Murder at the Golden Nugget

Ted Danson is the new series lead. Should be interesting to see him embody a non comedic character. I think he can pull it off.
Enjoyed working on this Monday, all 13 hours, at the Golden Nugget and Fremont Street. I remember the first time I worked on CSI was back in 2002. We were doing a formal party scene at a mansion in town. It was freezing rain and our holding area was the 4 car garage and we were all in gowns and tuxes. It was raining and we had to be shuttled to the lunch area which was a tent in an abandoned lot. I ruined a great pair of heels in the mud. Ohhh the glamour! There's a scene in this episode where someone puts pirhanna fish in the pool and they eat someone, which is the murder being investigated. They had an animal agent with her dozen pirhannas they "hired" for the shoot. She told me she got $1,000 per pirhanna per day! $12,000 per day for fish. Which means the fish were making 10 times more per day than the extras. There was also a baby kangaroo that she brought with her just for fun. I got to hold it, it was beautiful.

Pulling an "all nighter" isn't always a party!

Yikes, night shoots. That was a rough but profitable introduction back into extra work. Ceasars Palace was abuzz with the news of Babs shooting a film.  Even though I didn't officially meet Barbra Streisand she did give me a lovely smile.

Those night shoots can be a beeeeaaatch though....whew! I am not at all up to speed on "all nighters"!

Monday is C.S.I. Haven't worked on that show since the Foundation Room at the House of Blues back in 2003.

Funny to be back in Vegas working on this show again. Guess I've come full circle from Vegas to L.A. to NYC to L.A. now finally and permanently back to Vegas. It's been an adventurous decade. The good, the bad, and the ugly.  :)

Pic below is early into the first night of two all night shoots.....hence the perky face!

Crowned...

Spent the weekend judging a beauty pageant, the Miss Mesquite and Miss Outstanding Teen Pageant, which is a local one that is part of the Miss America Organization.

I know everyone says this but what a bright group of girls/young ladies. It's just really nice to see people trying to be all they can, and some of them honestly have done amazing things with very few resources.

Bless them!

Improvisation

This summer I am thinking of taking an improv refresher. I have taken several improv classes over the years and always learn a lot! The last time I did this was Second City about 7 yrs ago. So I think I will go back to them. Those of you who are interested in pursuing any kind of career that requires acting or "personality" I highly suggest improv classes. Most cities have them available at every level and welcome beginners. This is the kind of improv you do in groups, not stand up comedy, (which I know very very little about. If you want a good story on that, get Sarah Silverman's biography, "Bedwetter". Goooood read).

Back to improv, what it does it help you stop censoring yourself so that you can be more expressive and creative either as a performer, person, or professional. Plus, it's like free therapy, you laugh so hard at yourself and others in class. Improv classes are also great for kids and teens, it really helps them come out of their shell. Your classmates and teacher are always supportive and that makes you feel safe to go outside your boundaries. If you ever get an improv teacher that isn't supportive change teachers!. Acting teachers can be mean, and I've had a few and that can be good for you, not with improv, has to be "safe".

Perception IS Reality

One of the most important lessons we should all learn, that perception IS reality. This is true for ourselves as it is for others.

This is why con artists get away with what they do. If someone is very well dressed or in a uniform of some kind, most of us automatically assume they are worthy of our attention and trust. We have no "evidence" other than what is presented to us.  Another example is if someone claims to be an "expert" on something we will tend to believe what they say, even if their only expertise is selling us a product and bumping up their commission.

In the entertainment business there are many example of this. Nothing personal Mel Gibson, but he had us all snowed for many years. His image as a good husband, good Catholic, and father held up over numerous incidents of boozing and cheating. It was all chalked up to partying too much. It wasn't until we could no longer ignore the drinking, cheating, anti-semitisim, arrests, and abusive threats recorded on tape that public opinion changed. Remember Britney Spears meltdown a few years ago? We all thought Kevin Federline was the problem there...until we were faced with photos and more showing that Britney really was mentally ill and Kevin was the normal one! Can't finish this subject without bringing up John Edwards. This smiling, baby faced family man had us all reminiscing about the late JFK. Edwards was a top candidate for President until he, noble man that he was, dropped out to care for his ailing wife.  It wasn't until again, presented with repeated evidence we all realized that he was hiding his mistress and love child, and paying them off with money from questionable sources, and that's the real reason he had to drop out of the race.  Hmmmm....maybe he really was just like JFK.....we all know what a rascal he was!

My parents, limited as they were in resources, did teach me one of a few important lessons by example. To try to present the best image possible when you leave the house. In other words, put yourself together so you don't look like white trash. This is overlooked by so many people today who literally leave their house in the same sweatpants and t shirt they slept in and expect to be treated with respect. I also remember the ladies championship lacrosse team who showed up to a group lunch with former President Bush wearing flip flops!! This was so tacky it made the papers.
You've probably noticed I have little to say about entertainment today. There is a film being shot in town, "Lay it Down" with Bruce Willis. Don't think I'll be working on it as I was flat on my back sick when it was being cast for principles and extras.

Looks like the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists may finally merge. Long overdue. This should have been done 14 yrs ago when it was first attempted, before the internet took over so much media. Now I fear it may be too little too late. I really hope our unions do combine and become stronger. It is challenging enough being in the business with the unions. Without them I fear we would all be chewed up and spit out, since show business is the kind of business that many will work for free, those of us actual professionals benefit from the union, sometimes at a minimal level, but sometimes on a life changing level.