What a day today was. It started off with the table read this morning for the ABC comedy pilot “Hot Properties”. Several weeks ago I was told when it was going to be and at what time, 10:30am. I wasn’t required to be there, since they were not paying me for the extra day. It’s a smaller role that’s getting smaller and didn’t require being there for the entire week. Plus, I am pre-shooting, so I won’t be doing the live audience dealio. Of course I wanted to attend the table read, but wasn’t sure what my schedule would be, especially since I’ve been working on the indie film and have getting quite a few commercial callbacks/avails.

Anyway, I decide to go. So I’m driving over the hill to the WB studio and the 2nd AD calls @ 10:04 and ask if I’m making my way over. Of course, I then start thinking that I’m late. I told her that I thought it was @ 10:30, she yeah it’s 10:00 at Stage 9 for a 10:30 start. Oh, I was originally told 10:30 so I thought I was fine for getting there on time. As it turned out the whole cast was to meet at Stage 9 @ 10am for a shuttle to another location on the other side of the lot.

So I get there, park, go through the security gate and a golf cart is waiting to take me to the location. I hadn’t really thought too much about this job for some reason, I’m not sure why. I’m definitely excited to be part of the cast, especially since it’s a pilot. I think it’s just that I’ve been kinda busy in the last 6 weeks or so.

I get to the location and WHAT!!!! It totally caught me off guard. Geez, it’s been a while since I’ve done a pilot. There was like 60-80 people there. Production people, ABC execs, WBTV execs; I recognized some of the WBTV people from working with them on “Good Morning, Miami”.

So I find my name at the big table and sit down with the rest of the cast. Can I say that Gail O’Grady is beautiful and Sofia Vergara smoking hot. WBTV President Peter Roth thanks us all for coming and WBTV casting head Mary Buck thanks us too and sits beside me during the read. I was wondering to myself how many pilot table reads have they attended over their long careers. I’d say hundreds, if not thousands.

So the director, Andy Ackerman, introduces the cast with me first since I am at the bottom of the cast list. There were so many people in that room that it felt like we were shooting the darn thing! So we read it and it was funny, at least I thought it was. I mean, how can it “not” be funny, everybody is feeling good and has a job…at least for the moment.

Thirty minutes later the cast is back in the van while the writers start the notes process and begin with re-writes. I guess time will tell if I’m still in the script after the revision are done. My original 3 lines has already been reduced to 2; I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

After the table read I have a couple of hours before I am due back down in Norwalk for more work on the indie film “Boppin’ at the Glue Factory”. I get to set and I’m informed that our lead actor has injured his back while working. He was taken to the local hospital to be treated. He is in almost every scene, so it definitely threw a wrench into the schedule. The crew figured out how to keep shooting around him. It looks production will be down for a couple of days until he recovers, he is going to be okay.

Tonight was also when my intimate scene was scheduled. WHAT!?!?! Yeah, the moment of truth has arrived. I’m eating when a member of production approaches me and says “Stephon, have you met your wife yet?” I almost choked, It just sounded weird.

Anyway, I was introduced to this attractive woman, Dominiqua Lint. Yes, it was really awkward, but I tried to break the ice as best I could. I asked her if she was nervous and she replied yes and told her I was nervous too. We made small talk, ya know, “where are you from”, “how long you been in LA”, “do you like it?” She was great, cute and I felt like it could work.

The director, Jeff Orgill, walked me through the shot and made me feel comfortable. I mean for me it wasn’t so, so bad because I had already spent a lot of time with the cast & crew, but for her she didn’t really know anybody so I felt like I wanted to protect her. Not that she needed it. After they lit the set we were brought in. Dominiqua looked nervous. How could she not be?

So we takes our places so they can measure focus for camera. , Dominiqua is dressed in a sexy nighty and me, I’m in my boxer briefs. Ha!! Dominiqua whispered to me “are we supposed to like really kiss?” I looked at her and said, “Yes, it’s supposed to be like, real”.

Alright first rehearsal is up. I’m in my undies, on top of her, fresh breath strip in my mouth and ACTION!! We start going at it…I mean at it….I mean at it…..Finally the director comes in and cuts us. I wasn’t saying my lines. WHAT LINES?!?! You mean I have to talk too? Oh yeah, I have dialogue. I totally forgot. I couldn’t remember or hear anything...nothing. The director shows me our dialogue and we run it a couple of times. He says it looks great.

Okay, now “Pictures up! We’re going to shoot this one! ACTION!!” By now Dominiqua and I are seasoned pros. We are delivering the goods, kissing, petting, groping, the whole nine kid!…well almost. I mean, neither one of us was completely naked but still. CUT!!

The director says “That was great! We just need more moaning and Stephon more time at the top before you hear the noise the makes you stop and get up. He asked for more moaning, he got more moaning. “ACTION!!” This take was the crown jewel, we let them have it. “CUT!!” The director comes in says “We got it all, it’s beautiful, thanks”. The first thing I do is give Dominiqua a big hug and a thank you. She was great to work with, I couldn’t think of a better person to go through that with.

I’m convinced that they got it and it looked great because for the rest of the night I heard about it from the crew. They said that there was never that many people in front of the monitor at once. Done.

When I got home at 3am there was another script from the pilot at my door. I’m still employed!! My 3 lines that was reduced to 2 is now down to 1, but I am still in the script.