51 pairs of high heels...

Wow! High heels are getting higher every year! Either that or these ladies are getting taller. I think it's the shoes though. A lot of five inch heels. More power to them...I've never really liked more than 3.5 inch myself, otherwise I feel like I'm leaning forward and about to tip over!

What is it about high heels that are so sexy? Who knows but it just IS. I especially love Jessica Simpson's line. Being only 5'0 she understands about needing height and her shoes can be worn for 12 hours at a time...I know, I've done it! Way to go Jessica.....


Great but long day....this is a really outgoing and friendly group of contestants, I like that.

The musical performers I have to admit I'd never heard of..."Cobra Starship". Then realized of course I know their big song..."You Make Me Feel Good".....so that will be in my head all weekend, that's ok, at least it's a good one!

Kelly Osbourne is back again...she is funny and quirky and pretty and allows herself to be different. I like that. Reminds me of a modern Cindy Lauper. The other backstage host is Jeannie Mai....will have to check her out on IMDB....she is new to me.

Tomorrow is a record breaking long day for me. First 10 hours on set at the pageant, then off to the shoot for the comedy short. It's a party scene and my character is one of an ensemble so hopefully I will be home by midnight to get enough sleep for the 8am call Sat. back at Planet Hollywood.

Jobs seem to come in "waves" in this business, so I have to follow it when it comes and rise to the challenge physically and mentally, which means early to bed most nights. Probably the opposite of what most people think this business is like, sorry to say.

Until next time..........

Lu and Anna

Good for another year

Whew, it's always good to have that annual photo session over with. It can be quite a "project", the right look, the right hair, make up, clothes, etc.

I'm happy with what we got yesterday. Did not use a hair and make up person....I'm pretty good at that myself so it's ok. Besides, at least I will look like my pictures when I show up...not something that is true for everyone....yikes! Hair and make up person just not in the budget right now, too much $$. Maybe next time.

About wanting good headshots, it not about vanity, it's about wanting to get the audition! That is so much harder than non industry people realize...just getting the audition.

There's this photographer in town I really really want to shoot with. His name is Oscar and he's awesome! Charges start at $350 so it's a bit of an investment. He makes you look your best but still look like YOU.

I have hundreds of proofs to review....

Taking Chance(s)

This morning I saw a film that reminded me of why I wanted to become an actor.

"Taking Chance", directed by Ross Katz and starring Kevin Bacon it's about the true story of one deceased soldier's return home to be buried.

Seeing and experiencing this film brought back to me why I feel movies and actors are important, to tell a story and shed light. To take someone in, as if they were living it themselves, experiencing something firsthand, whatever the subject or theme.

Available on www.Amazon.com

It gets v-e-r-y quiet just before a tsunami...

In my case it's a "good" tsunami...a tidal wave of work! During these times and in this town that's always a good thing.

We've had an exciting year so far in Las Vegas in the tv and film industry....First "Burt Wonderstone" then the "Untitled Diablo Cody Project", and the same time shooting the Vegas scenes for "Now You See Me".

Missed my chance to work on "Burt Wonderstone" because the biggest show of the year, the Consumer Electronics Show was the same week and my sister and I had a team of 15 models working the show for a new client, "Cocoon"....(encrypted browser).

When it comes to my schedule sometimes it has to be "commerce over art". Conventions sometimes pay quite a bit more than acting, rehearsal acting, etc. Hard to believe but true, even for union actors. Thank YOU "corporate America"!

Anna Wendt and Karen Wendt in "convention" mode with our CES team:

Miss USA...live from "Planet Vegas"

It's that time of year again! Miss USA Pageant at Planet Hollywood.  This year I will be the rehearsal host for Giuliana Rancic, as I was last year.

It's another crew of lip gloss, hairspray, perfect Barbie legs, and great hair! The Miss USA contestants are always "on"...hey, it's good practice for the soon to be title holder! Although I feel bad every year as it seems the girls hardly get any sleep...but they're young...so it never shows. And that's why I hate them......lol!

Every year I am one year older and they are always 18-27....you know it keeps you in shape when you know you'll be onstage with young beauty queens twice a year...(I am also rehearsal host for Miss America...also in Las Vegas every year).

And to think I thought my pageant days were over after my brief time as a "Hawaiian Tropic" bikini model and then the more obscure "Miss Petite" pageants, of which I was runner up a couple of times. Who knew back then I'd be working on both Miss USA, Miss America and Miss Universe. At times life can be so much ironic fun!

I know a lot of people think pageants are superficial. Yes, in some ways they are, just like our society....hello! News flash, LOOKS MATTER! The way you present yourself, how you speak, how you interact physically with people, it all matters. The better you are at all of these things the more comfortable you feel in any situation and the more comfortable you make others feel. It's also good for teens and tweens to see girls who are not potty mouths, overweight, sloppy, rude, or so tatted up you can't tell the color of their skin! And NO, you can't show up for a job interview in last nights skirt and flip flops....

Anna Wendt, Guy Chapman, (rehearsal hosts) and the lovely Miss Arizona, Miss USA Pageant 2011. Las Vegas.

I'm wide awake

True, and a great new song by Katy Perry. She really lays it on the line!

Our group rocked the Billboards dress rehearsals! We had so much fun you would think we were winning the awards. Hey, why not enjoy your job if you can right?

It was off to an interesting start when I was standing in for Julianne Hough rehearsing our first presentation for "Social Artist of the Year"...the words on the monitor were upside down and backwards! Still, I forged ahead and somehow got through it. What a brain teaser though. Reading right to left instead of left to right.

It was a true pleasure to bring in some of my friends and fellow actors as stand ins for this show.

Previously an actor had to be in the TV union (AFTRA) to work on these productions. However, now with the merger, anyone who was SAG and/or AFTRA is now BOTH! So we are able to provide many more jobs for the actors and many more actors to choose from for the production companies. It's a "win win"...(I know, thats an over used phrase if there ever was one).

One of the highlights was Katy Perry. Her song, "I'm Wide Awake" is honest and emotional. Good for her.

With some of the other awesome rehearsal actors, 

Karen Wendt, Kevon Stover and Jorina King.

Wow...disco really is dead

Donna Summer, Class act...
They're putting together a tribute for her this weekend at the Billboard Awards. Too bad it was too late to do one for Robin Gibb. I love the Bee Gees, still do!


Donna Summer...she truly was "hot stuff"


Disco made them famous and "killed" the Bee Gees at the same time!

A truly talented group of brothers.

A fitting song for the occasion...

Too Much Heaven...

When I come home shaking...

I know I worked A LOT of hours when I come home shaking! Usually it's from a 12 hr night shoot. Like this past night on "Three Days In Vegas". Whew! Not complaining just sometimes I forget how long "all night" is. Always longer than I remember, that's for sure! At one point I thought I was hallucinating when I saw the Elvis riding the child's bicycle through the Tropicana....but no....just a scene from the movie.

I appreciate being featured in one of the main scenes with a main character, but why did it have to be at hour 11? Not quite as fresh as I was. It's funny how working all night can make me feel drunk all the next day. Good thing I didn't drive today. The last night of filming this movie, "three days in Vegas" , was not a picnic but not bad either. First of all it's a Russian Film and so no English spoken or American actors except a brief cameo by Nicholas Cage who was there but I never saw on the set.

I didn't have any lines so it didn't matter about the language. However they do work faster and more efficiently than I'm used to seeing on American films. The first day, Sunday my part was driving my convertible up to the front valet as the stars of the film arrive in their limo. Last night was just a gambler where a waitress who is actually a stunt woman spills her drink on me. Good thing I went to acting school for all this right? The scenes were at the Tropicana which was recently remodeled, to use that term loosely. The ceilings are still only 7 feet high! Sooo happy to be crawling into bed!

Good thing I have all of today, wonderful today, to rest up until the Billboard Awards start tomorrow.

Three Day sin Vegas

The film is called "Three Days in Vegas" but when I wrote that in the subject line autocorrect made it "three day sin Vegas" ....that I find amusing as it probably describes many people's experiences in our town! Night shoots...we have a lot of them here. It's the best time for production companies to use the casinos for filming. And it's always night time in Vegas. Didn't you know that?

Remember the "Cold War"? Me neither.

How do you say "action" in Russian? I find it amusing that my car is being booked yet again along with me for another film. I decided it was going to be a "working car" when I bought it and It is, still. Shooting was at the Tropicana. This is a scene where the four friends arrive in town full of excitement. Of course they all look fresh and unwrinkled even though they have supposedly been flying for hours from their home country. My car is lined up in good company at the front entrance...a Jaguar, a Corvette, two BMWs and my Chrysler...as I said it's in good company! My "walk by" role was as mundane as these usually are. We wrapped at 4am, only six hours. Not bad at all. Night shoots are usually 10-12 hrs. Sun down to sun up.

Elton....thanks for nothing..Diva!

Its odd when your part is cancelled 30 seconds before its supposed to happen. Maybe we will get another chance to lock in this scene for the concert DVD. Hey, anyone can have a bad day, even ELTON JOHN....
At least he had his temper tantrum in time for me to book it next door to Mirage to make my 9:30 Beatles LOVE show. Had the ticket in my purse since my husband and I had bought them days before I was booked to take some lovely friends from New York who were in town.
So by taking the secret exit from the Coliseum Theatre and hustling down very quickly down the strip towards Mirage, I made it to my seat by 9:25!

The "Las Vegas Review Journal" and columnist of "Vegas Confidential", Norm Clarke says it best:

ELTON JOHN BOOED AFTER LOSING TEMPER DURING SHOW

All dressed up and nowhere to dance! Michael Rizza, Elise, Anna Wendt, Geneva, and Brian Scott.

Wow...IMDb works fast!

Just a few days after I am finally up on IMDB I get an email from a director I worked with on one of the very first movies I ever did..(Deathumentary). He wants to see some demo reel for a film he is researching. Works for me!

His last film is called "Assasins Code" and starred that cute blonde from that movie with Brooke Shields...oh, yes, Christopher Atkins? He still looks really good...must work out.
The directors name is Larry Riggins...(you can look him up on IMDB..lol). He is researching a film on the O.J. Simpson story and he saw I had played Nicole Brown Simpson in a re-enactment show back in 2004. So, we'll seeee....about 1 of every 10 projects like this work out in this business so I just go with the flow. Every actor has many parts that are cast but never filmed, filmed but edited out, filmed but never released....that's the biz.

It's strange though. So long ago when I was still back in Minnesota and I heard about this crime I thought I should play her...we really look alike. But then I thought, "how could that be possible"...it was such a long shot. It was odd that several months later during a sporting goods show I met Marcus Allen and he just stood there shaking his head at me...then he said..."wow"...quietly and walked away...I think I shook him up.

Unsolved History, "The Case of O.J. Simpson".....

"IMDB me"

I can finally say this!

Any actor knows how important this is...I tried back in '06 and they gave my credit to a,different Anna Wendt who had just joined before me, a German film producer and actress who actually kind of looks like me and about the same age. So I was hesitant to give them anymore credits because if they gave them to her it'd be head to clean that up later. The fun thing to do when joining IMDB is to check your weekly "rank". Many of us get a bit obsessed with this at first. My rank went from 136,878 up to 125,456 last week, so that's something. Considering there are almost 4 million actors and production professionals on the site, that's not bad. Now that I'm registering my credits I am finding so many films and tv shows I worked on that I forgot about. Some of them are even on YouTube....so now is a time that I don't regret not posing for playboy or starring in any racy films, since everything seems to be on YouTube these days!

www.imdb.me/annawendt