Psyche

Well, after my post yesterday, when I was all geared up to get my painting on....the sun came out. So instead of painting, I went on a walk. But don't fret. The rest of the week is supposed to be gray and rainy, so there is still a chance of artwork. I say "supposed to be" because it was scheduled to be raining already but the sun keeps finding a way to peek through the clouds. It's a fun game to watch.

It was good to be back in class last night. I've missed the past few weeks so it felt good to get back into the groove of class. Ivana constantly surprises me with her insight into a scene and how to get the most effective performance from an actor. She is part teacher/part psychiatrist. And thinking about that last night made me want to add something to my bucket list: learn more about psychology. I think the next book I read will be of an academic nature. Any good recommendations for books about the human psyche?

Gray days

<----my view as I write...

It's a gray day in LA and there is a peacefulness that this weather brings. It lets you sit and reflect and look forward to when the sun is going to come out. It's quite different than a gray day in NYC. In NYC, a gray day is the norm. It is what you expect when you wake up, for months on end. It is a constant reminder that it is cold outside. At least, that is how this Florida girl perceived it. Out here a gray day is an unexpected surprise. It is a reminder that gray days happen. My life has been unexpected lately and the auditions have been slowing down so I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to write about on this blog because of that. But I think that a day like today makes me want to reevaluate what I'm doing, how I can be doing things differently, how I can improve and what the next step should be. For the majority of us actors, following our dream means a long road full of long breaks between employment. And after being blessed with a job, you just get hungrier for the next. I am definitly lucky to have worked last week and I am feeling antsy for the next opportunity. So how can I make that happen? So much is out of our control in this business and sitting around waiting for the phone to ring is enough to drive you mad. So in the mean time, the in-between time, I'm going to work on my scene for class. And I am going to write a few postcards to casting directors. And I am going to stop thinking about the "biz" for a second and do some painting or finish reading the book I'm reading (The Whole World Over by Julia Glass, which I am loving). Ooh...curling up with a book...that sounds nice...if you're lucky enough to have a gray day that you can curl up with a book to, then you're lucky enough.

Do you have a bucket list?

Meet Shirley McConnell. She worked on the pilot that I shot a few weeks back and she has a bucket list. After her husband passed away three years ago she decided that life is short and it's time to start following some dreams she's had. Like acting. She grew up around Hollywood - from Santa Monica to Pasadena - but she never pursued her acting ambitions. But since starting three years ago, she hasn't looked back. She got some headshots done, found herself an agent, has been taking classes and doing plays and now has landed a role in a pilot - and those are only the credits that I know of. She also always wanted to learn to surf, so she visited her grandson in Hawaii and he taught her how to ride a couple of waves. She wanted to learn how to ski, so she visited her grandson in Colorado and he got her on a snowboard. Oh - and she also went parasailing when she was in Hawaii.

Now, I don't know how many years young Shirley is - I didn't think to ask. All I know is she is proof that is never too late to follow your dreams. I've been so blessed to have a family and a husband who support my dreams and have made them their own. I'm following my major dream out here but there is plenty I want to do in this life that I haven't gotten to do yet. From simple things like wanting to paint more to bigger things like wanting to write a novel to even bigger things like wanting to be a mom. Big or little, I want to start drafting my bucket list now. I can check things off as I go and add more as I think of them. It's never too late to start.

Memories

Shot the Pizza Hut spot yesterday and it went as well as can be expected. At one point I thought I was for sure just going to be an arm putting down a pizza....which I still may be. It all depends on how they edit it, I guess. But it was good people to work with - I really liked the director, Pam and hope I get to work with her again. And the guy from the UPS commercials (the whiteboard ones that are so awesome) was part of the ad agency. And yes, he does draw it all himself. And I had fun hanging out with the guys who played the basketball players and the coach. Being inside of a Pizza Hut restaurant definitely brought back memories of childhood. I started craving a personal pan pizza just being in that familiar restaurant-scape.

(...I know it has been sparse posting this week and even this post is probably missing a lot. I hope that next week things will start looking up and I'll be back to my normal ramblings...hopefully this weekend will be rejuvenating, for everyone. Here's to fresh perspectives.)

Shoot day

I've taken a break because my life has been going through a bit of an upheaval. And, fortunately enough, my acting world has been quiet this week. But today the show must go on and I am shooting the Pizza Hut commercial. My call time is 11:30, which I love - beats a 6 AM call time. Who am I kidding? As long as I'm working, I'm not complaining about a call time! It was crazy yesterday though because I got a call from my agent saying that the casting office had called him and the location for the shoot today had fallen through and would I be available to shoot on Sunday? I mean, yeah, I'll make myself available. I'm supposed to be in San Diego for a wedding and I monitor class at night on Sundays but I guess I just won't stay the night on Saturday and I'll find a sub for my class. I found the sub and was still figuring out the weekend away when I got a call from production to tell me my call time "for tomorrow." Huh? I thought we were shooting on Sunday? Oh yeah, they say, they thought that might happen but it all worked out - you're shooting tomorrow. And that brings us to today. I still need to let my sub know he's off the hook.

Time to get crackin'

Fitting

My fitting for Pizza Hut is today. I'm looking forward to seeing how they outfit me - will it be a red shirt? Or a black one? Decisions, decisions. And that's the big plan on the schedule today. Let's hope the day brings news of auditions and more opportunities. Even if it doesn't, being able to go to a fitting this morning is a great way to start the weekend.

Making our way

Do we look like "mean girls"? Well, I hope you answered "yes" because Melinda, Cameron and I played a trio of "rich bitches" in our friend's pilot over the weekend. Brooke, our friend, created and is producing and starring in a show called TIPS, about the waitstaff at a restaurant. She asked the three of us if we wanted to make a cameo as these rich, snobby women who order champagne and when it is opened at our table, it accidentally sprays all over us. And we cause a scene. All four of us are in class together so when Brooke asked us to be a part of her project, I said yes right away because we gotta support each other - we have a pretty awesome class. Well, when I got on set Sunday, I didn't realize what a big production this was. She got some serious funding and there are high expectations for this series. And she asked a lot of us from class to be a part of this. She also said if it does get picked up, the "rich bitches" may become recurring characters. I had so much fun improving snarky lines that I would love to get to bring this mean girl back. All in all, it was inspiring to see a friend living her dream and making dreams happen. That is what it is all about!

Whirlwind

Yesterday, after I posted, I was sitting around trying to figure out what to do with my day when I got a call from my commercial agent. He says, What's going on with 'product x'? And I say, I don't know...what's going on with 'product x'? Did I get a callback? (I went in for the commercial audition 2 weeks ago and I knew the callbacks were yesterday and today). And he says, Yeah - you had one 20 minutes ago. They just called to see where you were.

What??

He is convinced he called me but I never got the message and at this point it doesn't matter - either I get there in 15 minutes or I miss the oppportunity. Now, mind you, I had gone for a run in the morning but I hadn't showered yet. It takes me 15 minutes just to get to the audition location. But I say, Ok - I can do it. Picture a tornado...that's what it looked like getting ready. Quick! Throw on some jeans and a white button down. Throw on some concealer and mascara. Brush my hair out of it's ponytail and pin it back. Two minutes: Done. Run to my car, do my best to obey traffic laws. Throw my car into park at a red light so I can pull down the backseat so I can get to my trunk which has the purse with my lipgloss. Did it. The light's changing. Go go go.

And I made it.

Went in, did the callback and when I walked out - I kid you not - I ran into a boy who was wearing a retro "Book It" t-shirt. With the exact logo that I posted yesterday. How weird is that?? I don't know what it means and it probably means nothing but what a strange coincidence. I told him about my blog. He told me it was probably a sign.

Sign of what?

Who knows? All I know is that today is absolutely gorgeous and warm and sunny out and I plan on going to the park for a bit and soaking it up. Which I will do after I write to the casting associate at All My Children, who knows me from NY and since the show films out here now, I want to remind him I'm here too. And to the new show Romantically Challenged because Alyssa Milano is a series regular and who would be better to play her little sister than me? Not that that role is even written yet...but if the show is picked up and if that becomes a role to cast, I want them to know I'm out here. Gotta think ahead....because you just never know....

Book It

In elementary school, there was a program called "Book It" and I looooved it. You got a sticker for every book report that you wrote and the sticker went on this holographic button and when you filled up your button, you got a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Being a book worm, I got a lot of personal pizzas.

And I still love to "Book It" with Pizza Hut...and that is exactly what I did: I booked the commercial! I shoot next Thursday! Woohoo!!

What a life

At 5:30 last night, as I was preparing to go to a SAG event for webseries, I got a BBM from my manager saying, "Ready for this? Pilot appt for you for tomorrow." Am I ready for this?? I was born ready! Bring. It. On. So I had to cancel my plans to go to the event, read the script, prepare my sides and then at 9:30 last night I met up with J. for coaching. We went over it for a bit, she gave me some good pointers and I left feeling like, ultimately, I had this character on lockdown. When I first read the sides, I thought, "Yes! I am this girl. All I have to do is go in and be myself." How hard can that be?

Well, there were two scenes that they wanted us to prepare but it said to focus on the first scene. I asked J. what that meant and she said that if they liked me, they would ask me to do the second scene. So I went to the Fox lot this morning and as I was trolling the parking garage looking for a spot, I saw Brendan Bradley. He is a guy that I used to work with at Outback in NY, who has been pretty successful since moving out here. He also dates a girl Cooper Harris, who is also a friend from NY, who has also been pretty successful since moving here. Small town, right? Well, he was on the lot to read for the role of my character's little brother. He had already had an appointment in the morning and they asked him to stick around for a callback. Pretty sweet.

I went up to the casting building and decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator, since it was only one flight. I turned right out of the stairway and suddenly I was in the annals of the production offices for How I Met Your Mother - one of my favorite shows. Oh, yes, the pilot is from the producers of HIMYM. So needless to say, it is hilarious. I was laughing aloud when I was reading it last night. Anyway, I digress. I ran into a guy and said..."I'm lost." And he was like, Are you here for casting? And I said yes. And he looked at me funny and I said, I took the stairs. Realization flashed on his face and he said, Ok, you go left and then left out of the stairway. Turns out the elevator opens right up into the casting office. I wouldn't have gotten lost if I had been a little more lazy.

So I signed in and waited and then the casting director came in and said to me, "You're here for the producers, right?" I said yes....but I wasn't really sure. Usually there is a pre-read unless the office knows you and this was my first time in for them. But I guess I must have the right look or something because I was being called in "directly to producers." That is a good thing. She said it was going to be a few minutes and I said no worries and then I eavesdropped as they were talking down the hall (where I got lost) about something to do with Barney's character and then the casting office started to fill up and I chatted with the other people there, like Brendan. And then I was called in.

I followed the casting director into a room about the size of a closet and heard, "Oh, good, you found it." Yes. The man I told I was lost is one of the producers. Of course. There were a ton of people I could have asked for directions and he was the one. Just made me laugh. So then we started the audition, which was on camera, I got a few chuckles and when it was done it was..."Thanks so much."

Let me tell you about "thank yous" - you can't trust them at an audition. They can mean, "thanks for wasting our time," "thanks for entertaining us," "thanks, but you're not right," "thanks for rocking our world." They can mean many things. I'm not sure what this one meant. At all. All I know is that they didn't ask me to do the second scene. Which made me think back to what J. said about, if they like you, they'll ask you to do it. But. They did say before I started that they were only doing the first scene. But maybe they say that so you don't get disappointed if they don't ask you to do the second scene. Maybe, maybe, maybe. This is what swirls around in an actor's head. All I know is that it is a great casting office to be called in for and I am thankful for the opportunity. My first pilot audition of what has been a "busy pilot season" to some of my friends. So I'm just glad I got a chance...and we'll see where that chance leads...

....in other news, I'm on avail for Pizza Hut. I must be doing something right.

I have to figure out to mobile post...

...I set it up at one point but now I forget how to actually post while out and about. Anyway...here is what I wrote "on location":

"Sitting at the callback and not sure what this other commercial will be about that is casting in the next room...but there are groups of bands auditioning - with their instruments and all. Hipster-dude bands. I'm surrounded by dudes in black clothing and scruffy facial hair on one side and girls that look like me in red polos in the other. What a world."

By the way, after I wrote that, an impromptu acoustic jam session started between two members of different bands. They were pretty good.

Happy Birthday!

Can't write too much because I'm running behind this morning and my callback is at noon, in Santa Monica. Yes, I got the callback after all :) More later today...

Oh!!! And it is my beautiful sister's birthday! Sending Kelsey all my love and missing her fiercely....

Waiting

Still waiting to see if I get a callback - I thought the callbacks started today but they are also scheduled for tomorrow too....so....we'll see. That, my friends, is the life of an actor in a nutshell: Waiting.

Had a great class last night. Reid and I put up our scene from Homefront and we ended up reaching some powerful places. When work can be cathartic, that is when I'm reminded as to why I do this. I was dreading doing this scene - it is tough material and it is heartwrenching - and I just didn't feel like feeling bad. But once we started flying, feeling the pain became liberating. Because I can just leave it there on the stage and move on. At least, that's the theory. Now I move onto my next scene in class...which is from Babel. Guess I'm going to keep feeling miserable.

Also working on getting our pilot wrapped up - we have a rough cut of it and now we are adding in the credits and such. I can't wait to show you the final product!

Here I am...

I feel like I have so much to write about, so I keep putting it off and now all the things I had to record are going to be bulletpointed and watered down. That is no way to maintain a blog, Meagan! Shame on you.

On Saturday I shot the guest star role on Every Other Wednesday. I had a great time working on the project and I'm really excited to see how it all turns out. I walked onto set and was immediately greeted by Travis - a friend of mine that I knew in NY. He was in one of the shows that we did with the Outback Theatre Company and he lives out here now. I've seen him a few times when we've gone to eat at the Outback in Burbank but I never would have thought I would see him at this shoot. Turns out, he is friends with the guys who are the creators and stars of this series and he was helping out with sound and other production jobs throughout the day. And his girlfriend Kris, who was also there helping out, is from Florida and when I friended her on facebook I noticed that she graduated from FSU and knows my cousin Matt. Holy small world, Batman!

My part is going to span over three episodes which should start airing in May. And let me tell you, just from the playback I saw, it is going to be hilarious. When my character is introduced, it will be in slow-mo, my hair blowing in the wind (yes, there was a fan used) and then I fall flat on my face - and they got a priceless shot of my eyes bugging out of my head as I fell. I have a feeling a few of you will be playing and rewinding, playing and rewinding, any time you need a good laugh.

Sunday was the Oscars and I really enjoyed the show. I thought Alec and Steve were great hosts, I loved NPH's opening number, I loved the dance numbers that Adam Shankman worked into it, using past So You Think You Can Dance contestants - I think that should be a new staple of the show. I have never been more interested in the category of "Best Original Score." And I thought the acceptance speeches were interesting too - and not just of the "major" categories. All and all....I pretty much can't wait to be there someday. I still have to talk to Corinne - she got to go, working in the press room. I hope she has some fun stories!

I had an audition for a commercial yesterday. I tell you what, IAA is doing their job. Oh! I forgot to tell you that I was "on hold" for one of the commercials I went out for 2 weeks ago. It was scheduled to shoot on Saturday - when I shot my guest spot. I only found out on Friday afternoon that I was officially released...it was a little nervewracking. While I definitely would have liked to of booked the commercial, I really wanted to do this role on Every Other Wednesday. I think it all worked out how it was supposed to.

I feel like I'm forgetting stuff....but that is all for now!

Fickle Minds of Casting

At the commercial audition yesterday, all we had to do was put down some plates on a table, talk to some imaginary people and go on our way. They brought in four of us at a time and then we all had our turn. There were blondes, brunettes, redheads, black girls, Hispanic girls, Asian girls...seriously - how do they narrow it down??? Those type of auditions always baffle me. On my way out of the audition I ran into my good friend Lynn, who I haven't seen in quite awhile. So I went back in to talk with her while she waited to be taken in. When the casting director peeked her head out to see how many "servers" she had left to audition, she counted me in the number. "Um, I already went," I mumbled. She didn't hear me. Clearly, I made an impression....

Tomorrow I'm scheduled to shoot the guest star role on Every Other Wednesday, which now spans over three episodes. I'm really looking forward to it! I just printed out the three scripts and I'm going to get to work on them soon. I like working.

Food

So...I have another audition today - this time for a restaurant. Now, of all the commercials I've done, about 80% of them have been for restaurants. But, since October 2006, I've been unable to audition for any restaurant commercials because that is when I shot my Olive Garden spot...which continued to be held through January of this year. They only aired it for two different cycles (cycles are 13 weeks) but because they kept paying me a "holding fee" I was unable to audition or do any other restaurant spots. They finally decided to let this butterfly go and I'm back in the running. Watch out.

Callbacks and investors

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday - took a day off. But today I'm back to business and I've got another callback this morning. This is for one of the commercials I went out on last week. That means I got sent out for four commercials, I've had callbacks for two, one shot the next day (can't win 'em all) and the other hasn't had callbacks yet. I'm ok with that record.

Also....finally saw the cut of our pilot!! It looks really good. I can't share it online yet because we are going to be shopping it as a demo first. We're looking for investors that would want to help us make this an even better pilot and shoot the series. So...if you're looking to throw some money behind the new wave of entertainment, let me know! Or if you know of someone, let me know!

To book or not to book

Good morning! Well, afternoon to my east coast family and friends. So....I think they called back everybody for the callback I went to on Friday. There seemed to be a large stack of size cards that had been printed out. Granted, there were three parts to cast but it still seemed like a lot of people. Not holding my breath on that one. I actually had a Saturday audition for a promo...but it shot yesterday, so didn't book that one either. But...I did book the webseries! I got a call from Chris and Matt, the stars and brains of the show, over the weekend and they offered me the part. We shoot this Saturday and they talked about doing multiple episodes with my character...woot woot! I'm pretty excited.

Not too much planned for today. A possible rehearsal for my scene for class and no auditions lined up...yet. You never know with my new agent....they are rockin' at getting me out. Pretty pleased with them right now.