Back in the saddle at "Good Morning, Miami"!!! This morning we have the table read for the first episode of the season. I was happy to see the cast & crew again. I got meet Tiffani Thiessen; she is doing the first 3 of 4 episodes. Based on what I've heard from several people it seems that my character may be around quite a bit again this season. My commercial agent calls with a same-day call for a "Chevy" audition for Cathi Carlton Casting. I have booked 2 commercials through Cathi in the past. The audition went well.

Today I participate in the reading of a script that a young lady I used to work with in New York with wrote.

Drop-offs, drop-offs & more drop-offs!

NO!!!! The driver-side door handle on my trusty Honda Accord broke today. Now I have to get in through the passenger side or reach around and unlock the driver-side door. IT'S TOO HOT FOR THIS!!! No, really this is good. It just reminds me that it is time to get a newer car. I'm going to try to make that happen this Fall/Winter.

Today I have an audition for a big feature called "Terminal". This is really good news for several reasons. First, I dropped off the photo myself. I actually held off on dropping it off because I was going on vacation. As soon as I got back in town I dropped it off. Second, I had never been to this office before. Third, they do mostly A-list features; that is where I am focusing right now. When I get to the audition I see that the associate is someone that I met in a workshop years ago. She said she saw my photo come in and she called my agent. When I went in the room for the read the casting director, Debra Zane, said that she actually read my resume. She commented on the last line of the special skills section that says "Guess what. You're not gonna believe this, but I've never had coffee or any kind of alcohol. Never." She wanted to know if it was true. After joking around for a moment she stopped and said "you know what? I actually believe you". She should believe me, because it's true. Anyway the audition on tape went really well.

It's been pretty quiet audition-wise lately, but I keep very busy doing drop-offs. I had an audition scheduled for producers of "I'm With Her", a new comedy for ABC, but it was cancelled because they switched scripts. It was for Jeff Greenberg, the same CD that I booked "Frasier" through. I thought I was really right for it too, hopefully when they go back to that script I'll get seen.

Not one, but two auditions for "Dodge" today. I didn't feel all that great about either one though.

Tonight I do a workshop and the guest shares with the group that he always gets my postcards and I should give seminars to actors on marketing themselves. That is a real compliment. I told him that I'd plans for the future in that area.

Today I have a callback for that "Jimmy Dean" spot. I don't think the producers/director were interested in me though, maybe next time.

I have made the decision to increase my profile in the film world. Up to now I have specifically concentrated on Commercials & Primetime TV. I'm going to concentrate on studios films, the ones that usually get completed and released. I am not going to be turning other things down, but my focus will be on the big films. I figured "why can't have a scene or two in a million film"? Maybe I can. I'll at least try. Today I have an audition for "Little Black Book". It's a film starring Brittany Murphy, Kathy Bates & Holly Hunter. The audition, on tape, goes well.

Today I attend the Network Upfront Preview at the Academy of Arts & Sciences. This is a preview of all of the new shows on the fall schedule. It gives me a heads up on what is coming up on TV. It also helps if I get to audition for shows that haven't aired yet.

I have another commercial audition today, this time "Jimmy Dean" sausage.

Early morning flight and I'm back in LA by 11am. My audition is at 12:05pm, gotta like that. It's a fun spot for "Bud Light". Welcome back to LA Stephon!! It's good to be back, I had a great vacation. I wouldn't change a thing except for my sore leg, but it's getting better.

In the wee hours of the morning my train back to Virginia Beach is scheduled to leave Penn station @ 2:35am. The first red flag was that it wasn't on the schedule. Word is that it's stuck in Connecticut where there is a bridge malfunction. The next word is that it won't arrive until 4:30am at the earliest, which will make me miss my connection in DC. UGHHHHHHHHHH!!! It's not that big of a deal, it's just that my leg is still bothering me. I figure I can just wait or walk to Port Authority on get on the Greyhound Bus. Not a pleasant thought, I've taken the bus back and forth to NYC more times than I care to count. I check the schedule and it will be a 13 hour journey. I relent. I tell you, riding the bus really helps to keep me focused so that I won't have to ride the bus in the future. I call both of my agents to let them know that I will be back in LA on schedule. My theatrical agent says that it's already starting to pick up; my commercial agent has an audition for me as soon as I land.

It's great to be back in New York as always, I also don't regret leaving. There are so many stairs!!! I'm sure this was my sore leg talking. I knew when it was my time to move on and I listened to that voice. In the future I hope to spend more time there. Dinner with friends caps the evening.

That was a quick trip and I am back on the plane to the US. This flight took forever, it seemed like I was flying over Europe for days. I think because I was flying during daylight hours the whole time. Anyway, I eventually got back to New York. Tonight I met a several people from the Backstage.com forum. It was cool to put faces to names that I have met online.

There are a lot "ex-pats" here, Americans living abroad. I'm not sure if that term means simply "Americans living abroad" or if they are sorta "anti-American". I'll have to ask my brother. I don't think I could live there for more than a week or so, I would always be craving to go back to work. A lot of time is spent "at the bar" drinking and smoking. I don't drink or smoke, but I enjoyed seeing how things are different than here in the states. I have to say that I've never seen so many women in my life. I don't necessarily mean like "hotties" though there are plenty of those, just females in general. Maybe it has to do with all of the fighting that has taken place. Today I went into a castle near the Charles Bridge in Prague. Unbelievable!! I don't know how old it was, but it was old. You could see where the soldiers would shoot potential invaders from. Crazy!!

So here I am in Prague, Czech Republic in a lot of pain, but trooping through. I can see why several Heath Ledger films have been shot here. This place is so old, it makes LA seem like it was built in the 70's.

I arrive in Prague, zip thru customs and my brother is waiting. We can both hardly believe I am finally there. On to mass transit. I can tell this place has a lot of history.

After a restful night I am all packed and ready to get to JFK for my flight to Prague. I consolidated my bags to just one for the trip. On my way to JFK I stopped my old spot on 57th to get a manicure. Yep, I used to get 'em done every two weeks. I don't do it in LA for some reason. The plane for Switzerland leaves 2 hours late, there was a mechanical problem. Hours later I am in Zurich and the first thing I notice is that everyone smokes and I mean everyone. Four hours there and then off to Prague.

Bright and early to the train station for the trip to New York. It was cool riding the train through what most of America is. Lot of trees and rural areas. My thigh really hurts. I get to New York and have to go straight to Queens to get my plane ticket to Prague. It's a long day with 2 bags & back-pack. If I say so myself, I'm a trooper. It's 10:30pm when I finally get to my friend Genine's place in Harlem where where I am staying.

Back on the MX track for myself and my brothers. This time I have a bike to ride all day. A wonderful young lady named Stacy who I met last week let me ride her Kawasaki KX100. My brother looked good, but I had to let him have it AGAIN. I won 4 races, he won 2. There was this double jump I really wanted to do and my curiosity got the best of me and I went for it. I had the distance, but got shaky on the landing and fell. I bruised my thigh really good. I think it's gonna hurt for a while. Damn and I have a lot of traveling to do still.

Today is the day my brothers and I go motorcycle riding ourselves in North Carolina. I don't get to ride in LA so he thinks my skills are lacking. What he doesn't understand is that I study the sport like crazy through magazines, the internet, watching it on TV and actually going to the races. I study it just like my acting career. Of course I let him have it on the track. I beat him 3 out of 4 races. I could also barely walk at the end of the day.

Tonight I sit in on my old acting class. I usually do this when I'm in town; it's great to see some of the early Meisner exercises in action. The students usually have some questions about New York & Los Angeles as well.

YES!!! Budd's Creek, Maryland AMA National Motocross Series. I get a chance to see MX/SX phenon James "Bubba" Stewart do what he does best. It's unbelievable what he can do on a motorcycle.

Today I go a surfing contest in Virginia Beach and see a bunch of guys I used to Body board/Surf with back in the day. Several of them are doing very well in the sport. One, Jason Borte, is writing the life story of 6-time World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater. Another, Jeff Meyers, travels the world surfing for a living. I am so happy to see those living their dreams. Like me, they are really thankful for what is happening for them.

YES!!! I am out of here for a whole month of vacation. I am going to Budd's Creek, Maryland for a motocross race, North Carolina with my brother to ride motocross and hoping to get to New York & Prague, CZ. I'm sure there will be plenty babysitting of my niece & nephew, looking after my little sister and yard work. I'm looking forward to it all.

WOW!! I have a film audition today. I don't get seen for many films, but I am going to try to change that in the future. It's a straight-to-video film called "Gas". It seemed like it was kinda funny, but I was totally wrong for it.

Tonight, William Gregory Lee, the actor friend that I moved to New York with from Virginia had a reading of a script that he wrote. I'm really proud of him and I think he will get it produced. I read several smaller roles and enjoyed hearing his words for the first time.

Tonight I attended another SAG sponsored "Conversations" event. The guest speaker was Phyllis Diller. What a funny lady, you can really tell why she is a star. Even at 85 years old she is bigger than life. I am staying.

A dear friend of mine from Virginia Beach is in town on business. She is staying about 50 miles away in Irvine for training with her job. She called to say that her and her co-workers were coming up to LA to hang out and did I know where to go. No. I don't often go out socially, so I don't know where the hotspots are. I used to work at The Standard so I met them there. Afterwards we went to the Bar Marmont. At that point 10 of the 12 people wanted to go dancing. Myself, my friend and one of her co-workers ended up at the Chateau Marmont. In front of the hotel the first person we see is Colin Farrell. When we went inside we rode in the elevator with Colin. He seemed to be a really nice guy and very energetic. My friends got a real kick out of seeing the celebs coming and going. We saw Josh Hartnett, Kirstin Dunst & Jake Gyllenhaal, Wanda Sykes, Wes Bentley, Hip-hop/fashion mogul Damon Dash among others.

A highlight for me was seeing Kirk Rudell, one of the supervising producers of "Good Morning, Miami". I got a chance to thank him face to face for keeping me employed last season. He had no idea what I was going through as far as my mother's illness was concerned, but it really helped me pay for my plane tickets to go home. He was quite gracious and chatted about the show for a moment. He also assured me that I will be back next season. That is really good news for me.

Tonight I attended a SAG sponsored "Conversations" event with James Whitmore. I didn't know a lot about him, but loved him in "The Green Mile". A great evening.

This afternoon I take my 7 year old friend, Gabriel, to see "Daddy Daycare". It was a fun film, but the most fun part was seeing 3 people that I knew. When I return from vacation I am going to concentrate more on film than I have in the past. Television and commercials will still be my main focus, but I am going to add film to the mix.

Another same day commercial audition, this time for "Chrysler". It goes okay.

Tonight I check out a screening of "The Matrix Reloaded". WOW!! To be honest it's kinda hard for me to follow the story, but the special effects were awesome. Anyway, afterwards I ran into one of the costume designers from "Good Morning, Miami". Shortly after that, at a restaurant, I saw a gentleman who I recognized from "Good Morning, Miami". He was always at the tapings, I knew he repped one the actors, but I didn't know which one. Finally I introduced myself and spoke to him for a moment. He reps the male lead on the show, Mark Feuerstein. He was surprised that I knew Mark was currently in New York doing a play at Lincoln Center. He was leaving the next day for NY and would tell Mark I said "hello".

Today would have been my grandmother's 103rd birthday. I have a lot great memories of her. Boy has it been slow, but I expect it to be this time of the year. Yes!! My agents at KSA call me for a last minute commercial audition this morning. It is for "Cingular" at Joe Blake Casting. I booked a "USPS" spot about 2 years ago thru Joe, but it never ran. It was one of the best spots I had done and directed by Baker Smith; a top commercial director. The audition goes well, so we'll what happens if anything.

I talk to Ashley Williams tonight and even she congratulates me on the renewal of "Good Morning, Miami". It's her show!! I guess she feels like I am part of it. I do too in reality, I just don't want to make role into more than it is.

Today I get several e-mails and phone calls concerning "Good Morning, Miami". It seems kinda weird because they have no commitment to me really. The publicist that I met last month even called to congratulate me.

YES!! "Good Morning, Miami" get the renewal for next season!! I am very happy for the cast. I don't know if Heather Locklear is going to be joining the cast, but I did hear the Suzanne Pleshette won't be back. I don't why, but I did enjoy working with her. She is such a piece of Hollywood and quite a character.

For me it means potential. There is know guarantee that I will be back, but I have been told that I will be. Time will tell in August I guess.

Tonight I see Ashley Williams, who plays the female lead on "Good Morning, Miami" on NBC's "American Dreams". It was cool to see her in different role other than what I've seen for the last year.

That commercial that I was on avail for cut the role that I was up for, oh well.

The producers of "Good Morning, Miami" are scheduled to meet with Heather Locklear to discuss adding her to the show. It seems as though if she agrees to join the show will be back next season, but if she doesn't it looks doubtful. She was considering joining NBC's "A.U.S.A", but she declined after viewing tapes of previous episodes. My question is: Do you "not" bring back the highest rated new comedy of the season. I guess I'll find out in a couple of days. I got an avail for one of those commercial callbacks that I had yesterday.

YES!! I get callbacks on both of those auditions from the other day. They go pretty well so we'll see.

While in Vegas I got calls for 2 auditions this afternoon. One is at Francene Selkirk's office, cool. Hopefully I'll get callbacks on at least one of these spots. I find out today that one of my commercial agents Linda Berman @ KSA is leaving. Her husband got a really good job in another state. I am really sorry to see her go, she is a wonderful lady, a great agent and I will miss her.

I'm out of here; I'm leaving tonight for Las Vegas to the THQ AMA Supercross Championship!!! I also get a call for an audition for Friday. I won't be here, oh well. Dag! It's for CD Craig Colvin too. My last two auditions for him were callbacks and I feel I am going to book through his office soon. Oh well, I'll get 'em next time.

Tonight at The Academy of Television Art & Sciences I attend an evening panel with John Wells and some of the cast of his shows, "ER", "The West Wing", "Presidio Med" & "Third Watch". He really seems like a great guy, genuinely happy and loyal too. I even got to shake his hand and tell him I worked on "ER" recently.

Tonight the guest speaker at The Actor's Evening/SAG Conservatory is, guess who? Yup, Francene Selkirk. We laugh because we just saw each other a couple of days ago.

I was doing a drop-off today at Francene Selkirk's office and she called me in to chat for a second. I'd seen her speak at the SAG Conservatory last year and she remembered me from there. I told her that I was just out "trying to create some heat" and she thought it was good that I don't wait for it to come to me. I told her that my first audition ever in LA was for her on July 29th, 1998. She couldn't believe I remembered. I also told her that I booked a job that I went to Japan for from doing a drop-off, she thought that was a good reason to do them. LOL!!

Today I had an audition for "SBC"; hopefully I'll get a callback.

Boy has it been slow these days. Actually it's pretty typical for me. TV season is winding down and pilot season is about over so I can only expect it to be quiet. I continue to spend a lot of time doing drop-offs. If nothing else it keeps me from realizing that it's slow.

Today while dropping off at Jeff Gerrard's office I was able to audition for another spot. While I was making my way in another casting director was coming out of the building and she said to me "just sign in". Huh? Okay, obviously I was right for whatever she was casting. I wasn't sure what to do, she then came back in and wanted my Polaroid/headshot/size sheet. I decided to just go with it. It was a national for "Buick". In reality I think they were looking for more Midwest types, but who knows.

As I was walking out I saw Jeff Gerrard and he said "hello" I told I was going to drop a photo in his bin. He said just to give it to him, and then he changed his mind and said "I don't need this you're on my wall". Huh?? Cool!!

Tonight I was a guest at Actorsite's first mentoring evening. Yeah, get that!! Me as a mentor? Anyway I was nervous as heck. I had no idea what to be expect. There ended up being around 40 actors in attendance and spoke for over 2 hours. Those in attendance seemed to feel as though they got something for their money since it was free. LOL!! No seriously, I got some really nice e-mails afterward and even a card from a nice young lady.

Okay so today I had my meeting with the Public Relations agent I mentioned. I didn't really know what to expect, especially since I am not looking at the moment. I don't have anything to promote right now. We chatted over lunch for just over an hour. The stories were interesting of how that side of the business works, meaning dealing with your public persona. It would definitely take some getting used to for me to have anyone telling me what to say or even suggesting what I should say. He seemed to be connected and know what he was talking about. He also heard about my hustle and seemed intrigued as to why I do so much on my own. We ended with waiting to see what happens with "Good Morning, Miami" and going from there. Okay.

Where are my commercial appointments!! Just kidding, it'll pick up soon I'm sure.

Tonight I went to an event called Hollywood Happy Hour which is hosted by my friends Bonnie Gillespie & Kris Burt. One of the guests was a Public Relations agent. This is a particular area of interest for me. I am not in need of one at the moment, but hopefully I will in the near future. We are all just a gig away. After the even was over I wanted to thank him for his time. I liked his style and what he had to say. Anyway, we exchanged business cards and parted ways. He called the next morning and said he wanted to get together to chat. So we are having lunch on Wednesday. Go figure.

The last week picked a bit for me, I had 2 pilots and a film audition. The two pilots were from Whoopi Goldberg & Charlie Sheen, the film is the remake of "Cheaper by the Dozen" starring Steve Martin & Bonnie Hunt. I would love to land a part in any of these projects, especially getting to work with Bonnie again. Too bad, none of these auditions went all that well. I don't know I just made a lot mistakes. This cannot continue.

MARCH 25th '03*Two years ago today I started a leave of absence from my survival job. I worked as a waiter & valet at The Standard Hotel on Sunset Blvd. My shift of choice---the graveyard 11pm-7am. UGH!! Boy do I have memories; and not all of them are fond.

It was a leap of faith. I didn't have much money saved, but I felt that in order to move to the next level I had to do it. I also had to ask myself if it would be more difficult to stay in the job or leave with the possibility of having to return. I chose to bounce and give it my best shot.

I had spoken to a fellow actor in New York about my decision and he said "just do it it'll work out, before you know it it'll be 6 months ago when you left." He used to work at The Public Theatre in NYC and when his position ended he just never looked for another day job. He is doing quite well in his acting career these days.

The last year has been unbelievable in more ways than one. Losing my mother late last year to cancer continues to be a monumental challenge in my life. The other extreme is that my career plan is working exactly as scripted. Sometimes even I can't believe how things are materializing. As a result, I was able to travel back and forth to the East coast to spend a lot of time with my mother before she passed and the rest of my family.

Just over a year ago my cash flow was really tight & I was planting the seeds to start doing commercial background work. I needed to supplement my income. Of course no one called to book me. It's funny, because now I'm starting get calls for commercial background work. Go figure.

Towards the end of last pilot season things kicked into a much higher gear. Exactly a year ago I booked a very, very small role in Tori Spelling's pilot for The WB. It wasn't picked up. My agent "really" didn't want me to do it, but I told her I "really" needed the payday. It was the first of 3 small pilot bookings that year. Today, exactly a year later, I booked a small role in a pilot of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and my agent and I decided to turn it down. It felt really good to do that. Hopefully if it the pilot gets picked I can get back in to read for it.

I am finding that my agents are becoming more important in my career. They never turn anything down without running it by me first. I'm an actor; I just wanna be on-set. This job today, I might have taken if I didn't have my agents input. I know I shouldn't have. It's kinda like a 6 yr old eating candy until s/he literally gets sick to his or her stomach, s/he needs vegetables too.

These days when I drive by The Standard Hotel I don't even always noticed it as it becomes more of a distant memory for me. That doesn't mean I won't be punching a clock somewhere in the future, but not without a fight.

So that's it! Two years down and hopefully many more to go.

On another note, if there is any doubt, drop-offs really can work. On Friday I dropped off photos for myself and a couple of dear friends @ "CSI Miami" and one of them went straight to producers this afternoon. Usually when I do those drops it guarantees that "I" won't be called in, but hey, it all works out in the end.

Last night we wrapped the season for "Good Morning, Miami". I auditioned for the role on April 10th, 2002 and have since worked 31 days on 13 episodes of the show. Interesting how very few have actually seen me on the show, but that's another story.

The experience I have gained has been extremely valuable. Most of it has been technical and getting to see how things work at this level. The process makes a lot more sense to me now that I've seen it up close.

It was the first time I ever worked on a show more than once. I was treated very well in every way, even given gifts.

At this point it isn't known if the show will be back on the schedule next year, but I was told by one of the executive producers that I will be back if they are back. I have a good feeling about it. When I arrived at work yesterday our stage and the "Will & Grace" stage was locked down. There had been some sort of threat called in to those particular stages. Therefore, it was necessary to secure the stages and our dressing rooms to search them. Nothing was found and we started work about 30 minutes late. That was kinda weird. You never know what a 3 line part can lead to. Next year, if it happens, I look forward to doing more on the show.

Today I had a really good callback for "Sony VAIO"; it was the same director that had me on avail for the "Boston Globe" spot several weeks ago. I even have a Sony PC at home.

AGAIN!! I get released from the "Sun Microsystems" spot. That's cool, maybe next time.

This episode of "Good Morning, Miami" is really funny. The two guest stars in this episode, Anne Meara & Carrie Preston, are hilarious. I also get word directly from the Executive Producers David Kohan & Max Mutchnick that I will be working next week as well. Next week is the final episode of the season. I'm really glad I'm working this last one so that I can say goodbye to everyone.

I had to show a little back-bone this morning. Since I'm usually hired on "Good Morning, Miami" at the last minute sometimes I'm not on the call sheet.

As I'm checking in through the gate on the CBS Radford lot, I have trouble getting through---again. I waited patiently as the female security guard was on a phone call. I could hear that it was a personal call, no problem I'm a very reasonable guy, but 5-7 minutes is an eternity when you are waiting in a small office for someone to do their job of taking care of your needs.

While on the phone she was kinda half-way looking for my name on a list somewhere. This is the 3rd time this has happened with this particular guard. For some reason she didn't have a call sheet for "Good Morning, Miami". Okay, not her fault. There was also no fax saying I would be working on this day, again not her fault. At that point she should have been on the phone to solve my problem. This is my 10th episode and about the 30th time on the lot for this show.

The problem was that she wouldn't end her personal call to take care of me and it offended me. I am a really nice guy most of the time, but my "prick" side bubbles just below the surface and if I need it I can switch in a flash. I felt as though she didn't value my time in the least.

She finally got off the phone when I started to get impatient. I asked her "what the heck was taking so long?" She said she couldn't find me on the list. I told her that I felt she was being disrespectful, she said the same to me. I asked her who was she talking to on the phone and she should have been helping me. So she calls some other person who was of no help.

Finally, I called the casting office myself and was taken care of in less than a minute. I told her that I would go to set and bring her a call sheet myself. Of course when I got the call sheet I wasn't on it anyway. That wasn't the point; the point was that she felt her personal call was way more important than me getting to work.

Predictably, I felt really bad afterwards. She is someone's mother and/or wife I was talking to in that fashion. I didn't want to look like an actor who was trying to throw his weight around, but I also didn't want to be disrespected for no good reason. I mean if she was on an urgent personal call that would have been different, but she was just lolly gagging about nothing that seemed important.

When I brought her the call sheet we both apologized to each other. I think she saw this very casually dressed, young, black male, with dreadlocks and didn't take me seriously. I don't think she treats everyone like that and I bet you she will no longer treat me that way either.

Back in the saddle at "Good Morning, Miami". I don't know if the show will back next year or not, but I want to go on record to say that I think it is really funny. Anyway, as soon as I finished working my agent called to say that I'd been released from my avail for the "IBM" commercial. 38 minutes later I get a call to say that I'm on avail for a "Sun Microsystems" commercial.

MARCH 11th '03*I gotta tell you, I really enjoy what I do. Today I had a pilot audition on the Paramount lot. Shortly before I go in my commercial agent calls to say that the "IBM" spot I did back in May might be redone. Cool! They were checking my availability and seeing if I look the same. Since I cannot always get on the studio lots I try to make those trips as useful as possible. I pull out my trusty Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC to find addresses and drop-off to everyone I can while on there. Usually there are ones that I have an old address for, but there are always some that I find that I didn't know where existed. I run into Alan @ Gilda Stratton Casting, he got me an audition @ "Abby" several months ago. He said he thought there was something I was right in the Norm MacDonald pilot they are working on now. It is such an empowering feeling to take control of your destiny and that is exactly what I feel like I'm doing.

Get this, while I am plotting & planning another drop-off who calls my name. It's Peri Gilpin (Roz) & Patrick Kerr (Noel) that I worked with both times on "Frasier". I was surprised that they remembered me. It made me feel as though I'm making some headway in this crazy business. Just before I leave the lot "Good Morning, Miami" puts me on Avail. Yes!! Three hours later they book me for work.

Today while doing drop-offs I am able to get seen for a "Yahoo" commercial. I also get my first pilot appointment for Thursday.

Back in LA and back to work. I"M ON "ER"!!! Yes!! I have wanted to get into more TV drama and this is a great start. I have a very small role, but that will change in the future. It was great to be on that set that I have seen on TV for so many years. While I'm working, my agent calls to say that "Good Morning, Miami" wants to hire me for the next 3 days. Cool! Two hours later they call back to say that the scene had been cut. Dag!! The good part is that I still get paid for 3 days of work. I also ask my agent about pilots. I hadn't had a single pilot audition this season. She said she has been trying and that it should kick in soon for me.

It feels good to be in the South again. As much as I enjoy Los Angeles & New York it's always good to get off of the path into Middle America. Shortly after I land I get the official word that I am booked on "ER" for Monday morning. I am in Birmingham, AL to see my niece & nephews performance program with their church. I enjoyed the show quite a bit; there were a lot of very talented young people in it.

While I was getting my hair trimmed in Crenshaw this morning I see ground breaking hip-hop producer Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. He was the guy behind rappers Salt n Pepa, that guys is a legend. Anyway, the shoot for "Denny's" goes off without a hitch. I have done many commercials for food products, but I have never had to actually eat anything. Ugh! Well today was the day. I had to eat cold French fries, BBQ chicken & BBQ ribs. It could have been worse, the chicken & ribs weren't bad since they were spicy. We were treated very well and the creative team seemed happy with the footage. They say to look for the spot in June. See ya; I have an early morning flight....

Back in at "Good Morning, Miami" at least for a brief moment. They had me come in for pre-shoots of the episode that will film tomorrow. It was really good seeing everyone again, I didn't have any reason to believe that I would be back on the show. While I was on my way to the stage I got word that I was booked on the "Denny's" commercial. GREAT!! It shoots on Thursday which won't conflict with my leaving for Birmingham. Things usually work out for me. The only sticky part was when the "Denny's" wardrobe department called for a fitting I needed to drive back home to get the clothes they requested. I was 1 1/2 hours late, but it was worked out without problem. It was funny because they really liked my clothing, my hat, jewelry, my hair & my glasses. It was all working "smoove like butta"........ The 1st AD, Scott, asked me how to pronounce my name and I said he could call me "Butta". I was half-way joking, but he started calling me that and fortunately I did a pretty good job of answering. Our call is 2pm tomorrow, Thursday, at Universal Studios Stage 24.

FEBRUARY 25th '03*This morning I finally get the word on the "Sears" spot that I've been on avail for, I have been released. Another one so close, yet not really. Ten minutes later I get the call that I am on avail for "Denny's". It shoots Thursday or Friday. I am scheduled on a 6am flight Friday to Birmingham, AL to see my sister; I'll change it if I need to.

I make my way over to Chelsea Studios for an audition for "Helman's" at Craig Colvin Casting. I see Craig and thank him for bringing me in for "Boston Globe" which I got really close on. He thought I was the choice, but at the last minute someone was flown in from NY that they had worked with before.

Afterwards I go over to my commercial agency, Kazarian-Spencer & Associates, to show my face and say hello. I really like being a client of theirs whether it's slow or busy.

This caught me by surprise, my agent called to say that "Good Morning, Miami" wanted to hire me for tomorrow and that I won't conflict with "ER". WHAT!!! "ER"? Yeah I find out that I am the choice for "ER" from the previous week. Cool!!

On the way home I stopped by The Casting Studios to drop-off photos. The entire place was really busy, so I sit down and "cased the joint" like an undercover cop. I see a guy who is my type that I sorta know and he asked if I was there for the same thing he was. I said no and that I was just dropping off photos, he thought I should try and get in on the same spot he was there for. I was a little reluctant, it was kind of busy and I didn't want to just crash it. So I asked and the woman running the session was kind enough to let me audition.

I had a really good callback bright and early this morning for "Denny's", hoping I can get to the next step. Tonight is the background work for "Miller Genuine Draft". I auditioned for this spot some weeks ago and was out of the running for a principal role and was asked if I would do background. I was hesitant at first, but decided to do it. It was an outdoor shoot on a beach North of Malibu and it ended up being postponed due to rain.

Today I have a callback for "Sears". It goes really well and later I'm told that I am on avail. The booking or release is to come in Monday morning, fitting Monday afternoon and a Tuesday shoot. This would be nice.

This week has been really busy commercially. So far, I've had six auditions and another tomorrow plus a callback. Hopefully this will continue for a while. My auditions have been going pretty well these days; I just need to keep getting the numbers.

Today I was out doing drop-offs and went to one of the busy casting facilities and right away saw 2 spots I thought I was right for. After "staking out the joint" for a while I called my agent to see if they could get me in. I hung out for a minute afterwards, but needed to go to the other side of town for an audition for "ER". My agent called me in the car with a go-ahead for one of the spots, so I drove back and auditioned. She called after 7 this evening to say that she had been trying to get thru to the office all day for the other spot and that I should go see if I could get in on it tomorrow. One might assume that this is going on all over town, meaning CD's are casting projects that we are right for, but for whatever reason, we aren't being considered for. This isn't a complaint at all about my rep; I am very happy where I am. They are trying to get as many clients as possible appointments. My commercial agency has 1,500+ clients and I don't expect them to make a push call for everything that I'm submitted for; they have the same hustle that we do as actors. The beautiful thing is that my agents aren't offended by me calling about what I see around town. They know I respect their job and they respect my hustle.

I went to see my agents for Valentine's Day & had a chance to chat with them about drop-offs, crashing, pilot season etc. I really feel like I am in good hands both theatrically & commercially. On the way home my car broke down in Beverly Hills. I had to call AAA to have it towed. I guess that means back on the skateboard, mountain bike and the bus.

Bright and early I get the call. I have been released for "Boston Globe"; they cast it out of NYC. I'll get 'em next time.

Still on hold for "Boston Globe". The say they won't know until tomorrow.

A friend of mine, Greg Reid, is producing and directing a short. I have a small part in it. It is called "African-American Idol", a spoof on "American Idol". It is hilarious to say the least, but the best part was seeing my friend directing. People talk a lot, but this guy is making it happen. We were in NYC at the same time right after Christmas and he mentioned it to me and here we are 5 weeks later shooting. He really put together a talented cast; I can't wait to see the finished piece. I am still on hold for "Boston Globe".

Today I had two commercial callbacks. I am on avail for one of them, a spot for "Boston Globe" and think I was right for the other one as well.

I got a request today to do background on a commercial that I auditioned for and am no longer in the running for as a principal. My agents are cool with it so maybe I'll do it.

I'm back in the Honda this morning for commercial audition. While I'm there someone asked me if I had gone in for a "Jeep" spot that was going on across town. The spot was looking for guys & girls with dreads. Of course I went straight there after my audition to see what the deal was. The whole way I was trying figure out my strategy.

I didn't wanna blow any chance to be seen. I could call my agent or I could just ask the session runner if they will see me. I was kinda on the fence with what to do. If I call my agent they will check their records and say that I was submitted, which I believe. They might even put me on hold and call the casting office and try to get me seen. Or I could go at it alone and try to get in by asking the session runner, if that doesn't work I probably wouldn't go to my agent. I have become a master at sniffing out an opportunity. It's a touchy thing because the last thing I want to do is embarrass myself or my agency.

I have a great commercial agency, but I know that there are spots going on around town everyday that I could be seen for that I am not. That is just the way it works, and many times they are legitimate reasons. That doesn't mean that I have to settle for that though. That is why I get in my Honda everyday and try to make it happen.

As soon as I walked in the room the session runner asked if I was there for "Jeep". Bingo!! That meant I must be right for it. I said "yes" and he said to come back after lunch. I left not sure of what I was going to do. I could just return and risk getting turned away or call my agent and see if they could get me in.

I decided to call my agent and ask about the spot for myself and my friend Keilana who is with the same agency. They put me on hold and made a call, we appointments for the next day!! YES!! Today I also went for "IHOP" as a rapper. I never really know what the rap guys wear, but it was a fun audition. We and another actor got to beat box while a French guy rapped, a sight to see.

Drop-offs, drop-offs & more drop-offs! These days I am spending a lot of time in my '89 Honda Accord with 218,000 miles on it. Everyday I'm trying get photos and postcards out into the universe. There are so many opportunities for work here in LA that often times I feel it is here for the taking. I think I say that because I have a lot of tricks I play on myself when it is quiet to keep my sanity. I can totally understand how people can get discouraged.

Sometimes I feel like two different people and I asked myself how I keep going day in, day out. I just love being out in the field taking control of my future. Today I ran into a commercial director I worked 2 years ago. He was very surprised that I remembered his name, the date of the shoot, name of the spot and the fact that he has been nominated for a DGA commercial director's award. He liked the fact that I was out in the field trying to hustle up some business.

Nope, Nada, Nothing!! Not a single appointment to be had this week! That's okay, because the quieter it is now the louder it will get later. I hope. Anyway, things don't usually kick off for me until about mid-late February. Hopefully that will ring true.

The culmination of another slow week. I had 2 commercial auditions which I am grateful for and am looking forward more TV appointments to materialize as well.

Today I start a comedy intensive at Lesley Kahn Actor Training School. This is a great course for me and I really like my teacher, Stan Kirsch' style. If I can retain just 20-30% of this method of breaking down text it will improve my auditioning 60-70%. I feel that right now everything is in place to further my career; I just have to sharpen my auditioning skills and text analysis. With these improvements I will move to the next level in my career.

I attend a screening of "The Antwone Fisher Story" in which lead actor Derek Luke is present to speak about the making of the film. The film made me remember why I embarked on this journey of becoming an actor and I got to tell that to Derek.

Cool! My first theatrical audition of the year. It's for "What I Like About You", a comedy on the WB. It's a fun role and a little more text than I am used to getting. All I am looking to get is a great feeling when I leave the room. I received a callback to producers on the spot for the afternoon. The producer session went great, but I didn't book. Cool, I'll get 'em another time. While waiting to read at the callback I ran into the wonderful Jamie Rudofsky. She and her partner Mara Casey cast the WB comedy "Gilmore Girls". I booked a role on that show back in September, but was unable to accept the role because I was already booked on "Good Morning, Miami" and the work days conflicted. We chatted about several things, most of which were 'not' acting related which was cool.

Today I went to the season opener for the 2003 THQ Supercross GP Series in Anaheim, CA. Incredible!! I was like a little kid all over again. Since I do ride motorcycles myself, I am hoping to get to ride in a celebrity event one day when my profile gets to that level. Ha!

Back in LA!! 85 degrees in January! You can't complain too much about that. I am so ready to rock 'n roll!! Two hours after getting home I am in the car making the rounds dropping photos. I have a really strong feeling about this year.ring true.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!! Yeah!!! Back in the City! It always feels so good to be here. The smells, the sites, the people, the energy. It's also good to leave. LOL!! My first stop was Times Square to see my "Wrigley's Extra" commercial that is running on their big screen TV there. Within a couple of minutes I find it and it is one of the coolest things to see thus far in my career. My mug!-Big screen!-Time Square NYC!-Planet Earth! WHAT!!! To make it even better, I used to live in the area when I first moved to New York. I remember walking through there when I was first finding my way through NY feeling like such a needle in a haystack. The rest of the 3 days I spend checking up some old friends and just taking it all in then back on the plane to Virginia.

YEAH!! Today I go motocross riding on my brother's brand new 2003 Honda CR125R. We grew up riding motorcycles and always said that we would get bikes again someday. I hadn't ridden in 10-12 years. Let's just say that I still got it!! I am definitely getting me a bike when the time comes. Between motocross, my mountain bike, surfing, bodyboarding, skateboarding, skiing & snowboarding I should be able to stay in pretty good shape for years to come.

Back to LAX! I have never traveled this much in my entire life, luckily I love traveling, airports and airplanes. This time its 16 days with family. I love spending time with my family so it's pretty easy for me to stay away so long. Of course, I always look forward to getting back to work too.

I have a really good audition for "The Drew Carey Show" producers today. I don't book, but that's okay I'll get them at another time.

Today I've got Jury Duty. WHAT!!! I'm cool with it; I just don't want it to intrude too much on my life right now. I've got enough going on these days. I could have postponed it, but I figured that I should go ahead and deal with it. I figured it could be really interesting.

I go in and eventually get assigned to a case, a "high-profile case", but I get dismissed. I was so nervous before I was interviewed by the judge that I thought I was going faint or something. I told him that my mother had recently passed away and I had plans to go back East for the holidays and he excused me from the case.

I'm back on another plane to LA. I pick a flight with a 3 1/2 hour layover in St. Paul, MN. I have a friend named Kris Burtt, who I know from my Harley-Davidson Cafe days in New York. She moved to LA and then booked a job as a host on ShopNBC.com which relocated her to Minnesota. I figured what the heck, I've never been to MN and I would love to see Kris. We went to lunch and had a couple of hours of great conversation. That wrapped up a great week with family.

I spent the rest of the week with my family. It was the first time that all 6 kids had been together since I don't know when. Without my mother's passing this togetherness would have never happened. It was a gift from mom. We had a great week together.

The funeral service was truly a celebration of life. With over 300 people in attendance it really showed how my mother touched so many lives. Five people spoke in my mother's honor and it showed just how special she was. I laughed. I cried. I said good-bye. The funeral procession was too many cars long to count.

Tonight we have the wake for the family. The funeral home really took care of my mom, she looked great. It made things a little easier to take, not much but some.

Shooting, once again on "Good Morning Miami". I have a fun scene in this X-mas episode. The producers, David Kohan & Max Mutchnick, give the entire cast & crew turkeys for Thanksgiving. Thanks guys! As soon as we finish shooting I am scheduled to leave on a 2am flight to go home for my mom's service and Thanksgiving. Three of my closets friends are joining me on this trip, Jonathan Julian, former girlfriend Keilana Smith and her 6 year old son Gabriel. They all knew and thought a lot of my mom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! I have a callback today for a national network spot for "Dodge", but I pass because the 2-day shoot conflicts with my mom's funeral service. I'll get 'em next time.

Today I audition for "King of Queens" at Liberman/Patton and feel like I bomb. Again. I don't know what it is, but I have to fix it and soon. The really bad thing is that the CD associate knows that I have been working a lot. They probably wonder how the heck I am working at all!! They keep bringing me in so they must believe in me. I need to get back in class. I had planned to before my mom fell ill, but now I will try to make it happen.

My sister arrives just after 11am and just after 5pm my mother passes away. I think she was waiting to see all 6 of her kids. Louise Fuller-Nov 20 1933-Nov 15th 2002. Thank you and I love you.

My mother is having a really, really bad today. They had to request stronger medication and for whatever reason the doctor was dragging his feet. My little brother and his wife had to "give him a piece of their minds" before he would write the prescription. When I would call I could hear her crying out in the background. My older sister is arriving from Birmingham, AL tomorrow morning and I hope this discomfort ends for her soon after.