I Support the President (Speech Dec 1, 2009)

Title card: "These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world...
Title card: ...and then we fucked up the end game." - Charlie Wilson
(From the movie Charlie Wilson's War)

Not fully happy with decisions Obama outlined in his speech December 1st, but IMHO it is the best choice of all the crappy options he had...

1. Just leave. We did that in the 80s and it didn't work.
2. Conquer. Various empires have attempted to conquer Afghanistan have have failed.
3. Continue the current course of action. Much more expensive in the long run (and has it been effective these last 8 years? Not really.)
4. Stabilize Afghanistan by adding troupes and then get out. More expensive in the short term but probably less expensive than a never-ending war.

I'm still doing my research, but I liked this segment of Olbermann regarding the matter.

A good reminder of the extreme attitudes of the previous administration that we thankfully left behind. Also, Lawrence Wilkerson, Former Chief of Staff...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I encourage you to leave comments and links that either support what I have written, or add intelligent discourse that might enlighten me to see the situation in another way.

I like a variety of ideas and opinions, especially when they are backed up by great sources.

In other words, I will keep everything and all opinions up, even those that differ from my own, as long as your comments are made nicely. (Flame will be deleted).

ATTENTION MUSICIANS AND COMEDIANS: RADIO NEEDS MUSIC AND COMEDY!

(sorry if you're getting a double post... just want to get the word out...)

I'm not sure this is really an appropriate place to post this, given that it has little to do with filmmaking, but I figured I would do so anyway.

It might help some of you out because, like myself, I know that a lot of my readers are artists in many different regards... filmmakers, writers, painters, musicians... and I want to get the word out.

I am a DJ at KJAK 1680am that broadcast (live streaming) around the globe on the Internet at www.kjack.org.

We also have a video feed there where you can watch me in the booth.

Anyhoo, my current shift is on Fridays, 5pm-6:30pm ARIZONA TIME!!!!

ARIZONA is the rebel state (along with Hawaii) when it comes to Daylight Savings time. We don't change our clocks... which means we are the same time as California in the summertime (Pacific Time) and the same time as Colorado in the winter time (Mountain Time).

So right now my show starts at 8pm for those of you on the East Coast, but it will be 7pm between November 1, 2009 and March 14, 2010.

The other reason I am posting is because I am requesting that musicians and comedians send CDs of their material. We are interested in recent material... The Copyright date should be 2009 or we probably won't put it in our rotation.

Comedy is less likely to make it into the rotation, but I have a special affection for it, so I can play it on my shift.

All material should be clean... no swear words or anything that the FCC would raise an eyebrow about. (The general rule at the station is "when in doubt, don't play it", so keep it as clean as possible.)

Here is the address:

KJack Radio
Leslie Lello
Northern Arizona University
School of Communication
PO BOX 5619
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

And don't forget to join the Facebook KJack Page.

Also, during my shift, make requests by writing to me at Facebook Chat (which is in real time) or calling KJack at 928-523-4554.

Please forward this blog post to any musicians and comedians that have material for our station!

I Dream of South Park

Last night I had a dream about South Park...

At my other blog I have just finished a 3 part series of Trey Parker and Matt Stone being interviewed by Lloyd Kaufman about filmmaking, so maybe, subconsciously, I have been thinking about those posts.

But I didn't think that was an appropriate place to post about the dream. This blog is more freeform, so I have decided to post it here, instead.

(BTW, I have no idea about the layout of the office or studio of South Park so these are all figments of my imagination... including the slide and the Green Lantern ring...) :-)

DREAM:

I was at South Park Studio, in the writers room. I am some sort of runner or PA or writer's assistant...

We are in production and we have just finished a meeting about the upcoming show.

Trey hands me a pink piece of paper and tells me to show it to two people in the office. He tells me to go to the studio after I have done this.

I am very honored because lots of people go to the office but not many people get to go to the studio.

So I go to the office and show the two people the piece of paper. I don't know what it means, but they do. And they just nod, not indicating what it means.

One of the people is creating this Halloween skit for the office. I watch the skit. It's kind of cheesy but still entertaining.

Then I walk over to this guy who I believe is an IT guy. I tell him that I'm going to the studio.

He asks me if I know where it is.

I tell him that I know I have to crawl under a wall (then I get this visual of a giant white wall that is about 5 feet thick that has about 1 foot of space below it that I can crawl under... I have done it before and gotten as far as to see two slides... one goes to the left and one goes to the right...

IT Guy: "Do you know which slide you will take?"

ME: "I was planning on taking the left one."

IT Guy: "And when you get to the bottom, which ring will you take?"

I have not been this far into the studio, but I get a visual of a display of rings... either Green Lantern rings or ones with little gargoyle faces.

ME: "Uh... Gargoyle..."

IT Guy: "Ok. You'll make it."



And then I woke up.

Pretty weird, Huh? I have read that you are supposed to pay attention to the emotion as well as the content when you wake from a dream.

During the dream I was a bit stressed, due to the time pressure of being involved with putting a South Park show together in 6 days, but overall I was happy in the dream and REALLY HAPPY when I woke up.

Ok, Blue Shield of California... it's ON!

I have been flip-flopping a lot during the health care debate for a number of reasons... mostly because I'm one of those "freelancers" that have to think about their own coverage, and I have managed to find reasonable coverage in a couple of states, as well as international coverage, so I was like "What's the big hype? Can it really get less expensive than $80/month?"

I was in Vegas with Kaiser Permanente and got a small rash on my shoulder that I thought could have been a brown recluse bite (it wasn't THANK GOD).

They told me, "Sorry... you have to go to the emergency room or wait until you are back in California."

Hmm... Ok... I'll switch to another company.

Blue Shield of California... I was able to overlook the fact that I had to pay more if I wanted to get OBGYN services even though that's a bit sexist that I wasn't fully covered for everything and had to pay more to be covered.
(I didn't end up adding OBGYN because it seemed unnecessary in my situation. I have no intention of having kids any time soon, but if I forget to add OBGYN before becoming pregnant, I won't be covered for it.)

And just 2 months ago I got my teeth cleaned and the dentist actually called my insurance to confirm I was covered. Well, I got a call from the dentist saying the Blue Shield won't pay. I paid it. And it was the most expensive bill Blue Shield ever refused to pay.

Because I was on the fence and now I'm not. I was waiting for a sign and thank you Blue Shield for providing that sign by not providing coverage.

Go Universal Health Care!

Here is an email I received from David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to the President...

We launched www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck this week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You can find the information below, and much more, there. For example, we've just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform Office tackling a viral email head on. Check it out:

8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage

1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.
   

Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

8 common myths about health insurance reform

1. Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
2. We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
3. Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
4. Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
5. Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.
   

Learn more and get details:
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now

1. Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
2. Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job. Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
3. Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
4. Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health careprovider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
5. Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through a spouse. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
6. The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Learn more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
7. Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people - one in every three Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. Learn more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
8. The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance - projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform. Learn more: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf

Talkin About a Revolution at the Neon Venus Theater

This is me at the Neon Venus Theater in Las Vegas in May.

1927 Ford Model T

Rt. 66 days...

I love classic cars

woodstock

girls night out

SNL Tickets! It’s that time of the year again!

Saturday Night Live lets you enter your name in a raffle every August for the upcoming season.

You used to have to send in a postcard (or perhaps several postcards… I never did it because I always imagined someone in their basement writing out thousands of postcards to win tickets. How was I ever going to beat out obsessive-SNL-guy-in-basement?)

Now you just send an email. And they only take one per person.

So you only have this month to send your email in. If you win, thank you in advance for taking me! :-P

FROM: http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Tickets/

Saturday Night Live

To enter the Saturday Night Live ticket lottery for the upcoming 2007-2008 season send an email in the month of August only to snltickets@nbcuni.com. Please include all contact information and do not request a specific date. If you are selected, you will receive two tickets to a random show date and time. You may only send one email per household and all audience members must be at least 16 years of age. Please note that entering the lottery does not guarantee tickets, and you will only be notified in the event that you are chosen.

Stand-by tickets are distributed at 7am on the 49th st. side of 30 Rockefeller Plaza on the mornings of the tapings. You may choose a stand-by ticket for either the 8pm dress rehearsal or the 11:30pm live taping. Aside from minimal, necessary breaks, all stand-by line members must remain in line at all times. Stand-by tickets are limited to one per person and are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. NBC staff reserves the right to revoke or not issue any ticket to anyone in line if proper procedures are not followed. Please arrive no later than 7:15pm for the dress rehearsal or 10:45pm for the live show. A stand-by ticket does not guarantee admission and no one under the age of 16 will be admitted.

Just so that you know...

I am doing a lot of posting at www.yourfavoritedirector.com

I created this site a while ago to help actors learn to produce some of their project ideas (see the left column for topics).

I also tend to be vlogging more over on that site. Might start to use this blog again as well, but meanwhile, why don't you go check it out?

Kind Regards,

L

Added Twitter Bar to my blog... Check it out!

Hey!

Look to the Left!

Your other Left!

To the left of this post (or to the left of the newest post) is my Twitter sidebar.

If you're not familiar with Twitter, it's referred to as "micro-blogging" because you keep everyone updated that is "following" you but the updates are only about 140 characters long.

Easy sound bytes... Right?

So I encourage you to click the "follow" link after you get an account.


twitter.com

Tweet you soon!

An email from my friend Tom...

Hi Leslie,

Hope you can catch me on COLD CASE this Sunday night. I play a cranky cop and it's a funny scene!

Best regards,

Tom Derek

blacknerdcomedy.com

Hey!

Check out my friend Andre's website: www.blacknerdcomedy.com!

HE IS HILARIOUS! Be sure to check out the "A Miley" rap... Excellent.

PLEASE TAKE 60 SECONDS TO HELP US WIN A $10,000 GRANT

I recently got an email from my friend Cindy about a project she is creating that I think will have a great positive impact on independent filmmakers.

It's doing really well, and I believe this is the final round, so they're really close!

Please take 60 seconds and vote.

Thanks!

Leslie
***********************************************************


Dear Friends of PATRON OF THE ARTS,

As most of you know, I'm co-founding a non-profit company (called Patron of the Arts) that's mission is to help filmmakers fund their films (wooo!!!), and in the FINAL ROUND of a competition to win a $10,000 business grant! We're currently in SECOND place, and falling behind quickly. The competition is FIERCE and I need the table to come to the rescue! Please help!! If every member of the table were to take just 60 seconds to vote, it would make a HUGE difference. I swear it is super fast, free and easy. This company will help filmmakers everywhere. Please help me win this grant to be able to start this non-profit for all of us! YOUR VOTE and support will make a HUGE difference. Thank you so much for your support.
This company will help everyone!!
-----------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE TAKE 60 SECONDS
TO HELP US WIN A $10,000 GRANT
THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Cindy and Jenn are founding a non-profit company called "Patron of the Arts" that's mission is to help filmmakers fund films! To win they need your help ASAP! (They need the most votes before June 30th). The competition is TOUGH and they are falling behind. Voting is fast (takes only a minute), fun and free. A win for POTA is a win for filmmakers everywhere!

Here's how to help:

1. VOTE: Please take 30 seconds to vote for our program: Goto the link and vote ASAP (but no later than June 30th at 10pm): http://ideablob.com/ideas/2412-PatronOfTheArts-Sponsor-a-Film and vote! If you already voted for us, simply hit the green "VOTE" button, and login. It will take 2 seconds, and you're done!! If you have not voted yet, it will take 30 seconds to register first. Just go to the same link, and hit the vote button. Then it will ask you to register. It will send you a confirmation email, and then just goback to our link and click the green "vote" button one more time. THAT'S IT!! REALLY FAST! (feel free to leave us a comment if you want!)

2. SPREAD THE WORD: Please send this email to at least five people who you think would be willing to spend a minute to vote for this non-profit film funding company. We need support urgently to make this happen! Help us create a company to help you!!

3. CONNECT WITH US: Drop us an email to let us know you voted! And if you are a filmmaker who may be interested in participating in our film financing program, please send an email to filmmakers@PatronOfTheArts.org. We hope to launch in 2-3 months, and will be looking for filmmakers who need funding to participate in this program!or just to tell us you voted so we can be sure to invite you to the celebration if we win.

4. PARTY AND FUN: Check this out! If we win the grant, they throw us a big party, and present POTA with one of those GIGANTIC 6-foot tall checks that you see in the lottery!! Ha! EVERYONE at the Table will be invited to the party, along with all of the other Filmmaking Organizations in town who have been supporting us too! So let's win this grant! And then let's celebrate! And THEN, lets use this new company to finance our films!!!

Thanks so much for everyone's support!

With Gratitude,


Cindy Baer,
Co-Founder
Patron of the Arts


Cindy Baer
Director/Producer
Free Dream Pictures
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0046337
www.freedreampictures.com

It took me a while, didn't it?

Lately I have been working a lot on a website. In fact, today I've put in a lot of time with the hosting company's technical service. And I've also been looking into online mailing list software.

The names of these two companies would jump out at me each time I visited.

With DaDa (mail list) it made sense... Dada is pretty distinct (and fun to say). :-)

But with GoDaddy, which I've had for over a year, I was wondering why I kept being drawn to the name.

And then it hit me: Father's Day.

I don't tend to think about that day too much because my dad passed away long ago. I usually mentally wish my father well as the day approaches and think about how grateful I am to have such a great dad (great parents, actually) and then move on before I start to get sad.

Maybe it was simply my subconscious mind that was focusing on those words because I new Father's Day was coming up, but I like to think this is my Dad's way of saying "Hi!"

He always was quite a word-smith, with a dry sense of humor and a robust user of the English language.

This happened last year, too...

Last year, ON Father's Day, a friend of mine gave me a collectible coin set because she was getting rid of stuff and she felt I was the right person to give it to. I do not collect coins and I've never conversed about anything related to this topic with my friend. However, MY FATHER had a huge coin collection. We has just finished discussing Father's Day when she said, "I have something for you." I unwrapped it (yes, she even wrapped it) and I made the connection immediately.

I was so, so touched.

Perhaps I read too much into it, but it's nice to grasp on to those little coincidences, whether or not they really mean anything.

So Happy Father's Day, Dad! (Or should I say "Dada" Day?)

And Happy Father's Day to all dads!

...And thanks for reminding me.

Free eps of South Park!

Gotta love the avatar creator at www.southparkstudios.com. Check out my bad-ass 4th grade chica!

Pretty funny stuff...


9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

THIS WEEKEND: "Grey Street" in the Garden State Film Festival... Sort of...

The great news: My music video to the Dave Matthew's song "Grey Street" got into the Garden State Film Festival!

The not so great news: It didn't get music clearance and so it can't actually be screened. It was not a project I had intended to screen publicly. I submitted it to GSFF because I know the director of the festival. She asked me to send it in and she liked it and though it would be a good addition to the festival, so... I went to work on securing the rights for that screening. The production company said no because it was too much hassle for what they'd make for one screening. They'd actually lose money paper shuffling.

If you're in the NJ area this weekend, you should still attend the festival. It's really fun and I met a lot of people last time I went that I still keep in contact with.

There is also going to be (not-too-expensive) celebrity benefit on Thursday, April 3rd, which I would have really enjoyed if I were able to attend:



"On Thursday, April 3rd , Montel Williams and Starline Films will be hosting a Special Red Carpet Premiere of 4CHOSEN: The Documentary (produced and directed by Jon Doscher) at the Paramount Theater. 6:30 pm Red Carpet Arrivals, special singing performance by DANNY AIELLO begins at 7:30pm, 4CHOSEN premiere begins at 8:00, reception to follow with musical performance by BRIAN KIRK and the JIRKS"

I went to the closing gala when Real vs. Reel got into the festival and had an amazing time and met great people. This should be a good party.

"Warm Beer... Lousy Food!"

Apparently Brits posted on You Tube a while back... So here you go!



In my last post about Brits I forgot to mention that Suzanne Gutierrez hooked me up with her improv troupe and supplied me with a number of my actors for this project. We have about 30 minutes of awesome outtakes that I would love to post on a website in the future because the commercial only shows a smidgen of the great improv these actors did. And Suzanne did great work in one of my earlier projects, Real vs. Reel.

Also, thank you to Peter and Elizabeth Holder for letting us use the space until 3am. Check out their restaurant if you're into great food (despite their "Warm Beer... Lousy Food!" sign out front.)

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor...

I have been attempting to post the Brits Restaurant & Pub commercial I directed/produced a few months ago but I've been having trouble getting it to upload properly on YouTube.

I'm still going to work on getting it on YouTube (or post it on google videos) but in the meantime I would like to acknowledge the wonderful and generous folks that helped me with that project. I always end up working with awesome people, and this cast and crew was no exception. A big thank you and a big hug to Tobiann 'Cellest' Dyke, Jacqui Jordan, Jim Legoy, Mark Wolf, Sam Aaron, Robert Bitsko, David Brickman, David Lipson, Andre Meadows, Rebecca Michaels, Amanda Normington and Lynn Nonnenmacher!

You are the wind beneath my enormously large and floppy airplane ears...

Writer and BFF Kristin Colyer-Massey was in town for business and happened to be staying in Anaheim, SOOOOO....... that of course meant a jaunt to Disneyland when she had time off!

There's nothing quite as amusing as two fully grown women totally drenched ( ala Splash Mountain) freezing their butts off while sitting in a giant plastic elephant!

GOOD TIMES!

To Noah and R.J. (and Mel)

Check it out.

Teaser pix from "Grey Street" video

2007 Year In Review

I know have been really bad about posting (Ha-when am I not?!) and so I am going to do a "Year in Review" to make up for it. Hold on to your seat because there is a lot here!

First of all, this has been a phenomenal year for me. I feel like I have changed the way I view life in such a positive way and I am so grateful for that. I have learned and experienced so much this year and I am thrilled with the progress I have made in my career, the wonderful people I have met and I have had the pleasure of spending time with this year (both professionally and socially), what I have learned about life, love, success, happiness, gratitude, etc…

I’m just happy. And I’m excited about 2008. But before we go there, here is 2007…

Jan 2007 was actually month number three of a 16-month marketing mentorship course I am still taking with Jay Abraham, which has been absolutely amazing and has totally changed my life and the way I look at the world and business. It has made me a better person in so many ways, not just in business but also in my social life. If you want to find out more about him, you can go to his website at www.abraham.com. He has a free download of the first chapter of his book, which I think everyone should read.

In March/April I directed a commercial for one of my favorite restaurants in Pasadena, Brits Pub and Restaurant. That project will be posted in January. The project ended up in the hands of a very SLOW editor who made several mistakes and didn’t do a very good job, so the project had to be re-edited, which is why I’m still working on it. I love this project, and I had a great crew and cast to work with. This was probably the most giggly set I’ve been on, and that’s great because I think it’s good when people can enjoy themselves and work hard at the same time. In fact, that’s the ideal I aim for.

In May I directed a spec music video for the song “Grey Street” by Dave Mathews’ Band. I am so happy with how this one came out. We are still playing around with the special effects and color correction, and when it’s done I will post it (probably January).

There were also two other projects I participated in last spring.

One was helping with Troy Conrad with his Comedy Jesus (www.comedyjesus.com) project. He does a fabulous stand up show as… well… as Jesus, and he uses a lot of audio/visual enhancements. He also had me do some improv on camera which was really fun.

The other project was for a student film for Brooks Institute (www.brooks.edu) in Ventura. I played a punk girl who is murdered by this guy that has been following her because he’s attracted to her and he keep shooting footage of her with an 8mm camera. It was a very artsy-fartsy project, as most film school projects are, but very fun and though I’ve never seen it, it seemed like it was coming out pretty well. I never got a reel from them and they never returned my favorite pair of black boots, which kind of irked me. (Josh, if you’re reading this, give back my boots!) Still, I’m very grateful that I got to participate in it. It was fun. And the director was Josh Harman. He says he was one of the final 34 directors selected for Steven Spielberg’s ON THE LOT (www.thelot.com).

Meanwhile, I was also helping out with a class about Producing Ultra-Low-Budget features, taught by Suzanne Lyons. Suzanne was having me video tape her lectures so that students that were missing from class (film production often conflicts with classes) could watch the lesson before the next lecture. It was a wonderful experience to work with Suzanne and I met fabulous people in the class.

One of the people I met was Jim Shea, who owns a school called Cinema Arts Tech (www.cinemaartstech.com), which teaches film producing (bigger budget producing) and Script Supervising. I ended up in the Script Supervising class with Jim Kelly Durgin, who has been professionally script supervising for over 40 years. His mentorship was incredible, and not only has it made me a great supervisor, but it has improved my directing tremendously by making more acutely aware of details. I’m more detail oriented now than I’ve ever been, which is saying a lot for the class.

I also took at Budgeting and Scheduling class with Cleve Landsburg, who has also been in the business forever and offered a wealth of information and had great stories about the industry.

I literally finished my last class with Jim and was swooped up by Lis Fies and Heidi Hornbacher, the producers of The Commune, to work on their feature. I’ve known Lis for a few years and we’ve worked on some short projects together and so it was wonderful to finally work on a feature with her. It was awesome working with Heidi, too, whom I met over the summer when we all got together to see Troy Conrad’s Comedy Jesus show (which I mentioned earlier).

From there I worked on another feature called Eugene. The editor showed me footage when I was dropping off script notes and it looked really great. The producers are planning to do the festival circuit, so even though I don’t think is up on IMDB yet, it should be soon.

And now that Eugene has just about wrapped, I’ve finally had time to go back to finishing up the projects from last spring, which you will have an opportunity to see soon.

I have noticed that I will go to a friend’s blog once and not return unless my friend reminds me to do so, but I have friends that send updates to me via a newsletter which I always tend to read and find very interesting. Therefore, my next post will most likely be a link to the newsletter form of this blog. I will probably send a letter out as often as I’ve posted here, so there should be no worries about too much mail or anything like that. It just makes it easier for you to keep up and KNOW when there has been an update, rather than having to check back to see if something has been posted.

If you feel strongly either way regarding the change to a newsletter, please post a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Some great youtube stuff...

This just makes me giggle. Does anyone recognize the voiceover?

Wear Green!

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

Happy New Year! (belated)

Is this not the most terrible picture you've seen EVER?!!! It makes me laugh...

New Podcast Songs

There are a few new posts to my Podcast (see sidebar). I played these for a friend and she asked me to post them. The copies are a bit rough and it was a rush job so try not to be too picky about the vocals/guitar.

These songs were written during my younger, more outspoken and rebellious years. :-)

OUTSIDE THE BOX 2

Outside the box 2...



If you haven't seen Outside the Box 1 yet, check out the earlier posts! I'm quite proud of this one. :0)

Robert Redford

This has nothing to do with what I'm up to but I enjoyed watching it so I am posting it. It's a youtube video with Robert Redford.

http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/tellafriend.asp

Lis' Reading

Whew! It's turning out to be a busy weekend! On Saturday my friend Lis is having another reading of the new-and-improved script of Pistoleras!

The reading is a private event, but if you want to attend, email me (or leave a comment) I could check with Lis to see if it's ok. It's this Saturday at 3pm!