Heroes and Another Piece of Trash

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

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

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

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

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.

Sons of Anarchy and the Day the Earth Shook

I was working Sons of Anarchy up in Sun Valley about 15 miles north of where I live. I was a student at a fair of some sort that they were filming at a high school. My friend Kate was in town visiting, and if I weren't desperate for money, I would have stayed home, but c'est la vie, I was stuck in high school all day.  Fairs, for the clown phobic, are potentially dangerous and I did see a man in half make up, but before I was able to show my fear, the ground started shaking.  In fact I was in mid text to Kate telling her about said clown when the ground started shaking.  It was the most violent earthquake thus far that I had felt and would feel for some time and all of us extras were evacuated to the football field for a good 2 hours which of course disrupted filming for the day.  I tried calling Kate to make sure everything was okay but of course the phones were busy for a good hour after the quake.  When I finally got a hold of her, I was glad to find out that she was okay, and that the only damage done was a few crooked pictures and books off my bookshelf.  I survived my first big quake!

Middleman - I'm Surrounded by Idiots

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.