Went Good, Real Good!

Just got back from the callback, and everything went great! The initial role I read for was written out, but I feel like I nailed the second role, which turned out to be a straight to callback.

I was scheduled to leave for home tomorrow morning, but after talking with my agent here I've decided to stay a couple of more days "just in case."

I also did a little more 48 Hour Film Project stuff this morning, and over the weekend, but I'll elaborate in a post exclusive to project when I get home. That way I can post all of my pictures at the same time.

Just trying to stay busy...:)...

P.S. My friend GL to da J sent me a link to his commercial, which is really funny, so I thought I'd post it. Enjoy.

Nita G.

Cool Beans, Man!

Callback - 7/31/06 - MOTEL MAN
TV Audition - 7/31/06 - MOTEL MAN (Second Role)

I was a few minutes late for the audition on Thursday, (thanks to my dad!) but all went well once I got there. I even ran into a couple of the actors I'd worked with on the 48 Hour Film Project. The Casting Director asked if we'd met before, and I told her it was likely, since I started my career in Albuquerque.

I am excited that I have a callback AND that they are having me read for another role. Only problem(s) are, I was due to return home today, AND this mini-series starts filming on 8/16, which is the day I'm scheduled to return to work. It's all good though. (I'm just thankful I drove here!) I'll have to call my agents in L.A. and tell them that I'll be gone a few more days, and if I book a role, I'll have to hop on a plane back to Albuquerque when it's time to film.

I also got a call on Thursday afternoon with an audition for a Student Film I'd submitted myself for that starts filming in mid-August. I had to explain to them that I was still out of town. They said they'd try to work me in when I get back to L.A. if they're still having sessions.

It feels good to be wanted!...:)...

Shenita.

TV Audition - 7/27/06 - MOTEL MAN

YES! Finally...

I Saw/I Met & RECYCLE RANCH.

I was awakened this morning by the thought to add another deminsion to my blog. I am going to start doing something I've named "I Saw/I Met" in where I will tie in current experiences, with one's, involving celebrities of all types, from my past. This will allow me to document some of the stories I carry around with me (before I forget them) AND it will shed some light (for you guys) on what I was up to during my pre-blog days.

Below is my first effort:

---

I'm sure I probably met Jay Hernandez just weeks after that faithful day in which Howard discovered him in the elevator. The year was 1997, and Howard brought him to my manager at the time, seeking representation for this "handsome Latino guy with absolutely NO acting experience." We could all quickly see what Howard saw in him. Yes, he had the amazing good looks, but there was certainly something else about him. Yes, you guessed it, that thing Hollywood calls: Star Quality. You could see it. My two fellow "actresses/co-workers/friends I moved to L.A. with" and I, quickly formed a friendship with Jay. (I mean who wouldn't right?!?) We were all around the same age, and since me and my friends had previous experience with acting, we were able to take Jay under our wings. Over the next several months, we would hang out with him periodically. I remember him talking to us about being very excited, but also scared and confused about this new direction his life was taking. As fate would have it, he would worry for nothing. Howard worked feverishly for Jay, and sought out only the best reps for him. Unfortunately, our friendship would end suddenly when they left our manager later that year in search of greener pastures.

Fastforward to today, Jay has certainly done some great things since then, most recently HOSTEL, and the upcoming HOSTEL: PART II. Which would probably explain why he, and those two movies, were the first things that popped in my mind when I learned that our second location during filming yesterday was going to be at a Hostel just outside of Albuquerque. Now I've never even seen the movie HOSTEL, but I know what it's about, and the thought of stepping into one for the first time kind of creeped me out a little.

It was about a 25 minute drive from our first location, an over-the-top seedy Motel managed by two of the nicest (and funniest) gay dudes in NM, to our second location, the Hostel nestled in the Sandia Mountains. This Hostel, I'm sure, was not typical in that the owner let Donkey's freely roam the premises, and that there were brochures inside that spoke on the art of Mule Jumping. (Hmmm, don't think I want to try that anytime soon!) At any rate, once I got over my jitters, filming RECYCLE RANCH there yesterday was a blast. At times I found it difficult to tolerate the sweltering heat, and the flies that plagued us back at the Motel, (One of the other actresses was convinced there must have been a dead body on the premises!...:)...) but all in all, things were great.

I ended up working an 11 hour day that started at 7am yesterday morning and ended just after 6pm yesterday night. Yesterday was the longest amount of time I'd spent away from my baby, but because I knew she was in good hands back at the house, I was able to focus on the challenge that lay ahead of me, instead of worrying about her. I did miss her terribly though...:(...

A project like this is undoubtedly a whirlwind experience. Quick paced shooting and script changes up until the very last minute. I was lucky to have teamed up with a great group of professionals. Things could have easily of gotten heated and tense, but we managed to stay light hearted and focused. I'm rooting for them, because everyone was so nice, and I think the end result will be a great one. I just hope that they get everything done and turned in by tonight's deadline!

Because of the nature of the project, I won't go in too much detail about the plot, and the character I played right now. The screenings and judging won't happen until later this week. It was a fun challenge to have had, and I'd certainly do it all over again in a heartbeat.

When I get home, I'll post some pictures of the Motel, Hostel, and a few of the Donkey's.

Hasta, I hear my baby crying...

"YAHOO!!" In more ways the one.

Well, my second week in the Land of Enchantment has come to a close. I guess I'm quite lucky that most of my closest friends from high school and college still live here. So they, along with my family, have managed to help me fill in a lot of my down time.

First things first, because of my knack of needing to do "something" all the time, I came across a notice for the 48 Hour Film Project on the NM Film Commission website on Monday. I'd missed the auditions, which took place the week before, but I decided to send over an e-mail anyway. Long story short, within minutes I got a call, and e-mail, from the producer saying that he would love it if I'd be a part of the project. Cool! We shoot it all day tomorrow (7/22). The city is making a big deal about this project, so it's bound to get tons of exposure. The first screening of the flim will happen early next week. If I can, I will attend the screening, and quite possibly one of the wrap parties. (Perfect Timing: My little brother pulled into town today, I told him I'm going to make him my "MANNY" for the duration of my trip...:)...Especially since he's already delved into my food stash, AND drank most of my daughter's juice boxes!) Anywho, I'll let you all know how things work out. Please pray that my group doesn't pull the WESTERN THEME, as the first question the producer asked me was if I'd ever ridden a horse before! I have, but not by myself. Yikes! Let's make a HORROR flick!

In other news, across the board it seems as if all of my fellow bloggers are kicking major butt back in Los Angeles! I am so proud of them all. Just click on any blog to the right, and you'll see exactly what I mean.

If you haven't already, pick up the latest issue of the Hollywood Reporter, the ad I'm a part of with my agency is on page 19! I thought we were going to be in the Variety, but that's just who we had to make the checks out to. Once I get back home, I will scan the ad, and post it. Unfortunately I couldn't track down a store that sells the paper out here, so I had to take my husband's word for it back home that everything looks good. My L.A. Agent insists that these ads always do wonders for the clients that participate, so I'm looking forward to a downpour of auditions when I get home!

I e-mailed the manager I'd auditioned for earlier this week asking if a decision had been made about me. Hmmm...no answer. I'm not going to dwell on it though. For now, I'll just chill where I am a bit longer.

Breakfast went great with my High School Drama Teacher on Wednesday. He looks the same, and he said I did also. Sure, Mr. Bower!...:)...We talked about the industry and what we'd been up to over the last 12 years, and I told him to be prepared to do my THS one day! We talked again about the Florida Thespian Festival in Tampa next Spring, and it looks like I'm thisclose to being added to the roster. Cool! All expenses paid. I have family in Tampa, and all over FL, so I would probably consider staying a few extra days for some R&R.

If you're in Los Angeles, and want the scoop, join my YAHOO! Group. For years now, I've forwarded notices that I get to friends and friends of friends, but a couple of months ago, the group grew beyond control, so I had to create a YAHOO! Group. Want to receive my notices? Join my group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sgkmmailinglist/

I'm out.

In NM the Bull Frogs are eating the Crickets...

Prior to moving to L.A. in 1997, I lived in Albuquerque for 9 years with my parents and younger brother. It was in Albuquerque that I graduated from high school, forged long term friendships, and discovered my love of acting. In all that time, I never once encountered a bull frog. Now, almost twenty years after first stepping foot on desert soil, I saw one, two of them in fact. Playing "leap frog" my nephew was quick to point out. Let me just say, their "call," is amazingly loud, terrifying even, if you've never heard it before. My dad, and a few of my friends, have informed me that there has been an insurgence of frogs in the area as of late, and it's believed to be a result of two things: The city's continued growth, (as they've been kicking up a lot of soil in the area) and the persistent rain that drenched the city the entire two weeks prior to my arrival.

It's now Sunday morning, and tomorrow I will have been here one week without so much as a peep on the audition front. I asked my husband last night if he thought I'd done the right thing by coming out here when L.A. is just starting to pick up? But, does it matter anyway since I have a hankering that I probably would have heard bull frogs, I mean crickets, out there too? Gee, I don't know. What I do know is that my VO Agent called me on Friday with a time for tomorrow (7/17). They had overlooked the fact that I was out of town. Great, make me feel even worse about being all the way out here!...

At any rate, if you allow me to back track for a moment, this last week hasn't been a total loss. My drive into town last weekend went great. Who would have thunk it, with a 3.5 year old and 5 week old in tow. Fortunately for me, I have a brother in Phoenix, and a sister in Tucson, so I was able to take the 12+ hour drive down I-10 in stride.

Of course I've had some downtime with friends and family while I've been here, but I've also kept busy online submitting myself for small things and staying afloat of what's going on in L.A. In the middle of last week I had a well timed chat with fellow blogger Angel Oquendo about a question I had, and homeboy dropped a lot of science. I've read his blog from start to finish, but I guess I must have missed the part when he mentions that he just arrived in Hollywood this past October! What? Boy is really making things happen. I'm thoroughly impressed.

I finally got my Demo Reels done, and was able to drop them off when I stopped by to see my agent on Friday. She promised that if nothing surfaced on the audition front, that she would at least score me some general interviews while I was here. So that's cool.

Friday night, my dad asked if I knew that Martin Lawrence was "in town". I told him I did, thanks to my trusty IMDB Pro subscription. (I promise the folks at IMDB are not giving me kickbacks for mentioning them so much!...:)...) Martin is down here shooting WILD HOGS, a Disney Film, with fellow A-List actors John Travolta, William H. Macy, and Ray Liota. That night, my father brought home the newspaper article that talked about the film, and with a gleam in his eye, explained to me that Madrid, NM is just on the other side of the Sandia Mountains, not more than an hours drive away. Okay, I know I'm a bit desperate dad, but is he suggesting that I crash the set? Sure they're in the middle of NM, but I'm almost certain that they still have proper security. Thanks anyway dad! I'll wait my turn. Besides, according to the article, most of the locals don't seem too happy that there's a big Hollywood production in town, stirring up so much commotion. So I'll be keeping my distance unless my presence is required. (I can only hope!)

Yes, I've been working on sheding the baby weight since I've been here. Walking and watching my diet. I'm not trying to overdo it just yet. I mean it has been only 6 weeks since my c-section.

Speaking of c-section, today marks the beginning of my last month of Maternity Leave. What a scary, scary thought. I'm praying really hard about this one. If you know me, you know how I feel about this. For one, I don't even want to think about how much I'm going to miss my baby. For two, I've gotten used to all the free time I've had to focus on my acting career.

Food for Thought: Why does it seem like they are re-airing EVERY episode of GREY'S ANATOMY but the two I'm in?

Lastly, I'm having breakfast with my High School Drama Teacher this Wednesday (7/19). Remember the one I contacted earlier this year? Turns out he's in town right now too. Should be fun.

Stay tuned.

Proactive: Meaning the opposite of "Passive"

I woke up this morning to the sound of my alarm clock, which has been my husband’s voice as of late. It was time to get ready to attend his Aunt’s funeral. Funerals are overwhelming in that not only are you grieving the person who’s gone, but you are also thinking of your own mortality, and the mortality of everyone you love. We spent the morning, and a good chunk of the afternoon with family and friends after we laid her to rest.

Once home, and just before I laid down for a quick catnap, I called the office of the Manager I’d auditioned for last week to see if a decision had been made. I was told he was on vacation, and to call back Monday. I’m a little confused in that I was certain THEY'D call and/or send ME a letter by now, letting me know the verdict, (which is how it's usually done) but I guess in this case “no news was good news.” So, it looks like I’ll be calling back next week. You guys have your fingers crossed for me right?

One of the features I really like about IMDB PRO is that they have daily articles discussing films that are “in the works.” As far as I’m concerned, this is good news for actors in that we have the upper hand in knowing that these projects are on the horizon, and can make sure we are at least submitted for them, and/or can submit ourselves. On Tuesday, I did just that. There’s a film, which shall remain nameless, that I’d really like to go in for. With a little Googling (and I can’t say that I’d recommend this unless you are open for possible backlash) I located the name and e-mail address of the primary producer on the project. I put together one of my little e-mail submissions, keeping it sweet and simple, and sent it on over.

Best Case Scenario: She’ll forward it to the CD and request that I get called in for something/anything, because it looks as if I’m perfect for any role in the movie, AND she’s certain that I will garner an award of some kind should I be hired.

Worse Case Scenario: She responds to my e-mail using every derogatory word she’s ever come across, and then reports me as a spammer to her ISP.

Likely Scenario: I never hear a word, but hey, at least I was proactive.

Yes, yes, yes, I’ve finally jumped on the MySpace bandwagon. I don’t know why, since all I’ve heard are negative comments about it lately. I’m just sick and tired of folks asking me why I don’t have a page. I’ll stay on for a minute, and see if it helps my “networking” before I make any final decisions about it. It’s still pretty bare, but here it is: http://www.myspace.com/shenitamoore. If you have a page, I could use some "friends," so please hit me up.

In an effort to try my hand at being my own publicist, (you know for that press packet I’ve been working on for over a year now) every now and then I’ll e-mail publications asking if they’d like to do an article about me. (Talk about tooting my own horn right?) Well no, there’s been no response with that yet, but I feel like I’m getting warmer. I’m sure it’ll just be a matter of time before a reporter jumps at the thought of interviewing a twenty-something wannabe black actress from NM. Maybe not today, but one day...right?

Me and the girls will be leaving for NM this weekend, please wish us a safe passage.

I’ll blog as soon as I can.

Peace.

Getting my Kicks on Route 66...

I’m about 90% satisfied with how things went on Friday. I got there on time, which in this industry often means you’re late. So, I was relieved to find out they were a little behind schedule. I took a seat next to the rest of the eager hopefuls, and flipped threw an old issue of BSW until it was my turn to go back.

Once on the chopping block, things progressed as I expected them to. I was asked for my h/r, asked to perform my monologues, asked several questions, and then asked if I had any questions for them. Other than being a little disconnected while doing my second monologue (which could have to do with the fact that I memorized it the day before) - Side Note: I know, I know, I didn’t expect to get an audition so soon after contacting them... but I guess I should stay ready right?!? - I’d say my performance, even when I was unexpectedly asked to sing a few bars of a song, went really well. I can’t honestly say that I know which way things are going to go, but I think I scored a few brownie points in that I sat before them eager to get to work only 4 weeks after giving birth. I don’t know though, hopefully they won’t see that as a hindrance. (Of course my family does, and always will come first, but if I’m telling them I’m ready to work, I hope they believed me.)

I had a quick chat with my NM agent just before I left for the audition, double checking whether or not my timing was right to make the trek out there next weekend. We chatted briefly, and she promised to provide more details in her response to the e-mail I sent her earlier in the week. The e-mail was waiting for me when I checked my in box this morning, and to my surprise, she disclosed that in addition to the Orlando Bloom project, I had been requested several times, for several different projects, last month. This news only makes me that much more eager to get there! Let’s just hope all that love continues.

In addition to announcing my arrival to the local CD’s, I have a small list of things I need to get done before I head East, some of which include paying my dues (which were due months ago) and FINALLY getting duplicates made of my Demo Reel. I gotta stop this waiting-until-the-last-minute crap. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now! I’m just praying to the one who sits on high, that if I need it, I can apply for, and obtain, a last minute passport in N.M.

If not, I’m completely, and utterly, screwed. *sigh*