Saturday, May 10, 2008

BOOKED!

After many auditions my darling son booked his first, of hopefully many, gigs and he and I have been up in the LA area for the past three days while he shoots.

It has been an awesome and eye-opening experience to say the least.

He is shooting with five other kids and they have all become the best of friends - I know he will find it hard to say goodbye after the shoot ends tonight. I too will miss all my new mom and dad friends! I have met a wonderful group of women and men with amazing children.

The whole set experience is different too, everyone is so so nice!

One of the coolest aspects is the fact that it is a green screen set and the kids are all having to listen and ad lib and they have all been total pros and troopers.

But probably the best aspect of all is seeing my little boy having such a good time performing.

The worst aspect - miss the hubby so much and of course my son misses his dad too :)

Time to update the resume and move forward - onward and maybe upward?? Who knows only time will tell.

BOOKED!

After many auditions my darling son booked his first, of hopefully many, gigs and he and I have been up in the LA area for the past three days while he shoots.

It has been an awesome and eye-opening experience to say the least.

He is shooting with five other kids and they have all become the best of friends - I know he will find it hard to say goodbye after the shoot ends tonight. I too will miss all my new mom and dad friends! I have met a wonderful group of women and men with amazing children.

The whole set experience is different too, everyone is so so nice!

One of the coolest aspects is the fact that it is a green screen set and the kids are all having to listen and ad lib and they have all been total pros and troopers.

But probably the best aspect of all is seeing my little boy having such a good time performing.

The worst aspect - miss the hubby so much and of course my son misses his dad too :)

Time to update the resume and move forward - onward and maybe upward?? Who knows only time will tell.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Is Slow Bad?

I haven't really written in a while, mostly because I haven't really got anything too new or great to report, but today my fears have brought out the need.

When I write, I analyze and I feel the need to anaylze.

It's only been around a little shy of two months since my baby boy got his new agent but already I'm feeling as if the window of opportunity has been missed.

I feel this way mostly because he hasn't really booked any big gigs that have made his agent any money, just small stuff to get his face out there --but the clincher that started my fear spiral was that he didn't do a single audition last week...not one.

When you're used to going up to LA for auditions two to three times a week, a week of nothing is sort of nerve wracking.

I'm trying to tell myself that it's just a slow phase but it feels wrong to not audition even once in a week.

And on top of that emails are now going unanswered by his agent. I realize she is busy...but I don't email unless I have a good reason so it feels sort of like being blown off not to get a response.

On the upside...his acting classes are going amazing. He has a very natural, charismatic talent and it is being honed very nicely by his acting teacher.

Also he has finally learned to swim and he is over the top happy about that. It's become a daily ritual for he and I to hit the pool after homework is done.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Please Don't Let This Be A Sign Of Things To Come

What a way to start out the month of March, with not one, but two flat tires on my car!!

I hope and pray this is not a sign of the month to come....please, please, please let things start picking up and becoming more positive.

I do feel very fortunate however that these flat tires came on the heels of a weekend and not on the 805 to LA while going 70 miles an hour. I know it could have been so much worse.

It's easy to forget how well taken care of we are when faced with daily adversities. So right here and now I thank you God for keeping me and my baby boy safe from the harm that easily could have befallen us.

My gut tells me March is going to be a slammin month for Ben, he's right on the cusp of making his mark on the entertainment world. He's got the best agent and she is fully behind him sending him on audition after audition. I know it is only a matter of time before he books something cool!

He of course still really wants the movie part but i am doing my best to keep him grounded in the reality that not all auditions are going to lead to parts or bookings. He does seem to be understanding this more and more as he goes on audition after audition.

I have to admit the little guy is a trooper, going up to LA two sometimes three times in a week and handling it like a pro.

Which is a little suprising considering we are in the age of mini-meltdowns and the need to express his individual personality.

Speaking of individual personalities though, mine has just been stiffled beyond belief lately. My writing has taken such a back burner to my son's goals.

I miss writing. I miss creating that world of make-believe creations and situations.

I have been sadly disappointing in the area of my fan-fiction in that I've had no new updates in over a month now.

I hope whatever this funk is that I am able to shake it and soon. Wish me well.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Be Careful What You Wish For

Wishing in and of itself is good, it keeps the dream alive and the hopes intact.

Getting a dream is a whole other ballpark.

It was easy to dream of my son someday getting lots of auditions or big auditions, the reality is exhausting.

I can't really delve into what he's been auditioning for because you never want to count your chicks before they hatch, but the reality is that we have been going up to LA from San Diego on a very consistent basis.

His new agent is worlds more proactive than his last and she has us hop, hop, hopping in the hopes that these auditions will pay off.

I can say that one of my son's recent auditions was for a lead part in a FF and if he got it, well it would be astronomically great for him and his career.

It just so happens that the film also stars one of his favorite actors which is just like icing on the top of the already creamy and delicious cake.

It's surreal but I can actually kind of see now that my darling son could actually make a career out of this instead of just a hobby like the background gigs.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way knocking the background gigs, they are the reason my son got his first movie screen credit and his tiny little foot in the door.

In fact I would highly recommend that if you have a child who thinks they want to act, that you do go the background route for a littel while. It gave my son the experience of being on a set and learning to work with actors, directors and crew.

It also showed me that even at the young age of 7 years old, that he was serious about wanting to do this.

He's gone from project to project setting himself different goals...ie wanting to do a commercial, wanting to have lines, wanting to be in a movie, wanting to be on a TV show, wanting to play something scary...and the list goes on and on.

I have a hard time getting him to remember his phone number and address, but give him a monologue or a script and he will memorize every line...including the other actors!

There's a lot of promise looming on the horizon for him right now, still some of the best advice I have received thus far is to audition and move on.

If we get a call back great...if not we'll probably already have auditioned for and booked another job.

When the part is right for him, it will be his...until then it was someone else's golden opportunity.

Oh and my son's next lofty goal...he want's to win an Oscar. I told him to go for it but maybe file it under one of his long term goals.

~Juana

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

One Tree...HUH?

Well I didn't hate the episode like a majority of the people on the message boards did, and I am not hating on Peyton like the masses seem to be.

I happen to think Hilarie Burton is a terrific actress and although I am not a Leyton fan (Lucas + Peyton) I also think two of the seasons' strongest scenes thus far have been the two major altercations between Lucas and Peyton.

You really feel Peyton and Lucas' pain, frustration and confusion in those two scenes.

Not feeling nanny Carrie, she is above board obvious about her intentions and still Nathan hasn't said a thing to Haley? Keeping secrets is not something that bodes well for a marriage.

So what if Jamie likes her...nanny's are a dime a dozen and he'll like the next one just as well. He's four he'll like anyone who spends time with him as long as they are nice to him.

Nip it in the bud Nate...please!

Brooke's mom is just over the top ridiculous and mean - that's a nasty combination. A "Bitter Shrew" drink seems more than appropriate.

Some people have thought that the past few episodes have only served to make some of the characters more immature than not. Again...not so sure I agree. Though nobody wants their man taken from them ala Peyton going after Lucas you have to ask yourself which would be worse...losing him because he's in love with someone else or marrying him while he's in love with someone else.

I'm not sure I believe in the whole Peyton and Lucas epic love tale, but the bottom line is that, that's the way it's being written and knowing that I can't get behind Lucas marrying Lindsey or even staying with her.

I would be livid if I found out that on the day my fiance proposed to me he kissed his ex, even worse it's looking more and more like he proposed to Lindsey with the ring he intended for Peyton.

Happy to see Mouth finally stand up to the walking human resources nightmare of a boss that he had. She is unbelievably stupid to use his job as a means to get him to perform like a monkey and have sex with her. This I promise you will come back to bite her in the ass.

Love Millie...she's cute, dorky and funny. The jury is still out on whether or not a Mouth / Millie pairing is a good thing or not though. Probably my favorite person with mouth was Rachel, even though nothing really happened with them they were fun to watch.

Brooke needs a man and not a fling - a real one that treats her good and a plus would be if he wasn't afraid to stand up to her mother. Owen may just fit that bill. I'll be keeping my eye on him.

We'll the writers strike is over Woohoo...time for some new exciting story lines to keep us coming back for more and more and more.

Years have certainly gone by...but absolutely no one has moved on.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Picture Input - Money Outpour

Who knew that being unemployed could be so hard.

I've always had a "it will work out attitude" about life in general - but for the first time I'm really beginning to wonder...will it?

And for the first time in forever I feel financially challanged.

Alot of it has to do with the output for my son and his acting.

Having found a new magnificent agent and agency to represent him, I thought all the hard work was done - boy was I wrong!

Ninna has us hopping!

It all started with the fact that my son's current zed card pictures were to put it midly "inadequate".

I've known for a while that the pictures didn't really look anything like he did - one even made my blonde boy look like he had red hair...yikes!

Knowing this and fixing this are two different worlds though, first up was finding a new photographer to take my sons pictures.

Which we did in Shandon Youngclaus. He is an LA photographer who I would recommend to anyone in the entertainment business who is needing headshots. http://www.amazingheadshots.com/

He was very good with my son and has a really good eye and ability for getting the picture and if you want fast...this is the place http://www.argentum.com/

Shadon's studio uploads the pictures to them and i don't know if this is the norm or not, but I had the viewing proofs emailed to me that very night!

283 in all...whew! The best surprise though was that, with very few exceptions, they were amazing!

Hoping Ninna would feel the same way I sent the link to her and she narrowed down her favorites to 46 pics - which I then had to order on line in 4 x 6.

These 4x6's I then took up to LA for Ninna to whittle down even more.

Who knew that just the picture process could be so time consuming.

I look daily to try and find that one elusive job that will fit all the niches required to make it workable for all the obligations we've put on our platter now with the acting.

I'm still writing daily on my book and have progressed little by little. It's weird...I have the whole outline on paper but still manage to get writers block.

I've neglected my fan fiction horribly and feel so bad because it already has a reading audience, but it just doesn't pay the bills.

With the resolution of the writers strike looming on the horizon it promises to get busy, busy, busy around the house with auditions and hopefully actual acting gigs.

Let's cross our fingers for the boy X0x0

Monday, February 04, 2008

Life In A Nutshell

Alot has gone on since the last time I blogged.

Heath Ledger has left us in a blink of an eye.
Britney Spears is once again hospitialized in a successful intervention by her parents.
Nicole and Christina both had their babies adding to the ever growing roster of celebrity babies.
and in a surprising twist the Giants won the superbowl!

The saddest of these events is of course the passing of Heath Ledger. Heath was a gentle and humble man who successfully lived his life outside the trappings of Hollywood until his recent split with Michelle Williams.

Losing Michelle seemed to open up the can of worms that would lead to the eventual loss of a bright and shining star.

There are many sad elements to this tale of tradgedy but some stick out more than others - top shelf being a beautiful two year old named Matilda Rose who will never get the opportunity to know her father and Michelle Williams who will never get the opportunity to marry the love of her life.

I know that Michelle and Heath had broken up - but many couples do and find their way eventually back to each other given time to work through the issues -they never got that time.

The news reports their break-up as happening last year, which makes it sound so long ago, but the reality is it was only in September, a mere four months prior.

Think back to your last break- up and the four month mark of it and you will probably remember as I do that it was still very fresh and very painful to see that person who was no where near expunged from your heart, never mind your life.

And on top of that they had the common bond of a daughter.

The next level of tradgedy in this would be that a man who loved his family and his daughter with an unbridled passion had to die alone and lonely. It is a sad ending to a very lovely man.

His roster of work is ecletic and brillant and painful to watch right now but given time that and his daughter are where his legacy lie and where the world will truly remember him.

I was touched deeply by his death as were many and I hope he is at peace - I know he is watching over his daughter and family keeping them as close in his heart in death as he did in life.

Britany, gosh what can you say about her that hasn't already been said.

I feel for her and believe she is truly ill and not really in control of her actions.

I don't feel you can be this much of a trainwreck in a calculated move for publicity.

I think it's ashame and to be honest a little weird, the people that she trusts in her inner circle while she systematically shuts out her family.

It's hard to say where things with Britany went so wrong - in a perfect world she would have never cheated on Justin and they would be happily married with babies by now, but alas this is not a perfect world.

She chose the darker path and as a result has paid the consequences in spades.

I don't want to say that Britany is selfish, I think she's really just never been taught not to be.

I think her life of "yes people" was a serious detriment to her and that she's had no grounding in the reality of a world where you can't have everything you want.

Where money doesn't buy happiness.

Because I think that's all Britany really wants is to be happy again like she was with Justin.

To have a life where the people surrounding her are truly her friends and not "soul suckers" who are out to better their standing in life by sponging off a mentally sick pop star.

Britany has far too many opportunists in her life to ever live a normal one.

Thankfully her parents have finally stepped in and said enough is enough.

In better news Christina Aguilera had her baby boy Max Liron Bratman and Nicole Richie and Joel Madden gave birth to a baby girl Harlow Winter Kate Madden.

Congratulations to them both!

Their seems to be a huge baby wave sweeping the Hollywood nation now as births are happening and pending.

We still have the impending offspring of Jennifer Lopez, Haley Berry and Jessica Alba to await and the more recently announced Gwen Stefani.

Not to mention the rumored speculation of Angelina Jolie being preggers with twins!

If this turns out to be true and not just anothe rumor that would bring the Pitt-Jolie brood up to six, which is a healthy number by any standards, but on top of that it is also rumored that Brad and Angie are planning yet another adoption before the end of the year.

Seven kids....seriously?

Well more power to them because I have only one and it sometimes feels like a very monumental task to keep him happy and thriving.

Okay I am not a big football never have been and probably never will be, but yesterdays Superbowl upset was exciting!

To see the underdog come out victorious is the thing that dreams are made of, but I have to admit is was sad to see Tom Brady so close to a pretty huge accomplishment of winning four superbowls, something that would have rank him among some of the greats, only to lose it so close to the end of the game.

That's the kind of thing that sticks with you in the regrets and disappointment departments.

On the flip side Eli Manning must be walking on cloud nine - maybe even above it!

In all fairness both sides played a great game and deserve that recognition, whoever was going to come out on the losing end of that game had nothing to be ashamed of.

I suspect a great deal of money probably changed hands in betting pools too and that the people who picked the Giants to win and got heckled for it ended up getting the last laugh as well as the huge wad of cash for winning with an underdog team.

This week should be challanging with hubby home. He's starting to drop heavy hints about the job thing now and I'm starting to feel backed into a corner to get a job outside the house.

I just know it's a big mistake though -

I know somehow, somewhere I will be able to make my writing goal work for me if I just had more time.

I am a writer - I love to write.