Friday. Fanfare. Ta ta da daaaaaa.
Today I will find a McJob to keep me in the acting game. Off to a couple of local hotels to charm them into employing me. 1st off, the four seasons in BevHills. Hum... just an application to fill out, can't meet the HR mgr straight away. Damn! How can I charm the pants off someone if I don't meet them. Maybe another day soon. Fill out the app, I'll get called in a week (or not). 2nd hotel, very local. Things look much more hopeful here. Front desk get me the HR chap who gives me a quick grilling but who seems bewildered by my Britishness and he gets me the application form telling me that he'll check out the GenMgr's availability (sounds positive to me). I fill out the app and I'm ushered into the GenMgr's office. Really nice chap and we chat about why I want to work there, what I've been upto with my work career thus far before moving onto a general negotiation of what I'm after and what they can offer. Good meeting and he lets me know that he'll be in touch very soon when he's had a muse. $12 an hour with a few benefits which isn't tons of money but it does keep me in the 'game', letting me carry on doing what I came here to do. You have to do whatever it takes to keep you in the game, people!
Home again feeling like I actually have a real chance of staying focused on my goal. Holy moley, I have a message from my agent with audition no.4 (in two months)!! My god! Hang on... turns out that it's for the CD I'm really friendly with (who booked the CC job) which means that my agent prob didn't even submit me. I bet the CD is bringing me in herself which means the agent gets the credit. What a game this is, eh!
Met the new next door neighbour who's renting it for her son (at $5K a month - holy shit).
Watched 'Elizabethtown' which wasn't the best film I've ever seen but it wasn't bad. Good perfs.
Looked up at the H Hills whilst walking the dog and they seemed a little closer...

Thursday. Spoon river class. 2nd instalment of childhood memories. Very emotional 2 hours again. Incredible. I was so moved. Headed off to the office to commune which I did for about 45 mins before picking up munchkin. Back home and headed off to an audition, the third in 2 months from my incredible new agent(!). Hussle hussle (yeah, right). Anyway, go there and it was almost a cattle call. It was definitely a zoo. Long line, print audition for MS. It was quick though. In, out, wham bang. Back home and littl'un's playmate is over for fun and games. Ahhh.
Worked on gb.com. Toying with a something a little special for future films... hum... now there's an idea...

Wednesday. Woke up feeling BAD! Aches and sniffles. But, it's class day and I have to go. Took some DayQ (translation: Day Nurse). Worked with the new guy, P (who's a little bit, erm, quiet). He came to my door. It seems we caught what everyone else was doing in class - compounding moments, talking, making up dialogue or maybe S was being extra picky. Who knows.
Asked S about the film commttee meeting and how my film did (hint hint). He said that it was between a 'definite maybe' and a 'yes' which means that unless they see a ton of incredibly impressive projects over the next couple of weekends, my little short may make it in! He did say, however, that he was going to be away when they view the remaining projects so he wouldn't have any idea what was going to make it in. We shall wait and see. Watched a docu on Clint Eastwood, the Director. Superb. He's been directing for decades, starting with Play Misty for me! Did you know that? Interestingly enough, the docu was filmed in 2000 before Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby and he was rounding off the interview with his thoughts on probably doing a movie or two more before he gives it up. He had no idea what amazing surprises were in store for him! I suppose there was no way he could know, eh? Funny, innit.
Called F & D to see if he had any contacts out here still. He said probably not but he'd rack his brains and let me know. Anything would help!
Shock horror, had a call from my agent! Yes, I know, I couldn't believe it either. Print job for the new OS from MS, you know the one. It's in Venice, arrrrgh!
So, class in NoHo, audition in Venice and back to NoHo for 1pm. Never gonna happen but I have to try!!
More fun and games with litt'un, moaning at the table at dinner, in the bath but he was looking forward to going to bed and he passed out after a few sentences of his story. Ahhhh.
Skipped rehearsal as I would prob give the lurgie to everyone there which I'm sure would be amazingly popular. NightQ and Bed early.

Tooooosday.
Awoke feeling like poop, thank the looord (Looord?) for NyQuil (translation.. Night Nurse - sounds much more fun, dunnit)? Basically, knock you out and work on your coldy symptons while you slumber. Yeah, well, it sort of works. Still woke up a coupla' times to see my missus climbing outta bed to see to the noise/scream machine known as our toddler. Yep, pretty much every night now, he's 'up and about' just to piss us off! Hey ho...
Well, slept in LATE today. Couldn't get out of bed as I was feeling very off colour. But, HEY, today's the meeting with the HUGE manager from the HUGE management company. So, have to get myself together. Cut a long story short. Off to the meeting.
While I'm sitting in reception, a very famous person walks up to the reception desk with her agent (I'm guessing the lady with her furiously punching her Blackberry was her agent) and glances over to me. I glance back with a smile. No response. Ah well, didn't really expect one. I wait and wait and after 15 minutes I'm ushered in.
Basically, I'm in on a wing and a prayer so when he said that we can't rep you without credits, I wasn't surprised. He did let me 'pitch' him. He listened and told me it was a great pitch! But, still couldn't help.
We did, however, chat for 35 minutes and, to cut a long story short, he really did like me. We spoke about people and relationships and longevity in the business and we really did click. He is going to checkout some other agents and managers for me and give me some intros/referrals. This, people, is a very big result. He also took a copy of the short I made (with the proviso that it was only for him to watch) and told me to check in with him next week. We also chatted about the CC project which really interested him but the fact we can't see the footage ('coz it's still ultra secret) is a stumbling block. He said that we'd be golden once the thing is public as it will sell me very nicely.
So, actions points...
Follow up next week and chat to BB from UTV to arrange a viewing (the mgr said he'd make a lunch trip and go to SM next month along with a producer friend once the project he's working on is done).
Add to that, he's prob going to help me out when I have a few credits to my name and he can actually sell me to his industry contacts!
Home again and M & littl'un had put some 'welcome home, good job daddy' posters in the window. Ahhh, sweet.
Played in the garden and the rest of the day was the usual, try and get the child to eat his dinner, yell yell, try and get him to stay in the bath, yell yell, try and get him to go to sleep, yell yell....

Monday, Class. First read with B of Hard Stuff. Amazing. Really really real and connected. Lost it, completely! Superb. Just what we want!!
Chatted to T afterwards and asked his advice for my mgr meeting tomorrow. He was really helpful and gave me some pointers.
Went to rehearsal for S&D. I'm now in a couple more songs. Oh great! I sincerely hope I'm getting paid for this gig as it's going to be a lot of work innot a lot of time... I'm beginning to think that it isn't worth it if it's only going to be brownie points for the upcoming G Villa show...

Sunday was fun... I'll write about it sometime...