Betty White: A Treasure

I am a little in love with Betty White and if you get the chance to watch her on Inside the Actors Studio, I really encourage it.  These videos on youtube tend to get taken down so I'd watch it as soon as you get the chance.  To say I want to have a career like Betty's is silly because it's never going to happen. She was one of the first people on television....ever!....and she is still entertaining us as she turns 90.  But I hope to be able to make people laugh like she does.  I feel a real kindredness with her characters and see myself in those types of roles.  Wherever my career takes me, I am inspired by Betty.

Here are a few quotes from Betty's interview that I immediately identified with...I think you can understand why:

And like any red-blooded American girl, I wrote myself into the lead. 

I love games, I've always loved games, so game shows were kind of a natural. 

I'm not a good negativist; I'm a positivist.

(when you get a job)  Determine from the beginning that you are going to do a good job and you're going to have a good time here.

Work

I need new headshots!  With my new hair, I feel like every picture of myself is so dated...even if it hasn't even been a week since I was a brunette.  Sometimes I'm not great with patience...

Feels very strange to have a Monday without anywhere to be.  Right now I'd usually be reading to my 3rd graders.  And for the past two months, I would be going to sketch class in the afternoon.  Instead I have the entire day...without any structured plans.  Which is why I'm at the coffeeshop now about to write a few more scenes for my screenplay.  And I got up this morning and went on a three mile run, did 50 lunges and 100 sit-ups.  The idea is to treat my working out and my writing more like a job...because it is.  Staying fit is part of the acting hustle.  And getting this screenplay done is part of the journey to getting it on screen...starring me, of course.  It is all part of a bigger plan.  Staying focused, staying ready.  And now, I need to get back to work.

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
- Donald Kendall

Dreams and Stories

The story I am writing exists, written in perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. -Jules Renard

That's kind of how I feel about my screenplay.  I literally had a dream, woke up, wrote it down, went back to sleep and knew when I woke up the next morning that I had finally found something to write about.  Now that I'm about halfway through the completion of the first draft, I find myself hoping that another dream comes along to steer me in the right direction.  I have an outline, I know where it starts and where it ends.  I know the characters and who they are.  It is just taking a little finagling to find out how they get to where they're going.  But I'm chugging along.  I'm writing scenes as they come to me.  I'm writing scenes because they are part of my outline.  I'm pretty sure not all of it will see the light of day...but it is good to have something and see how I can rewrite to make it fit later.  And so now...back to work...maybe I should take a nap.  You never know what gold can be found in dreamland.

My last day reading to my 3rd graders was so rewarding.  I brought back The Stinky Cheese Man, since it was such a hit the first time around, and they loved it.  I loved how when I got to the actual Stinky Cheese Man story they remembered how I read it to them months ago and did the little dance I made up with me.  29 little voices in chorus.  One class also gave me one of the best presents I've ever gotten:

A booklet made up of individual thank you notes and drawings from each of the kids.  I love it so much! The little stinkers made me cry :)

*****

Yesterday was the big 3-0 and today I woke up feeling motivated and ready to tackle a new decade.  I went for a run, fixed a hearty breakfast, and am now at the coffeeshop working on my screenplay. Let's hope this isn't a "new-year-one-time-fluke" but the start of new creative habits.  And, now, back to work.  But before I go....let me show you my new hair.  I spent my birthday at the salon becoming a redhead.  It's a look I've been wanting to try for awhile and now that we are finished shooting Girl Parts and I got the go-ahead from my agents, it was time to make this hair happen....so here it is!

Just took this picture - listening to Sara Bareilles as I work!

Summertime

Yesterday was my last sketch comedy class. Today is my last BookPAL day.  It's the first day of summer and my classes are ending...I feel like a kid again.  Which is a good thing because today is also the last day of my twenties...tomorrow is the big 3-0.  Now, I know as an actor you're not really supposed to give up your actual age.  But with the Internet, it's not too difficult to find out when I graduated high school and then do your own math.  So here I am, about to pass into a new decade and I'm shouting it from the rooftops. Or, I'm just turning 29 for the second time...we'll see how I feel in the morning!

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how.  The moment you know how, you begin to die a little.  The artist never entirely knows.  We guess.  We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.
- Agnes de Mille 

(I think I may have used this quote on here before but it seemed extra appropriate today...Here's to leaping!)

Rain, rain

Woke up to the sound of rain and I really hope it goes, goes away.  Tomorrow morning we have a photo shoot for Girl Parts and while we are doing some indoor shots there are also plenty of outdoor setups.  We're in the final stretch for this series and having a great set of promo cast shots will help immensely.  Not sure yet if we are still premiering on June 28th, as originally scheduled.  But for good reason!  We may have to push back the launch date depending on a few (all positive) factors...I'll let you know what they are if they come through.  Either way, the launch will be soon!  And I've seen the rough cut of our pilot....and it's funny, guys.  I'm excited to share it with you!

So, fingers crossed for a clearer morning tomorrow....

Hope you all have a great weekend!

This week is the Hollywood Reporter's Comedy Actress Roundtable.  Also known as, the roundtable I'm going to participate in soon enough.  As with the Drama Actress Roundtable, there were quite a few gems that struck a chord.  Who participated in the roundtable?  Kaley Cuoco, Julie Bowen, Teri Hatcher, Lea Michele, Amy Poehler and Jenna Fischer.  The answers were little more lighthearted and specific to each person's genre within comedy.  I think it is pretty interesting all the different layers you get with comedy, actually.  I was just reading an article that was making an argument about why certain shows shouldn't be included in the Emmy race under the category of comedy - like Nurse Jackie, The Big C, and even Glee.  Because while there are funny moments in these shows, there is a lot of gravitas behind the storylines.  And putting Edie Falco in the same category as say, Kaley Cuoco, presents a problem because they are doing completely different things in the world of acting and the world of comedy.  I actually agree to a point.  But you can't add ten different categories to cover all the shades of funny.  Maybe there should be a dramedy category...anyway, I digress.  The point was that the questions seemed more specific to each show and how they are handled as opposed to general questions about their craft like were asked in the Drama Actress roundtable.  One of my favorite tidbits though was Julie Bowen's answer to this question:

What's the best or worst career advice you've received?Bowen: The good advice I got was, "It's a numbers game." I heard early on that you're going to have to go on 30 auditions to even get a call back, and 50 before you get a job.  "Oh, I can do that."  So every time I heard no, it's like, "Oh good!"  That meant I was getting closer to the yes.  In a world where you hear no more than yes, you have to find a way to make friends with no.  So that advice worked out well. That and you can all sleep your way to the middle. (Laughter.)  Actually, I married outside of the business.  I don't have any salacious stories.
Cuoco:  That's probably good advice too.

There was also an interesting little discussion about male versus female (comedy) writers.  I liked what Amy Poehler had to say.  Here's how the conversation went:

Is there a chasm between what male writers think is funny versus female writers?
Cuoco:  Oh I think so.
How does that manifest on your show?
Cuoco:  We have one female writer on our writing staff, which is between 15 and 20 total.  And I can always tell when she has written the joke.  I'm also the only girl in the cast, so we totally connect.  But I can definitely tell.
Poehler:  Half of our writers are female.  And SNL had a great percentage too.  But I find the question of women in comedy so boring.  I don't want to talk about it.
Hatcher:  I love that.
Poehler:  It's not that much of a difference.
Fischer:  That's what I was going to say too.
Cuoco:  There are too many boy jokes on my show. Maybe that's why I can see a difference sometimes.
Well, the issue has been a hot one lately because Bridesmaids did so well.
Poehler:  I don't ever want to answer a question about women in comedy again until I'm like 60 and I go on my very lucrative speaking tour, where I wear a tuxedo and I sit on a stool with a glass of water and I talk about women in comedy.  Until then, I want there to be a moratorium on it.  You know?

And then the conversation goes into all the female driven comedies that were picked up for pilot season and their thoughts. Really good stuff and, as evidenced in my blog writing of late, topics I'm interested and invested in.  You should definitely pick up a copy of this week's Hollywood Reporter.  There is also an article by a producer talking about how studios are scrambling to find the "next Bridesmaids" and everyone is giving female screenwriters a second look - dusting off spec scripts, taking meetings.  Oh, Hollywood.  What is ironic about that article is that for my sketch class this past Monday, I wrote a sketch about studio execs sitting around and trying to "Hangover-ize" their current hits and put twists on classics, like Romeo and Juliet.  I thought it'd be funny if a bunch of suits were doing that.  Turns out...they are.  Oh art and life and imitation....

Imagine

A facebook friend posted the link to Henry Thomas's audition for ET.  After all of the classes and the techniques and the training, it is always refreshing to remember the power of imagination.

Another edition of "Tuesday musings"

This week is already cooking along.  The casting workshop over the weekend was really great.  SAG did a great job putting it together and I really enjoyed meeting this CD.  She brought really fun scenes, we got to talk a bit afterward and hopefully something will come along on her show that I'm right for.  Also got a residual check this weekend - my Amica Insurance spot is running!  I haven't seen it yet but will try to get a copy.  It is running in certain markets - NY, Colorado, Texas and a few others.  They have a youtube channel and hopefully they'll post my spot soon.  Had a fun second to last sketch class yesterday and then a productive writing meeting with our production company last night.  Tweaking the episodes we have written for our new webseries and making them stronger.

Only two more weeks of the school year for my 3rd graders.  I'm reading to them on Tuesdays instead of Mondays for these last two weeks.  It felt weird not going to read to them yesterday and I'm excited to see them today.  I'm going to be sad when the school year ends and will definitely miss these guys.

Friday already?

Another week has zoomed by and I can't believe it's already over.  Tomorrow afternoon I'm looking forward to meeting a casting director through CAP - the SAG Foundation's free cold reading workshop.  It's my first CAP workshop and I'm interested to see how it goes.  The casting director is a powerhouse in the sitcom casting world and...since I that is the world I belong in...I'm hoping to make a fan.  Other than that, it is a grey and overcast day here in LA and I'm planning to get some writing done.  Me and my computer are joined at the keys and fingertips.  Hope it's a productive Friday and a fun weekend - for all of us!

Screenings and Friends

Actors are expressive.

Went to a screening last night for my friend Brian's new webseries called Downsized.  Brian  is an old classmate from Ivana's studio, so I got to see a lot of my old class buddies and catch up while celebrating a creative success.  They showed the first two episodes as one, like a short film.  It was funny!  Very Hangover-esque and a good setup for a long running series. Brian and crew should be very proud.  The venue itself was pretty great and I think it could be a great place to screen Girl Parts when we premiere in a few weeks.  We'll see if it works out for that. Either way, it is a good place to know for future events.  It felt like you were in someone's backyard, with white lights and couches and heat lamps.  Why oh why is it still so cold in LA??

Tuesday musings

Sitting outside on this lovely day, working on my screenplay and feeling content.  On Sunday there was a lovely reception for BookPALS and our teachers in the Hollywood Hills.  It was a great way to honor those who make this program happen and I left feeling very fortunate to be a part of it.  And my teachers completely surprised me with the most beautiful orchid as a gift.  Being able to read to their students each week is such a gift and I never expected to receive anything beyond that.  It is proudly sitting as our new centerpiece in our dining area.  I have a commercial audition later this afternoon and it feels good to be getting back out there...it was slow for awhile but hopefully this is the start of an upswing in activity!

Living without Regrets

Someone in the Twitter-verse retweeted a link to a blogpost with the title, "Regrets of the Dying."  Living life with few regrets is a difficult challenge and requires a special kind of courage.  I believe regret has its place though since learning to be courageous can often be an outcome of having a regret and vowing to not let it happen again.  The key is to have the 20/20 vision of hindsight and the time to correct your mistakes...which can be tricky, depending on when you get that perfect vision back.  

The blogpost was written by a Bronnie Ware, who worked in palliative care.  She listed the five most common regrets she heard as her patients reached the end of their life.  Of course the first, and most common, regret struck a chord:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. 
This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.  

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

After doing my own "mid-year" check-in yesterday (which my husband has informed me is a month early....but, oh well!), I found Bronnie's blog to be perfectly timed.  I started thinking about how I want the rest of the year to play out at the beginning of the day yesterday and then, after reading her blogpost, I gave thanks for having a "rest of the year" to plan out.  And that in visualizing my plans for the next six months, my plan is to continue following my dreams.  And how very blessed I am to have my health and the freedom that brings to live without regrets.  And I also thought about how my health is never guaranteed and yet is too often taken for granted.

As the weekend begins, I encourage you to read the blogpost and consider where you're at in your life.  Do any of these "5 most common regrets" strike a chord with you?  Is it possible to change the trajectory of your path before it's too late?  I'm not talking about making major life changes - unless that is what you want and need!  But even small changes like putting away the computer to spend more time with your loved one (something I need to do more often!).  Or telling someone you love them....even if you think they already know it.  Or calling a friend that you miss and have lost touch with.  Or signing up for a class in a passion you wish you'd pursue.  Or taking out your sketchpad or paints to create.  Or just by taking a moment and choosing to change a negative outlook you're holding onto...and realizing that you have the power to let it go.

Your time is precious.  How do you want to spend it?

Mid-Year Check-In

It is the middle of the year and it is always good to do a little check-in.  How is the year going?  What have I accomplished?  What goals do I still want to reach to finish the year out?

• The auditions slowed down a bit during this first half of the year but, even so, I managed to book and shoot another commercial.  Pretty proud of that accomplishment.  
• I'm also very proud that we shot the entire first season of GIRL PARTS which is making it's debut later this month.  I was talking with our creator/writer/producer yesterday and it sounds like some exciting possibilities are hovering on the horizon. Continue to send positive vibes as we are doing our best to get this series the most visibility possible.  I don't want to jinx anything yet but will definitely keep you posted as things become more definite.  
• I started working on my first screenplay recently and am hoping to have a first draft completed soon.  I've always been a writer but coming up with an idea that I felt passionately enough about to spend an extended period of time with just hadn't happened until this year.  Writing my own project is another check mark on this year's to-do/to-done list.  
• The short film I shot last year, TRUE LOVE, had several festival showings around the country and a very successful debut here in LA earlier this year.  
• And a short that I shot quickly with friends, APRIL FOOL'S, had such a positive response that we ended up reshooting it with a better camera so that we can present a higher quality product for festival submissions later this year.
• A group of friends and I started our own production company.  We started developing and writing our own webseries and we are on track to shoot our series later this year.  We also shot a few shorts that we wrote and starred in as a bit of a learning experience that was fun and helpful.
• My Wheel of Fortune episode kicked off this year and that was fun, right?
• One of the best things about this year so far has been my involvement as a Book PAL.  Reading to my two 3rd grade classes every Monday has brought me so much joy and fulfillment.  I can't believe I only have three weeks left with this group of kids.  And I will definitely be continuing as a BookPAL when the next school year starts in the fall.
• Also...I learned to knit!  A three-year-old-New-Year's-Resolution fulfilled.

Checking in always makes me feel a little better....and always gets me motivated to attack the remainder of the year with gusto.  Striving to make each day count.  Continuing to grow, learn, listen, dance.

Good questions...

I absolutely love the Hollywood Reporter's Roundtable series that they do around award seasons.  The process of Emmy nominations is underway and so they've started interviewing the top performers in television.  This past week's roundtable was with select dramatic actresses working today:  Connie Britton, Christina Hendricks, Regina King, Melissa Leo, Julianna Margulies, Kelly Macdonald and Katey Sagal.  I love the questions they ask...like, 

"What's the best career advice you've ever received?" 

(Regina King: Marla Gibbs. When I was starting on 227, she told me that even if I'm off-camera, my job is just as important as when I'm on...And then I had wonderful opportunities like working with Tom Cruise, and his day is done and over, and he's like, "Regina, let me go run and take off my makeup," and he did off-camera work with me.  To know that other actors, even if they are huge, go by the same idea of making the project better...)

"You're all on shows with grueling shooting schedules. How do you balance your personal and professional lives?"

(Katey Sagal:  ...That's one of the reasons I've been so grateful to work in television because someone once said to me:  "Your life is your life; your work is not your life." It made me a better person.  It made me a better actor.  It made me a better artist to have children.  That's just me.  My family opened my heart, so my choices are based on them first.)

"Do you all feel more able to practice your craft in television than in film? Are you more engaged in your roles?"

(Connie Britton:  It's a great example: In Friday Night Lights the movie, my role was small to begin with, and then by the time it made it up onscreen, it was almost nonexistent.  It was really cut to smithereens. In film, it's much more difficult to find really, fully wrought female roles. When Peter Berg, who had directed the movie, decided to make it into a TV show, he almost felt like he owed it to me.)

If you have the time to check out the video of the roundtable, here's the link to the gallery.  And if you're in town and want to borrow my copy of the issue, I'd be more than happy to pass it along.  I think that this week's issue is already out, or I would encourage you to go buy it.  This week's roundtable is with showrunners, so I'm looking forward to getting that in the mail today!  

PS - A special "Happy Birthday!" to my best friend, Kristen!  It's a big one ;)  And I'm right behind her!  Here we are cutting a rug at her wedding this past fall...

We are clearly awesome dancers.