What do the Olympics, USC and puking all have in common?

Me! And my rollercoaster of a week...

Day 66: I woke up this morning sicker than I've been in years. Achy, dizzy and violently reminded of the fact that vomiting is one of the worst feelings ever so needless to say I did absolutely nothing but lay in bed all day and all night.

Day 67: Still under the weather but able to sit up long enough to use the computer once again, I emailed 23 commercial agents and 1 manager requesting a meeting.

Day 68: Actors Access submissions. I must say, it's much funner choosing which headshot to use when submitting with these new photos.

Day 69: Industrial Audition at Craig Colvin Casting. This was a group audition which can sometimes be confusing but this one was pretty clear cut. We went in in groups of 4 and pretended to enjoy watching a tight Olympic race where the US ultimately wins. I felt very patriotic afterwards.

Day 70: Took notes on the rough cut of DWP's Episode 3. I really love this episode already! It made me smile and I had to resist the urge to show it to friends because it still has some changes to undergo. I also found two potential songs that might fit somewhere in either this episode or one of the other 2 we just shot.

Day 71: Beautiful day for an audition at USC. Though they dashed my undergrad hopes many moons ago, if they cast me in their films we'll call it even.

Day 72: Worked on my first reel! Thanks to dropbox I was able to upload my footage to my editor instead of going to her home in Silverlake. Since she's also my editor for DWP there was only one clip I had to give her that she didn't already have. I would've loved to have added a few seconds of two other projects I worked on but I still don't have copy for one of them and I couldn't figure out how to upload the correct file from the dvd of the other one so I just said forget it. The cool thing is, a reel is an ever-changing thing that will constantly be tweaked and updated as more and better footage becomes available. Eventually when I get me a MAC I'll learn how to add new clips myself with iMovie. Till then, THANKS LEX!!!

So I tried my hand at waiting tables but it just didn't work out, as I've shared in detail with the readers of my Unscripted blog so hop on over there for the full scoop.

The good news is, I may have an interview next week for a full-time gig. An old boss of mine from Vegas now works out here at a really cool hotel and sent me a message via facebook yesterday. Since I have experience with weddings he wanted to know if I'd be interested in a position focused solely on booking & planning weddings there...um, yeah! I've gotta meet with his director first though and win him or her over so hopefully that will happen next week because the sooner the better.
And in other news, last weekend was my sister's birthday which we celebrated at the W. Though the drinks and the food were overpriced {typical of Hollywood}, the drinks were strong and their steak sandwich was delicious so we were happy.  Love you sis!!

Thanks to fellow Unscripted blogger Kali Kirk for sharing this today. It pretty much says it all.

After I get off of work tonight I'll be on the internet watching the latest few episodes of Young & The Restless. Why you ask? Because tomorrow I'm meeting the casting director! I sent their office my headshot 6 months ago and I just got a call on Friday to come in tomorrow for a general and a cold-read.

A general {for my non-industry readers, i.e. my family} is an opportunity to meet with a casting director or agent, show them a glimpse of your personality as well as catch a glimpse of theirs. I'll also get to do a cold-read so it's a chance to audition... but for no role in particular. No matter. I get to show a new casting director what I can do and I'm VERY excited as this is the first audition where I'll actually be on a studio lot- gotta bring my id to even be allowed on the property. Just knowing that I've been given a chance to get in the room is awesome and with 6 months gone by since my submission, pleasantly unexpected.

Family vs Career, can you really have both? I'm sure you all have an idea of how I feel about this but I was recently given an opportunity to really break down my thoughts on this age old question. The talented actress & writer Lira Kellerman, a fellow Unscripted blogger, asked me to write a guest post on her awesome blog The Struggling Actress about why I've chosen NOT to choose between having a family and pursuing an acting career. Here's just a small sample...

As a young twenty-something with 2 small children I’ve heard it all…

“I thought you wanted to be an actress?”
Translation: You’ll never make it now.

“Oh, but you’re so talented!”
Translation: What a waste!

“Hollywood is no place to raise a child!”
Translation: You’re only thinking about yourself and not what’s best for your kids.

“LA is expensive, especially with kids. Maybe you should just stick to regional theater.”
Translation: No more major league hopes for you honey! Stick to the minors.
And my personal favorite: “Well we all had dreams once, but now that you’re a parent it’s time to get realistic.”
Translation: Give up this pie in the sky fantasy and get a real job!

To read the rest of the article {especially how I handle the naysayers and why I think having a family makes this career even MORE rewarding} head on over here but I have to warn you I have a feeling you'll find yourself digging through Lira's archives and quickly adding her blog to your must read list. I know it's on mine!

Thanks for the opportunity to share my pov Lira! I'm sure you'll make a great mother when the time comes. :-)

First of all, HALLELUJAH! I finally have home internet again! This means no more going to Starbucks or Bricks & Scones at night for a few hours at a time trying to play catch up with everyone who's emailed me. It also means I can start submitting myself again for roles on LA Casting, which I haven't been able to do for about a month now. Unfortunately my Actors Access account expired and I haven't been able to renew it just yet but after rent is paid I'll get that taken care of.

Post production of Diary of A Wedding Planner has been a rollercoaster! Everything started off nice and smooth. Our teaser looked great! Our schedule seemed to be moving right on time then bam! The day our pilot episode was due to be completed we get an email from our editor flaking out on us. Turns out she got another better paying gig and threw us to the side. To say I was mad is an understatement! But everything does happen for a reason and though it's taken me quite awhile to find a new editor, it's a task that I'm very happy to check off of my to-do list. Our new editors are the fabulous Greg & Lex {husband & wife duo} of Long Lost Pictures. I can now breathe a very heavy sigh of relief and with them taking care of the pilot I am now focused on getting all of the pieces together to shoot episode 2 sometime next month.



It's that time again- Jayden is headed back to school! Time for clothes shopping, up to date physicals, nice fresh haircuts and school supplies. My baby is going to 1st grade! Of course I'll be saying "my baby" when he goes to 12th grade too. :-) I'm already prepared to be in a hectic state of mind for the next 2-3 weeks getting used to his new school schedule. And my little Stevie is growing leaps & bounds, counting to 12 and saying his ABC's. He's not yet potty-trained but he's running his mouth and his little legs a mile a minute so it's time for him to start preschool. I plan to check out quite a few preschools that are near Jayden's elementary but in the meantime he'll be going to the homecare provider where Jayden has been all this summer. There aren't any other children his age there, most are a little older, but it'll still be nice for him to be around other kids until I find the right place for him.



Sad to report that thus far none of my commercial submissions have got any response other than "no thanks." One agency brought me in for a meeting which was actually a good experience and another agency called to tell me they can't offer me any representation at this time but to resubmit within 6 months if I'm not signed with someone else by then. *Sigh* Gotta send out some more till someone says yes!



Finally our family fast is almost over, just 2 more days to be exact! And guess what, though I didn't agree to do this for the purpose of losing weight, I have. I've lost 15 lbs and am down to 130! 5 more and I'll be at my ideal weight. I'm absolutely giddy and just want to make sure I continue eating more healthy once our fast is over in order to maintain this size.

Whew! Enough updates for now. Hope you all have been doing well and have some great updates of your own.

Decided to do a vlog while leaving the ABC Building...
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Stop by my Backstage: Unscripted blog to read about how my Who Wants To Be A Millionaire audition turned out while I was there. Lots of fun! If only the money were real.

Here we go again! I just booked another fitness program but this time it's only a 2 week commitment- short & sweet! The product is called the Running Twister. I'll be working out for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, at a gym in West Hollywood. I'll be on a meal plan that the production will provide during this time. And the best part is, I'll get to keep the equipment after the 2 week period is over. This program specifically targets abs which is what I'm excited about so we'll see how it goes.


And in other news, pre-production of Diary of A Wedding Planner is going very smoothly. We've had an overwhelming response on both Actors Access and LA Casting so I'm really looking forward to our casting session.

The most exciting news of all? We've moved! We're still living out of boxes right now but I couldn't be happier.

Lots of good stuff going on and I wouldn't have it any other way.


Have a great weekend!

That lonely feeling has been shaken off thanks in large part to all of the awesome AWESOME people I met last night at the Hollywood Happy Hour event. Some folks I felt like I knew already thanks to the online worlds of twitter, facebook, message boards and blogs and some folks were completely new and just as nice. I will definitely invest more time in attending quality networking events like these- the food was good, the drinks were great and the people were even better. For those of you who couldn't make it I believe these are held quarterly so sign up for their online group so that you can stay up to date on the next one.

And thanks again to everyone who encouraged me. Much appreciated!!!

These last two weeks have been non-stop for me. I've finished our Diary of A Wedding Planner director interviews, had my first consultation with a potential bride {a real one, not one for the show} and went to Houston to visit my friends.

Though I had an absolute blast in Texas, I came back kinda sad and lonely. What can I say? I'm not the type who prefers solitude. I'm the type who plans all of my friend's birthdays and hosts regular game nights and get-together's just because so my need for social interaction just isn't being fulfilled right now. But that is no one's fault but my own so hopefully that will change soon since...

1. We recently found a church home at Crenshaw Christian Center.
2. We move into our apartment on Wednesday. Praise God! This one has been a looooooooong time coming and after all the driving around in the Valley, the Westside and in Central LA we finally found an affordable yet still spacious place near Ladera Heights. I'll be much closer to auditions, classes, events, etc. so I'm very happy that our time has finally come.
3. Now that I'll be living closer to the center of the action I plan on attending a slew of networking events in the next few weeks- starting with tomorrow night's Spring Fling by Hollywood Happy Hour.
4. I'll be auditing a few more scene study classes so that I can begin mid-May.

With all this going on I'm bound to shake this lonely feeling, hopefully sooner than later.

This week was incredibly productive!

I did my first targeted mailing to casting directors, had an infomercial audition for a product that is similar to Spanx that went very well, learned some great lessons in my commercial workshop, and had a very successful meeting with my new line producer for the webseries.

On a personal note, I went to Jayden's Open House and was very proud to see all his work and to hear him read to me in español. His teacher loves him and says he's passed all his kindergarten benchmarks so I'm a proud mommy. :-)

Unfortunately with all the ripping and running...

• taking Jayden to & from school everyday
• taking care of Little Stevie during the day while trying to read sides, self-submit and compile cd/agent/manager research
• taking the boys to the sitter while I audition
• attending the commercial class
• cooking, cleaning and doing laundry
• spending time with my husband once he's home from work
• writing the webseries
• and sleeping

I just couldn't do everything on my list and had to turn down two auditions that I couldn't squeeze in no matter how hard I tried. I wish there were more hours in the day but until that happens I gotta prioritize and some things just won't make the cut. Wish I could afford a housekeeper and chef but until then I have to do my best to achieve balance.

SUPER EXCITED because my family & I are on AVAIL for a national commercial. A national, SAG commercial- yes this is a very big deal for me! We're so close to booking this that I can taste it...and yet, it's not in the bag already so I really should be thinking "realistically" rather than having my head in the clouds. But I'm sure you all know by now that I keep the clouds in my eyeline at all times so it's a little too late for that. Optimism can be both a strength and a weakness when it comes as naturally as it does to me. I think a lot of creative types can relate.

Today will be spent eating lots of delicious, fattening foods and watching movies I love- Moulin Rouge & Chicago are at the top of that list since I'm in a musical mood right now. Normally I have a party but since I haven't made too many friends out here yet it'll just be me and the family this time around.

And yes I'm supposed to be shooting a film right now but things aren't going quite as planned so we'll see what happens with that. In the meantime, happy birthday to moi!

Catch my latest audition escapades over at Unscripted. Funny enough, the last two have both been for the role of a mistress. The first was for a play and didn't go so well but the second one just landed me a role in my first feature film. Woo-hoo!

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.