A Return to OZ

Let me tell you, being away from LA for a week feels like a year - and the place is so much like OZ where nothing is as it seems as any given moment of the day. Traffic, people, the air I breath... very strange - such a fun place and a nightmare all at the same time!

Anyhow - so I am back in LA now, went to work yesterday for the 1st time in what seems like forever. It was slow, but fun and so it was nice to get back into the swing of things. This weekend, Bree and I went with our buddy Steve to meet with one of his friends to edit a rough version of Bree's reel. Since she had a wonderful meeting with a high powered agent, who's name I can never remember, he wanted to see her reel, which was not done, but now in a day or so it will be! Cool for that one!

And today Bree got a call that she made it past the first round of casting for some FX sketch comedy show like Mad TV or something and they wanted to see some tape of her being funny! Well, she doesn't really have any of that either and so we went (Bree, Steve, Nick and Myself) to our little theatre here in NoHo and shot about an holur worth of footage that I have been cutting together for her. Right now, I am loading it into my external hardrive so I can burn it off Nick's laptop - something tells me if I had Frank I wouldn't have to be trasfer'n stuff back and forth, but I digress =P

So while that is working, I thought I would give a little update. Work, audition, and this DVD are all I have really been up to the past few days - that and working on some pages (you know they are comin big man!) It would be nice if I didn't have to work today, I could sleep off not having slept at all yet... but hell - this is the only way to live! =)

Cannot wait to come home for the Scott and Kel show -and boys, you will be getting an email about our pre-party later today (Tuesday night) - I just need to finish up a few things with it before I send out the word on what is going down.

Till the train comes in!
J.

Portland: The Final Chapter

So this is the last time I am going to write while I am in Portland. I just wrapped the two day shoot I had up here - we danced and sang (or rather lip sync'd) and had confetti dropped on us for the last 8 hours... which was not fun at first (the dancing, because I couldn't get it down at first) but the more that we did it - the more fun that it became! I just had blast filming this thing. =)

So, I turned in all of my goods, signed my contracts, got back my clothes (my black pants and shoes) and got a nice little gift from the owners of the Casino - they gave everyone that worked on the project a really nice travel bag - it's black and has the Spirit Mountain Casion logo on it - very nice stuff.

Overall the shoot has been a blast - I got to meet some really cool people who I hope to work with again soon. Geoff (dir) was a really cool guy, very creative and full of funny ideas, Adele (Portland Producer) was just a blast to talk to and Marvin (2nd AD... I think) was one of the nicest guys I have met on a set in a long time! As a cool sidenote, Marvin just finished up working on Spider-man 3 and said that movie just rocked when he was on it! Way to go Marvin! =)

So, that is all from Portland - I am going to try and get some kind of sleep - we are leaving the hotel around 1:30 - maybe I can get an earlier flight home... though I make no promises if you are reading this before I get back sweetie, but I will try ;) I love and miss my baby - that has been the kinda crappy thing - though I met some really nice folks, when I wasn't on-set, which was alot of the time, I was mostly alone (I seemed to eat almost every meal with David!?) and so this trip has been very... well, lonely. But I get to go home later today - so that is nice. And then it is back to work for a week and off to Chicago again!

Talk to you again from LA
J.

Portland: Day Three

So this morning I had my calltime of 4 am - when in and got dressed, hung out on the set till 5 am. Around 5:30 I got to stand-in for myself while we set lights and then we waited... till the sun came up. Around 6am we began shooting - it was cool. They had a playback of the music track that I recorded in LA and they would play it while I opened the car door and I would lip sync like it was a music video or something like that. (I play a singing Valet in this spot, just to catch everyone up to date on this)

They had four set-ups, which we blasted through at a pase that would make even Michael happy - and we wrapped at 7:30 - so 4 set-ups, a dozen or more takes of each one, 1 and 1/2 hours - hard working guys and gals here - and they had been going strong since 8pm last night.

It was a fun little bit of work - my main part of the shoot is going to be tonight - since it is a musical commercial, we have a "Drew Carry/Strangers with Candy" type dance number ending to the spot - it starts off with the Hero Husband and Wife dancing because of the fun and winnings - then the rest of us bust into the dance and then a confetti and balloon drop. (Sounds a bit like the Cost-U-Less spot I did this time last year! =P) So that should be fun, and Geoff (dir) said that they dance captain of the Portland Trailblazers is going to be doing the dance stuff, so that should be alot of fun.

So after I wrapped last night, I headed back to the room around 8am (after getting out of costume and signing out and all of that fun stuff) and hit the sack - slept until about 1 this afternoon. Then it was lunch, a bit of light reading (my Mike Leigh book, that I am finally getting to go through) and then a bit more TV - I don't know why I am watching so much TV... maybe because I want to stay away from the Casino and there really isn't anything else to do here - and everytime I am in my room, I cannot help but turn it on... I have been watching a ton of Law and Order (which I know Bree would love!) and very little cartoons... which is odd for me...

Anywho... I am heading to dinner now, and then I have to get a shower and such before my calltime tonight, which is at 9 pm. After the shoot tonight, we are checking out - taking the two hour drive back to Portland and heading to the airport and then home to LA and my baby!

Till next time,
J.

Portland: Day Two add-on

So boredom has begun to set in as I await going to the set tonight... tomorrow morning... whatever.

Bree had an audition today for a music video (which I also got called in on, but had to pass because I am in the great white north, almost) and she had a meeting with a very important agent (and I am really sorry sweetie, I cannot remember his name!) BUT he is with an A-level agency, and this guys reps Hulk Hogan! (among many others) So that is truely a cool thing - and a step in the right direction, I would think - and if that was not enough, this guy was really into Bree, wants to see some of her work and would love to talk to her more as they begin looking at new talent! AND (yes, there is more) Bree found out today that Trailer Court Justice, which she worked on a few months ago, got picked up! Now we don't know what, if anything, this means for Bree - but look at all of that great stuff happening in one day for her! Super Congrats go out to my baby - I am so proud of you sweetie!

As for me, I headed to dinner... watched the end of "The Fast and The Furious" with one of my favs - Vin Desiel! And now I am back on the computer, trying to make the best of the time I have before I have to go to the set and work for two hours =P

Film work, commercials and TV is such an odd thing, I love it to death and would not want to be doing anything else to make money, but sh*t it is strange sometimes...

Well, I am going to surf around some more and maybe get a nap in before I go and shoot... or maybe just stay up and write a little and read a little (I brought a bunch of good books with me)

Later!
J.

Portland: Day Two

So... last night, after blog'n I watched some TV - a little Law and Order, like Adult Swim and talked to my babygirl on the phone for about a half an hour - then went to bed...



I slept late this morning, since there wasn't any real reason for me to get up earily. Headed to lunch... hung out with David and got to hear about how he got into acting, the way he spent his 20's living on the road with just a suitcase and he love of acting and then I headed back to my room. A run, a shower and some writing and now I am back to blog about nothing. See how good I am at keeping this up when there is really nothing going on - and when I have something to really write about, I won't write for WEEKS! odd... how that works.

Anyway... my calltime is 4am tonight, or tomorrow morning, how ever you want to look at it - so until then, I think I am going to head of to grab some dinner and watch some more TV and write (Scott, I am getting some real work done on Document - I cannot even believe it myself! =P)

So, till later taters!

J.

Portland: Day One

Yesterday: So, last night, Mr. and Mrs. LeVan came down from Vegas and hung out with Bree and I. We took the new bride and groom to Hollywood and Higland, where they were having the World Premiere Screening of Nacho Libre (which we did go to... because, you know, we weren't invited or anything like that.) Showed them around a little bit, got to see the Walk of Fame, Sunset, Rodeo Drive and the like. We then headed back to our place where we played Halo 2 on my wonderful toy, the Xbox 360, till all hours of the night. In the morning, they headed back to Vegas as Nick dropped me off at Burbank Airport so I could head out to Portland... or more like Grand Ronde, OR... which is about 2 hours south of Portland. (And No - I don't look like this again - I just thought that it was fitting - since I am in the Great White North!)



Today: So this morning, I awoke to the kisses of my loved one, Bree (tho, Jabez did wake me up by licking my hand in the middle of the night!) and got to have breakfast with Paul and Keri before they headed back to Vegas. So Bree headed off to work, Nick and I took The LeVan's to the NoHo dinner. Afterward, Nick dropped me off at the Burbank Airport - which I forgot that I didn't need to get there as early as I had, since I got into the terminal in 0.005 seconds and then ended up waiting around for over an hour and a half before I could board.

So I sat reading my email... and who sliped me an unknown note, but the love of my life! I just about cried in the middle of the airport... 2 hours I have been away from her and my heart is missing her so much. I am so glad that I can fill her as full of pride as she fills me, and I am going to do a kick ass job here just to make her even more proud! I'm here to do great work, and it is wonderful that she and I can have these great adventures as a team - even though sometimes we are apart, but always we are a team - I love you sweetie and I miss you! Thank you SO much! GCC W/ PF!

So... The plane was cool - very small - no First Class... I sat all the way up in the front, with a guy who was going to visit some friends in OR. We talked for a little bit about this and that and then I went into reading. I had brought two scripts with me - Civilization, which is the really cool play about the last man on Earth trapped on an island full of women that don't really like him (but they come to love him over time... kinda) and Bathroom Tales, which is a short film a buddy of mine from the theatre company wrote and wants me to act it. The part he wants me to play lets me kick the crap out of some guy, which seems cool enough, so it was a fun read for the second time around. Other than that, I listened to the iPod and drifted in and out of thought... wrote some notes for Document - which is what I think I am going to use this trip for - I brought a notebook to begin the reworking in, and I should have some good stuff by the time I get home.

We landed in Portland, and I found myself waiting with the other cast members. David (Hero Husband) who is a very funny guy (also rep'd by RPM I found out!) - he has been doing theatre for the last 15 years and is just now getting back into the film and commercial side of things. Kimberly (Hero Wife) who is from New York - she moved here two years ago with her husband, and she brought her 15 month old son here to OR with her. Shannon (Waitress) who just got married in Oct. of 2005 and is stoked to working on a commercial - she told me about how she dyed her hair red back in November and hasn't worked since - last month she dyed her hair back blond and now gets 5-7 auditions a week! Strange!? And then there is Anzu (Dealer) - who is a singer from LA, she has a band, was on TV a bunch (King of Queens) and has sung with Hans Zimmer. So they are the cast, the crew, those that I have a met are cool, and Geoff, the director, is a blast, so I am looking forward to working with him!



After we got picked up, it was 2 hour trek south to the Casino, which is out in the middle of no-where! =) It is 35 minutes to the nearest town from here, which is kind odd to me. And this place, they really want you to hit the casino - no pool, no gym, just rooms and casino! It is hardcore on the gambling (which I will be doing NONE of! I don't make enough to blow it all, you know...)



So I am here, I grabed a bite to eat and unpacked. We don't start filming until tomorrow night, so I think I am going to watch some TV and surf the net some more... I forgot my phone charger, which sucks balls =( so I am having on shipped to me, don't want to run out of gas on that bad boy! So until tomorrow, I guess =P

Best Fishes!
J.

A return to the land of plenty

So Bree and I left for the weekend - for a little break and also for another wedding (yes that is 2 of 3 for the summer) We headed up to Lake Tahoe for the weekend and let me tell you - if God touched some part of this great land of ours - Tahoe was it! This was the most beautiful place that I have ever seen in my life.

We went for Bree's best buddy from college's wedding - Amy. She is super cool and her new husband is the MOST laidback guy I have ever met in my whole life - and I thought I was laided back - Phil is almost too much, but he is a blast! We drove all night to get there, came in around 7:30 am on Friday. Hit the breakfast and I thought we were going to be hitting the bed and take a nap - that was until I ran into Phil in lobby of the hotel. "Hey man, we are goin Quad'n - wanna come?" After me saying no a dozen times, and Bree giving me the "but you will have fun - go..." I broke down and went - and let me tell you that it was the most fun that I have had in my whole life! We were out rip'n it up in the desert on ATV's for 3 hours or more - kick'n up dirt and burn' up under the sun!

That night was the rehearsal and the wedding was the next day - dancing, drinking, more eating and overall some of the most fun that I have ever had - I dare say ever. I told Bree that the ATV experience started a chain-reaction within myself, and it kept going the whole weekend long. I realized that I have been living my life with a lot of talking lately and not a lot of action. I have come to realize that I have been missing out on my life, now I don't have one or two things, but I have a feeling like there are things that I am missing and I am going to bring them back into the fold of my life... the outdoors, adventure, and living to the 100 percent mark every day! It was a great trip, and while Bree just hoped that I would have fun, I feel like I am changed for the better - from the inside out.

And I realized in a fuller way, just how much Bree brings the best in me out. Since we have been together I have gotten to do some of the greatest things of my life - we have had more fun, more adventures than anyone I know and they just keep on coming! I love it and every moment of my life with her - she just makes being so much more fun than it would ever be on its own!

J.

The Neverending Battle!

So today starts a great string of events, jobs and tons of travelling!

Tonight Bree and I are leaving for a weekend of adventure in Nevada at the Lake Tahoe Resort of Cal-Neva - right on the California/Nevada border 9for thos who didn't get the name of the place) This Resort was once owned by old blues eyes, Frank Sinatra himself and we are headed there for a wedding adventure (our second of the summer - this one Bree is standing up in)

We return to LA sunday and on Tuesday I am flying to Portland to film the Spirit Mnt. Casino Commercial I auditioned for a few weeks back - get to head up there and work till Thursday and fly home on Friday - I might even be missing the show because of the flight home!? Then Saturday we close "The LA Weekly Loves Us"

A week and a half later - Bree and I are flying home for the granddaddy wedding of them all this summer - Scott and Kel's, which Bree, Nick and myself are all in!

After returning to LA right before the 4th of July, things are going to slow back down a bit. In the meantime, Bree, myself and our friend Steve are working on some shows we would like to get moving on, developing some other projects, I have a short film I signed on to act in, and I am finally dusting off Document (I knew you would not forget what I said - and that sir, is why I said it - work under pressure, just the way I like it!) So there is some really good stuff going on.

Chirs, my good friend, is out of work by means I know not, so keep him and his family in your prayers. Paul and Kerri, I hope that your Honeymoon is going great! And to all other, I love ya and miss ya!

Till next time!
J.