My Name is John Galt

Five quick things…then I will expound. But those of you just looking for a general update, you'll have to read no further than this paragraph. A) I worked background on "My Name Is Earl" B) I started reading "Atlas Shrugged" C) I worked background on a new pilot starring the sister from Gladiator D) My first "project" in Los Angeles has been edited and posted on YouTube E) I'm going to be back in Seattle from March 13^th to about March 19^th.

Okay, that's the quick wrap up, or the inverted pyramid of what I've been up to (thank you college journalism class!). Those of you with short attention spans, or who loathe my digressive style of writing (that means you, Allcorn), you're welcome.

Now, on with the specifics. We'll start with A…because "A is for Angelfish"

Quick digression…a while ago I was trying to come up with the most common "(letter) as in (word)" sayings…because I was mystified as to why most people I know, when they had to say something, used to say "N as in Nancy." Of course, the military came up with their list, but I was thinking about developing my own…because no one really says "N as in November." And, as far as I can tell, no one names their kids Nancy any more…so "N as in Nancy" is all the Nancy's in the world have left.

End digression. So yeah. Where was I? Ah yes. A, as in Apple (the true "as in" for A). Anyway, so I worked "My Name Is Earl" on Tuesday, playing a church-going redneck. I sat (literally) one seat away from Ms. Jaime Pressly (an actress who has won an Emmy. I repeat, she won an Emmy. She has single-handedly won more Emmys than The Wire has in 5 seasons on the air. More than Buffy the Vampire Slayer had after 7 seasons on the air. There is something hideously wrong with that…but…oops…I have digressed…again…).

My impressions of the show…well, I don't do impressions. But if you've seen "There Will Be Blood," a gentleman on SNL did a fantastic impression of Daniel Plainview. But, as for My Name Is Earl…well, I'm not a fan of the show. I like me some Jason Lee, but after watching the pilot a couple of years ago, I shrugged and moved on to other endeavors.

And Jason Lee is everything I hoped he'd be – friendly, funny, charismatic, down-to-earth. Good guy. Jaime Pressly was very nice too, but she turned a bit petulant when she kept messing up one of her lines. Ethan Suplee was really quiet the entire time…I don't know if he said a single word to anyone (other than Jason Lee) through the entire 8 hour shoot.

Funny thing, between takes, every actor turned their attentions to their phones. Ethan Suplee seemed to be playing a game of some kind, whereas Jaime Pressly was texting like crazy, and Jason Lee kept calling people between takes. Also, when they weren't on their phones, Jason and Ethan would talk hushedly between takes, and even when the director was ready to shoot a new scene they'd still be talking, and the director would have to ask Jason to leave the shot. It was pretty funny.

All in all, it was a pleasant set to be on. There didn't seem to be any tension or drama – just a bunch of people who seemed to like what they were doing. If you want to see me on the show, wait for the scene where there's a "Faith Healer." I'm the guy in the pew, two people to the left of Ms. Pressly. There's a pretty good chance I won't be in any of the shots, but if I am, look for the dude in the striped-brown polo, with the delicious little bald spot on his pate.

Anyway, let me just fire off a little something about "extra work" in general. First up, just for the record, I know it's not really acting. At all. I mean, this seems like a no-brainer to me, but some people out there (including some of the extras I've worked with) may be confused about this. There's really no comparison between the two.

Because, to "book" a gig as an extra, all you have to do is look a certain way, then call a person who tells you if you do, in fact, look that "certain way." Then, once you're on set, all that is really required of you is that you wear a proper outfit, pay attention to what they ask you to do, and behave yourself.

Now, no one with any sort of pull in Hollywood thinks that background work is "acting" either, and consequently, they don't treat background people as real "actors." This is understandable. Now, I've never been treated "badly" by any stretch of the imagination (though the long-time extras I've talked to all seem to have horror stories), but you're definitely not on-par with the people "in focus" behind the cameras. Not by a long shot. You are treated like people (as opposed to "movable set pieces"), and most of the cast and crew are kind, but you're constantly reminded of your "place" on set. You've got a separate holding area, separate craft services table, separate bathrooms, you're not really supposed to talk to anyone with an important title (actor, director, producer, cinematographer, etc.) at any time, and you're kept pretty much in the dark from the moment you set foot in the place.

However, all that aside, being an extra is "totally awesome." Maybe it's my early-Hollywood naïveté, but I'm loving the hell out of it. In fact, last Tuesday, I had to get up at 4:45 AM for My Name Is Earl, and I went straight from there to our acting class that night, and I didn't get home until 11:00 PM. Now, while I was on the set of My Name Is Earl, I called in for another extra gig the following day, so I slept from about midnight to 4:00 AM, and headed out to the set of the pilot that was being shot in Pasadena, and got home from that at about 12:00 PM. Now, that was a lot of "times" that I was throwing around there, but essentially, in the span of 36 hours, I was working for 26 hours, on about 4 hours of sleep. But the funny thing is I didn't really feel tired during the process, and I'd gladly do it again.

Here's why: there are two awesome things about extra work. First up, it's so freaking easy. My Name Is Earl was essentially 8 hours of "sitting in a church pew." The pilot was 4 hours of "standing around a casket." And for that they pay you just a touch over minimum wage…which makes me feel ridiculously over-paid.

Secondly, they give you free food. Free. What job guarantees all you can eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks...and the company will pick up the check? Seriously. You get paid to sit around, read, and eat some really good free catered food. Plus, you get to see a bunch of famous people, and watch them work. I mean…sure, there's a chance I'll become another "disenchanted background artist," who slogs his way onto set with his camping chair and a blanket, grumbles his way through the buffet table, burns his way through a Sudoku and a crossword puzzle, then collects his check on the way home. But I don't think so. I've worked way too many low-paying, monotonous jobs to be informed that I'm "wasting my time" doing extra work.

Okay, back to the list. Hmm..."B" is not so interesting…I've started reading Atlas Shrugged. I just thought I should include that, in case the title of this blog didn't make sense. The characters in the book pose the question "Who is John Galt?" when they're asked a question with no answer. So I mashed that, and the title of the show I worked on. That, my dear sweet friends, is what I like to call "clever." And I hate things that are clever.

"C?" Hmm…I don't remember "C." Lemme see here…ah. Yes. A pilot. Well, that was pretty uneventful (as I'm sure most of these gigs will be for me, eventually). It was a short 5 hours out of my day to stand around a cemetery…and then cross in front of a camera away from a burial. Apparently it's for a new cop drama (because television needs another show about police work. Seriously), starring the sister from Gladiator. The premise? "A tough female detective copes with her sexist colleagues while investigating high-profile cases." Well, I shouldn't speak negatively about it, because there's a chance I'll be working on it regularly…as an extra. Heck, who knows…I thought for sure that the show Third Rock from the Sun was doomed, and that lasted 6 seasons. Anyhow, if you do chance to catch the show Danny Fricke, keep an eye out for a balding gentleman wearing a dark brown suit at the funeral. He'll either be on the left side of the funeral (for the wide shot), or the right side (for the close-ups).

D? I had a D? Hmm…my first project. Yes, there we go. All right, well, I was contacted by the person who runs GadZook Films, and asked to do a super-low-budget promotional shoot for Wizard World L.A. 2008. The company wrote up what I consider to be a very funny script, and we shot it all on one Saturday at one of the producers' workplace. I think it looks great. Anyhow, I'll add the YouTube video below, but if you want to go to the actual YouTube web page and vote on it, that would be greatly appreciated…as the more views/votes it gets, the more likely it is to be seen by a large number of people.

E. What's in an E? Ah. I'll be in Seattle from March 13^th to the 18^th or the 19^th. If you'd like to see me, then let me know…though I must warn you, I'll be pretty busy with family (who are, I imagine, 90% of the viewership of this blog).

Oh, and if you're curious about Erika…I suppose I can throw in some bits about her…as she doesn't blog the hell out of this stuff like I do. And Erika, if you're reading, feel free to correct any inaccuracies that I've made. Anyhow, Erika's done background work on a NASCAR Promo, Desperate Housewives (in a Protestant Church scene, sitting directly behind Marcia Cross' character),How I Met Your Mother (in a bar scene), and House (as a "striking nurse" outside of the hospital). And these, along with mine, are only the "new episodes" which are airing post-Writer's Strike. She's been much more successful than I have at getting on camera, so if you're interested in seeing someone you know in the background, you'll probably have more luck seeing her than you will me.

All right, I've gone on far too long now, so I should stop the madness. I hope this update was sufficient, Mother…