Lydia's Journey BEYOND Hollywood

Very cool news today! I have a callback for that Cameron Diaz film Holiday that I auditioned for last week. The role is for her maid Marta. UGH! But I am dying to do another film! After I saw the residuals from The Terminal - I am eager to work on another big budget feature film! This movie should be pretty good.... It stars Jack Black , Cameron Diaz , and Kate Winslet . The writer/director is Nancy Meyers who also wrote and produced Somethings Gotta Give and What Women Want not to mention Father of the Bride and Private Benjamin ! I hope I get this! I would love to work with this director! My callback in on Friday at 4:20pm (so send good vibes my way around that time!) I was told to drive onto the Sony lot and park with the valet....niiiiiiiiice. :-) heehee The little things that make me smile! Audition tomorrow for that other feature film Chaos Theory . I hope it goes well...I really like my scene that I'm auditioning with!

I like it when it starts to get busy! My plane just landed last night from my Thanksgiving break in Texas and I checked my messages and had information for TWO auditions for this week! One was for today. I went in to read for E-Ring - the new Benjamin Bratt tv show. I read for a character named Caroline Herrera...she is an Embassy Staffer (not the maid! heehee) and it went pretty well. It was originally a guest star role but I guess it got downsized to a co-star. I went in to read for Barbara with Fiorentino/Mangieri/Weidman. She was really nice and said some nice things after I auditioned...so maybe if not this role (because there were a lot of girls auditioning) - then maybe something else in the near future. It was a hectic day! I had made plans to sub today and then I got the call about the audition last night at around 5:30pm. My audition time was at 11am clear across the other side of town. I wasn't sure how to sub - AND go to the audition at the same time! Luckily the schoo...

So I get called in to audition for an NBC midseason replacement called Windfall (again) and I just LOVE the casting director there: Felicia Fasano ! She is SO super cool. She's so nice and gives me a great big hug whenever I walk into her office! She always makes me feel like one of her buddies! She's booked me on a new show for Showtime called Sleeper Cell that should start airing December 4th. I'm not sure what episode I will be on. So anyway, I walk in and she begins to tell me that Ellen Pressman told her she should call Lydia Blanco in and she answered Ellen by saying she ALWAYS calls me in! The cool thing is Ellen is the director I worked with on Everwood while in Utah! And she happens to be the director of this episode of Windfall ! Too cool!!!! Ellen was really nice while I was on set. We had lunch together and talked about taking a hike on Fryman Canyon, a nearby trail where we live. The director, along with the producers, makes the decisions on who to hire for ...

I hate when it starts getting slow. That means less opportunites for making money - UGH! But the good news....I had an audition today for a Cameron Diaz movie called Holiday . The funny thing is I auditioned for this role back in August - I guess they still haven't found what they were looking for. I hate to think my first audition was forgettable! Maybe they just wanted to see me AGAIN! So the role is....drumroll please.......her MAID! Big surprise! I'm not sure if the maid has any lines. I just had to improv at the audition and make some facial expressions. It seems like this role would be prominent throughout the film - just not sure if she actually SPEAKS! I guess we'll see. I have another show this evening. My play runs until the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. If you'd like to check it out, the reservation line is 323-960-7863. :-)

Well, I'm sorta "working" tomorrow. They called me in to do some looping on this show that I worked on this past summer called The Unit . I'm scheduled to work 15 minutes. Since they pay whatever my scale hourly is divided by 15 minute increments, it's still a nice check for a few minutes of re-saying some lines for the footage. This is the first time I have ever been needed for looping on a show. I'll be sure to post what it was like! :-) I'm also training tomorrow to be one of those actors that USC hires for the medical students. They train us on the illness we are going to portray and what symptoms we would have. That way the future doctors get tested in a real patient way and I believe we have to evaluate them to make sure they asked everything that was needed to be asked. I feel very much like Kramer from Seinfeld right now. Remember that episode?

Here I am with my agents at ACME . Me and Lance, and me and Greg. The party was fun and everyone had a good time. These guys are AMAZING!!!!!!! I have NEVER been with an agency who cares so much. They really take the time to get to know their clients and make us feel like friends. I Am VERY happy and lucky that they are representing me! I Love You People!!!! Happy Birthday guys! :-) Well, I got back last week from Utah and it's been very slow ever since. No auditions lined up at all so far this week. I did a postcard mailing to casting directors letting them know about the Everwood booking. Maybe that will generate some calls. I could go to a workshop tonight - but since I'm getting my top wisdom teeth taken out today (ouch!) - I may not be up for performing. Also, tomorrow night is a big birthday bash for 2 of my agents at ACME . We will be celebrating at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey. Sounds like fun!

My "ride" to the airport! Me and Scott Wolf Well, It was definately a memorable trip! I had never been to Utah and it was really beautiful! Snow on the mountaintops, cold weather! AND I completely forgot to pack a jacket! Talk about LA mentality! I guess I figured it wouldn't be THAT cold! UGH! Good thing the wardrobe department hooked me up with a huge warm coat. Well, I got picked up by my limo driver that the studio sent on Tuesday :-) and he took me to the Burbank airport. I arrived in Salt Lake City and I had a driver from the Everwood office pick me up and take me to get fitted for wardrobe and sign paperwork. Then I was taken to my hotel room. It was SO NICE! I stayed at the Little America and I allowed myself to enjoy every part of it. I ordered room service, I worked out at the gym, and took a long bath.... It was very nice. I worked on Wednesday and didn't need to be on set until 2pm! We drove out towards the mountains where we shot on location in the schoo...