4:48 pm - Sat 11.18.2012
Not "Eastland", "Westland", or "Northland"...

I debated whether to "open" with this...but since it's basically what I "closed" with in my last entry - I booked the Southland gig!

The audition was Wednesday, on the Warner lot in Burbank (At 6:00 pm, which is really late for an audition, and a pretty crappy time to have to drive anywhere in LA).

Another somewhat unusual thing about the audition is I had a "scene partner" (As opposed to just reading with someone from the casting office); the scene involved the police coming into a pawnshop after getting a report of gunshots, so the casting person read the police dialogue, I was the pawnshop owner, and the other actor (Dave S.) played my employee.

There were only six "sets" of actors auditioning for the roles, and me and Dave were first on the list.

We'd had some time beforehand to talk over the scene a bit and go over the lines, and for a time, I was concerned things weren't quite "gelling" - at least for me - even though we were of like mind on how the scene should play, and on what our relationship was (That, or else Dave is just a really agreeable guy).

Anyway when we got into the room and did our thing, it went over like gangbusters (Again, I had a momentary "concern" when the CD said not to play the scene for comedy - cause our conversation outside had basically centered on the "comic logic" of the scene - but he really just meant "Don't play it like a sit-com", and we didn't).

This was the "Producer Session" - which meant all the decision-makers were there - and they were obviously very amused by what they were hearing; when we finished, the Director said, laughing, "You guys have been doing this act on the road for awhile, haven't you? 'The Moron Brothers!'"

Then I said something about what Dave and I had discussed outside, that had informed how we played the scene, then John Levy - the CD - good-naturedly said, "Okay, now get your shit and get out".

I walked to the parking garage with Dave, and we were both pretty psyched over how well it had gone (I told him what I've told myself on more than one occasion when an audition had gone well- If we hadn't gotten it, we'd definitely "bought a ticket back" sometime soon).

(I hope he was cast as well. That's not necessarily a given, but they clearly liked our "chemistry"...and for the record, I did too. Besides, he just seemed like a good guy - I'd like for us both to have gotten the win. And I'd like the opportunity to do the scene together for real)

It's always nice to win, of course, to prop up my ego and my bank account...but this was more satisfying than that; I was thinking just the other day that it's been a very long time since I've felt like I hit a serious "home run" at an audition, where I was as sure as I ever get to be that I made myself "The Guy To Beat" ...and now here we are.

I don't have a shoot date yet (Actually, as of this writing, I don't have official confirmation I've booked the gig - The Producers want me, but I have to be approved by the network still), but the "window" is sometime, I believe, from the 26th to the 5th.

On one level, this doesn't really change much - at least not that I can see from here - but it has boosted my confidence and general outlook, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

Now all I need is my end-of-the-year national commercial...

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