The Alchemist

In this Actor’s Ink article, talent manager Richard Gilbert-Hill makes the following comment:

I set six-month goals, one-year goals, two-year goals, etc., with my clients, and we look at them. If they’re not getting close, it keeps moving further and further away, then okay, then what is it that you want? “I want to act”. Well, you know what, go do regional theatre, you’ll act a lot more, you’ll have a steady life—you’ll have a life. Actors in Vancouver have it made because there’s a lot of work up there, they can have families, they can have little farms, they can have side businesses, and they can work as actors. Because they treat it as a business, but a business in which they want to act. And this is a business about auditioning. And not everybody’s cut out for it. I think it’s better to realize that than to end up being 50, 60 years old and look back and realize you’ve had no life.

As somebody that is trying to figure out a way break into an acting career and still have a life, this is a fascinating comment to make.

Why it is so different in Vancouver than in the states? Anybody care to hazard a guess?

Wired Magazine recently published an article titled Very Short Stories where science fiction authors were invited to submit stories using 6 words.

There are some really good ones listed, including these gems:

• With bloody hands, I say good-bye. - Frank Miller
• Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth. - Vernor Vinge
• I’m your future, child. Don’t cry. - Stephen Baxter
• Kirby had never eaten toes before. - Kevin Smith
• Three to Iraq. One came back. - Graeme Gibson
• Osama’s time machine: President Gore concerned. - Charles Stross

But there are two that I found especially compelling visually and emotionally:

• Please, this is everything, I swear. - Orson Scott Card
• It cost too much, staying human. - Bruce Sterling

It’s amazing where a few well-chosen words can lead you.

I ran across the following oddly interesting and strangely related set of items yesterday:

• A video and the scientific explanation of a pole dance gone wrong.
• A pole dancing kit for kids.
• And, I just saw Little Miss Sunshine last night. (By the way, if you don’t get the reference, go see this film - I highly recommend it!)

Wild, wacky stuff.

What can you do in a weekend? How about make a movie?

I’ll blog about the experience itself later, but for now… here’s the film! Nice work, Jake!

[Warning: Strong Language & Violence]

Excerpts from an Associated Press story:

Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they’ll get hurt and hold the school liable.

Elementary schools in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Spokane, Washington, also recently banned tag during recess. A suburban Charleston, South Carolina, school outlawed all unsupervised contact sports.

Good grief.

Hey! It looks like I will be Baby New Year for 2007! Confused? Curious? Hee hee! Nope, I’m not telling. You’ll just have to come see the big finale of the Big Band Hollidaze show at ACT on New Year’s Eve!

Last night I saw “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in 3D at the cinema. Wow. I’m not sure if it was just the fact that I had never seen this wonderful classic musical film at a cinema before or if it was the fantastic 3D effects that Disney has added to the film, but either way the show was simply marvelous. Great music, great story, great detail, great 3D effects. Highly recommended!

Keith Olbermann’s Countdown Special Comment on America’s seeming willingness to give away any amount of freedom for the illusion of security - including one of our most precious rights. And for some reason this has hardly been reported by the media. You should watch this important commentary.

Today we had our first rehearsal for the Big Band Holidaze show at the American Cabaret Theatre (playing Dec. 1 - Dec. 31 - check the website for show times). And let me tell you, it’s gonna be a blast.

I won’t publish the entire song list (as there are a total of 39 songs in the show!), but here are the ones that I’ll definitely be a part of:

• I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Solo)
• Sentimental Journey (Solo)
• Baby It’s Cold Outside (Duet with my good friend Marla)
• Let’s Do It (Selected Ensemble)
• Winter Wonderland (Selected Ensemble)
• The Man With The Bag (All Men)
• Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (All Men)
• Christmas Time Is Here (Entire Cast)
• I’ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo (Entire Cast)
• White Christmas (Entire Cast)

Fantastic! I’m really excited to be a part of this show. Make sure you make it if you can, because the folks in the cast are fantastic and it’s going to be a great show!

Jakob Bilinski just posted a teaser trailer for Shade of Grey on his myspace site! I’m really excited, it’s looking fantastic!

Take a look…