Emmys Flashback!

With the Prime Time Emmy Awards airing their 65th annual awards show tonight, I checked out their Emmy app and found it lists all the awards winners going back 65 years. The first winner of this award was in 1949 with a show called "The Armchair Detective", 1949.....(isn't that pretty much when television was invented?)

Me and the golden girl behind me!

Trolling through this app was a trip down memory lane. Winners and nominees were shows such as Gunsmoke, Bewitched, Happy Days, Get Smart, Dynasty, Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, Fame, Cheers, L.A. Law, E.R., West Wing, Friends, Frasier, and Sex and the City. Some of these were before my time but live forever still in reruns.

Even now, with so many different kinds of media available everywhere, the television is still the most popular form of entertainment for many. For example, it's the friend in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. You can watch 6 episodes of Arrested Development on "On Demand" and feel better about your own life, or be transported to a different reality with something fantastical like "True Blood"....can't really do that as well on your laptop or tablet as you can on the big plasma screen.

Back to the Emmy Awards, although I am a member of The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences I am not yet a voting member..(maybe by the time I am old enough for my AARP card I will be)...it takes a lot of television credits to get there.

I even had a chance to "win" an Emmy myself a couple of years ago.....for rehearsal only...as is always the case with me! This was one of those most perfect work days, one of my best. Got to work with many of the talents in the business including Dick Clark, Marie Osmond, Chubby Checker, Susan Lucci, Celine Dion and Wayne Brady. It really ran the gamut. Our group of rehearsal actors even got a choreography bump for collaborating some dance moves for the "American Bandstand Tribute."

My sister Karen Wendt accepting an Emmy for Best Actress...for rehearsal only!

After the taping we headed over to a small pre-show cocktail party...honestly we are rarely invited to these as rehearsal actors, but once in awhile we are included. Then, as luck would have it when I went for a break to the ladies room Karen bumped into my favorite soap actor Joshua Morrow. He was posing for a pic with her and another lady when a too tipsy guest literally fell onto them and spilled his drink all over Karen. A great guy by the name of Todd intervened. He felt bad about this incident and he invited us to the official Emmy after party in Elvis' 10,000 square foot former suite which was upstairs at what used to be called the Las Vegas Hilton, (now the Las Vegas Hotel)...where the awards were being held. For us, it was like Cinderella at the ball. 
 
Here is a link to the list of all of tonight's nominees!

65th Annual Emmy Awards Nominees

Karen Wendt, Joshua Morrow and unidentified party girl

AW having dinner with Chubby Checker

Here is a link to the list of all of tonight's nominees!

65th Annual Emmy Awards Nominees 

Bringing my "A Game"

We all know it's best to bring our "A Game" to any situation, whether it be personal or professional.

Our "A Game" of course means bringing the best of what we've got....attitude, energy, knowledge, appearance, and anything extra!

What I was reminded of today is that as much as bringing our "A Game" helps each of us individually,  it also helps those around us quite a lot.

I had an audition today and I brought my "A Game" as I was reading for one of the leads in an independent film (The Track), and my character is a mother who lost her teenage daughter. Every audition requires preparation, but this is especially not the kind of part to audition for unprepared.

What pleasantly surprised me is the other actress in the scene with me, Ashley, also brought her "A Game." I had never met her, never even rehearsed with her once, but because she was totally prepared we did our audition scene together seamlessly. The director, (Brett Levner) had no corrections. (This can mean one of two things, either she really liked our audition, or we were so hopelessly bad or wrong for the part that it wasn't even worth trying.) Fortunately, I know it was the former because she told us so.

I appreciated the way this audition was set up where actors were able to read with each other and audition together. Many times it is just you with a "reader", someone who is not even necessarily an actor and who doesn't give you much to work with.

So, with the casting team, director, and the actors all bringing their "A Game," it resulted in the best possible outcome for all.  Wish this kind of situation were more common....If something is worth doing isn't it worth bringing your "A Game"?

Expecting the Unexpected

I had an audition the other day for a newscaster role in an upcoming film.  The project is called, The Red Man and is currently in pre-production so minor script and character changes are still being made. 

When I got into the audition room I was asked to read (on the spot) for another character in addition to the one I was given beforehand. In this business I find I always have to keep an open mind and be flexible, (sometimes it's almost unbelievable how much), but it had been awhile since this had happened. 

Ironically though, the unexpected role ended up being an even better audition piece than the other part I already knew about and prepared for, because this character was even more my type!

This audition reminded me that it really is important to be flexible and open minded because it keeps me tuned into what is really going on in any life situation and how to make the best of it by looking at possibility, rather than preset expectations.

"If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, 

for it is not to be reached by search or trail."  
- Heraclitus 

Photo...www.bingimages.com
 

What is your "type?"

What do people think of you when the first meet you, or even just see you. In other words, what first impression do you make?

Experts say it only takes 5 seconds for someone to form an impression of you and vice versa when first meeting. This is true in ones business and social life.

Today I am specifically talking about casting types though....If you want a role you have to audition first but before that you must be selected to audition! You won't even get in the casting room unless you fit the type the production is looking for in a particular part. The good news is that most actors fit many characters and roles within their type.

Image perspective was an exercise today in an acting workshop I participated in for the Nevada Conservatory. I did not know this was going to be the focus, so it was an interesting surprise.

There were about a dozen of us today and each of us had to be on camera for five minutes while the others filled out a 10 question form stating what our type is, according to their view. A dozen actors participated in this focus group.

We were each handed our assessments to read later in private and I am going to read mine from my fellow actors now. I have decided to share on my blog my first reaction of this information.

Some members of the SAG/AFTRA Conservatory & Barbara Grant, President SAG/AFTRA NV.

Good, bad, or indifferent, here it is....

The adjectives that best describe me upon first impression? Here are the top assessments of my type (from my tally of the 12 actors evaluating me on camera).

Honest, Optimistic, Happy, Intelligent, Helpful, Playful, Comedic, Dramatic

Pretty much everyone checked the box that said I can portray Rural or Urban characters.

My socio-economic class type appears to be mostly votes of Middle to Upper Class, with a few of working class and even one of Royalty...(thanks to whoever THAT was)!

The professions I am most likely to play according to this "jury of my peers" is:

Artist
Teacher
Dentist
Doctor
Academic
Photographer
News Anchor
Librarian
Accountant
CIA

I also got a vote or two for mechanic, civil servant, military, prostitute, and even mortician.

Now, this one should be interesting....What is my most perceived age range?

This came up anywhere from 28 to 45 but most votes were 30-40...works for me! Oh, and thanks to the guy who wrote wrote 25 to 35....hmmm...he must have been sitting in the back row. ;)

The last part of the exercise was to show our head shots to the group and get a verbal vote as to whether or not we actually look like our head shots. After all, it's a waste of everyone's time to show up looking a lot different than your photo you submitted for the part. I have to say in this group we all got an "A" in this last one.

This was a fun exercise and one I have done once before years ago, with almost the same results. Guess my type is pretty much my life long type!

An actor having his look "typed"

Since we were in a studio yesterday, (Dream Vision Studios, Las Vegas), a few of us decided to snap a few fun shots. I did not expect to be on camera today but sometimes you have to just go with the flow, perfectly coiffed or not......(in my case, NOT)!

Cindy Burgoyne, Anna Wendt

Special thanks to Kim Renee and Barbara Grant.
Kim Renee is a long time union member and the convention delegate for the NV Local. She has been the Stunt Performer's Representative since 1980, and the Young Performer's Committee Leader since 1985.  Barbara Grant is President of our NV Local, Chair of the Nevada Conservatory and a highly respected member of the NV Entertainment community. Also thank you to the volunteers of the Nevada Conservatory!

Nevada actors and performers, remember in our state you are welcome and encouraged to join and attend the annual series of workshops even if you are not yet union!....These events are a wealth of information and a really great time. Here's how to join....(The next workshop is Sept. 14.)

Nevada Conservatory Workshops website

Dream Vision Studios

Saying goodbye to the Gibson Amphitheatre

 Whether it be the classic intro to The Who's "Pinball Wizard," or Nancy Wilson's high energy riff on "Crazy on You" or even a ballad like Bryan Adams' "Have you Ever Really Loved a Woman," just hearing the first few chords of a guitar in any song stirs something in all of us...
About to play out its final chords is the namesake arena of Gibson Guitars, the Gibson Amphitheatre, home of numerous legendary performances since it opened in 1972.

Hosting legends such as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Grateful Dead, Kanye West, and even Madonna, this amphitheatre is best known for its mind blowing acoustics. Former presidents have spoken here, musicals have taken over this stage, as well as a long list of awards shows over the years. The last awards show hosted at the venue ever was the Teen Choice Awards earlier this month. My friend and fellow performer Nicole Pano was there working on the show and created this inside peek behind the scenes while she shares some fun trivia and a partial tour of this amazing acoustic triumph that will be missed by many.

Here is a sign of the times......the Gibson is part of Universal Studios City Walk which is a larger part of the Universal Studios Theme Park.... The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme ride will replace this 41 year old arena.

Avril Lavigne performing Gibson Amphitheatre

Travel with Nicole Pano and friends to behind the scenes at the Teen Choice Awards while they share trivia and FUN facts of the Gibson Amphitheater!

There are still a few weeks to check out final farewell shows before the wrecking ball strikes!

Gibson-Amphitheatre.net

The Gibson Amphitheatre was known as the Universal Amphitheatre until 2005.

Sources:

Wikipedia, Gibson_Amphitheatre - Wikipedia

TravelwithNicole on YouTube Travel with Nicole...YouTube Channel

Huffington Post at huffpost.com

Nicole Pano....follow her on twitter...https://twitter.com/Nicolepano