Jem...
Jem is excitement!
Oouu Jem...
Jem is adventure!
Ooouu...
Glamour and glitter,
Fashion and fame!

Jem...
Jem is truly outrageous
Truly, truly, truly outrageous
Woo ooo Jem...
Jem
the music's contagious (outrageous)

Jem is my name
No one else is the same
Jem is my name

But we're the misfits
Our songs are bitter
We are the misfits (the misfits)
and we're gunna get her

Jem (Jem)
The music's contagious (outrageous)
Jem is my name
No one else is the same
Jem is my name
(JEM)

Hopefully I'm not alone in knowing the above lyrics to one of my favorite cartoons EVER! I'd literally sing "Brandi's my name, no one else is the same. Brandi's my name!" over and over and over again. Click here to read about my relationship with Jem and why it will soon be more than just an 80's cartoon.

I loved the brown curly hair but it was time for a change. So I'm back to black- at least for now- and am enjoying this kids-free thanksgiving weekend thanks to my Auntie Jeanetta.

Take a look at what I'm thankful for here and take some time to be grateful for someone or something in your life as well.

I'm very excited to be coordinating the swag bags for the upcoming screening of the short film Queen Victoria's Wedding. If you {or someone you know} have products and/or discounted services that you’d like to get in the hands of our invited industry guests, please send me an email for more information to brandi@glitzandglamourevents.net.

Brief synopsis~
“Queen Victoria’s Wedding” is an emotive tale about mental illness, featuring television and movie actor Natalie Desselle Reid (“B.A.P.S.,” “Eve”) with a special appearance by screenwriter, director and film producer, Antwone Fisher (“Antwone Fisher,” “ATL”).

Cast includes Monica Calhoun (“The Best Man”), Dwayne Adway (“Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story”), Shenita Moore (“Grey’s Anatomy”), singer/actress Carmen Twillie (“Six Feet Under”), Tyreese Burnett (“Drumline”), Poetri (“House of Payne”),
Kendra C. Johnson (“The Game”) and newcomer Todd Moore.

This event will take place in late January.

I didn't want to let the cat out the bag until it was official. Now that it is, I can proudly say I'm the newest blogger for Backstage's Actor Blog known as Unscripted. This is a blog written by actors for actors and each one of us shares a different viewpoint with the Backstage readers. For now I'm the only blogger that's also married with children so I hope I'll be able to connect with readers who also have families of their own.

What this means for you is that most of my acting experiences will be posted there and I'll provide a link in this blog for you to check it out. But I still plan to use this blog as my journal for the rest of the things I have going on in my world or to talk about what's going on in the world in general.

So stop by my very first Unscripted post when you get a chance and let me know what you think.

"Money makes the world go round" or so the saying goes. So what happens when you don't have any?

For me this means having to give up working at the Pantages {Boo! I'll have to pay to see their killer season now} as well as having to quit the Body Gospel program. Since we're operating with one vehicle, priority goes to my husband when he needs the car to get to work since his job is our main source of stable, consistent income right now. There were just too many scheduling conflicts with trying to do the workout program in the morning, be back in time to drop my son off to school {normally something my husband would do} and pick him up from school as well while also getting Stephen to and from work {with hours that varied}. I was beginning to feel overwhelmed and like I was taking on way too much at once- a problem I've had all my life. Since the theatre only offered 10-15 hours per week, it was causing more problems trying to add that to the mix so it had to go. It just kinda sucks cause if we didn't have a car problem right now then this wouldn't be an issue at all.

But I'm not having a pity party, far from it. This has just made me more determined to do what I need to do to get us back in the black. That means checking in with the Central Casting hotline on a daily basis over the next few weeks in order to make some quick cash. And who knows? Maybe I'll get a SAG voucher or two. We'll see.

So last weekend I volunteered at ActorFest {an annual expo for actors held in NY and LA} and signed up for a boatload of raffles with classes/studios/companies I was interested in learning more about. A few days ago I got this email:

Hi Brandi-
CONGRATULATIONS! See you soon ;)
--
Best,
Kris & Katie
www.actorskey.com
818-926-7399 or 818-456-8798
The Actor's Key
2019 WEST MAGNOLIA BLVD.
BURBANK, CA 91506

Woo-hoo! Participating in CD workshops is one of the things I was planning on doing next year anyway so now I'll be going to The Actors Key to get it started. *Doing the happy dance.*

I recently discovered two FANTASTIC message boards for actors that are literally mines filled with all sorts of gems:



These boards are definitely worth checking out when you have the time as they have all sorts of topics that can help both the newbie and the seasoned actor alike. How I never knew about these boards before now? I have no idea. But I thought I'd pass along the info in case any of you hadn't heard of these either. They're both 100% free and the posters run the industry gamut from casting directors to photographers to writers to of course, actors.

If you missed me on Catch 21 last week {I kinda forgot to tell ya'll when it was airing- my bad!}, here it is. The links are called "Adam on Catch 21" because that joker beat me. What did I expect- he actually owns a gameshow website. Oh well, I had fun.

For my email subscribers click here and here.

My first week working at Pantages went by pretty smoothly. The musical, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, is sooooooooooo cute so I definitely have to take Jayden before its run is up, though I'm sure my mom would rather take him herself since she really believes he's HER son! Anyhow, the job is easy and the other ushers are friendly enough. Funny that one of them is actually the dude who beat me on Catch 21- small world! The only negative is the distance. For example, I have to leave at 4:30 in order to get there in time for a 6pm start. Though it only takes me 30 minutes to get to Hollywood at that time, if I wait until 4:45 or later then I'm stuck in rush hour traffic for well over an hour. Just another reason why I gotta move closer as soon as I'm financially able.

Today's my 1 year blog-aversary! Whether you've been reading from the beginning or have just begun to follow this blog recently, I appreciate you all.

The past year brought with it the following accomplishments...

• Moved to California
• Got a nice set of headshots
  
• Booked a supporting role in a short film
• Booked a reality makeover show {that was WAY more fun than I expected!}
• Booked a gameshow
• Lost 6 lbs
  
• Began auditing acting studios to study with
  

Looking at the list above there's not much on there that's going to help me get listed on imdb but hey- you gotta celebrate the small victories. Thanks for sharing my journey and know that we're just getting started! :-)

Callback went okay. I felt a bit self-conscious at first since my hair didn't really look like my headshot but I quickly put that outta my mind since there was nothing I could do about that. Although it's a print job we got to do some improv which is always fun. The direction the CD gave us was to be bubbly & excited with lots of hopes and dreams, easy enough. We came in in groups of 3 and each took turns telling our "friends" good news.

• The first girl in my group was taking the next step with her boyfriend and moving in together.
  
• The other girl was excited about landing an interview with her dream employer.
  
• I was happy to tell them I had secretly eloped in Jamaica.
  

What any of this has to do with American Family Insurance? Who knows? But I had a good time and as far as I could tell I was the only one there without an agent so I took that as a sign that somebody needs to be signing me- and soon.

Of course I WOULD get a callback when my hair is a mess!

Had to run to the beauty supply to get a hair piece that looks like my headshots. Couldn't find an exact match but I got as close as I could get. Not totally happy with it but it'll do for now.

One step closer to landing this print job.

Back to Sunset Blvd. tomorrow.

Last week's trip to Sunset Blvd for an audition & LA Casting mixer was interesting to say the least. The commercial audition turned out to be Commercial Print- apparently I read the breakdown too quickly. They were looking for "Attractive Moms, 25-32 who look real & natural" and although I fall into that age range in real life I know I look younger so I tried to pick an outfit that wouldn't be considered trendy. Anyhow, since it's for print and not an actual commercial the audition consisted of 3 photos being taken- 2 profiles & 1 head-on, and that's it. Quick, painless and out the door. I have no idea what they really want as the other actors in the waiting room were as varied as you can get, definitely a picture of the Melting Pot that is America. What I do know is that I could use the $1500 it's going to pay whoever books it, so here's hoping!

After the audition I stopped by Wendy's to kill some time since I had an hour before the mixer would begin. First of all, for those of you who've never been to Sunset Blvd just know that it's a street full of characters and a lot of them were out that night. One in particular latched on to me for about 10 minutes while I was trying to eat. He was bootlegging something, cd's I think, and although I wasn't interested in buying any he just kept talking. Wanted to know what I do for a living {I'm an actress like everyone else in this town}, how did I get to Wendy's {uh, I drove my car why?}, and just had to let me know I look like Whitney Houston {don't see it, but thanks} and then proceeded to sing the chorus from The Greatest Love of All, and was SERIOUSLY SINGING! All the while I'm just nodding my head trying to give him as many closed-ended answers as possible but he doesn't take the hint to get the eff away from me. At this point I realize he's not an annoying person, he's actually a bit *off* and I really start to get uncomfortable. True we're in a public place but I'm there by myself, at night, and will have to walk alone to my car, the car he's just asked me about. The kicker is when he tells me he'll "give me a chance to hang out with him" cause he's looking for a cool girl to chill with it {Never been hit on before by an Asian man so I'm taken off-guard and thinking why oh why did I forget to put my wedding ring on?!?}. And that's when I go into the "I'm married with 2 kids" spiel. He didn't believe me. Even called me a flirt. {Really wacko? What about my slightly uncomfortable smile & limited eye contact made you think that?} I was very glad when more customers came in and he went back to selling his wares to someone else, though I felt bad for the guy whom he was speaking to as I left. Poor lad had the same nodding-head-trying-to-be-nice-but-please-get-away-from-me expression as I had.

After Wendy's I headed to the LA Casting mixer at the Sunset Trocadero Lounge excited to network with other actors but a bit hesitant since I was going alone. I'd already sent a text to the very few friends I have out here but since none of them could go I forged ahead anyway and I'm so glad I went. The lounge was packed, the drinks were free and the Lakers won- WOO-HOO! While I did have one more run in with unwanted advances, this time from an old black man clearly in his 50's or older {Really?!? My young, hot mom is younger than you, GROSS!}, I otherwise had a great time and met some really cool actors who may one day turn into friends, which would be nice since I miss having a real social life.

Lessons of the day

1. Read the breakdowns more carefully.
2. Learn how to get out of uninteresting & uncomfortable conversations.
3. When trying to "network" don't go on & on & ON about yourself. It's such a turn-off.
   
4. Invest in some pepper spray just to be safe.

Training at the Pantages was a lot of fun. We got to learn about the history of this theatre, and the fact that it's considered an historical landmark and took a tour of the building. The place is absolutely majestic! My first thought was how fabulously perfect the lobby would be for a cocktail reception followed by how awesome it would feel to perform on that stage in front of the 2,703 patrons who can fill up the audience.

I originally thought this would just be a seasonal job until after Christmas but to my pleasant surprise I found out we can work here for as long as our schedules allow if we remain in good standing. This is news to my ears because I REALLY think I'm gonna like this job. We get our schedules a whole month in advance and much like waitressing/bartending we can switch our shifts with coworkers if we need to {perfect for days that I have auditions, shoots, or events}. We get to see some kick ass shows! {Seriously their 2010 season is awesome.} Plus we're even allowed to read books or scripts when we have downtime. Total SCORE!!! A flexible day job that keeps me around other actors & artists? Hell to the yeah!

P.S.- The fact that I'll walk across the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd everytime I go to work is inspiring. One day I'll have my own star on this street, mark my words.

My website is finally live- YAY! The hardest part was trying to come up with my bio since I don't have all of the wonderful credits just yet that I'd like to list and refuse to lie "pad" my resume. So yesterday I just decided to take that page out for now.and as I continue to work I'll add it back in at a later time. Problem solved. Stop by when you get a chance.


P.S. I have a commercial audition today with Heather Lynn Casting and then heading out to the monthly LA Casting Networking Mixer. It's a good day. :-)

Lots of things going on over here lately- some good, some bad, some whatever! I was going to write separate blog posts for all of these updates nicely categorized for you but screw it. I don't have the time or the energy to sort it all out, so here goes...

The Good
*I've decided to relaunch my wedding planning business out here. After trying to get an assistant position with planners who just didn't fit my style I decided I'd go back into my business for myself. First things first, I have to assemble my team. That means hiring assistants of my own on a part-time, on-call basis {any takers?} as well as becoming familiar with other wedding/event industry professionals whom I can refer my future clients to. While I've already launched my website {a bit drab until I can hire a designer} and blog, I won't actually be open for business until after I host a launch party introducing my company to the LA/OC area. Right now I'm shooting for late January but I'm not gonna rush it if everything's not in place the way I want it to be. I have a lot of work ahead but I'm very excited about the possibilities {both financially & otherwise} this will bring!

*I just picked up a seasonal job as an Usher at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Training starts this week and I'll be working from mid-November until January 3rd during the run of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This was supposed to be extra money for Christmas shopping but now it's looking like it'll have to go towards some unexpected bills which I'll go into later.

*I found an AWESOME acting class that I can't wait to start! My twitter friend Dajuan Johnson referred Stan Kirsch Studios to me awhile back and I finally took the time to schedule a consultation with him. He's a bit different from a lot of acting coaches in that you have a private consultation with him rather than auditing an actual class. A part of me didn't want to meet with him because it cost $25 to do so but Dajuan {who is a working actor by the way} raved so much about him that I decided to give him a chance. And all I can say is that I was so blown away by our meeting that my gut instinct was to stop looking for a class and to get started with him right away. Of course my wallet needs to catch up with my instinct and then I'll be good to go. :-) His classes are $250 per month, not bad, and the $25 for the consultation will be applied towards your first month's class in case you were wondering. I was hoping to start his class this week but unforeseen circumstances have caused a change of plans, which brings me to...

The Bad
*My husband's hours have been reduced from 35 hours per week to almost 10. To say he needs to find another job asap is a huge understatement.

*On top of that, his freakin car just broke down on the 710 freeway yesterday. AAA had to tow it to our house and since I was already in the Inland Empire visiting family I had to take my boys to the Harvest Festival by myself. Not fun! My older one had a great time but my little one had to be restrained by me the whole night {otherwise he would've been all over the place} so by the time I got home I had a major headache. Glass of wine + Aleve had to put me to sleep!

*My weight seems to have plateaued. I'm totally trying to crack the 150 mark but these pounds aren't leaving without a fight. And since my hubby's car is outta commission for now that also means I'll have to join the 6am workout class instead of my usual 7am class in order to get back in time to take my son to school. You see this horrible domino effect?

The Whatever
*Gotta find a place by the end of the year. We've been staying with my wonderful Granny in Long Beach rent-free since we've been out here. But even rent-free has a price, the main ones being lack of space {you should see our storage unit}, lack of privacy and most importantly, the distance from the majority of my auditions. I won't even get into how many auditions I've passed on after weighing whether or not it would be worth it to spend the gas. Don't get me wrong, I don't wanna move to West Hollywood and live where the action is but I do want to be much closer to Hollywood & Burbank than I am now.

*It's November. What??????????? How can there only be 2 months left in this year? Ugh.

So that's where my head is right now- all over the place! Bear with me as I try to sort it all out.