Alright, I'm still employed!! Today we had the run-thru for the network (ABC). They are the powers that be and their opinions count. It went well and, to me, things look really good. There is a bit of talk about my new role recurring. Wouldn't that be nice? A couple of series regulars and even casting is saying "it looks good", we'll see. Not being one to count my chickens before they hatch, I must say it looks promising. I'll believe it when I see it; in the mean time it is exciting. My commercial agent calls and has an avail for me for "Red Lobster", but I have to cancel because I am not available for both shoot dates. It conflicts with "Good Morning, Miami" rehearsal. I guess I gotta take the good with the not-so-good.

I wake up this morning and the new "The Bonnie Hunt Show" script is outside my door. I casually open it not knowing what to expect. They have written a new character for me and worked it into another scene. It's a smaller part but a better part. I am now her wardrobe person!! She gave me the wink and said "this works out better for you huh?" YEAH!!

So if the show gets picked up hopefully she will need her wardrobe guy close by, ya think. After all, it is a morning entertainment talk show like "Regis". We had the table read today for the studio and it was hilarious, tomorrow is for the network. Hopefully, I won't get written out tomorrow. LOL!! Also, the original role that I had been cast in hadn't been filled today; one of the writers read it. I guess someone will be there tomorrow. Lastly, from what I understand the "Good Morning, Miami" pilot that I start next Wednesday is being directed by the acclaimed James Burrows. Gotta Keep Movin'!!

It's amazing what can happen in 3 hours, today was a some kind of day. I go to rehearsal for "The Bonnie Hunt Show" this afternoon and after going through wardrobe I was taken to set. First Bonnie wanted to talk to me. HUH? Some questions had come up about the scene I'm in.

They thought something could, in a round-about-kinda-way be look at as racist. She wanted to know how I felt about it. HUH? Yeah, she sat me down and we discussed it for 10 minutes, just her and I. Obviously, the decision was hers and hers only, but she wanted to know if I wanted to just do it or switch with the other guy in the scene. She said if the show gets picked up she would bring me back to do another episode.

So I'm thinking. Should I step down (the other role was smaller) or step out altogether. My mind is racing a mile a minute. I figure if I step down, the other role has fewer lines. If I step out, Bonnie will look out for me later. She will be actively trying to make something happen for me. Not a bad way for her to remember me I feel. I'll get paid for week either way.

I tell her that I trust her judgment; I feel the show will be picked up and I'll see her during the season. She thinks I made a smart move (believe me, I know it ain't about me, it's gonna be her decision). I had previously checked the IMDB's of all of the regulars and guest cast and she had worked with about half of them before. Also, the way I looked at it, there wasn't really anywhere for my character to go, as far as coming back on the show.

This leaves the door open for her to write something for "me" in this project or another. She shook my hand and gave me her word. Cool and surreal at the same time. I am still due to be there tomorrow so who knows what will happen between now and then.

I call my agent to fill her in on the details. Ten minutes later my agent calls back with an audition for a pilot called "Good Morning, Miami". It's from the same creative team as "Will & Grace". Tracy Lilienfield & Katherine Eckert are casting @ CBS Radford (last week while on the lot for something else I did drop-offs to everyone over there I could find). I was in Culver City, so she said to just get over there when I could.

Soon as I get on the lot I see Daniel Spanton, he's reading for a different show, love to see others in the field. The role is just a couple of lines, BUT it's the stage manager of a morning show. Yeah, you know what I'm thinking. They gotta have stage manager, right!?! Before I even got home I found out that I got the role, and it's already been picked up for 13 episodes. All that happened in 3 hours. I could get used to this.......

Today I attended the table read for "Life With Bonnie" it was hilarious. Seeing Bonnie Hunt & David Alan Grier go at it was a real treat. On my way to my dressing room I found a room that had the entire cast of the pilot on a wall. I always wanted to see my photo on the cast wall. We all know it's in enough trash cans around town, this is a nice change of pace. LOL!

I guess it helps to "not" wait for the phone to ring. While not waiting for it to ring I got word that I booked a role in "The Bonnie Hunt Show" pilot. David Alan Grier is in too. It is part single-camera/part-multi camera. The table read is Monday and I work a couple of days during the week.

The week started with a BK audition. Got a callback/avail, but didn't book. Went in for another AFI film and had a callback today. I really want to be a part of this project; it would give me a chance to really embrace a character. I also worked on Tori Spelling's pilot "So Downtown". During lunch saw Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson and powerhouse manager/producer Bernie Brillstein on the CBS lot. Two mega-stars in a week!! I saw Denzel and his Ferrari @ Fox.

This one really caught me by surprise. One of my theatrical agents is retiring. She's been in the business all of her adult life and has decided to shift gears. Good for her, from what I can see she really deserves it.

On Thursday I went in for the "The Bonnie Hunt Project" @ Deborah Barylski's office. I read for two different smaller roles. Can I tell you that Deborah & Lynn Mason are two of the nicest casting people I have ever met? They sat me down and ask questions about me. I have never met anyone from this office before and they seemed to really care about what was going on with me. They seemed happy with my read, thanked me and I was on my way out as a call came in for Deborah. I was gathering my things and Lynn asked me to stay for a moment. They called me back in the room, gave me direction which amounted to dropping the script and doing an improv of an outline of the scene. It was even better this time. They sat me down again, explained to me how Bonnie works. Then Deborah told me she was going to recommend that Bonnie hire me. She even told how to handle the table read. It just seemed weird that she was telling me so much about the project and how Bonnie worked. I mean they were not large roles at all and didn't seem like they would recur. Hey, I'm not complaining it was just different. All of this time no other actors were in the office. She said that since it is a pilot it has to be approved by the network and the studio. Getting this role would be so above the call, because I am just so happy with what has already happened. She has never worked with Bonnie and is hiring these roles herself. I feel great that she is willing to send me straight to the table read without the filter of a producer session, and on for a pilot no less. I am not waiting on the phone to ring on this one.

This was the worse audition ever I think. It was for "Burger King". It was supposed to be our first audition. It was funny at hard it was to shake all that "actor stuff" of being polished but not really. So I made the choice of only looking at the copy once in rehearsal. Then I would "really" look stupid. I left feeling like it was really bad/really good. I just hope I can be as bad/good today.

Today makes it a full year since I left my overnight job waiting tables at a Hollywood Hotspot on the Sunset Strip. What a year it has been. I didn't leave the job because I had a lot of money. Yeah, I did have several minor things going on at the time, but nothing that guaranteed cash flow. No, it was more of a leap of faith for me. I felt I was doing about everything in my power to further my career and I had to move to the next level somehow. It was time to cut the safety net.

The job was killing me dead in my tracks. I had been working graveyard (11pm-7am) for 2 1/2 years, in class, auditioning, attending CD workshops and not sleeping at all. The big question I had to ask myself was "will it be harder to stay in this job or will it be harder to leave and possibly have to come back?" My answer was to take my chances now!! So I did. I requested a 3 month leave of absence. My plan was to get some things done that I couldn't get to before, my website, a voiceover class and a dance class. Fortunately, I was able to do all three, no more excuses.It has been an interesting year. I have been challenged like never before. I have also booked jobs like never before, but most of them have not paid a whole lot. That is okay because it has given me the opportunity to build my resume. When I left the job on March 25, 2001 my tentative return date was June 29, 2001. That date came and I was no where to found, I wasn't going back with out a fight. I've had ups and downs throughout, not emotionally or mentally, mainly just financially.

At times, it really made a difference when that steady cash wasn't coming in. Which made it clearer to me why I am concentrating on TV & commercials at this point in my career? I've had to call my old job a couple of times just to "check the temperature" of a possible return. I remember doing it once at the end of September and then booking 2 gigs that week. I also remember almost not being able to go home for X-mas, having to give up cable TV, trying to keep my cell phone and pager connected and let's not get started on my car issues. Just got cable back and things are looking up. All in all it's been wild jugglin' the money, not being able to afford reprinting photos and having to use alternative methods.

For whatever reason I have really enjoyed the challenged, it lets me know that I have a pulse. A year later I still stay up all night, the graveyard schedule is etched in my mind. I normally go to bed between 3-5am. My agents know I made the jump and have been really understanding of it all. I have auditioned for gigs that they might prefer I didn't, but I just wanna work. I feel like I am emerging from the woods and I won't have to go back, but who knows. With the survival gig thing I have changed my tune from "I am on a leave of absence" to "I used to work there". I hope it stays that way. It's really been a blessing to have a supportive family and friends some of which I have never met. Thank & Peace!!

I booked a small role in the pilot "So Downtown" @ Greg Orson Casting. I'm glad I got it, because I twisted my knee while making a "strong choice". Ouch!! It still hurts! My agent did not want me to do it, but I needed the money.

More tangible results from all of those appointments from last week. I felt really good in the room for almost all of them, which is a feat in itself. I booked "CSI" and a commercial for "24hr Fitness".

Man, I just cannot seem to get it right these days. Many more things are going wrong than I am used to in my life. I am going through it right now myself. Since getting back from the holidays I have had so many issues it ain't even funny. I returned from back East on the 4th, my car broke down on the 6th and had to be towed. My computer has a bad attitude; I have had to add memory and a new hard drive this week. Thank the Lord for my little brother who is a computer tech back East. He has spent hours on the phone with me to get me back up and running. Right when I got all of my software installed again I got a virus and had to wipe it all again. When we wrapped for the evening on this pilot-presentation that I am working on my car wouldn't start "again" and had to be towed (fuel pump). My cell phone works sometimes and my pager doesn't wanna vibrate anymore. All of this is holding me up from getting my postcards out. I'm not complaining, so many things go well for me that I gotta take the good with the not so good. Besides it builds character. It has been pretty slow audition-wise, but I'm still trying to stay in the mix the best I can. I will make it through this, I swear. I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!

I have never had much success with Backstage mailings, daytime television or student films. So this is welcome news for me. I was starting to think it wasn't meant to be because I always would have some sort of problem when I would get an audition. Hopefully this is the first of many.

I almost forgot what it is like to have a commercial audition. After only having one the entire month of January I have one today, Yeah!!

I finally got a call for "Charmed"!! It's a small role straight to producers for tomorrow. I am almost certain it was from recent postcards because my agent didn't really want me to go in on it. I don't know. It seems quick but fun. Hopefully this will get me started for the season. It seems everyone else is busy. I have been doing commercial and theatrical drop-offs for the last couple of days and it seems to be pretty busy.

I just got home from the third edition of the ABC Talent Development Showcase. This one featured African-Americans in partnership with the Robey Theatre Company. The Asian-American showcase in conjunction with the East West Players was in October. The Latino showcase in conjunction with Nostros was in December. All kinds of industry professionals were in attendance. Nan Dutton & Sandi Logan told me that they just received my postcards. Yeah!!! I wasn't one of the 14 participants. I auditioned last week, but wasn't chosen. The director said that there will be more in the future so maybe I'll get a chance then. What a way to get seen, I'll bet phones will be ringing for those actors in the weeks to come. They were really, really good. They put up a total of 7 scenes each was male/female that ran about 5-7 minutes each. It was a very entertaining evening. Other than Nan & Sandi I saw directors Paris Barclay (NYPD Blue), Craig Ross (Blue Hill Avenue), Manager Jane Bloom, Video/Commercial CD Twinkie Byrd and all kinds of other actors and actresses from TV & movies. Last but not least even Will Smith was in attendance and he sure seems like a nice guy. The event was produced by Kim Hardin who is the director of Talent Development Program & Casting. I am so, so glad that I attended I really got to do some networking. Thanks for the tip Leilani.

Man, I just cannot seem to get it right these days. Many more things are going wrong than I am used to in my life. I am going through it right now myself. Since getting back from the holidays I have had so many issues it ain't even funny.

I returned from back East on the 4th, my car broke down on the 6th and had to be towed. My computer has a bad attitude; I have had to add memory and a new hard drive this week. Thank the Lord for my little brother who is a computer tech back East. He has spent hours on the phone with me to get me back up and running. Right when I got all of my software installed again I got a virus and had to wipe it all again.

When we wrapped for the evening on this pilot-presentation that I am working on my car wouldn't start "again" and had to be towed (fuel pump). My cell phone works sometimes and my pager doesn't wanna vibrate anymore. All of this is holding me up from getting my postcards out. I'm not complaining, so many things go well for me that I gotta take the good with the not so good. Besides it builds character. It has been pretty slow audition-wise, but I'm still trying to stay in the mix the best I can. I will make it through this, I swear. I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!

I've been trying to get into the office of "NYPD Blue" for a long time. Postcards, drop-offs, mailings and a workshop with Scott Genkinger. Of course the call comes today; straight to producers for a guest-starring role. The catch is I am on the East Coast until Friday night. I had checked out with both agents, I missed a commercial audition the day I got here. Oh well, as I said hopefully there is a lot more where this came from. Guys and gals I gotta feeling that '02 is gonna big for all of us.

YES!! Today I am shooting a "Wrigley's Extra" National commercial. It's the same director that directed the "California Lottery" spot I did in June. I played a grocery store cashier. We actually shot in a grocery that was open. I had numerous customers try to check out in my line. I guess I really looked the part. My buddy Marvin did a "Wrigley's" spot a couple of years ago and he said it ran really, really well. I hope the same for me.

In my quest to move up the food chain in my career I have figured that I have be more selective with the roles that I audition for. This week I turned down auditions for two major shows in offices that I would really like to get into. It feels kinda weird to not audition when a casting director call and request you, but I think I have to say no to some things in order to move up the chain.

YES!!!! Today I get the word that I booked a "Wrigley's Extra" national commercial. It is through the same casting director, production company, ad agency and director of the "California Lottery" spot I did 6 months ago. When my agent called me with the appointment; she told me I had been requested. This is what I want to happen more often. I shoot on Friday 12/7. NEWSFLASH!! This evening my agent calls to tell me that I am not to show up on set for "Flipside". WHAT!!!! There had been some mistake in the union paperwork and we can't start shooting this weekend. It has been postponed till January.