Auditing Acting

At Actorfest I wandered into the TVI Studios booth with the goal to find out about their monologue classes. Instead I was asked to make an appointment for a free eval. and $50 off either a membership (if I decided to join) or class. Why not?

I had an entirely different idea of how the eval. was going to go, than how it went. Especially when the guy that I had spoken to at the "fest" called me Laura and asked me if I was related to Eddie Vedder. Ugh. Then although I had mentioned my interest in monologues and he had told me to bring one initially - the thought to have me perform it seemed to be rather off the cuff. Very obviously, there was too much of a cattle call at the booth that day and not enough notes taken (or reviewed - since he had my info to brush up on before I got there.) At any rate, after repeating more than once that I had a day job til 5:30pm (he kept showing me classes that started before then), he showed me an acting class that was available to audit so I could see whether I actually wanted to take it or not. Once again,why not?

So I went and quickly found out that many of the "early bird" students for the class were either auditing or just starting. The class was a rotating class and one newbie said that this class seemed to be more for the "serious" actor and that the instructor was quite the character.

When the instructor came in, I barely recognized her (she didn't look like her headshot). She gave an intro speech to us newbies (which was helpful to us, but made me wonder if the veterans had to sit thru that speech every class and how much time was wasted because of it - and money lost). After giving an outline of the class, laying out her rules and passing out Halloween candy (as long as we promised to throw the wrappers away) - the class started.

This class is based off the book "A Respect for Acting" by Uta Hagen. Since I have never officially studied the different methods of acting - learning about the steps and processes suggested was very interesting.

The first assignment you get for the class is to prepare a "scene" in which you are doing a daily activity. You perform it twice - the idea being that both times it looks the same and is fresh. This is the first step to Rehearsal Based Technique.

For each assignment, the student gets a worksheet to fill out. On the worksheet are questions that you answer in order to help you better focus and understand the scene you are presenting. The more specific your answers the better.

Who Am I?
What Time is it?
Where Am I?
What Surrounds Me (animate and inanimate objects)?
What are the circumstances (past, present, futre events)?
What is my relationship (to events, other characters, things)?
What do I want?
What's in my way?
What do I do to get what I want (action)?

The class was set in baby steps - which I more fully understood why when she asked the class if anyone had done "blocking" before and very few raised their hands. Eeek.

She said that a technique can't be taught in 8 weeks time - probably very full of truth, but that statement probably keeps the TVI studios pockets full too. ;)

Much like when performing a monologue, the instructor said that when doing a scene study you should read the ENTIRE play so you have the full knowledge of where the character is coming from.

She also emphasized practice for a scene - it is important to get up and work your body! (Not just memorize the lines.)

Although I did draw new info from the class, I knew that spending between $300-$400 on it probably wouldn't be the best choice or bang for my buck since there were a lot of different skill levels in the class. Perhaps a class that is more one on one? I'm still looking... in the meantime though, my friend had Uta's book so I will read it on my own. :)

Tantalizing Tales of the Terrible

So during tech week for the one-act Halloween show I'm in, I was informed on Tuesday that I was no longer doing sound, I was actually going to be voicing various characters and the sound would be recorded. The show had been changed from a staged radio play to just a staged reading. And I had to come up with 4 different male voices - in 2 days. Thankfully, the lines didn't have to be memorized! And the costume was simple - all black.

The show (check out the postcard above - my name is listed under "Creeps") ran only 3 days but that gave all those involved plenty of time to get to know each other. It was a good group to work with and since many of us were "new" to this scene we were able to compare notes and help each other out with suggestions on the do's and dont's of auditioning/acting in NYC.

A handful of people from the Halloween One-Act show are also going to be involved in the Interactive Murder Mystery - Funeral! that I'm going to be in, too. Good times.

Lance & Lipton

Today I pulled double duty with book signings.

Over lunch I went to B&N down the street and got an unpersonalized autographed book from Lance Bass (formerly of NSync).

Out of all the autograph sessions I've been to so far, this was the most impersonal. Books were passed to him and he nearly had it signed by the time you got there so there wasn't much time to say anything and barely enough to get a pic. I had it all planned that I was going to say something about him having been my mom's favorite NSync guy - yes, for those that don't know although I never got into NKOTB, I DID get into NSync and my ma and I went on a roadtrip to KC to see them perform at Arrowhead. It was quite the spectacle! Not only the concert but all the people and their homemade shirts and signs (we did not make shirts or signs - we were more observers...it was a GREAT environment to people watch!) A radio station even had this huge side building open and was handing out free pizza and pop. It was great!

Oh yeah...back to the autograph. So I get up there and all I get to say is - How much longer are you in Hairspray? (His hair is actually dyed dark for the role he's playing.) He told me January 6th. Then we posed for the pic and that was it. You could tell he was losing enthusiasm (I'm sure my mom comment wouldn't have been all that impressive, but still...) and having started reading his book while in line I wanted to reference his Troy Aikman experience. He said that when he was 12 he and about 20 other boys bothered Aikman for an autograph while he was getting his haircut. He said he will always remember how patient Aikman was and how he took time with each kid - even though he was being interrupted. He said that when fans would approach him he'd always try to remember the Troy experience - I was tempted to lean down and say "Remember Troy" before I stepped away but thought better of it...

Rehearsal was shorter than expected after work and that gave me enough time to head to another signing at the Lincoln Center B&N. This time it was for James Lipton and he wasn't just signing he was speaking, too. Admittedly, all I knew about Lipton was that he hosted Inside the Actor's Studio and he seemed pretty funny when he was on Conan O'Brien. He began the speaking part with a reading from the beginning of his book and then there was open discussion. This is what I learned while he spoke...

He told us we were the first group he had spoke to since the release of the book, so we were his guinea pigs.

After the signing he was going to have dinner with Tony Bennett and after continual praising the audition for how nice they were a B&N guy told Lipton he could only take a couple more questions and Lipton said - Tony can wait!

He said writing the book was a journey of self-discovery.

If he could interview any celeb from the past it would be Charlie Chaplin

Aside from Will Ferrell's impersonation he considered himself under the radar and believes that a good talkshow host should not be bigger than the person they are interviewing because the show is not about the host, it is about the guests.

When he was young he taught himself Latin and in turn decided to translate popular songs of the time into Latin and sing them. He shared an example with the audience that he said he also shared with Conan's audience...the Latin version of "Night & Day".

He starts each chapter with a quote. As he put it - Quoting my betters.

He would love to interview a former student on his show that has "made it big". People sitting around me mentioned Bradley Cooper's name as maybe being a possibility someday. (I've actually seen him sitting in the audience in older shows - tis true he was a student.)

Speaking of older shows...he said that the first season their set consisted of 2 chairs from a classroom and a table from the greenroom.


Afterwards everyone got in line for a signing and the gentleman two people ahead of me was going on and on about a musical that Lipton had written. (I think the guy was a bit touched and he had an actual dent in his balding skull. That probably didn't mean good things...) At first Lipton was very nice but the guy just kept standing there talking and you could tell Lipton was losing patience as he continued to sign others' books. The guy wouldn't leave - thus the other people couldn't get a word in with Lipton if they wanted to - including me. As I walked away an employee @ B&N thanked the gentleman for coming but asked that he move on. Who knew Lipton had such "interesting" fans?

Cast Away!

Got an email from the director of a play I auditioned for. She said she liked what I did with the character but decided to go a different direction. However, she added that she wanted me to let her know when I'm doing a show so she can come watch - and I'm assuming, see how much talent I truly have. ;)

Also got called in for an audition via a theatre I introduced myself to @ Actorfest. They were in the midst of writing a "new" version of Christmas Carol with puppets, modern day setting and Ebeneezer being female. Since they were still writing it, they were looking at customizing the script depending on who got cast. Rather exciting! So I went in, auditioned (saw the guy that was crashing auditions again) and before I left they asked me to sing a Christmas carol. You'd think that'd be easy, right? Not for me! I totally drew a blank on Christmas songs I know the lyrics to and ones that I wouldn't have to strain my vocals with. I was totally stuck on "Frosty the Snowman" for some reason and then they finally suggested "Deck the Halls". Duh. Of course! So I sang it - rather safely - and left totally second guessing how I should have done the singing. But...oh well....

Then today, I went to a callback for the one-act show I auditioned for last week. One of the directors that wanted to see me wasn't there so others were supposed to watch me and give their opinions to the missing director. A side that was given to me to prep with was changed out as I was walking into my audition for another one. Same play - but still...

So the character I'm reading for is somewhat based on Meryl Streep's character in Devil Wears Prada except in the sides I read, the models are treated like dogs - literally. They have collars and in the scene that I was originally supposed to read I am supposed to scold a model and scrape chocolate cake out of her mouth. Uh....

So I went in and read with great bravado. Then I was told to read as if I had a VERY bad day and my assistant was an idiot. THEN I was supposed to pick a cartoon character and read it like the character. Er.... Any cartoon character?! I was told yes. Once again my mind kind went blank on a character that would be easy to do and then I thought of Eeyore. Yep...I played a Devil Wears Prada-like character as Eeyore. At the end I couldn't tell if the director was smiling cause she thought it was good or smiling because she thought I was an idiot! Once again...oh well...

In the meantime, I'm rehearsing for a Halloween One-Act show in which I'm going to be a foley artist for a staged radio play of a Edgar Allen Poe story. Been trying to come up with ideas of where to insert sound and what to gather to make the sound with. And the same theatre cast me in an interactive murder mystery show in which I will be playing Betty Jo the Funeral Parlor Director, who thinks it is a great idea to serve beer and wings to the grieving at a funeral. Should be fun! ;)

Network Studio East

Ever since I moved here I've been wanting to take classes, but classes ain't cheap so I put it off - hesitating to spend money on a class unless I was absolutely sure it was the best bang for my buck.

A friend of mine pointed out some workshops that may be helpful and a lot less expensive than a class. The workshops were thru Network Studio East and I decided to check a session out.

This particular session involved meeting a casting director from the Grant Wilfley Casting Agency (they cast background and under 5 lines for shows/movies such as "Sex and the City"), getting direct contact info and performing a short monologue for them so you could get feedback and of course getting an inside track on casting.

The amount of people that were there was small - which was nice. Everyone got a chance to ask questions. These were some tips she gave -

The best way to climb up the ladder from background to principal is to ALWAYS be professional - on set and with the casting director.

She says background acting is a MUST for those breaking into film/tv as it gives actors a chance to see how it all works - and it gives them a chance to network.

She also suggested not limiting yourself to getting jobs thru one casting agency. Until you sign with an agent, it is perfectly fine to be connected with more than one casting agency - more chances, more connections and more people looking at you.

Then it was time to "audition".

When I finally got called in and performed the casting director turned to the guy in charge of the workshop and said, "She knows what she's doing!"

I do? I thought.

Apparently, most of the workshop attendants were beginners. That response certainly made me feel better about the state of my monologue!

She said my head shot was cute but suggested that I do a serious rather than comedic monologue to surprise whoever I'm auditioning for. Then she asked me if I had one. I do...but it has been a while since I busted out the serious one. She asked the guy in charge if I had time to do it and he allowed it. So I did my best and she said that's what she was looking for.

Before I left she told me that she liked what I did but wanted to see more and to keep in touch with her. i.e. let her know if there's a showcase she can come and see me in.

Will do. And money well spent! :)

Plays and Panaroma

Headed out to another part of Queens today to watch some one-acts that a friend directed in "Queens Scenes II".

Prior to the show we stopped by the Queens Museum to take a look at the ginormous miniature version of New York that was originally built for the 1964 Worlds Fair.

I had heard about it but had no idea how big it was. There is one part that expands under the glass walkway and apparently some parts of the miniature have movement as there is a demonstration given from time to time (unfortunately, not while we were there.) Pics include the span of the mini NYC and surrounding areas, Manhattan skyline, Queens w/ Unisphere/Mets Stadium and Central Park.

The one acts in Queens Scenes II were a mixed bag but helpful to the writers as they had a talkback after the show giving the audience an opportunity to ask questions, suggestions and praise.

After the show I headed off for a couple auditions. The first was for a play. A guy rode up with me in the elevator and I asked him if he was auditioning, too. He said he didn't know. Hmm... He added that he was new to town without representation and he just goes from theatre to theatre to try and get in on auditions. Ah.... He got in line ahead of me and the lady checking in auditioners asked his name (of course it wasn't on there), he played dumb as if it should be and sure enough she made a spot for him. After we sat down with our sides, he waited a couple minutes before sitting by me and asking me what the play was about. Niiiice.

When I was called in a cold that had been brewing decided to start spilling out my nose while I read. Lovely. We (another actress was called in with me) read thru the scene a few times switching characters once, then we were sent on our way.

The next audition was for a series of one-acts written by women and were to be directed by women. After waiting for a bit I finally got in, performed my one minute comedic monologue (I didn't realize they were timing it until I bowed my head, looked up and a gal said - "Time." - At least I didn't go over!) and that was that.

Time for bed and cold meds.

Actorfest 2007

Today I went to an event sponsored by Backstage called Actorfest. A day that includes workshops, seminars, networking opportunities and a main floor full of various booths relating to the industry. The "fest" itself is free, the classes are not. I decided I'd pony up the money for 2 classes - One that would give tips on what a "good" head shot/resume is and give feedback on the one you currently have and another class that discussed how to get into voice over work and there's to be an opportunity to do cold readings and get feedback from the speaker.

When I got to the Hammerstein Ballroom the sidewalks surrounding the place were packed with people. At first we were told that the larger line was just for those that were waiting for the open casting call (Nickelodeon, NBC/Universial & Telmundo). I passed on this simply because I didn't want to miss the classes I'd paid for because I was auditioning and if you weren't signed up in advance for an audition it was hard to tell when you'd be seen. I did however toss my head shot into the massive pile for the companies. I'm totally sure I'll be getting a call any day! ;)

After standing in a non-casting line for a half hour those that weren't in a 9am class were told to join the casting line. It didn't matter if you were registered or if you didn't plan on auditioning. Uh....

Me and a couple others started to journey back to the end of the line that would never end and thankfully a fellow actor that was in line heard our grumblings and waved us over to join her line. Not much movement happened so I just bid my time until 11am rolled around as that was when my class started. Shortly before that time they started letting those people in so once again I had to journey back to where I had started my morning. Durr.

According to one of the people standing with me, this was the first year they had Actorfest at this location and at the previous location it had run much more smoothly.

I got my "Actorfest" canvas bag full of misc. flyers and small freebies and my i.d. tag and journeyed in to discover that I probably could have just walked into any class I wanted without paying as they weren't checking badges when people went into classrooms. Doh!

I settled into the Head shot/Resume class where they had a photographer speak about Head shots and an Agent about resumes.

Here were some tips/insight they shared -

Your head shot is often referred to as the 2 second interview so it is important that your head shot grab the casting director/agent/etc's attention in the right way. What is right? Making sure the head shot's focus is actually on your face - not your jewelry, clothes, background, etc. V necks and clothes with earth tones were suggested.

This one makes sense but I've heard it said time and again - Make sure the head shot looks like you. Many casting agencies insist on taking a pic of you while you are in their office so they are sure to have an accurate pic of you.

Your head shot should show personality - no blank stares. It should be engaging and make whoever is looking at it want to talk to you.

The photographer said that he doesn't mind borders around photos but thinks that a full bleed photo makes more sense because once again - you want it to be about your face and not the white space. Same for the font used for your name - it should be simple and no bigger than 36/48 pt type.

A vertical head shot is preferred over a horizontal as the time it takes to turn the horizontal may take up the 2 seconds and an extra pause of seconds will only be given if the pic is really good.

Your resume should be formatted so the page breaks down into "word blocks" when you squint.

The 1st column should list the production, 2nd column defines the role and last column is where it was performed or what network/director.

The agent said he HATES it when people list background work as credits. He says it doesn't tell him anything so he prefers that people leave it off of there. (However, this is an agent's opinion - a casting director would be interested in your previous background work if you were contacting them to do more background work.) He also said that putting a music video credit on your resume means nothing to him as well.

He suggested putting links to any footage of films that may be online. (i.e. youtube)

His biggest pet peeve on cover letters is when it starts with...I'm looking for representation. He said, that's a given when you are writing the letter to an agent! He suggested that you focus on what you have recently done and how you would like to set up a meeting. Then follow that letter with postcard updates.

He said that more often than not he will give a person with less credits a chance based on their head shot. However, if a head shot is bad but a person has awesome credits - he will consider it but chances are less.

Unfortunately, part of the time was taking up with people raising their hands to ask questions like - Would these earrings work in my head shot?! Or those that came in late asking the same questions that had been asked earlier. And NO one on one was had with head shots & resumes. I wasn't happy and you could tell others weren't either as we crowded around the photographer afterwards to at least get some personal feedback.

He looked at my head shot and said that it didn't do me justice. He thought that it was very specific and was aimed at only certain roles. (In other words I need something more well-rounded?) He ended his observations with - but that's merely my opinion.

I had a few hours to kill before my next class so I weaved my way thru the many booths on the main floor. Mixed in with Photographers,Acting Class and Gym membership offers were reps from churches (including Scientology). I was a bit surprised to see churches among the mix - I'm not sure what the cost of a booth was but apparently targeting actors seemed like an investment worth making...?

Still had more time to kill so I ventured out for lunch (the massive line was no longer), talked to my bro about the state of NE football - I asked him if it was the coaches or quality of players and he said that good coaches could make chicken salad out of chicken shit. (A new spin on lemons into lemonade - had to share it! ;)) and then came back for my afternoon class.

This is the info/quotes I picked up in the Voice Over class -

A voice over is defined as anything where you hear a person but don't see them. There are 2 types - AVO, where the announcer is removed from the action and VO where the voice is part of the action. When you get copy, the first thing you should do is determine whether your part is AVO or VO.

A general rule - When you are recording a voice over, you shouldn't worry about how it sounds but more about what you are saying - Do you believe? Show enthusiasm? Care? (Of course there are exceptions.)

"Another word for agent is pimp." He promotes using casting directors until you get so well established that you NEED an agent to manage your gigs and schedule.

"Success is revenge." He told of one of his first auditions and how the casting director told him to keep his day job. He let that fuel him to success rather than let him get down and forget it.

One way to success? Think outside the box. Make what time you have memorable - your voice is your head shot.

Judgment is made in the first 10 seconds of a demo reel. Spots should show range and if starting from scratch you should never record several spots in one day - a veteran ear will notice that there is no clear change of sound.

"Butterflies will always be there, it's up to you to make them fly in formation."

Never handwrite on your demo cd - print a label.

Practice, practice, practice - read printed copy over and over working on breath control and getting a nimble/limber tongue - no tripping.

How do you get experience when starting out? Contact small ad agencies (he suggested scanning the B2B phonebook) - many times their budgets are lower and the odds are more likely for you to get a shot.

When asked how much you charge, your answer should be - How much is your budget?

"No one's stopping you but yourself."

You can never have too much training.

The reverse of show biz is b.s.

Listen...don't say more than you have to.

Once again though questions asked would be specific to the individual rather than helpful to the whole group (at this point I couldn't help but wonder if those asking questions had actually spent money on the class, too) and there was only time for 2 people to do a cold reading. Which really wasn't a cold reading per say but rather a breathing exercise - How long of a sentence can you read before taking a breath?

And that was the day. Not a TOTAL waste but not sure I'll invest in classes next year. May just stand in the massive line for the open casting call...

NoHo, HB and places in between

Day 2 in Cali was spent making connections with the rest of my friends there.

I said goodbye to "Wendla" and met another Nebraska friend who just recently landed in "The LA". We had brunch at The Farm in The Grove.

Between talking with members of the "Spring Awakening" cast and my friend at brunch it was certainly interesting to compare and contrast the east and west coast acting scenes. It was also interesting to compare the two coasts in general. I literally could feel my whole body just let go and relax while I was there - I always knew Cali was laid back but I appreciated it much more on this visit than I had in the past. NYC is go, go, go and sometimes you don't realize how much so until you step out of that environment. Being able to sit in a car and see stretches of land without tall buildings and the sparkling ocean was nice, too! ;) But I much prefer being the passenger than having to worry about driving in some of that traffic!

Once we were done with brunch we headed to Sprinkles near Fashion Island to meet up with another friend of mine. About the time we were done enjoying our West Coast cupcakes my other friend arrived and we made the switch off. But not before snapping a pic near Sprinkles in front of her rented yellow PT Cruiser. I'd never ridden in a PTC before and we both discovered that for whatever reason the controls for the windows are not on the door but on the center dash. Seemed odd to us.

On to Fashion Island with my friend from HB and her 1+ year old daughter in tow. The goal was to find an outfit for me to wear to Actorfest. We found parts to an outfit but she actually ended up having better luck finding stuff than I did! :)

When we were all shopped out (or rather when the stores closed early since it was Sunday), we stopped by her apt. and picked up her hubby and son to make our traditional trip to Inn N Out. A MUST stop everytime I've visited them in Cali. In fact, it was the first place I ate on my first visit to Cali.

Since it was my friend's son's 4th B-day we stopped by the store on the way home for ice cream, cookie dough & candles....and my friend pointed out that it was my opportunity to buy BAKED FLAMING HOT CHEETOS!!! Woot! And you better believe I did! Although I've found the 99cent bag regular FHCs in NYC I've yet to find the baked version.

We celebrated the 4 year old's b-day with the sweet treats when we got home and then called it a night.

Tomorrow my flight leaves at noon from the John Wayne Airport and then I'll be back in NYC by 10ish pm.

From East to West

Woke up at 3:45 this morning to get ready for my 5:50 am flight out of LaGuardia headed to LAX! Yep, thanks to an "optional" holiday off - Columbus Day - I managed to squeeze in a trip to see a friend in the play version of "Spring Awakening" - she was cast as the female lead, Wendla, thank you very much. And also visit other friends in the area - one of which just so happens to have a son who would be celebrating his 4th b-day while I was there! So although it would be quick and a tad tiring I was ready and excited to go!

The car service picked me up and on the way to the airport the driver told me in his thick Greek accent that I was the first person he picked up that early that didn't complain about being tired. He said when he hears these people he thinks - You are going on vacation! How can you be tired? If you are tired stay home and sleep!

He asked where I was going and said it was nice there but he would never go in the water. He highly recommended Santa Barbara. However, nothing could compare to his Greece. I told him that is on my list of places to visit someday. He told me not to put it off. The water, the clima - he said I'd fall in love with it all.

When he found out I was from Nebraska he asked why I would want to live in New York and also said he could tell from my voice that I was from that area - who knew I had an accent?! He said Nebraska and Iowa had nice people (he has traveled/lived all over the U.S.). New York, he doesn't have much appreciation for.

Once I got settled on the plane my tiredness crept in. My eyes opened long enough to see that the latest Harry Potter movie was playing and to receive my breakfast of cereal and a banana! :)

Switched planes at Houston and this time around they showed Nancy Drew - which I happened to stay awake for and was pleasantly surprised by.

I also managed to get pelted by a free-wheeling chunk of ice that the flight attendant lost control of, then the attendant on the other side of the cart lost track of a plastic cup that ricocheted off me and then as we started to land a flight attendant that was headed for her seat lost her balance and fell into me. The guy beside me assured me that the bullseye on my back was no longer there as I exited the plane.

I arrived @ LAX shortly after 11am. After getting lunch we checked out the thrift stores in her NoHo (North Hollywood)/Burbank neighborhood, including - It's a Wrap! A thrift store that sells clothes that were worn on the set of various movies and television shows. They even mark the tags so you know which show - many were from the soaps. Fun to look - but we didn't see anything that was deemed bargain worthy price wise.

We still had a bit of time left before she had to head to the theatre so she took me on the "secret" route to get closer to the Hollywood sign. And with your back to the Hollywood sign you got a great view of the L.A. landscape, too.

Time for my friend to head to the theater for call and I took a nap! Her hubby was nice enough to take me to the theatre for showtime and on our way I began reading texts from friends about how badly NE was doing against Mizzou. Ugh.

Picked up my ticket under "Nora Jones" - My friend's nickname for me and thus it is my name to all those that know me thru her. ;)

The show was performed in a blackbox theatre - much more intimate than it's east coast musical counterpart. And it was very interesting to compare and contrast the play's storyline with the musical version. It was also great to see my friend on stage! She spilled tears at one point and I almost cried with her! It was fantastic and I'm so glad I went to see her! :)

Later I heard that perhaps the performance I'd seen might have been just a bit sharper had the cast not stayed out late, late the night before. The director made a comment about them looking tired....ooopsy.

I had brought mini cupcakes from Crumbs for my friend to share with the cast and so I was greeted with many hugs when introduced to them after the show. They seemed to be very a friendly group even if I hadn't of brought goodies - I was glad to see my friend had a nice group to act with.

After the show some of us went to a traditional hang out for the cast - NoHo Diner. And as we sat there and noticed the time my friend pointed out that converting the time to east coast I had been up for about 24 hrs! Whoa.

Okay

Went to another book signing today. Today it was for the paperback release of Bob Newhart's book.

I decided to get an autographed copy for my gpa.

The line moved much quicker this time (only a half hour to get thru!) as he wasn't posing for pics (pics could be taken at a distance though). I cracked open the book while I was in line and it is a MUST read! Hi-larious!

I overheard a lady ahead of me tell Bob how she was getting a book signed for a friend who had been a fan of his since the 60s. Another book she was getting signed for herself and said she was a fan since the 70s. Adding that she loved the Newhart series finale. Bob said that was his wife's idea.

The guy ahead of me got several books signed. One for his nephew - telling Bob that his nephew was interested in theatre so he thought that his nephew would like the book. Oh really? Bob said.

Before leaving the table the guy told Bob that he had enjoyed what he read of the book so far as they began to wave me over. I chimed in and agreed, saying it was very enjoyable and a quick read! Bob said - Okay. I was a little taken back by how old Bob looks in person. I mean, I know he is older but compared to his book cover - well in person he apparently couldn't be airbrushed. ;) I worried about Bob and couldn't think of anything to say except - I'm getting this for my grandpa (explaining why he was signing it "To Bill"). Bob said - Okay. Then I thought, greaaaate now he probably thinks this young thing doesn't know beans about him - I figured saying I'd been a fan since the 80s probably wouldn't have been impressive either...But I was stumped for a sentence to say otherwise. Ugh.

I got the book, said thanks, retrieved my camera and that was that.

Afterwards I thought - Ahhh! I should have at least mentioned how I enjoyed Elf! That would have been something somewhat different to say compared to the other convos I'd heard. Oh well.

Take Care, Bob. And to everyone else - go read his book! :)

An Evening with Michael & Kenny

Tonight I went to another movie and talk back sponsored by Variety Magazine and the Moving Picture Museum. This time the movie was "Sleuth" and the speakers were one of the stars, Michael Caine and the director, Kenneth Branagh. (Jude Law was originally scheduled to be there too but apparently had a conflict and couldn't make it.)

It was Jude's idea to remake Sleuth. (The original had Michael Caine playing the young lover and Sir Laurence Olivier playing the husband - both fighting for the same woman.) Michael Caine originally had no interest in re-visiting the movie when he was approached by Jude to play the husband this time around. But then Jude told him that he had asked Harold Pinter to write the screenplay and that changed everything.

Pinter had never seen the movie nor read the play. He took the basic plot and made it his own - keeping all but one line from the original script and even adding a "wink" line in the script - "What's it all about?" - a thinly veiled reference to the movie "Alfie" which both Caine (original) & Law (remake) had been in.

Michael Caine talked about how he knew Pinter when he was an actor named, David Baron. Back then he told Caine that he wanted to write and Caine ended up being in Pinter's first One Act play - The Room. Caine added that Pinter must not have liked him in the show because it took all these years before he was asked to perform one of his pieces again. The moderator chimed in that he might have been busy making movies or the like when other opportunities arose for Pinter plays. Caine nodded and agreed that that might have been true. ;)

In describing Pinter, Caine said he lives in a totally separate world. In reference to the "story" of sleuth, Caine quoted Pinter - "I don't do plot." He added that you have to play it straight with Pinter's writings. That you should never look like you are acting. "Stay straight and Howard will take care of you." He said that Pinter himself (who happens to have a cameo in "Sleuth" as an actor in a mystery movie slapping a man - the slapped man we were later told was Kenneth Branagh) can say the most normal thing like - "Good Evening" and everyone in the room will look at each other and say - "What did he mean by that?!"

Moving on to his own acting, Caine said, "The worst thing he could hear is an audience member turning to someone during a movie he's in and say - "That Michael Caine is a great actor!" Because if a person does that during the movie that shows that he isn't doing justice to the character he's playing if they see him as the actor playing the character as opposed to just being the character. Of course, if you wanted to praise his acting after a movie is over - he was all for that!

He added that he considers the rehearsals the "work" part of acting and the actual performance relaxation.

Caine then reflected on his time filming the original version of "Sleuth". Saying that before filming started he received a letter from Sir Laurence saying something along the lines of..."I'll bet you are wondering how you will address me." Caine said he hadn't really thought about it. Sir Laurence said from the start he could be addressed as Larry. So Larry it was.

Apparently Larry had a rough time of it at the beginning of filming. He had just been let go from the National Theatre and was basically in the middle of a nervous breakdown. He declared that he couldn't act with his own face and came to the set with a mustache one day. Just like that he was on. Caine's quote - "My God he's got it! I'm in trouble."

Filming for the original "Sleuth" took 16 weeks. The new version took 23 days.

Caine said that he and Jude "Got along like a house on fire." (I think that's a good thing!)

Kenneth Branagh (or Kenny as Caine called him) did manage to get some words in although you could tell he was more than happy to let Caine go on...

Kenny said that directing the movie was like sitting in on his own person Master Class as he watched Law & Caine go at it.

One element that Pinter hinted at in the script and Kenny expanded upon was the idea of the house in "Sleuth" being a character, too.

The design of the house and the subsequent shooting style is very visually fascinating at times.

The movie itself? It is a mind f*@%, plain and simple. There are times that Jude seemed a bit much for me but that's merely an opinion. A movie worthy of seeing but you can wait til it comes out on dvd.

Meeting Dorothy Hamill

Lately the Barnes & Noble on the same block that I work has been having lots of book signings. Book signings that I can go to over my lunch break! :)

Dorothy Hamill was there today. And it took a little more than my hour to get thru the line...eek!

But I did get my book signed, a pic taken and chatted briefly. I told her that I had wanted to be a figure skater when I was younger (like 1st grade after I saw the 1984 Winter Olympics. We actually made a "When I grow up" class book and I drew a pic and announced Figure Skater as my occupation of choice - ironic that I never actually ice skated until I was in my late 20s!)

I said I grew up in Nebraska though so there wasn't as much of an opportunity (not sure why I had to add that, but I did - kinda true)

She said - Well it is cold there. But...(not a lot of places to skate). Then she asked if I lived in Manhattan.

I said I had moved to NY in June.

She asked - From Nebraska?

I replied - Yes.

Big Move - she answered. Do you like it?

Yes, because it gives me a chance to meet people like you.

Dorothy took my hands and said - You're so sweet. Then she wished me luck in the city.

Yippee - a celebrity encounter that wasn't too badly botched by yours truly! ;)

She is genuinely nice and the reason why it took so long in line is because she was taking the time to have moments like that with everyone.

The only downside to having the book autographed is that I'm hesitant to stuff it in my bag to read. May have to just be a "read @ home" book! ;)