WEDNESDAY
20 August 2008
Every day, when I walk down the hill, I’m greeted by the following advertisement:
It’s so huge, you can’t NOT see it. It makes me smile every time. That is one damn cute chihuahua, and they are EVERYWHERE here, along with tons of other dogs. No real story or flash of insight, it’s just something that makes me happy and I wanted to share it. Needless to say, I will be one of the complete freaks at this movie on opening weekend, and I’m not even apologizing for it. Of course I’m not nearly as jazzed for this as I am for the screen adaptation of Marley & Me. Most dog lovers I know have read this book about “the world’s worst dog,” a yellow labrador retriever. If the movie is anything like the book, by the end I will be sobbing like a 5-year-old girl who can’t find her Hello Kitty lunch box on the first day of kindergarten.
En route to my job, I thought I’d splurge and take a different bus at full fare today, saving my tootsies some wear and tear. Today’s bus ride was my first experience in LA traffic. I had plenty of time to spare and wasn’t worried about arriving to the edit late, but all the same, at one point we sat in the same place on La Cienega Boulevard for so long, I thought I could’ve walked there and made better time. Plus, NO A/C on the bus and no open windows so it was a bit sauna-esque, only without towels, glistening torsos and cheesy music… wait… no, that’s a movie I saw once. OK, more like 20 movies I’ve seen 50 times. (Please, no comments from the peanut gallery, G.)
Grabbed a coffee and got to the job early. Guy, whose house I was working in, was leaving for most of the day. We’d set up the project when I met him on Tuesday, so it was up and running and ready for me to attack right away.
The job was straight-forward. Without getting into boring, technical edit-speak, I was essentially hired to organize clips into a cohesive project for the editor to work on later. The project is a comedy short that I imagine will be making the internet rounds at some point. The most recognizable face and name is Ed Begley Jr., who is playing a character hired by PBS to do an exposé on the adult entertainment industry. Now before my mother has a cow, let’s clarify a few things. It’s a mockumentary shot and performed in an improvisational style much like any of Christopher Guests’ directorial features in recent years: Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, etc. The cast was comprised of legitimate actors skewering (pardon the innuendo) the porn industry. Jenna Jameson was nowhere to be found. On a personal note, the fact I even know Ms. Jameson’s name saddens me on so many levels…
There were several other actors I recognized, including Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911), Gary Anthony Williams (Boston Legal – THE best show on television… hmmm… or is that LOST?), Kate Flannery (The Office), and a favorite character actor of mine named Jack Plotnick. You might not recognize Jack’s name, but I’ve no doubt you’ve seen his face in films and on television shows and commercials. Jack also has an amazing website called “New Thoughts for Actors,” which I discovered years ago and think is one of the most thorough and valuable resources for actors at any level who are serious about their craft.
I spent a good part of the day laughing, so I’m keeping fingers crossed for all involved that the project finds an audience. To my knowledge, the working title is The Rise and Fall of Tuck Johnson, so keep your internet-surfing eyes peeled. If I’m privy to additional information, I’ll be sure to pass it along. While I didn’t rake in the cash today, I felt amazing on the bus ride/walk up The Hill home. My work today didn’t solve the world’s problems or cure the common cold, but I was proud of the time and effort I contributed. An honest day’s work.
I don’t really know how to put it into words, but in recent days, I’ve been overwhelmed with the good feeling that all of this is going to work out for me, and far beyond my own expectations. It sounds weird, but I can physically feel my connection to it. I don’t know the ‘how’ or even the ‘when,’ but to me, it feels as though it already exists. I’m hard pressed to believe that God, the Source, your Inner Being, The Universe, or whatever you want to call it… that this all-encompassing, abundant life force of which we’re all a part would give us goals and dreams, but not the means to achieve them. Seems a cruel entity that would give us puppies, flowers, laughter, sunshine, autumn, love, the stars above and so much more, but would deny us the chance to live our individual purposes, don’t you think? Two days ago my friend Lee posted a comment with the quote: “Empty yourself and let the universe fill you.” For the first time in a long time, I think I know how that feels, and I’m willing to see what happens.
LA365 