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October 30, 2005
My Liver!
Was it a Beavis and Butthead line? God, what a random memory. I don't even think I ever watched more than five minutes of that show, when it was on, but I seem to recall a faked accident and one of the guys clutching his chest, yelling, "My liver! My liver!" The other guy whispered, "Lower!" And he either--can't recall which--dropped his hand to his crotch and said, "My liver! My liver!" or lowered his voice and said it. Hm.
Either way...
I've started a liver cleanse. Have to do that before taking anything for my thyroid. Ugh. I had a few panic attacks, just going over it all. So much stress about mysterious issues of the bod. Very very very odd. Anyway, I'll keep y'all posted. Wish me luck.
While googling for that first image, I found this one, immediately above. It got me to thinking... how common is this practice of cutting out faces of exes in photos? I've never done it. I've never even torn a photo in half for drama. So odd to want to trash the photo to... what? Feel better? Perform a ritual, removing the person from your life more literally? Show the world you're more narcissistic than sentimental? What?
And finally, a quiz. Can YOU tell your programming language creators from your serial killers? Hee! Fun.
Posted by bonnie at 1:44 AM | Comments (1)
October 29, 2005
Hypothyroid?
Yeah. I think so. Sure explains a lot.
A. Lot. Hm.
Posted by bonnie at 3:37 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2005
Friday Night Search Party
Because sometimes there's just nothing else out there to make you say *ahh... yeah*
There's this!
Shawn Reaves... of course he's a search that landed here. I cast him in a feature film a few months ago and on day one of the shoot a personal emergency took him off the set. I'm not at liberty to say more, but I'm so glad to know (selfishly) that it's not like I made a bad call in casting him and he pulled a diva move and walked off set. No. It was legitimately a personal emergency. And there will be a moment in time when I can cast him again. And I will. Rockstar cool actor... and I'm so glad my life intersected with his.
Blindtrash... WTF? I don't even know what that is, much less how it led here. But maybe it has something to do with Blind Lemon (or was it Blind Melon? Damn those '90s!!) or at the very least Trashmouth, Smashmouth, or some other trendy band name. What were we called? Trenchmouth and the Plastic Unicycles? Yeah. That was a damn cool band name in the '80s... as was A Bunch of Lamps... That Don't Work. Of course the BEST band I ever fronted was Llama Farm. Seriously. We rocked hard. Believe it.
I think my favorite ever search came from "lost the key handcuffs photos" because--my GAWD, why wouldn't that RAWK?!? It just so would! Of course, I'm way tame in my mid-30s years and whatever handcuffs I had were surrendered to Brandon at the Walsh house somewhere around year six of the series. Oh, wait... that was Claire! Bitchcakes!
Ah, just the same... as Chip and Caroline taught me in '97, there are always two realities: "That's what happens to me," and, "That's what happens to me on my show."
I did get one Google for "Bonnie Gillespie Katrina," layst month, which is what reminds me that there are several Bonnie Gillespies. There's the first one I encountered, in 1994. I'd moved home from Los Angeles after the Northridge Quake (my starter quake, FTLOG) and re-established phone service in the Hotlanta area. I immediately began getting calls from creditors about my "strip club life" and the bills I owed payments on. Gold Club, Cheetah III... yeah, I loved those places, but I never worked there, yo!
Okay, so since becoming a grown-up (stop. laughing. you.), I've only ever been confused with two other Bonnie Gillespies. One is a board of regents member in the northeast (you go, girl) and the other is a photographer for the Red Cross. Every time there's a natural disaster, she gets higher Google cred than I do. DAYUM, what a year she's had! Bless her bones, since I do nothing as important as the work she does!
BTW--as for feeling like a slug and such... well, it just effin' happens. What can you do? You just keep doin' what you do and enjoy the ride. That's really all there is. Ever.
Posted by bonnie at 11:49 PM | Comments (1)
One of those days.
Y'ever have one of those days? You know the kind.
Birds are singing, sun is shining, you're well fed, in love, and have received so much praise for doing good work that you have the glow of happiness all around you--just ready to hug you with the realization that you truly have the most AMAZING life...
and you couldn't be more miserable?
Yeah. I'm having one of those days.
It sucks.
Happily, though, I did receive the poster art for Queen of Cactus Cove, which is simply gorgeous. I'll share that, as maybe sharing something beautiful will improve my mood. I mean, if getting an offer to cast yet ANOTHER (yes, that's three) low/mid-budget feature film, learning I'm personally responsible for a talented Scotish actor's move to Hollywood to follow her dreams, and reaching the final-edits stage on the book isn't enough to make me happy, maybe at least the soothing blue poster will help.
Ugh.
Somedays, it's like you can't catch a break, what with having EVERYTHING going for you and all.
Yes, I'm really really really really really going to try and remember this: Even when life rocks, there's "down." It doesn't mean a damn thing and you might as well enjoy the low spots, since they come no matter how much life rocks. Blah blah blah blah blah. Self-indulgent bullshit. Blah blah blah blah blah.
Posted by bonnie at 5:18 PM | Comments (1)
October 26, 2005
Quite a Loss
I just learned that the dear, sweet, talented Sue Ozeran passed away last week (after having survived pancreatic cancer for seven years) due to stomach cancer. Her friends Muriel Minot and Terrence Beasor wrote a loving tribute to her at the SAGActor.com board (you may have to register to read it).
I was fortunate enough to have been able to cast Sue in Queen of Cactus Cove earlier this year, after she'd made it to final callbacks on FIVE of the films I had cast prior to that one.
It is always tough to lose a talented performer who loves life and thrives on sharing her gifts with the world. Even tougher when that amazing person is a friend. Rest in peace, dear Sue. My prayers are with Bud and the rest of your sweet family.
Posted by bonnie at 10:25 PM | Comments (2)
Hah!
I get to have lunch with my favorite palindrome in a little over 11 hours.
Hee hee! Hannah had soooooo much fun on her studio tour that we'll be taking it easy, El Cholo style, before we send her on her way back to Athens.
Coooooool.
PS--She says hi. She's been trying to check in dial-up style from the hotel, but it's not been too easy. I won't spoiler her story about the pier and impractical shoes. ;)
Posted by bonnie at 1:43 AM | Comments (1)
October 24, 2005
Sooo Spooky!
C'mon... y'know you wanna...
Posted by bonnie at 11:00 PM | Comments (2)
Hey, Plant People
What do you know about plants that are poisonous to cats?
One of the amazing gifts we got at the party last night was a large, lovely plant with big, green and purple leaves. Keith is worried it's one of the many that are bad for kitties.
Now, it's NOT the same as the plant in the photo above (which is poisonous), but it's close. It's also close to this one (not poisonous).
So, big, oval-shaped waxy green-on-top-purple-underneath leaves, with patterns like a zebra plant, sort of fanned out like the black magic plant, and most similar to a dumb cane (but without the cane up the middle). I'm guessing we should err on the side of caution and give the plant away, but it's so pretty! Ugh. Any experts with ideas?
Posted by bonnie at 6:53 PM | Comments (2)
I have the...
best friends on the planet.
Yes, I do!
Posted by bonnie at 1:06 AM | Comments (1)
October 22, 2005
Because It's So Funny
I shall share this post from the wonderousness that is Ditto at CAO.
A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The flight attendant looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, "Dam!"
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.
Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, "I've lost my electron." The other asks, "Are you sure?" The first replies, "Yes, I'm positive."
Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."
A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."
These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.
Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
Yeah, I know... you've seen some of 'em before... but MAN, there's some good stuff in there! *snork*
Posted by bonnie at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)
Ooh, that was a good one!
Nothin' like a nice 3.0 rollin' quake right here in Santa Monica to congratulate Keith on four years in SoCal (tomorrow)!
And because our server lives in Santa Monica, that would make Cricket Feet down. Again. What a great week iPower Web has been having! :\
You're comin' to the party tomorrow, right?
Posted by bonnie at 8:49 PM | Comments (1)
Hey, BrYan
(or any other of my HTML-lovin' friends with a moment to spare), couldja take a look at the code on this page and tell me what I did *this time* to screw it up? Remember last time? Wasn't it fun helping me then?
*sigh*
TIA
Posted by bonnie at 5:26 PM | Comments (0)
People are...
weird.
That is all.
Posted by bonnie at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)
Zzzzzz
I am exhausted.
Casting takes a lot out of a gal. Think I may sleep a bit. But MAN, do I love my job! Zzzzzzzzz.
Posted by bonnie at 1:00 AM | Comments (0)
October 20, 2005
Okay, so...
...because I love my sister* (and she says I don't blog enough lately), I am sharing this.
*tsk* *tsk*
(Not sure where that came from. Email?)
*=she's not my sister, she's my heavy. Oh, wait... that's not right either. Well, either way... she said I don't blog enough... so, here!
Having been totally inspired by Rob's blog on the subject, I went old school and Gizoogled myself. Here's what came of it: long bio, short bio, imdbo (all PDFs, all funny).
Oh, and just b/c it's funny...
(That one came from the greatness that is BrYan.)
PS--SAG CAP rocked. Loved the actors. 95% amazing. Casting for Two Dogs Inside is rocking hard. Shrinks is doing a half-off weekend, if you use code 008 at this link (and you should). Finally, our top-secret wedding reception is Sunday, 2pm. We're in charge of the hooch, which means you will be well-plied. So come. ¡Por favor!
Posted by bonnie at 11:18 PM | Comments (2)
October 18, 2005
888
SpyNotebook's control panel tells me this is entry number 888. Cool.
I have so much to say but no time to blog, seeing as I am still behind my list of things that MUSTGETDONE before I can safely say I'm ready for my loooooooong day tomorrow.
Prereads for Two Dogs Inside tomorrow at waytooearly ayem. I'm so excited about this project!
After prereads, I'm off to SAG for the Casting Access Project. That'll be fun. I've spent the past couple of hours matching up headshots with appropriate sides for the cold read night.
Oh, and I'm crazy in love with TV lately. This is such a good Fall Season and I'm really happy to have so many shows I enjoy on while I finish the edits on the book.
Started watching Commander In Chief to support Jasmine Jessica Anthony, and I've stayed around, loving the whole dang show.
Watching Everybody Hates Chris and loving how much it's like my childhood (being the outcast in the school, being the poorest in the neighborhood, y'know... being voiced by Chris Rock as I go about my day). This is seriously the BEST new show of the year.
A very close second is My Name Is Earl, another for-a-friend tune-in for which I've stuck around. Good news is Deb Cresswell's character may be coming back soon. Woo hoo!
Started watching Surface for a back-home friend, Louanne Cooper, who's getting some great camera time lately. Again, fell in love with the show and there you have it (of course, I can't tell Keith about my secret crush on the brothers Pate).
Not a new show, but one I'm so addicted to that I could watch it non non non non stop: Nip/Tuck. That's another friend-involved-so-watch-it thing that turned into a love affair. I am so dang proud of Greer Shephard for having such amazing taste--oh and is Bruno Campos sooooo the Carver? Duh!
Okay, I'll come back later and put links together for this entry, so that the blog actually does its job, tracking back to the right places. No time for love, Dr. Jones. I'm still miles away from that shower and nap I've been promising myself. Oh, and I haven't read most blogs lately, so if anyone's doing anything exciting and I should know about it... well... I will. Later. Promise. Have I mentioned how much I love love love both of the scripts I've been sent by filmmakers I met at the LA International Short Film Festival? I seriously have some amazing projects coming up. Man, that's cool! Okay, for real... bye!
Posted by bonnie at 11:56 PM | Comments (1)
So Easily Amused
Thwok has a new favorite toy.
Packing peanuts.
See, Keith went to our distributor's warehouse today and picked up a box of "damaged returns" (which is silly, b/c they aren't really *damaged* as much as smudged or handled in some way that makes them no longer "sell as new" material), in case we'd like to use the books for giveaways or whatever.
Box has assorted packing peanuts in it, and just enough of a hole in the top for the silver munkey to snake her paw inside and pull out said peanuts and play, play, play, play, play.
I am amused at how she is amused. The elder kitties are just so glad the thunder has stopped. They did not like that. I, on the other hand, LOVED IT, especially when it was so loud (just before the rain began) that the entire schoolyard filled with children across the street erupted in high-pitched screams of terror and excitement. Hee hee hee.
So easily amused.
PS--next entry will be my 888th at SpyNotebook.org. Cool, eh?
Posted by bonnie at 3:35 AM | Comments (0)
October 17, 2005
Two Things
1. Email woes are over. Woo damn hoo! (PS--They're over b/c Keith talked the stupid tech guys THROUGH their system to find the problem. Sheesh!)
2. Happy birthday, Def Jam Becca MC! You rock, celebrity girl! So glad I know you! Remember, tell that hubby to turn OFF the Effin' Fox News and treat you right. ;)
Posted by bonnie at 6:43 PM | Comments (1)
Glitch
Cricket Feet email is down. If you've tried to reach me since about 10:15pm Sunday, 16 October 2005 using any of the Cricket Feet email accounts, I've never seen the mail... I won't see the mail... and you won't get a bounce-back to let you know I've not received the mail.
Cool, eh?
*grumble*
Best news? No idea when they'll have it fixed. WHO ASKED THEM TO MOVE OUR MX RECORDS TO BEGIN WITH?!?
*grrrrr*
Posted by bonnie at 11:45 AM | Comments (1)
October 15, 2005
Color Me Happy!
The first review for Shrinks is here!
Martini Republic's review of the play included such lavish praise as this:
The script, in fact, moves a lot like one of those staccato black-and-white 300-page-screenplay '40s romps....
[Maria] Jenson does not shy away from the precarious, she engages it head-on, and walks away clean almost every time. There's a sustained white-on-black Afrocentric exchange between [Lorin] McCraley and [Christopher] Grossett that unfolds in an entertainingly excruciating manner; it's like a Curb Your Enthusiasm improv where Larry David commits as many racial faux pas in as short a period as possible. Part of this play's appeal is the way it flirts with danger, inviting fantasy and cliché, Latinate diction and psychobabble, Brecht and Aristotle, all into the same room. So many ideas, so many demands on talent! Like her play, Ms. Jenson...only gets better and better.
*sniffle* I'm just about the happiest damn casting director on the planet. So proud! Opening night... sold out. We'll be there shortly. Woo hoo!
Posted by bonnie at 5:54 PM | Comments (1)
October 14, 2005
Home Sweet Home
Ahhhhh....
Copperwynd was heaven... a lovely honeymoon-slash-Nonaversary celebration with lots of special everythings. Came home to three fat cats, a couple hundred emails, and a wedding present waiting for us. Heeeeeeeeee.
I'm beat. But, MAN, we both feel GREAT!
Shrinks opens tomorrow night. So excited!
Much to catch up on, but must sleep first, methinks. Ahhhhhhhh.
Posted by bonnie at 7:54 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2005
Happy Nonaversary!
Tomorrow is our Nonaversary. Yes, we celebrate the day we didn't get married, 12 October 2002. It's always so much fun, since we invented the holiday.
First Nonaversary: stay in bed all day and say, "Thank you for not marrying me."
Second Nonaversary: champagne brunch and pottery painting.
Third Nonaversary: do a series of date nights to make up for the fact we're working on the 12th.
Fourth Nonaversary:
Copperwynd, baby! (Here's what I said after last time.)
And yes, we count the one in 2002 as our First Nonaversary, since we invented it. And yes, we still say, "Thank you for not marrying me," to each other... only now we're married, so we kind of only mean, "Thanks for not marrying me on THAT day."
Hee hee.
Love that edits for THIS book are pretty much where edits for the LAST book were on the last spa vacation.
Tee hee.
Yes, I'm taking work on our honeymoon (but anyone who knows Keith knows, by virtue of the fact that HE's going, I'm taking WORK on my honeymoon anyway), but THIS will be stuff I can do while he's sleeping. *giggle*
Oh, I'm sooooooooo excited! Yippee!
Posted by bonnie at 9:43 PM | Comments (2)
Who Do You Love?
Okay, peeps-who-love-to-read, which font do you like best?
This is a page with five sample fonts for the new edition of Self-Management for Actors (it's a PDF). Please share your vote for THE FONT YOU WANT for the new book.
I won't tell you which fonts are "winning," just that SMALLER is better, since otherwise I must cut major content. Grr... it's like I'm writing my dissertation all over again (no wonder I dropped out on my PhD)!
Posted by bonnie at 3:25 AM | Comments (7)
October 10, 2005
Sandbox
I DO NOT GIVE GOOD SANDBOX.
I do NOT play well with others.
And you can't MAKE me!
Posted by bonnie at 10:52 PM | Comments (2)
October 9, 2005
Yo, Proofers...
So, I've pulled a major all-weekender and gotten bootyloads of work done on the updates to the new edition of the book (woo damn hoo), and that means it's time to get to the proofing!
I think I've sent invitations to all of the proofer patrol members who re-upped for this edition to join the new let's-keep-it-all-in-one-place Yahoo group. If you're in for the proofing but haven't received your invite, click and join, please. Updates are happening FAST (got that Nonaversary trip coming up).
Yes, five-weeks-to-printer was ambitious. It'll be more like seven. It's gonna be okay... still out just before we sell out of the first edition (by like a dozen copies, if the math works out).
PS--THREE new scripts this week for casting, each with a budget near $2M. Rockstar!
Posted by bonnie at 10:22 PM
October 7, 2005
So Busy
Oy, I am so so so so so so so busy. Working like a madwoman on the book's revisions (and damn if this book is not getting HUGE); too busy to answer emails and phone calls asking me to cast, do book signings, and various speaking engagements; and it has (again) been too hot to move this week.
So, I've decided to take a break (I started this entry 50 minutes ago, which shows how many other brilliant blogs I've visited while coming up with this silly post) and do a li'l quiz. (From Ali.)
| You Are Apple Cider |
 |
Now, if Friday chooses to be below 90 degrees, I'll feel like it's Fall and that'll be nice. I'd like to be less annoyed by weather and more inspired to cut HUGE chunks of stuff from the book. Anyone up for clearcutting? I could use some help, but it's really thick underbrush at this stage (and I usually try to spare my proofer patrol from such heavy lifting).
Posted by bonnie at 2:00 AM
October 6, 2005
Amy's Blind Date
Woo hoo! Unlike MY episode of Blind Date, looks like I'll actually get to SEE Amy Harber do her thang tomorrow at 11am on KTLA.
Yup, I never did see my bonzai tree-trimming, dart-throwing episode from November 2000, though I hear it was good. Ever so excited to watch Amy cat it up on the air.
PS--it's hot and dry. Nose bleeds-a-go-go (guess they're better than migraines, though). Ugh.
Posted by bonnie at 3:14 PM
October 4, 2005
Don't Judge Me!
Is it wrong?
Is it wrong that I open all of the semi-easily-opened pistachios and leave the too-tightly-encased ones for Keith?
I mean, I am wrist-down dainty.
Posted by bonnie at 11:53 PM
Well, That Was Fun
So, I just got off the phone from an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, enjoying watching the amazingly talented Kim Estes and Jasmine Jessica Anthony (two actors I cast in A New Tomorrow) on Commander in Chief.
We've booked our Nonaversary trip (yippee)!! And life, she is good.
Meanwhile, if anyone has a print subscription to THR and sees the blurb, could you save a copy of that edition for me? Thanks!
Edited to add: looks like Steve Tom is also in this episode. (He's contributing to the new edition of Self-Management for Actors. Hee.)
Posted by bonnie at 9:43 PM
Mitchell Fink on TV
Okay, so once upon a time, I met a guy online (yeah, that seems to happen a lot in my life, but that's not what this is about).
Well, turns out, Mitchell Fink would end up moving to Hollywood and taking this town by storm. Watch the rockstar at work, all this month.
CSI on October 6th, The OC on October 13th, Cold Case on October 16th, and Still Standing on October 19th.
MitchellW (VIP) posted 01-07-2003 03:48 PM
I know I have never met you, but when I get to Los Angeles this summer, you will high on the list of people to meet.I got the book last night and read a pretty good chunk of it and I am so impressed!
Great content, great insight and it's so nice to break down the wall of fears associated with CDs.
Love it...keep up the great work!
Mitchell
CastingQs (Administrator) posted 01-07-2003 09:42 PM
Yay! Love meeting new people!!I am SO glad you like the book! Yay! That makes me very happy. That's the goal: for the whole "meeting-the-casting director" issue to be demystified. I'm glad it's giving you some good ideas for your approach, once you get to meet with some of these folks.
Thank you very much for the feedback. Do good work--and we'll meet soon!
-Bon.
Yes... I'm a wee bit proud. ;)
PS--Camille Mana, you were smokin' in the bathing suit on One on One tonight. C'mon, girl! You work it!
Posted by bonnie at 12:34 AM
October 2, 2005
Two Dogs Inside
New casting gig, y'all! Woo hoo! Two Dogs Inside is the title.
Six speaking roles, shoots four days in November, SAG Short Film contract, copies, credits, meals, etc. Breakdown will go out tomorrow morning on Actors Access and through Breakdown Services, natch.
This is going to be a very cool, edgy little film--produced by those amazing Queen of Cactus Cove people I worked with earlier this year. Woo damn hoo!
PS--Got word that the producers-only screening of Trees Grow Tall... and Then They Fall was rockstar and that we'll be having the big screening soon. Awesome. I like October better already!
Posted by bonnie at 9:30 PM
Quite a Loss
Rest in peace, Mr. Wilson.
Posted by bonnie at 6:57 PM
October 1, 2005
And because you loved it...
...there's more.
As if the feel-good romantic comedy of the year weren't enough, now there's the terrifying suspense thriller slasher horror deathromp called West Side Story.
Poor Jets. They never knew what hit 'em.
Article from NYT on the guy who done it Shining style: Robert Ryang. More on blog, maybe. Rock it, editor. Rock it indeed. Uku.
Posted by bonnie at 11:57 PM