HOLLYWOOD ACTOR PREP by Dana Kaminski

Matt LeBlanc, Out Of Work Actor For A Bit?

…Therefore, he has to audition for the casting director and producer. Uh, to play himself, Matt LeBlanc. And there are other actors in the waiting room who are also auditioning to play the actor, Matt LeBlanc.

It’s  a joke video, in case you haven’t caught on, as yet. LeBlanc’s new show is called Episodes, and the story is that he is hired because the casting people and producers couldn’t “do better”.

Everyone in this video is actually an actor. In the beginning, the ‘WME’ that you see, stands for The William Morris Agency.

Best

Dana

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List will be back up here this week. It appears this was fractured by my webhost, Hostgator. I am hoping they will get around to fixing it. (Yawn.)

You Think Katey Sagal Will Get Nominated For An Acting Emmy This Year?

I do.

Altogether, the acting ensemble cast does some great work.  I’ll write about them all, individually, soon.

Sons Of Anarchy Surprised Me By Being Such A Quality Show.

(You can watch full episodes from my Hollywood Actor Prep sidebar. Go to  the bottom right of this page that you are reading.—>)

With really great writing; besides the original characters and subject… And great stuff from actors, which I’ve mentioned.

I didn’t start watching this show until it’s second season. Steadily, it has become my favorite show on television.

Now, I’m sorry I missed the first season. Luckily, it’s on DVD. There’s also a wonderful catch-up on Hulu, which has summaries of Sons Of Anarchy, each and every episode. You can click a preference, on Hulu, to play the episode summaries one-after-another without interruption. I suggest that; it’s a serial, with the storyline continuing throughout the episodes. I don’t suggest coming in late in the game for one episode.   And it is you that will miss out.

Sons Of Anarchy, or SAMCRO, is a fabulous television series.  I see the TV critics have caught on too.

Katey Sagal Has Always Been Known For Her Character Acting

Remember Mrs Peg Bundy?

Like a fine wine, she has moved into this role as only an experienced actress could. As someone with her acting strength and abilities.

There’s another acting quality about Katey Sagal that is so very valuable.  She has what I call an “accessible, apparent soul”.  Everyone that watches her connects to her, as if they know her; it’s not just that the audience likes her.  More accurately, I think that they feel her soul. They see her soul, and connect to it.

Don’t you?  Even playing the broadest of  characters, as Peg Bundy was; the reason that she was so successful at it was because that character was rooted in a sense of realness because of Katey’s soul accessibility. There’s less of a distance between her and the audience, than the audience has with other actors.

Call me kookoo. I call it as I see it.

Katey Sagal gives off soul. Humanity.

Across the great divide of the medium, people in the audience connect to her, and easily…soul-to-soul.

Soul. Soul to Soul.   Soulful. An Accessible soul.

Okay. Enough ethereal stuff.

In this video,  she talks about how she approaches the acting, and works on this lead character, Gemma, in Sons Of Anarchy.

She also talks about the writer, Kurt Sutter.  I liked him already, because he wrote such a great female character.  It inspired a little more faith in the changing industry, and their conventionally archaic women’s roles, and stifling ageism.

What I heard, on second viewing of this, is that showrunner, Sutter (who is @sutterink on Twitter)

…Is also Katey Sagal’s husband.

Well, then, throw out my newfound hope for the industry. But, swelled is my heart about how beautiful that is.  Now, I am all inspired about romantic coupling, and great dynamics of artistic types.

Actually, don’t throw it out my newfound hope about The Industry, either: This show is a success. Which means copycatting.  It will change the business. Katey and her husband, they will.

She’s great in this show, and everybody knows knows it.  The ensemble of actors are great, too.

Great acting is powerful. Makes changes. Already has…

Always my best,

;~Dana

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Just After I Saw DeNiro In ‘Everybody’s Fine’; Outside The Theater, I Met Michael Cera

He was standing very close by, when I looked up from digging through my bag with cameras etc, to find my Film Fest Schedule. Figure out what’s next. Felt a little ready to not watch another film. Was ready for some human conversation, after days of watching film-after-film.

Surprisingly, the  10 PM showing was ‘Youth In Revolt’, the new Michael Cera movie; the one you’ve probably heard about because Michael Cera plays two different characters in it.  When I picked my head up I saw him, unexpectedly, standing right nearby.

Our conversation isn’t on tape, but basically it was a reviving breath of fresh air. Ahh. The decency of mankind…most of it.  And, of course, the decency of artists. I have always found that artistic people, truly artistic ones, are usually very down-to-earth and treat other people decently. I told him about Hollywood Actor Prep, and what it’s all about.  He seemed to be open to it, and promised to look it up. I gave him my card.

Just following that, was when this gathering happened. The publicist had scheduled the cast of actors, and ‘above-the-line’ people, outside for a photo shoot. When all were present, she briefed them, about how the live introduction would go, after they all got into the theater. ‘Youth In Revolt‘ was about to be screened.

Each Movie Has A Publicist, So Has ‘Youth In Revolt’

So what you hear and see is the little bit of publicity that occurred before that screening.  You can also see Michael Cera looking over at my camera. Was he wondering why the heck I was not inside already to watch his work? Especially because I had told him all about this website, and interest in actors and acting, all high-level blah-blah?  If I was so into acting then why was I standing outside taking pictures? Sheesh, I hope he doesn’t think that I am paparazzi.

(Yes, I do know that he probably wasn’t thinking any of that. )…(Maybe.)

I just hope that when he rifles through his pockets and finds the card for Hollywood Actor Prep,  he remembers to look it up online. I hope he wants to do an interview, or be involved in some way. Which is what I told him.

He didn’t realize, most likely, that I had learned that it was easier to get in the films at this festival if you weren’t press. If you were press, you had to let them reject allowing you in, first, then realize that they didn’t have enough public that showed up,  to fill the free seats, at which point they begged you to come in and sit in an even better seat, down front, than they would have given even if allowed to attend. I had, luckily,  been given prior access to the DeNiro screening. But, because I hadn’t seen this movie on the schedule I was given, way before the Fest began, when press got to request, I didn’t have prior approval of access.

To try to gain access that hadn’t granted prior, well, watch out. I met more Gatekeeper-Magna-‘Tude, of the highest during those few days, than I had in years. And, Gatekeeper-’Tude is the worst kind.

Still, Michael Cera Playing Two Different Characters?  Zing! Go My Chimes…

Even though I was already burnt out, I would’ve been happily in between the rows of 6 to 16, center, if I knew it was going to be this particular movie. I would have loved to watch this new Michael Cera film. This new acting dual-character-play is right up my alley. Extremely jazzed am I, about seeing it.  Heavy props to Michael Cera, as well; for tackling such a wonderfully fun, yet difficult acting challenge. (The best kind, hm?)

So.

I’m sorry, Michael Cera, if you do get to see my blog and it happens to be today. I apologize for not going in and watching your hard work, your lovely work, on the screen; after this PR bit occurred outside. I will see it, you can bet. And I will talk about your acting, and your playing “Francois” (the break-a-way, alter-ego) then.   Count on it. Actor-to-actor.

And as an actor, you probably will understand this next part very well: there is only so much Hollywood ‘tude that I can take. I have a line. At the time we met,  I had been at this Fest for a few days, and, I was already over that line.

Graumann’s Chinese Theater…Movie Photo Shoot…

Anyway, for all the actors, and others, who have not been around anything like the publicist’s prep, I thought you may find this video interesting. A slice of life. Movie-actor-life.

It’s also at a location that most identifies Hollywood. Hell, the best thing about this particular festival was that it was at Graumann’s Chinese Theater, right smack in Hollywood. Isn’t that the most famous movie theater in the world? Watch for those footprints in the cement, which I filmed a little at the end of the tape.  The cement where we are all standing on. Adjacent to the cement where all those costumed characters walk…You can also hear some foreign languages on the video. Even at night, tourists are there to see the theater.  They weren’t aware of the film fest, or even Michael Cera. (Nor the actress standing next to him, Portia Doubleday. She’s his love-interest in ‘Youth In Revolt‘.)

It’s also where the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ is. That’s where I took a photo of Michael Jackson’s star for y’all.

This woman is dressed as a Disney character, Belle. Please give her a tip, if you see her. I didn’t, and I still have  guilt.

There was another actor in the video, did you recognize M.Emmett Walsh? He plays the female lead’s father, and has acted in many other films, and television shows. You can hear the publicist telling him to go inside and sit in “row 14″.  She was basically telling him that he wasn’t going to stand at the podium for the introduction. That he should go inside, and take a seat, before she took the others inside to make an appearance.

And, upon second view, I now think that Michael Cera was looking over at my camera, just to be kind. Participating.

Thanks, Michael.

And thanks for being an actor, and so very open and responsive, about this actor website.

Best,
:~Dana

The only fee for this post is to share it with at least one other person. Thank you for helping to connect all actors, and supporting…

Voiceover In Vintage Popeye, Curses When Speed Is Slowed

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Tony Danza Impulsively Reacts While Promoting A Movie

This one makes me cringe, because I, also, can be guilty of too easily sharing my opinion or frustration.

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Actors, Draw Your Own Conclusions

I know that the word “professionalism”, colloquially, means:
“Hold  Your Tongue”.

Look at how old the Popeye video is.

If the aliens that come and  look  at our  artifacts,  long after human civilization is gone, they’ll be watching that “Popeye”.  Listening to that “G**D@@**8″.

Best,

;~Dana

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If there is only one of my posts you consult for information on the SAG Contract, consult this one.

 

Actor Facts About Acting, Not Celebs…

…Are in these video clips.

…Okay, except Ed Harris, maybe…

I find that the new influx of “Vote Yes” videos, have some recognizable names and faces.  Yet, they don’t get down and dirty with the facts. Or how it will impact and affect real life.

The real life. That is, of actors. 

I know some SAG members will vote because famous people ask them too. I wonder if these famous people are appearing in those videos because someone else asked them to.

I’m not sure that they have looked carefully and clearly over the facts.  They don’t give an indication that they have, in the videos.  

I hear them state outside reasons they say to vote yes: The Economy, the Industry…The Future!

I hear them give reasons that may or may not even be possible: “Give up all these [essential] things so that in 2 years all the unions can get together, as one force.”  I wish that will happen, but I don’t have a crystal ball, and it’s not a hope that I can count on. Remember how AFTRA just went behind SAG’s back and made a secret agreement?  Not one union came out to any of the SAG picketing these past few months. I’m part Pollyanna, but also part-pragmatist.  And all the unions have separately different needs.  Don’t you think the AMPTP is going to give some to some unions and break any solidarity, if there ever really is one.

Heck, actors in the same union aren’t standing together for their needs. Is that really going to happen when groups have all needs that differ?

I don’t think that hope is a good enough reason to give up stuff that we are counting on all the unions together to help us reclaim. Or, the new things we will try to make a case for, after we work for two years without? Nah.

 

These actors explain why they are voting no… On this current stinkin’-bad SAG Actor Contract

In very real terms.  Two actors who were on”Leave It To Beaver” (!) share a tale that blew my socks off…of the ‘hardball’ that is always played. The greed. It really drove it home, for me, why this SAG contract needs to be taken seriously now; and not put off, and certainly without allowing rollbacks. (Nothing’s changed, hm.)

It makes all the legal mumbo-jumbo easy to understand, in regular-guy-terms.

Regular actor terms…Because that is who this contract affects: The actors on the credits, and those who will be the credits, soon.  Then, you can see for your self why the fine print, the unknown, the holes in the SAG Theatrical TV Contract, really spells out danger, loud and clear.  

These vids are also entertaining…Did I mention that?

Please watch them all; because, together, they handle a thorough range of all the problems.  With proof. 

 

Okay…Who is on the marquee at Hollywood Actor Prep today?

1. Ed Harris, Actor Director Producer
2. Two Actors From Leave It To Beaver, Older Way-yy-yy Wiser
3. Actor Not SAG, yet, Funny Steve Gelder
4. Actor John Cygan ”The Elephant In The Room” Part 2 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Nj-txvwIo[/youtube]

 ”Never Forget It”

Sliding in another video, number 5…

With Respect For The Art Of Acting,

:~Dana

 

Please send this to everyone you can.  Actors, and non-actors. It’s not in the press.

Use the “share-save button” below. It takes a second. Thank you.

Professional actors  make up the membership of the Screen Actors Guild.  They are, in majority, behind the union and it’s position, which is; don’t give in to the studios and producers; don’t simply accept what they offer.  They aren’t willing to pay what we think is important; they aren’t willing to put the additions,  and changes, into the new contracts**…the changes that would provide appropriate type of payment for actors.

 

I am enclosing a video from the SAG site where Alan Rosenberg explains what is going on.  It’s from July, but it is remains relevant, and informative.  

Here’s the situation,”straight from the president’s mouth” … that concerns professional actors; that is, those with real acting careers…  

 

Alan Rosenberg’s Video Message To Members of SAG 

 

**In case you didn’t know! ”Contracts”  define how you earn money for acting–it is all about getting paid; and sufficiently paid… )     

 

Special note:

Please get paid for your acting work.  A revolutionary concept, I know; but still…we do live in an age where you can love what you do for work.

RIght?