Script Changes, Cupcakes, J.A. and Halloween!

Sometimes I forget holidays on days when I have to go to school or work. Holidays seem less important when you live alone or have no children of your own to enjoy them with. Or, in my case, when you are low in funds that Holidays are just meaningless at times. It's not that I don't like holidays, it's just that I never saw the excitement in going out and dressing up and acting a fool in the streets. Maybe I just too jaded in my middle years. I remembered that today was Halloween when I got off the subway to go to my internship (in the West Village). Need I say more? It's hard to miss what day it is when you see many costumed folks walking the streets. And not just children either, I'm talking grown folks!

Yea, I guess I'm just cynical in my old age.

I'm at school now working on my After Effects project for tomorrow. My project was to do DVD authoring and create menus for my reel that I will soon have finished by the time the thesis film is done. In the meantime, I have to compile a set of clips together that will go into the demo reel portion of the DVD. I also had a long discussion with my thesis advisor yesterday about the ending of my screenplay, "Poppin' In." She had suggested some changes that now that I've had a day for it to sink in, I realize now that I have to make some minor changes to the script before I start shooting. As for shooting, I'm still going over resumes for crew members and I'm having my first read-thru with my full cast over the weekend. Which I just happened to schedule on the same day as the New York City Marathon. Oh, the joy the streets will be on Sunday. For the first time this week, I really wish I could clone myself in order to get more work done and somehow, get some sleep time in too.

I started a MySpace page this week along with a Facebook page as well. After I put in all the information on the MySpace, I realized that I should have signed up for an account as a filmmaker in that section of the complicated site. Oh, well. I kinda like the layout of the Facebook better and it's easier to navigate too. I hate doing something because everyone else is doing it, but I've been told by persons I respect that in order for me to get more of presence for my blog as well as for my film company, it's a good idea to get accounts on these pages. Who knows what could happen. Maybe I could get more work after I graduate out of it? Maybe I could meet the man of my dreams? Maybe it could turn out to be a nightmare? (I'm going with the "halloween" theme here -- work with me). Maybe I could be stalked by an ax murder and my body could be hacked up into tiny pieces and shipped all over the world? Yea, I'm morbid sometimes? I'll have to keep you posted on my MySpacing and Facebooking! (are those even words?)

Anyway, yesterday while I was at my internship I was searching for a previous segment to be included in a special we are doing for World Aids Day and I happen to come across the interview from the April 2007 episode that would have made me tell "massa where the slaves were hiding" just to have been at: John Amaechi at the Center! One of my colleagues actually did the segment and met him and told me that he was super nice. Ah, that lucky girl! But in my infinite wisdom, I know that guys that look as good as John Amaechi, wouldn't even give a second look to me. But one can dream. One... can...dream :-)

Anyhoo...

Today's cupcake selections from CRUMBS are the Twinkie and a Strawberry Sprinkle Cupcake. In a word: LIPSMACKING! I know that if I keep making trips to CRUMBS like this and eating more cupcakes I will be as big as house. Which is fine with me, since no one is looking at me anyway, I may as well get fat and plump. At least with extra weight on me I can keep warm in the winter sleeping by myself.

I wonder if John Amaechi sleeps in a king sized bed? I wonder if he ever read my blog? I wonder if he ever ate a cupcake from CRUMBS with a nice spot of Earl Grey? Hmmm. I know I would never have to worry about keeping warm in the winter with him. Ooh, I sound devilish >:-)

Oh, and BTW, I was just kidding about the selling out the slaves bit. Just me being Silly Billy!

Casted, Crashed, and Cupcakes!

Well first of all I want to let ya'll (that's "Southern" for "you all") know that I have completed the principal casting for my thesis film. It's a comedy short called "Poppin' In" (interpret the title any way you may see fit). The three leads are (shown from left to right) Amon McDade-Johnson, Sharon Gee, and Wayne Chang. As most of you know, I wrote the script with Wayne in mind after working with him on my PSA earlier this year. He is very talented and very funny (despite the dramatic look on his face in the photo). Amon and Sharon both came in and gave exceptional readings. Originally, I got literally hundreds of submissions for these roles and saw countless actors before the decision was made to cast them. I know one day, when they are rich and famous and living the "celebrity life" I will remember the casting process and thank my lucky stars that I "knew them when." I'm really excited to be over the casting hurdle for now, however I still am not clearly out of the water yet since I have still have to cast two canine roles. I know people must think I'm crazy because I've been going to almost every pet supply store, pet hospital, and pet beauty parlor in Chelsea (and there are tons of them in that neighborhood) leaving fliers advertising for the two lovable dogs to play in the film. I feel somehow, something good will happen soon. I sort of feel it in my bones. Hopefully cameras will start rolling very, very soon.

Today it finally happened: my portable external hard drive that I have to bring with me to school everyday since I started--crashed, sort of. It's was inevitable to happen since the year warranty expired a few weeks ago. Everyone else in my class has gone through the same thing. But thanks to the helpful resources from the IT department here at school (where I'm writing from at the present time) -- Mike, in particular -- I was able to salvage all the work that I have stored on my 250GB drive. Whew!!!! It had to do with the connection cables and not the drive itself, so instead of having to purchase a new hard drive, Mike suggested that I walk around the block to CompUSA and purchase a fire wire enclosure for a fraction of the cost of a new drive. I brought it back to school and he replaced my hard drive in the new enclosure and violá: it worked! Was I ever relieved!

Anyway I think the reason why I didn't freak out initially when I plugged in the unit into the Mac this morning and it didn't work was that I was completely relaxed. This is due in part to my very good friend Paul Andrew Lucre, who gave me a meditation CD last night. Paul is visiting for a few days and he gave me this CD to help calm my nerves. It's called "1-Minute Meditation" (I think) and but the time I listened to all of the different segments (22 in all) I was so relaxed that I farted! Needless to say, I'm feeling very mellow today.

My new find this week: Crumbs! I'm a big cupcake ho. There is nothing like a delicious cup cake that make you want more. So much so that you dream about eating another one. I was a big fan of Magnolia Bakery down on Bleeker Street in the West Village, until I discovered Billy's Bakery in Chelsea on 9th Ave and 21st Street. Then I bit into a cupcake from Buttercup Bake Shop on 2nd Ave and 51st Street and was floored by the savory taste (thanks Osmond!). Then I tasted what I think is the ULTIMATE in cupcake perfection: CRUMBS. There are several locations in the city, but the one I frequent is the one close to school across from Bryant Park on 42nd Street in the ground floor of the Grace Building. Lately, though, I've noticed that the lines are getting longer and longer (just the way Magnolia became after Carrie and Miranda gorged on the tasty treats on an episode of Sex and the City). But I have to admit, they are slightly pricier, but they are bigger than the average and the variety of choices is unbelievable. But get there early if you want to get a Boston Creme or Red Velvet. Okay, I may not be a fan of the Boston Red Sox, but I do like that cities' creme delicacy. Those Boston Creme cupcakes are so good from Crumbs it would make you slap your mama!

I'm getting hungry just thinking about those cupcakes now. Gotta go, bye!

****************************************

Addendum:

Okay, I just bit into a Boston Creme cupcake from the above mentioned bakery and to quote Riley Freeman from "The Boondocks" (after tasting his granddad's latest hamburger concoction, "The Luther") : "Whoa. This is what crack must feel like"

The Final Quarter Begins! (Warning: Includes Spoiler about Sex and the City movie)

It seems like only yesterday that I started attending film school and in a few short month (providing that I finish my thesis film) I will be walking across the stage accepting my Associate of Applied Science degree. I never imagined myself at 43-years-young, finally becoming a college graduate, so to speak. I have been investigating schools so that I can further my education and get my bachelor's degree because I really like going to college better than I did when I was 18. I guess it's true what George Bernard Shaw (pictured, left) once said, "Youth is wasted on the young." Because when I was young and in college I never took the time to realize just what a valuable opportunity I was afforded. Now, 20 plus years later I have the chance to do it again and I am LOVING IT!!!!

This quarter I am only taking 4 classes, Internship, Video Production & Editing II (a/k/a Thesis class), Literature and Composition, and Sociology. This has only been my first week of taking all this courses but so far, I can tell that I'm going to get a lot out of it. Originally when I came here, I never saw the reason for all the general education courses, but now I see why it is required. It only enriches you as a human being when you open your mind to subjects other than the your major field of study. And, in all honesty, every general education course I've taken here has helped me more with my film studies and helping to become a better writer, director, producer, and most important, it's helped me to become a better man. Something that I never expected that would happen.

For instance, my Internship class basically is a class that meets once a week with Professor Dillon and we discuss ways of working toward our personal goals in addition to how to make the best use of your individual internships. This past week at my internship I participated on an project for an upcoming segment to be shown on the show. In the two and one half hours that I did camera work for this segment, I learned SO MUCH about things that I, in my 40+ years, had no concept of before. I wont' go into detail about it, but it was eye opening for me. There are certain things you just can't learn from reading a book solely. Not to say that reading books aren't good -- my head is buried in a book almost all the time now -- but life is a great experience when you just LIVE IT!! It's amazing the things you can learn.

I'm really looking forward to both of my GEN ED courses this quarter (even though I passed English Lit & Comp with a B while I attend Pace University in the 80's). The Literature and Composition course will only aid me in becoming a better writer and the Sociology course will aid me in seeing my world better.

My Celebrity Alert today includes a SPOILER--you have been warned: Today outside on 40th street in about 10 feet from the building they closed down the street between Sixth Avenue (or Avenue of the Americas) and Fifth Avenue because they were filming scenes for the new "Sex and the City" film. I saw little Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) in "wedding gown" and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda). I heard that Kristen Davis (Charlotte) was there but there were too many people and I didn't see her there. I think Evan Handler (Harry) who plays her husband was there too. There were so many spectators around there, that I'm sure someone has footage already up on the web. I hope they've finished out there because the street was way too congested. However, big budget filming brings income to the city of New York. So I shouldn't complain.

Too bad I didn't have my camera with me. Oh, well....

Thesis Pre-Production, Internships and Very Little Sleep

It's been a little while since my last entry because school was crazy the last two weeks of the quarter. I had to finish my thesis script, get an internship, compile my reel, finish an EPK, scout for locations for my thesis film (in addition to most of the preproduction stuff), and volunteer what "free" time I had at the IFP Market for school credit. Needless to say, I haven't gotten a lot of sleep these past few weeks. Even though I'm on my school break until next week, I'm doing some hours for my internship at the LGBT Community Center Media Center. They produce a monthly television show called "Out at the Center." It's pretty cool and I'm honing my skills as a preproduction/postproduction person.

As far as grades go, I did pretty well this quarter 3 As, 1 A- and 1 B+. I was shocked that I got As in both my general education courses (Western Civilization and Verbal Communication). Okay, I'm not "that" shocked about the Verbal Comm (a/k/a Speech) class because I love to talk anyway, but the history course was a challenge for me considering all the other stuff that I had going on this past quarter. The B+ was for my Video Production/Editing I class (a/k/a the EPK class) considering I had 2 professors for that class, I'm a bit shocked that I got such a low grade, unless you count the times that I didn't make it to class for a couple of sessions. I am happy about the Script Development class. I think I worked really hard for that grade by turning in an excellent Director's Notebook for my thesis.

Speaking of Thesis, I'm casting again for my new film. It's a comedy short that I plan on entering in all the LGBT Film Festivals. But again, I'm having the problem of casting like I did when I was doing the PSA back in March of this year. This time I'm having trouble finding middle-aged Asian women, African-American males (between 25 to 35), and a pair of bulldogs. It's funny how some people don't even read the cast breakdowns clearly because I can't tell you how many people want to audition for the roles of one of the canine characters! Go figure!

I plan on having my first round of casting this coming weekend. For more info check out the casting notice at craigslist

My NY Yankee Dreams

I was so happy today to be able to walk from the subway to my school and watch the tents being dismantled over at Bryant Park! That means the streets will be safe from the fashionistas that have invaded the areas for the past week and the prices in the local delis will go back to normal. I can finally start to exhale a sigh of relief.

On the pre-production front, I'm still working on my Director's book and trying to secure a location to shoot. Casting notices will go out in about 48 hours from now. Next week will be the last week of my 5th Quarter of Film school and I'm both nervous and excited. I'm close to getting an internship. I was told that my volunteering at the IFP Market will count toward some internship hours. That was a relief to hear because I've been sending out resumes and cover letters and going on interviews all this week and had hope to secure something by the end of the week.

My celebrity siting this week: Terry McMillan. At least I think it was her! It sure looked like her trying to hail a taxi last Friday on Sixth Ave at 25th Street. I'm sure it was her because I know what the woman looks like and she wasn't hiding behind gigantic designer shades either. If not, I'm sure someone reading this will let me know otherwise. I was on a bus going uptown when I saw her. She looked fabulous! Maybe she was going to catch a show at Fashion week? Who knows?

Okay, about the photo at the top left. I found it surfing and I truly believe that it's not Photoshop. Between you and me, I've had dreams about this. Funny, why am I in the mood for a "Jeterarod" sandwich every time I look at the photo of my two favorite Yankees?

Hmmm....

Fashion Week Sucks!

Okay, it's that time of the year again that I've grown to hate living in New York City: Fashion Week. For one thing, I go to school directly across the street from Bryant Park and my school, Katharine Gibbs, happens to be neighbors with the official hotel of Fashion Week: The Bryant Hotel. Needless to say there is so much traffic congestion on 40th Street, it's enough to make me want to scream! Also if you go to any deli in the area this week, it will be hard to find 3 things: yogurt, bottle water and cigarettes - the supermodel diet! Not that I smoke, but if I did, I would have to go outside of the vicinity of Bryant Park to find my smokes. Most of the guys in school (the straight ones anyway) love the fact that there are gorgeous supermodels walking down the street ignoring them as we make our way past the police barricades to get to school.

It started last week almost right a week after the Monday Night Film Festival ended. In the summer, Bryant Park shows old movies that start at sundown on Monday nights. They show really films that run the gamut from classic to camp, musical to drama, action to family and the such. Some of the films that they showed in the past have been "Psycho", "To Sir With Love", "Annie Hall", "Rosemary's Baby", and "Casablanca." Sometimes it's a lot of fun to chill out after work on the lawn with a group of friends, a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and watch a film from yesteryear all as the sun goes down on a hot day. But once Labor day hits, the fashion crowd invades the park and the climate changes in more ways than one.

I'll admit it's interesting to watch the limos and town cars unload on 6th Ave in front of the entrance tent on 41st street. Lots of famous faces, I've seen make the trek up the stairs over there. But living here in the city, you can sometimes get jaded by seeing celebrities walking the street. It's the tourist who live in the Midwest that get the big rush out of seeing Sly Stallone or Anna Wintour pound the pavement. Frankly, I'm long past jaded. I even get upset sometimes when I can't cross the street in my daily routine because: "We're trying to get a shot. Can you walk across the street?" Ask any New Yorker about what it's like to have any of the many "Law & Order" series shoot in your neighborhood, and you probably will get a negative response.

Don't get me wrong, any time there is a film or television production shot here, its good for the economy. The only thing you have to watch out for is crossing the streets or being kept from entering your apartment building because Mariska Hargitay or Sarah Jessica Parker is shooting a scene.

Things are looking up!

This has been an incredibly busy week for me. I made the Dean's List again and they had an award ceremony this week that I was too busy to attend because I had classes back-t0-back that day. I got a gig as a tutor at school helping students with Final Cut and Final Draft, etc. But most importantly now I even have a cell phone! Things are really starting to look up. I started submitting my resume for internships this past week. I even finished my EPK project this week. My rough cut is due tomorrow but I have to get to school first thing in the morning to finish it for class at 9am. Today the school is close, othewise I would have been in there at this very moment editing myself into a tizzy.

Now I can concentrate on getting my thesis film done. It is a comedy that everyone who has read it says it's HILARIOUS! All I can say is that it stars Wayne Chang and I know it will be a fun project. Pretty soon I'm going to post an ad for actors and animals for my film. Yes I did say animals! My script includes a couple of English Bulldogs that look like the ones in the photo above. But most importantly I need to find location, location, location for my piece that I know will be the hit of the film festival circuit once I get it complete. If anybody reading this knows of any locations, dogs or crew that can enhance my project please drop me a line. Or if anybody reading this blog would be interested in being a Producer then DEFINITELY drop me a line. I think I will soon hold a backers reading to get some money to get this thesis film done with style!

Today is Labor Day and in my neighborhood it's the West-Indian Parade. Needless to say the noise level has been really loud around here as I type my entry on my laptop. Thank God for headphones!