To Strike or Not to Strike

Hey everybody. I've not been the most consistent blogger on this series of tubes we call the internet. Between getting ready for baby (for more on that amazing experience, check out my wife's blog @ http://allthehoney.wordpress.com), making a dollar in this economy, and getting my movie off the ground, I've been lax in my blogging. But, I'm not one to look back in regret. I like to look ahead like those statues on the front of boats. So what's up with Honey in Hollywood? Well, I've been thinking a great deal about the potential SAG strike that is a cloud over this town. Before I dive in, let me update you on my movie/acting news.

No new bookings, sorry. But I changed commercial agents which I hope will be a big deal. Hopefully, the change will get me going again commercially because a good commercial is like money falling from the sky. Should this happen to you, turn your umbrella upside down and smile. In movie news, my producing partners and I have formally formed a production company and are in the process of assembling the team that will aid us in giving birth to this movie. We've already brought on some great people and the meetings we've been taking have been very encouraging. It's a bit early to start throwing around names and dates but, not to worry, I'm starting to have contractions. Amazing what a little capital can do.

So then, what about this strike? Well, first off, we haven't struck yet. SAG is going to vote on whether we should authorize a strike. So, as a good SAG member, I've been asking myself that very question, should we strike? My first reaction was, NO! HAVE YOU SEEN THE ECONOMY! But, I've begun to have a change of heart. Without diving too much into the history of SAG's terrible deals in the past (cable/DVD), I realized that enough is enough. We've been screwed by the Producers with the same line of crap in the past. They claim that they can't offer us residuals on New Media as they don't know if will be profitable. Well guess what guys, you're already making a killing on iTunes and, in 5 years, people are going to laugh about the good ol' days when we had separate TV, computer, and DVD player. And 10 years after that, I predict people will watch their favorite programs projected on their retina just by requesting them with their mind. New Media is the future and we need to get in on it now.

Those of you who know me know that when I get fired up about something, I try to get others to support my cause. My wife and I campaigned for Obama for almost a week in Nevada because it was important. Now, the struggle of a handful of actors pales in comparison to electing my man Obama, but it's still important. It's important enough for all of us to suffer for a few months even in this terrible economy. It's important enough that I wrote this blog, and you guys know how bad I've been about that.

Hope you all had a good Turkey Day. Mine was gravy.

Perspective

Last week I got an audition for two roles on a prime time TV show. I was called back for both roles and I liked my chances to book one of them. The director is someone I have worked with before and the casting director has been calling me in regularly. Hell, I thought I was a shoo-in. When my agent hadn't called by 7 pm on Friday night with the booking, it was clear that they had gone with someone else.

Now, as an actor you get very good at handling rejection. But, inevitably, when you get close to booking a job you begin to get your hopes up. It always stings when you don't get the part. As a result, I was feeling a little bad over the weekend. But, I just heard a story that gave me some perspective so I thought I'd share it with you.

I just got back from another night at the circus (seriously, it's really fun... you should go). After the show, I wondered around the big top and came across the ringmaster. After sharing some of his Jack Daniels, I learned that his name was Ted. Ted told me a little story that I really took to heart. You see, Ted got his start as a big cat man (the guys that go into the cage with lions and tigers holding nothing but a whip and their enormous cojones). On his first job, Ted was getting trained by the retiring cat man. Unfortunately, Ted hesitated and was promptly bitten by a tiger. It wasn't fatal but he was bleeding profusely from three puncture wounds on his neck and back. The retiring cat man told him that the only thing to do was to repeat the trick immediately without showing fear or pain. With blood soaking the front of his shirt and in great pain, Ted approached the tiger. He looked it in the eye, gathered his wits, and repeated his command. The tiger sized up this silly, bleeding man that he had just bitten, and obeyed.

Now, acting and auditioning aren't nearly as hazardous as being a cat man but the mentality is similar I think. Instead of licking your wounds and calling it a day, you've got to get back in there and show 'em what you're made of. People and tigers alike respect someone that can take a little punishment and not back down. I'm just glad that I'm taming producers and writers instead of 400 pound cats. Getting tested by them is seldom fatal. So, next time you get tested and come up short, remember Ted. And if that doesn't help, remember that he was drinking Jack Daniels. That definitely helps.

Lastly, we have lost one of the true greats in this business. Paul Newman was one of a kind. He'll be missed.

Vacation and appreciation

Sorry it's been so long since I've put up a post. Winning 8 Gold medals at the Olympics and accepting my party's nomination for President has really limited my computer time. I'm sure you've all been salivating with mouse in hand. You can relax, I'm back.

The truth of the matter, is that my lovely wife Amy and I were in Maine on vacation. We ate lobster (almost every day... seriously), fished (unsuccessfully, per usual), and played some wicked croquet (now THAT I'm good at). But the really neat thing about going to the place I grew up is that it's not LA. Don't get me wrong, I love LA. But getting outside of LaLa Land once in a while is crucial, and not for the reasons you think.

It's not about getting away from traffic, or the smog, or all the Scientologists. OK, that last part is great. But what really struck me when I was back East is how lucky all of us who pursue our dreams in this business really are. I know that's something you expect to hear from a 17 year old with stars in his or her eyes, but hear me out.

We were in Maine for a number of weeks, so one of the first things I did was to hang a trapeze so I could keep my skills and strength up. Nothing fancy, a couple of ropes and a bar hanging about 9 feet off the ground. I didn't think much of it, but it wasn't long before I found myself explaining to folks why I was hanging upside down over my Dad's geraniums. I told them about my film project and the training I've been doing and that's when it hit me: I am ridiculously lucky. I wake up every day and pursue the very thing that I've pictured myself doing since I was a kid. During a time when people are walking to work, if they still have a job, I get to push my script and play on a circus rig. Crazy.

So, sometime this fall or winter, when I get annoyed by the back up on the 405 I'm going to picture that lone trapeze rig hanging from a snow covered tree. And for all of you industry types here in LA that need something to brighten your day... go ahead and picture me hanging on that trapeze in January freezing my nuts off.

Movie news soon, good things are happening but good things take a long time here...

My First Circus

Last week I was invited by my trapeze coach to go to see Circus Vargas. I enlisted my friend Brock and the two of us enthusiastically set out. After all, you shouldn't go and make a movie about the circus unless you've seen a few along the way. Due to my unfortunate sense of direction (seriously, does anybody have a TomTom they can lend me), we had ample time in the car to talk about our past experiences at the Big Top. After he finished telling me about the time he spent 20 dollars to see the invisible man, I started to share some of my circus memories. That's when it hit me, I don't have any circus memories! Is it possible that I, a man who spends hours each week on the trapeze, had never been to the circus? Well, I am from Maine... I immediately called my mother and demanded to know why my childhood had been devoid of such a classic American tradition. And then she told me, I was afraid of the clowns. Turns out I had been to the circus when I was very little but I didn't last very long. I got one good look at a sad faced clown in over sized shoes and sheer terror set in. No amount of floss (cotton candy) could appease me and I cried all the way home. This revelation about my primal fear of clowns made me nervous as we approached the canvass tent that now loomed in the distance. Would I see a clown and revert to being a terrified child? Would my friends and coach laugh as I ran screaming from the Big Top? Would I wet my pants? Well, I almost did wet my pants, but it was from laughing so hard. I'm happy to report that Circus Vargas was a delight. The small, one ring affair was a real treat and just about the size of the circus we will be building for Lancaster. It was truly inspiring to see acts that have changed very little in over 100 years. I was even invited to fly with the professionals after the show was over. It was more than I could have hoped for. So why am I sharing this with all of you? Well, circus season has just started up and I want you to go. Across the country, dozens of troupes are putting on their hilarious and death defying acts and they deserve an audience. While I have no doubt that my film will rekindle an interest in the circus when it is made, I don't want you to wait until then. Grab the kids and go. If you don't have kids, go and let the kid in you come out. You won't be disappointed. And you never know, you might finally see that clowns aren't that scary after all. Enjoy the show.

Learning to Fly

So what happens when you write a movie about Burt Lancaster during his years as a trapeze flyer? You damn well better learn to fly. The last few months I've set out to do just that. After a few painful attempts in my backyard I realized that I needed professional help. That's when I met Richie Gaona. Richie is a stunt man, circus coordinator, and general bad ass. He's been my coach now for a few months and I'm actually showing some promise. Thankfully, I don't have to try and sum up for you what a typical trapeze class looks like as the L.A. Daily New just did a piece that you can view online. Click on the title of this post to link to it. As you can see it's wild. For those of you that think us flyers are crazy, well, you're right but we're having a better time than most. Besides being a a blast, flying has gotten me one step closer to understanding the man I am going to play in the movie. To do what he did in his films and under the big top takes a little dose of crazy, a ton of courage, and more desire than Bono sings about in that great song. Burt had it all. Every time I fly, I feel a little bit closer to him. It could just be the adrenaline getting the best of me but I'm pretty sure it's the spirit of Lancaster egging me on. After all, he knows how hard it is for a 6'3 guy to learn a sport that is designed for 5'5 gymnasts. I can almost hear him laughing every time I hit my feet on the bar. Keep laughing my friend, keep laughing.

The Art of Rejection

As an actor, I consider myself to be a master at handling rejection. I get rejected all the time. But it doesn't ever get any easier to hear that short, loaded word, NO. It always stings, always. Any of you harbouring dreams of carving out a life in the entertainment biz, know that NO is going to be a familiar sound. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I just got my first NO regarding my script. Here the deal in a nutshell. I got the script to another actor for a role that they were perfect for. The actor liked the script and liked me but, alas, NO was still the answer as the actor had too many other commitments. Understandable of course, but a bummer still. In fact, this was my first NO for the script. If the burn of getting told NO as an actor is like putting your hand on a electric burner, the burn of getting told NO as a writer is like sitting right on that burner and turning on the one next to it. Now don't get wrong, I didn't expect every Dick and Jane in Hollywood to love my project, but I really wanted this Jane to dig it. So, I was a little disappointed yesterday. But, then something fun happened. I did one of my kids shows yesterday at a school somewhere in East LA. The show I perform is about John "The Pathfinder" Freemont, California's original bad-ass. I perform for kids in grades K-5 and they think it's just about the coolest thing ever. As I recounted Freemont's grit and determination as he crossed the country several times on foot, I began to buy into my own performance. By the time the show culminated in me telling the kids to "Work hard and follow their dreams," I had convinced myself right along with those 5o cheering kids. The NO from earlier in the day faded away as I realized how good I have it. I've never had to eat some of my friends to stay alive like Freemont did so who am I to complain? Before long, that NO was long gone and I rejected my rejection. So, what's the point of all this? People always say NO. Sometimes they have good reasons, but sometimes they just can't be bothered. In this town, you get used to it, accept it, and learn to move on to the next person who just might say yes. And even if the next person says no, and the next, and the next, you have to keep saying YES. Say YES and believe it. It's contagious, especially when your audience is full of 7 year olds.

Where is everybody? Oh yeah, France.

For those of us left behind while most of the entertainment world heads off to Cannes, these few weeks in May are painfully slow. Not only is there no work to be had, but you get e-mails from friends telling you all about how much fun they're having drinking French wine, hobnobbing with stars, and streaking at the premiere of Indiana Jones (yup, that's a friend of mine). But, I'm proud to report that, this year, I have something at stake in Cannes. While I am sitting on my couch in Los Angeles, my script, Lancaster, is actually being pitched there. All right! But wait, why am I still on my couch? Here's the scoop. I have an actress attached to the script. She's talented, beautiful, perfect for the role, and very much committed to the project. All of which I am eternally grateful for. This actress decided to have one of her assistants join her in Cannes and bring lots of copies of my script. I have visions of them taking big meetings and talking all about the amazing project they are sitting on. They're going to come back and we're going to do a deal! On the other hand, they don't have Yellow Pages in France and maybe she needs to change a light bulb. Four or five of my scripts would probably give her just enough lift... Not to get off topic here but is everyone out there aware of how out of control the assistant phenomenon is here in Los Angeles? Don't get me wrong, someone like the actress I have attached certainly needs help to stay on top of her demanding schedule. But, trust me, not everyone who has an assistant really needs one. It's become a status thing. People here like to say, "I'll have my assistant call you and set something up" just before they get into their Hyundai. I think that there should be some ground rules for getting an assistant if you work in the entertainment field. Here are my criteria: 1) You should have an office and the hallway in your 1 bedroom apartment doesn't count. 2) The job description for the assistant should have more than "do my laundry" and "go find me a pint of Ben & Jerry's." Seriously, that's just lazy. 3) No assistants until you can pay for business lunches. This has happened to me! A friend gets off the phone with his assistant and then says, "Can you get this? I'm a little strapped." Then fire your assistant and pay for lunch! 4) No hiring an assistant for the sole purpose of doubling the number of friends you have. 5) No hiring of your boyfriend/girlfriend. That's cruel. 6) You must be willing to send your assistant to Cannes with my script. OK, that last one is a bit selfish. But, there's another week of Cannes left so let's all keep our fingers crossed for big news on Lancaster. Until then, I'll be the on the couch drinking wine from Trader Joe's and watching my naked friend get carted off by French police while Harrison Ford shakes his head. Someday, I'll get to streak in France... maybe I'll have my assistant do it for me.