8:30 am - Thurs 2.03.2011
\"Hoffmaster TV\"

Trying something different - a morning entry.

The episode of Parks & Recreation I shot last year is on tonight (NBC@9:30 pm, after The Office).

I cannot, of course, guarantee I'm actually in the episode in question - and since I'm not on the cast list on IMDB, I'm worrying that I'm not - but it's a funny show, with or without me, so you should give it a shot.

My Bud commercial is a Superbowl spot. So while typically, I could care less about the Superbowl, I'll definitely be watching this year, because I'd like to see the spot "in real time".

While I really want to have made the cut on Parks & Recreation - because I like the show, and was very happy to get on one of NBC's Thursday night comedies - in immediate, purely financial terms, it's way more important that I be in the finished Bud spot.

(In both cases, if I'm not in the completed work, that means no residuals. But there's potentially lots more money to be had from residuals for a national commercial than from a costar appearance on a TV show that isn't even in syndication yet.)

And as long as we're on the subject...

The episode I shot of Shameless, on Showtime, is listed as episode #7 on IMDB ("Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father").

There's not much detail in the IMDB post yet - like an air date, for example - but the episode listed before it airs on the 13th, so I'm assuming it'll air the following Sunday.

In my own estimation, it has the funniest line I've gotten on a show so far, so for that reason alone, I hope I made it to the completed episode (And maybe because I do think it's a really funny bit, I'm less worried about it getting cut than some of the other things I did this past year).

I know - you're probably thinking I'm overly worried about "being left on the cutting room floor".

It certainly doesn't help to worry about it; either I'm in the finished episode or I'm not, and there's nothing I can do about it now.

But it's hard not to worry; I want the work I'm doing to actually be seen, for one thing; I'm an actor, if I do something that never gets seen, it kind of feels like I didn't really do anything.

And again, there's at least some money to be had if the show has any life beyond a first season (If your episode repeats, if it's on the Internet, if the show goes into syndication, if it gets on a dvd box set, if it's sold for foreign distribution, etc).

I've been cut out of things before - my bit on House was cut, I was cut out of a Snickers commercial, and was edited down from "Lead" to a glorified "Extra" in an HBO commercial - but I guess the "perspective" I should be striving for here is that, the majority of the time, I haven't gotten cut.

Of the three things I shot last year that remain, I'm most enthused about Mr Sunshine, and the little bit I got to do with Matthew Perry...but unfortunately, I don't remember the title (I think it's episode #3...but I'm not 100%). Anyway, that show starts in a couple weeks.

The episode title for the Pretty Little Liars episode I shot is "The New Normal", but last time I checked, it doesn't have a firm air date yet.

As for my episode of Eagleheart ("Creeps")...well, it's a nothing bit, really, and I don't think anything's going to come of it, so I probably won't be trumpeting its air date (Seriously, unless you're a big Chris Elliot fan, you can skip it).

So that's all the stuff I shot last year.

Now I'm eager for the year to pick up, so I can find out what I'm doing next...

previous - next