It no longer starts-up and I suspect that the hard drive is toast.

Then we went to look for my skateboard helmet. We tried Active first, but theirs was too expensive so we went to Big 5 instead. I scored one for $20. Then we went to the park to chill and then it was back to his place to watch our friend's 20 minute horror movie. I liked it and hope he'll continue his craft. It's obvious there was work put into the movie, but the cinematography and some of the acting could use some help. But hey, you gotta start somewhere.

ORIGINAL SECRET

When The Secret first came out, it had a woman named Esther Hicks in it. She is who Oprah says is the "secret to The Secret." What she means is that Esther Hicks has been practicing the Law of Attraction long before The Secret ever made it to dvd. However, due to contractual disagreements, Esther Hicks had to be removed from the dvd and a new dvd was re-edited without her in it. There isn't much difference between the two, but I've read some of Hicks' work and it's good enough for me to put it here.

Part I



Part II



Part III



Part IV