11:37 pm - Thu 4/24/03
In this instance, being \"on hold\" is a GOOD thing

In the most positive commercial news yet, I am "on hold" for the national Yahoo commercial I auditioned for last Thursday!

They called JS yesterday, asking about my "availability" from the 29th through the 2nd (I got the page on the way home from another audition. More on that one in a moment).

Being "on hold" means just that; They haven't confirmed a date for the shoot, or even if it's going to happen--It could get cancelled, like the Staples spot I got a callback for early on--but if it does happen, I guess I'm doing it.

So I'm excited, as you can imagine, but since I don't have a sense of the odds here--when you're "on hold", does it usually mean getting the gig or not?--I'm trying to see it as just another encouraging sign that things are going in the right direction. I'm not going to do a full-on "happy dance" until I get the call from JS telling me when and where they want me.

To be honest, while I'll certainly be happy if this happens--and if you could direct a good thought or two in my direction, I'd very much appreciate it--the spot I'd really like to get was the one I auditioned for yesterday.

It was a promo for the Nickelodeon movie Rugrats Go Wild (In "Odorama"). I played a scientist, explaining how the "Odorama" scratch-and-sniff card works (The cards are a promotional tie-in with Burger King).

As the scene opens, I walk into young "Howard's" bedroom. While I'm doing my spiel, "Howard" tries to get his hands on the "Odorama" card, desperate to scratch-and-sniff, and when I hold it out of reach--"Ah Ah Ah! Not till the movie..."--he goes nuts and starts running around his bedroom, scratching and sniffing anything he can get his hands on, until he's knocked out by the smell of one of my shoes.

I think it's pretty funny. And it's me talking for the whole 30-second spot (This is in contrast to the Yahoo commercial, which would basically be me sitting in a subway car, with no lines, being very impressed with a James Bond-wannabee, who enters the train with split-second timing because he got the subway schedule off Yahoo).

Anyway, the Rugrats audition went very well. The casting director had me run through it once, then we did three takes for the camera. He gave me a couple of directions--He wanted me to "sell" the different smells more, then he wanted a take that was more like a game-show host--and was very complimentary. When we were done, he told me callbacks were Tuesday, and he "hoped to see me there" (I said, "I hope to see me there too!").

What would be super-cool is if I got both of them, but that would be a lot to ask of the universe. Right now, I'm just hoping the Yahoo commercial happens, and that it doesn't conflict with the Rugrats callback.

Cross your fingers...

______________________________

Well, I've done the "Reading by 9" gig for the past two weeks now...

I'm reading for five kids in Ms. Mercado's first-grade class--Harunz (sp?), Nelson, Devon, Anne, and Valerie--Monday mornings at 8 am, and so far it seems to be going pretty well. I like them, and they like me, and to my way of thinking, that's a good start.

I still feel a little anxious about coming up with good stuff to read for them every week--For my own self-esteem, and for the purposes of the program, I feel it's important that I not bore them--but the larger anxiety, about having to "teach" them something, has pretty much gone away; These past two weeks, I've read what I've read, then just asked them whatever questions seem to spring from the reading.

I was pretty gratified this past week when they kept asking me to read another story. That made me feel like I was getting the job done, which is to have them associating "reading" with "fun". The teacher can teach them; I'm going to just do whatever it is I do, and call it good.

Another point of concern for me has been feeling like I should have a little something for them from time to time--some type of non-food treat--but not having a whole lot of funds for that purpose (They saw my "Reading by 9" bookmark last week, and obviously wanted it, but unfortunately, there was only one bookmark, and five of them).

So today I called the "Reading by 9" office, and asked if they could send me some more bookmarks (They're going to send me the bookmarks, and some stickers as well. And I might be able to augment that bounty with my book-credit. Maybe buy some comic books or something).

Well, this started on Thursday, but we're a couple of hours into Friday now. I've got more to say--quite a bit more, it turns out--but I think it'll have to keep till the next entry...

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