Jeez Jon

Ups And... Sideways.

I've been away for a bit, and for that I apologize.  It's been a roller coaster of activity as of late.  So, lemme sum up.   For the past week and a half, I've been blessed with a good deal of auditions.  Of TV/Film auditions.  Here's the rundown:

Monday, Sept. 12.  10am.  Had an audition for New Network Sci-Fi show.  A Co-Star role consisting of two lines, and then the guy spontaneously combusting, taking out a gas station in the process.  Yes, I had to fake boiling from the inside.  Met with the casting director, read for her.  Right then and there, she calls me back to read for the producers.  I accept.

Monday, Sept. 12.  3pm.  Callback for New Network Sci-Fi show.  I do the scene, and then the appropriate amount of wheezing, choking and convulsing.  They thank me.  I don't get the role.

Tuesday, Sept. 13.  12:30pm.  I get a call from my agent for a last-minute call for Established Network Sitcom.  Three lines as a "supergeek".  I run the scene right after lunch.

Tuesday, Sept. 13. 3:05pm.  I arrive for my audition for the casting directors while wearing my Green Lantern T-Shirt and some jeans.  The other guys wear short sleeve shirts, sweater vests, pocket protectors, etc.  I roll my eyes and wait. At 3:15, I go in and read.  I get laughs on all three of my lines.  I'm called to producers at 5:15pm on the lot.  I go kill time at Barnes & Noble.

Tuesday, Sept. 13, 5:15pm.  My callback for Established Network Sitcom goes very well.  I again get laughs on all three of my lines.  One of the showrunners asks me if I'm willing to have my hair dyed blond for the show.  I say "That would be awesome." I go home.

Wednesday, Sept. 14th.  I play videogames most of the day, stewing over not getting the role on Established Network Sitcom. 

Thursday, Sept. 15th, 10:30am.  I have an audition for Big Studio Comedy Film with a very well established casting director.  It goes very, very well.  At the end, she says "That was lovely.  Jon, I can't believe we haven't met until now.  What's your deal?"  I proceed to tell her what my deal is, and I mention the mockumentary.  She wants a copy of it.  I promise her one once it's finished.

Friday, Sept. 16th.  4:30pm.  I pop by my TV/Film agency to drop off more headshots.  We have a nice chat, and the main agent reveals to me that the casting associate for Established Network Sitcom called late Tuesday, saying I was the first choice for the role but the producers felt I looked too similar to one of the actors already on the show.  They love me, and promise to bring me in again at a later date.  I go home, feeling somewhat pleased with myself, but still a bit stung over not getting the role.

Saturday, Sept. 17th.  3pm.  I read for an AFI short.  Goes well.  I don't get the role.

Saturday, Sept. 17th.  8pm.  I do a performance of the play, filling in for The Heart.  The show goes over very well, buoyed by the presence of a bachelorette party.  A friend from the mockumentary shows up unannounced, and we have dinner with a couple people in the cast.

Sunday Sept. 18th, 6pm.  I do my final performance for the play.  A small house, but two friends from college show up, also unannounced.  Dinner with them, then watching the Emmys with the cast from the play.

Tuesday Sept. 20. 11am.  My agent calls, saying I have a callback for Big Studio Comedy Film.  I heart lifts up.  I'm completely in Fantasyland on the elliptical at the gym. I practice the audition material that night.

Wednesday Sept. 21 1pm.  My callback for Big Studio Comedy Film.  It goes very well.  The director is there in person, and is stunning in person.  I recognize the other 4 guys who are also there for the same role, and not a single one of us look alike.  At all. 

Thursday Sept. 22.  2pm.  It hits me I probably will not book the Big Studio Comedy Film. 

Friday Sept. 23  2:37pm.  No call. I don't get the film.  Tom gets me this game to help get over it. 

Now.  Still playing the game, and loving it.

Money is a bit tight at the moment, so I decided to go back to work in reality TV for a while.  I send out an e-mail to all my contacts, and within a couple days, a former co-worker of mine calls me, and asks for my resume.  We IM later, and she goes on and on and on saying she really wants me for her show.  I tell her the rate I want and that I need to go out on auditions.  She gets both cleared.  I start on Cable TV Reality Competition Show next Friday.  I'm not thrilled about my return to Reality TV land, but I need the scratch.  But she's wonderful and the production company has a fantastic reputation.  Fingers crossed.

So, what are you up to?

Hi. Oh, and Call Our Governor. It'll take 15 Seconds.

Hi, people.  Sorry it's been a while.  I've had a really busy week and a half -- lots of ups and downs, some emotional highs and lows, and a good deal of excitement.  I'll post more later.  But, until then, do this for me (thanks to Michael Gara for the e-mail):

Call Schwartzenegger's office at (916) 445-2841 and follow these simple steps.  (You don't even have to talk to anyone!)

1. Press "2" to comment on legislation.

2. Press "1" to comment on AB 849 (AB 849 is the gender neutral bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry in California. The one that passed but the Governator is threatening to veto.)

3. Press "1" to support it. 

And voila, you're done.  You'll feel better, and burn at least a calorie in the process. 

Same-Sex Marriage In California One Step Closer to Reality

California State Assembly Approves Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Huh.  Interesting.  The bill is awaiting Gov. Schwartzenegger's signature, which means he could veto it.  In a switch from the Republican line, the Governator (through his spokesperson) wants the courts to decide this, not his signature.  There is a case against Proposition 22, which made same-sex marriage illegal here in CA a few years ago.  I'm hoping this passes and Proposition 22 is considered unconstitutional.  But, I'm not holding my breath.

Update: Arnold says he'll veto it.  Hopefully the courts will rule in favor of civil rights and allow it to happen.

Anger...Tinged With Good News

The devastation seen in New Orleans has made me not sleep well the past few nights.  It's hard to put into words how absolutely horrible it is down there.  Katie has done a good job in articulating my own rage about the government's lack of organization and response.  The fact that it took the Bush Administration 4 freakin' days to adequately respond to the situation just astounds me.  Yes, New Orleans and the State of Louisiana should have had better and more comprehensive plans in place, but the 17th Street levee construction was stopped due to diverted funds for Iraq.  The bulk of Louisiana's national guard? Iraq.  I think what a good chunk of people on the Right are missing about why so many people are angry with the federal government is their seeming lack of interest in what happened in New Orleans and the Gulf areas.  If a disaster of this proportion happened in your town, and all you hear from your President about it is a couple of platitudes for a few minutes while holding his dog, well, you'd be offended too.  The Bush Administration's usual tack addressing an issue is as follows:  Say What We Want in The Simplest Terms, and then repeat it over and over and over again until we wear down people asking about it.  Well, their sluggish response to all this, combined with comprehensive footage on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC contradicting them completely, they finally realized that actually had to address what's going.  When Bush finally said that the results were not enough, I can finally see them realizing they made a biiiig mistake. 

What really shocks me about this is that the sluggish response is very unsavvy of them, politically.  While Louisiana is a rather Blue State, the other states affected (Mississippi & Alabama) are very Red States. With Bush's approval ratings sinking lower and lower, you'd think this would be a great opportunity for him and his Administration to bounce back and rally the people behind them, especially in the Deep South where Republican support is abundant.  But no. You'd think with all of Karl Rove's acumen, Bush or at least Cheney would have been down in Biloxi Tuesday.  It means a lot to people in the midst of a disaster when a high-end representative of our collective government  appears to talk and help out.  As Americans, we are all beside ourselves with grief and anger of what has been going on.  So it makes sense to have a nationally elected (or appointed) official be present right off the bat to show everyone that the Feds care about what's going on.  That's really what the key is.  But, by waiting so damn long to demonstrate this, Bush and his posse have shot themselves in the foot. When Geraldo Rivera and Shepard Smith on Fox News go off on how slow the Feds are responding, you know something is up.  (Thanks again to Katie for the link.) 

In the middle of all this, I do have some good news. I booked a commerical this week using one of  my new headshots.  It was the first audition my commercial agency sent me on using the less-quirky pics.  I've had 3 auditions, 2 callbacks, and a booking in the past week, so I think the new pics are starting to pay off.  I have to skimp on the details of it for the time being, but I am shooting it on September 11th, which is odd emotionally, as you can imagine.  The upside of shooting then is that it's a Sunday, and as a SAG actor, I'm getting double my rate for the day.  So, you gotta love that.  Ok, back to watching CNN... and then flipping over to Food Network to decompress.