An Extra Life

Southland and the Portuguese Pothead

2009-09-09T22:04:00.001-07:00

Late call today, which was great cause I had time to go hiking and fix lunch and what not. I must say...when I left my apartment this morning, there was an angelic glow about me. Not sure if it was the exercise, pride in my cooking skills, or my pink silk top, but I looked rather pretty like an angel. I stress this only cause about an hour later, someone asked me if I ever tried acid. This guy was cute...like Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise- I could get any girl I want-cute. And he decided to sit across from me. I thought...hmmm...maybe he is interested? Nope. Within 5 minutes he tells me that he thinks the girl at the other table is really hot and that he wants to move to Brazil and is learning Portuguese in order to seduce Brazlian women. He doesn't like any of the Brazilians here though...they are too smart and independent and full of the "American Dream" so he has to go to Brazil. Then he asked if I ever tried acid. Do I look like a drug addict? I thought I looked so angelic today....but apparently me looking angelic could pass for acid dropper. He went to Burning Man last week and is still high on the experience. He thought there were too many gays there, but he managed to find some straight ones. The woman he went with is apparently a religious lesbian who taxidermied her pet dog. He is 25 too and told me about how he made out with and hooked up with this 49 year old woman he was renting a room from. He made out with her on camera though in the movie Valentine so he got a SAG voucher out of it so look for him! He was crazy weird...but still really hot....but stupid...very stupid. During a break he decided to go smoke pot. When he got on the bus everyone could smell it. We called him out but he acted dumb as to not get in trouble. I'm actually surprised they didn't send him home...other sets would have. In fact, the only comments he got were "did you bring enough to share?" He didn't.

NCIS and the SAG Voucher

2009-09-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Working NCIS has finally paid off. I remember there was a time when I wanted to request to not work the show ever again, but I'm glad I didn't. Four months after receiving my first voucher, I get my second. Here's hoping I get the third in no time at all. Hacker (the 2nd AD) pulled me aside and asked how many I had and told me he was about to make my day. He did. It was awkward though cause he was trying to be discreet yet he also felt that I wasn't showing my gratitude enough. Make up your mind! I don't know how many thank yous he required but evidently saying it twenty times wasn't enough. I think I'm supposed to be more buddy buddy with him now cause he did me this favor. For some reason I feel like I owe him something now cause he is totally holding it over my head as if he saved my life. We shall see.

Monk and the Reunion

2009-06-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Monk,

Without you I would not work at all. Thank You.

Sincerely,

Mary

It has been 5 weeks since my last extra gig. Depressed, poor, and willing to do anything for money, I was called in to work on Monk at Paramount with my car. Of course my car is too noisy for those spoiled sound guys (what on earth did they do before hybrids??!!) so I was a pedestrian for the most part. It was perfect timing too because I just returned from San Francisco/Berkeley visiting Kate just yesterday. (God I needed that). What is really funny is that I was reunited with this guy Chip who was the stunt coordinator for this independent movie I worked on called S.E.R.E. I told him how the old gang was doing and he offered to work for free on this horror script I'm writing. I'm shocked how much faith people have in the project. It really motivates me to keep on working. Our identities and how we knew each other was bugging us for hours, until he laughed, then I knew that I knew him from somewhere. His real name is Lee, but his friends call him Chip...that's when it hit me. So glad we figured that out. I told him I'd mail him a copy of the movie..must get a hold of Jonathan. It was so fun reliving the S.E.R.E. days right after graduation when I thought this was only the beginning......haven't done much since though.

The guy who plays Mr. Eko on "Lost" was the guest star...I don't think he is really Nigerian...but damn, he can play it really well. (Okay..I checked on IMDB and his parents are Nigerian, but he was born in London, which explains why he spoke perfect English at Lunch...he also looks like a football player)

Monk and the SAG VOUCHER!

2009-05-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way" Today seemed just like any other day on set. I worked for maybe 3 hours yesterday which was brilliant because I needed to go by Universal Studios to pick up a free ticket that I got when I purchased my annual pass. I was so afraid that I was going to miss out on a great deal. I was a jury member so basically I sat down for 3 hours and then was let go. The next day they recalled me however, and I guess they didn't have enough SAG people so what did they do? THEY GAVE ME A SAG VOUCHER!! My very first one..and it only took me a frickin year to get! One down, two to go! Also, I was done by 1 pm...another short day, and decided to go to Universal Studios afterwards with Ashley to celebrate. Such an amazing day.

Southland and Dac

2009-04-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

I abandoned my dear friend Kate who was visiting to work on Southland for the night. The call was at 5:30 so Kate and I were able to spend the day in Malibu and at the Getty Villa before I had to head out. It was a pretty easy call at the Hollywood and Highland complex. I was a journalist/photographer. Ashley called me while at work because the guy she like Dac was there. Towards the end of the night I heard someone say Mary and he came up to me to introduce himself. He was not the dolphin that I though he was on CSI: NY. He told Ashley that I looked grumpy. You'd be grumpy to if you had Kai's look-a-like talking your ear off. Look-a-like asked me what was wrong and I just told him I was tired and annoyed...he asked me what I was annoyed with...I just looked at him. He never took the hint.

Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Naked Zac Levi

2009-03-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

6:30 AM call time in Long Beach. Joy. I just LOVE waking up at 5. (eyes roll). Then when I arrive to set, they are out of eggs. This day was not going well so far (though later I heard that the eggs were almost inedible). Luckily I had friends on set. Becky was her usual self and then she befriended a guy named Brian who liked magic, but refused to tell me his secrets...especially to a certain poker chip trick which has been nagging me. Then there was Paul who went to USC and is a friend of Ashley's I met at a Superbowl party. It's amazing how well you can get to know someone in 16 hours. I feel like we've been friends forever and we created a geek scale to measure geekiness.....somehow I won even though HE watches Battlestar Galactica and loves Sci-fi. I'm not sure how that happened but I do blame most of it on the Chemistry Holiday called Mole Day (Which is on October 23rd for you non-geeks out there because a mole is 6.02 x 10 ^23).

The day turned instantly amazing when I realized that Zac Levi was the star of the movie. Since I totally have a crush on him and all. I even got to see him in his underwear for a dream sequence. I was smiling ear to ear. That boy has some thighs if I do say so myself. He was in tighty whities. Yay! (though I prefer boxers). Oh how I wish he weren't a man whore. It was fun seeing him act all awkward and he would try to be funny in between takes.

Then we had a choreographer teach us some dance moves and about 300 of us had to dance to the Chipmunks singing "Shake Your Groove Thing". My arms got tired of waving back and forth but seriously...how priceless is it to have 300 people dancing to the Chipmunks. The main song we had to hear over and over was this song called "Family" and we had to shout in synchonization F-A-M-i.l.y. I wrote it that way because we would scream F then A then M and then the i, l, and y were run together very quickly and many of us didn't get the letters correctly because of this. In fact, Becky kept saying l-e-y. It's also very difficult to chant the word chipmunk over and over again. I started realizing after awhile that I was saying shitmunk. It's much easier to say. Crazy times. Family was their song entry into the all high school talent show. Apparently Charice Pempengco, the famous girl from the Philippines who has been featured on Oprah many times, is from a local high school......also from a local high school...the break dance crew Quest which has Hawk and Dominick from "So You Think You Can Dance" in it. That was pretty amazing. They were doing flips and tricks left and right. It was phenomenal. When I wasn't jumping up and down shouting F-A-M-I-L-Y, I was sitting in the bleachers at the top where they had these crazy dummies. They all had man faces except some had makeup to make them look like women. It was amazing. Here is a pic of me and the best dummy there.

Criminal Minds and the Stairmaster

2009-03-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of similarities between being really tired and really drunk. For instance - poor motor skills, slurred speech, and loopy vision caused by exceedingly longer blinks. However, it is known that people usually get more attractive if you are drunk, but when you're tired...the world is ugly and you just want to get home. We wrapped at about 2:30 am, which would normally be my bedtime one would say, except in my lovely apartment, I am not walking up and down stairs in a poorly ventilated subway station in North Hollywood. I may have been walking up and down stairs for a good 5 hours and I was exhausted. Every little thing that people would say that was stupid or any complaint would be like nails on a chalkboard. There was one guy who was not an extra but a North Hollywood resident, and he had a mohawk....except you could also tell that he was getting a bald spot on the back of his head cause his mohawk was very uneven and thinning back there. It was funny...but revolting at the same time. Ugh. The next few days, my boogers were black from the subway pollution.

Without a Trace and the Three Coats

2009-03-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and today I worked on Without a Trace as an FBI agent. It has been quite the little gap in time since my last stint in blue. Early this morning I was a NY pedestrian and my god was it freezing outside. I was wearing a blouse, a sweatshirt, an overcoat, and a wool heavy coat and was still cold. It might have been about 45 degrees. Yes....I am a wimp. The day only got worse when I was being harassed on the phone by my landlord who said my rent was late...when it really wasn't. My stress though was finally relieved when I heard some of the regular agents bad-talking another extra named Helen. She is the most antagonizing creature alive. She picks fights it seems with everyone. And I never realized before that nobody really liked her. I always thought she hated me (especially after I told her maybe something was wrong with her hypothalamus because she is cold all the time). Yesterday she practically screamed at me cause the lamp was on next to her and it was too bright against her computer screen. Even though I was reading and found the light helpful, I did not turn it on, yet I received her wrath. She is very selfish. Anywhoo, the extras were commenting about how she got in a tiff with a new guy on set and Helen was making a big deal about how rude he was when in reality, she is extremely rude and very off-putting. It was such a relief that no one really got along with her and it wasn't just me. I finally felt like I bonded with everyone on set.

Prison Break and the Prison

2009-03-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

Today I was to be playing a visitor on Prison Break at an abandoned Correctional Facility in Whittier. I think this was some interesting casting since I feel like I look too wholesome to play the wife or sister of a convict. I just have never seen myself as the type to be paired with a tattooed ruffian. Sure enough, I was never used today. It was raining today and I made the mistake of wearing these red tennis shoes that absorb water so that I had cold feet all day, but at least I didn't have to wait outside in the rain. I'm also pretty sure that some of these background guys playing convicts were really convicts. They were talking about how they had lawyers and when one of us visitors was taken away, there were little snide remarks about how they were taking away their conjugal visit. Another couple were planning a big counterfeit scheme. I kind of stayed away from them and tuned into my Ipod instead.

Also, the Magician who asked me out last week at the Magic Castle called. I felt like he was slightly judgmental of what I was doing even though he did background for a while as well. Unfortunately I don't think the call went very well cause when I texted him later to see if we were going out he said he was seeing someone else....Magicians work fast. The concept was entertaining though...who on earth dates a magician? They are tricky tricksters.

Bones and Stephen Fry

2009-02-17T18:47:00.001-08:00

Today I worked on Bones again, except for the first time I actually saw the main characters....or at least been in the same room as the main characters. Stephen Fry was there (I think he is leaving the show in this episode). For those of you who do not know who he is, the important thing to know is that he is Hugh Laurie's Best Friend Forever. This makes him more appealing. For some reason though, he kept looking at me. We had insane amounts of eye contact. I wonder what he was thinking as he looked at me? Did I look familiar? I kept thinking that we kind of looked similar and I could easily play his daughter...I have a feeling he wasn't thinking quite that. Then I started thinking that if I befriend him....I could meet Hugh Laurie. Again...I don't think that he was thinking that either. Alas, the world may never know what thoughts ran through his mind, but it is much more fun speculating than knowing. Afterall, his thoughts would probably have dissappointed me and I am far too young for him.

Ghost Whisperer and the Sickness

2009-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Well, surely enough, I am sick today. I have practically no voice and my throat is in pain. I hate you My Boys!! Becky was also under the weather today, so that just goes to show you that mothers are right...if you go out in the rain, you will catch a cold. What made matters worse is that I did like 300 situps on Saturday, so whenever I coughed to clear my throat, my abs recoiled in pain. I can hardly sit up in bed let alone cough without pain. Ugh. Luckily, today wasn't too strenuous. I just had to wake up at 5:20 AM and sit down in a theatre all day till 6 PM. The moments I didn't feel like dying, I spent talking to the equally miserable Becky about how miserable we felt. Not sure if last Thursday was worth all the pain. I was so hoarse that the parking attendant just had to mock me as he pointed in the direction of where we were supposed to park. How pleasant of him to do so at 6 AM. This is why he gets paid the big bucks. Also, on a bit of a side note, there is a Grip that has blue hair and has implanted horns on his head...like those babies are permanent. Who would want to look like a blue-haired demon? Can you imagine if he headbutted you? Could that be considered assault with a deadly weapon? or attempted murder?

My Boys and the Leaky Sky

2009-02-05T23:50:00.000-08:00

I am cold and I am wet and three days later, I will surely get sick. It rained all day today, and of course I was a street pedestrian without an umbrella because you can't tell it is raining through the lens so umbrellas look quite silly....whatever. I have never been so drenched for so long in my entire life, but do not fear, I got a Wet Bump, which means like 5 extra bucks for enduring the rain. The day started off rather strange when I pulled into Paramount Parking and handed him a 20 and awaited my change. Parking is $5 but I would get it back at the end of the day. He handed me two five dollar bills, four ones, a quarter, two dimes, a nickel, and a roll of pennies. Who on earth has a roll of pennies?! I made sure to give the pennies back to him at the end of the day. I do not have much use for a practically extinct coin.

I walked briskly to the holding area in NY street. There were many leaks in the ceiling which made bag placement quite the task for fear of getting us or our belongings soaked. Becky was on set and was back to her old sarcastic self again after a brief dip into the pleasant and eternally happy. The rain definitely made things interesting and I have no idea how the sound guys heard any of the actors' dialogue. It was pretty much an off day for everyone full of many retakes which required me to be out in the rain without an umbrella for even longer. At the beginning of the day, I had borrowed Becky's clear plastic umbrella that had pink trim. It was the type of umbrella that you had to "own" and "wear with confidence" or else suffer humiliation. I tried my best, but eventually returned the umbrella to its rightful owner not realizing the storm I was in store for. The rain also caused delays in our lunch which was over an hour late. It was macaroni and cheese, but came in six different varieties, each one nastier than the next. Such a shame since I had the best macaroni in my life just a week before to now have the worst macaroni in my life. Lactates and all, I still felt ill after consuming this meal.

After lunch, during the rainiest of the evening, I met a magician under the overhang we were both hiding under in order to stay dry. He was a consultant on Arrested Development and had to teach Will Arnett some magic. I thought this was pretty amazing. He is also friends with Max and Mr. Belding from Saved By the Bell. I asked him if he ever performed at the very exclusive Magic Castle, and he is....in 2 weeks...and he invited ME! This is the most exciting thing ever because you can't just go to the Magic Castle...you have to be invited, and now I was. Sometimes it's good to get stuck in the rain...you never know what kind of interesting people you'll meet...even if it is on the set of a tv show. It was raining so hard while we were waiting there that water was pouring out of a drainpipe suspiciously close to the electrical box. We were just waiting for some explosion, but alas. I took a picture just to show how dangerously close all these outlets appeared to gushing rain water. Later the wardrobe guy came up to us and told us that he couldn't see us in frame the whole time we were out there. He was trying to be empathetic. All those crosses in the rain for nothing. Boy, did that news do wonders for my morale.

On my drive home I'm driving down Gower and approaching Hollywood when I noticed there is a man standing in the middle of the busy intersection in the rain. As I swerve to avoid him, he screams at me "Hit Me! Hit Me!" I think he was on something...acid maybe? I was terrified and decided I would not be his executioner thank you very much even though he may have deserved it. My mom thinks I should have called the cops. Oh well.

Life and The Freezing Hot Weather

2009-02-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

I was running late as usual, except later than usual. Getting a little turned around didn't help my time either. I blame it on the fact that my Ipod went crazy this morning and I had to restore it and re-add some tunes....there was no way I was going to work without my Ipod in tow. It was a life saver. It was a nippy 60 degrees or so that morning, so what am I wearing? A sundress. Other girls were wearing bikinis...but had sweatshirts and sweatpants with them during the colder periods of the day. I did not. I was miserable. And then it got hot...and I was miserable. The fact that I got there at 6:30 AM and we didn't break for lunch till 5:37 PM didn't help the matter. I need breaks gosh darn it! I didn't mope and complain however because seriously..what would that do? Everyone else did, and that's where my Ipod comes in. Tune out the world. There were some interesting people on set. There was a bikini girl on skates who liked to flaunt her figure. If I had her belly, I probably wouldn't. Then there was another bikini girl who you knew had to have been pregnant because she had stretch marks all over her abdomen. She had a nice body and all....but again....These girls clearly are not as self-conscious as I am. Then there was my favorite girl who had pierced nipples that you could see through her shirt. MY GOD! It was disgusting. Ugh. Let's just say the scenery wasn't too great today, even though I was at a pier by the ocean. The one interesting part of the day was when the lead actor told me "sorry". He bumped into my record purse. And there you go. Add another apologetic sorry to my list of run-ins with lead actors on set. Also, Adam Arkin was directing this episode. It was cool because he is a spitting image of his dad Alan Arkin.

Life and My Phone Number

2009-01-30T23:50:00.000-08:00

I was working Life over at Universal Studios. I was to be a classy restaurant patron. Instead of wearing my blue silk dress, they put me in a navy suit that was too large and made out of a stretchy sweater material, and of course pearl earrings, bracelet, and necklace. I was 23 going on 70. I must have looked HOT though because the most attractive man I have ever seen on set who looked a bit like Colin Farrell just happened to be my dining partner and we struck up quite the conversation. I found out he graduated in Finance and came to LA to be an actor and was a bartender which is quite the corrupt occupation. I told him that I went to USC film school, which I never divulge on set for fear of crazy extras grasping on to my tiny coattails and wanting to stay in contact with me...I didn't mind with him though..he could grasp on to whatever he wanted. I also happened to mention, when he brought up True Blood, that I was friends with one of the actors. He seemed very impressed. We talked more of acting and what I had learned at school and what movies were out now, etc. Hours flew by and he was about to be wrapped. He changed out of his business attire into a polo with popped collar (I like to think he popped it especially for me) and was heading out. But then he stopped by my table and asked for my number saying, "So we can talk about SAG and acting and ......" He was mumbling really....quite nervous. Totally adorable ( I don't care if another extra saw him spit 3 times on set...I didn't see it so my mind has only admirable thoughts. ) So anyway...I gave him my phone number. AND the next day he texted me. Is he doing it to use me? Maybe.......do I care? NOPE.

We transitioned to the interior of the LAPD and a new set of background rolled in. Only 5 girls remained from early in the afternoon. They must not get too many new faces because I was pretty exciting to many of them. That's where Arson a black man in his 40s from Manchester, England comes in. He and another man noticed my really cool blue Nooka watch (which he later said matched my eyes). Arson had seen them before and wanted one and even knew how much they cost. This obviously sparked conversation before he told me, "You know who you remind me of....Dorothy...you know from Oz?" I laughed, "Oh gosh...I'm from Kansas." He couldn't believe it. "You know, you're very pretty." I blushed and headed inside. (I'm so hard to get aren't I?) Later we were in a scene together and waiting to be placed and Arson asked me if I wanted to go get ice cream because he is divorced and all. I shouldn't let the fact that he has a daughter with an Italian woman get in the way. He then blatantly pointed out, in case the three men witnessing the conversation were deaf, that he was hitting on me and proceeded to hand me his phone. I acted all cutesy in order to turn him down lightly. Replying in a falsetto voice, "Naaaaoooohh". Two guys asked for my number in the same day. This may not seem like a feat for the likes of Cindy Crawford, but today included my 2nd and 3rd time ever (1st occurring on the set of CSI).

During our lunch, I took the time to walk around the Universal back-lot. If only it weren't 7 pm and pitch black. I entertained this girl Camilla by telling her what all the production companies we spotted produced. It was so dark though that it was a pretty shitty tour...now I know why the Universal Theme Park is never open past dark. It closed at like 4 pm on a Friday! Walk-a-way lunches suck though because I'm not being fed a proper meal on set...instead I had to resort to eating a bag of skittles, cheesecake, and a grilled cheese sandwich at midnight. Ugh!

American Teenager and the Poisonous Bathrooms

2009-01-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

I worked the Secret Life of the American Teenager last Friday and today. It is an AFTRA show, which means I get paid 105 bucks for 8 hours, but it also means that AFTRA gets to keep my check and I don't get to see any of that money until my dues are paid. Shit. I was to be a nurse, which is a great gig because I get to lounge around in comfy scrubs all day. I worked for 10 minutes on Friday and was there for 11 hours. I didn't work at all today and was there for 4 hours. Oh the sweet life. Though it can get mighty boring when not working. To distract my boredom, I had the bathroom to fret about. For some reason, the folks at the Warner Bros Ranch decided to pump poisonous perfume into the restrooms. I never understand why Vegas hotels and now studio bathrooms do such a thing. It never gets rid of the smell, it only masks it with something more pungent. Anyway, I am slightly allergic to perfume, so urinating had to be out the question. A bladder infection seemed to be more welcoming than going to the bathroom in the intoxicating loo. Seemed to be....but alas, I really had to go. I pulled up my sweatshirt to form quite the gas mask over my nose and mouth and proceeded to relieve myself. I held my breath as long as possible, but I am not a whale, and had to take a deep breath through my protective sweatshirt. The results were not quite as effective as I would have liked. Minutes later I was still having breathing problems and felt drugged and loopy for about an hour afterwards. Was it worth not wetting myself? I suppose....but still....who has stools so bad that they have to deodorize the bathrooms that much?! I did, however, have the yummiest macaroni and cheese I have ever had in my life, and for the first time ever, I got a To-Go box and brought some home with me....sure...I was out of lactates...but it was so worth it.

Dollhouse and the Unlucky Streak

2009-01-22T00:15:00.000-08:00

I worked Dollhouse again on Wednesday and Thursday, but instead of playing a high schooler or college student, I played a genius assistant. Clearly I am working my way up in the Dollhouse world. I actually learned what the show is about and who and what the characters are...finally. I had a fellow assistant the first day named Mark. He was from Boston and went to Ithaca. I love having them talk about how cool their film school is before I tell them that I went to USC film school. The looks of inferiority on their faces are priceless especially since they probably assume I am a theatre student from some Midwestern state university like most other extras who were smart enough to even go to college (not very many). He wasn't that bad looking and has been doing this for a few months...would be more attractive if he opened his mouth more when he talked, but that's getting nitpicky. Nicole, the 2nd 2nd who was placing us in the scene, had to pick one of us for this featured scene with Topher...Mark got picked. Ironically we spent a good portion of our walk away lunch discussing how unlucky I am. It never fails. The next day we were joined by another assistant, Nick. He was dark, tall, handsome, and from Vegas...if only he were more confident when he spoke, it would make him seem smarter. I suppose I feel the need to talk about men here because usually, there aren't any suitable bachelor's on set that I get to talk to, and now I had 2 reasonably attractive guys. So naturally, I over-analyze them until I can dissect their behaviorism and form a non-judgemental assessment of who they are and their potential in this world.....just as I do with everyone...including you. Nicole had to pick someone to be featured again...she chose Mark...again. I think it might be the glasses. Nick and I were unused and went home after 7 hours of waiting. Go figure.

Criminal Minds and the Funeral

2009-01-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

I was leaving later than I should have for my 11:30 AM call time. Why? Because Barack Obama was now officially the President of the United States and I had to watch the inauguration. I was punished, however, for my slight tardiness. I arrived to the parking area right after the People Mover left. You would think they'd come back for me soon since my call time was at 11:30 and it was currently 11:31. Wrong...I was finally picked up at Noon. I have never waited so long ever! Thank God for my new i-pod. The PA who was checking us in is the same USC cinema grad who gave me such good advice on Without a Trace back in August. I asked him how his scripts were going. He didn't remember me of course and confusingly replied, "I'm still here." We were doing a memorial service for people who got killed in a fire. There is a serial arsonist on the loose! I hate doing funeral scenes...because I kind of start crying during them. I'm the only one of course, which is not very realistic...you'd think there would be more criers at a REAL funeral. So I guess maybe I am just that good...and not that pathetic. I sat next to Arthur from Race to Witch Mountain and also my friend Becky was on set. She has now taken up knitting, but she uses cheap yarn so she feels sorry for those she gives her scarves to because they are very itchy. It's the thought that counts anyway. We wrapped fairly quickly, and then proceeded to wait an hour for transportation to take us back to our cars.

My Name is Khan and the Crazy Indian Fans

2009-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today, I got to work on my first Indian film starring Shahrukh Khan...who according to the crazy Indians raiding the set is "bigger than Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Tom Cruise combined!" The day started off poorly because I was one of 400 extras with no craft service and no meals. Cheapskates! Then we filed into single file lines about 70 people deep. To my left were 3 black guys who decided that it would be genius to sell some drugs while there. (They were not with Central Casting and I have no idea how they got on set.) Then they decided it would be better if they smoked it themselves. I watched this guy in a baseball jersey with CLOWNS written on it roll a joint. A select few around me were looking appalled. I wanted to tell them to stop being such a stereotype. I was too afraid of being stabbed, however. Here is a picture of them, joint in hand, about to go over to the library to light up.

Needless to say, black people were not invited back to set the next day. Which is understandable because there was a George Bush look-a-like on set, which means we were at a George Bush rally. Do you know any black people who like George Bush? What's also really funny is that this was a Republican rally type thing that Khan attends and says, "Mr. President, I'm not a terrorist"...but everyone mistakes him for being a terrorist of course. Now, I don't know too many republicans, but I'm pretty sure they are not holding up signs that say "Peace" and "No blood for oil" and "No War". Somehow...this republican rally was full of Liberals...and black people...and Indians. The Props people who made the signs probably knew nothing about American politics.

After lunch, the Indian population of the background scene doubled. They just walked onto set to take part in the scene. Only a few small children were told to leave because of labor laws. Most knew about the movie because they were UCLA students or they read it on the director's blog. The new brown faces surrounded Khan in the front of the crowd, hoping to get close to their hero...the white faces were in the back...they could care less. Finally a PA started going up to some of them and told them they needed to get in the back. "We need white American faces up front". The poor girls looked so hurt and went towards the middle (there was no way they were going to the back), before they returned to their original spots up front. One girl actually got the courage to talk to Khan as he walked by, "By the way, I'm such a fan". He touched her hand. She just about died. At the end of both days, when we were wrapped, there was a line of about 75 Indians waiting for pictures and autographs, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite star.

I was so thankful that I knew someone on set today, Tammy, who I had a class at USC with. So reassuring to see other USC students in the same boat that I'm in. Also, it makes the mundane pain of the day more tolerable. While we were talking this ghetto white guy who HAD to be on SOMETHING came up to compliment me on my record purse and watch. This was right after the person in front of him used my purse as a mirror before I told her how awkward that was. He asked me if I like his plastic white rimmed sun glasses which he probably got for three bucks at a gas station. I didn't reply. "Don't you think they are Ka-Blam?". Poor Tammy fell into the trap and replied "yeah". He then proceeded to call himself a retard...I couldn't have agreed more. It's always nice to know that people are not in denial of their brain capabilities. We had to try and ignore him the rest of the day. Also on set on Sunday, there was a blind man. Very interesting career choice. On Monday, Jermaine Jackson, older brother of Michael, came to set because apparently he is a big fan of Sharukh Khan.

Crowd scenes as big as this can always get a little crazy. We are all shouting and hollering, and for some reason, the 1st AD decided it would be a good idea to use a megaphone. As if we couldn't understand his thick Indian accent enough, we now had to try and understand it as it was being shouted through a megaphone while we were all screaming and cheering hoorays! Not the smartest guy in the India, if he were, he'd be a doctor like his parents wanted him to be. The one plus of crowd scenes is that the lead actor will often times brush or push against you trying to get through..which he did. Yes, that is right, the biggest star in the world touched me. Please try to contain your jealousy. One obnoxious black girl behind me did not understand the hooplah surrounding him. "He's so old" and "I know he is like your idol and everything, but will you please get out of my space". All the Indians around her were probably planning on killing her behind the bleachers later on in the day....too bad Hindu is a peaceful religion.

Prison Break and the Bubble Gum

2009-01-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I believe that I can get ready in exactly 15 minutes in the morning. This, obviously, is not accurate if I wish to do my hair and put makeup on. However, I continue to wake up 15 minutes before I need to leave to make it to set on time. It takes me 22 minutes to get ready, like always, and like always, I am running 7 minutes behind which I have to make up in my commute by going slightly (15 mph) over the speed limit.

For some political reason concerning his age I assume, Charlie was not there this morning. The day just got a little longer. I would have to find other ways to entertain myself which turned out to be no problem with my new accomplice, Amber. Amber was there on Wednesday and also I worked with her Thursday on Bones. She was young like me and normal and just as highly entertained and annoyed by the crazy people...perfect set friend. I spent the early part of the morning writing a poem for Charlie, longing for his presence in my life.

I once met a man, a retiree turned actor.

His name was Charlie and he filled me with laughter

He told me about his days in the navy

And how he slept with more than 150 a lady

Now a married man, to his wife he'll be true

So now his caring friendship will have to do

Charlie and I, we were quite the pair

Over 40 years older, but I didn't care

He was funny and charming and never boring

He kept me on set from sleeping and snoring

Yes Charlie and I were two peas in a pod

For I was his Harold and he was my Maude.

Cheesy, I know, but that's how I roll. At 11 o'clock sharp, Amber tapped me on the shoulder so that we could go to craft service for some Coke. She is already getting to know me so well. Those 6:30 AM call times really kill me. Down at crafty, they also had mac & cheese. It became my quest to retrieve some without getting noticed, since that scrumptious delicacy was for the crew only. I'm a girl, so I probably didn't have to tread so sneakily, but still, where's the fun in that, and in the end I won my cheesy prize. Amber was not as courageous, but lunch was in an hour so the stakes weren't too high. During lunch, we eavesdropped on an interesting pair next to us and talked about our distaste for this one woman who was quite obnoxious and since she was sick, was afraid to call her guy friends because she feared that they were going to find her voice too sexy. Trust me, I can't ever imagine that being an issue....EVER. She'd be lucky to bed any guy, if they're her friends first?..More power to her. That means they can stand her. After lunch, I went to the bathroom. There was a bulimic in the stall next to me. So awkward. I never saw her face.

After lunch, Amber and I were told to be deep background outside along with about 15 others. We went over to crafty to get some blow pops. I got a cherry and she got a sour apple. When was the last time you had a blow pop? Years, right? They are nasty yet sugary delight. We spent the next few moments trying to blow the biggest bubble. Onlookers seemed disinterested, like walking zombies, but still amused enough to watch. The gum continued to get sticker, making each burst bubble more difficult to scrape off my lips and skin. Just then a guy walked by eating a Peanut Butter Cup. I had an epiphany. When I was a little kid, I once blew a bubble sooooo big that it blew up and got in my hair. My mom used peanut butter to disintegrate the gum. Amber's mom used lighter fluid...eeks. I decided to make my sticky lips a little worse in order for optimum results. Then I went to get a slightly melted Peanut Butter Cup and started dabbing the peanut butter all over and around my lips. It worked like a charm, and also softened my skin. I think they should start making peanut butter lotions in fact..au naturel.

Jack, the hilarious extra's coordinator who reminisced all day about his craziest days on set, decided to wrap most of the background. I was one of 15 chosen to stay. An hour later, they cut those 15 down to 7. I was still one of the lucky ones. Yes...lucky. We were in overtime so I was getting paid $16/hr to read a book and the longer I stayed, the less traffic I would have to fight on my way home. I was never used those extra 2 hours. Sweet victory.

Prison Break and the Truth About My Charlie

2009-01-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

I was running late again this morning, but you cannot judge me because unlike running late at 12 in the afternoon, I was running late at 5:30 AM and about to travel 35 miles to Long Beach (aka Miami, Fl). I got there in time because of my tactful driving just so I could wait in line for half an hour to check in and watch the sunrise. I grabbed some scrambled eggs for breakfast that I drowned in ketchup in order to make them edible (a trick of the trade) and sat down ready for action. After hours of waiting and doing the infamous nod nod...JERK, I decided that today's shoot qualified me for a Coke. You see, I gave up caffeine many years ago, but sometimes the early calls require a little boost of energy. I made rules: I can only have caffeine if I wake before 6 AM, and if I do, I can only drink said caffeinated beverage between the hours of 11 AM and 3 PM. Needless to say, that can of Coke was opened at 11 AM on the dot. I was pretty wired until 6 PM...so it did its job.

I was playing a convention goer at an Energy conference, and the head speaker gets assassinated. Pretty exciting stuff. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to try and act like someone is shooting at you. I'm rather well practiced since it happens all the time in TV, but can't say that I can draw from experience. My friend Charlie can, however. Charlie, if you recall, is my 70 year old protector from Race to Witch Mountain. The second he saw me today he said, "You looked better in the wig." Thanks Charlie. Always one to compliment. Now, Charlie is one of the most entertaining people that one could be blessed to know in one's life. His mother was in burlesque and worked with Danny Thomas, he ran off with his wife because her dad was in the KKK and did not care for Charlie's Judaism, and according to him, he slept with over 150 women between 1955 and 1959. He was in the Navy, apparently women couldn't resist a man in uniform back then. But sleeping with all those women got him into trouble because one night his ladyfriend's husband decided to check up on her. Charlie hid under the bed before running off down Bourbon Street in his underwear while rounds went whizzing by. Silly Charlie, such a ladies man. "Man, if only I were 30 years younger," he said. "But Charlie, last time you said that it was 40 years younger!" "I'm going to go drain my dragon, though my doctor told me not to do any heavy lifting." That Charlie...one in a million. (Don't even get me started on the orgy he told me about...eeeek!) Here is a picture of Charlie on the set of Angels and Demons...as a Cardinal...ironic, isn't it? He is and ever shall be my protector and friend, and Damn...set is never boring with him there.

Like two peas in a pod, I'm his Harold and he's my Maude.

NCIS and the Fart

2009-01-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

It takes a special kind of person that can run late at 12 in the afternoon. I woke late and jumped in the shower, dreading the day ahead of me. I was terrified of George the evil Wardrobe guy. I thought I would never work the show again, which is silly since I made no effort to prevent this inevitable rendez-vous. I pulled my wet hair up in a bun and ran out the door, suit in hand. I became very thankful for the cars going 95 mph on the freeway because it made my 87 mph look slow and legal by comparison, even though the speed limit was of course only 65 mph. Only two things were running through my mind: Please God, I hope nobody gets mad at me, and did I put any deodorant on this morning?

I arrived about 10 minutes late, but nobody noticed and I proceeded to sit on the couch waiting for George to look at my wardrobe. He came eventually and sat down beside me. He complimented me on my British socks and the color of my shoes. He was in a good mood. YES! Happy Happy Joy Joy. AND he was okay with my suit. Listen...I'm not even going to pretend to rationalize his mood swings, but am thankful that he didn't give me a hard time today. Maybe he remembered making me cry last time...or maybe he really is just incredibly moody. Who knows.

During lunch, an hour after I arrived, we had carne asadas and watched the episode that premiered tonight. I love watching the episodes with the cast and crew and spent most of my time watching the lead actor, Mark Harmon, watch himself on screen. He seemed to be enjoying it. Later in the day they had a guy making crepes, but I managed to show some restraint...barely.

After lunch, Hacker the 2nd 2nd was setting people for the scene. He then came right in front of me and Tim the guy I was going to be crossing with. Then the unexpected happened...he let out a loud and long fart. Embarrassed, he turned around quickly and said, "Holy shit I'm sorry." Tim broke up laughing, but Hacker's real concern was me. "I lived with a girl for 4 years and can count on one hand how many times I farted in front of her. I can't believe I did that. Don't tell anybody, okay?" I told him I'd write it on my blog. He thought I was joking.

When I got home at 7:30 pm, my hair was still wet. C'est la vie.

Heroes and the Joey Pal

2009-01-08T23:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it is a new year and before I begin my post about the joys of Heroes, I would like to take the time and re-evaluate all that I have learned this past year of doing extra work.

-It takes a real actress to dance to absolutely no music, in painful heels, with a smile on her face, after someone spills a syrupy mixture of sorts on her dress and to not react in terror after realizing it will take half her paycheck for the night to dry clean it.

-It takes a real actress to behave like it is cold outside and to shiver, even though she is wearing a wool coat and it is one hundred degrees outside in sunny LA and the shiver might be caused by a fever due to dehydration. AND she can always pass the sweat off as melting snow on her forehead.

-It takes a real actress to wake up at 4 am and get her hair and makeup done, only to wait around for 8 hours doing nothing, while her hair frizzes and her make up melts and smears across her face.

-It takes a real actress to seem upset after being wrapped after working only 10 minutes on set. That's like $350/hour. And to think...I could have been a doctor.

As you know, I love working Heroes. Why? They have good food. That's the only difference really between a good show and a bad show... the grub. Today was sub par for them, but I'm not going to complain really cause I did eat steak and birthday cake which I sure hell would not have eaten at my apartment. I also got to work with Sylar (Zachary Quinto) today and also Zelijko Ivanek who has been really big of late appearing on True Blood and House and he won the Emmy last August for Best Actor in TV Drama. I would say he's huge even...except for that he is not. When I first saw him on set, I did not recognize him. In fact I found him to be terrifying...kind of looked like someone who would go postal on you at any moment. Also, he is tiny. Like 5'3" and the width of my thigh. IMDB has him listed at 5'7" but that is a lie...sure I was wearing heels...but he was shorter than every guy there and had to sit on two pillows to make out with this one Asian girl. Key word in that sentence was Asian...and god knows they are a tiny people...unless you are Yao Ming. It was really cool to see him though.

Okay..I'm not going to freak out...but Zachary Quinto touched me. Yikes! Moving on up in the world...first he throws trash at me and says sorry, and now he bumps into me while moving through a crowd of people. Oh the little joys of extra work.

Now, I used to have a theory that any guy who likes Frank Sinatra music has to be a decent guy. I would like to modify my theory however. Any guy who likes Frank Sinatra music has to be a decent guy unless they are an Italian from New York. I had my Sinatra purse on set today which has been my usual for the past few months. I assume this guy had seen it when he decided to blast "New York, New York" from his MP3 player, but who knows. I try to be friendly to this guy who looks like the offspring of Elvis and Zachary Quinto and say that I too like Frank Sinatra music and he says, "Frank Sinatra is the best. Ain't no one better. Other people can sing his songs, but no one will sing em like Frank does...no one" Now...he said this as if he were going to kill me...as if I threatened him in someway, which was quite jarring and I decided to not speak to him again, but then he said, "Have you seen Joey Pal?" "Ummmm....You mean Pal Joey" I replied. "Yeah. That's it, Pal Joey, I alway get it reversed. Boy, Rita Hayworth is something in that, isn't she?"

I will never understand why guys on set are so crazy. The girls don't seem half as demented at times. And I always feel so awkward for the poor helpless ones who catch a guy's fancy. I can usually take care of myself with these crazed wolves since my knowledge can be quite intimidating, but most are not as fortunate as I. Towards the end of the night there was this shorter version of Kevin Smith preaching to this attractive female about how important watching movies is to an actor and how surprised he was at how few movies some of the theatre students at his college had seen. (Clearly he did not go to USC.) He was saying how his favorite movie was Raging Bull and how Meryl Streep was the most nominated actress, and this poor girl had to listen to his rant and was clearly not interested since she knew a lot of this stuff anyway (just because you haven't seen the movie, doesn't mean you're clueless as to what it is about Kevin Smith look-a-like!) I usually behave myself on set and act very professionally but I almost lost it with what look-a-like said next. He said he was going to have a Sam Mendes marathon. You know...watch American Beauty and Road to Perdition and LITTLE CHILDREN!! That was my chance, my chance to put the girl out of her misery and to put this little show off in his place. TODD FIELD! I wanted to scream. TODD FIELD directed Little Children you douche. But alas...I refrained. However, my facial expressions must have given away my thoughts??? Fore at that instant the guy next to me turned to me and said, "You need to read this book called the Power of Now. I can tell you are either thinking about the Past or the Future, and you need to be in the Now" I am quite confused. "Actually, I was thinking of the present. In fact I was eavesdropping and analyzing the person next to me". "Oh", he replied, "You must be a Cancer or a Libra". "No... I'm not". And that was the end of it.

A few moments later, they started cutting people to go home. I noticed that they were keeping all the "hot" people for another scene. I made it past 3 cuts until they realized that they had all women and no men. Still...not bad to be considered hot enough to be part of the 2nd to last cut. Ego Boost!

Keep an eye out for this episode 3.21!

Bones and the Flood

2008-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

I went to work on Bones over at 20th Century Fox today. The set flooded so they sent some of us home with a full day's pay. Thank God I was in jeans and they could not use me as a lab rat. My friend Becky was not as lucky. She was there for 8 hours and they used her for maybe 5 minutes. It was really unfortunate because she was hoping to to her orientation thing at Pink Taco. I went to the 20th Century store and spent my paycheck on House t-shirts. One of them says "It's Not Lupus". I didn't know if it was appropriate for my to purchase this shirt since my brother died of Lupus. I said this to my cousin on the phone and the cashier overheard. I caught him in his eavesdropping and the look on his face was priceless. He looked so embarassed and yet he felt sorry for me and freaked out all in one. He didn't mention anything when I checked out...but he couldn't really give me eye contact either. I ended up getting the shirt of course...and another one that is brown...I really have problems.

Brothers and Sisters and the Australian Diva

2008-12-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today I was a nurse/volunteer on Brothers and Sisters. The slash is necessary cause I was initially a nurse, but looked young so this one dancer girl and I were volunteers instead. I wore my white Adidas shoes which really hurt my feet. I bought them in 2003 and they look as good as new, so I figured they'd be good nurse's shoes. Not worth the pain though...how come shoes always feel fine in the store and RIGHT when you leave, they hurt your feet? The other volunteer left in the middle of the day to go audition to be a hip hop dancer for an Ed Hardy Holiday party. It was strange. I also learned from an extra that the school system in New Jersey is abysmal and her 23 year-old nephew still does not know how to read. He ended up stealing a couple cars and wound up in jail. It was a sad story cause I guess her sister is a train wreck and the kids really wanted to live with her but couldn't. Looks like Bush's No Child Left Behind Act was in full swing these past 8 years.

I'm a big fan of Six Feet Under so was excited to see Rachel Griffiths, but apparently she is a huge diva. I think it may be an Australian thing cause Poppy on Without a Trace is also very difficult and you can't walk in her eye line. (This seems so funny ever since Christian Bale's explosion on set). Rachel also used to do these breathing exercises before each take that would take forever and drive the crew insane, but she's settled down some this season. A lot of the actors were sick so she was on heavy drugs too that made her completely out of it. I wonder if she was hallucinating...it seemed like it.

The coolest part of the day was walking around on the Disney lot during lunch and seeing them film a special effects scene for Lost. It was part of the plane against a green screen and bits of it was on fire. Very neat. Maybe I should get into special effects. It seemed so fun.

CSI: NY and the Man Who Can't Be My Husband

2008-12-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty funny day because I was paired up with this guy Gabriel and we were supposed to be a couple at a restaurant and we'd get up from the table to reveal Gary Sinise. (I was featured for those who caught the episode). Gabriel put my coat on me and kissed my cheek and was all debonair. We could hear the director laughing and apparently there was a discussion going on about how Gabriel and I must not have been married because he was being too sweet and chivalrous. He was mighty charming if I do say so myself. Though, he was also bitter for not having a girlfriend...apparently he finds himself to be quite the catch but thinks girl judge him for his shorter stature. There were also a lot of half naked girls as part of a sex ring. I always wondered what type of girl was okay with that role....not one of them spoke English as their first language. Makes me think that there are a different set of principles outside of the US.

Without a Trace and the Mysterious Tablet

2008-12-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

I had gotten into quite the routine of coming to work on Without a Trace. I had my assigned place by the wall socket to plug in my laptop that I now felt comfortable enough to bring to set. My sister has a slingbox, so I could watch TV on my laptop. Very convenient especially when prime-time shows start. However, today was not like any other day because for some reason, I decided to look in my pocket.

I had bought a new suit a few months ago because I was tired of wardrobe commenting on how the my last suit's jacket was too short or it was too light. I went to buy a nice Theory coal colored pin stripe suit at It's a Wrap which is a store that sells used wardrobe from television and movies. It's about a $600 suit that I got for $70. Not too shabby. But for some reason, I had never bothered to look in the pockets, which were mostly stitched up, until today. I felt a little bump in my right butt cheek pocket and decided to investigate. What I pulled out was a white powdery round tablet about the size of a pill. I showed it to another guy on set and he told me that it looked like ecstasy laced with heroin. ( I later looked up online that they don't lace ecstasy with heroin. ) He also guessed that the pants came from Jennifer Love Hewitt. Apparently I look the same size as her. I was flattered, sure, since she is a size 4 and makes a lot of male top ten attractive bodies lists, but I just had to remind him that I was about 4 inches taller and the pants were not hemmed at all. I was completely floored that I, Mary Howard, had been walking around with ecstasy in my pocket for months! What if I had been stopped by a cop and searched? I believed him of course because frankly, that's exactly what it looked like to me as well. The edges were too powdery to be a regular pill and why would someone have a random pill in their pocket. I also noticed from experience that it was not tylenol or any other form of advil or aspirin which is the only pill that makes sense to have on oneself.

Luckily for us, there was a reformed drug addict on set named Christian who could shine a light on the situation. After his careful analysis of sniffing and scratching at it with his fingernail before licking the debris, he told us it looked like a dry cleaned breath mint. He didn't rule out ecstasy, he just gave us a more likely substitute. I still wasn't convinced. There is only one real way to find out. Any takers?

Samantha Who and the Great Dane

2008-11-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Samantha Who has always been my least favorite show to work on because of the long hours, walk away lunches, and early early call times. Yet today might have been my favorite day of extra work ever. Why you ask? Because there was a Great Dane on set. His name was Bentley and everyone was going Ga-Ga over him. Yet, who did he like best on set? ME! I went up to his owner and befriended her immediately asking her questions and finding out what a great apartment dog he is (so reassuring). I got to hang out with him and pet him for 4 hours, and at the end, he gave me an endearing lick on the face. In one lap, his tongue went from chin to forehead. Onlookers grimaced and ewwwed, but I was in Heaven. I gave him a kiss on the nose, and he went on his way.

What also made this day great was the fact that I saw Charlie again. I hadn't seen him since Race to Witch Mountain. He didn't recognize me of course since he had never seen me out of costume, but after teasing him awhile, he figured it out. He told me I should work on True Blood, and he just happened to have worked in the scene that my friend Deborah worked on. He thought she was amazing, and that everyone else sucked. I had to call her and tell her. Jonathan Dillon was on set as well. I went to high school with him, and then also he transferred to USC film school when I started as well. It's always nice to see fellow Kansans, but he has to be one of the most awkward guys ever. We always end our conversations saying that we should hang out sometime, but we never do. Still, it was good to see him. Also on set I met this cool guy Dan (who looks like Mos Def) and also Rebecca (Becky) who I had met previously on The Amazing Miss Novak. We walked over to Trader Joes and McDonalds during our lunch and got food and a McFlurry. I usually don't eat during walk away lunches, but felt the need to be social. We became quite the trio, especially when we worked together again on Ghost Whisperer, but I'll get to that later.

There was a scene we did at a funeral later in the day. I was in a nice maroon sweater and dress pants and had my hair up. I feel the need to describe my appearance because of what happened during that scene. I was standing in my place as we were about to role when I heard the director shout, "What's the one who looks like one of us doing in the shot?" The 2nd Director came up to me quickly and told me to walk in to frame instead. I guess I look like a crew person. Which makes sense, I suppose since I went to film school. I just never knew that we had a "look". I glanced around the room trying to decipher what it was about me that differed from all the other extras. Besides the smile and happy disposition, I thought I fit in. Maybe it was the fact that I was young and happy and comfortable on set. Or maybe only crew people wear their hair up and extras are required to wear it down...who knows. But this is not the first time I have been confused with a crew person rather than an extra, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

NCIS and the Evil Wardrobe Guy

2008-11-06T18:20:00.000-08:00

This may have been my 5th or 6th day working on NCIS and all the days pretty much blur together with the exception of my first day in which I was given the nickname "Doctor" by a crew member who was amazed by my medical jargon because I knew that you weren't supposed to eat grapefruit while on Lipitor. (Pretty common knowledge especially if you have parents with high cholesterol.) After realizing I was smarter than the average background performer, a fellow extra decided to hold a conversation with me in which he quizzed me about the evolution of extinct species and then proceeded to answer his questions in what could only have been a one-sided conversation. I have avoided him since.

I have never really cried on set before...walking to my car, yes, but never have I lost it while I'm working... until today. NCIS has never been my favorite show to work on because I have to wear my suit all day and I'm usually the youngest by a good twenty years. Jesus...I must look 30 again. Also, since I am the youngest, I feel as though I am the target of George the Wardrobe guy's wrath. He hates my suits. I used to wear a grey one, but he always complained that the jacket was too short, so I went out and bought a new one especially for him. I wore it last time I worked, and he okayed me. Didn't say a thing. For once, I didn't have to borrow a jacket from him that is long enough to cover my ass which I'm sure must be intimidating to a gay man such as he. Sure, my new suit wasn't that long...after all I do want to appear youthful and not plumpy, but it was longer than my last and much more flattering if I do say so myself. The fact that he didn't make me change did wonders for my confidence. A confidence that he demolished when I wore that same exact outfit this beautiful Valencia day.

It was supposed to be a short day and my friend Cindy was going to be on set, but when I arrived, I was informed that there was going to be a wardrobe change. Of course, on the one day I didn't bring any back up because I hadn't had the chance to wash my dress shirts (which the Wardrobe guy hated anyway.) I was terrified, but I figured this is his job. He LOST it. He started patronizing me from the beginning telling me how unprofessional I was, and he asked if I wanted to go home. I told him no. Then he proceeded to tell me that my suit jacket was too short and starting sighing with frustration because I was actually going to make him work. He told me, "You always do this." I said, "No, this is my first time." "No, you always come unprepared. What did I give you last time to wear?" That is when I got offended..."Um. This is exactly what I wore last time, and you okayed it so I thought it would be fine today." "That is not what you wore last time." "Yes, yes it is." He then handed me off to his assistant proclaiming in a huff, "Here, you deal with her. I can't handle this anymore." I was hurt. Never have I been so insulted. His assistant was very nice however. He let me wear what I had on for one change and gave me a jacket and a blouse for the other. I told him that he never liked what I brought, so why bring anything. His assistant was very sympathetic, but that didn't help the waterworks that came when I left the trailer. I ran to crafty for some food with Cindy in tow trying to brighten my day. Useless. I wanted to get out of there, and finally 3 hours later, I did, hoping to never return.

Without a Trace and the Stalking of Lee Pace

2008-10-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

I was working Without a Trace once again, but today instead of staying cooped up inside during my walk-away lunch, I decided to take a stroll through the Warner Bros. Backlot. I have a path that I take to get to the gift shop where I have been known to waste many a paycheck on discounted DVDs or Anamaniacs cels. I pass by the set of Chuck hoping to see Zachary Levi and pray for the slightest chance that he will remember me for once and ask me how I've been, and then I walk up past the Pushing Daisies set hoping to see Lee Pace. If I ever did see Lee Pace, I had sworn to my friend Kate that I would not only get his picture, but also give him her phone number. She believes they are destined to be together from their laid-back nature to their love of board game nights. She even cries whenever she sees him on TV because she thinks he is such an amazing artist. Pathetic, I know, but completely understandable. He is adorable. And would you believe who I saw while passing by? Kristin Chenoweth and her tiny dog......and Lee Pace in his cute little Pie Maker apron. I stayed calm and kept walking as I reached for my cell phone and scrambled to dial Kate. She didn't answer at first so I had to call my mom in order to release my couped up energy and excitement from seeing him. Kate dialed in while I was talking to her after listening to my message. She was going mental. She was insistent that I go up and talk to him and hand him the phone so she could as well. I did not have the balls for that insane feat..not everyone can go up and talk to celebrities with such ease as Miss Kate Gorman. In fact many of us have something called nerves that intensify into a strangle-hold when we come into proximity of something or someone too amazing for one person to handle alone. We decided that I had to at least take his picture. Terrified of bringing any attention to myself, I decided that I had to take a picture while pretending to talk on my phone. Not an easy task to do with a cell phone camera. The timing had to be perfect and the zoom prepared before passing. I walked by him 3 times in order to get this pic. I would have done 2 more laps, but how inconspicuous can I be if I'm parading by him constantly on my phone. I thought 3 times was pushing it. You can kind of see his left profile. Not an amazing picture, but still, he is there, and it made Kate's day. Now that the show is cancelled, I no longer have the opportunity to stalk him, and am very thankful for this one chance.

Bones and the Fire

2008-10-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

My 2 day stint on Bones was not exciting, except for supplying my nerdiness with the chance to see Freaks and Geeks star John Francis Daley who looks just as he did when he was 14, except taller. What was exciting was my drive home at 1 am on the 405 freeway. I got to witness my first brush fire up close and personal. The 405 south was just closing and the north was soon to follow. The fire had just started. It was crazy because while I was driving I could see that the sky looked a bit redder than usual, and then I started smelling smoke and my car became a sauna before humongous flames 25 feet high or more suddenly appeared on the hills right by the Getty Center. It was beautiful. My inner pyromaniac was in awe, until I realized I was afraid of fire and quickly drove by terrified that some flying embers might catch my car on fire. I made it back safely, but not unscathed because the smoke had irritated my sensitive throat and I became hoarse for a few days. Well worth the pictures though, and I shall never forget the intensity behind one of nature's most beautiful disasters.

Heroes and Another Piece of Trash

2008-09-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

This was my 2nd time working Heroes in what seemed like over a year. I could not wait to see what Heroes star was going to be on set that day. There was no way I could have predicted the amazingness that followed. SYLAR (Zachary Quinto) was on set! He is pretty much the best thing about the show...especially as of late. I played an office worker in a scene where a woman who has the special power to tell if you're lying gets killed by Sylar. I didn't see any of that happening. In fact I was used for only 20 minutes tops even though I was there for 8 hours. I didn't care because the food was amazing. I mean...I'd gladly stay put anywhere if they feed me banana pudding with strawberries and chocolate chip cookies inside.

I love getting my hair and makeup done for a shoot. It makes me feel mighty special and significant, but this was not normal set where extras are separate from the guest stars and cast. Maybe it was because of the small call of only 10 background performers or something, but Zachary Quinto was getting his makeup and hair done right next to me. And that is when it happened. He leaned over to throw his empty bowl that once contained oatmeal away, and he missed and it ricocheted near my shoe. He said "sorry" and picked it back up to throw it away. I must be a trash magnet. First House and now Sylar. Do I care? Of course not! Whatever it takes for them to talk to me, even if it is "sorry."

Sylar also had his dog on set which was pretty cute. I guess a lot of cast members bring their pets with them which is pretty amazing. I need to find a job on a set like this for when I finally get my Great Dane...which at the rate I'm going might be in 30 years.

Without a Trace - I am an FBI Agent

2008-09-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

September 15th and 16th was the beginning of what has been quite the little run so far as a regular FBI Agent on Without a Trace. Going to work on this show began to feel like a regular job for me eventually. Same people, same faces, same crosses. But again, there is nothing like your first time.

I met a friend on set named Aileen. She was a newbie like me, and I haven't seen her since, so I guess she didn't get a regular stint like I did. We hit it off straight away and probably breathed a little life into the dull routine of Without a Trace. People instantly took notice. At one point we started speaking French on set...only the curse words of course. "Tu es un sac de merde!" and so on. Moments later, the director Jonathan, who looks a little bit like Santa Claus except shorter and much crankier, says something in French...like "can we hurry up merci beaucoup". He was eavesdropping. It was hilarious. This man seemed to hate life and everyone on set, and yet he was entertained by us enough to join in on our French fun. Later in the day one of the extras asked the 2nd 2nd if she should point to the photo in the scene as if to talk about it. He answered yes. I was far back closer to Jonathan and heard him say, "We should fire her. Does she seriously think she wants to be an actress? Who asks that question? Idiot!" (it was something to that effect...I may have paraphrased.) Needless to say he was an insulting jerk and I found him to be hilarious because he was blunt and honest and highly entertaining.

The next day I returned, but there was no Aileen...she was replaced with another token Asian girl, Cindy. Cindy and I became friends because again...we were the only non-regulars and therefore we bonded. We ended up working together almost everyday for the next few weeks. Very random, but it's always nice to have a buddy to do the crossword puzzle with.

House and the Evacuation

2008-09-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Oh to work House again, but for shame, there was no Dr. House again, but I'll settle for Cuddy. It was a pretty uneventful day that required all of us running out of the hospital because there was a guy with a gun (Zeljko Ivanek) holding people hostage. Cuddy was screaming to get everyone out. We did about 10 takes of this from a few angles and about 3 seconds of one shot was used, and I wasn't in it. C'est la vie. I did learn some pretty interesting stuff though in holding. While walking by a group of guys in scrubs I heard that "Guys date girls who are half their age plus seven". It was genius! That means I need to be dating a guy who is 28! Which is the exact age of a certain celebrity I have taken a fancy to. That also means ladies, that if we don't get married till we are 35...we will be dating guys who are 56. Hmmmm...seems a bit old. I'm starting to think that little theory has holes in it. I have my own little theory. Don't date guys who are old enough to be your dad. Enough said.

Without a Trace - Pre-FBI Agent

2008-08-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

I worked Without a Trace today as a pedestrian and memorial service attendee. We were filming on the Warner Brother ranch which is where they have all these house that they film in like the Pushing Daisies house and the house from Christmas Vacation and Lethal Weapon. We turned the Pushing Daisies house into a Church Basement type room. So deceiving.

There was an additional PA on set who graduated from USC in Critical Studies...just like me. Though he graduated in 2003 I think. He is writing some screenplays and doing this for money. He was pretty cool and gave me some good advice. He told me that he has never had to hand out his resume to anyone. Every job he has gotten, he has gotten because he knows somebody. He is positive that all those interviews I went on were filled by people who knew someone. I agree. He also told me about how he was working as an Office PA on Freaky Friday and was offered a small part. It got cut though...but he still got paid. Jealous. I've seen him a few times since then, but he never remembers me, which is strange because we talked the whole entire day. Not everyone has a memory like I do.

I got bored later on and while looking at my phone, noticed it had a stop watch. I decided to see how long I could hold my breath. My siblings and I used to have these contests in the car during long drives. I held my breath for a minute and five seconds. I texted my results to my cousin Drew and friend Alex. Drew held his for a 1:30 and Alex 30 seconds. Amazing, I know...after reading this I'm sure you are all going to see how long you can hold your breath and compare your results...if you aren't...you clearly are not as cool as us.

Ghost Whisperer and the Sleeping Extras

2008-08-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

13 hour days in abandoned hospitals named after famous brothers of presidents. Most of us were only used for maybe 5 minutes...and some, not at all. It was a 5 am call or so, and for some reason, though it may have been the Coke I had, I was the only one awake in the entire room. Around me lye 20 or so sleeping extras. It was such a sight that I had to document the evidence. Actors...we need naps like monkeys need bananas.

Middleman - I'm Surrounded by Idiots

2008-07-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

For some reason I was really short tempered this day. The smallest thing would annoy me. So, the fact that random people who I'd met on My Boys decided to talk to me was not a good thing because I was less tolerant than usual. One girl decided to talk to me during lunch...apparently eating yogurt cures lactose intolerance according to her. I seriously had to use all my power to not belittle her. Nice Mary...Nice Mary...not Mean Mary. I just told her that I think she may be thinking about intestinal disease or UTIs rather than lactose intolerance...I mean..there is a reason I'm known as Doogie Howser on some sets..don't cross me and my medical knowledge. There was a random guy on set who got a flat tire driving around in circles. He asked to leave early to get his car taken care of and they got mad at him even though it was production's fault. I really don't know who to side with in cases like this because he was annoying and they needed him for the next shot, but still...he's just an extra and its not like they're going to buy him a new tire. Ever since I'm now paranoid when I drive around on studio lots...especially LA Center Studios.

Monk and My Starring Role

2008-07-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday and today I got to work on the 100th episode of Monk. 100th episodes are great because they are treated a little more special, like celebratory cake and ice cream for dessert. I don't know how I got to be this lucky. I was one of 3 non-union extras and was playing a makeup person at an after party. On day one, I wore a red sweater and some slacks, however, on the 2nd day, the wardrobe people decided I wasn't festive enough and changed me into a black flowery blouse. I guess continuity wasn't a big concern for them, though I was pretty much in the frame directly behind Tony Shalloub the entire episode. You can see ME during the pivotal ending when Eric McCormack draws a gun in the crowded party and I cower in the background. Eric McCormack is an ass man by the way. One of the extras had quite the derrier and he kept staring at it and when he walked by as if to squeeze between her and another person, instead of going between them, he almost grabbed her ass. It was hilarious. Only I, of course, saw this gesture. How I love body language. The extras on the show were all pretty cool. I met a guy from Scotland who was in a band called Trashcan Sinatras. He married a groupie. Then there was Marco, my grey haired 37 year old surfer dude. I still hear from him occasionally and he has tried to help me find a set job. He was a sweetie. There was also a really young hot producer on the show who was doing extra work so that he could join the union. Marco convinced me to talk to him and inquire how he got to be a producer. His answer? He knew Tony Shalloub and was his assistant for a while before Tony made him a producer. Man...don't we all wish we had connections like that. So not fair! He can't be that hot AND have connections...it should be one or the other. It was a really fun set overall, and I still can't believe how well you can see me at that party the ENTIRE episode. Try to check it out if you can. It is duly titled Monk's 100th episode. (Creative I know.)

Cold Case - I Look Like My Grandma

2008-07-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

I love dressing up in costumes and putting on a wig and fancy makeup. So I pretty much loved working on Cold Case. We were 1950's ladies being swooned by navy and marines on leave. They are really authentic on that show down to the underwear. Seriously. I had to wear a bra from the 1950's. It was pointy and very uncomfortable. I'm guessing elastic or spandex or whatever wasn't popular or invented yet because those things had no stretch to them. After being done up, I took a look in the mirror. The image was frightening. I looked like my Grandma Lucille when she was in her 20's. Granted, I've never seen her or a picture of her in her 20s...or really any age other than 70's, but still, I was vintage. It's actually a very becoming look for me. Maybe I was born in the wrong decade. Though after seeing my figure on film, I looked about as large as a hippopotamus. Maybe not so becoming after all.

Chuck and the New Crush

2008-07-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last night (3.09.09) I had a dream about C.J. aka Collin Jeremy..or was it Jeffrey? I find it fitting now to talk about him and how I often consider him to be the one that got away. Why, bathrooms? Why? C.J. and I had been working together it seems for 2 weeks straight on various shows. He was always very quiet, sitting alone reading his comic books. I, a comic book fan, approached him and talked to him. We became set friends, but on this particular day, it seemed we could be more than that. This was the last time I saw him.

He was the only other person I knew on set that day (besides Zac who of course did not recognize me as usual...very unattractive in a man.....but he was made attractive again when I saw him playing with a baby). We partnered up and I started to get to know him better. I found out that he plays the drums and is from the midwest. He asked me if I could have a party in any store in the world what would it be. The answer: The Toys R' Us in Times Square. He was floored by my answer since it afterall, is the perfect answer. We talked about Twilight books and how he wants to read them because he noticed how much I liked them. We were totally flirting and if I were any other extra listening to our conversation, I would have been grossed out, but since I was involved, I was smitten. We talked about Dark Knight since it was coming out in a week and we were thinking of seeing it together. He was starring in a show at the time where he played Superman when he wasn't working. I told him I'd come and see him in it. That's when he got up to go to the bathroom. And then we were wrapped...I thought about waiting around for him, but figured that I'd see him soon enough since we'd worked together on almost every show the past 2 weeks. Not the case. And this is why my New Year's resolution is to take more chances. I should have waited. Taken a chance on love?

Chuck and My Dream Man

2008-06-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

A three day call as a shopper on Chuck - proof that there is a God. These three days may be the best three days I have ever had on set. This was my first time working on the show and my first opportunity to talk to Zac Levi who I met previously in March 2007 when Alex was in town. He got me hooked to Guitar Hero and I also visited him filming the pilot of Chuck at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel Downtown. I remember him running through the fountains and proclaiming that he loved his job. Now I got to see him in action once again and get paid for it. I didn't have the balls to approach him on the first day and regretted it. I would not wuss out on the 2nd day. I just had to do it! That first day, he was so adorable. I was busy texting my friends how adorable he was acting. He would break out into song singing "Jump on it" and "All you need is Love". He was always entertaining and I felt like the crew loved it. There was such a light happy atmosphere on set. The 2nd 2nd named Spoon who set us background players also gave me quite the amazing nickname, or should I say nicksong? Whenever he needed me he'd sing "Mary Mary why you buggin?" I loved Spoon. The next day I wrote my own rap song for him called "Spoon Spoon where is the restroom. I gotta knowz where it is cause I gotta take a whiz".

Okay....so I know you're all dying to know what I said to Zac when I finally approached him. My heart was beating so fast I felt like I was going into cardiac arrest. He was standing at the nerd herd desk, finally alone for once, doing the crossword puzzle. (side note: one of my criteria for my perfect man is that he does the morning crossword....heart beating faster). I went up and introduced myself and said I was a friend of Ann and Jeremy's and that I met him last St. Patrick's Day and how he got me addicted to Guitar Hero and how I visited him on the set of Chuck and how I knew Ann, etc. I repeat these facts every time I see him and he still never really remembers me. Maybe he would if my boobs were bigger. He says he remembers me though and is acting all too cool for school for the first time ever on set. I like to think he was trying to impress me with his coolness. Then somebody came up to me and he told me he'd see me later. Yay! It's a good thing I talked to him then because he was done for the day and left like 5 minutes later and was not back the next day. Luck was on my side.

The day only got better because there was this NFL player on set, Michael Strahan. Big whoop, I know, except that since he was there, all these guys from EA games were there also. And they brought an X-BOX 360 with them...and Rock Band and Madden NFL 2008. I ended up getting overtime for playing video games for the rest of the day. I was the only one playing them for some reason and befriended some of the video game peeps. They were impressed with my NFL knowledge and one of them offered me a job as a tester because I don't think there are many avid female video gamers. I didn't take it seriously though. One of the guys gave me a card and said he'd send me Madden 09 early, but only if I got a better system than a PS2. I ended up emailing him, but never heard back. Besides the EA Sports guys, I played some video games with the stand ins and also this extra named Jesse Heiman. Jesse is probably the most famous of all extras. I guarantee that you have seen him. Here is a picture of Jesse. He is like 30 years old and is one of the mos funny looking people I've ever seen. The last time I was on Chuck, Jesse was telling people that we had to move holding and one extra told him he was a wealth of information. He replied, "I know a lot about a lot of things.....except sex." Classic.

Also on set, I met C.J. for the first time. He is a part time comic book editor and we talked briefly about X-Men and how amazing Wolverine is. He wasn't there on the 3rd day however. I'm not sure why I was there on the 3rd day either. I was never used and basically got paid to play video games for 4 hours. By far the sweetest gig I have ever had and am positive that nothing can ever top this.

Good Behavior and the Dead Snake

2008-06-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

I worked this pilot called Good Behavior last Thursday and Friday and then on Wednesday up in Valencia. It was quite a nuisance because I was planning on going to Berkeley to visit Kate on Friday morning, but instead I got recalled for Friday and didn't wrap Friday until like 2 am. I woke up on Saturday at around 5 am to head out. Yeah...I'm crazy. We were filming a funeral in the desert and we were supposed to be kind of white trash and from the wrong sides of the track. I have no idea how I managed to be booked on this. I didn't exactly fit in. There was a really funny girl on set though who dated Buddha from I Love New York. On Thursday she went over to a cooler to get some water, and inside there was a dead snake. Apparently one of the crew guys wanted to keep it or something so they stuck it in a cooler out of the way. It got run over by one of the trucks that morning. I'm just glad it wasn't a rattle snake. We had a snake wrangler on set for that reason. Needless to say, I was terrified the whole day, watching my every step. On Wednesday we got "drunk" at a memorial in the main house. Catherine O'Hara asked me if I was having fun. I told her that I wished every party I went to had watered down fake beer. She laughed. I made Catherine O'Hara laugh. Boo yah.

My Boys and the Bees

2008-05-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I found out that I was most likely allergic to bees. I have only been stung once when I was a small child, and in case you did not know, an allergic reaction shows only after your 2nd time. I made friends with a girl from London, Courtney Fleming, who was an extra in the first 4 Harry Potter members. She was a Gryffindor and told me a lot of stories about how all the older kids would have sex on the Hogwarts Express and each House hated the extras in the other Houses. Very realistic, eh? We went outside to eat some food when a bee landed on her hand. It flew away after she freaked out a bit because she was allergic to bees. I proceeded to tell her about the time a bee flew up my pants and though it didn't sting me, my leg turned red where the bee had crawled up my leg. Sure enough, moments later her hand started turning red and swelling, just as my leg had. I then asked her if she could wear Burt's Bees chapstick, and she couldn't without her lips swelling and burning...just like me. It feels so good to know for sure that I am allergic to bees...now I am scared to death of them. She went to the Studio Nurse to get some benadryl. She went home groggy shortly after...some people can't handle their drugs.

This is my 2nd time working My Boys...and it really is a fun show. I hope it comes back next season. The actors are really sweet and talk to the extras and such. AND Ryan Howard is in it...I totally had a crush on him when I was a kid...mainly because his last name is Howard. He's still pretty cute...if I married him...I wouldn't have to change my name. I was always thinking...even as a kid.

Middleman and the Varsity Fanclub...Oh God Another Boy Band

2008-05-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on the corny show The Middleman. I was to be a high schooler at a boy band concert. It was a pretty easy night of jumping up and down to somewhat inappropriate lyrics for a Disney family show. They were making crude humping dance gestures which had us all in stitches. Each member also reminded us of a Backstreet Boy or NSYNC guy...which makes since because the same people who put those bands together were responsible for this massacre. At the end...some of the extras were actually kind of all over these guys....seriously? Here is the band....Varsity Fanclub.

Start at about the 3 minute mark to see the band in action. I apologize in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggLRYoglyTM

And here is their youtube homepage since I know you all love them SO much.

http://www.youtube.com/user/varsityfanclub?blend=1

Bedtime Stories and My Birthday

2008-05-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday, and instead of taking the day off or celebrating by myself in my apartment, I decided to work. At least that way I'd have a chance at some cake and socialization. It actually ended up being quite the fun birthday. I was on the "B" unit which basically meant I got to watch a motorcycle fly through the air and crash into concrete all day. Also, I did get my birthday cake. The lunch line was so long that I skipped it all together and went straight for the desserts. As I took my seat, a very attractive PA noticed my dessert platter and said he liked my style. I explained to him that it was my birthday, and he gave me a nice birthday hug. Yay for hugs from hot guys! Later in the day they brought in some Haagen Dazs ice cream. It was just like our own private ice cream shop with toppings and the works. It's almost as if they knew.

Dirty, Sexy, Money and ED

2008-05-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

One of the hottest days in LA that I can remember, and I am stuck in a smoldering concrete jungle in a wool suit that I was forced to borrow from Wardrobe. Fine by me...better I stink up their stuff than mine. Though, borrowing their killer shoes was no fun, especially since I tend to get stair duty on set where one constantly goes up and down stairs take after take. Also, there was no background holding, so we were all forced to sit on the hot concrete of beautiful Downtown LA. Needless to say, I was dying...or at the very least, suffering from heat exhaustion. At one point we were given the option to stay for some overtime, I got up faster than my frail dehydrated body should have allowed and ran towards the Exit. The one highlight of the day was when I was visited by my dear Residential Advisor from freshman year, Ed. He was working at City Hall, which happened to be right where we were filming. It was so random he had to take a picture with his iphone. We got lunch a few weeks later when I was back near City Hall for some Jury Duty. I get hot flashes just thinking about it. Look at the sweat dripping from my face in the photo below. Thank you so much for documenting the water show.

CSI and the Missing Gun Belt

2008-05-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

I worked CSI, one of my favorite shows, today. My goal was to see William Peterson, and it looked like I was going to get my wish, except for the fact that instead of casting half of us as CSI techs, they cast all of us. Knowing my luck, I of course got cut and was sent home, but not after playing a Las Vegas Police Officer. It was for the season premiere and we were gathered in the station to discuss Warrick who was murdered. As the youngest and only non-regular, I was quite dismissible. In fact, when they ran out of name badges, they took mine. When they ran out of small gun belts, you guessed it, I relinquished mine. Because of this, they weren't planning on really using me since I was missing all my props and were afraid it would be noticeable on screen. So, of course after feeling guilty, they decided to hide me in the back of the group and use my shoulder to pan across. Perfect...whatever. So needless to say, I was surprised when the episode finally aired and I got quite the close-up. Sure, the PAs and Prop guys may try and hide me...but apparently the camera just couldn't get enough :) When we wrapped, some guy on set asked for my phone number. I didn't know his name, so I was hesitant. He thought that we should keep in contact. I told him it would be better to email me because I don't give out my number on set. He looked dejected. I haven't seen him since. (Hopefully he wasn't too dejected!)

ER and John Stamos

2008-05-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

My first booking with Joey's List. Seems like only yesterday. I was a volunteer on ER. It was a pretty boring 2 days, but it was also my first days on the Warner Bros. lot which I have often frequented since then. There was no craft service really and a whole lot of waiting, but I got to see John Stamos. Now, if you had told my 4 or 5 year old self that one day I would be on TV with John Stamos, I probably would have pissed myself and gone crazy. That day...not so much. I thought it was cool that he broke out in song randomly though, even if he was quite unprofessional at times. There was a background guy there named Joey who was Anthony Edwards stand in from way back when. He'd been on the show for 11 years as a background person. I really hope that's not me.

24 and the Youngest Agent Ever

2008-05-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today I worked on the show 24. I was a replacement for someone who had to cancel, which would explain why I, at 22 years old, would be playing an FBI agent. We had a running joke that I was a prodigy and doing undercover work at colleges to detect illegal acts. Also, no one would suspect poor little ol' me of being an agent! It was a pretty cool show to work on and they just let us do our thing. The crew was nice and the extras weren't too crazy, except for this one guy. While I was talking to him, he started cracking up laughing for no reason before saying, "I'm sorry, it's just that your eyes are so beautiful". That was crazy, but he was a nice guy. He also got a free haircut out of the gig because they cut every man's hair for the show each day to make sure it is prim and proper and very FBI like. He also played the guitar and brought it to set. I still don't see why some guys bring those things to set. Are they that desperate for feedback? He claimed that he wasn't and only brought it to set to practice and gets upset when people ask him why he brings his guitar to set. C'est la vie.

Saving Grace and the Invisible Extras

2008-04-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

I worked Saving Grace in Downtown Burbank. The PA, John, had the most gorgeous light blue eyes I have ever seen and I kind of developed a crush on him. They didn't have enough extras to fill the scene, so we each had to change our appearance with each turn around. It was kind of funny, and we were all swapping jackets and putting our hair up and down. There was some shooting going on and we were supposed to react. We all fell to the ground and I thought that it seemed rather realistic as we darted behind trash cans and such. I later watched the episode and somehow...magically....they managed to delete every extra from the scene. I did not see ONE of us. What a waste. Holly Hunter was really nice though. She asked how my day was and what not. She is sooo tiny!! and freakishly muscular. She may weigh like 80 pounds...but she could kick my ass.

Race to Witch Mountain

2008-04-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

This past week, I got to wake up at 4 am and drive 40 minutes to and from Pomona Fairgrounds in order to play a coveted Larper. A Larper is (for you non-geeks out there) a Live Action Roleplaying (LARP) Person (ER?). I'm not going to act like I understand their world, but you know...this was pretty fun. AND I had the BEST costume out of everyone there. AnnaSophia Robb (the young lead actress in it) told me that herself. She even filmed me for some behind the scenes coverage. Oh costume, how great you were. It was a one piece spandex suit that covered fingers and toes and went up to my neck. Over that, I wore what can only be described as a high tech trashbag. Add the 4 inch heels that matched my sparkly spandex skin and a big black wig and a sparkly star-decored headdress thing that weighted down my shoulders and you have a Larper costume like none other. Please see illegal pics below to appreciate full effect. Next came the makeup, and can I say, my makeup guy loved me. Apparently he can't handle it when people look at him when he puts lipstick on, and he would crack up laughing. On the last day, our relationship became so great that he tried to steal my nose like a 5 year old. He was the best, and all the hair people were jealous of our relationship and competed, I feel, to see who would be graced with the honor of putting on or taking off my wig. I had a different person each time which was crazy since there were 6 of them and I only had to wear the costume 3 days, but my makeup guy, I was all his. I really hope I see him again.

I couldn't fit through doorways. I had to duck down because with the head dress and heels I was about 7 feet tall. Needless to say, I'm in the deep background for a lot of the sci-fi convention scenes. Oh but so easily spottable. In fact, I'm pretty sure I talked to every single one of the 400 or so extras. They all had to come up to me and touch my costume. "You look like a hershey kiss", "You look like a mushroom", "You look like a bag of trash", I got them all. For some reason they were all fascinated by me. It did wonders for my confidence. And then there was Charlie. Charlie is a retired 69 year old who used to be in the Navy before making his millions in the pant industry. He was my protector and was desperate to see me out of my costume. He kept telling me I was a 10 and if only he were 40 years younger... He was a hoot and was always up to trouble. He went up to one black girl who thought she was all that and told her she was a 7. "That", he said as he pointed to me, "that is a 10". Of course he had no idea what I really looked like. The only real me that showed were my eyes. I think the mystery behind what I looked like was the real appeal, and some guys were getting a little too obsessive about all of us female larpers that a few were sent home for sexual harassment. I should have reported a few men, but I never felt really threatened as long as Charlie was there to scare them off.

My only real threat came on the 2nd day of filming towards the end of the day. My back was killing me as usual from carrying that heavy headdress on my shoulders. As I was rolling my shoulders during a break a guy offered to massage my shoulders. Apparently he took some classes, but I'm not sure I believe him. Don't get me wrong, it felt amazing and was greatly appreciated, but he had to go and ruin it when he said "You, me, a bottle of baby lotion, and a king size bed". I received no more back rubs after that...not that he didn't try. It became my goal for the rest of the week to avoid him and all of his hoots and hollers from across the room. He had a tattoo on his bicep. I have a theory about guys with tattoos...they're always up to no good.

My costume, though amazing, did prove to be quite the hassle. There was the back pain and sore bleeding feet (which I nursed back to health thanks to my new uggs I received a month before my birthday) and the fact that I couldn't go to the bathroom without taking off my trashbag and unzipping myself out of my costume. Now, the average person goes to the bathroom like 3 times a day, but a female during a certain week of a month goes to the bathroom a little more. It was always quite the event and took me about 10 minutes to get in and out and do my thing. It was pretty much the biggest pain in the ass imaginable.

I made a few friends on set which and we'd hang out and eat lunch together during breaks and what not. There was Ashley who was from Florida and was a pink Larper and Amy who was only there 2 days because she went to Disneyland to audition to be Snow White. She didn't get the part unfortunately but did make it past 3 cuts which is impressive. Arthur and Jonah balanced us out and we became quite the cool little bunch and made promises to hang out later which of course never materialized. On Friday, only Ashley and I returned from our group. They cut the call by a few hundred people, and neither of us had to wear our costumes which was bittersweet. Ashley got to return on a SAG voucher...I did not. Lady Luck has never been with me. At the end of the night I went up to the 2nd 2nd Assistant and asked him why Ashley got to return on a SAG voucher and I did not. Apparently there were only like 3 given out and they gave them to non-union people with crazy costumes like myself. He leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his neck and smiled, "Mary-Ellen. She decides, and I had nothing to do with it". He wasn't trying to be mean and I found him empathetic because Mary-Ellen is crazy and he had to deal with her more than I did. She is the casting person from central who casts and handles background for most motion pictures. I smiled at him and nodded and walked away to head home, holding in my tears till I reached the cool refreshing night air.

Austin Golden Hour - The Worst Show Ever

2008-04-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today I worked on what could possibly be the worst show ever created. Even the crew hated it and had no respect for it. In order to keep the crew happy, however, they overcompensated with amazing food. Tito's Tacos, sushi bar, sundaes, and basically anything you could possibly desire. I also made a friend on set, Ashley. We are very similar in the fact that she went to NYU theatre school and I went to USC theatre and film school, and we both have similar man trouble. I was also intrigued by the fact that she was a complete open book. She told everyone on set that she was a virgin. That took guts. This was my first AFTRA show and was paid a lot to be there cause they booked me as Union instead of Non-Union. The money made it worth it I suppose. The days were very long and we were filming at the RFK hospital which is now abandoned. I wasn't even used that much and we wore ugly brown scrubs. One of the crew guys thought I was from Ireland. That provided the sole laugh of the 2 day call since I have no Irish accent. Clearly, we were all very sick and tired of being there and some may have been having delusions of Irish accents in order to spice up the hours of horrific acting. The plot is this: Very young doctors who are about my age are running a hospital and it is very soap opera-ish and it is supposed to be a cross between ER and the OC. I know how you feel, I threw up a little bit too.

United States of Tara and the Overland Park Shout-Outs!

2008-04-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is the shoot where I met my friend Will Gatlin. I was immediately drawn to him because he kept smiling at me. He is just one of the happiest guys ever and his smiles are contagious. We were high school students together in Overland Park, KS...which is where I grew up. It was so amazing because they had a yellow school bus that said Johnson County Schools. I wish I had taken a picture. Even though I am a few years out of high school, clearly I was perfectly cast since I of all people know how OP kids act and dress. While in holding I got involved in some Texas Hold Em games with some cocky boys. I ended up winning of course....both times. I may look like an innocent little girl, but I know my shit. I should become a hustler.

We were apparently students at Butterworth Senior High School. I still have my program from the ballet show. It was a very detailed program. The cast and crew listed in the program were made up of characters from other high school shows like Jeff Rosso, the psychiatrist from "Freaks and Geeks" and Mike Seaver from "Growing Pains" and Kelly Kapowski from "Saved by the Bell". It became a game to try and figure out the references. Fun little souvenir to have from the day.

CSI: NY and the Galen Center

2008-04-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

This shoot has tainted my Graduation forever. Over a 15 hour period, my ass probably touched every seat in the Galen Center. There were like 500 of us there, and I pray I am never part of a call that large ever again. Also, seat filling like that is exhausting and a handful of people escaped and just sat in holding the whole time. Lazy asses. (So bitter still ).

American Carol

2008-04-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Oh American Carol, you were so long, cold and hot. Your calls were before the sun came up, therefore I was freezing, and you lasted till the sun came down, and again I was freezing....but in between, how the sun burnt my pale white skin. I was a hippie for 2 days protesting the Fourth of July. Little did I know that I was apart of Republican propoganda. David Zucker!! What the hell is wrong with you?! I later saw David Zucker at the airport when I was coming home from Vegas two weeks later. Very trippy. It was really cool seeing the Naked Gun director himself in action. He reminded me a lot of my dear friend Jonathan's style of directing (which is totally amazing since Jonathan loves him). There was one rough patch though where he had to fire Rich Little who was supposed to be impersonating Ted Kennedy and got this other guy...which I'm sure he regretted because this guy was awful and Zucker was giving him line readings for 2 hours and the guy still didn't get it. The crew was about to mutiny.

I also met Patti Moore on set. We became fast friends over our love of Hugh Laurie and because she grew up near Yardley, PA where my parents currently live. Such a small world. She also lost a brother in a car accident so we bonded over that as well. I've seen her a lot since on random sets, but as of last August 08, she moved back to PA.

House - The Obsession Begins!

2008-03-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

This might be the single most important day of my extra career because this day changed me.

I was working on House again, which meant nothing to me because I didn't watch the show. I was playing a PA. Perfect casting! We started the scene, and I made my cross over to where the trash can was before we cut. I stayed over there till the chaos halted and that is when Hugh Laurie came toward me. I had thought that he was pretty attractive for a 49 year old, but the hot factor went down quite a bit when I saw him light a cigarette outside. My friend Kate texted me that I should tell him to stop being a stereotype. I guess this might have been my chance. My eyes were most likely bugging out of their sockets as I awaited his next move. That is when he threw away a gum or candy wrapper, but instead of getting a nice 2 pointer, it bounced off the backboard...ME. "Sorry sorry," he quickly muttered, but he looked genuinely apologetic as he bent down to pick his trash off the floor. But I really didn't care. He spoke to me.

I made friends with the 2nd 2nd Assistant Michelle...well not really friends, but she was only a few years older and we talked film school and bonded a bit. This was important I suppose because she let me shadow her awhile and didn't seem annoyed by my close proximity. So, instead of going back to holding for a break, I stood by her side, and that is when I heard it. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. Somebody was playing the piano...and extremely well. The "Flight of the Bumblebee" is no simple task, and it was being played perfectly. "Who is playing?" I asked Michelle. "Oh, that is Hugh. He sometimes plays during breaks." My heart melted. Hugh Laurie can play the piano. When he came back in view I started looking at him differently. Suddenly, he was drop dead gorgeous, the hottest and sexiest man ever. So much more attractive in person, and that is not just the piano talking. He's tall and has great style and a sleek 5 o'clock shadow. Okay, now I realize that the style and whiskers is part of his character Dr. House, and not Hugh Laurie, but at the moment they were one and the same. I was in love.

This was the first episode of TV that I actually saw myself in as well, and after watching the episode, I fell in love with the show. If you care to find me...I'm in a maroon shirt crossing right to left in a wide shot in the episode "The Living Dream" when House visits the Soap Opera set.

Samantha Who and the Sugar Daddy

2008-03-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Samantha Who won't allow any blondes be background. I guess they don't want any confusion with its star. I adopted a friend on set, which is what you do on set. You don't really make lifelong friends, you make friends for the day. She was a photographer that was doing this part-time. She also lived in a nice loft downtown. You may be asking yourself, "wow, she must be successful?" No...no she is not. She has a sugar daddy. A married man from Texas or somewhere who comes to LA every once in awhile and helps her pay her rent. Apparently there is a website where you, yes you reading this, can find a sugar daddy of your very own. I considered it for maybe a second before realizing that I could never live with myself if I were to stoop so low. Ask me again in a few years.

Deal or No Deal

2008-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

November 9th, 2007 was my first audience experience with Deal or No Deal. January 17th, 2008 was my second and March 18th, 2008 was my final encounter with Mr. Howie Mandel. My first experience was uneventful, except I learned a mighty good lesson: eat before coming. You're lucky to be given candy at those things to keep you from falling asleep. Also, pretty girls in sexy dresses get paid more. Don't ask. My 2nd experience was amazing because the American Gladiators were there. OMG!! Titan had huge thighs and Helga was a beast, but most importantly, Wolf was there. I liked to think that he was checking me out the whole time...but really, he was sitting across from me. I was a little star-struck. It was like meeting Superman. I was so exicted I texted my friend Kate immediately when I finished. She replied, "I'm escorting Alan Alda". And so are the days of our lives. My final day was the best because the episode was Star Wars themed. Now, I haven't seen all the Star Wars films, but this was pretty cool. Storm Troopers instead of models, Darth Vader instead of the banker, and special guest Carrie Fisher. The funniest part is that Carrie Fisher was doing a Play in Berkeley that Kate was assisting with and had no clue that Carrie Fisher was in LA doing Deal or No Deal. That means that Kate and I both saw Carrie Fisher the same day in two different cities. What other two friends on earth could possibly claim that? Oh Deal or No Deal...it was fun while it lasted, but you don't feed me and my ass is tired from sitting.

CSI: NY....Yummmmm

2008-03-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

It had been quite a few months since my last extra gig. The money had run out and the interviews hadn't been going so well. So now I get to play a CSI tech and a cop. I was running a little bit late to set and though it had not been five minutes, I received a phone call from Central wondering where I was. I was afraid for what was to come. I made a friend on set who used to be a chemist and now he was an extra. That's quite the 180 if you ask me. We got a hold of some sides and acted out the scene together. It involved the CSI that Eddie Cahill plays interrogating some woman who stole her child from some unsuspecting parents way back or something like that. But before that scene played out, I got to go into the morgue for an intense quiet scene as two actors were looking at a burnt corpse deciding its gender. The director asked for one more take cause the actors had been on a role. I was crossing foreground in front of them..very quietly and headed over to put my folder on a metal table just as the actors finished their dialogue when BAM! I knocked into a metal cart which crashed into the glass wall. The Director yelled out CUT!... There goes the moment. All was fine though, and I actually made the director and the whole crew laugh. My face was turning bright red. Apparently I didn't kill the moment because we didn't have to do the take again, but also I opened myself up to ridicule and teasing from everyone on set.

Being teased and getting attention must be an attractive quality to have because as the scene ended, a fellow extra who used to be the naked dead body I was tagging decided to find out a little more about me. Note to all men reading this: When trying to guess a girl's age, never go up once you guess wrong. And boy..did he guess wrong...in fact he gave up before he even got to my age. "28? 29? 30? 27? 26? 25? 24? 23? Ok I give up..15?" In case you are all wondering, I was 22 at the time but apparently could pass for 30!! I felt so old at that moment and wanted to curl up in a ball and die. But not right away because I later found out the key to doing extra work...good food. There was grilled chicken and steak and crab legs and sushi, and the food was all brilliant. 5 star restaurant quality. How had I not known this before? People do extra work for the food. One of the PAs told me he gained 30 lbs while on set and then works it off when they are on hiatus. Too many cookies and cakes. I'd believe it. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten so well. Who has chicken AND steak for lunch? Me....that's who.

After lunch I got to be a cop. The uniform was...well...interesting. When the costume lady asked my waist size, I replied with 28, which it is. So she gave me size 28 pants. Ten minutes later I come back down asking for a different size. I couldn't even get the pants on up to my knees. She gives me a 30 and a 32. Nope and Nope. I finally go back and grab the 34s. Snug, but I was too embarrassed to go back down for a bigger size. My escapade was witnessed by a stand-in doing yoga in the dressing room. "You better get a bigger size. You'll want to be comfortable." I didn't listen, but I don't think it mattered. Gun belts were not meant to be worn by women. I have never been so uncomfortable in my life. My back was killing me. I couldn't stand, I couldn't sit, I was pretty much resenting every single women's movement which called for equal jobs for both men and women. But seriously, if there was a burglar in your house...would you want a male cop or a female cop to show up and kill the bastard?......that's what I thought. What made matters worse is that the guest actress reading the part of the childnapper was dreadful. The whole crew was cringing and about to lose it. We were doing take after take of this woman's deadpan delivery. Move over Buster Keaton! Though obviously she could never pass it off as comedy...none of us were laughing at her, grinding our teeth, yes, laughing, no. My chemist friend came up to me later and told me that I was so much better in our little cold read. I was flattered, but wondered who couldn't have done better? Oh, there seemed hope for me yet. If she was getting work, I could too. And after a meal like the one I had on set, I was anxiously waiting for my next stint as an extra.

Heroes...Oh to be 18 again

2007-09-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

I love the TV show Heroes, and was very excited about working on it. I also got to play a high school student which had the potential to give me quite a blast from the past. I wore a t-shirt that I bought at American Eagle my senior year and some khakis. I looked...well...let's just say I fit the part. I could have recreated photos from my youth. It was a short easy 4 hour day that required about 200 of us walking quickly out of a high school as if class was over. Easy enough. Hayden Panettiere ran through the crowd against the current. We did the take a few times, at the end she cursed "fuck" right at me. I felt that we connected. We were one. We could have been mind readers. They had pizza for a snack. There was a girl from some European country I can't remember eating pizza before a take. She took a bite, but then we started rolling, so she put her slice back in the box. The Craft Service guy saw it and threw a hissy fit telling her how disgusting she was. He then proceeded to throw the whole pizza box including 3/4ths a pizza away in the trash. It was hilarious.

If you are scratching your head wondering what this scene was and what episode it was in, do not fear....it never got past the cutting room floor.

House and the Penis Shoes

2007-08-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out last weekend. Sure, I read it in 18 hours throughout the night and into the day, but I felt it deserved a 2nd read less than a week later. House gave me that opportunity because I was there for like 12 hours and used for maybe 10 minutes. I would have been used more, but I was supposed to be an administrative assistant and I did not have a suit yet to wear. They made me a kiosk person and hid me off camera the one time they felt I was appropriate for the scene. Cause a pink blur looks sooooo much different than a blue or grey one. Oh well, there was a lot of down time for everyone. One lady in particular was an aspiring inventor and with the help of another extra, they decided to design a shoe that could be both a heel and a flat. You see....the heel part would spring out from the bottom and there would be a compartment in the shoe for when you wanted them to be flats. They called it Cocoon and even designed the label. Amazing idea, no? Oh wait...you mean that these people have no clue about shoes or the differences in pressure points and arches in shoes? So this shoe would be inplausible? Huh..if only someone had the heart to tell them. Don't worry, I found them to be highly unmotivated and knew they would forget about this scheme long before I ever would. In fact I began to mock it by designing my own shoe using their concept except making it erotic, since the only way this shoe would work would be as art in a museum. I called it a penis shoe. You can use your imagination. I hate to say it, but they really shouldn't quit their day jobs.

Monk and the Curse of the Starving Extras

2007-06-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I decided to give extra work another shot. I needed the money, and I'm sure you would do the same in my situation. It was a 2 PM call and would probably only last till dusk at 8 PM. We were to be San Fran people moseying around the Westwood area. I haven't seen the episode, but assume I made it in because Tony Shalloub ran into me quite a few times. My first physical contact with a somewhat famous person. Don't worry..I've washed the shirt since. Along came 8 PM and we still weren't wrapped and the complimentary donuts we recieved were wearing off. I didn't complain...cause I guess I didn't know better, but I found out that they are required to give us a meal break after 6 hours. And since it had been EXACTLY 6 hours, many people were complaining. We wrapped like 15 minutes later, but that didn't matter. A few middle-aged extras were going crazy demanding meal penalties and food and snipping at the PAs. I decided that those people give all extras and even actors in general a bad name. It also made me long for the other side of the camera since I often feel that I relate to the crew much more than the cattle. It's a fine line to walk on and one I will probably continue to walk on as long as I live in LA. Also I learned a new film set term today. They call vans and buses that transport people to and from set and base camp People Movers. Silly, huh? Well apparently people in the entertainment industry need to make up silly nicknames in order to..entertain themselves?

Made Of Honor

2007-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

No one ever forgets their first time, whether it be their first ride on a bike, their first kiss, their first trip to Taco Bell, their first roll in the hay, and well, their first day as an extra for a major Hollywood movie. I was so excited. Straight out of graduating from USC in Film and ready to leave my mark on my first real professional set. It was for a Halloween party set in the mid-1990s. I was to wear this milk maid costume that I borrowed from a roommate Marian the previous year. The excitement of the day must have blocked my memory, since I had forgotten just how small this milk maid outfit was. Just imagine for a second....my roommate was about 5'3" and I am 5'8", NOT including the 3" heels I was forced to wear all night. They gave me fishnets to help cover my exposed ass, but really I was quite doomed for the night and am shocked they okayed me to wear it. Also at this point I should say that it was about 50 degrees outside and that milk maid costume was irrationally skimpy. Needless to say I was freezing and close to tears, since I knew no one and the shoot was going to go on into the wee hours of the morning.

I made friends with a bumble bee....her name is not important, clearly since I have forgotten it. She had just broken up with her boyfriend. She made my life seem not as pathetic. Joy. There was also a guy dressed as a clown, and for those who know me, you may also know of my deep and RATIONAL fear of clowns. I avoided him like the plague. Clowns really are an occupational hazzard for the background extra. Note to self.....do not do anymore Halloween Calls. Then there was my dance partner, let's call him Mike. Mike was getting into real estate. Mike offered me a nice seat on a block of hay next to us. I declined since having sticks shoved up your bare fish netted ass is more unpleasant than standing on sore feet. Mike offered to make out with me on camera. Mike was no longer my dancing partner after that.

Patrick Dempsey finally came on to set at about midnight. Patrick Dempsey is a very small man. He's tall, sure, whatever, like 5'10" but still he is petite. It makes sense I suppose when you think about it. He plays opposite Ellen Pompeo on Grey's Anatomy and she is like anorexically thin and yet....they match well. So, there you go. After dancing to Thriller till 2 o'clock in the morning, feet blistered, and suffering from hypothermia, I was finally released from my hell. And the grand total is...........$60. Nice evening's work. I figured that was my first and last day as an extra. Boy...was I wrong.