WHITNEY #2

Funny how when you don't expect to get overtime, you do.  I got overtime again working on Whitney the second time.  I think I was booked on this show about a year ago.  Crazy.

Once again, I was a bar patron.  The folks that were booked weren't super sexy or anything like that movie I worked on.  Instead, it was a few non-union and average lookin' folks.  Although there was a sexy half-Mexican chick named Paloma.  She told me she was named after a little girl that used to come around where her mother used to live out in Puerto Vallarta.  She went to FIDM and had that half-bored look that made you think you were way over your head trying to talk to her.

It was a live show but it seemed like it was a smaller crowd and it just didn't have that energy that other shows I've worked on have.  Maybe it was because it was at CBS Radford, maybe it was because of the show or maybe I've just grown accustom to it.  I'm not sure.

We were wrapped pretty late, so late that I didn't get a chance to pass out any candy for Halloween.  Oh well.

(written 11/1/12)

SCANDAL #2

I ran six miles before leaving for Sunset Gower this afternoon.  It was pretty warm, but not so bad that I was exhausted or anything.  There was definitely a little bit of pain somewhere near my left hip or ball and socket.  I've felt it before, but it's not anything that's so bad that I can't continue.

I ate, showered, then left for the studios with about 20 minutes to spare.  We checked-in, wardrobe and hair checked us out, then we hung out in holding for a few hours. Before we knew it, we were wrapped without even working on the scene.  As reporters, I guess they didn't need to show us.  I heard they were doing some kind of press report, but who knows?  Only the camera men worked the scene.  I suspect they had to wrap things up since they started at 7:00 in the morning and we were wrapped about 7:30PM.

PARENTHOOD #8

We checked in at Universal Studios but we ended up being shuttled to The Castaway restaurant in Burbank.  What a view they have up there.  Thankfully, the Santa Ana winds made it feel pretty warm so it wasn't too cold outside when we shot.

Simple shoot really.  We got there for a night shoot and they did some takes for a very emotional scene, and we were wrapped.  I don't think I was seen because I was placed way in the back with this dude I've seen from time to time.  I should have asked him what his name was.

(written 11/1/12)

THE MENTALIST #5

I was booked for 6AM on a Monday and that's unusual.  I never usually work on Mondays.  I've said this before.

I got to to the WB parking structure with 20 minutes to spare.  But they were backed up so I had to check into the visitors office with a bunch of crew people.  So by the time I got to the security gate and walked all the way out to the opposite side of the lot at Stage 9, I was pretty warm and a little late.  Thankfully, no one was in a hurry and I checked-in with a bunch of other realtors.  That's what we were booked as.

When we were sent to holding near Warner Ranch, there were already a table of people who were booked with their cars.

The scene was simple.  Just a few things going on inside the realty office.  I don't think I was seen.  But I was definitely caught when we shot outside the office while looking at a car that was parked outside.

The cool thing was that I got to see Ranjith finally.  He works on the 4th floor of the building we were shooting inside.

The day continued on into the night and we got some pretty good overtime.  I asked the PA to give my info to a stand-in that spoke to me since he recognized me from the last time I stood in for him when he was playing a cop.  He said that he was taking some time off in November so maybe he would try to get me in to replace him while he was off.  That was really cool of him.  We'll see if it happens.

(written 10/23/12)

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

The text I got from Joey's List said it would be an all night call but sometimes it just means it's a night call.  Tonight, it was true.  After stopping by LAC USC to see if I could renew my health care insurance, the worker told me I should just bring my pay stubs from October since I didn't qualify based on last year's income.

I drove to a parking lot I'd parked for another show I worked on.  There were a lot of good looking guys and a lot of beautiful women, so I felt like wow, does this mean I am one of them?

We were shuttled to base camp and we were served a meal before we went to wardrobe.  At wardrobe, I saw that Pinay I worked with on Anger Management.  I was too shy to converse with her even though I was right there with her at wardrobe.  I don't know why I'm such a pussy.

Then we were shuttled again to the Watermark hotel on the floor where their pool is.  It was nice, but I could tell it was made to look nicer for the movie.  Essentially, the movie is a remake of that 80s film and has the same cast and director as Think Like a Man.

We really did shoot all night.  The 2nd 2nd said about 5:30AM and sure enough, I got in my car at 5:30AM to drive home.  The good news is that Loren the Pinay gave me a little shove before we left the elevator when I said something about the skinny jeans on sale at Old Navy.  Apparently, she worked on that commercial.  Man she's beautiful.

(written 10/22/12)

SHAMELESS #2

I always wonder why I'm not booked with my car often, but I've realized that it's simply because the car is old.  So the only time it gets booked is when the scene requires an old car.

So I finally got action with it when Shameless needed cars to fill a scene that is in a low-income area.  In this case, it was a massage parlor/brothel.  But the chicks inside the parlor are white girls, the kind of trashy ones you might see in a white, poor town.

Unfortunately, my car got the star treatment and I didn't get a chance to work.  They were going to use me on the turnaround, but the good news was that they didn't need to do a turnaround.

So although the shoot was delayed because of some rain, we were wrapped in just a few hours.  I knew I wouldn't hit traffic if I went immediately home, but I had to pick up so my first stop was Bank of America.  I forgot my debit card inside my running belt, so I didn't have it.  So I called bofa to ask them what I could do.

The wait on the phone was excruciating.  There were so many levels I had to go through.  When I finally got someone on the phone, they said that I wouldn't have any fees if I went in to withdraw money from my savings account.

After the drive to the Beverly Center, I made my way home.  Janet had papers to grade so she couldn't hang out.  So I drove through a little rain and the middle of rush hour.  It took two hours and fifteen minutes to make it all the way home and it was not pleasant.  Thank goodness for the vp presidential debates to help me get through the traffic.

Then I ate quickly with moms and headed to Jansen's in Brea.  From there, BJ and El picked us up to drop off the kegs at the Dale Bros. Brewery.  Then we went to the Cucamonga Brewery and met up with all the Granflors for some drinks and karaoke.

(written 10/15/12)

LAB RATS #2

I got my call time really late last night.  So late that the info box hadn't even been created.  Finally, probably after 9pm, the box was ready and I got my info.  I was booked as a teacher.

Hollywood Center Studios is in Hollywood and it seems a lot of Disney shows are shot there.  I was one of four teachers with a bunch of teenagers.  They were the regulars and we were the guests.

What was fun was that there were some stunts done.  A young stunt woman had to fall down some stairs and I gotta say, that was pretty impressive.  I met Leslie, a black chick who I've worked with many times before but just hadn't met.  We didn't get much screen time and we wondered why we weren't wrapped.  But that was just simple complaining since we knew we were going to get our full eight hours.

The nice thing was that we got lunch which was Mexican food.  Then we shot a quick scene and we were wrapped.

I drove home in the traffic and it took some time to get home.  I stopped by Verizon first in Industry to get the iPhone 4s for moms and ordered a 5 for me.  I gotta say, the Galaxy sIII was tempting, but I figured I might as well get an iPhone since I'd never had one.

PAGING DR. FREED

It was nice to get booked on a pilot because you never know when they get picked-up and you get to be a regular.  It's some kind of Scrubs take since it's a comedy, but it was hard to see what was funny about it since we were only working on a specific scene.

I worked as a scrub, and was placed inside the surgery room as an orderly.  We shot at the same lot that Private Practice is shot on, the same lot I'd been blackballed from.  Damn you Jeff Olin!

I didn't recognize any of the actors but I have already asked the universe to pick this sucker up.

(written 10/30/12)