Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tuesday Night Class

Callback night.

We got 5 minutes to just get fresh with the lines and went in off book for the "call back". I was horrible. I had the furrow in my brow, I was blinking a lot but I knew my lines. In both scenes Templar is playful but mysterious and I was none of that.

The teacher gave me direction and some notes and we went back out there to go over it. Thankfully someone had drops for dry contacts, so that helped. I read with one of the classmates and that put me closer to the moment.

Two key things and the "playful" word gave me enough to where my second "call back" was so much better.

Tonight was the first time that words were never an issue and I could focus on the character, being present in the moment.

Key things I remember from tonight.

1. Visualize your scene partner even if the reader isn't paying attention. Know what he or she looks like, what they are wearing and their posture. Know this person and make them there.
2. Bring eye drops and water to class. This eliminates the eye flutter and the licking of the lips.
3. Relax.

A very good night for me. It gave me hope again as it was not there before.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Tuesday Acting Class

I had a good class tonight I think. John switched us up gave us the script from last week and then in the audition, gave a different scene. It was so much fun. I needed to take the time to read it.

It was a scene from "The Saint". My character was Templar.

An experienced actor was in the class and he said "Learn how not to act."

Notes:
Make the most of your lines.
Pack your own chute.
STILL STILL STILL
No furrow in the brow.
Bring water to class.

We doing a "callback" next week for both scenes.

I have notes for these scenes to work on.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sunday

Let's see what I did today. I got up, took Ginny out. Fixed eggs and toast for breakfast while watching The Open Championship. Tom Watson did not win. :( One par putt on 18 for his 6th Claret Jug at 59.

I went to the laundromat to get my comforter. They had to wash it as Ginny peed on it yesterday. She does that for some reason. In the process I found a glass top for my dining room table. The original one broke when I got new floors. The lady at the laundromat had a living room table with a glass top on it and sold it to me for $50. I measured it and it was the right price. :)

Back to Sunday.

I finished watching The Open Championship (The British Open as Americans call it.)

I took a shower, got dresses and went to the grocery store and the pet store for supplies.

A gal I met on Friday called me. We talked for a bit and she said she'd call me later if she wanted to do something. I've not heard from her yet.

After the store, put away the groceries and indulged in some lunch. I finished the laundry, swept the floors again, changed the linens.

I finally booked the tax deductible date reservation for Saturday night. :) She likes that idea.

I paid my american express bill as Blue Cross and Blue Shield finally paid for my stitches in the Dominican republic. I calculated my finances as I'm not a "checkbook" person per se.

And now, I sit bored on a Sunday evening.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Acting Class Tonight

My first class back in a long, long time. I took off some rust there tonight. We did a scene from a movie. I played a con artist looking to hook up with this lady who had this drug called 'coldfusion'.

Anyway, it was good to shake off the rust tonight and get into a character. I need to remember several things.

Be still.
Drink water before a scene so I do not lick my lips.
Take ownership of the character.
Take chances.
Be still.
Find my motivation.

It was a romantic date scene, so I had to forget "the user". Sometimes that was hard, to shake that. But I'm getting better at creating a quick back story for a character.

Next week we get to cold read and I love that!!!

The Switch

You know, I wish people who suggest that "just forget about her" or "just shut off X emotion". Yeah, if I had that friggin switch, would I feel this way dorkwad and subsequently you would not be listening to me rant. Hello!! Connect the dots!!!!

A little psychology for you here.
I liken our behaviours as programming. You live life and you see various stimuli. Those stimuli that you see and feel, create responses. Over time, when you see the same stimuli, you get conditioned responses. This "programming" gives us our responses to life's situations, good or bad. So that bleeping switch doesn't exist because you are "programmed" to respond that way. So I cannot just turn my backside to you so you can flip that switch and my life will be perfect. It doesn't work that way dumbass.


As for those people that walk around so happy all the time, are you kidding me? I could not live without the highs and lows of life. The lows make me appreciate the highs. I am emotional and it comes and goes. Some days like today, I have lows and I get lonely.


This lonliness will go away some day and someone will be there. It then those lows will help me appreciate what I have.

Monday, July 13, 2009

MLB All-Star Game Commentary

OK. Did you see Erin Andrews? Hottest sports reporter in the business.

I am tired of Chris Berman already. This guy is nuts. Joe Morgan, HOF from the Cincinnati Reds player is annoying too.

Nelson Cruz hit the cover off the ball in his first ever HR derby contest.

I love when they talk about all the retired baseball players. Baseball is all about statistics and history. I always smile when I get to hear from old time baseball players like Stan Musial, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig.
I can now blog from my phone.

Home Run Derby and ESPN

Is it just me or is Chris Berman annoying? I'd watch this thing if he wasn't announcing. Seriously!! ESPN also has to get rid of that voice over guy. That dude that works on SportsCenter is seriously annoying. He's talking like he's cool or something. I mean for all we know he is a pencil necked geek with taped glasses and a pocket protector that can actually do voice over work.

I mean give me a break ESPN. STOP with the stupid "cute" cuts on "sports journalism". Actually report it and stop telling jokes you friggin morons. Stop insulting us with bad writing and poor delivery too.

Please tell Berman to go into retirement. Only on NFL PrimeTime is he really good. He's watchable then. Everything else, including baseball, he's horrible.

Monday, July 13

I've decided I am going to blog what I think. If I put a status up there every time on facebook, that I had a thought, coherent or not, people would get annoyed with me.

Today, I've decided that I am done dating. I attract psychos like flies on shit, I swear. I am so cancelling my dating insurance now. I do have a profile on chemistry.com but I will passively work on that.

I am working on a dating blog and will post the link to that. I need to capture all the psychos I've dated. Actually some are not psychos just clueless when it comes to dating, but I digress.

I may start my search for a mail order bride. At least I know I'm getting something for my money. With dating, it's a crapshoot, literally. I think I have better odds in Vegas than I do with dating.

Oh, and how is it that an IT (information technology) contractor can get away with billing a company for 7 years and still keep a job? That's a rhetorical question folks, I really don't need an answer.

I am done for now. I'll post more later.