my muse

Special Shout-Out to SUNNY "like the weather" LEE for inspiring so many of my posts this week!! She keeps me thinking :)

A Virtual Documentary

A few things: I adore documentaries. In general, I am completely freaked out by the whole phenomenon that is "Virtual Worlds." Now, some brilliant film-maker named Douglas Gayeton has actually combined the two! And I'm not talking about your usual documentary about people who are engaged in virtual worlds looking from the outside...oh no, Gayeton takes us INTO the virtual world of Second Life, working to create an entire documentary in the world itself through his virtual avatar. Absolutely amazing. The documentary, entitled "Molotov's Dispatches in Search of the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey" follows Gayeton's avatar Molotov Alva as he traverses through the Second Life world. This will be like watching an animated film, but will show "real" human interactions happening through online avatars. So much more than just chatting goes into these virtual worlds. Second Life, started in 2003, is already home to over 9 million users, many of whom make a real life business off of their virtual retail stores and real estate. The whole process is genuinely fascinating, slightly terrifying, and should really be a joy to watch. HBO has picked up the 35-minute documentary to air sometime next year. I'm definitely intrigued.

Fantasy Football Rocks My Socks!

This is SO COMPLETELY UNRELATED to anything else on my site, but I'm really excited about my team, so I wanted to share. Sorry I am such a nerd. Please forgive me.

Music to my Ears!

DEBORAH CADE

Hey Y'all. My roommate is playing her first big show at the HOUSE OF BLUES--SUNSET STRIP tonight at 8PM. I'll be out to support along with a whole slew of people. So if you're feeling an awesome rock music vibe, please come check her out. For more information or to purchase her tracks online visit her website www.myspace.com/deborahcade. She's fab!

Who All Seen da Leprechaun, Say Yeah!

An oldie, but a goodie! This news story from Mobile, AL in 2006 cracks me up everytime. So many amazingly quotable memories. It has spawned yet another internet sensation with "Where Da Gold At" music videos and "Amateur Sketch" t-shirts. For more information, check out WhereDaGoldAt.com.

I mean, it's got to be a crackhead, got ahold to the wrong stuff, and it told'm to get up in the tree and play a leprechaun. Obviously.

The Smallest Actors

For being so notoriously shy, these otters seem to be hamming it up for the camera, taking on a big bad crocodile 10 times their size. This plays like an adventure movie. Too cute!! I had to share. Otters were my favorite zoo animal as a kid :)

Clip from "Planet Earth" as narrated by Richard Attenborough:

O Canada!

Coming off of a fabulous Bastille Day celebration this weekend (shout-out to the Chez Stilts crew), I'm feeling a particular kinship to our partially French-speaking neighbors of the North: CANADA.

Canada is really an integral part of our American Film and TV industries. One that I feel is often under-appreciated and misunderstood. I think the lay person has no idea how much production is completed up there. Basically, Canada is the new Hollywood.

Its no secret that with location fees into the millions of dollars at times, it has become quite expensive to film in and around Hollywood, CA. While it is where all the finest (non-theatre) actors flock to each year, its not where most of the filming is being completed. Sure we cast the leads out of LA or NY, but what of the remaining 90% of a film or television cast? Well, all that casting is done on-location, and it is my experience that a lot of that on-location shooting is being done in Canada.
The cities of choice are Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax, depending on what scenery you want (city, rural, etc.) and whether you plan of having some semblance of a diverse cast (as ethnic actors are somewhat hard to come by in certain locations). While there are countless movies and popular tv shows that shoot in Canada like SciFi's "Battlestar Galactica," ABC Family's "Kyle XY," NBC's upcoming "Bionic Woman," and practically everything on Noggin, I think the biggest genre of entertainment being shot here are TV Movies. Canada is the perfect location for these. Quick shoots, lots of reasonably priced locations to choose from, English speaking, culturally and geographically appearing like the US. Not to mention tons of Canadian actors who are pretty cheap for hire compared to SAG scale rates.

So what am I getting at here? I'm not really sure, but I know that if I was an up-and-coming actor who was sick of LA and was looking for a new place to live to gain a little more acting experience than LA will allow...I might consider Canada. Especially with all of our political mumbo-jumbo b/w red states and blue states here lately. Plus they have national heathcare, don't ya know?

My Favorite Canadian Casting Director: COREEN MAYRS (Supernatural, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, Kyle XY, Fantastic 4, Butterfly Effect, X2, etc.)

My Favorite Canadian Talent Rep: PACIFIC ARTISTS
#1404-510 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B-1LB
Canada
Phn: 604-688-4077
info@pacificartists.com

10 Posts in One!

Sorry guys--I've been pretty caught up in my own stuff lately and have been slacking on the posts once again. Vacation will do that to you. I apologize. So 10 things on my mind to get you all up to speed:

1.) Minnesota is one lily-white state. I think I saw 2 "ethnic" people the whole time I was there. And its overrun with teenagers that want to act and are fascinated with the entertainment business. Very interesting.

2.) Ratatouille is weird...cute sorta. But really weird. Not your usual Disney/Pixar movie. I'd rent it instead and put the movie going cash towards something a bit more worthwhile.

3.) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is awesome. The movie takes what I consider to be the best parts of book 5 and leaves a lot of the really dark depressing stuff behind. Moreover, if you choose to see this movie in the theatre, PLEASE splurge for the 3D Imax experience. You certainly won't regret it. It makes the movie all the much more amazing. Trust me here. Also, Evanna Lynch who plays Loony Luna is AMAZING. Holy cow, we're gonna be seeing more of this girl. She was just phenom.

4.) Man, those Harry Potter kids grow up fast. Emma Watson is lovely as ever. She speaks out here against all her bad publicity with finishing the Harry Potter series saying she just wanted to attend "University" to help her "keep in touch with reality" and not squander her education b/c she's famous. Smart Girl. Daniel Radcliff is all sex-symbol in this month's "Details" magazine, kinda creepy but totally hot. With the London production of "Equus" and various other things, he's doing a great job of being more than just "that Harry Potter kid." Even Neville (Matt Lewis)'s looking a bit like a young Adam Levine in some pics, which is weird b/c he's so not supposed to be cute. Good for him though.

5.) Shia LeBeouff is great. His performance in this summer's biggest blockbuster Transformers is getting rave reviews. Plus he's due out in a whole slew of other big movies like the next Indiana Jones. He really is our next biggest rising star so pay attention. Its becoming harder and harder for kids to switch from child star to adult actor lately.

6.) VH1 gave Perez Hilton a show, "What Perez Sez." Damnit, that was my idea, but it was "too edgy" for my network. Ah well, good for him. I'm sure it'll be one part "Best Week Ever" and two parts "Talk Soup." Hopefully it'll be good. He's such an awkward human being though in interviews. I don't know if I'd want to look at him for a whole hour. And so arrogant, yuck. But funny. We'll see. Meanwhile, this is funny:

7.) I've been seeing my boy Zac Efron EVERYWHERE. Wowie, even the likes of Perez Hilton have been giving him some extra special attention. I'm really excited to see Hairspray still, as I'm a big fan of Storyline Entertainment and Adam Shankman (he's so loony, its great). Rumors are even flying that he's the next Kevin Bacon in an upcoming Kenny Ortega remake of Footloose. "High School Musical 2" has been getting amazing press as well, even getting its own People Magazine Special Collector's Edition. I love those kids. Oh, and he's not gay. Promise.

8.) "So You Think You Can Dance" is the summer's hottest show in my opinion. Its quite fascinating to watch. I'm Lacey and Kameron all the way, but Kameron better step it up b/c if he ever finds himself in the bottom, I think he could easily get booted. The real star of this show though is the fabulously lovely and talented Cat Deeley. She's phenomenal, and I'm extremely picky about hosts. Usually I find them as the most superfluous and useless parts of competition shows. Cat is completely different. She is fun and genuine and sweet. Her presence really adds to the show and keeps me wanting more. Oh, and Wade Robson is a genius, nuff said. See my fave Mia Michaels' dance with Lacey and Kameron below:

9.) Speaking of guilty pleasures, ABC Family aired its series "GREEK" on Monday at 9PM. I'm loving this show so much, words cannot express. I hear its getting a lot of negative press from Greek organizations around the country, but they're all looney. Take it from someone who lived it, GREEK is a pretty accurate depiction of sorority and frat life. Plus its just so damn entertaining. The kids in it are great, and it really just gets me all nostalgic. *Tear*

10.) If I hear one more thing about those people coming to America, I'm gonna puke. You know who I'm talking about. Side note: I am really excited for that reality show though. While she seems like a total oddball bitch in photos, I find her to be quite warm and funny in interviews. Plus, he's just gorgeous.

And that's the world according to Kat. Ta ta!

When 5-become-1...again.

So...embarassing reveal #357...I was a huge Spice Girls fan in Jr. High (What? I was 12!!). Anyhow, the SPICE GIRLS reunited on stage today for the first time in 9 years for a press conference at London's 02 Arena to announce that they will be doing a World-Wide Reunion Tour with all five members: Emma Bunton (Baby), Melanie Brown (Scary), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty), Geri Halliwell (Ginger) and even Victoria Beckham (Posh). The tour is expected to kick off in Los Angeles on December 7th of this year, then go on to make other appearances in the US, UK, China, Australia, and further abroad. Now, naturally, I hope to be in attendance. If for no other reason than to relive my glory days as a rambunctuous pre-teen...the nostalgia is already setting in. For any other former Spice fans out there, go to www.thespicegirls.com to register for a chance to buy tickets once they're released. They've assured the press that they're not in it for the money, but we'll wait until ticket prices are revealed to be the judge of that.

The Girls are certainly looking a bit different these days. Maybe they should change their name to the Spice Women as they're all looking a bit mom-ish in this pic...with the exception of Victoria who looks like a female terminating robot from outerspace, despite actually having the most children and the hottest husband (David Beckham...yum!). At least they've still got their signature high high heels. Should be interesting...GIRL POWER!!

Mika Brzezinski is my hero...

Oh my gosh, I love this so much!! I just couldn't wait until it was up on YouTube or somewhere else where it could be embedded. Please please check out this link on MSNBC starring respectable news anchor Mika Mrzezinski. Its a series of clips taken throughout the day of Mika's newscast. Apparently she was battling it out behind the scenes with her Producer because she adamantly refused to present Paris Hilton's release from jail as news. You've got to admire her for taking a stand!
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=e771e428-bc1a-4ba7-8715-b871d757ccce&f=06/64&fg=email

**UPDATE**It's been posted on YouTube. See below!

Pictures Worth 1000 Words...and Stars!

So I am on IMDB a great deal, as you can imagine, since I work in casting and all. One thing I've noticed is that there are two photos that have come up in my various searches more times than ANY OTHER PHOTO, and each time I discover someone new and interesting that I perhaps had never considered before. The irony here is that both photos are publicity shots from films that I've never even heard of, let alone seen. I have a feeling neither movie is going to be all that great, but they certainly both have quite the ensemble cast so I definitely need to get on it. Anyway, I thought I'd share my discoveries with you all!
SOURCE: BRINGING RAIN
PICTURED: Niesha Butler, Olek Krupa, Adrian Grenier ("Entourage") ; middle row: Ray Santiago (Meet the Fockers), Paz de la Huerta (Cider House Rules), Larisa Oleynik (10 Things I Hate About You) ; bottom row: Rodrigo Lopresti, Merritt Wever ("Studio 60"), Ryan Donowho ("The OC"), Nathalie Paulding, Alexis Dziena ("Invasion"), Noah Fleiss (Brick)

SOURCE: DOA: Dead or Alive
PICTURED: Devon Aoki (Sin City), Holly Valance ("Prison Break"), Sarah Carter ("Shark"), Jaime Pressly ("My Name Is Earl"), Natassia Malthe (Elektra)

Both pictures contain a mixture of big stars and up-and-comers. I would definitely keep a look out for the unknowns. Who knows, maybe these pictures hold the keys to entertainment success? :)

"Casting About" A Film

I just love it when people start to take a more in depth look at my industry. Casting really is such a complex, artistic, and intriguing process and its wonderful for people to take a moment to acknowledge its beauty. In the wake of a failed theatrical project, Filmmaker Barry J. Hershey has chosen to put all his casting footage to good use. With the help of editor Marc Grossman, he's carefully crafted hours of audition footage into one documentary feature about the casting process entitled "Casting About." I am quite intrigued. So far its only been shown in New York and Sydney, Australia, but I can't wait to get my hands on it and see the casting process from a filmmaker's prospective. Plus, I'm sure it showcases quite a colorful array of actresses trying to make their way in this business.

Find out more information at www.castingaboutmovie.com

Dollface by Andy Huang

Here I am always talking about people being physically attractive, I thought I'd mix it up and show something with a bit more depth. I thought this clip was beautiful and inspired. Its an amazing commentary on the unrealistic standards of beauty in the media. It illustrates getting caught up and trying so hard to be something else that you can end up destroying who you really are. Just lovely.

Thanks Justin for bringing this clip to my attention!

The Bob Iger Experience

So I had the opportunity to be a part of a Q&A session with Bob Iger this morning, Mr. President and CEO of Disney himself. It was an interesting experience to say the least. I'm not normally one to namedrop or brag about my experience, but I think its helpful sometimes to get insight into what the big whigs are like. The first thing I noticed was that Bob Iger truly is a gifted speaker. He speaks freely, and eloquently, and nothing about his words seem forced or inauthentic. He's very charismatic, but still, I was more impressed with how down-to-earth Bob was. He maintained an impressive sense of humor, and he was very open and honest about each question that was posed to him, no matter how trivial and ridiculous it seemed to the rest of us (one lady actually asked Bob Iger why there were "don't feed the squirrels" signs on the Disney lot). He talked about his recent trip to Russia to expand Disney's product influence there (including an anecdote involving vodka) and you could see his excitement as he discussed the new disney.com and its broadband capabilities.

A lot of the questions people asked bothered me though...nearly every question was focused on a negative issue about the company and what Bob could do to fix it...almost all of them trivial. It was frustrating being represented by such a group. One lady even asked why they usually didn't hire A-list actors for Disney's animated movies. Because Disney doesn't need to, you moron. A-List doesn't mean "most talent"...it just means "most expensive." Disney is fortunate enough not to have to rely on name-value in order to market its products--all people need to hear is "Disney" and that's enough name to make people want to see it. Therefore, they have the freedom to find the best actor for the job. This is casting at its best--without all the pressure from the studio to hire a fancy name over the strongest talent. Behold, Disney's upcoming animated feature with Pixar: Ratatouille. I just love how this poster doesn't have a single person's name on it. Its not about the actor...its about the film. Way to go, Disney.

Yay, WSJ !!

I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal that I found very interesting. While I am completely content in my current job and just started this blog to keep my own thoughts and opinions organized, its nice to know other people are recognizing the efforts we make. Check it out!


How Blogs Are Changing the Recruiting Landscape
Wall Street Journal
By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN
April 10, 2007; Page B1

Corporate recruiters have long surfed the Web to vet potential hires, but now they are also surfing blogs to unearth job candidates, expanding their talent pool and gaining insights they say they can't get from résumés and interviews.

Ryan Loken, a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recruitment manager, says he spends one to two hours a week searching through blogs for new talent or additional information about the candidates he has interviewed. "Blogs are a tool in the tool kit," he says. Since he joined the Bentonville, Ark., retail giant three years ago, Mr. Logen estimates that Web journals have helped him fill 125 corporate jobs. Most of the recruits were referred to him by bloggers and blog contributors, and some were the writers themselves.

Most blog-related recruits are professionals in technology and media because jobs in these fields often require knowledge of the blogosphere, says Kirsten Dixson, a founding partner at Brandego LLC, a career-management firm in Exeter, N.H., that specializes in personal branding.

In June, Brian Balfour's blog, SocialDegree.com, inspired an unsolicited offer for a product-manager job from an executive at Zoom Information Inc. "I was impressed by the points Brian was making and the way he was making them," says Russell Glass, vice president of products and marketing at the Waltham, Mass., technology company. The blog also offered details about Mr. Balfour's work history and education. "It was a no-brainer to give him a call and see if he'd be interested," Mr. Glass says.

Mr. Balfour says he was intrigued when he heard about the opportunity. "It came at a time that was pretty right for me because I was just coming off selling a business and looking for where I would head next," he says. Three months later, Mr. Balfour, who is 24 years old, got the job.

Greg Sterling, a strategy consultant for Internet companies and a blogger in Oakland, Calif., describes job offers as "a natural byproduct of the exposure you get from blogging." He says he gets about 15 inquiries a month from companies and search-firm recruiters seeking to fill consulting gigs and full-time jobs. "My blog is a vehicle that keeps me exposed to people on a daily basis," he notes.

Mr. Sterling believes that one reason his Web journal, Screenwork, regularly generates job offers is that he has never written about wanting them. "If you [blog] to get a job, you'll be less successful," he says. "It's just like dating. If you appear too hungry, nobody wants to date you."

But Ms. Dixson disagrees. "If you're currently job hunting, say so in your blog's 'About Me' blurb," she advises. "Say you're interested in learning about opportunities in your field."

Blogs also help employers probe the qualifications of potential hires, says Wal-Mart's Mr. Loken. "If they have a blog or made a comment on one, you can see what their knowledge level truly is because résumés can be full of fluff."

Job seekers who blog increase the odds that a potential employer will find information online that the candidate wants to be seen, says Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant in Washington and the author of "The Corporate Blogging Book," which was published last summer. "Everybody has an online identity whether they know it or not, and a blog is the single best way to control it," she says. "You're going to be Googled. No one hires anyone or buys anything these days without going online first and doing research."

Indiscrete bloggers can derail job opportunities. A candidate for an entry-level sales job at Zoom was knocked out of the running in December after Mr. Glass read his blog. "My jaw dropped," he says. "The person started to make disparaging remarks about the people he interviewed with."

Mr. Glass was also put off by instances of foul language and comments about getting drunk. "This was a character problem," he says. "Whether you're writing about people you interviewed with or you're making a public statement that can be construed as immoral, these are the types of things an employer is going to look at and consider in their assessment of you as a candidate."

Mr. Glass adds that he doesn't read blogs on a regular basis. He came across the candidate's blog postings because the word "zoominfo" was flagged by a system he uses to alert him to any mentions of his employer's Web site.

Some job seekers call recruiters' attention to their blogs as a way to boost their candidacy. In an interview for a public-relations job in late 2004, Kevin Dugan says he told recruiters at Cincinnati-based FRCH Design Worldwide that he had been writing a blog for two years. "Blogging was a way for me to build credibility," he says. "It was a way to show my writing skills pretty easily as well as my knowledge of blogging and the public-relations industry." Mr. Dugan, 36, got the job and continues to write his blog, which he says generates about one job lead a month.

Companies that allow their employees to continue to blog run the risk of having a competitor poach their talent. Mr. Balfour, who continued to blog after he joined Zoom, says he has been invited on several job interviews because of his blog, though he turned down the opportunities that were offered.

"We wanted Brian to continue to blog because it's a great way to show leadership through zoominfo," says Mr. Glass. "But it's a double-edged sword since he continues to receive job offers."

Some companies encourage employees to blog because they can use them to recruit others. When recruiter Harry Joiner was hired to fill two positions at Musician's Friend Inc. in November, he used an employee's personal blog to help sell his client's rural location of Medford, Ore., to job seekers. "Candidates were using Medford as a reason not to consider the jobs," he says. "As a marketer, I thought, if you can't change it, promote it."

The blog, by So Young Park, the company's director of e-commerce marketing and customer-relationship management, describes her move to the area a year ago from New York City. It includes details about her work, her experience owning a car for the first time, a bear sighting near her new home and related topics. While she started the blog to share information about her experiences with family and friends back East, she acknowledges that it has also been a good resource for attracting job hunters.

Mr. Joiner says he linked to the blog in ads he posted on job boards and in emails to potential candidates. He says it helped him get professionals to leave jobs in Los Angeles. "The blog made a ton of difference," he says. "It humanized [Ms. Park] to candidates and made the jobs more attractive."

Life Comes at You Fast...

Superbowl's over. Colts win. Da Bears are out. I wasn't partial to either one considering I am a huge Saints AND Patriots fan. Sad times. So I focused on the commercials between gametime.

Okay, so this post will probably discredit me indefinitely, but I have to admit, I found this commercial to be quite funny. Kevin Federline's Nationwide insurance commercial was probably one of the funnier ones from the Superbowl XLI spot line-up (next to the doritos, snickers, and various bud light commercials). At least he knows he's a joke, right? Just hearing the phrase "Federline, FRIES!!" is satisfaction enough for me. Check out any others you might have missed at www.youtube.com/superbowl. Anyway, have a good laugh (without admitting it to your friends of course).

Dear Barneys-

That Marc Jacobs billboard on the corner of Franklin & Highland in Hollywood has GOT to go. Its been there for as long as I can remember (at least 6 months) and I am forced to stare at it rolling along at 2 MPH trying to get home from work each day. Now, I like Barneys and I like Marc Jacobs. But, anyone with eyes can see that this billboard is a lie. An illusion and it insults me. What are these two, siamese twins? Or maybe hottie-rocker-hair just doesn't have an arm or left shoulder? It's pretty clear that these models were never really captured by the same camera in the same moment, but rather fatefully joined at the hair by the fabulous talents of photoshop. Is that even really her arm? The world may never know...

**UPDATE** IT's GONE!! I don't know how or why, but as of 2/20/07 this badboy is no longer haunting my commute. Yay!