Today Sam worked, for free, on a short film called "The Converters." I learned a big lesson today....always ask what the job is all about before accepting. It ended up being fine and Sam did a good job playing a kid/psycho killer who murders the family dog.
The movie actually had a great story line and in the end Sam really isn't a psycho killer, but just a regular little kid. I can't tell you more than that. You will have to what until I send you a copy.
He will get copy and credit on the film...so he will have something to upload to his audition sites as video credits. Will be nice to have something people can actually look at.
The fun part....he got to work with the actor who plays "ABE," the fish guy in Hellboy and Hellboy 2. His name is Doug Jones. He was also in Pan's Labyrinth and the Fantastic 4 rise of the silver surfer....he played the silver surfer.
Sam wasn't in any scenes with him, but they talked on set and his make-up freaked Sam out. LOL
Check out Doug here..... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427964/ and see some of his credits as well as a ton of photos. Very cool. He is a very accomplished actor who was kind enough to help out a friend with shooting a short film. He was very nice to Sam.
Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas. Please leave Sam a comment once in a while. He likes to know that people care.
HUGS
Tracy and Sam
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Cold Case
Sam will be an extra on "Cold Case" tomorrow.
He will be at an outdoor track meet. It is cold an rainy. Should be a great outside shoot. LOL. I went and got him a cheap winter coat at the Mervin's going out of business sale. $50 coat for $17.99. SWEET!!!! He said he should bring an umbrella too. Will pick one up at Target on the way to the shoot tomorrow.
Not sure how much this job pays, but probably about $130.
HUGS
Tracy and Sam
He will be at an outdoor track meet. It is cold an rainy. Should be a great outside shoot. LOL. I went and got him a cheap winter coat at the Mervin's going out of business sale. $50 coat for $17.99. SWEET!!!! He said he should bring an umbrella too. Will pick one up at Target on the way to the shoot tomorrow.
Not sure how much this job pays, but probably about $130.
HUGS
Tracy and Sam
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
IMPROV GROUP
We just got the call.
Monday night Sam auditioned for an improv group which performs every week. The actors split 25% of the box office sales which roughly equals about $15 - 20 a week. He wants Sam to start this weekend but I need to call him and ask if Sam could start after the new year since this weekend is his play and then next weekend he goes to his Dad's house.
Super stoked that Sam will get to use his comedic background. This kid is always making me laugh. The name of the club is LA connection. Check it out online....
http://www.laconnectioncomedy.com/about/mission_statement.html
It is funny because it costs $100 to be a member of the comedy club...but it includes classes. He is currently taking an improv class for $195 a month, so this is cheaper and includes weekly shows to get his name out.
So, we will see how it goes for a while.
HUGS
Tracy and Sam
PS.....Sam's play starts this weekend if you are in the LA area come check him out. Tickets on sale at http://www.musicandtheatre.com/yst.htm
Monday night Sam auditioned for an improv group which performs every week. The actors split 25% of the box office sales which roughly equals about $15 - 20 a week. He wants Sam to start this weekend but I need to call him and ask if Sam could start after the new year since this weekend is his play and then next weekend he goes to his Dad's house.
Super stoked that Sam will get to use his comedic background. This kid is always making me laugh. The name of the club is LA connection. Check it out online....
http://www.laconnectioncomedy.com/about/mission_statement.html
It is funny because it costs $100 to be a member of the comedy club...but it includes classes. He is currently taking an improv class for $195 a month, so this is cheaper and includes weekly shows to get his name out.
So, we will see how it goes for a while.
HUGS
Tracy and Sam
PS.....Sam's play starts this weekend if you are in the LA area come check him out. Tickets on sale at http://www.musicandtheatre.com/yst.htm
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
And...another call back
Hamburger Helper gave Sam a callback. WOOT WOOT. That means he has two call backs on Monday. Hamburger Helper at 4pm and AMF at 5:10pm. Guess I will be hanging out in Hollywood that night. LOL
The numbers game is starting to play. The more auditions that you go on...the more your chances of a call back. The more call backs...the better your chance of booking a commercial.
OMG...it would be so sweet for him to get an actual job. His dream is starting to come to reality. Also, then his agent will see his talent and start sending him on other work....like film and television. That would be awesome.
Keep him in your prayers. And don't forget to keep his star power up. I know his IMDb doesn't change...but the higher his star power the more likely a casting agent will check out his page and bring the possibility of more work. He is rated by the number of people that click into his page. So spread the word and ask your friends to click on his link daily.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3137618/
Thanks for your help friends.
Tracy
The numbers game is starting to play. The more auditions that you go on...the more your chances of a call back. The more call backs...the better your chance of booking a commercial.
OMG...it would be so sweet for him to get an actual job. His dream is starting to come to reality. Also, then his agent will see his talent and start sending him on other work....like film and television. That would be awesome.
Keep him in your prayers. And don't forget to keep his star power up. I know his IMDb doesn't change...but the higher his star power the more likely a casting agent will check out his page and bring the possibility of more work. He is rated by the number of people that click into his page. So spread the word and ask your friends to click on his link daily.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3137618/
Thanks for your help friends.
Tracy
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Another Call BACK!!!
Woo Hoo!!!
Today was a great day. I thought things were starting to slow down, but then his agent called with an audition for Hamburger Helper. They didn't find what they were looking for in their first call, so they have expanded the role. Sam goes in at 5:50 to audition.
Then he got a call back for a commercial he auditioned for last Monday. We rushed back from Tahoe and almost missed the audition. He was the one of the last two kids to go. Seriously, we made it with seconds to spare. They had just closed down the room and opened it back up for him and another kid that showed up right after him. This commercial is for an insurance company and it will only air in Sweden...so don't expect to see it unless you go on vacation. LOL
Yesterday he auditioned for a Nickelodeon game show that will start production in January and go through March. We won't know if he got onto the show until early January - March 15th. They need 240 kids, so his chances are good depending on how his test went. He thought he did good on the test...so we will see. He did the original shoot for the game over a year ago...they needed something to show the Nickelodeon team. Nick picked up their show and so Sam got a call back to audition since he was one of the original kids. They aren't looking for actors....just real kids to play the game.
The play is coming along nicely. He has all his lines memorized and his blocking down. Looks like Ryan, Kirsten and Ryan's parents will be in LA for Sam's opening night. Sam is happy about that. I guess I will go a different day.
Sam says hi and he misses everyone. He aslo wants me to remind you to click on his IMDb website...his star power fell this week. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3137618/
HUGS
Tracy
Today was a great day. I thought things were starting to slow down, but then his agent called with an audition for Hamburger Helper. They didn't find what they were looking for in their first call, so they have expanded the role. Sam goes in at 5:50 to audition.
Then he got a call back for a commercial he auditioned for last Monday. We rushed back from Tahoe and almost missed the audition. He was the one of the last two kids to go. Seriously, we made it with seconds to spare. They had just closed down the room and opened it back up for him and another kid that showed up right after him. This commercial is for an insurance company and it will only air in Sweden...so don't expect to see it unless you go on vacation. LOL
Yesterday he auditioned for a Nickelodeon game show that will start production in January and go through March. We won't know if he got onto the show until early January - March 15th. They need 240 kids, so his chances are good depending on how his test went. He thought he did good on the test...so we will see. He did the original shoot for the game over a year ago...they needed something to show the Nickelodeon team. Nick picked up their show and so Sam got a call back to audition since he was one of the original kids. They aren't looking for actors....just real kids to play the game.
The play is coming along nicely. He has all his lines memorized and his blocking down. Looks like Ryan, Kirsten and Ryan's parents will be in LA for Sam's opening night. Sam is happy about that. I guess I will go a different day.
Sam says hi and he misses everyone. He aslo wants me to remind you to click on his IMDb website...his star power fell this week. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3137618/
HUGS
Tracy
Monday, November 10, 2008
SAM GOT A CALL BACK!!!
Things are a little excited around here at the moment. SAM GOT A CALLBACK!!! FOR A PAYING JOB!!! He was given a callback for a "DEX" commercial.
Tomorrow at 11:30am. Commercial shoots next week.
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED. PRAY!!!! This is a great opportunity to shoot a national commercial.
Tomorrow at 11:30am. Commercial shoots next week.
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED. PRAY!!!! This is a great opportunity to shoot a national commercial.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Totally Unprepared....
I don't know what I was thinking. I should have known better based on past experience. I guess that I thought he would go audition for Nickelodeon and we would leave it at that. Even though I knew that Actorfest would have a bunch of booths to talk to people and gain information.
Sam and I went early, we were up and ready go. I thought we would go through the hall and meet a few people in the business and leave to do the audition. I brought some headshots with resumes attached, but really only enough for the Nickelodeon audition and a couple more people. I had other headshots and resumes, but they weren't stapled together. My mistake. A bunch of Casting directors had set out boxes in the corners for you to drop off your headshot and resume. Luckily, I was able to bum a stapler off another mom in the area. Even at that he had just enough headshots and not enough resumes. GRRRRR.
Missed opportunity and lesson learned.
He wasn't as prepared as he needed to be for Nickelodeon. I knew he wasn't prepared. But, I had been fighting with him all week to get more prepared. I knew he would walk in and out with out a call back. I hoped he would see that he really wasn't prepared like he should be. I told him that I wasn't going to force him to do it, I would suggest he spend time on it, but this was his deal and he could be prepared 100% of the time or he could fail. I guess when he gets rejected enough he might decide to do things my way. In the meantime.....no call back with Nickelodeon.
We heard back from the free work audition...they went another direction with another kid. We haven't heard back from anyone else as of yet, but maybe by the first of the week if he gets the job....otherwise...those are no too. They usually don't call to say no...only to say yes.
Anyway...that was my day. Three hours of standing in line, for Sam to hand out headshot and have a 30 second interview. I have a headache and need a nap.
Sam and I went early, we were up and ready go. I thought we would go through the hall and meet a few people in the business and leave to do the audition. I brought some headshots with resumes attached, but really only enough for the Nickelodeon audition and a couple more people. I had other headshots and resumes, but they weren't stapled together. My mistake. A bunch of Casting directors had set out boxes in the corners for you to drop off your headshot and resume. Luckily, I was able to bum a stapler off another mom in the area. Even at that he had just enough headshots and not enough resumes. GRRRRR.
Missed opportunity and lesson learned.
He wasn't as prepared as he needed to be for Nickelodeon. I knew he wasn't prepared. But, I had been fighting with him all week to get more prepared. I knew he would walk in and out with out a call back. I hoped he would see that he really wasn't prepared like he should be. I told him that I wasn't going to force him to do it, I would suggest he spend time on it, but this was his deal and he could be prepared 100% of the time or he could fail. I guess when he gets rejected enough he might decide to do things my way. In the meantime.....no call back with Nickelodeon.
We heard back from the free work audition...they went another direction with another kid. We haven't heard back from anyone else as of yet, but maybe by the first of the week if he gets the job....otherwise...those are no too. They usually don't call to say no...only to say yes.
Anyway...that was my day. Three hours of standing in line, for Sam to hand out headshot and have a 30 second interview. I have a headache and need a nap.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
This Week In HOLLYWOOD
Wow...this week has been busy, busy busy.
It is the last week of the quarter for school and so Sam has been taking final tests like crazy. He has an A in all of his classes. WOOT WOOT. All A's on all final tests. 4.0 baby!!!! That's what I am talkin about. He has worked hard and deserves everyone of them.
Now, onto the other part of our life....ACTING!!!
He had two auditions this week one for a free job...a student film where he would be a lead character and the other a paying job.... a national commercial for DEX. He also has three audition tomorrow and Saturday... two are for the same Voice Over (VO) cartoon. I think it is a kids show. Sam is trying out for two different roles...both pirates. The other audition is for Nickelodeon. He has been learning a monologue all week. It is very funny. I hope that leads to something big.
Auditions are rolling in. I was worried at first...but I guess it takes awhile to get your name back out there. Seems like the days when were here before.
I called the work permit office yesterday to find out where his current work permit is. I sent it off over 5 weeks ago and it is supposed to be a 3 day turn around. I was worried it got lost in the mail, but no...they are 6 weeks behind. Sam was supposed to have a job today and I couldn't commit without a work permit. I asked the lady if there was any way to speed it up since he had a job. She asked when the job was and when I told her, she agreed to process it right then as long as I could drive over to pick it up. SO YEAH!!!!! His work permit is here.
With the work permit, I was finally able to update his extra management company paperwork. So, starting tomorrow he will be on thier roles and will be able to get paid work through them. YEAH!!!
Lots of great things happening. Sam is enjoying his Tae Kwon Do and Hip Hop classes. The acting class is lots of fun. And, play practice is goig well.
Keep your fingers crossed!!!! And....keep us in your prayers.
T. and S.
It is the last week of the quarter for school and so Sam has been taking final tests like crazy. He has an A in all of his classes. WOOT WOOT. All A's on all final tests. 4.0 baby!!!! That's what I am talkin about. He has worked hard and deserves everyone of them.
Now, onto the other part of our life....ACTING!!!
He had two auditions this week one for a free job...a student film where he would be a lead character and the other a paying job.... a national commercial for DEX. He also has three audition tomorrow and Saturday... two are for the same Voice Over (VO) cartoon. I think it is a kids show. Sam is trying out for two different roles...both pirates. The other audition is for Nickelodeon. He has been learning a monologue all week. It is very funny. I hope that leads to something big.
Auditions are rolling in. I was worried at first...but I guess it takes awhile to get your name back out there. Seems like the days when were here before.
I called the work permit office yesterday to find out where his current work permit is. I sent it off over 5 weeks ago and it is supposed to be a 3 day turn around. I was worried it got lost in the mail, but no...they are 6 weeks behind. Sam was supposed to have a job today and I couldn't commit without a work permit. I asked the lady if there was any way to speed it up since he had a job. She asked when the job was and when I told her, she agreed to process it right then as long as I could drive over to pick it up. SO YEAH!!!!! His work permit is here.
With the work permit, I was finally able to update his extra management company paperwork. So, starting tomorrow he will be on thier roles and will be able to get paid work through them. YEAH!!!
Lots of great things happening. Sam is enjoying his Tae Kwon Do and Hip Hop classes. The acting class is lots of fun. And, play practice is goig well.
Keep your fingers crossed!!!! And....keep us in your prayers.
T. and S.
Monday, November 3, 2008
CVU
Sam auditioned for two roles in CVU and got both parts. YEAH!!!!! This is a pre-production pilot show that is going to be pitched to studio execs in 2010...so don't plan on seeing this one on TV anytime soon. They need 13 shows filmed before they can even pitch the show and they are just starting with show #1.
The show Sam auditioned for is called The Swimmer. Sam is one of the extras. He will be playing one of the kids on the swim team that had one of their own killed. He will be in two shots....set in 1989. I need to buy him a speedo or maybe ask Ryan's parent if they saved his high school swim team stuff....then it would be an actual speedo from 1989. LOL
The other part is crime scene photos. He producer hand picked Sam for a special shot in this one based on Sam's great head of hair. LOL. He is going to have FX make-up to make it look like he lost half his face when he was run over and killed while out riding his bike. Then they are going to take crime scene photos of his body. EW.....but very exciting to see Sam looking so gruesome.
There is a possibility for a show to be worked around Sam's killing.
These will be shooting in January of 2009. So...stay tuned.
The show Sam auditioned for is called The Swimmer. Sam is one of the extras. He will be playing one of the kids on the swim team that had one of their own killed. He will be in two shots....set in 1989. I need to buy him a speedo or maybe ask Ryan's parent if they saved his high school swim team stuff....then it would be an actual speedo from 1989. LOL
The other part is crime scene photos. He producer hand picked Sam for a special shot in this one based on Sam's great head of hair. LOL. He is going to have FX make-up to make it look like he lost half his face when he was run over and killed while out riding his bike. Then they are going to take crime scene photos of his body. EW.....but very exciting to see Sam looking so gruesome.
There is a possibility for a show to be worked around Sam's killing.
These will be shooting in January of 2009. So...stay tuned.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
SAM GOT A PART!!!!
So, Sam was picked to be Nephew Fred in A Christmas Carol. He wanted the role of Scrooge, but he is gone to Tahoe too much for him to have a main character role. We will settle for a smaller part. But, don't think it is a bad part. He has three scenes and a bunch of dialog. This is a much bigger role than the one he had in Oliver. He is very excited.
I will post the dates later and if anyone will be in LA when the show opens and if you want to see him perform....you can buy tickets to check him out. I think they are somewhere between $5 and $20 depending on the performance time.
We tried out the dance class and he didn't like it. So, he is taking Hip Hop on Thursday instead. We go straight from Tae Kwon Do to Hip Hop, and he is very tired after those two classes.
His agent sent us a note for a free acting class on Saturdays in November. He was able to claim one of the spots and will be doing that for the next four weeks.
Tomorrow he has play practice and then an audition to shoot crime scene photos and video for a pilot starting soon...called CVU. I am pretty sure it is a take off of Law and Order SVU, but the CVU stands for children's victim unit. He gets to be a dead body and have lots of cool make-up. I hope he gets it. Those pictures would be great for his portfolio.
Thanks for checking in. Leave Sam a comment. He loves to read them and he loves the words of encouragement. Hey...and if you click the link for follow this blog it will update you automatically when we post something new.
HUGS
T.
I will post the dates later and if anyone will be in LA when the show opens and if you want to see him perform....you can buy tickets to check him out. I think they are somewhere between $5 and $20 depending on the performance time.
We tried out the dance class and he didn't like it. So, he is taking Hip Hop on Thursday instead. We go straight from Tae Kwon Do to Hip Hop, and he is very tired after those two classes.
His agent sent us a note for a free acting class on Saturdays in November. He was able to claim one of the spots and will be doing that for the next four weeks.
Tomorrow he has play practice and then an audition to shoot crime scene photos and video for a pilot starting soon...called CVU. I am pretty sure it is a take off of Law and Order SVU, but the CVU stands for children's victim unit. He gets to be a dead body and have lots of cool make-up. I hope he gets it. Those pictures would be great for his portfolio.
Thanks for checking in. Leave Sam a comment. He loves to read them and he loves the words of encouragement. Hey...and if you click the link for follow this blog it will update you automatically when we post something new.
HUGS
T.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The last couple weeks
It has been a busy couple weeks with lots of visitors and a trip back to Tahoe. Here it goes...
Sam had a meeting with his agency. Melissa had him read a commercial and he met the other people who work in the office. His main agent Carol Lynn was out of town, so we had a follow up meeting with her the next week on Tuesday. The down side of that meeting....I got a parking ticket. Before we left home, I made sure that I had parking meter money, but when I got to the building the parking meters were gone and I didn't think anything of it. I was just excited to be able to park for free. However, when I came out....PARKING TICKET on the window. They had changed to a pay to park system with a number on the curb and a machine by the main stairway. Sam and I went in the back door and I didn't see the machine. LESSON LEARNED @ $45. OUCH!!!!!!
The following day, Melissa called with a job and audition for Sam. We had to turn down the job as it was the weekend he goes home to his dad. GRRRRR. He did the audition, but did not get the job. BOOOOO!!!!!
Christy and Keeley came to visit. They were only here two days and we had a lot of fun. We went down to Sunset Boulevard and went to the Chinese Theater as well as the walk of fame. That night we went out to some of the clubs. Sam stayed home with Capone and watched movies. He didn't do well home alone, called about 65 times. I am not sure how I am going to get a job if he can't even handle me being away for a few hours. Christy tried to get arrested by spending a $50 bill she found on the ground...turned out it was counterfit. After a long talk with security, we were finally let go and able to dance the night away. It ended well, but we were sure scared for a few minutes. YIKES.
Then Sam flew off to Tahoe for the weekend. He had a great time with his dad and brother. They went to Apple Hill and picked apples, went fishing, and ate food. Sam caught a fish. He managed flying alone just fine. I am so proud. His next weekend, he gets to learn how to transfer planes. Southwest is stopping their direct flights on Mondays. On the way home he flys to Vegas first then changes planes to get to Burbank. Southwest doesn't help kids 12 and over with flight transfers. Hopefully, he is mature enough to handle it.
On Tuesday, he met with his agent Carol Lynn. She was very happy to be working with him again. She is a great lady. Sam really likes her. She said he sounded very natural with the commercial he read for her.
This last Thursday, my mom came to visit. We had a great time touring the LA area. We went to Santa Monica and walked the pier, the beach, and ate dinner at Bubba Gump. Then the next day, we stayed home most of the day. Sam did his homework. Later we went into Burbank. We checked out a dance studio for Sam. I think he is going to take Triple threat and Break Dancing. Triple threat is an acting, singing, and dancing class. I think it teaches multiple types of dancing like jazz, tap and hip hop. He has a free trial tomorrow. The classes are a bit more costly than I would like, but it will make him a well rounded actor. Then we walked around Burbank and toured a Tae Kwon Do studio. My mom paid for him to do a two day trial. That night we had his first Boy Scout meeting with the new troop. Sam really enjoyed the boys. There are a bunch of them and a lot his age. He already made two friends. YEAH. Saturday, we went up to Santa Barbara. We picked up Khala, Cody's girlfriend on the way. We went to The Mission, which was really cool. It is still a working mission and it was built back in the 1800's. Very cool architecture. Then we ate lunch and went to the Santa Barbara zoo. We only had 45 minutes to run through the zoo since they were closing early that day. It is a very nice zoo, but small. After that we went down to Sterns Wharf. We took a 25 minute boat tour of the harbor and saw some sea lions. So CUTE!!! Sunday, we hit the LA Zoo. IT IS HUGE!!!! We spent 5 hours there and saw most of it. Mom bought Sam and I a zoo membership as our christmas present. So, we can go back anytime we want for free. We loved the Gorillas. They have a cute little baby. Yesterday, we drove down the coast. Over to Malibu, it was foggy, then down to Long Beach. We went to the Aquarium. We were there for 3-4 hours. It is a great aquarium. I got to feed Lorikets. They landed right on my arm. We bought the nectar for Sam, but he freaked out, so I held it. One landed on my shoulder and walked down my arm. I was wearing a tank top, so it felt weird. The Australian Reef display was our favorite. We were in that room for about an hour. Today, she went home. SO SAD.
Sam had his first Tae Kwon Do lesson today and really liked it. So, he is going to start taking those classes on Tuesday and Thursday.
We are settling in to our new home and enjoying all the great weather. Sam's schedule is now very packed. He has an audition tomorrow for a play, A Christmas Carol. Hopefully, he will get a job. It doesn't pay anything, but he needs to work in order to gain experience. Also, it is close to home.
So, if he likes the dance classes and gets the acting job....his schedule will look like this.
School Monday through Friday 7:30-1:30. Then his extra curricular activities are as follows
Monday - free time
Tuesday - Tae Kwon Do
Wednesday - Play Practice
Thursday - Tae Kwon Do & Hip Hop
Friday - Boy Scouts
Saturday - Tae Kwon Do & Acting Class (Nov. Only)
Sunday - Play Practice
We will be jammed packed.
Anyway...that is what we are up to for now.
HUGS
Sam had a meeting with his agency. Melissa had him read a commercial and he met the other people who work in the office. His main agent Carol Lynn was out of town, so we had a follow up meeting with her the next week on Tuesday. The down side of that meeting....I got a parking ticket. Before we left home, I made sure that I had parking meter money, but when I got to the building the parking meters were gone and I didn't think anything of it. I was just excited to be able to park for free. However, when I came out....PARKING TICKET on the window. They had changed to a pay to park system with a number on the curb and a machine by the main stairway. Sam and I went in the back door and I didn't see the machine. LESSON LEARNED @ $45. OUCH!!!!!!
The following day, Melissa called with a job and audition for Sam. We had to turn down the job as it was the weekend he goes home to his dad. GRRRRR. He did the audition, but did not get the job. BOOOOO!!!!!
Christy and Keeley came to visit. They were only here two days and we had a lot of fun. We went down to Sunset Boulevard and went to the Chinese Theater as well as the walk of fame. That night we went out to some of the clubs. Sam stayed home with Capone and watched movies. He didn't do well home alone, called about 65 times. I am not sure how I am going to get a job if he can't even handle me being away for a few hours. Christy tried to get arrested by spending a $50 bill she found on the ground...turned out it was counterfit. After a long talk with security, we were finally let go and able to dance the night away. It ended well, but we were sure scared for a few minutes. YIKES.
Then Sam flew off to Tahoe for the weekend. He had a great time with his dad and brother. They went to Apple Hill and picked apples, went fishing, and ate food. Sam caught a fish. He managed flying alone just fine. I am so proud. His next weekend, he gets to learn how to transfer planes. Southwest is stopping their direct flights on Mondays. On the way home he flys to Vegas first then changes planes to get to Burbank. Southwest doesn't help kids 12 and over with flight transfers. Hopefully, he is mature enough to handle it.
On Tuesday, he met with his agent Carol Lynn. She was very happy to be working with him again. She is a great lady. Sam really likes her. She said he sounded very natural with the commercial he read for her.
This last Thursday, my mom came to visit. We had a great time touring the LA area. We went to Santa Monica and walked the pier, the beach, and ate dinner at Bubba Gump. Then the next day, we stayed home most of the day. Sam did his homework. Later we went into Burbank. We checked out a dance studio for Sam. I think he is going to take Triple threat and Break Dancing. Triple threat is an acting, singing, and dancing class. I think it teaches multiple types of dancing like jazz, tap and hip hop. He has a free trial tomorrow. The classes are a bit more costly than I would like, but it will make him a well rounded actor. Then we walked around Burbank and toured a Tae Kwon Do studio. My mom paid for him to do a two day trial. That night we had his first Boy Scout meeting with the new troop. Sam really enjoyed the boys. There are a bunch of them and a lot his age. He already made two friends. YEAH. Saturday, we went up to Santa Barbara. We picked up Khala, Cody's girlfriend on the way. We went to The Mission, which was really cool. It is still a working mission and it was built back in the 1800's. Very cool architecture. Then we ate lunch and went to the Santa Barbara zoo. We only had 45 minutes to run through the zoo since they were closing early that day. It is a very nice zoo, but small. After that we went down to Sterns Wharf. We took a 25 minute boat tour of the harbor and saw some sea lions. So CUTE!!! Sunday, we hit the LA Zoo. IT IS HUGE!!!! We spent 5 hours there and saw most of it. Mom bought Sam and I a zoo membership as our christmas present. So, we can go back anytime we want for free. We loved the Gorillas. They have a cute little baby. Yesterday, we drove down the coast. Over to Malibu, it was foggy, then down to Long Beach. We went to the Aquarium. We were there for 3-4 hours. It is a great aquarium. I got to feed Lorikets. They landed right on my arm. We bought the nectar for Sam, but he freaked out, so I held it. One landed on my shoulder and walked down my arm. I was wearing a tank top, so it felt weird. The Australian Reef display was our favorite. We were in that room for about an hour. Today, she went home. SO SAD.
Sam had his first Tae Kwon Do lesson today and really liked it. So, he is going to start taking those classes on Tuesday and Thursday.
We are settling in to our new home and enjoying all the great weather. Sam's schedule is now very packed. He has an audition tomorrow for a play, A Christmas Carol. Hopefully, he will get a job. It doesn't pay anything, but he needs to work in order to gain experience. Also, it is close to home.
So, if he likes the dance classes and gets the acting job....his schedule will look like this.
School Monday through Friday 7:30-1:30. Then his extra curricular activities are as follows
Monday - free time
Tuesday - Tae Kwon Do
Wednesday - Play Practice
Thursday - Tae Kwon Do & Hip Hop
Friday - Boy Scouts
Saturday - Tae Kwon Do & Acting Class (Nov. Only)
Sunday - Play Practice
We will be jammed packed.
Anyway...that is what we are up to for now.
HUGS
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Nickelback Concert and Video shoot.
Nickelback posted a bulletin on Myspace that invited people to come to a free mini concert and a video shoot in LA. I thought that the video shoot was going to be a music video for their new song "Gotta Be Somebody." Sam and I didn't really care. All we cared about was that it was a free concert. FREE is big when you don't have a job and are living on a budget.
It turned out to be a Citi Bank commercial. They did probably 10 takes of them lip syncing their new single. Luckily it is a great song because after 10 times in a row it could have gotten old....oh wait it did. They were moving the cameras to different places in the forum. Moving the audience here and there. Only about 1000 people were invited to come. We ended up with front row of section 7 in the seated crowd. And then managed to move our way up to about row 6 or 7 of the standing crowd near the stage. We were right in the center. It was awesome.
Then Nickelback did 4-5 more songs and we just got to rock out with the crowd. I haven't been that close to the stage in years. Sam had a blast being right in the center of things. It was so awesome being that close and feeling the crowd push around you. Concerts don't really do that anymore. They set out seats and you have to stay in your assigned area. The last free for all concert I went to was back in 1989 when I saw Van Halen at the King Dome in Seattle. I about died when they came on stage from the crush of the crowd. This was much more controlled....and did I mention....TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!
Also, when we were waiting in line to get in, some guy came around with a big movie camera. I think they were getting more crowd shots for the commercial. Sam did a cute little dance for the guy and he zoomed in on him. Took about 10 seconds of him acting like a complete nut ball....YOU KNOW TYPICAL SAM!!!! I am hoping that footage makes the commercial. That would be cool.
So, when the new citibank commercial comes out featuring Nickelback...take a look for Sam and I.
HUGS all. We miss ya.
Tracy
PS....SAM says hi too.
It turned out to be a Citi Bank commercial. They did probably 10 takes of them lip syncing their new single. Luckily it is a great song because after 10 times in a row it could have gotten old....oh wait it did. They were moving the cameras to different places in the forum. Moving the audience here and there. Only about 1000 people were invited to come. We ended up with front row of section 7 in the seated crowd. And then managed to move our way up to about row 6 or 7 of the standing crowd near the stage. We were right in the center. It was awesome.
Then Nickelback did 4-5 more songs and we just got to rock out with the crowd. I haven't been that close to the stage in years. Sam had a blast being right in the center of things. It was so awesome being that close and feeling the crowd push around you. Concerts don't really do that anymore. They set out seats and you have to stay in your assigned area. The last free for all concert I went to was back in 1989 when I saw Van Halen at the King Dome in Seattle. I about died when they came on stage from the crush of the crowd. This was much more controlled....and did I mention....TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!
Also, when we were waiting in line to get in, some guy came around with a big movie camera. I think they were getting more crowd shots for the commercial. Sam did a cute little dance for the guy and he zoomed in on him. Took about 10 seconds of him acting like a complete nut ball....YOU KNOW TYPICAL SAM!!!! I am hoping that footage makes the commercial. That would be cool.
So, when the new citibank commercial comes out featuring Nickelback...take a look for Sam and I.
HUGS all. We miss ya.
Tracy
PS....SAM says hi too.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
We made the move....Tahoe to Hollywood
I am making a Blog spot to keep you all updated about Sam's acting career in Hollywood. Here's hoping that he goes big...the next Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. Woo Hoo
THE BIG NEWS.....It was a long time coming, but we finally made the big leap. We moved close to Hollywood, Sun Valley to be exact. This last week has been fun. Well, fun as in trying to stuff a three bedroom condo into a 400 square foot quest house. A lot of stuff had to be put into storage. Another interesting fact, most rentals in LA do not come with a refridgerator. This place came with the smallest fridge and didn't have a freezer. It was smaller than something that you might see in a motel room. So, first thing I had to do was go out and buy a new fridge. Of Course, in a place this small, I couldn't have a full size fridge. But it is a cute fridge/freezer that has enough room for all the essentials, like Ice Cream. My microwave fits nicely on top and Sam is just tall enough to reach it.
We are embracing the smallness of our new place. Some positives are; I really can't lose Sam in a house this small, it is easy to keep clean and my walk in closet is actually very huge. I have never had a walk in closet before. Well, I walked into my last closet but that was to play hide and seek from the kids when they were little.
Another positive, as far as Sam is concerned anyway, is that we have cable television. We haven't had cable since Sam was a baby. He is watching all the reruns of Suite Life of Zack and Cody. He is in heaven. I love it because I can bribe him to get his homework done. Amazing how fast he can accomplish this task when TV is on the line.
Capone is loving his new yard. He has never been allowed to just go outside and play on his own. Now he has a huge fenced yard to play in. He is not liking the heat very much, but he loves to get out and run around.
Okay, enough about the move.
Before we moved down here, I signed Sam up for all the essential services for acting jobs; LA Casting, extra access, actors access, showfax inc., IMdB, and a few more. He has his resume out everywhere. IMdB is the largest movie database. When an actor shoots a movie his credits get listed on the movie page. You can look up movies, actors, directors, agents, managers, and more. It is a pretty cool site. You should check out his resume on IMdB.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3137618/
Next week Sam has a meeting with his agent. They have a few new people working in the office and Sam needs to meet the new staff. Hopefully, he will get more auditions after they meet with him.
I have the paperwork out to get his work permit renewed and that should be coming in the mail this week. Once his work permit comes then I can get his membership renewed with the Kids extra company he works with. That is the company that helped him get the extra work on the Sandra Bullock movie last year. That movie will be coming out in March 2009, so watch for All About Steve in your local theater. Sam has a small, small, small role in that movie. He was one of the kids in the auditorium. Good luck finding him. LOL
So anyway, the whole reason for this post. Everyday since we have been here, I have been applying him for jobs listed on all these websites. I really have to check the requirements of the jobs since he is gone the third weekend of every month, I have to make sure that audition dates or shoot dates don't fall on these days.
Today, he got called up to do a small Indie film. For all of you who don't know the lingo...Indie means Independant not an Indiana Jones film. And, it is Indie deffered for the pay, which means that he makes a percentage of the film based on what the film earns when it actually goes to theaters. He shoots on October 25. It is just a small part, but he gets to work with Stelio Savante who has been on shows like Ugly Betty and NCIS. I know, he isn't a huge actor, but he is working actor.
So, keep checking back to see the latest updates.
HUGS all,
Tracy
THE BIG NEWS.....It was a long time coming, but we finally made the big leap. We moved close to Hollywood, Sun Valley to be exact. This last week has been fun. Well, fun as in trying to stuff a three bedroom condo into a 400 square foot quest house. A lot of stuff had to be put into storage. Another interesting fact, most rentals in LA do not come with a refridgerator. This place came with the smallest fridge and didn't have a freezer. It was smaller than something that you might see in a motel room. So, first thing I had to do was go out and buy a new fridge. Of Course, in a place this small, I couldn't have a full size fridge. But it is a cute fridge/freezer that has enough room for all the essentials, like Ice Cream. My microwave fits nicely on top and Sam is just tall enough to reach it.
We are embracing the smallness of our new place. Some positives are; I really can't lose Sam in a house this small, it is easy to keep clean and my walk in closet is actually very huge. I have never had a walk in closet before. Well, I walked into my last closet but that was to play hide and seek from the kids when they were little.
Another positive, as far as Sam is concerned anyway, is that we have cable television. We haven't had cable since Sam was a baby. He is watching all the reruns of Suite Life of Zack and Cody. He is in heaven. I love it because I can bribe him to get his homework done. Amazing how fast he can accomplish this task when TV is on the line.
Capone is loving his new yard. He has never been allowed to just go outside and play on his own. Now he has a huge fenced yard to play in. He is not liking the heat very much, but he loves to get out and run around.
Okay, enough about the move.
Before we moved down here, I signed Sam up for all the essential services for acting jobs; LA Casting, extra access, actors access, showfax inc., IMdB, and a few more. He has his resume out everywhere. IMdB is the largest movie database. When an actor shoots a movie his credits get listed on the movie page. You can look up movies, actors, directors, agents, managers, and more. It is a pretty cool site. You should check out his resume on IMdB.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3137618/
Next week Sam has a meeting with his agent. They have a few new people working in the office and Sam needs to meet the new staff. Hopefully, he will get more auditions after they meet with him.
I have the paperwork out to get his work permit renewed and that should be coming in the mail this week. Once his work permit comes then I can get his membership renewed with the Kids extra company he works with. That is the company that helped him get the extra work on the Sandra Bullock movie last year. That movie will be coming out in March 2009, so watch for All About Steve in your local theater. Sam has a small, small, small role in that movie. He was one of the kids in the auditorium. Good luck finding him. LOL
So anyway, the whole reason for this post. Everyday since we have been here, I have been applying him for jobs listed on all these websites. I really have to check the requirements of the jobs since he is gone the third weekend of every month, I have to make sure that audition dates or shoot dates don't fall on these days.
Today, he got called up to do a small Indie film. For all of you who don't know the lingo...Indie means Independant not an Indiana Jones film. And, it is Indie deffered for the pay, which means that he makes a percentage of the film based on what the film earns when it actually goes to theaters. He shoots on October 25. It is just a small part, but he gets to work with Stelio Savante who has been on shows like Ugly Betty and NCIS. I know, he isn't a huge actor, but he is working actor.
So, keep checking back to see the latest updates.
HUGS all,
Tracy
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