big trouble in little utah

can't really such much else about this story.

from imdb.com:

Operator of "Clean Flix" Store Arrested for Statutory Rape

The operator of the Utah-based Flix Club, which, as part of the Clean Flix chain, drew fire from major studios for removing scenes depicting sex and violence from home videos, has been arrested in Orem, Utah on charges of having sex with underaged girls. According to Orem police, Daniel Thompson also told the girls that his business was actually a cover for a pornography studio and asked them to participate in making a porn movie. The police report also said that they uncovered a "large quantity" of pornography at Thompson's business. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Thompson told the arresting officers that he was unaware that the girls were not of legal age and that the porn movies were for his "personal use." Thompson previously operated the Clean Flix franchise in Orem but shut it down last month after giving away 400 sanitized versions of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The studios, he said at the time, had told him that "if I don't shut down, they would break me."

for everything else in life...

So here it is, finally yes, the story of my Mastercard commercial. I know, it's been awhile, and I've just been waiting to get all of the details before I say anything about it, but now I know that it might not air until March, and some of you are pretty anxious to hear this story.

That sounds pretty cocky there, Jack.

I know, but just go with it.

+++++

Back in December, we were swamped with work. three of our films were in various stages, and one of them (Queen Sized with Nikki Blonsky). So on a Thursday evening, it's real late, been working for wuite some time, haven't shaved in a few days, and I look like hell. So Andre, my co-worker, and I are riding the elevator down to the garage when two people get on at the second floor, where the casting agency is.

At this point, I'm barely alive, let alone awake, and it isn't for a good two minutes before I realize the woman who got on at the second floor is talking to me. I snap out of my half-trance and say:

me - "Excuse me?"
she - "I said, do you work upstairs?"
me - "...Yeah?"
she - "Are you working tomorrow?"
me - "Yeah...why?
she - "Would you want to audition for a national commercial?"
me - "uh..."
she - "we're casting tomorrow, and I think you'd be great for the part."

I look at Andrew, I laugh.

me - "Yeah?"
she - "it's a national mastercard commercial. You'd just have to wear what you have now, and show up. it'll be easy."

Still kind of in shock.

me - "Sure. Yeah. i'll be there."

So i show up the next day, not quite knowing what to do as I have no resume, no headshot, no agent. I end up talking to the two owners of the casting agency, the casting agent who asked me to come, and the photographer. For this audition I had to walk around this little studio acting like I was listening to my ipod and rocking out while walking through the city streets.

Seriously.

So I leave, thinking that was fun, nothing is happening though.

Until two days later when I get a phone call telling me I got a callback.

Yeah. For real. And get this. It was at Ridley Scott's Agency.

Yeah, Mr. Blade-Runner-Gladiator-Alien. That one.

That audition didn't go so well, although I found out that out of a few hundred potentials for my part alone, I made it into the final five. Can't really ask for more. And so I didn't get that part.

Then...yes there's more...then I get another call from the casting agent two days later saying that I was up for a part in another mastercard commercial that they were casting. I wouldn't have to audition for this one, it was just down to a decision as to which person they wanted, and she would let me know by the next day.

By the time I walked into work the following morning, I knew that I would be a principal actor in a major national commercial that was shooting on Saturday.

So this commercial is just a bunch of vignettes of people playing catch, and I was cast to play a kind of stoner/slacker (ha) that would be playing catch with a similar looking guy on the beach. And of course, because we were stoners, we couldn't just be playing catch with a regular baseball.
oh no.

I was given a giant orange rubber ball to throw. And we also threw a velcro tennis ball to catch with those velcro pads. We did throw a football, and that went about as well as it could, seeing as how my arm isn't so much a cannon as it is a pop gun.

Oh, and did I mention my trailer? no? Hmmm.

Yeah I had a trailer, with my name on it. I laughed when the AD told me that, but here's the proof:
And that's how it all went down.
Will I get headshots? Maybe.
Representation? Possibly.
Join SAG? Considering. I did get a letter from them saying I had to join if I did another commercial.

I'm just going to wait and see for now. So if you happen to catch a mastercard commercial airing on TV this spring with people playing catch, keep an eye out for me.

This is what is wrong with this country

From CNN:

As of around 11 a.m., about 140 people had turned out to vote in the Seven Oaks precinct of Lexington County, South Carolina. Some of them, however, complained about phone calls earlier in the week from campaigns.

"It's a little much," said Kay Burns, who said she voted for Sen. John McCain of Arizona because "I like what he stands for."

Others said they voted for Huckabee.

"I like the fact he's a Christian," said voter Stacee Groome.

Kay Burns' husband, Ellus, said he voted for former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee because of his "presentation, maturity and Reaganism." Burns said the most important issues for him are the economy and international relations.
+++++

Anybody guess what's wrong here? Everyone notes who they vote for because of their policies, issues, etc...

Except for good ol' Stacee Groome. She voted for Huckabee because he's a christian.

Well, I'm pretty sure, Stacee, that a lot of the GOP candidates are too.

But if that's the reason why you voted for Huck, I guess I could assume that you'd vote for Hitler, if he came out on Tv and said "Hey, I'm a Christian".

Damn, can people just vote for candidates because they have good policies, and issues, and not because "I like him".

Because the last time that happened, we got Bush for 8 years.