Museums, Coffee, Voiceovers, and Nixon!

Life has gotten around to being great. No, I haven't "made it" as an actor yet, but yet somehow I feel energized and ready to face the coming new year. The past two months have been molded and seem to fit my goals and dreams. While I still have a lot to accomplish, the overwhelming feeling I get is gone. While still daunting, I feel like it is something that can and will be handled.

It's been like this for the last couple of months. The new promotion at work helped desperately with my utter hatred for work, and while I don't love work, I don't mind going to work anymore which makes those forty hours of my life a lot easier to stand! It is still a means to an end, but I can enjoy it while I'm there.

The major thing is that my voiceover demo is up and ready! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, finally after many months, my demo is done and ready to be shown to the world! I'm very excited with this new step forward and plans have already formed to capitalize on it. A year ago, I would never have put this much effort into voiceovers, but seeing opportunities and potential for a career in this side of acting my focus has extended to include this side of the business. While I've already gotten work from voiceovers already, I now know that I am on my way to being able to get more opportunities to join in on this side of the business. My love for on-camera work hasn't waned, but voiceovers have become a secondary goal that I desire to achieve.

While I would never say my life has become routine, I am glad that there are some constants that have made life very enjoyable. I have my watering hole of choice, Timmy Nolan's, which has become my Cheers of sorts. Then there's the great coffee shop off Tujunga, Aroma, that gets better every time I visit. And who can leave out the Sunday football sports bar that makes waking up for football worth it? While I am still in a love/hate relationship with Los Angeles, I am beginning to collect my gems that have become a part of my life and things I would consider "homish". If this keeps up the unthinkable may happen...LA may feel like home at some point. I doubt that highly, but I can see the threads that lead to that point. While my head screams out no with that idea, I don't know if my heart is so completely against it anymore. There is still a lot I hate about LA, but the good is bleeding through.

Anyway, I was able to visit the Getty Center again yesterday and see the Carleton Watkins Dialogue Among Giants exhibit. Some of his photographs of Yosemite are awesome and I can see why his work is heralded. He has a great eye for the construction of his shots and make them quite visually interesting. I would definitely suggest visiting if you are in the area, before they close down the exhibit in the next month.

Also, I was able to see Frost/Nixon early, and I must say it was a great movie! Frank Langella did an awesome job as Nixon, even though he doesn't really look or sound like him too much but I completely believed the character. The pacing was good, and there was some good laughing moments. This is one movie that I would have paid to see, but was even more jazzed that I didn't have too! Living in this city really has it advantages some time.

Horror films and webcomics...

So I figured I should take a minute and talk about the few links I have attached to this site.

First and foremost, the new link to the Stump the Band website is up and I definitely suggest people going and visiting the site. It's for a horror movie that's coming out on June 3rd. I was privileged enough to see an advanced screening of this film, and I walked away completely entertained. Stump does a great job of not taking itself seriously and allowing laughter to join in with the fear. There is a great balance between characters you want to live and those that you are waiting to get killed off in some satisfying manner, and Stump doesn't disappoint. Check it out on June 3rd. It is available on Amazon.com and will be available at your local Blockbuster. Enjoy the rock and roll horror!

The next link sends you to a new web comic started by the talented pair Tony Chavira (writer) and Josh Dunlap (artist) called Tuna Carpaccio P.I. While they are only on their third comic, the tension in the strip is already thick. Don't expect your typical one liners/find the joke in everything comic that currently is the trend on the internet. These two gentlemen hearken back to the serial comic that used to be found in your daily newspaper and it brings something fresh to the internet. There is a lot of potential and talent that is on display, so go and check it out!

The last is just a link to my flickr site. Unfortunately, there isn't anything outstanding there, but mostly just pictures from my life. Still working on getting a better camera to document life, but at least I have something. I try and update it pretty regularly, so keep checking.

Thanks for playing!

Orwellian...and beyond

Finally having the time and inclination, I sat down and watched George Lucas' THX1138, and I have to say on a first viewing that I was simultaneously impressed and unimpressed. His depiction of an Orwellian future was visually stunning. While the images and cinematography were great, the pacing was a little slow. It felt like Lucas was spending far too much time drinking in the sets than he was worrying about how the story was progressing. I am not talking about the acting here. Duvall and Pleasance did fantastic jobs, especially given that they were working with a director who really doesn't direct his actors. When the locale is one where emotions are chemically subdued, then Duvall does a great job holding back and then climbing out of the emotionless pit. The iconic scene of the three guards with long poles holding back Duvall was just as awesome as the stills I had seen previously. Lucas has a great eye when it comes to setting up shots, and he would make a great dp or even better a producer since he seems to excel at that job. Lucas, while stealing heavily from George Orwell and Ray Bradbury, creates a film that allows me to let the flaws and the blatant stolen ideas and phrases (Nixon speeches anyone?) go by. I am a huge Orwell fan in general and 1984 specifically. There is something about the Orwellian films that I just enjoy them even though they are sometimes the same idea with just a different outcome. I wouldn't mind either acting in or making my own version of 1984 or Fahrenheit 451.

So this past week has been quite busy with my improv class and voiceover class, I am getting a good amount of practice and training from some talented teachers. Besides that I was able to audition for a couple of independent films and two voiceovers. The voiceovers I should hear something by next week, but the independents I have no idea if they'll contact me. One of them, I think I would look a little young for, but since they had it in my age range I still went. I'll never pass up a chance to network or audition. While the jobs are infrequent right now, at least my auditions are frequent which at least makes me feel like I am pushing forward. I have still been doing extra work on my days off to both add to my income and hopefully get my third SAG voucher. However, the biggest avenue I am looking at is still voiceovers (at least for paid work), since they are simple and quick to do and are good money. I will be doing a short film for a friend who is a great writer. I am excited to work with him and see what is in store for him.

Other than that the week was a lot of fun. My uncle came into town over the weekend and so on Monday we were able to hang out and I got to show him around. Luckily, he has seen all the "tourist" stuff, so I didn't have to drive him to downtown Hollywood which is honestly worthless in the daytime. He wanted to go on a studio tour and so after reading a couple of reviews of the Universal Studios and NBC tour, I just took him to Warner Bros. and we took the tour there. Even though I had gone in January with my mother, it was a blast to go back since the strike is over now and we were able to see some filming in progress. Also, my camera had died about halfway through the tour last time, so I was able to get some better shots of the water tower and other sets that I missed the first time. Of course, no visit to Burbank would be complete without a night out at Don Cucos, so we met up with one of my uncle's coworkers there and enjoyed some margaritas and dinner.

So finally after six months in Los Angeles, I finally swam in the Pacific (which brings me to only 3 more of the seven seas to swim in!) and while cold was fun. On Thursday, I went down with a bunch of friends and was able to just relax on an almost deserted beach around the Santa Monica area, catch some sun, and skim board along the beach. It was a perfect day for the beach, and I had a blast of course (how can you not have a great time at the beach?). I have a couple of good pictures, but while I look good, I am still way to white to show.

Right now music-wise, I am going through my Itunes library and giving a listen to those albums which I have only heard once or not at all. Some are good while others I couldn't care less about. Been listening to a good amount of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds too.

I'll leave you with my wonderful picture of someone having fun with their De Lorean DMC-12.

The Kingdom

Phenomenal is all I can say for this movie. Easily movie of the year and five stars. This is a movie done right and is well executed. Bottom line: go see it. End of story.

Really, I am just speechless about the movie.