90210 #3

Booked as a bar patron.  I hadn't worked on this show for a long time, probably over a year.  Sent to Manhattan Beach and I usually hate that.  But as they say, work is work.  The worst part was walking from the parking lot which is at the Marriot all the way to the Raleigh studios.

It's supposed to be Spring so they let me wear my short sleeve shirt with no jacket.  I was placed on a stool with two folks.  One hot skinny chick with short blonde hair who was really tall and an OCD dude that loved to talk and argue.  I think he was a little like me.  He didn't know when to stop and had a too serious tone for a not too serious subject.

The scene was simple and there was only two scenes.  So it was pretty fun and simple.

The best part was going to Rachelle's afterward.  I got to see her dog and her boyfriend.  I also had some of her soup that had no flavor at all.  I simply added some salt and pepper and threw some potatoes in for some added starch and texture.  It almost tasted like clam chowder.  In fact, that's what it was without the clams.

After chillin' for a bit, took off for the long ride home.

(written 2/25/13)

MENTALIST #6

Booked as a CBI staff guy for the first time.  Everyone else was pretty much a regular.  There were only a few of us who were new.  The regulars seemed to like to play games to pass the time, so one game we played was to name a movie as we went around the circle.  If you got it, you had to go to the next alphabet.

As a CBI staffer, you wear a blue lab coat.  Didn't really work that much.  Got put in the scene, we shot it, did a couple takes, did a couple other scenes, walked around and did some crosses and that was pretty much it.  It kind of reminded me of Body of Proof or CSI New York where you just did a lot of different crosses to make the scene look busy.

(written 2/25/13)

NEW GIRL #2

Sent downtown right off 4th St bridge.  Funky, artsy spot where the New Girl peeps are supposed to live.

Booked as a parking attendant.  Scene was simple.  Schmidt's car is parked and I was the one that stuck him right in the middle of other cars.  There's no way he can get out.  So he yells at me.  I react as if I don't speak or understand English.  And that was that.

The cool part was meeting Schmidt played by Max Greenfield.  He was a chill guy and nice and professional.  He introduced himself to me and even said goodbye after the scene was shot.  No one really does that so I give him props.  And he's really acting because he's very unlike Schmidt.

(written 2/25/13)

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL #2

I got a call while helping moms out with her traffic accident from Brandi.  She asked me if I was comfortable wearing a loincloth and I told her I was.  Then I was told that I would work on Children's Hospital as an Amazon Tribesman.  I thought I'd be one of many, but I wasn't.  I was the lone wolf today.

I got to wear a near g-string and boy was that an experience.  I felt like a sumo guy and the brief felt like a jock strap.  Not that I ever wore a jock strap.

After putting on the loin cloth with some sandals and necklaces, I was finally given my head piece.  Then off to hair and make-up for some dots on the face.  Shaving took the longest time and I realized that it takes a few minutes to get your facial hair soft enough to shave without pain.

Then it was off to camera.  The entire area was a converted orphanage that they made into a military hospital.  So instead of driving all the way to Van Nuys where I drove the first time I worked the show, this time we were in Altadena.  It was a simple shot of me tattooing one of the principles.  The hardest thing about it was the freezing cold weather.  But oddly, I didn't really feel that cold when I was standing there in the near buff.

After the scene was shot, they moved on and I got to go home.

(written 1/16/13)

WHITNEY #3

I was booked as a bar patron again and wondered if I would see any of the people I'd worked with before.  I talked to the stand-in of a brunette from Happy Endings while walking to the stage.  We got there with time to spare and then we were checked-in.

The PA was really cool and very open about sharing information.  At one point, she even put up the scene order on the wall and wanted everyone to look at it so we could see what scene we were in.

I was started outside, but then moved inside on a couch to talk to one guy and a girl.  It was pretty easy going, the usual pretending-to-talk thing.  The biggest challenge we had was whether we would drink what was inside the fake beer bottles.  One of my rules is never to drink from it, so I just kind of held it in my hand because unless I see someone pour the liquid, I ain't gonna drink shit.

After shooting the scene in front of a live audience, that was it for me.  So I spent my time walking around, going to crafty and eating what was offered and surfing the net with my phone.  After a few hours overtime, we were wrapped and that was that.

(written 1/16/13)