CAT Scratchings

SAG Awards Viewing Party

2012-01-29T23:03:00.001-08:00

Today, I went to my first SAG Awards viewing party at SAG headquarters as a SAG member. This was very exciting for me.

It was also the first year I was eligible to vote in the SAG Awards as I joined too late last year.

Unfortunately, only a couple of my choices won this year. But it was quite something to view the Awards show on the big screen with a room full of actors, cheering for their favorites.

They also supplied us with a nice lunch... turkey wraps and fruit salad. Popcorn and strawberry twists. Diet cokes, cokes, water and coffee.

They also had raffle tickets for SAG swag, but as is usual, I didn't win anything.

SAG President Ken Howard twice gave us a video message about how SAG and AFTRA boards had voted merger. Something everybody in the room knew. It seemed a heavy handed way to push it down our throats since everybody reads the trades in some form and this was supposed to be a viewing party. There were many boos at his speeches.

On our way out, we were given little duck plushes which if you squeezed, said "Aflack."

Then on the sidewalk, there were guys handing out flyers against the merger. This will be interesting as in all the coverage and Ken Howard's speeches, there is nothing about what we'll have to give up in this merger.

Video Clips from Merlin's Third Episode of Season 3

2012-01-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

According to the press release for Friday January 20, 2012's episode of Merlin on Syfy, destiny calls for Merlin and Arthur. This third episode of the fourth season is called "The Wicked Day" and it is indeed for Merlin, Arthur and all of Camelot.

The first video supplied as a teaser by FremantleMedia is called "The Mind of a Child".

The second video is called "Knives":

Remember, these clips are copyrighted to FremantleMedia and are used here with permission.

Video Clips from Merlin's Second Episode of Season 4.

2012-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

According to the publicists for Merlin, last Friday's fourth-season premiere attracted the biggest-ever first-episode audience in its Syfy history, with viewership 29% higher for Season 4 than Season 3. The new season continues this Friday, Jan. 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT with "The Darkest Hour, Part 2," the epic conclusion to the two-part season-opener.

However, since Suite101.com isn't set up to post video clips, I wanted to give my readers a chance to see them so I'm posting them here.

Once again, these are the property of FremantleMedia and are used here with permission. Please do not copy elsewhere.

This clip is called Balance of the World:

This clip is called Dragon:

The third clip is called: Morgana and Agravaine:

Thanks to John Singh and Gary Miereanu for Fremantlemedia.

Cold Reading with Casting Director Jami Rudofsky

2011-12-10T18:48:00.001-08:00

Had a great Cold Reading Workshop at SAG Foundation, CAP event, today with casting director Jami Rudofsky. I got to play Emily Gilmore of the Gilmore Girls. Imagine that. After all the years I spent watching Gilmore Girls, I got to play Emily Gilmore for a scene. And it was a great scene. It's the one in which she goes to visit and check out Mia, the woman who took in the pregnant Loralei when she ran away from home. Very poignant.

Acting in SAG Short Film "Away with Childish Things"

2011-10-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had the privilege of participating in a cool short film. It was called "Away with Childish Things" about a professional clown who has to step up to full custody of his five-year old son after the suicide of his ex-wife, who had limited his access to his child because she disapproved of his profession, considering it one for men who haven't grown up.

I play the social worker who brings the child, Travis, to the father Andrew. You can see me with the star and the writer of the short, Eric Charles Jorgenson (Andrew Gillick). Kudos to our make-up person, Chelsea Still, because I look great in these photos. And I usually hate what I look like in stills.

With me are three police officers who have to make the notification to Andrew of his ex-wife's suicide and his new custody situation. They also have to determine that this will be a safe environment for Travis before I can turn him over to Andrew.

To the left are RJ Farrington as Officer Madsen and Londale Theus as Sergeant Miller. To the right is Corey Rieger as Officer Parker.

Travis is played by the adorable and talented David Satchwell.

This was a great team to work with. The entire cast was very talented and the script was well-written and poignant. It also leaves many questions unanswered that just beg for sequel and prequel (hear that, Eric?)

The crew was equally talented and experienced. They showed how professional and up-to-the-challenge they were when we had a filming glitch. Something always goes wrong in every production. It's par for the course. And ours was no different. Filming was going to be done entirely on a hand-held camera. And for some reason, the camera refused to turn on.

The non-plussed camera guy made arrangements to get another camera. We would have lost about an hour of shooting, but there was some off-camera voice-over work to be done, so we filled in the time doing that. Ultimately, our crew and cast were so proficient that we finished our two day shoot in one day. And since they were night shoots, everybody was happy.

Can't wait to see the short put together and I'm looking forward to working with these people again.

New Headshots Ready to be Distributed

2011-09-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

There are so many factors that go into getting new head shots ready to passed around. First you have to hire a photographer to do them, then you have to go through all the prints, and make selections. And if you are like me, who hates most of the photos I take -- always have -- that means asking people to give you their feedback and select the ones they like. And of course, the ones you ask initially won't agree on the same photos, so you have to ask more people. Then of course, you have to get your name on them and get them printed up.

Here are the final 4 that will be used. The way the industry works now is that you have to have one smiley one for commercial submissions and one serious one for theatrical. The two printed up for submissions have already been chosen, but I thought it'd be fun to which one readers of this blog would choose... so free to leave comments on which ones you'd choose. All are by photographer Jeff Xander.

And here are some photos from another session. These were done by a friend of mine whom I'm not sure he wants his name published on the Internet. Will amend if he changes his mind.

Listening to Legendary Comedy Directors

2011-08-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went to a special SAG Film Society event. It was a panel discussion with three legendary great comedy directors, Rob Reiner, Amy Heckerling, and Garry Marshall. It was presented by the DGA 75th Anniversary Advisory Committee and called "Make 'Em Laugh: Game Changing Comedy Direction".

It was moderated by another comedy director, Shawn Levy. It was a very entertaining and informative evening with wonderful stories told by all three.

For example, Garry Marshall said in television, you have to finish no matter what. So once when he was doing a Happy Days episode, where the Fonz was on a jury, they didn't have the budget for a jury room set. But since the whole thing was about Fonz on the jury, there were many scenes for that room. So he hired a day player to come out with a paint can and whisper to the judge. The judge said the jury room is being painted and they would just stay in that room.

Rob Reiner shared a story about an episode of The Show of Shows which was live TV that his father Carl Reiner did. This episode was a satire of The Defenders and Carl Reiner played the prosecutor and Sid Caesar the defense attorney. The jury was supposed to bring back a guilty verdict, then the defendant's mother was going to jump up and offer new evidence.

Instead, the jury brought back a not guilty verdict which meant the story was ending half way through the show. So Sid, the defense attorney, jumped up and said that his own client was guilty and he knew it and then introduced the mother's new evidence, so that they could move along and finish the show.

They were asked to offer up clips of shows that were great influences on them. Rob Reiner chose one from The Show of Shows, Amy chose one from Blazing Saddles and The Producers, and Garry Marshall also chose a Mel Brooks one.

Cold Reading with Casting Director Orly Sitowitz

2011-08-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to a SAG Foundation, CAP program, cold reading with casting director Orly Sitowitz. She paired us up and gave us sides to read. They were from old shows. But it was still fun to do. We got a few minutes of rehearsal and then we got to perform. Great fun. What's not to like, since it's a great opportunity to act out a scene in front of an audience.

Writing About Bruce Campbell at the Comic Con press room for Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe

2011-08-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted my article on the Bruce Campbell interview I did at the Comic Con 2011 press room for Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe.

It was only a three minute round table with him so I wasn't in control of the questions, so there was a limit to what I could do with the article. But I did the best I could.

You can access it here, or cut and paste from:

http://www.suite101.com/content/yes-twitterverse-that-is-the-bruce-campbell-with-his-groove-on-a385931

It is always nice to see Bruce. I remember him from our parties on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but apparently he doesn't remember me. Well, we did shoot in New Zealand and I worked in the L.A. offices.

If I can get a screener of the DVD, I will write a review of it.

SAG Foundations Event: Conversation with Sela Ward

2011-08-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to a Q&A with actor Sela Ward at SAG through the SAG Foundation. Her stories about the early days made me feel like I lacked chutzpah in my career, but at the end she confessed that she had begged her publicist to find out if anybody was going to come to see her, or should she invite her friends and family to have an audience. She said then that she was touched that we had shown up and thanked us. So I guess the lesson for me is that no matter how successful one is, there's always that little bit of insecurity inside yourself.

Independence Day - July 4th - Putting Their Lives on the Line

2011-07-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

It's sad that in today's world, we have public figures who don't seem to know American history and get their facts wrong about our Founding Fathers, our fight for freedom, even Paul Revere's famous ride. If nothing else, didn't they grow up on Longfellow's famous poem? And this morning, CNN ran a teaser question about July 4th where all their choices were wrong and they didn't even know it.

So I decided to republish an article I wrote about Independence Day more years ago than I care to remember and had published here a few years ago. Can't even remember the original publication, except it's long ceased publishing. But it is my original work, so I feel I can repeat...

Independence Day - July 4th

We celebrate July 4th with days off work, family visits, barbecues and fireworks. But how many of us take the time to reflect what Independence Day is all about? That the day commemorates a revolt by citizens against their lawful government because they felt that government didn't represent them or their best interests, echoing a cry of "no taxation without representation." At the time, the 13 American entities were colonies of Great Britain, but there was growing unrest because the colonies had no seat in the British Parliament and hence, no say in their fates. In 1774, the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia to create the First Continental Congress, but they were not ready to declare war. The inevitable clash came in April 1775, when the extra troops the King sent to control rebellion fought with colonists in Concord, Massachusetts. This became the unofficial beginning of the colonies' war for independence and was made famous by Longfellow's poem, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere."

A Second Continental Congress was convened, which then appointed a committee of five to write a declaration of their intentions to seek their independence. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft. The resolution to make the United Colonies free and independent States and cut the bonds of allegiance to the British Crown was passed by Congress on July 2nd, but only nine of the thirteen colonies said yes. Pennsylvania and South Carolina said no, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained.

However, when the Declaration of Independence was voted into acceptance and signed on July 4th, twelve of the thirteen signed the document. Delegates from New York weren't empowered to sign until July 7th, and the document wasn't finalized and disseminated until August. But July 4th, 1776 was chosen to commemorate the Colonies independence and formation of their own nation because it was the day they declared their intentions and put their lives on the line.

It's important to note that every one of the 56 men who signed the document was putting his life on the line for his belief in independence, self-determination, and freedom. Essentially, they were committing treason against their lawful government. Five were captured and hanged. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Nine died in the Revolutionary War which ensued. All were well educated, men of means, but most saw their properties and possessions confiscated, looted or destroyed. Many of them gave everything to the cause and died in poverty. It is important to remember today what they taught us with their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor: that freedom and independence is never free… it comes with a price tag. And like those who fought and won the American War for Independence, we have people today who are willing to pay that price so that the rest of us can have our days off, visit with our families, barbecue, and shoot off fireworks.

Interesting trivia:

Did you know… when the Declaration of Independence declared 'all men are created equal', it meant all white men with property only -- no blacks, or women?

Did you know… that both the North and the South used the Declaration of Independence to justify their positions in the Civil War?

Did you know… that many Brits call our "Independence Day" "Thanksgiving Day"?
Did you know… that pyrotechnics started in China with the invention of gunpowder?
Did you know… that Nat Turner's rebellion was originally planned for July 4, 1831?
Did you know… that the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding?

Additional clips of Nathan Fillion in studio for GLEK

2011-06-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Warners Home Video released Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, their 11^th animated movie in the DC Universe on DVD, Blu-Ray, On-Demand, and for Download. Those in the media got press materials and a combo pack to review.

Please check out my articles on Suite101.com:

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Animated DVD Soon To Be Released

And

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Animated Movie Released Today

We were also given some clips of interviews that the actors did during their sessions. I’m assuming that these are scattered through the special extras on the Blu-Ray release, but I don’t have Blu-Ray so I can’t check. I also don’t have the means to put them on Suite101.com.

I’m going to put Nathan Fillion’s clips up here for the fans in the hopes that this gives them an idea of what the extras on the Blu-Ray disk has and will encourage them to buy and support GLEK’s release. Please respect the copyright to Warners Home Video and DC Comics and do not copy these elsewhere. They were provided to media in support to getting the word out about the DVD release.

NF on characters:

NF on T-shirt:

NF on Heroes:

NF on Villains:

NF on GL:

Once again these clips are being shared for the fans to enjoy in the hopes that this gives them an idea of what the extras on the Blu-Ray disk has and will encourage them to support GLEK’s release. Please respect the copyright to Warners Home Video and DC Comics and do not copy these elsewhere. They were provided in support to getting the word out about the DVD release.

Receiving Another Clip of Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

2011-06-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of the DVD release of the Animated Movie, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, tomorrow, June 7, 2011, I was sent this neat clip on the formation of the GL rings:

Once again, this is copyrighted by Warner Bros Animation and DC Comics and used with permission. Please read my article/review on Suite101.com, but the site doesn't have the capability of running video, so that's why I add these here.

Writing About Green Lantern: Emerald Knights DVD

2011-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Warners Animation and Warners Home Video gave me access to clips from their upcoming Blu-Ray and DVD release (on June 7, 2011) of Green Lantern: Emerald Knights -- the latest in their ongoing series of original animated movies in the DC Universe. This one stars the voices of Nathan Fillion, currently on the hit TV series Castle, and Elizabeth Moss, currently on the hit series Mad Men. This movie explores the origins of the DC Universe's interglactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps, through six interlocking tales.

One clip features Elizabeth Moss as new recruit Arisia arriving at headquarters:

The second clip is of Arisia talking to Nathan Fillion's Hal Jordan:

These clips are copyrighted by Warners Home Video and DC Comics and are used here with permission. My article and review of the DVD can be found here at Suite101.com

Merlin - episode 312 "The Coming of Arthur, part1" clips and article

2011-03-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night, April 1, 2011 is the first part of the season finale, called "The Coming of Arthur, part 1" and Fremantle Media has released two clips for the episode.

The first one features Arthur and Merlin being ambushed:

The second one is Arthur procuring the Cup of Life:

Once again, the above material is copyrighted and used with permission. Treat accordingly.

Accompanying preview article coming on Suite101.com shortly.

Merlin episode 311 "The Sorcerer's Shadow" clips

2011-03-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

The following clips were released by Gary Miereanu on behalf of Fremantle Media for episode 311, "The Sorcerer's Shadow" which will air on Syfy on March 25, 2011. News article on Suite101.com. Displaying here is with permission.

The first clip features Gilli (Harry Melling of the Harry Potter films) defending Merlin.

The second clip is the moments leading up to a jousting contest between Uther and Arthur.

Merlin episode 310 "Queen of Hearts" - clips and article

2011-03-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today I had to take care of some medical stuff. The email with the clips for tonight's Merlin episode 310 "Queen of Hearts" hadn't arrived yet when I had to leave. So here they are now.

The news article will be up as soon as I can get it up, but today was a bust for writing, as it was take care of Crystal day.

Check out the full episode on Syfy March 18, 2011 at 10pm EST.

and clip number 2:

Once again, these are the property of Syfy and Freemantle Media, used here with permission. Please treat copyrighted material properly and enjoy.

Article and Clips for Merlin episode 309 "Love in the Time of Dragons"

2011-03-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a new clip from MERLIN for the Friday, March 11 episode entitled "Love in the Time of Dragons." The clip features Richard Wilson (Gaius) and Academy Award nominee Pauline Collins (Alice), as well as the dreaded Manticore.

My Suite101.com article about this episode will be up shortly.

Here is a second clip that features Prince Arthur (Bradley James) taking out his frustrations on his long-suffering manservant and friend, Merlin (Colin Morgan) during his daily training session.

Once again, please keep in mind that the copyright to this clip belongs to Syfy and Fremantle Media.

Article and Clips for Merlin episode 307 "The Castle of Fyrien"

2011-02-25T17:17:00.000-08:00

Syfy released to media people a couple of clips from tonight's episode of Merlin "The Castle of Fyrien".

My article on this episode is here:

http://www.suite101.com/content/can-arthur-merlin-and-gwen-rescue-gwens-brother-in-merlin-a353163

but since Suite101.com doesn't accommodate clips, here they are:

Clip 1:

Clip 2:

Please enjoy. Remember, copyright of this material belows to Syfy, Fremantle and Merlin and should be treated accordingly.

Clip from "Merlin" episode 305 called "The Crystal Cave"

2011-02-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Syfy has released a clip for the upcoming 2/11/11 episode of Merlin, called "The Crystal Cave". Courtesy of Gary Miereanu, I have it here for everyone to see.

My news article on the upcoming episode should be up on Suite101.com by tomorrow.

Update: The article can be accessed here:

http://www.suite101.com/content/merlin-tries-to-change-camelots-fate-in-crystal-cave-episode-a345894

Clip from "Merlin" Which Introduces Bad Boy Flirtatious Future Knight to the Mix

2011-02-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

Syfy has released a new clip for the Merlin episode tonight, called "Gwaine," because it introduces the flirtatious bad boy, expert swordsman, Gwaine, who will become an important Knight of the Round Table when Arthur becomes King.

To read my article on this new episode, please go to Suite101.com by clicking here to access "Merlin Introduces Bad Boy Flirtatious Future Knight to the Mix"

First Merlin Clips from Goblin's Gold featuring Arthur as a Donkey

2011-01-21T00:53:00.000-08:00

Write-up will come tomorrow on my Suite101.com page but I wanted to make sure interested people could see the latest clips. They're very funny. They're from "Goblin's Gold" which premieres on Syfy Friday night, January 21, 2011.

Here is one featuring Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Gaius (Richard Wilson) trying to catch the Goblin which is voiced by Mark Williams from the Harry Potter series.

And here is one between Arthur (Bradley James) and Gwen (Angel Coulby) featuring Arthur as a donkey.

Video clips courtesy of Gary Miereanu, Fremantle Media, and Syfy

"Life Unexpected" Season 2 Finale Interviews and Write-Ups

2011-01-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today, after I had finished putting up my Suite 101 articles on my interview with showrunner Liz Tigelaar of Life Unexpected, The CW released Behind the Scenes photos.

This allowed me to write up another news article for their Season 2 finale tonight, January 18, 2011.

However, Suite 101 limits the number of photos I can use, I thought I'd put the extras here on my blog, where fans can at least see them.

Check out the news article I wrote here where you can see the behind the scenes photos not displayed here.

And the write-ups of the interview I did with Liz Tigelaar are here:

part 1

part 2

Photos used here are copyrighted to Jack Rowand/The CW.

And Liz agreed to let me use one of her comments in my interview as a quote for writers on my Creative Screenwriting Blog. I'm excited to do the next one.

Merlin clip from Tears of Uther Pendragon part 2

2011-01-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of Merlin's second episode of season 3, Tears of Uther Pendragon, part 2, is airing on Syfy tonight at 10 pm ET/PT. The following is a clip from the show:

The following is from the press release:

"The season opener left off with King Uther being driven mad by a spell
placed upon him by Morgana and Morgause, and Merlin just rescued by
the Great Dragon from an army of giant scorpions – but not before the
young wizard had been stung with the creature’s deadly venom.

In “The Tears of Uther Pendragon, Part 2,” Morgana and Morgause
continue with their evil plan – keeping Uther mentally incapacitated
and convincing his enemy, Cenred, to invade Camelot. The fate of the
kingdom now rests on Arthur’s shoulders … unless Merlin can heal in
time to help save Camelot – and deal with any other tricks these
witches might be preparing to unleash."

Promo clip for Ghost Hunters International from Syfy

2011-01-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

I've never seen this show, but I was sent a sneak peek clip of the all-new episode of Ghost Hunters International which will be airing Wednesday, January 12th at 9/8c on Syfy, and I thought I'd share it with people who are interested, since Suite101 is not equipped to do clips right now.

According to the press release: "The team is investigating the Eastern Bloc and enter a room to see a shadow disappear into the darkness behind a doorway boarded up. The team then sees movement in the cracks and try to press on past their own fear."

Promo clip for Merlin third season premiere on SyFy

2011-01-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

For those interested, here is the promo clip for Merlin for Friday, January 7th, 2011 third season premiere on Syfy at 10 pm. This is copyrighted to Syfy so please use appropriately.

Great humorous clip from Merlin's Arthur and Merlin

2011-01-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

As part of the media coverage for the Syfy season 3 premiere of Merlin on Friday, Jan 7, 2011 at 10 pm, I was sent this delightful humorous clip that Bradley James and Colin Morgan did for fans. If you like it and think others might like it, please let them know, as policy-wise, I can't refer to it in my articles for Suite 101.

If you want to read my interviews with the cast, they can be found through these links:

Colin Morgan Works Magic as Merlin in Season3 of Syfy's "Merlin"

How Colin Morgan Sees Merlin's Relationship with Ladies and Uther

Colin Morgan and Bradley James Double Team to Talk S3 of "Merlin"

Double-Act Colin Morgan and Bradley James Talk More S3 of Merlin

There will be another article out tomorrow on the premiere date for the season 3 of Merlin and then we will see.

In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys this clip as much as I do.

Stephen J. Cannell - a Class Act Even in Death

2010-12-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

Though I was never fortunate enough to work with Stephen J. Cannell, I did get to meet him at the WGA Foundation Tribute to him, which you can read about in an earlier posting. At that time I was able to tell him how much I admired him. I have watched most of TV shows he has written and produced. I've loved it whenever he stepped in front of the camera, whether the role was large or small. And I've read all his books. In fact, he remains one of my favorite novel writers.

Through the generosity of a good friend, I have signed hardcover editions of all Cannell's books. Since my friend knows how much I love SJC's novels, he has purchased every new publication as it came out, gone to SJC's book signings and gotten SJC's autograph. Then I'd get these precious books at my birthdays and Christmas.

When the availability of this latest book, the second to the last, The Prostitute's Ball, was announced, I knew I'd be getting it because I'd want to read it just like all the others. But I was terribly saddened by the thought that it would not be autographed, due to Cannell's untimely death. In fact, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to bear seeing it, knowing...

Well, as expected, I got the book for Christmas. To my surprise, it came with an adhesive label with Stephen's signature on it. Knowing that he might not be around for the publication date, Stephen had thought so much of his fans who consistently bought his books and came to his signings, that he had signed a batch of adhesive labels so that we could attach them ourselves when we got our books.

Words fail me to describe how touched I am for his caring and concern for us when he had so many more important things on his mind. I will cherish this book for the precious gift it is. And I will remain saddened for the finite number of books that I will have from him and all the stories not told. Like he has been from the beginning, Stephen J. Cannell remains a class act.

-------------
Photo credit: courtesy of Phil Philkin Konstantin

Poster from Photo Shoot of The Family Crystal

2010-12-25T23:06:00.001-08:00

Jim Metropole who is a great photographer shot our outdoor photo shoot for the one-sheet announcing The Family Crystal web series. Jim also did the attached mock up of the poster. Director Elaine Zicree hasn't signed off on it yet, nor has she said what she thinks of it, so it isn't official. But I think it's cool.

The pose is from a series where Elaine wanted a photo that would suggest what the web series was about. So I did various muggings for the camera. I guess this is the one that Jim liked.

Psych Cast & Twin Peaks Alumni Join Fans at Paley Center to view Psych's Twin Peaks Tribute Episode

2010-12-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight USA Network's Psych will air a spectacular Twin Peaks tribute that should be a raucous good time for anyone who loved the ground-breaking 90s series. Not only is the script a humorous spoof and loving homage, but several Twin Peaks alumni were invited to join in the fun. Imagine, getting to see your old castmates and getting paid for it as well.

To celebrate this event, Psych held their very first screening of the episode Monday night at The Paley Center for Media, which had honored them back in April. And they opened the event up to fans to share this special screening with a Q&A afterwards.

I was fortunate to do press for this event which I wrote up for Suite101. And both Psych actors and Twin Peaks actors said that they were seeing the finished product for the first time with the rest of us.

All but one of the regular cast of Psych attended this screening: James Roday, who also co-wrote it, Dule Hill, Corbin Bernsen, Maggie Lawson and Timothy Omundson. From Twin Peaks were Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer/Madeleine 'Maddy' Ferguson), Catherine Coulson (The Log Lady), Robyn Lively (Lana Budding Milford), Lenny von Dohen (Harold Smith) and Ray Wise (Leland Palmer).

Since none of us in the press line had seen the episode either, we all had to wing it in terms of questions. Corbin was a surprise as we were under the impression only Shawn and Gus go to the Cinnamon Festival. Asked if he was in the episode, Corbin said naw, he was just there for the wine and cheese... obviously in the green room, since we didn't see any such layout.

As always, there isn't enough space for my articles to contain everything, so I will share a few tidbits here and on my WordPress blog. While Sheryl Lee was answering my question on behind-the-scenes Twin Peaks stories she might have shared with fan extraordinaire James Roday, which I reported on in my Suite101 article, I was reminded of all the viewing parties I had heard about where fans gathered to analyze what was going on.

I mentioned that to Sheryl and she chuckled and agreed. "I know," she said. "The other thing that's funny is that everybody was convinced that we knew the answers... Everybody thought I knew who killed Laura and I had no idea who killed Laura until the day that Maddy was killed. And before that scene, David called us (pointing to Ray Wise) into the office and said that Leland did it with Bob and now Maddy was gonna get it. So we were flying by the seat of our pants as well."

I asked Ray Wise what else he was doing and he told me, "I'm going to be doing the next X-Men movie. I'm going to London in another couple of weeks and I play the Secretary of State... of the United States."

I couldn't resist -- I asked him if he was going to dress up like Hilary?

Ray laughed and said, "No. Not like Hilary. I'll be the male version. I'll have a suit and tie. And I'll be properly diplomatic, too."

I very much enjoyed the evening so I encourage you to check out my article: "Psych Unveils Twin Peaks Tribute Episode at the Paley Center."
http://www.suite101.com/content/psych-unveils-twin-peaks-tribute-episode-at-the-paley-center-a315655.

Photo credit of the first lovely photo goes to Kevin Parry/The Paley Center for Media. The rest are my candid shots, showing that I'm not a good photographer, but a willing sport to let you share in the fun.

Saluting our Veterans on Veterans Day

2010-11-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

I want to thank all of those who have served or who have had family members who have served in All Armed Forces fighting to keep us safe and free, regardless of which country that may be... who have put their careers and lives on hold to do so and especially those who have sacrificed for us. I wouldn't be here without you.

Official Photo Shoot For The Family Crystal

2010-11-04T21:13:00.001-07:00

The photo at the left is from rehearsal of a scene in The Family Crystal which is the web series I'm starring in (photo credit to James Metropole) and which gave me my SAG eligibility. I'm using that one here because our official photos are not ready yet.

However, today we had the official photo shoot for The Family Crystal at the studio/home of one of the producers. We did individual shots and group shots, hamming up the latter to show what a dysfunctional family we are.

Great fun and I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Meeting Senator Barbara Boxer at Meet and Greet in Toluca Lake 11-1-10

2010-11-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

I was invited to go to a meet and greet with our US Senator from California, Barbara Boxer, at Patys Restaurant in Toluca Lake this morning. Since I am a supporter of her and believe she should be re-elected, I decided to go.

The photo that I uploaded to Twitpic so I could tweet and facebook it to others is the photo to the right, which I took when she came to talk to me. I asked her if I could have a photo and she said yes.

You can also see it on Twitpic by clicking on the link below.

Barbara Boxer at Meet and Greet in Toluca Lake 11-1-10 talkin... on Twitpic

That way I was sharing my best photo with everyone.

I reminded her of health care, jobs, and animals and she agreed. I forgot to add social security, but I know she spoke of the importance of that to another person.

I foolishly put my camera away after I spoke with her. When she was done talking to each of us personally, she spoke to everyone, thanking them for their support. I, of course, scampered to fish out my camera and here is the end portion of her speech.

Much is being made by the Republicans that we should throw out all the incumbents and start over... something they never cry when they are in power. I laugh because there's no way I want to throw out all the incumbents... some, like Barbara Boxer, Howard Berman, and Henry Waxman are actually doing the job I sent them to do.

They represent me by listening and voting in the way I want them to. That is what it is all about. And as long as they believe as I do, and vote the way that represents my core belief, they can stay in their Congressional seats until they are ready to retire.

I hope everyone will vote tomorrow. That is the only way our political system can work in the way that our founding fathers meant it to. It is also what our young men and women have been fighting to preserve today and yesterday, all the way back to the founding of our country. And those of our Native American brothers who also fight for this country as it is their own as well.

Bringing an Inside the Industry Viewpoint to Jensen Ackles Directing Supernatural

2010-10-22T20:28:00.001-07:00

Although I am pursuing an acting career, I am also continuing to keep my writing career alive as well. Hence it was with great interest that I went to San Diego Comic Con this summer and did press on many of the TV shows present there.

I was especially pleased to attend the Supernatural press room this year. All the buzz was around lead actor Jensen Ackles directing for the first time and I was most interested to hear his comments. I had already decided that that was the perfect topic for me to write about as I have worked on TV shows and know a lot about production. Hence I felt I could bring a different perspective to the fans reading the articles in multiple venues. My article is at Suite101.com and you can access it here: It's Good To Be Captain: Jensen Ackles Helms Supernatural Tonight.

The Supernatural press conference was the most packed I attended that con. We were pressed in like sardines and it was difficult to move around. I suspect that Vampire Diaries was just as packed, because the publicist thanked me when I let her know I couldn't do it as she had a waiting list. I wanted to do VD, but it was that or Human Target and while I like Vampire Diaries, Human Target is on my must not miss list.

Apparently Superman was even more crowded, because I couldn't even get on that list and when I talked to the people at my table at Supernatural, at least three others couldn't get in either.

But for all the madness of the huge crowd, the SPN press conference was the best run of the entire convention. For one thing, they had their entire PR staff working that room and they adhered very strictly to the 5-7 minute per guest per table. However, because of that, we got time with every single guest, which didn't happen at most of the others.

Alas, 5-7 minutes is not enough time for everybody to ask questions, so while I got to ask Jensen about post production and Sera Gamble for her pov, I didn't get to ask Jim Beaver or Jared Padalecki what it was like to be directed by their actor co-star. I was actually surprised that nobody else did either.

And because I have worked with Bob Singer in the past, I was able to ask him, a prolific director of Supernatural episodes and former showrunner, for a comment on how well Jensen did directing and he was kind enough to give me a quote I could incorporate into my article.

----------------
Photo credits: Those of Jensen Ackles directing are courtesy of 2010 The CW/Jack Rowand
Jensen Ackles at Comic Con is courtesy of 2010 Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc./Greg Gayne

Check Out "It's Good to be Captain: Jensen Ackles Helms Supernatural Tonight" at:
http://www.suite101.com/content/its-good-to-be-captain-jensen-ackles-helms-supernatural-tonight-a297358

Being with the White Collar Gang at Comic Con and Living to Write About It

2010-10-22T20:23:00.001-07:00

In July of 2010, I went to San Diego Comic Con 2010, like we do every year.

But this year was different in that I had started to write for an online site, so I wanted to do some press interview stuff. Some... actually turned out to be more press than could be easily handled.

White Collar was one of the round table press conferences, but I managed to get my questions in fairly well, so I was very pleased with the information I had to write about.

For my articles on Suite 101, I used the official photos that the studios provided. However, being that this is my personal blog, it's a bit more fun to use the photos I took, even if their quality is not the best.

It was really fun reconnecting with Willie Garson, who plays Mozzie on this show. He and I had done a play together, Crackwalker. He was one of the stars and I was stage manager. I reminded him of that play and he turned all smiles. And he started calling out to the WB people and his manager that we had done Crackwalker together. He asked about a couple of people we worked with. However, like him, I had lost touch with them.

There were some other memorable moments.

When Tiffani Thiessen appeared during the photo session, the guys were all concerned about her standing on her feet, since she recently had a baby.

They all called for a chair, even though she didn't want them to do so. I don't think she wanted a big deal to be made of it, perhaps in the press. At their insistence, she sat down, but for only a second. She said something about it feeling weird and popped up onto her feet again to take photos standing with the gang. And that' s how most of the photos are.

While Sharif Atkins was talking to us, Jeff Eastin walked past him, leaned in and shouted out, "All lies."

Another fun occurrence happened during the Jeff Eastin talk. Willie Garson snuck up to Jeff from behind and tweaked his ear. Then he hurried away. But Jeff had seen who it was, and called out, "Is that a wet willie?"

As always, there is more material than will fit into an article, even if writing four articles like I did.

So just to make this blog a bit more interesting for people, here is a tidbit, I didn't have space for in the articles.

When asked about talking to the consultant, Tim Dekay said, "I call up Tom every so often and we talk. My deal is a little bit easier because Tom’s kinda set up what’s right and what’s wrong. A couple of times, I’ve thought hmmm, what’s Peter’s point of view here, and I’ll call up Tom." Tim looked over at his co-star who was sitting beside him, Matt Bomer, and indicated that Matt had it harder because he had to do the 'physical' as well as the 'cerebral stuff.'

Matt agreed and said that he brings his consultant, Simon, in as much as he can. "Actually, as great as it is to learn how to pick pockets and to pick locks, and magic tricks and sleight of hand, as much fun as that’s been to learn, I’ve actually learned more just being around him, seeing what his personality is like. And who he is. He’s so charming. He’s so engaging. He totally throws you off your guard. To the point where it’d almost be like… here have my wallet…"

Tim, laughing: I know.

Matt:When you talk to this guy and he’d be maybe laughing. So I’ve learned more… performance wise, I’ve learned more, that way.

Tim: He’s also very interested.

Matt: He’s a great listener. He’s very intuitive. He susses people out. He learns a shorthand with people very quickly.

The two guys were reminded that the question was on why Tiffani didn’t get to talk to the experts much…

Tim: I don’t know Tiffani… did she ever think of it? Did she?

One of the reporters at my table then said to him that Tiffani told us she would have liked to talk to Tom about his family.

Tim: She didn’t get a lot of time. I didn’t think about that because… it’s interesting, I didn’t go there with him. I think, honestly, because I was… there’s a presence in Tom, when you talk to him…

Matt: Oh my god.

Tim: …you just try to… same thing for me and Tom as you and Simon… Tom always reminds me that the FBI is military-based. It’s not like they’re policemen. These guys are military based. And Tom kinda has that presence… nice guy, he smiles, but you know… [glances at Matt, who says something inaudible]

Tim: No you don’t, you know he’d fuckin’ kill you in a second. You don’t mess with him.

Question that harked back to the father/son relationship discussion… something about Neal feeling same way…

Tim: I think he would, but look, our show… there’s a heightened reality--

Tim: No, that’s true…. Tom had kids. Tom has kids. But Tom is very, very happy. And I’ve spoken to many FBI agents and they’re very happy with the way The Bureau is portrayed. So…

The next question was about Peter being pulled out of being who he is.

Tim: I love it. I love it.

Question: Are you going to be doing more of that?

Tim: Yeah.Peter goes undercover more. I think that’s fun because it makes our relationship more [gesturing at each other]… it makes us be with each other more. And that’s something I always told Jeff and the other writers. And yes, Peter has to send Neal out, but the more they can be, the more they have to deal with each other, the better. It’s fun to watch. It’s fun to be in.

For more, check out my articles on Suite 101.com:

White Collar: At the Core It's About the Relationship of Two Men

White Collar: Neal and Peter's Other Partners

White Collar: It's Not Just Neal & Peter, There's a FBI Team, Too

White Collar: Conman May Be Old School But the Showrunner Tweets

Ed Asner As FDR at Newly Reopened Pasadena Playhouse

2010-10-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the newly reopened Pasadena Playhouse to see Ed Asner's one man show as FDR which was written by Dore Schary. It was a delight to be back at the historic Pasadena Playhouse and to know that it is struggling its way out of bankruptcy. Last time I was at the Playhouse, it was to see Camelot and to mourn its closing.

Ed Asner gave a magnificent performance. Having now done two roles where I've had long speeches to perform without error, I was in awe of the complicated and complex performance he gave. So were other people, because at the end, many gave him a standing ovation.

While I applaud Ed Asner's performance, I can't say the same for the material by Dore Schary. The monologue starts with FDR's polio and how he felt about it, struggled with it, and tried to not let it interfere with his life. That was all great and helped me understand aspects of the man I never knew about. Then the play continues with FDR's viewpoint of his presidency and there's where I have the problem.

Don't get me wrong. I have much admiration for FDR and what he accomplished. But there are a couple of blights on him and a couple of other decisions that should have been explored. The play offers up a viewpoint that FDR was angered by the people who said he invited the Pearl Harbor attack, but it never deals with the central complaint about that tragedy -- the foolishness of having our entire fleet together in one spot, a sitting duck for an air attack, for no apparent vital reason, if not to say, come and get us, with an eye on being able to use it as an excuse to get Congress fired up enough to declare war.

The play doesn't deal with the terrible injustice FDR did to our Japanese American citizens by incarcerating them in relocation/interment camps for the duration of the war and confiscating much of their land and possessions without any consideration that children born here were not enemy traitors and spies, nor were the adults who would've welcomed the opportunity to defend their adopted country.

The play doesn't deal with the fact that FDR wouldn't sanction the boat landing of Jewish children fleeing the Nazis and what would have been certain death for them in concentration camps. That the boat had to turn around and return to the UK to unload its young passengers there.

The play doesn't deal with the fact that FDR set in motion the plan to drop A bombs on the two Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Granted it was President Truman who actually gave the order, but it was FDR who gave the greenlight to develop and get them ready. He would have been the one to deploy them as will, if it hadn't been for his untimely death.

And the play glossed over the complex relationship he had with his wife Eleanor, of whom we learned little, despite the number of times he called out for her on stage.

So while the play was magnificent on the polio beginning, the presidential years were pretty much a white wash, in which you didn't learn anything of great substance. Still, Ed Asner did a great job handling the material and it was great to see the Pasadena Playhouse alive again.

Warner Home Video Releases Superman/Batman: Apocalypse DVD

2010-10-04T00:23:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy that I haven't updated my blog with what I've been doing.

But I did a very cool write up on the release of Warner Home Video's Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Original movie DVD.

Tim Daly [Private Practice, Wings] voices Superman and Kevin Conroy [China Beach] voices Batman. Ed Asner lends his voice to Granny Goodness, which is a strange name for the henchman of the villain.

Villain Darkseid is voiced by Andre Braugher [Men of a Certain Age, Homicide]

This movie sounds exciting. It also has Batman and Superman buddies, working together to find the kidnapped Kara, voiced by Summer Glau [Firefly, Serenity]. In their interviews, both Kevin and Tim talked about the friendship between Batman and Superman and how they were buddies because they are the only ones who can understand each other's position.

Well, you know how I love male/male buddy stuff, so I've requested a screener of the movie so I can see how it is.

RIP STEPHEN J CANNELL

2010-10-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

It was with great sadness that I learned of Stephen J. Cannell's death last night from cancer. I had no idea he was even sick. Though I hadn't seen him in person for a while, I did see him on Castle playing poker with the other great crime book authors and he looked like his usual handsome, robust, virile self.

What a loss for the world, and for me, since I love all of his books and have been a fan of his TV shows for years. The thought of no new books from him is devastating. And of course, there was always the hope that he'd give us a new TV series, even though he hasn't done one in years.

Back in 2006, I worked the tribute for him at the WGA Theater and he gave me a big welcoming hug when I told him how he was one of my favorite authors. We talked about how my favorite of his books was still his first one, The Plan. He mentioned how that book was a departure for him (political thriller) and the only one of a kind. And we talked about his hero, Shane Scully, who inhabits many of his books.

His friends gave a wonderful tribute to him. I was reading over what I wrote about the tribute and thinking how much he touched people's lives... how much he will be missed.

And no more will I be able to say in answer to that pesky question of what do you want to be in five years. My answer had always been Stephen J. Cannell because he has done everything I want to do: write TV shows, write roles for himself when he feels like it, act, write books, creative TV shows, etc.

And from what I surmise, he was incredibly loyal to family and friends. Yes, he was a good one that we've lost too soon.

Just want to thank Phil Philkon Konstantin for the photo of Stephen J. Cannell I have on the blog here.

Last Official Rehearsal for The Family Crystal Before Resuming Principal Photography Begins

2010-09-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

I know I wrote an entry last month about the last rehearsal before principal photography and if everything had gone as planned, principal photography would be over now. But of course, things never go as planned.

The first weekend of shooting went great, although we were behind in the pages Elaine wanted to cover. Then again, she set a very ambitious schedule. On the Friday of the second weekend, we were moving along fine, making our pages, and anticipating getting the production done by Sunday. Then disaster struck in the form of a hateful neighbor who phoned the police and told them we were filming child pornography.

Well, the police quickly saw through that when they looked at our script and talked to us, but the one thing they wouldn't overlook was our lack of permit to film. Apparently, the law changed 18 months ago and now you need a permit to shoot anywhere in LA county, even inside a private house.

We, of course didn't know that, as who would ever think you'd need a permit to film inside your house. That would me any time you wanted to film your kid's birthday party or cats and dogs playing, you need a permit. And the permit for the weekend cost $865 -- not cheap. But I guess this is what CA came up with to solve its deficits. Thing is, nobody ever gets turned in, but of course we did, as luck would have it, because the neighbor was hateful and spiteful.

So we shut down until we could get the permit and we had to wait for one of our actors to come back from Europe before we could continue. The original shooting was backed up against his booked days.

So now, shooting is slated to begin on Friday, September 24th -- through Sunday. And we will be armed with our permit. And Elaine rewrote the scenes to make sure everything was on the inside... although in our original planning, the only outdoor filming was right up on her porch area.

What it did that was good was give us more rehearsal time. Rehearsal is so crucial and I'm glad we got more time to do that. Because we are better prepared this time. So today was our last rehearsal and on Friday, we start again. In the meantime, tomorrow I get my hair done again so its color matches what I had when I couldn't run any more.

All photos here are through the generosity of photographer Jim Metropole. Thank you, Jim.

So We Don't Forget About 9/11

2010-09-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

So we don't forget about that day... I'm reposting a link to a tribute I wrote a couple of years ago, if anyone would like read it and think about what that day was like for them: TRIBUTE

Covering Human Target at San Diego Comic Con 2010 for Suite101.com

2010-08-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

While I used to have fun at Comic Con, recently there have just been too damn many people going there to enjoy it. Not only is it claustrophobic, but you can't get any business done, and you can't get into anything without waiting hours in line. And we are not there to stand in line -- our time is too valuable.

This year was different as I was doing press coverage for Suite101.com -- the online site I write for. Despite it being a lot of work, I really enjoyed doing this. It made going to Comic Con fun again.

I've already written up went we learned in the press room for Sons of Anarchy. So this one celebrates me getting the articles on Human Target online.

There are four articles on my page at Suite101.com:

1. Human Target As Charlie & Her Angels, Revealed at Comic Con 2010

2. Like It Or Not, Human Target's Men Got Each Other's Backs

3. On Becoming Human Targets: Stars and Boss at SD Comic Con 2010

4. Human Target Will Show Team's Conflicts and Emotions in Season 2.

But even with writing up four articles, there was left-over information that I didn't get to use. So I thought I'd share that here.

Unlike at the Sons of Anarchy press room where I got one-on-one attention, I was in a round table situation here. We all sat patiently as each of the actors and showrunner made their way down the 'live feed' press line. So when Chi McBride came over and we all scooted our microphones at him, it was funny when he stared at them and said, "... I don't know what to say."

I immediately piped up with, "I'll give you something to say."

He answered, "Give me a question."

And I asked him to describe how his character felt about the other main characters and their relationships. He came back with the whole dysfunctional answer which are covered in the articles.

When asked about back stories, Chi said, "Yeah, I think we see a lot more what happens to these guys when they're off the clock. Winston's got an ex-wife. And I don't know about you guys but I think that nothing makes a guy happier than when he's got to deal with his ex-wife." This is said while Chi shakes his head side to side and grins from ear to ear. "That's got to be the high point -- do you know what I mean? Like when you're in the middle of a divorce, you probably say, 'Can we still see each other? And spend time together? because that'll be the best.' But we're gonna have that happen and see Winston's brother who's on the wrong side of the law in his business. So you see a lot of what these guys are like, what makes them tick, and how the team is more cohesive when they're working together."

Both Mark and Chi are looking forward to Lennie James returning as Baptiste. Chi said, "We love us some Lennie James." And Mark added, "He's a firearms expert. He's a car enthusiast." To which Chi turned to Mark and said, "Yeah." Shows what appeals to men.

Turning back to us, Chi explained, "Lennie is straight bad-ass. He really is and Matt has a great way to bring him back. We just want to see more of him. He’s a wonderful actor, he’s a real gentleman and a pleasure to work with. That’s one of the things that’s pretty much a common thread on this show. We have people who enjoy working together and who enjoy personally and spend time together working. And it’s not like working."

Another cool question from the floor during the panel was what was Chance's Kryptonite? "We’re floating that it’s pretty important for Chance to have people who believed in him," Mark answered. "He spent so much time working solo, working on his own. His conscience sort of caught up with him. So there’s that sort of thing that haunts him. It’s the people in the present that kinda believe in him and work with him on his team that are going to be able to help him or they are the ones who ultimately betray him and leave him vulnerable. No pressure, guys.”

During the Q&A at the panel, a girl got up to ask a question and Jackie Earle Haley saw that she was dressed as his character Guerrero. He was so delighted that he asked her to come up on stage to ask her question. The photo to the left is from that moment. Oddly though, I can't remember what her question was.

For more, check out my articles at Suite101.com. The photo credits here go to Greg Gayne/2010 WBEI. The photos I took weren't very good at all, but then being an artist or photographer is not in my skill set. I'm grateful that I can write and act.

And finally, I want to thank Natalia Desrosiers and Chris Cottle of Warner Brothers Publicity for making this all happen and for all their hard work, without which, this wouldn't have happened at all.

Facebook Page for The Family Crystal

2010-08-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

We now have a Facebook page for The Family Crystal, the web series we are currently filming in HD, I gather, and in which I am starring as the title character, Crystal. Hopefully you can link to it by clicking here.

This is so exciting to me.

I hope you will stop by and give me your thoughts.

Day 2 of Principal Photography on the Family Crystal

2010-08-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Today was our second day of shooting on our Web Series, The Family Crystal. It was so hot that there was a point under the hot lights in the hot house in the hot Valley (Sylmar) that I couldn't remember the lines I had just rehearsed word perfect. I went totally blank.

All I could think of was how hot I was. Mindy put an ice pack on the back of my neck and that helped a lot.

Even though the house has air conditioning, we couldn't use it. We'd have to turn it off every time we'd film for the noise factor. And the crew left the doors open to the house so they could run equipment in and out. And even though fans were brought in to help with the heat in places like the makeup room, they had to be turned off when shooting.

We did many of the shorter scenes today just because of location and that meant more costume changes. My ears are very sore for taking earrings in and out, even with the wires dipped in antibiotics like Neosporin to take away the pain.

Unfortunately, by the end of the day, we hadn't accomplished the ambitious 15-page count Elaine was hoping to achieve, so we have been pushed back even farther.

What was nice was the 10-minute ice cream break we got. That was a welcome surprise. It gave people a chance to settle their stomachs and feel a little less hot.

We shoot again on Friday. I'm so looking forward to it.

Day One of Principal Photography on The Family Crystal Web Series

2010-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

We finished shooting our first day on our web series, The Family Crystal, which I'm starring in. Talented people and a brilliant script came together to create magic. We have only 5 days to shoot 26 episodes for the Internet... some as short as a half minute or as long as 5 minutes.

It didn't start out great. My call time was 7 am. The I-170 was smooth sailing as you would expect that early in the morning, but when I hit the I-5, it was bumper to bumper crawling. That was because they had closed one lane, then a second, then a third -- the three right lanes. But worse than that, they closed the ramp I was planning to exit on. And the next ramp. So there I was, going to a place out in what I considered the boonies, where I had never been to, and they closed the two adjacent ramps. I don't have any fancy GPS. So I was worried about whether I had overshot the street I was looking for when I got off and circled back After all, who knows whether the freeway angles. Turns out I didn't overshoot the cross street I wanted but I had to go to the very end of the street before I knew that. And of course, I panicked before then, calling the producer and asking, have I gone too far.

Once inside, the first place you deal with is the makeup room and the costume room. I have 30 costume changes in the 2 seasons of 13 episodes each. Obviously we will have to use some of these things more than once. The picture to the right shows you some of my costumes -- the unwrinkable tops are in the suitcase beneath the ones hanging up.

Then when we tried to shoot the first scene, we kept blowing fuses, so we'd lose a camera or sound -- we were shooting three cameras at a time, the master and two closeups. So we lost at least an hour while the crew brought in extension cords and latticed the plugs around the house until we could run everything we needed without blowing fuses.

To the left is Leah Allers, who plays my sister Rhonda, getting made up by our wonderful make-up and hair lady, Mindy. And Leah, once she's ready to step in front of the cameras.
With all the delays that were unexpected, we were only about to shoot about 10-12 pages rather than the fifteen director Elaine Zicree wanted to accomplish.

What follows is a few pictures from the shoot to give you a flavor of our set. Elaine had rehearsed us so well that our performances went exceedingly well... and quick. We only had about 3 or 4 takes a scene. And only a couple of pickups. I'm sure that made the crew as happy as we were.

I don't want to spoil the fun or suspense for you when the series hits the web, so I won't say much about the actual plot. However, Leah and another actor, Eric Rubin had a stunt, choreographed by a real working stuntman (from the show Criminal Minds) so they wouldn't get hurt, that yours truly here would have been too chicken to try.

When it gets up on the Net, and you have a chance to view it, then I'll give some behind the scenes tidbits.

As you can see, a set is a busy place. But it isn't all hard work. We do get a chance to play as well.

Barry Alexander who plays my brother-in-law, Eric, Rhonda's husband, goofs off first with Mindy, the makeup and hair guru and then with me.

Tomorrow we will be shooting day 2, but this time my call time is at 8 am... a much more civilized hour... better to have to get up at 6 am than 5 am...

Last Rehearsal for The Family Crystal before Principal Photography Begins

2010-08-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the last rehearsal we have for The Family Crystal web series. Tomorrow we begin principal photography and my call time is 7 am. Means I'm going to have to wake up at 5 am to be able to feed the kitties, get my act together and get there by 7 am. Ugh.

Cast members:
Crystal - played by me, Crystal Ann Taylor
my sister Rhonda played by Leah Allers
my Dad is played by Tom Katsis
Rhonda's husband is played by Barry Alexander
The beauty consultant is played by Peter Bedard
Therapist is played by Katherine McEwan
Beauty Crystal is played by Angel Wainwright
The tutor is played by Eric Rubin.

These actors are terrific and it's awesome that I'm in their presence.

The writer/director is Elaine Zicree
Producers are Susan Shearer and Richard Redlin.
Eugenia Care is assisting the producers and doing everything else we need.

We have a crew of professionals working on this as well, but I don't know who yet.

One on One Interviews of Sons of Anarchy at SD Comic Con 2010 Makes For Better Articles

2010-08-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

I had a rare privilege of one-on-one interviews with Katey Sagal, Charlie Hunnam, and Ron Perlman in the pressroom of San Diego Comic Con from the brilliant show Sons of Anarchy. Because of that, I could ask questions that would lend themselves to a cohesive theme and write a feature article as a result.

Unfortunately, time ran out before I could speak with Kurt Sutter as they all had to rush out to do the panel.

If you wish to read the articles, they are here, and as always I welcome your feedback:

First one is Sons of Anarchy at Comic Con 2010 - At the Core It's About Family.

Second one is Sons of Anarchy at Comic Con 2010 - Stars Dish About Third Season.

I'm grateful to Scott Seomin, Roslyn Bibby, and Kristy Silvernail -- all of FX network -- for making this possible.

Rehearsals for the Family Crystal web series

2010-08-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Rehearsals for The Family Crystal web series has swung into high gear. We had rehearsals yesterday and today. Both days of rehearsal concentrated on the family dynamics scenes.

Yesterday we concentrated on season 2 while today we concentrated on season 1.

We will be shooting out of sequence just like traditional TV and movies do, so we are going to be doing both seasons simultaneously over the course of two weekends.

Rehearsals are so much fun as the script is very funny. We can't help but laugh throughout. And of course, that's me in the title role. However, all the actors are great. Elaine Zicree is the writer/director. Tom Katsis stars as my drunken, alcoholic father.

For a description of it all, visit the website, The Family Crystal. It's still sketchy but will have more info as things get further along. Hey, I'm not doing the website, so I have no control over it.

What Are the Causes of a Cat Not Eating and Vomiting? | eHow.com

2010-07-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Finally, my first article for eHow.com is up on the site. Check it out as I had such a good time writing it.

What Are the Causes of a Cat Not Eating and Vomiting? | eHow.com

Call Backs for The Family Crystal Web Series

2010-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had call backs for the various roles in The Family Crystal which had not been cast already. If you recall, this is the web series Elaine Zicree wrote for me to star in, as Crystal. She also wrote the role of my father with fine actor Tom Katsis in mind. Happily he accepted.

The Family Crystal is about the trials and tribulations of a beleaguered, long-suffering, much put-upon daughter of an alcoholic elderly father and her vapid, intellectually challenged, pretty sister who doesn't want to share in parental caretaking.

Ryan Beard ran the camera which was videotaping our performances so that Elaine could review them later and maker her choices. He also was one of the actors vying for the tutor role and he did a terrific job, helped along by his wonderful British accent (South Hampton).

The auditions will apparently be online on a closed casting directors access website, where only the casting director and the actor auditioning can access. Dare I look at me?

So, we were casting for the roles of my sister Rhonda, her husband Eric, and the tutor. I wasn't able to make the initial auditions, which I would have liked to sit in on for experience. But I was available to come to CAZT on Formosa Ave in LA to read with the actors in the call backs. The above photo shows the team we were reading for, producer Susan Shearer, writer/director Elaine Zicree, and producer Richard Redlin.

This was great fun for me as I had never done a call back before, and certainly not from the secure position of having already been cast. I read with two young women vying for the role of Rhonda and I read with three young men for the role of her husband, Eric. It was an awesome learning experience.

Then I watched the Rhondas read with four young men for the roles of Eric and the tutor. This was an awesome experience as well, and it taught me a lot.

Then Elaine asked me to read from the sidelines for a scene I was peripherally in, but in reality was between Rhonda and Eric, so that too was interesting, although I've done that before, when I got to play Kirk.

I'm so excited about this project. The scenes are very funny and I can have so much fun with them. And they are so true to life. I just hope I can do them justice.

For further information, check out my article on "The Process of Casting a Web Series" on Suite101.com.

Reading a Character Named Crystal

2010-06-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a table read of Marc Scott Zicree's first episode of Savage Donut Paradise where I played one of the regulars of the place, much like Cheers had a cast of regulars who hung around the bar. My character was named Crystal. Writer/Producer MARC SCOTT ZICREE is pictured to the left.

There were so many characters in this episode that we didn't actually read it around a table, but in the seats of a theater as you can see to the right here.

Marc and his producer wife ELAINE sat up front in what would be the stage area, facing us, as seen in the photo to the left. The script has a bunch of quirky characters which were great fun to do. Lots of humor and drama, too.

Elaine has written the web series The Family Crystal which I am starring in and is currently in pre-production.

The Wisdom of Wolves | The Wisdom of Wolves Movie

2010-06-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Wolves have much to teach humans about living together. Watch this movie and see...

The Wisdom of Wolves | The Wisdom of Wolves Movie

The Family Crystal Web Series

2010-06-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that I will be starring in a web series that Elaine Zicree wrote for me and Richard Redlin is producing. I learned last night at our Table meeting that we now have the beginnings of a website for it. Things are moving along nicely and I'm excited.

One of 12 Tied From 1400 - Creative Screenwriting's Cyberspace TV Scene-Writing Contest

2010-05-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

I'm in excited shock. I learned today that I'm one of 12 tied for the three winning positions in the TV scene writing competition. 1400 of us competed in the first round which was to write a 3-5 page scene in 48 hours, which would fit the parameters of the premise they gave us.

This was harder than it sounds because normally in a script you'd have the set-up and the relationships all defined by opening scenes before you get into the meaty pivotal ones. Here you have to do the set-up and define the relationships very quickly so you have most of your time to sparkle in the scene and in whatever climax the scene involves.

100 of us made it through to the second round. Second round consisted of writing a 3-5 page scene in 24 hours, consistent with the parameters they gave us in another premise. From that, they were going to select the three highest scorers as winners. These three would be read by actors and filmed, so the creative screenwriting community could vote on first, second and third place.

Instead, there are 12 of us tied for those three positions by points and the judges have been passionately arguing their favorites. No wonder they didn't announce on Friday like they said they would. They said they have chosen their three winners on criteria other than scores and are awaiting Creative Screenwriting's permission to announce them. But they haven't announced yet, and waiting is a bit like torture. Think good thoughts for me.

"Evening of Burn Notice" at Paley Center

2010-05-13T22:42:00.001-07:00

Just a quickie because I'm so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open. Tonight I got a chance to do the red carpet for another show I love, Burn Notice.

I will be writing an article for Suite101.com as soon as I can... and I'll be back later to share tidbits with you... as soon as I become coherent again.

Update: My articles on this are now online at Suite101.com. You can link to them here:

Press interview

Evening program part 1

Evening program part 2

I had met Matt Nix through a friend who worked with him when he was an assistant at Don Buckwald & Associates. When they needed some computer database work, Barbara had asked me to come in for a few weeks to do it.

Update: As promised, I put up some more photos. The first six are from the press interviews. Creator and executive producer MATT NIX and lead star, JEFFREY DONOVAN greeted each other warmly.

Sandwiched between Matt and Jeffrey is BONNIE HAMMER, president of USA Network which airs Burn Notice. She popped over to say a few words to the guys and she greeted each with a friendly hug.

After the press interview, I joined the rest of the audience who were watching the season 3 finale episode. After that, we had the Q&A session.

These next two pictures are from the Q&A session.

The final one is Alfredo Barrios, Jr. -- one of the writers on the show with whom I chatted at the end of the program.

Oh my, I'm going to be Starring in a Web Series

2010-04-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

It's almost like a fairytale. As an actor I need to get my acting reel together, so I asked a prominent writing friend to write me a scene. She came up with this brilliantly funny short scene for me. And it was oddly close to things that happened in my life. She had such a good time writing it that she wrote a second... And a third...

In other words we have enough scripts for a small web series of short funny content. With me in another comedy. Who'da thunk of me in comedy, but this would be the third or fourth.

And tonight I found out I now have a director for this series. And a potential co-star. It's starting to come together.

Anyway, now I have to learn the ins and outs of producing a web series so that everything goes well and it can be something I'm proud to show off.

Then I guess it's time to actually get my own webpage.

Talking Psych with Psych People -- How Awesome is That?

2010-04-22T23:46:00.001-07:00

Tonight I was blessed to be among the press on the red carpet for "An Evening with Psych" at the Paley Center for Media. I have watched this show from the day it started because I'm a big fan of buddy shows.

For me the adventure started earlier than that, because I arrived earlier than the 5:30 pm time I had been given. It turned out press check-in wasn't going to be until 5:45 pm so I was asked to wait outside with other press who had arrived early and with fans who had arrived early to get a good place in line. That paid off for them because Dulé Hill also arrived early. Some lucky fans got to take photos with him and get autographs before Paley Center security whisked him away. I just stood back and took photos.

Once inside the room where the red carpet was, the photographers were lined up first, then the press. Online press was last, but I think there was only two of us, Libya Eramin from Whedonopolis.com and me from Suite101.com.

I tried to take a photo of romantic couple Maggie Lawson and James Roday arriving together, but from my position in line, it didn't turn out that well.

The first person I got to talk to was Timothy Omundson who plays Detective Lassiter and who was looking very dapper and handsome in his suit. I had met Tim on the WGA picket line on Xena day. We were introduced by my pal, former Hercules writer, Andy Dettmann, who also happens to be Tim's neighbor. Tim played Eli on the Xena, Warrior Princess series -- our stand in for Jesus. I think I may have his picture from that event in a blog entry from that time period. We chatted a bit about that meeting before getting down to questions about Lassiter.

We also talked about what he had been doing on his hiatus, part of which was doing a small part for co-worker Corbin Bernsen in the film "25 Hill" Corbin is writing and directing. Other than that: "I worked on the house, hung out with my kids. Got a dog... Lucy, who will be coming to Vancouver with me, so at least, I'll have some companionship even if Lassiter doesn't. That's about it. Too short."

The latter was in response to a conversation started about how Lassiter needed a lady in his life and if he couldn't have a lady, he should at least have a dog, as Tim felt Lassiter was in need of companionship. As a cat person, I asked, how about a cat for Lassiter. "He's probaby allergic. I know I am so it couldn't be a cat."

Next up was Maggie Lawson who is as charming as she is beautiful. Among what we talked about was how great it was that her character, Detective Juliet O'Hara and Shawn had become good friends and that they hadn't gone the typical leading man and leading lady love story route. How her character had been developed as a detective and what a great role model that was.

Then I was talking to the delightful Kirsten Nelson who plays Chief Vick. We talked mostly about how wonderful it was to see a woman playing a believable police captain over a bunch of men. This is important to me, because I find that most of the actresses who attempt to play leaders of men overplay the forcefulness and don't come across as authoritative or capable of leading the kind of cowboy-like men we see as cops on TV. My favorite woman leader, who has been believable in her role as lieutenant from day 1 is S. Epatha Merkerson from Law & Order. Kirsten brought up Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer, which I totally agree with.

James Roday and Dulé Hill did the red carpet together. It was fun to see the two actors answering the same questions together, as if they are as bonded as their characters Shawn and Gus. I didn't really get a picture of them on the red carpet, but you can see from the above picture how close they were to Kirsten. By the time, I was free from talking to her, the boys were talking to the Whedonopolis people and I wasn't sure if my flash would spoil their recording, so I didn't take any photos. Alas it was only me, so I could only handle the video during questioning... and not stills as well.

Because there were so many guests, time was running out for interviews. By the time the boys got to me, they were pretty rushed. They were still gracious enough to stay and answer my questions, but I didn't get as much time with them as I did with the others.

Unfortunately, time ran out before Whedonopolis or I could interview Steve Franks, the creator and showrunner. He had to go introduce the blooper reel and episode. Here, though, is where the publicists became awesome allies. Terry Ebright of the Paley Center and Lynn Weiss of NBCUniversal offered to ask Steve Franks if he'd be willing to come back after the intros to finish up, if we were willing to forgo seeing the blooper reel and the episode in the big theater. The episode was a repeat, which we had all seen already, and the bloopers we could watch on the room monitor, so we both eagerly said yes. Thank you, ladies.

Have to say, Steve Franks was a trooper. He very generously came back to talk to Whedonopolis first and then me. He's like an eager little boy with his favorite toy when he talks about his show and it was a delightful fun experience to talk to him about it.

We also talked about Kevin Sorbo's guest appearance on the show, since I worked with Kevin on Hercules. Steve told me that reports from Vancouver were that Kevin was a very nice guy and that he had fun up there. Steve was also very disappointed that he didn't get to meet Kevin because work obligations kept him here in LA while that episode was shooting.

The panel discussion was great fun. I have covered it in my articles. I was way in the back so I didn't get good photos. However, the cast and crew stuck around afterwards and talked to people, so I took some photos there. Sorry that they are not closer, but after having my time on the red carpet, I didn't want to interfere with fans getting theirs.

If you haven't already, check out my articles on this event on Suite101.com, which you can link to from here.

Men of a Certain Age - PaleyFest2010 Tribute to a Unique Show

2010-03-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight I attended my third and last for the year PaleyFest2010 tribute. But it was for a unique show on the air, so it was quite worth it. Men of a Certain Age is not the kind of show I would normally watch, but it speaks truth for not only men, but women as well.

I wrote up an article about it, which you can find here: http://prime-time-dramas.suite101.com/article.cfm/men-of-a-certain-age-reaches-beyond-sex--age

Due to space limitations, I couldn't write up everything on the panel, so here are some deleted tidbits:

I forget the original context, but Scott brought up that Andre Braugher had just come off of doing Shakespeare in the Park. This prompted Mike Royce to remark that Scott had come in and intimidated them by dropping Matt Damon's name and that he had just come from filming The Informant. Scott protested that what was he supposed to do, as Andre had been doing Shakespeare in the Park... so he (meaning Scott) had to use what he had. Everyone laughed with him. Another cute thing he did several times upon answering questions was turn to Mike Royce and ask if he still had a job. Mike would shake his head yes, and Scott would smile and say good.

For more, read my article on Suite101.com called Men of a Certain Age Reaches Beyond Sex & Age

Read more at Suite101: Men of a Certain Age Reaches Beyond Sex & Age: PaleyFest2010 Salutes Ray Romano's New Series at

http://prime-time-dramas.suite101.com/article.cfm/men-of-a-certain-age-reaches-beyond-sex--age#ixzz0kg3Ygxph

Flashforward at Paley Center

2010-03-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to my second PaleyFest2010 tribute at the Saban Theater in Los Angeles. The theater is quite fancy inside with a functioning bar in the center of the lobby. Still, I liked it better when they were using the DGA theater in past years.

The show being honored was FlashForward, which I have to admit I'm not a big fan of, not like I am for NCIS, but I did enjoy the PaleyFest tribute. John Cho, Jack Davenport, Courtney Vance and Dominick Monaghan were great fun for me, but the others did a good job as well.

I wrote up an article on the event, which you can link to here: http://prime-time-dramas.suite101.com/arti...r-paleyfest2010.

And just like a TV episode gets cut for time, articles get caught in space limitations. So I thought I'd share here a couple of the paragraphs I was forced to cut, since they do contain interesting information.

Fiennes revealed that they had porn names for all their characters, but after a few names thrown out, Vance cut off discussion with ‘what happens in FlashForward, stays in FlashForward.’

When the moderator said that April 29th is International Dance Day, Cho reminded him that it is also the anniversary of the LA Riots and the Koreans refer to that day by numbers, just as Americans refer to 9/11. Braga confirmed that date was a random choice, because it sounded good.

A couple more examples can be found on my writeup on Wordpress, which you can link to from the sidebar here.

NCIS Panel at PaleyFest 2010 Was Great Fun

2010-03-01T23:27:00.001-08:00

Tonight I attended the NCIS tribute panel at PaleyFest2010. I love going to these events because you get to see and hear how the actors and writer/producers really are. You get insight into their thinking. This year it was at the Saban Theater instead of the DGA Theater and I wasn't pleased about that. I prefer the DGA Theater and it is much better for parking.

I did a writeup for the event, called "PaleyFest2010 Investigates the Appeal of NCIS" for Suite101.com. If you'd like to read it you can find it here: http://prime-time-dramas.suite101.com/article.cfm/paleyfest2010-investigates-the-appeal-of-ncis.

But you will have to cut and paste because blogger.com here is not being cooperative in providing a working link.

Entering Mischief Kirk in Bissell Most Valuable Pet Contest

2010-02-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today I entered Mischief Kirk into the Bissell Most Valuable Pet Contest,Period 6.

The reason I did this is because the top prizes include substantial donations to pet charities. Here's what they say:

Grand Prize

* Your pet's photo on a BISSELL box
* $10,000 donation to the pet charity of your choice
* BISSELL pet vacuum or deep cleaner
* $500 "Perfect for you and your pet" shopping spree

second place PRIZE

* Your pet's photo on a BISSELL box
* $5,000 donation to the pet charity of your choice
* BISSELL pet vacuum or deep cleaner
* $250 "Perfect for you and your pet" shopping spree

Third - fifth place PRIZES

* Your pet's photo on a BISSELL box
* $1,000 donation to the pet charity of your choice
* BISSELL pet vacuum or deep cleaner
* $50 "Perfect for you and your pet" shopping spree

I hope my friends and visitors will click onto the link and vote for Mischief Kirk. The voting period isn't open until February 12th, but you can look at my charming mischievous tyke by pressing the link below

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A Long Buried Dream Comes True And Even IMDB Calls Me Actor

2010-02-05T14:54:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I ran into John Park who told me that Crows of Lullaby, the film he and Jeremy asked me to do a role in, was now up on IMDB and that my name was in the credits as promised. He said that I should check my IMDB page and see it.

So I did and... I couldn’t believe it. There on my IMDBpro page, to my utter delight, the listing for Profession reads: miscellaneous crew (for my script coordinating) and actress. In the film section, it lists Crows of Lullaby, and me as Woman at Bus stop. My role is listed like any other talent. That is so wonderful, because I had despaired at how, realistically, I was ever going to get listed as actor.

IMDB has some quirky rules and criteria which independent film must hurtle to get listed. Hence, these end up serving as a wall which generally eliminates most independent movies from qualifying. I didn't really see that as a pitfall in terms of me getting acting work as in my mind, casting directors utilize the online listing services for actors or the old-fashioned, tried and true headshot/resume route.

That is until last year, when I went to a talk by a casting director, and she told us that she goes to IMDB to cast her projects, not the many casting services that actors pay to get their headshots in (see June 28, 2009 entry - http://dannygirlpaceyjack.blogspot.com/2008/06/i-put-milk-in-your-black-coffee.html). Not only was this news to me, but it created a problem for me in that I've got a nicely impressive IMDB page... but for script coordinator. There is nothing at all about acting.

I could envision her opening up my page because I had the right look, seeing no indication that I was or even was interested in being an actor, and passing me by. I had asked her about it then, and she said to put up a bio for myself with the first line explaining that I was now pursuing acting as well.

Which I gratefully did. Still, I despaired of ever getting a legitimate listing for casting directors to note because what I've been in hasn't made the IMDB criteria. And I'm not alone, I know many actors whose IMDB page has one or two projects listed and yet they've worked on a lot of things.

But in the category of you never know where good things are going to come from... the tiny role that I did for one of my coworkers at my old job -- the smallest role of those I've done -- got me what I coveted. Thanks to the brothers Park who got their film listed with me in the credits, I now have a real film entry in addition to the TV work, and I now have 'actress' listed in my profession line next to miscellaneous crew which I have for my script coordinating gigs. Who hoo!

Now all I need to get is writer added.

This can be viewed at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1498217/ although it is more impressive at IMDBpro (http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm1498217/) where it says: Profession: miscellaneous crew, actress.

Isn't that cool? It might not seem like much to outsiders or the pros who have far weightier acting resumes than me, but it's a big deal to me and really brought my spirits up high today.

Camelot Musical Marks the End of the Pasadena Playhouse

2010-01-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

When a friend offered me the chance to see "Camelot" at the Pasadena Playhouse, I jumped at it. Little did I know that the Pasadena Playhouse, which had been a landmark for decades (founded in 1917, so that's 93 years), would close its doors after this limited run.

I found this shocking and unbelievable, for the theater is such a thing of beauty. And it has such history. It is also designated as a State of California theater, so you would think that this wouldn't happen to it.

Apparently this is not the first time the Playhouse came close to closing its doors. In 1937, it faced bankruptcy but the theater was bought by the Pasadena city government and subleased to a theater group for $1 a year. Unfortunately, that company went bankrupt, too. This time the Playhouse is several million in debt.

I'm glad that Melvin was able to score us tickets so that I didn't miss out on this sad occasion. This was not the very last night, but it was close enough. But perhaps the very fact that there were comp tickets for us was the very problem. We couldn't afford to be paying customers any more than the Pasadena Playhouse could afford for us not to be. Still, we did help them fill the house, and I don't think there were many of us comped that night.

This was a new version of Camelot. Much like my Shakespearean director pared down King Lear when we performed it in the park, the Camelot director pared down the Camelot cast as well... to 8 characters. Recognizing that the heart of the story was the love triangle between King Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot, David Lee went through the script and eliminated everything that didn't add directly to the telling of their story. He also used minimal sets, and in his words "only the most elementary suggestion of costumes." He claims that this allowed him to add back music that is usually cut for time.

In his director's notes, David Lee went on to say. "This led me to see just how simply I could do everything. I found a chair could be a throne, an actor could don a simple vest and call it armor. About this time, too, other elements began to fall into place. When I read about Winchester Castle, where for years a group of locals would gather and re-enact the Arthur legend beneath a replica of the Round Table which still hangs on a wall there, I knew I had found the way to tell the tale here in Pasadena. I also read in Alan Jay Lerner's autobiography of his favorite performance of the show. It was the final run run-thru before it opened on Broadway. It was done with no costumes, no sets, just a group of actors singing these magnificent songs and telling this engaging tale on an almost bare stage. That it was his favorite gives me hope that he would have been pleased with what we are attempting here."

The performance itself was uneven. Some of the actors did better than others. Some sang with more strength than others. Some were weaker voices and less fun to watch.

I admit that it has been a long time since I've seen the musical, even though I know the Arthurian legends well. But it seemed to me that some of my favorite songs were missing and that made me feel disappointed. I can't tell you which ones they were, only that I was anticipating some that weren't delivered.

I do hope that the Pasadena Playhouse can find its way out of its financial woes and that the benefactor whom they were hoping could pledge $5 million does materialize. I would really like it to open its doors again. Its walls have had so many good actors strut their stuff (like Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman) that it would be a travesty not to. And I hope that I can be there on that day.

My further hope is that on that day, we can have a triumphant return of this musical Camelot, since Camelot has for so long, and so many, been a symbol of hope and goodness. It fueled our imaginations during the President John F. Kennedy years and some people even talk about Camelot returning today.

Yet, this musical is about the end of Camelot with the hope that it may live again. And for that, if the Playhouse had to close at the end of a play's run, it is fitting that it is this one.

Actors Fund Workshop: Leveraging Your Talent for the Next Decade

2010-01-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

The Actors Fund is a great resource for those of us who are professionals in the entertainment business and have been working in one of the unions or guilds for a number of years. When I was laid off during the last writers strike, I eventually needed to call upon their financial aid department and they were there for me.

Yesterday, however, I attended one of their many workshops, this time held in the Valley in the soundstage of Local 80. It was called “Leveraging Your Talent for the Next Decade… and beyond” and was taught by Jonathan Tavss, a media consultant who has many years under his belt doing film and television development, management, and strategy. He has his own business of digital design called Scarlet Terrier Productions.

The first thing Jonathan reminded us was that as business entities in the Entertainment business we are different from the general population because we will never work for the same company until we retire. He also reminded us that in other industries, the steps we need to go through to get what we want are usually laid out, but in entertainment, there are many steps sideways that can lead us to our goal even without looking like the appropriate path. He was inspiring when he said, “When I see what I want, I go after it.” The encouraging example he gave was that when he started out and wanted to be in theater, he kept bugging the manager until he hired him.

Also encouraging was the way he managed to fulfill his desire to work in development, when he kept losing out to those with agency experience. He figured he had to get agency experience and got hired at ICM, looking at working there as his graduate school. He made the experience work for him, even if it wasn't where he most wanted to be.

A big axiom of his that we should also take to heart is this: At the point where you are not able to be yourself, it’s time to rethink what you want to do. Figure out what goal would make you the happiest. He mentioned the Myers Briggs personality test is good to take to see how others perceive you but it is expensive and hence, cautioned us to not pass it up any time it’s offered to us.

Another is one we all know, but bears repeating every day: Remember that people aren’t looking at how they can help us, but how we can help them. Anyone who hires is looking for a person who can convince him that he/she can help him increase his business.

You must deliver consistently in what you do so that people who hire you know what to expect. But you also need to first decide, who do I work with best?

He shared with us his ground rules for moving forward:
What can I bring in from my past that I can incorporate into what I do?
What is your ‘company’?
How can you do what you love to do? Or what your friends love you to do?
In communicating, you need to know what your pitch is.
And it’s important to develop renewal friendships to work with again and again.

Finding and developing talent for your team is a challenge because there are no real apprenticeships in most parts of the entertainment industry, so to know how to ask for help is often not easy.

Forming alliances are crucial in this business, but partnerships are where you get what you need but also have something to give back.

Common pitfalls of partnerships are expecting everything, holding back, and not being honest. People feel that if they are working with someone who has more clout or cred in the industry, then they have no power and are at the mercy of the person whom they need. But remember that they need you, too, because you came in with the idea. You are not totally at their mercy. But it is best to have a legal contract delineating what you expect to get out of the partnership. Festering feelings are detrimental, so partners need to be clear and always communicating. Don’t let things fester. Don’t go into meeting and just wing it. Have backup plans. If things change so you don’t know where you are going, take five minutes to think about it and then go with your instinct.

Jonathan gave really good advice on broadening our networks, advising us to join affinity groups outside your industry (non-business extensions, meaning non-profit work) where we’re not immediately looking for work, but are getting together with like-minded people. Often down the line, they do lead to work. He cautioned us not to do is talk business at these events. One time he took out paper and took down the number to call a heavy-hitter at work. This made for a very awkward situation. What he should have done was let it play out so that later when the two of them met up, he could say where they met. Now, he never puts out a guest list so that people can’t make a hit list.

He also emphasized the importance of excellent support staffs, of accountants, agents, lawyers, family and friends.

We left this informative workshop with a few final principal thoughts. Goals are a must because without knowing where we are going, we can’t start. Yet we also must be flexible within our mission statement. We can change it as long as we stay true to ourselves.

Danny Girl Shows How an Alpha Plays with StarChaser

2009-10-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Normally, I do any writing about the cats on Mischief Kirk's blog... from his point of view. (You can find his blog at http://mischiefkirk.wordpress.com.) But WordPress doesn't allow me to share video... not unless I pay for the privilege. Still, I wanted to share with you my Danny Girl playing with the Starchaser. She will always be first in my heart.

Bringing King Lear to Life by Lamplight in the Park

2009-10-05T12:41:00.001-07:00

Last night I played Goneril in staged reading of King Lear in front of a live audience of our friends. It was an abridged version because to do the entire play would take something like 5 hours, which is rarely done any more. Besides, this was street theater, done outdoors in a park (Douglas Park in Santa Monica, CA), at night, by lamplight, so it was quite chilly.

Our audience sat on a hill and we performed on a concrete intersection of paths under a nice bright lamp. Stage readings are a way to perform a play or to hone your techniques in front of a live audience without violating any Equity Guild rules. As long as you hold the book (script) in your hand, you are technically reading. However, you can act your heart out as much as you want and you can have as much of the script memorized as you want or not.

I was quite fortunate that my friends Pam and Serge, Steve, and Mike and Penny with their dog Tootsie (who apparently likes to watch plays) all came to see me perform and to support me. Since I do truly care about what these people think of me, it was important that I do well.

And I think I can comfortably say, I did. To the left, you see me here with King Lear in the famous beginning scene where King Lear asks his daughters to tell him how much they love him. Since he was partitioning and giving away his kingdom in response to the bountifulness of that love, you can bet Goneril was very effusive.

The audience loved our performance. And I loved playing the role. Yes, it has reactivated the bug to act that was in me when I was a child. But back then all the roles seemed to go to the beauty queens. Even the roles of the boy/girl next door were gorgeous people dressed in dowdy clothes and glasses to distinguish them from the hero/heroines. I used to think that if the boy next door to me was that good-looking, I'd pay more attention to him.

This is not to say there weren't hitches. The weather had been warm in the days leading up to the performance, but that day was chilly and the evening even colder. For me, that meant tights under my long dress and shawls around my shoulders. Though the layers fit the times of the character, they also made me look like a beached whale in some of the photos.

For our audience, that meant sitting on the cold ground. Kudos to the love they had for us that they bore with us.

The worst hitch was that due to unforeseen circumstances, our actor playing King Lear didn't show up. Being the director, lead actor, and chief mastermind behind the performance, he had been working on cutting the script down to a workable size for us to do in two hours, while still having the whole gist of the story told. We were only working with about six or seven key roles in the play.

At 6pm, MELANEE E. NELSON (Cordelia, The Fool), HOLLIS McLACHLAN (Regan), MELVIN WEISS (Gloucester), TOHURU MASAMUNE (Edmund), TROY SPIELER (Edgar) and I gathered on our 'stage' for our final notes or blocking. We were surprised that our King Lear wasn't there waiting for us, but we waited patiently until our guests began arriving at 6:30 for our 7 pm start.

Contacting him, we learned that he was frantically trying to cut the script even further because we had lost one of our actors. Melanee, our producer, told him not to worry, we had a handsome young actor in the audience, a friend of Hollis, named MARCUS PROCTOR, who would gladly step in and read the parts of Oswald and The Fool (when Cordelia was also on stage) for us. We told our King Lear to make a few extra copies for the new guy and for me, because I hadn't gotten the latest version he had passed out at a rehearsal I couldn't attend.

Marcus, as my servant Oswald, can be seen in the above right photo with me. The above left photo is King Lear attending the death of Cordelia.

Our guests had been told to come at 6:30 because we were going to start at 7 pm sharp. And so at 6:30 our guests arrived, but we still didn't have our King Lear or the extra copies. Seven came around and we still didn't have our King Lear or the extra copies. The extra copies were not a big problem because we just passed what we had back and forth behind the stage, since we were really talking about being short one real copy and mine was pretty much up to date... as Goneril's lines were all intact. I was only worried because a cue line could have been cut in a rehearsal I couldn't attend, and without having the same exact copy the others were using, I wouldn't know it.

It turned out to only affect me in one cue, where I was waiting for a line that didn't come. Nevertheless, I quickly surmised it had been cut and jumped into my dialogue, so maybe the audience didn't even notice the difference.

By 7:15, we were all worried for our audience. After all, it was cold to sit there on the hill and it was a Sunday night and everyone had to go to work on Monday -- we couldn't start the play too much later. The actors voted to start the play without our King Lear. Troy volunteered to play King Lear as well as Edgar until our King Lear showed up. Melanee called our King Lear and told him to just get there -- we were going to start at 7:30 and Troy would fill in until he came.

Somehow, signals got crossed and Don thought he had been replaced and hence, never showed up. So Troy had to play both Edgar and King Lear to the end.

And I must say that Troy played it quite well considering he had had no preparation time. It just got sticky at the end where Troy had to play Edgar and King Lear engaged with each other. Had he had time to think about doing a dual role, I'm sure he would have created larger differences between the characters, but we kept expecting Don to take over, so nobody thought about it until that scene at the end until it was upon us.

My friends said they were confused at that point. And that is understandable. They said they were able to figure out by context of the dialogue who was who but they had to work at it and it wasn't readily apparent. But they were good sports about it. Well, where else would they see the death of Edmund on cold, cold, hard concrete?

Seriously, I have to say that all the actors were brilliant in their performances and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for making this performance memorable for me. Prior to this, my only other recent work in front of a live audience had been a small part in a radio play, so this was quite important to me.

And I am happy that I achieved what I set out to do. It was wonderful to work with such talented and experienced actors as they all were.

And now I have to say something about these superb photos done my wonderful friend, Serge, under the most challenging circumstances. It was dark and the only source of illumination was the lamplight we were reading under. I was expecting to see blurry figures barely distinguishable from a dark background and I said, at least I'll have something to remember the night by. Instead I got these marvelously clear photos that show us doing our scenes as brilliantly as if we had a full lighting crew with us. A movie crew couldn't do better.

If you want to see the full set of Serge's photos, please visit cgivfx's Flickr page. They are well worth it. And while you are at it, look at some of his other photos -- they are all spectacular.

All I can say is thank you for making the evening memorable for me... to him and his wife Pam, my other guests, and to everyone who came out to see us living the dream.

Bringing King Lear to the Park

2009-09-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a view of the duck pond in Douglas Park in Santa Monica, CA where we held today's rehearsal for our staged reading of King Lear. Yes, I could have gotten closer so you could see the ducks better, but I am standing on the "stage" from whence we will be performing the play on October 4, 2009 at 7 pm. Anyone who would like to see this work in progress staged reading is welcome to come. Just bring a blanket because you will be sitting on the hill facing our "stage."

You heard of bringing plays to the street? Well, our street performance of Shakespeare will be in the park. Cool, right?

To the right you see some of our actors rehearsing the play on our new stage. Gloucester is on the left, Edmund is in the center and Lear is on the right.

I'm playing Goneril, but since I'm working the camera here, you won't see my picture when I'm doing my scenes. We did some blocking for this new stage. And we ran through some of my scenes as well. Don who plays King Lear is also our director for this staged reading.

Atrium Theater Group's King Lear With Me as Goneril

2009-09-15T22:51:00.001-07:00

The Atrium Theater Group under artistic director Don Baldaramos and producer Melanee Nelson (pictured at the left) are gearing up for an October 4th stage reading of Shakespeare's King Lear, in which I will be playing eldest daughter Goneril.

This will be our second stage reading -- the first one was only of the first two acts, this will be of the entire play. I'm excited, but there's a lot of hard work to be done before that.

On Sunday, we went through all the actor headshots from the auditions held by the former director of this stage reading, who had to drop out of the production for family reasons. Don Baldaramos will be assuming those directing duties as well as playing lead character, King Lear. Melanee will be playing middle sister Regan.

Afterwards, Melanee and I emailed the actors we were interested in to tell them the good news.

We do not have a venue for this Sunday evening performance nailed down yet, but if you want to come see the stage reading, you are invited and welcome.

Meet Mischief Kirk Taylor, the new member of my household

2009-08-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Meet Mischief Kirk Taylor, who I've now had for a week. He was born on 5-17-2009 in a garage with his Tortie sister and Calico sister and cared for by Pink Paws Rescue of Thousand Oaks.

I'll write more about him later.

Saving Grace At the Paley Center

2009-06-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't exactly save her as Earl wasn't there, but then she's doing fine as she is. Or at least she was at the Paley Center's panel discussion and screening of the third season premiere of Saving Grace. The entire main cast was there, except for the aforementioned Leon Rippy who plays Earl.

On stage with the cast was creator/showrunner Nancy Miller, with the rest of the writers in the audience. The panel was moderated by Cynthia Littleton of Variety.

On stage in the back row was Lorraine Toussaint, Bailey Chase, Gregory Cruz and Yaani King. In the front row is Dylan Minnette, Laura San Giacomo, Kenny Johnson, Holly Hunter, and creator Nancy Miller.

First we were treated to a screening of the powerful season 3 opener. It was very intense and yet, had lots of humor. Yaani had a small but pivotal role in the crime story and apparently will have a larger role going forward.

When asked about what she looks for in writers, Miller said strong, original voices, which is what most showrunners say in answer to that question.

However, she also said she looks for writers who have something to say (something I wish all shows valued more in their writers).

Miller mentioned that we will meet Bobby Stillwater's father this season -- something I'm looking forward to.

Afterwards in the lobby, I mentioned to her a wish for more emphasis on Native Americans in their stories. Miller said she was interested in doing more, but their Native American advisors were quite sensitive to issues of portrayal and they had to take care.

When I talked to Gregory, he mentioned that his father will be portrayed by an actor who will please me, but he wouldn't tell me who. Drat! I did find out that Gregory is Apache on his mother's side.

Littleton asked Holly Hunter, who is also an executive producer of Saving Grace, about bringing the show to cable when she was a very sought after actress by the networks. Hunter was quick to point out that a woman character like Grace could never get on network.

She credits Shawn Ryan for breaking open cable with The Shield and she credits Vic Mackey for paving the way for a character like Grace. She also pointed out that Victoria Mackey would not have flown. Hunter also credits Helen Mirren with paving the way for Grace, even though her Prime Suspect character was in England.

Miller confirmed that all of her characters' last names were towns in Oklahoma. Kenny Johnson said laughingly that he has been unable to find Dewey, Oklahoma on a computer map and Miller promised to show it to him when they got back to the office.

A question from the audience that stumped Holly was whether she had seen Grace's relationship to her male cop co-workers change over the course of the series as opposed to her female cop co-workers. She admitted it was a very good question, but it was obvious she had not thought along those lines and didn't have a ready answer for him.

After the Q and A, some of the actors and writers hung around to take photos and talk with fans who approached them in the lobby. I took some random photos which I'll include here.

It's a great show and tonight was an informative and fun evening.

In Print and Available to You: CAT's Contribution to Thrilling Wonder Stories Hits the Stands

2009-03-31T19:06:00.001-07:00

So many days it feels like you are beating your head against a brick wall or jumping at an impenetrable glass ceiling. So when something you do actually sees the light of day, it's cause for celebration.

Today I got an exciting package in the mail -- my author copies for the article I wrote in THRILLING WONDER STORIES, volume 2. I was commissioned to write a behind the scenes history of the making of the "World Enough and Time" Internet Star Trek episode we made for Star Trek: New Voyages, which is now called Star Trek: Phase II.

On this blog, you have seen some of my writings about our filming of this episode with a crew of half Hollywood professionals and half Star Trek fans from around the world. This book's article is based on different interviews than the ones I put up on the Net when I was doing publicity for the Premiere of the streaming event. Those were individual interviews which you can find at This Writer Wrote, since the TVGuide.com pages where many of them were originally printed is no more. In this book is a perspective of the entire creation of the episode, so I interviewed a variety of participants, including GEORGE TAKEI.

It was great fun to do these interviews and great fun to write the article and I think you'll have great fun reading it if you choose to go on the journey with me.

And to make it even better, I'm here in the company of accomplished and prestigious Science Fiction and Star Trek writers -- many of whom I've read when I was younger. You can see me listed among them here on the back page, with a description of what I've written. For instance, Diane Duane... I loved reading her first original novel, Door into Fire, an entertaining book I've never forgotten -- how neat is it to be in the company of someone who gave me hours of pleasure many years ago.

This is not the first thing I've had published, but it is a milestone for me anyway, because this is the first time, I've had something like this published. And how cool is it that it is available on Amazon where I buy so many of my own books and DVDs. Hmm, I wonder if I could do a search on my name there and come up with this book -- probably not, since I'm just a contributor, not the editor, who is WINSTON ENGLE.

Restoring the fifties pulp fiction magazine to its former glory was Winston's dream and he has succeeded admirably. This is his second volume and they are both books to be proud of. He did a great job with them and we should all applaud him for it.

If you want to take the journey behind the scenes of making this award-winning, Hugo-and-Nebula-nominated Star Trek episode with me, you can find it here at Amazon or here at Barnes and Noble. You can even find my name mentioned in the product descriptions at both sites. You can also visit the Official Website Winston has set up for his book. I haven't had the opportunity to read the other contributions yet, but considering the heavy-hitters of science fiction that they are, I'm sure their stories are well worth reading. I know I look forward to delving into them.

If you do read my article, please come back and share your thoughts about it as well.

James Whitmore, Sr. RIP

2009-02-06T22:59:00.001-08:00

I heard tonight on the news that James Whitmore, Sr. died today of lung cancer.

He is a great loss to us because he was such a terrific, mesmerizing actor. I met him once.

In my early days in LA, I used to go to movies at the Academy of Motion Pictures with the actress mother of a young actor I worked with on a short film. She was on the Oscar committee for foreign films so during Oscar season, we'd see all the foreign films, but during the rest of the year, we'd see screenings of the films for the year. One time we went for a double feature film, I forget why, but we had never done that before, so we hadn't been smart, like some people, and brown-bagged it.

So in between the films, we and a theater load of others went rushing out to look for a nearby restaurant for dinner -- and of course we had limited time. There weren't many restaurants within walking distance of the Academy, but we found a little French hideaway restaurant and like locusts, we descended on them. We totally overwhelmed this lovely little restaurant, which was used to small, intimate, leisurely dinners, and didn't have the staff to serve the hungry swarm we were.

My friend Diana and I wound up at a table next to James Whitmore, Sr. He was with a party, but he was the only one I recognized. Diana and I perused our menus and he and his party perused their menus and we made our selections. But in an hour's time, although the waiters were frantically scurrying around, nobody came to take our orders. Knowing we were under a time crunch, Diana and I decided we could live with soup and salad and I went off in search of a waiter to ask if they could get us something.

I told Mr. Whitmore what we were doing and why and suggested he do the same. He said that they wanted a real meal. But it took a bit to get our salads and soup and when they came, and Whitmore still hadn't seen a waiter to give an order to, he changed his mind and they wanted soup and salad, too.

Even though the place was bustling, it was almost impossible to get service for silverware or water or coffee or anything you might ask a waiter to do for you. So I started running for things for Diana and me. And as long as I was getting up, I felt I should offer my help to the senior citizens next to me, whom we were by now chatting with. So I got them coffee and various things as well. And of course whenever I did, Whitmore and his companions thanked me.

At the end of the meal, when we were looking for our checks to leave, James Whitmore said to me that he felt he should give a tip to me since I had worked so hard getting them things when I didn't have to. I told him that it had been my pleasure to give back to him some of the pleasure he as an actor gave me when I was a child.

I will never forget that unusual encounter with such a lovely man and I'm so sad to hear of his passing. My condolences to his family and friends.