Lydia's Journey BEYOND Hollywood

Ok, the move is official. I arrived in Texas Monday. Drove straight to San Antonio, rented my storage unit, then headed to my hometown of Corpus Christi. Been here one whole day now. I have to say it feels pretty good. What's weird is, it never feels this good. But this feels different. Hmmm...I wonder if it feels like a vacation? Maybe it won't feel real until I move into my own place? Time will tell. It's nice to see friends and family though. Last night I had dinner at my parents' house. Ahhh...homecooked food with a full house. :) That beats eating alone in my little apartment any day! :) So, since I no longer live in Hollywood, it makes sense to change the name of this blog. It's now titled "Lydia's Journey Beyond Hollywood". We'll see what new adventures my life has in store for me. Can't wait :) So far, my Houston agent contacted me about an audition for a new Mark Wahlberg film. They needed me to put myself on tape a...

Yesterday I had an audition for Raising Hope . The role was Rosa, and it was a heavy accented character who also spoke Spanish. I had mixed feelings about this audition. Aside from the obvious, ANOTHER role with an accent, if I booked it, it would shoot next week. Considering my movers had moved all my stuff out of my place on Tuesday, and my keys are being turned in this weekend, booking this job would be a somewhat "inconvenience". Don't get me wrong - if I got the job, I would've stayed and worked it. But I would've had to find a place for me and my cat to stay until the end of shooting, call the movers and hold the delivery until I'm finally in Texas, and possibly miss my Godson's 5th birthday party! Yikes! And for some reason, I didn't feel like I could've turned the audition down. So I went. And I was pretty awesome. They were laughing throughout and I was definitely "in the zone". I got the call later that day that I was ...

First off, I am so sorry for not writing more often. I promised earlier this year that I would blog more often. I will try and be better from here on out... So, let's get the update started... Today I had a callback for an HBO promo. It's a very funny scene about two women in a waiting room talking about a pen. After waiting an hour and a half to get seen today, we finally go in to do the scene for a room full of executives. We go into our scene and I felt like it was good - we were funny - and there was nothing but deafening silence in the room. We switch roles and do the scene again. Again, I thought I was pretty damn funny - crickets. Oh well. Watch us book it anyway! haha I guess I haven't made the "official" announcement: I am moving out of Hollywood and back to Texas. I'm sure most of you saw this coming. Especially with my frustrated previous posts. One day I was talking to a friend and saying that maybe I should just relocate back to Aus...

I shot General Hospital this week. :) After 10 years, that was the one thing I hadn't done - worked on a soap opera! It was a really cool and different experience! Things work really fast in soaps. You don't have time to perfect a scene take after take. You show up to set, block it, rehearse it, shoot it, and move on to the next thing. I play Inez, supposedly the housekeeper's cousin who Dr Niles steals medicine for. Well, that's what Dr Niles tells everyone at the hospital. Apparently, she's quite the villian! But the actress who played her couldn't be more sweet! In fact, the group of actors I worked with were all very welcoming and nice. They put glamourous makeup on me and when I arrived on set, they said I looked too "pretty" for someone with bronchitis, so a makeup artist had to alter my face and made me look pale with bags under my eyes and a red nose. LOL I'm gonna look lovely! I was there only 5 hours and shot my scenes which...

I got called in to audition for The Cape yesterday. :) I interned for Risa on the pilot earlier this year, so I was very happy that she brought me in for a small role of a teacher in a flashback. I had auditioned for a detective role on the pilot, but had to pull my name out of the running because I had booked that other pilot, Awkward Situations for Men . Oh well...we'll see. maybe I will finally get to work on this show afterall! I just got the call today that I have to do ADR on the film I did this summer, Little Birds , in a couple of weeks. That's always fun :) Then I have to learn my lines for my General Hospital shoot on Monday. Busy busy busy! Never feels like it though... Workshop tonight, and then my Singing for Actors class on Saturday. Trying to keep busy before I leave next month...

10 years ago I made a "to do" list of the kinds of projects I wanted to tackle during my career. I checked them off as I booked them... Films, independent and studio, sitcoms, single camera comedies, one hour dramas, one hour dramedies, soap operas, commercials, print work, etc... Over these past 10 years, I've been fortunate enough to work in all of these mediums except for soap operas....UNTIL NOW! :) I booked a role on the long living series General Hospital. I didn't even have to audition! It was a straight offer. I went by ABC studios today to pick up my script so I can see what I will be playing. My role is "Inez" - yes, an undocumented worker who is posing as a maid to help Dr. Niles lie about stealing medication from the hospital. I'm asked to do an accent. Hmmm...I wonder if Irish would work? Or Austrailian? hehehe I picked up my script in the casting office and met both Mark and Gwen today for the first time. Both were incredibly w...

I have a crush. His name is Mark Ruffalo. I went to the SAG Foundation Conversations with Mark Ruffalo tonight. For those of you who don't know, Conversations is like the Inside the Actor's Studio Q&A with actors. He talked about how he got started and his 9 years as a bartender before he got his big break. He's a very modest man, never thinking his movies are a success BECAUSE of him. When asked what he wished someone would've told him when he first started in the business, he answered "It's gonna take a LONG time....but it's ok." He said that he had thought about quitting acting and moving back to Wisconsin plenty of times in those 9 years, and even went back home once and worked for his dad. But he found himself feeling like he was missing something, and came back. He said he did theater during those tough years, to help him get through it. I love this man. I went up to him afterwards, nervous and curious if he would remember working with...

So, as we all know, it's been pretty dead for me lately. No auditions in weeks! My cousin came to visit last week, and on her first day in town, I got a commercial audition, one for The Office, and a straight offer for a role on General Hospital! :) I work in two weeks! I told her she can't leave until I book a series! ;) She left today, so I hope my luck doesn't run out.

It's been almost three weeks since I've had a single audition. THREE WEEKS! That's crazy! I'm talking nothing...no commercials, no films, no television shows... I've just been here, waiting - bored - trying to keep myself busy. That really sucks for someone who makes their living by Acting. If there are no auditions, that means no potential work - which means, no income - which sucks. Get me? I am doing the workshops EVERY week, dropping my headshot at the casting offices EVERY week, teaching my classes, taking my classes, doing everything "right" and it's still tumbleweeds blowing by in my career. Crazy. And I write this - not to be "negative" - but to be truthful. There are low times in this career and then there are times when everything just STOPS. I can feel myself losing gas. Wanting to just go away. Do something else. Somewhere else. Live an actual LIFE... I look forward to that actually. :) Makes that decision to leave Ho...

I had a workshop this morning with Casting Director Sherrie Henderson, and she told us of an audition that Emmy Rossum did to submit herself for her role on the film DARE. It's pretty amazing - and shows how she could pull out a great audition from home with NO ONE ELSE to read with her! She pre-recorded herself doing the other lines and hit the button when it was time. It's pretty awesome...check it out:

Oops - this came out a couple of weeks ago. I meant to announce it on here - but I forgot.. Sorry guys... http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/guest-blogger-lydia-blanco/

"You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run" - Kenny Rogers Burnt Out - Meaning #1: exhausted as a result of long-time stress Meaning #2: inoperative as a result of heat or friction Meaning #3: destroyed or badly damaged by fire Ok, before I begin, I have to remind everyone that Yes, I am still a positive person. I'm usually the one person who believes everything will turn out fine when most are hiding under their sheets in bed. I've always been optimistic - that's not what this is about. When I was a little girl, and I envisioned what my wildest dreams would be - I pictured myself in that little TV box being funny, being dramatic, just being ON THERE. I was excited about the unknown. Hollywood seemed like another country - another world - someplace I never thought I would visit much less get the opportunity to live and work there! I had no idea what a career in the industry meant - I just knew...

Ah...remember the good old days when I used to work an a professional actress?? Wow - those were some great times! haha Yeah, I know you can hear the sarcasm dripping from these words. And I'm being pretty dramatic - but still! My last job, let me rephrase - my last theatrical job was back in JUNE! We are almost OCTOBER!!!!!! I'm not including the on star commercial back in August. I guess I should - but since I don't really work commercials all that much, that booking was kind of a fluke. But seriously, I guess technically, my last job was in August. Still feels like too long. I'm so frustrated, and tired. I'm doing everything I can to keep things moving and it's a ghosttown in my career! I'm doing the weekly drops, running and participating in) the workshops, in class with Howard Fine every week, even teaching an audition technique class every Monday, and it feels like it's all for nothing. The last audition I had was over two weeks ago -...

I remember when I was finishing college, of our our professors, the amazing J. Don Luna, would pull aside the graduating actors and ask what success meant to us. I never really thought about it in a serious way. I usually thought about it in a dreamer's way. Success would be having my own TV series! Seeing myself on the big screen! But when I made myself really ask that question to myself, I had to explore what success really meant to me. And back then, my measure of success was "to have a career as an actor". Simply to make my living doing it. Solely acting. I didn't need to be famous, or rich, or even star in my own show. Just simply making a living. Being able to write down "Actor" where it asked what my profession was. Cut to: 13 years later (yikes - that's how long it's been since college??) and I'm actually living my dream. Successful by what my definition was at that time. And now I'm reevaluating what success means to me...

I actually have an audition! Can you believe it?? How long has it been? Tomorrow I'm going in for a new show called Franklin and Bash. And of course, the ink in my printer has ran out. I'll have to figure out something by tomorrow. I need a job. It's been way too slow lately.

It's been so quiet and dead lately that I think I actually see tumbleweeds going by in my career. I haven't updated this blog lately, because frankly, I haven't been doing much as an actor lately. The webseries I produced had a successful launch last week! It's officially on Koldcast.tv! Check it out: The Best Friend The hardest part about producing is not having the creative input I would have if it was something I created. I'm basically helping someone else's vision come to life - and that's great - but the frustrating part is not being able to utilize my creativity. Looks like I need to just go ahead and create my own projects. Better brush up in the writing! Good thing I still have my master class with Howard Fine which keeps me working on something. It definately helps, especially when I haven't had an audition in ages. I have to be honest, lately I'm been thinking about moving back to Texas. You see, every year for the past 10 years I...

He was shooting me - I was shooting him. :) Yesterday's commercial shoot went really well. I was in and out in about 3 1/2 hours! NICE! I swear I'm not a high maintenance DIVA or anything, but maybe I'm a bit spoiled from working on episodic sets - but I was really surprised when i didn't have a trailer! haha Seriously! I was wondering where I would change and hang out and leave my stuff. Apparently they normally have people just change in the wardrobe trailer, keep their stuff on them, and no hanging out. You change - and shoot - and wrap. that's it. Ah...See, I'm new to this whole "commercial" world - well, relatively. I haven't done a commercial in ages! What sucks is, I don't even think it's going to be a national - just the internet, so I may not get to see all that great money that usually accompanies commercials. Oh well. I had an amazing time on set. The spot is JUST ME in a car, talking to the OnStar guy (who was reall...

Today was busy! It started with our casting session for the webseries I'm producing (and now casting - at least for this one role.) I put a breakdown out this week and got over 500 submissions. We narrowed it down to about 35 actors we wanted to meet. About 8 or 9 confirmed and didn't show up. Weird. I just don't get that. But the ones that kept their appointment did a great job! It was a tough day auditioning all these good looking men for the role of Rick, the fiance to the ingenue! haha I had to leave in the middle of the session to audition for a play. That went really well - I have a callback on Wednesday. Then I headed back and finished our session and then headed to the studio to see the Singing for Actors class. It's been a long and exhausting day! Tomorrow I shoot the OnStar commercial so I get to be pregnant all day. Fun fun fun. :) Since I'm shooting on a Sunday, it's double pay. Can't me mad about that! My camera broke so the only p...

I had a last minute commercial audition yesterday. It was to play a very pregnant woman using her OnStar in her car. It went well and I was called in for a last minute callback today. Well, I found out this afternoon that I booked it! :) It was a really fun callback. They told me I nailed the tone they were looking for and I got to improv a bit as well. I get fitted tomorrow I think, and I shoot on Thursday. I believe this commercial will be mainly on the web, unless the release it on TV. And there's a possible print job also. Nice :) I never do commercials so its nice to do something I never get a chance to do!

It's been so quiet I've been going crazy trying to keep myself busy! Good thing my class with Howard is back on after a month of vacation. At least I have rehearsals with my scene partner and the work I put up in class to make me feel like I'm doing something. I'm also teaching my audition technique class every Monday. I just wish I was busier with auditions before I forget what it's like in there! ;) I'm coaching one of my teen students on Monday morning for her guest star audition for CSI Miami. At least someone is getting great auditions... I've even started coming up with a little business of my own for my actor friends. It surprising how an idea can take off and become something within just a couple of days! Maybe I should write something... My one woman show? My own sitcom? feature film? I never really considered myself a writer, but I may have to explore another side to myself. I'm getting ancy...

I saw In the Heights again this weekend. I love that show! My friend Danny Bolero is in it and he is having an amazing time travelling all over the world! He's heading to Japan in the next couple of months! Awesome! And he has a great role in it! Not to mention is amazing in it! :) I took a friend of mine who is actually from Washington Heights to see the play for his first time. I was nervous because he doesn't like musicals much and he may be critical of the play considering its his hood. But he really loved it! That was awesome! And we had the opportunity to go backstage with Danny and walkonto the Pantages stage. It's simply breathtaking! Ok, so yesterday I had an audition for a series regular role on a new half hour sitcom. It was to play the best friend to the lead girl and it was a great character! Some really funny lines! I worked on it all weekend and felt really confident about the work I was doing with it. First of all, let me explain...the charac...

After about a couple of weeks of quiet time... No auditions, nothing - I finally get a good one for Monday! I'm auditioning for a great funny series regular role on a new half hour sitcom pilot! YES! This would be PERFECT! Fingers crossed!! Hopefully this means it's about to get BUSIER for me! :)

Ok, a lot has happened this week to catch you up on! I really do have to be better about writing in this blog regularly. I will try... :) I was the reader for Casting Director Arlie Day last week for a workshop. I remembered she was working on a feature film called Mamitas last time I saw her. Well, I casually inquired about the film and if she was done casting. She said she was looking for someone to play a nurse role. I casually informed her of my nurse role on the Untitled Ivan Reitman film that I just wrapped. :) She said even though I was a bit younger than what she was looking for (a nurse in her 40s), but she wanted to audition me the following day! I went in and did a pretty great job - so we'll see... :) I attended the wrap party for the Ivan Reitman film, but because of that workshop I was doing with Arlie, I showed up a bit late. :( It started at 8 and I didn't get there until almost 11. I was hoping to see Natalie and Cary there since I talked the mo...

The cast of SONS OF TUCSON I am slacking! I am so sorry! I completely forgot to post my airdate for the new FOX show Sons of Tucson ! I shot a small role at the end of last year and forgot all about it. Then I found out today that it aired this past weekend on 4th of July! OOPS! BUT - the good news is...you can see it on www.fox.com. Click HERE

It's been a crazy past couple of weeks! Aside from my moving, which is keeping me busy enough, I still had my acting class with Howard Fine going all of June. I had a great month in class doing Neil Simon with a new scene partner. We challenged ourselves and although we had a rough start with our critiques, we ended June on a high note. We get a few weeks off, but we will be back and working on it again in August. :) This past weekend, I was on set of the new webseries The Best Friend . I came on as one of the producers for my friends who created it, Marilyn Anne Michaels and Allie Smith . This was my first foray into producing but because of my business sense, love of numbers, love of communicating with people, experience on TONS of different kinds of sets, and problem solving skills, I felt like producing may just be my cup of tea. It was a rough start on Friday, trying to figure out everything and managing a slew of different personalities - but by the end of the weekend,...

Ah, Friday was pretty amazing! I worked on the Untitled Ivan Reitman Film on Friday of last week. I had a great time, and everyone I worked with was really awesome! :) But let me just say... Natalie Portman is probably the lovliest actress I have ever worked with! She is just so physically beautiful of course, but she is also the sweetest person ever! :) I did get to see Ashton Kutcher for a bit...he was pretty nice and funny as well. The biggest treat was meeting and chatting with Cary Elwes !. Ah, I remember him fondly from The Princess Bride and Robin Hood, Men in Tights . He was a joy to work with. And Ivan Reitman was AWESOME! Love that man! It was an honor to be alongside a great cast and crew and such an incredible director! I'm truly humbled!

I had a very long vacation and am happy to be back home. I missed an audition while I was in Texas, for a TV movie. :( Oh well...next time. I'm trying to get back into my routine now, but I still feel like I'm on vacation! I will post pictures of my work on the set of Little Birds. And of course, I'm not allowed to take pics of my next job - nor talk about it, so I guess there's nothing to say about that - except I'm working on June 18th... hehe :) The short film I was casting, Scratcher, has been put on hold until we find the star of the movie that the director and executive producer feel is right. So I will keep an eye out wherever I go. Maybe at Starbucks... I should be back teaching acting to my students over at Actorsite next week, which I'm looking forward to. And I'm dying to do a play. A good one. A really good role in a really good theater with really good people... Any leads??

I am so sorry! I made a new year's resolution to make this blog a regular item on my "to-do" list. I have been slacking. I'll try to be better. Ok, so update - I booked yet another feature film! YAY!!! I had a last minute audition for a film called " Goodnight Moon ", starring Kate Bosworth , Leslie Mann , and Juno Temple . And directed by the lovely Elgin James . It all happened so fast! I got the call at 1pm on Thursday to make a 3pm audition in SANTA MONICA the same day! I rushed over, had a great audition, and found out the next day I booked it and would be working on Mother's Day. Wow! I play a cashier whose store the two teen leads shoplift from and get busted. I had a prety fun scene where they get to douse me with grape soda and salsa. fun fun fun! :) I'm officially on vacation now, taking a roadtrip to Vegas, through Albuquerque, then all over Texas, and a week in Cancun before I head back and look for a new place in Hollywood. ...

Director Ivan Reitman (on the right) with his son, director of Up in the Air Jason Reitman YAY!!! I booked my next feature film! I'm playing a nurse in Ivan Reitman's next film, starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman! I tell you, the worst thing about being an actor is, you never know if you will get another job. The next job is never promised to you, so its a nice surprise when you book something. Actually, its more than a nice surprise - its peace of mind. You will no longer be "out of work" - well, at least for a day. :) Then its back to being unemployed. But, let's not focus on that now. I got a job!!!! I work in June and I can't wait! It makes it easier to travel and move during the summer knowing I have some income coming in! :) YAY! I needed my next big movie because The Holiday and The Terminal residual checks were starting to dry up. I can't wait until I start collecting the residuals on this film! Is that too premature? To t...

Friday we had a new casting session and callbacks for Scratcher . We have had some really good talent come in for this film. We have been really lucky. We had top three favorites from last week, and have replaced two of those three with a new favorite. So now we are down to two actors who could play this role. We just have to make a decision. This is so hard!!!!! Because your film is only as good as your lead actor. If he can't carry this film, then there goes the film! Now, Friday, before I stepped into my casting shoes for these sessions, I had on my actor shoes and headed to a callback with Ivan Reitman . In case some of you who don't know, Ivan is the man behind such classics like Animal House, Ghostbusters, Stripes , and Twins ! :) I had a good audition and he said I was good - that was nice... Now we will have to wait and see if I will be playing a nurse in his next movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman! Fingers crossed!

Friday was our first official casting session for SCRATCHER. We started at 10:30am and saw about 17 actors. It was a very productive and interesting day! We ended the day with about three actors we felt strongly about. All for different reasons. The funny thing was I picked one, the writer picked another, and the director picked another! Depending on which kid we cast, the movie could be three different films! It was pretty exciting! I'm loving this process! We're not entirely finished. We're still seeing people and possibly setting up callbacks soon. We're shooting in just two short months. Saturday I took a UCLA Extensions course called Careers in Entertainment: How to go from Assistant/Intern to Studio Executive. It was very informative! We met lots of big executives and had the opportunity to ask them how they got to where they are now. It sparked an interest in maybe TV development in myself. Maybe my next internship will be in a development office t...

hehe This week I am a casting director. Officially. I am casting a short film for my friend Alex Castillo, called Scratcher . I had originally wanted to be part of the producing team on this project (I guess technically I still am), but after my internship in Risa's casting office, and my interest in casting, he decided for me to take on this role. It's pretty damn exciting. :) We put out the breakdown yesterday and have had 50 submissions so far. I'm going through them this week and setting up appointments for Friday. So much is happening with me right now. I guess with Spring here, I'm doing a very thorough spring cleaning. I'm planning to sell most of my stuff, if not all, and go on an adventure of some sort. Travel, see other places, live somewhere else, DO something else - take a break from this industry they call "Entertainment". Minimize my life and possessions and really enjoy life. It's scary and exciting at the same time. I guess af...

Ok, this is my horoscope for today: You're not exactly frustrated or despondent, but you do want to see some changes happen. Now is the time to think big and try to plot out the course of the next phase of your life. Hmmm...pretty right on, isn't it? I think I'll take its advice and think BIG :)

Ok, time to get you up to speed with what's been happening lately.. I've had a couple of auditions this week for short films and a webseries. One of the short films is an action film which would be a nice addition to my reel. I have a chemistry read with the actor who would be playing my boyfriend tomorrow afternoon. The webseries was called The B Gate and it was written by Rick Najera from Latinologues and executive produced by Jennifer Lopez. The character was hilarious but we were paired up with another actor, and we just didn't have the chemistry to make it work. He didn't seem very comfortable with his character, or comedy actually, and our audition didn't go as well as I had hoped. Oh well - there are just some things you can't control. It would've been fun to be a part of this project. I interviewed for another casting internship last week. I'm also the casting director of a short film that a friend is producing and directing and we will be h...

1st pic: Matt Letscher , me , and Danny Wallace 2nd pic: with Laura Prepon 3rd pic: with Michael Braun, who plays Laura's assistant on the show 4th pic: with Tony Hale and Jay Cramer 5th pic: Michael with Brian George last pic: the set I wrapped Awkward Situations on Monday of this week. I had a great time being employed and working with these awesome people. :) Now I'm back to looking for a job - both casting and acting...

This week has been awesome. It's always been one of my dreams that I wake up every morning and go to work on a studio lot. And this week, that's exactly what I did. I reported to Warner Brothers Studio every day this week for rehearsal. I love working on a half hour sitcom. It's so interesting how it shapes and forms right before your very eyes! The script changes so much from the table read to the shooting days. And so many people have a say on how it turns out. We have two main writers for this pilot, plus the star who also co-wrote it (and created it since its based on his book), and we have the executives at the studio and network that have popped in during the week to see rehearsals. Then they have a meeting afterwards for notes and the writers make the necessary changes. They change jokes to make them funnier, they cut lines to get the timing just right. It really is an art form - the sitcom world. We began the actual shooting on Thursday and we should be d...

It's funny how it changes from week to week! Before my internship, I was an "out of work" actor, who was also a kids acting teacher in between my auditions - and private audition coach, when my students were auditioning more than me. Then, the internship came and I transformed into a Casting Assistant - even though I was interning. And I didn't feel much like an actor. And I was fine with that. I was thinking like a casting assistant. My days off consisted of me scouting other actors who may be right for this pilot. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before - and I loved it. This week, I'm an actor. Again. And it feels good. I was trying to think what is was that was missing from my career which makes me consider a change into casting. And I think I figured it out. I want to be a bigger piece of the puzzle. Let me explain... Today we had the table read for the pilot I'm in called Awkward Situations For Men. It was SO exciting - and way...

Today was the table read for The Cape at NBC/Universal. I am so excited that myself and one other intern were asked to attend to read all the day player roles that aren't cast yet! Shooting begins on Tuesday and we should be done casting by next week. I arrived to the conference room on the top floor of a building at NBC. I finally got to see the entire cast in person, together for the first time. Along with the writer, Tom Wheeler , the director and E.P Simon West , and the Executive Producers of Berman / Braun . I can't tell you how satisfying it was to hear the actors in the roles that we cast! David Lyons as The Cape is going to be amazing!! :) As well as James Frain as his nemesis! Everyone did such a great job! It was like a puzzle piece that was finally put together - with all the right pieces! It's funny how you audition so many actors in town for one role, and when it's cast with the right person, it feels like why couldn't you see that from day ...

So, today I had my audition for Detective Donna, the role that we are casting for on The Cape . It was odd waiting in the waiting room with the other actors in an office where I'm usually running the session or reading with them. My audition went well actually. But I had to take my name out of the running because I just found out I booked that Housekeeper role on that other pilot, Awkward Situations for Men on ABC. I had to take that other one because it is paying me for a whole week, versus just two days. And that's a huge difference in money. Ugh - another maid role...but hopefully I will move into a position where I can make a change in that area. Fingers crossed.

Today I stopped by Debra Zane's office to offer my services as an intern if she needed one. After my lunch meeting with the executive at NBC, he suggested that I check in with her since she will be started a new feature film very soon, and Tannis (her associate) is going on maternity leave next week. I didn't get a chance to talk to Debra herself since she stepped out to run an errand, but I did talk to Tannis. Their office is really tiny, so I'm not sure if they would have room for me to even help out, but I am eager to learn what I can from them - so hopefully I get the opportunity! :) Tonight I taught my classes for the workshop. The kids met Jonathan Clay Harris from David Rappaport's office. They cast 90210.

I am loving my internship!!!!! This week, I got to look through headshots and pull out people I felt were right for characters we still need to cast. I was looking for quirky interesting faces for the circus performer "Raia", and "cop types" for our officer day player roles, and reporters. I was so excited that I had the opportunity to call in some friends for the pilot! I called him 4 male friends for the cop roles, my friend Tonya for a witness role and my friend Jennifer for "Detective Donna". Then I was asked if I wanted to audition for Detective Donna as well. It's nice that it's a detective role. The character gets killed pretty early on in the episode. So I brought in my friend, and auditioned against her as well! haha It was fun waiting in the waiting room with her. :)

Today is the workshop with Howard Meltzer. I don't get paid to be his reader, but I just love spending a Sunday morning with him! He is awesome! We saw some pretty talented kids today! I told him of my interest in casting and it was nice to feel his support. He told me how much he loves his job, and that made me even more excited about it! I'm in search of an actual job in casting, or another internship in a feature film office to figure out which road is best for me. I am still thinking of the studio executive world - maybe specializing in diversity casting...that would be AWESOME!!!! :) We'll see...

So I am very proud to say that I just found out my student who I coached last night booked the pilot! He will be a series regular on a new show! AWESOME!!! He went in for a preread in the morning, they sent him to producers right after that, they sent him to test for the studio and network in the afternoon and offered him the part before the end of the day! Crazy how fast things happen in this town! :) My audition for the housekeeper went well also. I always love auditioning for Valko/Miller Casting! :) I just wish it was for any other role besides "Maid". But at least this character is funny. Audition lined up for tomorrow on another pilot: The Defenders with Felicia Fasano.

Today was an incredibly productive day! I started off at the casting office at 9am. Before I knew it, it was already after noonand I had to head out for my lunch meeting with a casting executive from NBC Universal. I made the appointment so I could pick his brain about his position and what it entails to be in casting at the studio level. It was interesting, but I'm thinking I may like the creative aspect of the casting office over the business end of the studio or network. But I'm still trying to figure all that out. I got back to the office in time for the afternoon audition session. We were mainly seeing actors for the role of Ruvi, a circus performer/mentalist and Trip, the lead's 8 year old son. It was a looooong session, and I didn't leave the office until 9pm. I went straight to coach one of my students for his audition tomorrow. He is going in for a series regular on a pilot. :) He's a very talented little kid and I'm sure he will book a series s...

This weekend has been a busy work weekend for me. I was put in charge of the intern schedule at the casting office and I've been working with everyone's availability (10 people's schedules!) and trying to make it work considering the next few weeks will be crazy hectic in the office. I worked a kids workshop this weekend where I found a young actor who I thought would be great for the pilot. I spent Saturday afternoon trying to get him an audition on Monday, which I did! Then Saturday evening, I headed to Pasadena to see Oedipus El Rey, Luis Alfaro's modern day adaptation of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. It was A-MA-ZING! I loved it! It is so refreshing to see a production that inspires you! I want to do another play! :( It saddens me to think of how long its been since I've been in a great production of something. I worked another workshop today and finished organizing the intern schedule and it's already Monday tomorrow! Where did the weekend go?! Tom...

Today I interned at the casting office again. I do it about three times a week - and like I've said before, I love it! I've been tossing around the idea of doing it professionally. As in, maybe taking a step back from acting to explore this new venture. Everyday that I'm there, I feel like I'm learning something new about the job. It always feels like there's so much more to learn! It's pretty exciting - especially working on the pilot. I'm learning a lot from watching other actors audition, hearing the casting director deal with agents and managers and producers, and watching people make mistakes with their careers - and also witnessing people get cast in roles that will change their lives!! It's pretty awesome! Today I was "recognized" by an actor who was auditioning for the pilot. I guess you could call it being "recognized" - haha :) He reads this blog! That was cool! I also saw Peter Gallagher yesterday and he remember...

Yesterday I had a very interesting audition for a feature film. It was a Farrelly Brothers film and the role may not have been perfect for me - but I loved the opportunity to do another studio film! I need another one of those! :) I interned again today and got the chance to run camera for a producer's session. That was very informative as an actor, because I got to hear what they say after someone auditions. What they liked, what they didn't like. I saw great auditions today and...not so great auditions. It was pretty awesome! I learned a lot. I have an audition for a pilot tomorrow. A very emotional scene, so in a way I'm looking forward to it - and in a way, I'm already emotionally exhausted! We'll see how it goes. We're testing for a couple of the characters tomorrow. I wanna test again for a pilot! That was exciting - and it feels like soooo long ago already! :(

It has been an interesting week. I had an audition yesterday for an IHOP commercial yesterday. That was short and sweet. I signed on for an extra day of interning. Now I'm working three days a week at the casting office. I must be crazy because I got there at 9am and I was the last intern to leave at 7:20pm. I worked over 10 hours, free of charge! But today was unlike any other day. We had a producer's session where a select few actors were brought in to meet the producers for the pilot. I had about 5 "stars" on the list that I had to usher into a separate office so they wouldn't have to wait in the busy waiting room with the other actors. (Without saying his exact name), one of them was The Hoff-man himself (heehee). Now, he isn't just an actor or celebrity - he is an actual EVENT. The man is always "on". He is very tall, and has the performing personality the second he enters a building. He referred to a previous show he was on (where h...

I haven't talked a lot about my new internship - mainly because I started it on Friday. But let me just say...I am LOVING it! Really! I would say the majority of the 12 interns they brought on to help out during this pilot season are all actors. And they are interning mainly to learn the ins and outs of the casting process, without any interest in being a casting director someday. I took this internship to see if there was another area of the business that I could fall in love with equal to my acting - if not more. I've thought of producing, maybe working at the studio level, casting, - anything and everything - in search of another area on interest - just out of curiosity. Now I have casting experience prior to this. I assisted in casting a feature film in Austin many moons ago, and I casted a short film there as well. I also interned at a busy office during pilot season a few years ago. I knew I always liked the casting side - I just wasn't sure how much until no...

I showed up to my audition a day late! Can you believe that??? I arrived to the FOX lot yesterday, ready for my guest star, possible recurring role on Terriers as an Asst D.A., and the guard did not have me on the list. I told him who I was meeting with, and what building they were in. He called up to the casting office to let them know I was there and she asked to speak to me. She proceeds to inform me that my audition was scheduled for YESTERDAY and she would love to see me today except they already have an offer out to someone else. And just like that, that awesome role vanished. :( I kept beating myself up for doing something so stupid! How could this happen? I checked my email from my agent, and right there it said THURSDAY, 3pm. Where did I get that it was on FRIDAY? I was so bummed! Then I remembered I got the call from my agent Wednesday night while I was teaching my teen class and the message said that my audition was Friday the 11th. I just heard FRIDAY, so that...

I have two auditions lined up for this wek! YAY!! It's beed so dead, I'm so excited about this! Tomorrow is for a national commercial and Friday is a pilot where I'm going in for the role of an Asst District Attorney. :) I hope this means I'm gonna start to get busy. REALLY busy I hope...

It has been so incredibly slow these past couple of weeks. I had an audition I set up for myself for a USC short last Thursday. It's a scene from the film Swingers , and they are doing the female version. That was a fun audition. I auditioned to play the Jon Favreau character. It shoots this coming weekend so if they want to cast me, I should hear back sometime this week. My interview with IAE Magazine just came out in their most recent issue! I'm on pages 64-66! Check it out! :) Well, it looks like I may be interning at a casting office starting this week. I'll be helping them during pilot season, trying to learn what I can. Who knows, I may need to get a job in casting if this dry spell lasts any longer. I'm also working on a short film that my friend Alex Castillo is directing. Hoping to learn what I can on the producing end as well....trying to stay busy.

I packed up what I could fit in my car and headed to Hollywood. The plan was to stay with my friend for a month and try and find a job and an apartment. I had saved up $3,000 which I thought was a lot of money at the time. Boy was I wrong! After two weeks, I found myself without a place to live and out on the street. Luckily I had met someone, who turned out to be one of my closest friends today, who took me in and let me stay with her for however long I needed. It turned out to be about three weeks. I found a cheap apartment in North Hollywood and began temping downtown while I finished my paperwork for substitute teaching. I did background work and found an agent my first month in town. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to be a professional actress in Hollywood. And I didn't know exactly how big to dream. I just wanted to work as an actress. I didn't need to be famous - I just wanted it to be my profession. Well, 9 years later, looking bac...

Well, my episode of Better Off Ted aired last night. Aside from the fact that I looked HUGE (note to self - never get pregnant), I thought it was a fun role. My dad gave me the biggest compliment ever when he told me how much he liked me in the episode and how it "didn't even look like I was acting". nice! :) In case you missed it, you can check it out on HULU or ABC.com. Or just click HERE Next up - SOUTHLAND on TNT next Tuesday. 9pm central, 10pm Pacific time.