and.....SCENE!

Well amigos y amigas, this is the last post of 2011.  I'm going to leave it on a positive note.

For those that are reading this and have never taken an acting class, the phrase "and...SCENE" is used to let the class know that the scene an actor or actors are working on is finished.  No mas! It gives the audience the ability to let them gather themselves after they have taken this short journey with them.  Trust me, it's really weird when actors don't give you that break.  They finish the scene. They've been crying, laughing, ready to murder each other, and then they turn to you and start talking to you or smiling without letting you know their scene is done.  No Bueno!

So, the "SCENE" of 2011 is finished. What a year it's been.  I started this blog, which was intended at making of fun of the poseurs, idiots, d-bags, and other fools who give actors a bad rap.  I realized that you can only go so far with that.  Some entries became more personal.  Some political, of which I am not an expert.  I didn't want to make this a "MY JOURNEY AS AN ACTOR", type of blog either.  That gets annoying. I'm not a career coach or "Business of the Business" expert to dish out advice on how to get an agent, meet directors, producers, network, or any of that savvy, rico suave, stuff.

I like to tell stories, and I like to laugh.  There are things people say that don't make sense, and I feel the need to point them out.  All of us, whether actors or not, have experienced similar things of which I have written about. Who doesn't like to make fun of people who think their POMPIS is all that?  It's these people that I rag on who don't have anything to back their shit up.  I'll do a special entry to the D-BAG List for this type of person.  I haven't figured out a title for them, but a conversation with him/her would go something like this:

D-BAG:  Hey man. Haven't seen you in a while.  What have you been working on?

Me: Oh. I've been finishing a script on a short film that my friend and I are going to produce, and..

D-BAG: I just finished a short film that's going to hit the festival circuit.

Me: Cool. Just did a casting workshop with a CD that I've booked with.  She...

D-BAG: I just did workshop for the CD of "Boardwalk Empire". It was great. I killed it.  My scene partner wasn't very good. 

Me: Great.  I'm planning to meet with some "name" people to help..

D-BAG: I just did a show and ______ was in the audience.  My company is going to try and get them to attend our next production.  My work really stood out to ______.

....SCENE.

This person asks me what I'm up to and then starts pissing on everything I have to say by making it into a competition.  I know someone like this.  Not to be petty, but this actor has one short film credit on their IMDB page.  No! I'm not going to create a link to this person's page.  I would have to add myself to the D-BAG list if I did that.  Tempting, but....NO.

So, where's the positivity?

Communicating to the masses, via El Comandante, has really helped me stay creative and committed to creating my own projects.  Whenever I'm in a funk or not feeling up to writing or working on a scene or monologue, I sit down and rant to you all.

It's like having a really good appetizer.  Because of this blog, I was able to stay motivated to achieve my goals (the main course): finishing the script for the short film I will be working on this spring, getting my reel up on Actors Access and YouTube, developing relationships with some "Name" industry professionals, laying the groundwork for a couple of sketch, comedy, webisodes, and producing a play.  Hijole! I guess sleep is not the plans for 2012.  Who cares?  The world's gonna end anyways, according to my ancestors.

On paper, 2011 sucked!  I didn't book a single, paying acting job.  Not one audition during pilot season or this episodic season.  Only a handful of commercial auditions came my way.  There was an indie film, in which I auditioned for the lead.  I wasn't right physically, unless I planned to gain 130 pounds.  I would have died in the process.  

It was a down year for me, but I'm not pointing fingers at my reps or the industry.  It just didn't happen.  However, I was able to lay the groundwork for what is to be a very prosperous 2012.  This is the year where I really graduate into the Big Leagues.  I'm really excited about the upcoming year.  Mainly I'm excited to share some good laughs with my readers and to continue to preach the mantra of "Revolution and Integrity" for all.

Before signing off, I want to give a shout out to a real gamer.  She is very talented actress, writer, director, who hired me to play a very fun character in her indie, comedy, feature "Black Hearts"- the one shining moment in my professional career of 2011.  Malani Coomes:  You are awesome, beautiful, and talented.  Thanks for thinking of me.  This film is going to rock!

Until next year....