Thursday, August 27, 2009

August 27, 2009

This has been a great week so far. Had a fun audition for a Kodak web commercial and really nailed a scene at at an invite-only casting director seminar with Erica Jensen of Calleri Casting. Saturday, I have a indie short film audition. Keep 'em coming!!

Friday, August 14, 2009

August 14, 2009

So I shot a national infomercial with Joan Rivers on Wednesday, August 12th. What a great experience!! And hopefully I will have goodly airtime in the final program.

Just watching Joan at work was a lesson in professionalism and how to be a star, not a diva. This woman is a workhorse and will do take after take after take to get it just right. She improvises the majority of her dialog with ease and knows exactly what she wants. She also knows when she hasn't nailed a take and will say so. Though she stayed in her dressing room the majority of the time she wasn't filming, she didn't play spoiled diva. She would talk to people as she went to set, was affectionate and kind. And she was funny as hell! It was obvious that the crew enjoyed working with her.

Speaking of the crew, what an incredible professional crew this was. This was a four-camera set and there were a lot of people, but it really ran smoothly and quickly. Sure, there were a few moments of craziness once in a while, but I've been on sets before that had only a small crew and were completely disorganized. This was a pleasure.

I'm looking forward to seeing the final product and looking forward to getting some solid commercial tape. Yippee!!

Life is good!!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

12 of 12 for August 2009

It's time for Chad Darnell's 12 of 12 photo blog! Take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month and share with people from all around the world. If you want to get in on the action next month, check out Chad's website for all the juicy details.

This was a fun 12. I was a "model" for a Joan Rivers infomercial for a cosmetic hair product to aid fine and thinning hair called "Great Hair Day". This infomercial will be shown nationally, so keep an eye out - I think it'll be on the air by mid-September in all major markets and outlets. Great product!! I have had fine hair with a large partline most of my life and this is a powder product that completely gets rid of the shine and whiteness of the scalp. Anyway, I'll stop the promoting.....been doing it all day!!!

Oh.....in case you're wondering, no photos of Joan. She is an incredibly gracious and kind woman in person. I really enjoyed meeting her. And funny as hell, too! She is also inspiring....she's doing stand-up every night, shooting a series of infomercials during the day, and she was also on Larry King Live the other night. Unstoppable.


Here's my sorry ass at 6 am, ready to head out to NJ. I got about 4 hours of broken sleep. I just can't make myself go to bed earlier than usual, though I took last night off to do just that since I had a 7:30 am call in NJ. Wha wha whaaaaaaa!


Here are three lovely ladies - my fellow models Debbie (l) and Judy (r) and our wardrobe mistress. I'm horrible with names and am embarassed to say I don't remember hers. We provided our own wardrobe choices and she coordinated them. It was actually really comfortable to be in my own clothing and shoes.


This is the set. There were four models and four testimonial women. These are two models, Melissa (l) and Debbie again (r) getting ready for their first segment with Joan and our host, Terri Oullette, another very charming and geniune woman.


Judy in the makeup chair with Roberto. Roberto did my makeup and I seriously looked fab. I was impressed!!!


Judy getting some hair touchups by Karen, our hair stylist, before taking her "after" still photo.


The lovely "testimonialite" Terryl, who I can't believe has a 27 year-old son. Whaaaaa?????


Debbie getting all curly at Karen's expert hands.


Our makeup and hair crew - (l-r) Terri, Karen, Roberto and Robin.


Debbie and moi.


The original of this photo came out badly, so I "embossed" it playing around on my photo program. I think it looks really cool!!! The Four Models - me, Judy, Debbie and Melissa.


I finished up around 6:30 pm (looooooong day) and am here outside the studio waiting for the bus to NYC. Bye!


Another fun photo embellishment - this one is called "colored pencil" - me finally home with my Princess. We're both happy!!!!

Thanks for tuning in to another month of 12. Hopefully this month, I'll have the chance to visit other blogger's photos!!!

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

August 5, 2009

Quite the break in blogging. Sometimes life just interferes!!

Just had an audition for an infomercial with Joan Rivers. The audition wasn't with Joan, of course, and it really was more of a go-see than an audition. Cool product.

Auditions have been slow. Not sure if it is just the market or that my type isn't in demand at the moment. Everything cycles, so it can be frustrating at times. I am bummed that yet another NYC soap is adios - All My Children is moving to LA.

It's one of those knuckle-under times. Focus on what I can control - my health, my acting skills, my finances - and not get sucked up by negativity. A key thing is to not allow others who are in the negativity mode poison my energy.

August is a month to focus on getting my reel redone, getting that footage up on Actors Access and my website and improving my subtle on camera work. Allowing my inner self to shine through to the camera.

And I keep on truckin'!!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

July 12 of 12 2009

It's 12 of 12 day! If you think that taking 12 photos on the 12th day of every month and posting them to share with great people from all around the world sounds like fun, check out the brainchild of Chad Darnell and get to it!

I just got back from a trip to Los Angeles at around 12:15 am when this day began.


"Hey, I think I remember you," mews the lovely Princess Leia.


Ah.....happy kitty!! And happy cat mama!



Beautiful day today! 81 degrees, no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. Considering that there was a wicked thunderstorm going on when I landed last night, this is a sight!!



Central Park was packed with bicyclists, runners, walkers, humans in general. It has been a miserable summer so far with rain and cool weather for what seems like forever.



Trip to the grocery store to get some fresh food.


Me and my stuffed tiger from LA. He actually roars. I got many a stare and lots of stupid comments at the various airports and planes yesterday.


Um.....I think I need to dust.


But I'm too jet-lagged and tired. A nap is more like it!



With a little meditation thrown in.


I didn't realize until I was trying to fit a new Hollywood Star magnet on my fridge just how much crap is already on there....


Loading a little Prince onto my iTunes library.


Ready to load up the camera. Boring dull day, but I needed some down time. Back to the grind tomorrow!
Until next month!

Friday, June 12, 2009

June 12 of 12, 2009

I'm done with my 12 early this month. It's only 7 pm. But I couldn't bear anymore work pictures. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

If you're interested in following or participating in the 12 of 12, check out the man behind the magic, Mr. Chad Darnell's website for the "rules" and how to post along with the rest of us.

Here we go:

It's 1:30 am and I have a ferocious, rabid furbag attacking my hand under the covers. Her day is not complete without at least one major round of "Cover Monster".


Princess Leia NEVER gives up, never gives in to the Dark Side. Nice slobber on my new sheets.


SUN!!! BLUE SKY!!! MIRACLE!!!


The Princess is into literature. Especially when it's been on Oprah's book list.


My daily school tasks. With the inevitable Coke.



Good grief is my face red! I look like my head was trapped inside a bbq. But not looking too shabby. I am so happy to be back working out, red face and all. I finally dropped the nasty 8 that had been hanging on, now it's time to get back into fighting shape.


Waiting on the friggin' subway platform FOREVER. I was watching a part of the track smoke like it was on fire. Who the hell do you report these things to? It's not like I was near the booth. Anyway, yes, I was late to work. I know it's tourist season when the trains are really slow and packed at 4:30 pm on a Friday.


David, contemplating the unique capabilities of a gum eraser.


Drew, my 4 year-old nephew sent me artwork to decorate my cube. This is a princess. I'm not sure if he got that from a story or from my cat's name. But it's an awesome drawing for a kid who just turned 4.


Frak me! Facebook and MySpace are "temporarily blocked" due to some nasty virus that is being transmitted. Don't open any YouTube files that tell you you need a new version of Flash to play it. It's a worm virus that will zombify your computer.


You know what they say. . . . . nice boots. . . .


Nice head!

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Joshua Tree on the Mesa 2009

Once again, I journeyed to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico for the 21st Annual Joshua Tree event with my shamanic teacher, Lynn Andrews. This was my fourth JT, second held at Ghost Ranch, and my first as a student in Lynn's mystery school, Lynn Andrews Center for Sacred Arts and Training (LACSAT). Being a student brought me out to the event a day earlier than other participants. I arrived in the afternoon of Tuesday, 5/26. We had a full day of schoolwork on Wednesday, 5/27, and the Joshua Tree event began in the afternoon of Thursday, 5/28.

This year's event was called "Calling in the Thunder Beings: The Art of Seeing" and was focused on not just making a choice on how to live one's life, but actually beginning to do it. Lynn and the Sisterhood of the Shields have been preparing us for the major shifts and changes in worldwide consciousness that will occur as the ancient calendars come to a close around 2012 for many years. Instead of seeing this date as some kind of apocalypse and the destruction of all life, the Sisterhood views the change as a shift in ways of being. As Lynn says, the Great Dreamer is awakening. One paradigm, that of patriarchal dominance and aggression, is coming to a close and we once again as a human race have a choice to create balance and beauty in our lives or fall back into a dichotomous, destructive imbalance. In order to create balance externally in the world, we have to be balanced internally. This requires us to really see who we are and what we are creating individually that contributes to the imbalance in the world. The Thunder Beings are the highest beings of light. They are not to be called in lightly and when called in for help, a person must be willing to be very specific and committed to resolving his or her most core fear. The Thunder Beings are also heyoka, the Sacred Clown, the one who tests to see what is true, often in very contrary or outrageous ways. Coyote in Native American traditions is a consummate heyoka, often getting caught up in his own traps and landing on his face, but learning from his experiences. But not enough to not do it again, like in the Roadrunner cartoon! Many things we did during the event were to wake up the heyoka energy within, that place of trust and innocence that Great Spirit will carry us even when we choose to fall off a cliff or ride into battle with a broken lance or backwards. Trust is so important now. If we can't trust ourselves, the God-being within, we really can't live our truth.

In my first year of study at LACSAT, we are working with four archetypal feminine energies. In this work, combined with calling in the Thunder Beings, I really felt lifted out of myself. And being in such an incredible setting with amazing like-minded people was profound.


This is Kitchen Mesa, across from my cabin on the Upper Mesa the afternoon that I arrived. The Thunder Beings were already present, rolling around in the sky in spectacular formations and shows of lightning. I was in awe.



Looking out over Ghost Ranch below. Spider Woman Mountain is off in the distance, blanketed in thunder clouds.


Amazing thunder clouds. Watching the storms roll in and out over the next six days was incredible. I know I'm going to run out of adjectives!!


Spider Woman Mountain at dusk on 5/26.



Here's me, all exhausted from traveling (I had 2 hours of sleep!) and windblown. Despite being ready to fall on my face, I was exhilarated.


Beautiful Chimney Rock.


Wednesday morning was cool and beautiful. The thunderstorms wove in and out with sunshine the entire event. The first year class was welcomed in ceremony by our mentors and some of the graduate students in Kindred Spirits. They did a lovely elemental ceremony bringing in fire, earth, air and water and gifted us stones, crystals and a feather each. After our ceremony and meeting each other for the first time in person (we have shared together on the forum), we went to the opening ceremony for the school in the chapel. Lynn greeted us and it was awesome to see the school community all together. After the opening ceremony, the first years met with Lynn. I was so happy to share in this community. Lynn gave us each a beautiful naugual stone and we talked about coming into the school and the journey ahead of us. I didn't take any photos of any of these ceremonies and meetings. Didn't seem appropriate.



After lunch and meeting with the first years for a session on our fetishes (school project) with our mentors, it HAILED! I was completed pelted with ice stuck to my jeans and took refuge under the porch of a cabin near the cafeteria. There were other women there, including a woman with her baby girl, who was loving the thunder and lightning, laughing and giggling. We had a terrific connection, me and this baby, just laughing away.



I wasn't fast enough to catch the lightning above, but it streaked all around us. As soon as I would hold my camera up for long periods, no lightning. As soon as I took it away from my face, poof! Lightning. Guess it just didn't want to be photographed!



Back safe and sound in my cabin to rest for the ordination tonight. I was assigned the same cabin, same room, same roommate as last year! Kathleen, my roommate, is one of the vendors at the event. She sells incredible clothing, Gorgeous Goddess Ware. It is indeed! That night was the ordination of the graduates of LACSAT who were becoming Earth Stewards or legal Ministers. I was a greeter at the door, handing out programs and lighting candles for the procession. I knew my crappy camera would do no good taking pictures of the ordination, so I'm hoping photos will get posted by others. It was simply beautiful. My favorite part was the walking under the chakra-colored veils. Everyone was dressed their best and the energy was joyous.



Thursday morning my mentor, the fabulous Cheryl, was going to meet with me and my fellow mentees by the cafeteria at 9. Cheryl is part of the fire team and since we had not one, but two fire ceremonies this year, she was preparing the fire for Thursday night out on the lawn. I watched them and wrote in my journal. I had been having extremely vivid dreams the past two nights and wanted to write them down. Later, me, Kim, Leota and Cheryl talked for a while. Kim and Leota had been toning in the chapel and were flying high!


Finally got to spend some time with Suzanne and Anthony after lunch!! Both had been at the ranch since Monday, but were volunteers and were incredibly busy setting up for the event. I was so happy to see Suzanne. I just found out the previous Friday that she was coming this year. I have missed her. We took a short walk up Box Canyon. Didn't qualify as a hike - we didn't have time to go far. Since the teachings this year are about the heyoka, the Sacred Clown, they decided to show me their heyoka backsides leaning up against a traditional hogan.


Anthony clowning around on a rock.


Me and Suzanne.


The Thursday afternoon Elk Pole Ceremony. There was a circle of drummers and rattlers around the Elk Pole. This year, we each entered by the East gate (the home of the Heyoka), were smudged with sage and tied our ribbon with our intention for the event onto the pole. The Elk Pole has been receiving ribbons for something like 15 years now. It's truly amazing.


Suzanne and Anthony with their crazy Thunderbird hats (all the volunteers wore them that first day) as we danced to the amazing band before Lynn arrived.
Lynn was very serious this year about our intention for this event. You don't mess around with the Thunder Beings. She talked about how each person must choose now how to shift with the coming changes. Not tomorrow, not next year, but NOW. Everything is so speeded up and will only get faster and faster as 2012 approaches. We did a meditation on the Butterfly Tree to help clarify our question to ask of the Thunder Beings. I fell asleep. I didn't feel too bad - 3/4 of my small group did too!!! Ha!
In our evening session, we prepared for the first fire ceremony. This was the first time two fire ceremonies were being done at a JT. We learned an Iroquois chant and processed out to the fire with thunder rolling in the distance as we started out walking to the fire pit, chanting away. It didn't rain. The clouds formed a ring around our fire and it was clear sky above. As Lynn called in the Thunder Beings, they would answer with thunder in the distance, then and only then. We silently asked the Thunder Beings for help. I was a bit surprised at how specific I was able to get with my request because it had been more nebulous when discussing it in my small group, but the group members were so supportive and so loving that I felt safe to really delve into my fears. I think, too, that creating a memorial for Coco for the Altar of Remembrance helped me too. I felt Coco with me in my heart, reminding me of her exuberance for life and her courage. I will always have her there.
The fire was beautiful. It didn't smoke. The flames danced and shone purple. It was like the spirit of the Thunder Beings was there in the fire. Just profound and moving.

The World Altar covered in prayer sticks. All the 21 years of prayer sticks, kept until they fall apart and are burned in the sacred fire. This year, the World Altar was shaped like a labyrinth.


The beautiful sky of New Mexico.


The magnificent Elk Pole.


Me in my room. We each received a clay pot representing ourselves, which we smashed with a rock off the land. One hit did it for me. Squash! It was pretty cool to be in the room with all the energy and sounds of pots breaking all at the same time! Now the task was to glue them back together in our small groups. Of course they didn't fit exactly, with holes for Spirit to enter. When smashing my pot, I decided which areas of the pot were my mind, my feelings, old emotions, the unconscious mind, spirit, so when I reassembled it, I could choose to let go of certain areas and toss or transform those pieces.



That Friday evening, we received our thunder drum kits. It's just a cardboard tube with a piece of mylar glued to one end and a spring threaded through it. I attached my mylar and trimmed it and put in the spring. Not much to it, but the finished product, when shook, does sound like thunder.


Lynn's seat, with an incredible painting of the Thunder Beings behind her and the Jaguar chair in front.


The ceiling of our meeting room was covered in paintings done by the area councils and individuals of the Thunder Beings. Here is a Thunderbird.


Another painting. It was cool to be laying on the carpet looking up at them, especially when coming out of a meditation.


This horse was painted by Suzanne and Anthony.


The Three Amigos.


Walking down the steps from the Upper Mesa.


This "fire" was set up in case we have rain Saturday night. We all knew it wasn't going to be used, that it wouldn't rain. But it was pretty.



Every year, Lynn asks us to make a "ghost doll" to symbolize our teaching from JT. These are some of the Ghost Dolls people made symbolizing last year's JT.


Sitting in my small group after meditation. From left to right, Michele, Cheryl, Laura and Anthony's hand.


My group the other way, Beverly, Terry, Steven and Tanya. Didn't get Star in the photos! Booo to me!!


Some of my fellow first years. Left to right above, Isabelle, Vicki, Dreanna, Tanya, Caroline and Kim. Me and Bevy below acting heyoka silly. We're missing Millie, Karen, Leota and Bette. They were still meeting in their groups.


At one, after lunch, we all had to be silent until 7-7:30 pm. I found it very easy as I spend a lot of time by myself and like being quiet at times. Others found it very difficult. I brought down my thunder drum and my decorating supplies to our meeting room to work with Suzanne. Unlike last year, I got down from three shoeboxes of stuff to ONE. Good for me! I painted my drum silver and then the symbol I had gotten in meditation, the Rainbow Serpent. I put rabbit fur like clouds above the thunder clouds and the ocean below. It turned out just like I wanted it to.


In out meditation that morning, Lynn had us go through a portal in the clouds to meet a Thunder Being. I was strongly influenced within to bring this sheep pelvic bone that I found in England with me and created this heyoka mask at the top of my drum with the bone, an owl wing Nanci gave me years ago, rose buds and a piece of turquoise I found when walking around Ghost Ranch. Four colored ribbons for the four directions. And a purple ribbon because purple was my ally color from our meditation for our drum symbol. I can see you!!


Suzanne painting her drum.


Me, my drum, my bruised up legs (don't ask!) and my inevitable Coke. Hey, I only had TWO the entire time. I think that's pretty damn good for me.

One thing that was difficult is that we weren't allowed to sound our drums to see if they worked until the fire ceremony. Mine ended up rattling more than thundering. I learned later that stretching the metal spring makes the sound deepen. I have to repair mine at home, too. The mylar head is coming off. But it looks great!


Kim with Millie and Karen, our two crazy first year Brits. Love these women!!


Another task we had in our silent afternoon was to take a mirror, hold it up in front and slightly to the side of our face and walk forward while looking in the mirror at things receding. It was really cool! Lynn tells about doing this task in her book "Flight of the Seventh Moon" and I always had thought that it would be a cool thing to do. I want to try it around NYC. I mean, what the hell, there are stranger things wandering around this town anyway. You have to move into another mode of perception in order not to trip and fall on your face. It was really fun to do this. A little crazy climbing up the mesa this way, but I lived to tell the tale.


Made it to the mesa top!


With Karen in line for dinner. In silence, of course.


Lovely Tanya! She's a second generation in LACSAT.



The food at Ghost Ranch is usually okay. This was the worst meal I've ever had there. This competes with some of the crap I've eaten from work's cafeteria. It was HORRIBLE. Rubber tofu stirfry with no veggies. And since we couldn't talk, me, Suzanne and Anthony got the giggles something fierce as we tried to eat this stuff. I tried hot sauce. That didn't work. Suzanne tried soy sauce. That didn't work. Anthony put ketchup on his...blech! I grabbed some soy sauce. It was just foul. The cookie was okay, though. Thank the gods.



Trying to eat and not bray with laughter like crazy people. Didn't work.


I escaped up to my room to try to get myself settled down. I seriously couldn't stop giggling. I sat with my reassembled pot. I put some turquoise I found in the hole on the bottom. The heart of Spirit. I really like how it came out.


The Elk Pole on Saturday evening.


Dancing down the rows of drummers into the Pavillion. The second year LACSATs drum before each session. I'll be doing that next year.


I like the shadows of the drummers around and on the Elk Pole.
I again didn't take photos of our final fire ceremony. I was carrying my drum. We chanted again going down to the fire, circled it and Lynn called in the Thunder Beings, who again answered only when she called off in the distance. The clouds once again ringed our fire site and I saw a huge figure in the clouds, arms outstretched over the fire as we approached. It was so cool. I also saw many faces in the clouds, similarly how I saw faces in the cliffs of Kitchen Mesa last year. We each went up to the fire after Lynn blessed our drums, asked our specific request of the Thunder Beings and then woke up our drums by shaking them alive at the fire and sky. It was a very powerful ceremony. Then wet juniper branches were placed on the flames and we watched the flames and smoke for messages. The fire burned purple and danced. The smoke from wet juniper is a dark grey-blue and billowed up into the air, visiting each of the four direction. The smoke spiralled, galloped like horses and buffalo, formed faces and figures. I don't know how long I sat there at the fire, but it was warm out and I was happy to be there. I left and walked out on the land to the labrinyth in the dark. I was alone. I walked the labrinyth, feeling myself spiralling within, finding that core fear, releasing it, and then spiralling out with joy. I don't know how long I was there, maybe an hour or an hour and a half, but I was all alone, just me, the mesas and the woods, with the stars peeking out above. It was so beautiful and serene.


On Sunday, as a group we presented our drums and pots to Lynn and she gave us each a Power Deck card with our lesson and direction to work on over this coming year. I got the card "Individuality", which is a North teaching. We really built a special bond in my group. I was honored to work with these incredible people.
I stayed at Ghost Ranch with Suzanne and Anthony on Sunday night. It was wonderful fun and I got to talk at length with Terry from my small group and Richard, who is the Registrar for LACSAT and a stellar human being. The bonds I make here last. It is truly a community of people who come together in love and trust to grow. I feel so privileged, grateful and humble to live in a country where I can do this work in freedom and peace. I walk on. Ho!