Grand Central Casting

I got a phone call the other day, telling me I was booked for a mystery gig. Basically, it meant we wouldn't be told anything about the gig until the day of the event.

Upon calling the hot-line, some basic info was given. We meet up early in Brooklyn for a morning rehearsal, get released around 3:30, then meet up again (sort of) between 6:30 pm and 7:10 pm in Grand Central Station to be in place for the mystery event taking place at 7:25 pm. We are instructed to come in casually, randomly, and through various entrances. We go to our designed locations and "act natural" until the event "happens", then act "surprised" about it (without over acting).

11:00am
The morning meet up was in a cold warehouse basement right by the waterfront. I half expected to see a few Mafia members "taking out the trash."

We sit around, filling out our paperwork, while a group of a hundred or so dancers run through some kind of rehearsal on the floor above me. I then realized that these old warehouses (this one being built in the 1860's) seem really sturdy. That is until there are a hundred or so dancers running through some kind of rehearsal on the floor above you... At this point we haven't been told if the dancing stuff is for the event or not, but since one of the musical selections included a snippet from "Love Train", I'm thinking it just might be.

12:45pm
Someone from up above (both in ranking and physical location) just came down to say hello before we all get herded upstairs for more information. From the accent, I'm assuming she's French. The only thing said was that this would be "historical". Everyone is now speculating what this might be. Is there a celebrity involved? Who's filming in town?

My guess at this point is that it could be an elaborate marriage proposal, where this all culminates with the guy on his knee with the ring. It could be celebrity based as well, as there are a LOT of actors involved with this. That much talent doesn't come cheap, and you'd have to either have the money, or whoever is arranging this FOR that person has money to pull this off.

2:15pm
The director comes down to speak with us all, reiterating that we have to react naturally, which is why they're not telling us anything about what's going to happen. We are told that 40 of us will be picked at random as we exit holding to be more involved, and will be brought in to work with the dancers. I was randomly *not* chosen. They did graciously provide us with a MetroCard with enough credit to get is to Grand Central, which was a nice surprise.

2:30pm
They released us into the wild, with instructions to be at Grand Central sometime before 7:15pm, as everyone needs to be in place when this starts. They apparently have been granted only a 7 minute clearance to perform this.

So now I go to waste four hours in New York. I can deal with a challenge like that.

3:15pm
Decided to go straight to Grand Central to get the lay the land. As I walk around, I overhear two women remarking about the spotlights and speakers scattered around the upper level of the concourse. "They must be having some kind of an event here tonight." one of them says.

Oh yeah. Nobody is going to suspect a thing...

6:55pm
I arrive at Grand Central. I feel worn out from walking around Times Square for several hours, so I should definitely look the part of the weary traveler.

7:07pm
I make my way to the main concourse, and walk wearily around. There are close to a thousand or more people here. The upper concourse is filled to bursting, and cameras are flashing all over the place. I hear two guys talking. "Yeah, I think somethings going on here. Probably one of those things where people suddenly break out and dance." "Oh! That'd be cool!"

A lady just walked out of track 26 (where I was leaning again the wall, resting). She looks at the crowd and asks me "Is something happening here?" I just look at here confused. She walks away saying "Is this normal for a Sunday?"

Yup. This "secret plan" of theirs is working like a charm...

7:17pm
Passing the information counter, I overhear someone saying "Well, my friend said to be here at 7:00, but now it's 7:15!"

Nice work, gang.

7:35pm
A group of people make their way into the concourse dressed in funky ski outfits, and when the lights came on and the music started, they all started a big dance montage with all different songs ranging from showtunes to movie soundtracks to rock. It ended with some girl being raised on a guy's shoulder, and she plays her stomach to a guitar solo. Then everyone crowds around her, focusing all attention on her.

I have NO idea who she is, but somehow I thought it was meant to highlight her. Eventually, I found out it was promoting a line of fashion wear.

The video cameras were all over the place, and we were told back in holding to look for the video tomorrow on YouTube.

If you find it, be sure to look for me.

I'm the short guy being blocked by everybody.

And since so many hundreds of people were there (due to lots of blabbing), our presence was oh-so necessary.

Now I wander around for another 15 minutes to make my leaving look "natural". Oy.

8:35pm
Waiting in line to be checked out. Outside a building on 42nd St near Times Square. The line is long. Quite long. But I wind up being 6 from the end. I see that everybody else just high tailed it over here immediately after the performance ended. This is my reward for actually following direction. I find out that all the people in the upper concourse were press and "invited guests". So perhaps this wasn't as big a secret as we'd been led to believe?

At the start of the day they told us they'd probably be done around 9:00. They must mean 9am on Monday, considering how slowly they're filing us into the building entrance and into the cramped elevators...

9:58pm
Finally checked out, and heading back to the subway to get back to Penn Station, and catch the next train home. I miss the first subway train by seconds, but fortunately the next one comes along a few moments later.

10:11pm
I arrive at Penn Station with three minutes to make it to my train, or I'm stuck here for another 45 minutes. Luck is with me for a change, and I slide into my seat with under a minute before the doors slam shut. The ride will take about 70 minutes, with another 45 to drive home.

Was it worth it? Of course it was! After all, I was part of something historical.

Then again, the woman's French accent was rather thick. Perhaps she really said "hysterical"?

Fin.

Visit the Geek Boutique on Zazzle! Interesting apparel for interesting people!

"I'm a very patient man"

Today I'm doing one of my "playing patient" gigs. My local university hospital has what's called a "standardized patient" program, where actors (well, *some* are actors) play the part of being a patient for student doctors in training. The students sometimes have to just diagnose, sometimes treat, and sometimes have to learn bedside manner techniques.

Today I play a patient who has had a headache for over 20 years. He's had surgeries and treatments but nothing works.

As fate would have it, I actually have a headache today, with pain in the areas that are described in the case. I must be working on my "method acting" techniques without realizing it.

My first doctor was a nice young lady. Very personable. Good with notes. Pretty much asked all the right questions.

Second doctor looked the part, but didn't ask pertinent questions which might have gotten me to reveal information which would have helped his diagnosis. Was very unprepared too. Constantly looking at his cheat sheet, ignoring me for minutes at a time. Find even perform a basic physical exam (which is standard procedure on ANY patient). FAIL.

Doctor three asked lots of pertinent questions, but got all flustered during the physical exam, constantly apologizing when she messed up or took too long doing something. Wearing sandal/shoes didn't do much to make me admire her professionalism either...

My final doctor was a bit... flamboyant, but asked a lot of good questions, took a lot of good notes, but despite this, continued to ask many of the same questions over and over. You'd think having it in front of him in his own handwriting would jog his memory. Oh, and if you haven't gotten that reflex action with the hammer after three tries, move on. Seven whacks in the same spot DOES get irritating...

Tomorrow I go back to have them practice Osteopathic Manipulations. With any luck, my spine won't get severed.

The Actor Says "Moo!"

Attending a 2pm open call in NYC today. Open Call is the official term. It's otherwise known as a "cattle call", where anyone and everyone is invited to attend. Plenty of actors, some students, some moms, and plenty of New York's unemployed masses, hoping to get some work. I'm told that this is a broad spectrum call, encompassing many different current and upcoming projects.

As of the start of this writing (1:50pm), I am about a block away from the entrance, in the back third of the line, which has just started to move (if you count walking four steps forward moving.) The last time I attended an open call, an accident held up traffic, getting me here with only 30 minutes to spare. Sadly, the fates were against me, as they cut off the line NINE PEOPLE in front of me. Hopefully I will fare better this time around.

2:05pm. We've moved about half a block, and I've gotten to see one of the more colorful residents of this fine city. A man, approximately 6'4" tall, dressed all in suede patchwork, wearing a fur hat, fur boots, feathers, sunglasses, and many many ornate chains around his neck. Some kind of eclectic fusion of a Viking, Mr. T., and that native American guy from The Village People. And, no - he wasn't part of this open call.

3:10pm. We've moved another half block, and then the truth is seen. We're entering on the next block over! We're no where near getting in yet, and this is supposed to be from 2-4pm. This doesn't bode well. I'm having flashbacks to my previous open call, and pray that I karma will work with me this time.

3:45pm. The gods are smiling upon me for a change. The line suddenly picked up speed, and I was inside by 3:30pm. A quick sit down to fill out paperwork, then handing in my somewhat outdated headshot (as I have my beard now - although I did attach a smaller photo of me with the beard), then they took two digital photos. I wore my black suit with dark blue shirt to try and look professional.

As I head towards the uptown subway station, I take a look, and notice that the line is almost TWICE as long as it was when I first got in line. Oy. Glad I got here when I did (although I tried to get here earlier). Now, I'm on my way back home. Hopefully, this will bear fruit, otherwise I'll have spent more coming to NY for the past month, than I'll have earned. Only time will tell...

2010 - Not a Crappy Way To Start

Well, I was all excited - having booked my first acting gig of 2010. It was for the TV show "Mercy" (episode 113 - "Elephant"). It was an exterior shot on Tuesday January 5th - call time 5:30am. We were advised that it was ALL exteriors, filming in the woods, so dress in plenty of extra layers for warmth. I did so, wearing two layers of UnderArmer tops, one layer of UnderArmor and one layer of thermal undies for the bottoms - and two pairs of socks.

I was prepared.

I was going to be a cop helping in a search and rescue mission. So I've got the nifty cop outfit - complete with gunbelt.

That was where the problem was. The gunbelt wouldn't fit properly (either too tight or too loose), so it was advised to just loop my existing belt around it, and buckle that tight. Which I did. It definitely prevented my gunbelt from slipping down.

Unfortunately, the production team decided to violate union rules (I'm not union, but that's not the point) and not provide breaks of ANY kind for EIGHT HOURS. No pee break, no "snack" break, no break to warm up, and no meal break (and Union rules state a meal break is required by six hours).

So I've had the pressure on my abdomen for eight hours now. We finally get the meal break. I take off the bulk of the costume, I eat, then have to get back into things again (more difficult having just eaten my first real meal of the day). Now I have even MORE pressure on my abdomen - and we finally wrap for the day about four hours later.

Since that day, I haven't felt right. I chalked it up to being freezing in the cold for 12 hours (with not much moving about to help keep warm). By Saturday night, I knew something really wasn't proper (abdominal distension, pressure in my head, nausea), so that night I went to the hospital to get checked out.

They took x-rays, and blood work, and a urine sample (which they take a tiny bit of and throw the rest away - I mean - I worked HARD to squirt that neatly into the cup, and they just toss it? What a waste!). Then hooked me up to an I.V. drip for about an hour or so to help rehydrate me.

Three and a half hours later, I'm told what's going on.

Final diagnosis: Extensive pressure on my abdomen from the ill fitting gunbelt I had to wear during Tuesday's gig caused internal inflammation in my abdominal region creating a restriction of movement in my digestive tract resulting in a mass buildup of fecal material in my intestines.

Yes, that's right folks. The doctor confirmed what you already knew.

I'm full of shit.

Two prescriptions later, I'm waiting for "everything to come out all right".

Still, I DO love my job.

But I think I'll only submit for "interior" work for the next few weeks...

One THUMBS UP performance!

FINALLY! My first job working background is finally aired!

While I was enjoying "Cinematic Titanic - Live" in Philly, I was also on television, so it seems.

It's episode 107 (renumbered 106) of KINGS, where I was a "body double" for Ian McShane.

And here it is, my first job as a background actor!

See that! SEE THAT?!

Yup. That's MY thumb in the left side there, holding onto the picture!

Yeah...hitting the big-time soon...

A Royal Pain that was a Royal Gain for me!

And finally, more than just my BALDSPOT is shown on National TV!

Thursday nights "Royal Pains" on USA Network (episode 01x02 - There Will Be Food) got me some actual face time! Check it out!

I'm about 9:20 into the episode (and hopefully I've gotten this to cue up at just about the right point). If the embedded video doesn't show, then go here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/77330/royal-pains-there-will-be-food?c=556:590

Spent the day on Thursday filming various background scenes for various episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (which, based on the fact that it was raining on Thursday, proves that the title is a misnomer). I might be seen in one of the scenes here too, as I happened to be placed in a perfect spot, depending on which camera angle they use.

The director that day was none other than Mr. Wonder Years himself: Fred Savage. He looks just the same, even with a scruffy beard. Nice guy. We filmed in a Dave & Buster's in Philly, and I got paid to play games in the arcade for about 4 hours (THEY paid for the credits on the machines, and I got to keep the tickets, almost 1,400 credits worth - which should allow me to redeem them for a micro-plush "Stewie" doll or something like that). All in all, not a bad day. Especially since it paid more than some of my NY gigs!

Next week, my Mini and I get to work on another ep of Royal Pains! More on that next week...

Fighting crime, earning a check...

Ninjew said:

Sometimes, I get to do some really amazing things.

I remember being on the set of The Producers, and being part of the final shot of the day - the one that got me my little bit of screen time and working with Michael McKean.

I remember singing The National Anthem at a local minor league ball game, hearing my voice echo through the stands.

Then there are days when I do THIS:

Oh yeah. The glamorous life of an actor. Walking the streets of Philly dressed as Batman.

It’s all part of a big "scavenger hunt" game (for my part, they had to find Batman, and take a staged picture of him doing something a Superhero would never do because if it ended up in the tabloids, he’d be ruined).

A friend who works in the city made it a point to track me down, take this pic, and immediately post it on his Facebook.

What a pal…

At least I get paid for this. And considering it’s only about two hours work, the pay ain’t bad when you calculate it.

Yup. I’m a working actor. I’m not a star, but I’m getting paid to do what I love.

It’s a start…

Once again without a Friday night gig. I'll soon be taking a mortgage out on a split-level cardboard box.

January 22.

Just got word that ANOTHER Friday night show was cancelled.

Frickin' economy.

Trying to get another background gig, but no avail. NYCasting online allows you to self submit. I have my own personal account with NYCasting online, and one that was set up by Central Casting. If I submit myself on a project being cast by Central Casting, they use the photo of me they have in their database. My personal account uses my uploaded professional headshot.

My online photo at Central Casting in NY was a digital snap they took the day I went to their offices and registered with them.

It was hot. It was summer. I didn't dress appropriately, as I figured they'd just take my headshot. I was wrong.

Let's compare, shall we?

Here's my headshot:

Here's what they took at Central Casting:

Oh yeah. I've got a chance of gettin' hired this week.

I've already made plans with an actor friend to re-visit Central Casting this Wednesday and update our digital photos.

Guess what I'll be wearing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One little comment I have to make here. I was all excited to hear that The Electric Company was being revived by PBS. It was always one of my favorite shows growing up, and I still know half the songs by heart.

I took a look at the new one which premiered today.

It's NOTHING like the show I grew up with. I watched a little further, and this is my personal opinion:

Easy Reader, where are you when we need you?!

King For A Day

KING FOR A DAY

I tend to make most of my money these days by doing lots and lots of schlocky Murder Mystery Dinner theater for a few different companies. It's not high art, but it does help pay the bills.

Well, I received an email on the morning of Thursday January 15th, telling me that my Friday the 16th show was cancelled (due to lack of sufficient reservations).

Swell.

Well, I immediately decided to be proactive, and look for work. I'd recently signed up on a self-submission casting website for NY productions. I found EVERYTHING Non-Union that was available for the 16th, and submitted myself.

About four hours later, I got a phone call from one of the casting agencies in NY, asking if I was available for an overnight shoot in NYC. I, of course, said "yes".

The call time for the shoot was 6pm at the NY Public Library, and I was told to dress warm (due to wind chills BELOW zero in the city). They told me I was going to be a "Crime Scene" Investigator, but I couldn't make out the name of the show when the agency lady told me. So I wasn't sure if it was "CSI NY" or "Law and Order", or any variations of that show.

Turns out, it was none of them. It's for a new show called "Kings", which premiers in March on NBC.

So, I dress for the elements. I've got SO many layers on, that I can barely fasten my pants. I go to North Jersey, and take a train into Penn Station (trying to keep things as cheap as possible) and start walking to the library. Two strong gusts of wind later, and I'm shouting "TAXI!"

I get to the library, check in, and start the long process of "hurry up and wait". Most shoots try to be wrapped up within 10 to 12 hours (so they don't have to pay overtime and beyond for Union members), and I was prepared for the long haul. They call me over, fit me in my CSI uniform, and I sit and wait.

While I was being fitted for my CSI uniform, one of the costume people asks me what size suit I wear. After a little back and forth, I'm told I'll be doing a stint as a body double for one of the actors. Specifically, the character of "Silas".

About two hours pass, and they tell the CSI guys to get into their suits (alternate clothing we were to bring for a different scene). We do so. I then find that with all of these multiple layers, that I am completely unable to fasten the pants of this other suit! It just ain't happening! After much shifting and adjusting, I'm able to make it LOOK like they're fastened. Boy, I feel fat...

So, as I bake in my suit, we sit like this for about a half hour. Then they call for all the CSI guys to get ready to go to set IN UNIFORM. They also tell us that all exterior shooting is done, and everything else is indoors.

Great.

I then do a super-fast change into the OTHER suit I had, but take the time to remove my bottom layers (as my shirt and tie were the same for both suits). I'm MUCH more comfortable now (and don't feel like my head is being expanded and turning red like a beet.)

We proceed to set, and are issued our CSI props (cameras, fingerprint dusting stuff, briefcases with vials and other equipment.) We do MORE "hurry up and wait" as they decide what they're gonna do. This scene is supposed to take place in the King's palace, where some kind of book or document has been stolen from a glass display. Amazingly, the New York Public Library looks just like a palace (if you live in a low-rent palace, that is).

Filming finally begins, and to make my background blur more identifiable, I put on a set of red glasses/goggles that are used to more easily see images picked up by a black-light lamp. They start out on the top of my head, then I put them on as the scene progresses. After about an hour, they finish our scene and we break for lunch.

So while I'm eating, they tell us non-union guys that we're done. I mention that I was asked to body double. They check, and tell me to get into THAT costume NOW. So much for eating!

While getting into THAT outfit, I remove the remainder of the thermals, so I can be comfortable. I go to the set, and they give me a photograph to hold in both hands. The camera (film, btw - not video) is up beside by head, shooting downwards. So for that scene, I'm just bringing the photo up into view, as if I'm looking at it with the camera being my POV. If you're lucky, you just might be able to see my THUMB!

So, that's done. I get back into my thermals and clothes. It's 1:30am now. I start to get signed out, and the guy there says that because I was a body double, my pay gets bumped up to $140 (normal non-union wages are about $75-$78 for 10 hours). He then sees on the form that I'm non-union, and has to go check about this. 45 minutes later, he finds out that I don't get bumped up. Fine. I can handle that. I do however ask if I can get a SAG waiver for doing the body double work (I have one waiver from a previous gig, but getting this waiver makes it one step closer to being eligible for Union work, and that's where the potential for more money comes in). 25 more minutes later, and I'm told that I CAN'T get a waiver either. THAT sucks for me. I then have about four or five Union members come over to me after overhearing what happened. They all say that it's not right and that I should call the SAG office and complain. I opt not too, as I don't want to make any waves this early on in my illustrious career.

So, I'm completely done now.

Time to go home, right?

Nuh-uh. My problem is: I'm stuck in NY until 5am. Why? Because the next train back to Jersey isn't until 5:15am, so I have to just hang out until about 4:20 when I would start out walking towards Penn Station again. All the while I'm fighting to stay awake (which makes me fear for the ride home). I watch a few RiffTrax shorts and the riff of the Star Wars Holiday Special on my iPod to pass the time and keep awake. 4:30 rolls around and I pack up, bulk up, and head out. It doesn't feel too cold right now. I'm glad. I make it to the corner of 5th Ave and 42nd St. A massive gust of wind hits me, and I'm not sure if my nose just snapped off in the cold or not. I raise my arm and yell "TAXI!"

I get to the station, and sit around waiting for the NJ Transit train station to open up for boarding. Some of the Penn Station "residents" wander around, and several of them gather together, and start laughing as one of them removes a bottle from a brown paper bag.

Apparently, it's time for 4:30am cocktails.

I finally board the train. I figure out my station (since they PA system on the train isn't working, so I have to GUESS which one to get off at), arriving at 5:40am. I now have to wait even longer, because the parking garage doesn't open until 6am. Fortunately, the train station has a (somewhat) climate controlled waiting area.

6:10am I get to the car. Start it up. Pay for parking. Head home. I have to stop twice along the way just to get out and wake myself up, as I feel myself nodding off along the 90 minute ride home. Along the way, I get a call from my daughter, who has left a CD she needs for her South Jersey Chorus rehearsal in my car. Her grandmother is going to take her, but I've got to go to the Grandmother's house with the CD FIRST before I go home.

Mission accomplished. I get home. I do a check of emails before heading to bed. I am now OVERtired, and have trouble sleeping. When I finally do, my cell phone rings. It's my mother. I let it go to voicemail. Then the house phone rings. It's my mother. I figure it's important, so I get up and answer it. Turns out she's heading to the casinos to get a free gift, and wants to know if she should get an "M P 3 player". I tell her "no", that I just got home, and am going to bed. She then proceeds to ask me about 4,000 questions about my experience. I finally explode that I'll tell her AFTER I go to sleep and AFTER I wake up!

"Oh." she says. "Okay."

Then I drag my butt back to bed, and sleep maybe about 4 hours total. I'm a wreck for rest of the day.

Later, I figure my overall spending for the day. With the train, tolls, taxis and parking - I spend about half of what I earned. Wonderful. But at least I've got some substantial stuff to put on my resume to prove that I'm actually doing legitimate work.

I did some checking on the show "Kings" and found out that the show is new to NBC and premiers in March. I also found out that the character of "Silas" that I doubled for is actually KING Silas, the lead of the show.

My Body Double bit for King Silas will be in Episode 107

My CSI role will be in Episode 110

Now I wait for the next gig....