8:23 pm - Thurs 3/04/04
Would You Buy A Horse And Buggy From This Man?

Looking over my calendar, I notice I've had at least one audition--or callback--every "weekend" since the last week of January.

Hard to see how things could get much more convenient than that...

It's all too easy for me to forget, when things slow down or just become more difficult somehow, that I had a great run where things were very easy and fun.

So I want to make a point of being really aware of this "great run" I'm having, which could end any time; some gratitude might be in order, along with some perspective, the next time I hit a "dry spell".

I've been flying so high the past couple days that I feel the need to "talk myself down" a bit; If nothing comes of all these callbacks and "on avails", that will be very disappointing, but it shouldn't diminish my optimism or feelings of accomplishment; I told myself I wanted to do better this year, and suddenly it's like I've been shot out of a cannon--In my first ten auditions, I booked Hyundai, and have had five callbacks and three "on avails" (More on that later in our broadcast).

In short, I am kicking serious ass here; if I keep this up, or even come close to keeping this up, there's no way this won't end up being a banner year!

Today I had two more auditions.

The first one was another spot for Hyundai (It was at a different casting agency this time out, so I don't know if it's being done at the same production company--Boxer Films--or not).

Nothing too exciting about the audition (Another "interview"), or the spot itself--It opens on a boardroom, where all the guys have bumps on their heads. Then we see one of the guys who's running late notice the cool Hyundai whatever-it-is, as he promptly runs into a pole, thus explaining all the lumpy businessmen in the opening shot--but while it's not exactly a big "acting challenge", it's a union spot, which would mean the possibility of really good money (If it runs a lot), less of a bite from JS (He only takes 10% on union gigs), and maybe most importantly, my way into the union.

The next audition was a callback for Comcast.

As I told Jane in an email earlier, getting the Nordea or PGA spots would be a decent "consolation prize", but the Comcast gig is "The Crown Jewel" of this most recent round of auditions; Three funny spots (At the first audition, there were only two), with lines, where Yours Truly would be the lead. It would be great visibility, not to mention killer stuff to have on a reel.

The three spots all have the same basic premise--My character is basically a metaphor for "The Other Guy", trying to sell skeptical customers on outdated technology (In one spot, he's selling a beat-up dinghy in a harbor full of speedboats. In another, it's a horse-and-buggy in a sports car lot. And in maybe my favorite of the three spots, he's selling a biker on the merits of a little girl's bicycle while they're surrounded by Harleys).

At the initial audition, I came in playing the stereotypical "used-car salesman", because I thought that's what they were going for. But the casting guy directed me away from that, which totally made sense; the spots are ridiculous enough without pushing it (The casting guy, much to my chagrin, also had to direct me away from nervously glancing at the cue cards, even though I didn't actually need them).

At the audition today, with the director and clients, the casting guy walked up, quietly reminding me to keep it "low-key and real" (I really appreciated that).

I thought it went quite well. I felt the same good rapport with this director that I had with the Hyundai director (And we know how that ended up), and he spent enough time with me, and gave me enough "adjustments" that I felt very encouraged.

I did two of the spots with one actor--the boat and the horse-and-buggy ones--then as we were about to leave, the director told me to stay, then called in a "biker", and I did that spot as well.

I left with the good feeling that "I could definitely get this...", a feeling which was multiplied many times over when I got a page from JS around 4:00, saying I was "on avail".

Since the "on avail" had come so quickly (My audition had been around 1:30), I was hoping I might get a confirmation before the end of the day, but I didn't.

So I don't know if, A) Someone else got it, or B) They just haven't decided yet (But as you might imagine, I'm pulling for "B"!).

The "down side" to getting this gig would be that it might shoot next Wednesday, when Mark and Jane will be here. That would kind of suck --Of all the times for me to book a great gig, why then?--but at least we'd have most of Tuesday together. And they could still explore the city on Wednesday and have a good time.

Anyway, it is my very fervent wish that I will have some very good news to report in here within the next day or so.

Cross your fingers...

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