Writing For Non-Writers

Seems like in 2012 I enrolled myself in the crash course of Writing For Non-Writers as I am the latter and have been finding myself doing a lot of the former lately. 

Two years ago I had a really great idea for a web series. It was about a topic I really loved, could be really funny, and had opportunity for many of my friends to add their talents to the mix. Surely one of them would be enthusiastic enough about the project to basically write the entire thing? I even had really great fundraising ideas - and this was before Kickstarter was popular. I approached a few close friends to see if the idea would catch spark. But I got nothing. 

Last year I had another great idea for a web series. And I had a writer on board to write it! Again, another topic I really love and something that would benefit both of us. Since I'm more the idea person than a dialogue writer, I sent over pages of ideas for episodes. This is it! I'm finally going to help create exciting work for myself! I waited a few weeks to get the first brilliantly funny pages...but nothing. Over the next 6 months I sent reminder emails, Facebook messages, & discussed the episodes in person. I got promises and promises of episodes. Then it quickly became 2012 and I still had nothing. With a shrug of my shoulders, I gave up.

(This is really me stranded at the airport but it's the same sentiment)

I hit a wall. I had all sorts of great ideas but no one to write them for me. And giving up was not acceptable. Something had to change.

It turns out a couple inspirational books (now my favorite books ever) would turn 2012 into my most creative year ever. Well, those and some good old determination. The first of my new favorite books is "The Fire Starter Sessions." It made me realize I shouldn't try to be a well-rounded actor (i.e. mediocre) but focus on being brilliant at what I love and do well. And I love comedy. Well, until I'm booked on a sitcom, I better find a way to use my funny bone.

The second of my new favorite books is "Imagine: How Creativity Works." This is the one that is actually helping me create everything I'm working on these days. No, writing is not something I love or do well but creating something I'm passionate about that is tailored to me makes me feel amazing. "Imagine" basically talks about how the right brain works. Once the left part of your brain has hit a wall, that's when your right brain starts working it's magic. But you have to hit that wall before you can find a creative way around it. 

Today I have a new web series I'm working on and this time I've partnered with my actor friend who is also a non-writer and we're having a wonderful/terrible/exciting time pushing through those walls to create this project ourselves. I know once we are seeing our ideas come to fruition, all the agony will be well worth it. And, who knows, we may become addicted.

A glimpse of another self-created project in 2012

Adventures In Pole Dancing

About three months ago my life was thrown into chaos. A relationship ended and subsequently I needed to find a new place to live. These circumstances put all my pursuits on hold till I could get grounded: mentally, emotionally, and most importantly, physically. (I needed a place to live!)

Well I'm back! I now live in the coolest place with an amazing view of Hollywood and a giant backyard perfect for parties. Through the trials of the past months I have learned a great deal about who I am and what I want and I feel freer to take risks and try new things.

And I am! You can expect to see more out of me in the next few months. I have been meeting with collaborators, I have been writing (this is HUGE for me), I have been experimenting at open mics, & now I have been learning to pole dance! And I'm addicted!!

This is one of my teachers, Lori Hirai

This past week I have started classes at Evolve Dance Studio in Los Angeles. I've already taken 3 classes and I'll be going to class #4 tonight. Pole dancing is a blast! The teachers basically let you learn at your own pace so you can learn as fast or as slow as you want to. I jumped right in wanting to learn and do as much as I can. When I'm not at the studio I've been watching videos online to plan what I want to learn or try at my next class. 

 My favorite web teachers are: 

Mai Yee of S Factor 

Anh Le or "Miss Dirdy Birdy"

(Both of these ladies are super inspirational & sexy!) 

I've already learned 6 spins, how to climb & sit, and a lot of sexy floor work. My biggest dilemma has been to find vegetarian platform stilettos. All the major suppliers use animal products unfortunately. It kind of surprises me with the growing trend of people going vegetarian or vegan. There is even a vegan strip club in Portland! http://www.casadiablo.com/ 

Are you in LA? Want to see what I've learned so far? Well you can this weekend! This Saturday, September 2nd, Sacred Fools Theater is having their Super-Sweet 16th Season Launch Party. 

I will be a go-go dancer and there will be a pole! Come check it out. Even the ladies will have a good time since my trainer friend Will will be rocking the floor and possibly the pole as well. 

Here's all the info: 

Super Sweet 16th Season Launch Party

Saturday, September 1st  8pm  $20

Sacred Fools Theater

660 N. Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90004

http://www.sacredfools.org/misc/events/season16launch/

Hipster Dance Class at The Sweat Spot

In musical theater terms I'm what you call a "Moves Well." It means I'm not quite a dancer but I've taken classes & I can do the basics. In college at UC, Irvine I had taken a ton of dance classes. They were the first dance classes I had ever taken actually so I needed a lot to catch up.

After college I moved to LA and took dance classes at The Edge. Mostly because it was supposedly The place to take classes. They had teachers who were working in the business as performers and choreographers. However I was used to classes in the UC system - tap classes based on musical theater styles & lots of modern classes. (Does anyone know where I can take a modern class in LA?) All the tap classes at The Edge are set to loud hip hop or rap & have replaced graceful lines with loud and fast taps. And The Edge also participates in some type of high school program where teenagers get school credit for taking classes there. So I'm always surrounded by teenagers sporting the latest in dance wear. I get a decent workout but I never feel really good when I leave any of those classes. (The one exception is Basic Hip Hop on Monday nights - soooooooo fun!!!)

Well I moved to Silverlake recently and a friend has been talking to me about a local place called The Sweat Spot. I figured it was more aerobic classes and less actual dance classes & ignored him for months. Then recently I was finally getting frustrated with myself for not taking any time out of my schedule for dance classes and my friend nudged me again by showing me the class list for The Sweat Spot. Hey - there are Jazz, Ballet, & Hip Hop classes! Whaaaat?

The price for classes are the same as The Edge (I get a union discount at The Edge) & they both had a Saturday morning Jazz 1 class but I can walk to The Sweat Spot & so I wouldn't have to get up as early. I do LOVE to sleep in!!

So I tried it. And I loved it. First of all the beginning levels of classes at The Edge are really more intermediate classes, especially for a "Moves Well." This Jazz 101 at The Sweat Spot really was a beginning class. It ended up being the perfect class for me to get back into dancing. Since I already knew all the basic techniques they were teaching I was able to let go and have fun. It reminded me that I love dancing. Also the rap and hip hop music at The Edge was replaced by The Cure & Siouxsie & The Banshees. Awesome!!! And they also have teachers who perform and choreograph in LA - but with artists like Beck & The Bird And The Bee. So cool!

When class was over I walked through the lobby and saw all the dancers waiting to start the next class. They weren't trendy teenagers. They were Silverlake hipsters with tattoos and piercings and guys with 'staches. Who knew there were hipster dancers?!

 The owner, Ryan Heffington. Notice the 'stache!

What I eat: Vegan Yum Yum's Broccoli Almond Sweet & Sour Tofu

Most of the time when I tell a non-vegan that I don't eat animal products they ask, "What do you eat?" Well...follow me on this food adventure as I unveil that mystery.

This week:   

Vegan Yum Yum's Broccoli Almond Sweet & Sour Tofu

This recipe is soooo yummy!! It's totally better than Chinese take out. I'd consider this on the vegan comfort food list since the tofu is fried. You could probably make it with steamed tofu but we all know everything tastes better fried!

I got this recipe from my favorite blog, iphone app, & cookbook: Vegan Yum Yum

Cooked rice 2 cups

Broccoli 1 cup
1 Tub Extra Firm Tofu, pressed
2 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer + 4 tsp water, mixed
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Peanut or Canola Oil

Sauce
3 1/2 Tbs Seasoned Rice Vinegar (you can eyeball the 1/2 Tbs)
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbs + 2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbs Tamari
1 Tbs Ketchup
1 tsp Molasses
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tbs Cornstarch + 2 Tbs water

If you don't have cooked rice on hand, definitely get that started. The rest of this recipe basically takes about 30 minutes so time your rice & cooking accordingly. 

Steam some broccoli while you prepare the tofu.

(Taken directly from Vegan Yum Yum)
Slice the tofu into triangles or small cubes. Smaller = better for this recipe, since smaller pieces won’t have a tendency to break when you toss them, and they have a bigger surface area to volume ratio (read: they’ll be crispier).
*Toss tofu with the egg replacer/water mixture until coated. Then toss in cornstarch until each piece is coated and dry, adding more cornstarch if needed.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok.
While oil is heating, mix sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch/water into a small sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until sugar and salt is dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. If you leave the sauce unattended now it will thicken and burn, so keep an eye on it. When thick, turn off heat and set aside.
Place tofu in the hot oil, being careful not to burn yourself. You don’t want the tofu to be crowded or the pieces will stick to each other, so fry it in batches if needed. Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden on the bottom, then gently turn and brown the other side.
When the tofu is almost done frying, dump 1/4 – 1/2 cup sliced almonds on top so they fall into the oil. As SOON as they start to turn color, take it off the heat and drain the oil. In my experience, almonds taste burnt before they look burnt, so don’t let them sit in the oil forever.
Transfer the tofu and almonds into a large bowl and add the steamed broccoli. Toss with the sweet and sour sauce and serve over rice.

This recipe is even good for leftovers. It's not as crispy but the tofu has been marinating in the sauce longer. It's Vegan Yum Yum indeed!

So back to the original question: "What do you eat?" Now you know!

*Ener-G Egg Replacer is an easy egg substitute when you need a binding agent for baking or cooking. You can find it in the gluten free section of Whole Foods. Read more about it here: Ener-G Egg Replacer

"Monster Man" with Richard Elfman Part 3

In Part 1 I described the recording process of Princess Polly's song for the "Forbidden Zone 2" music video promo. In Part 2 I described the experience of getting a life cast of my head. Now Princess Polly's hideous face is created & she comes to life...

I met with Richard & the entire SOTA creative team to look over various sketches of what Princess Polly could look like. The sketches had crazy eyes and chins and noses and foreheads. One version had eyes all over the face. Creepy! Richard wanted to make sure the head utilized my own eyes and had a movable mouth so I could perform when we did the music video shoot. But he wanted Princess Polly to be grotesque. The SOTA team smiled. They know how to do grotesque.                                                                                            

What kind of sick, twisted people are they?

                                                

The following week I showed up at SOTA early in the morning. I sat down in the makeup room where we originally made the mold for the life cast. That's when I first met Princess Polly. That nose! That chin! Those lips! Definitely grotesque. 

Becoming her was quite the process. They slicked my hair back and glued a bald cap to my head. Then they put Vaseline on my eyebrows and anything else they didn’t want to stick to the prosthetic. Then they attached her face. She was smelly. They worked quickly to get the prosthetic glued around my eyes, on my lips, my chin, and neck. They had to pull and poke to get it to sit right. They blended makeup foundations together to give Princess Polly the same tone as my skin. Then they added blush and lipstick to Princess Polly & put lots of makeup on my eyes to match her face. They also cleverly attached a chunky necklace to hide the neck seam.Then they styled a wig to go on Princess Polly and attached it. Three hours after I first sat in the chair, I was ready to work. 

I put on a gold lame bikini and some amazing gold sequenced boots and strutted towards the stage. Suddenly I was stopped. We were filming in front of a green screen and the shine from the gold would cause reflection problems. I was sent back to the makeup chair while Constance ran to the nearest bikini shop. Half an hour later I was given a cute purple bikini and the beautiful gold sequenced boots were painted with a flat lilac color. Sad. But now I was finally ready! 

I marched out in my boots to greet Richard. He was ecstatic! Two crews were assembled in front of a green screen, ready to shoot the music video. We even had the animator there to supervise the green screen process. I performed the song over and over again as the crews shot it from far away, up close, at low angles, & at high angles. They wanted to make sure to get as much coverage as possible. Again everyone on the crew was really sweet. They made sure I had a place to sit with a fan nearby and plenty of water in between takes. Even though I wasn't wearing much on my body, Princess Polly's face was pretty hot underneath. 

After many, many takes of the song I finally heard "That's a wrap!" And the celebration began! Unfortunately for me I was running late to the opening preview of a play I was performing in and couldn't stay. But I hear Richard's BBQ that night was legendary!                                                                         

Here is the complete music video in all it's glory!

                                                                   

*This episode of "Monster Man" airs TONIGHT on the SyFy channel: 3/21/12 @ 10pm/9pmC  

"Monster Man" with Richard Elfman Part 2

In Part 1 I described the recording process of Princess Polly's song for the "Forbidden Zone 2" music video promo. Now the process of creating Princess Polly's grotesque face begins...

I was invited to SOTA F/X to have a life cast of my head made. This is where I first met the SOTA F/X crew: Roy, Cleve, Constance, Cindy, & Johnny. They were all super nice despite their tough looking exteriors. 

 Who would want to mess with these guys?

Putting the molding material on was an interesting experience. I didn’t have to sit with straws in my nose like most people expect. They slicked my hair back and basically glued a bald cap to my head and they put globs of Vaseline on my eyebrows and eyelashes to keep them from sticking to the mold. Then everyone made sure I was ready and told me to expect it to be very cold. Boy they weren’t kidding! We ended up having to do it twice because the water they mixed with the molding material wasn’t cold enough & it started to stiffen before they could get my head covered with the goo. The 2^nd attempt was definitely cold enough! I was freezing under it. But they worked super quickly to mold the goo around my nose, over my eyes, ears, mouth, chin, neck – I heard Johnny exclaim, “Her nose is so small!” They were having a hard time making sure there were holes for my nostrils to breathe. After they got the goo situated they wrapped the entire thing in bandages like a cast you get from the hospital.

Once everything was in place I probably sat there under the cold stuff for about 20 minutes. It really wasn’t that long at all.


It’s hard to explain what the experience was like. It mostly reminded me of the few times I worked in a character costume during my days at Disneyland. I could hear and feel vibrations if someone touched the top of my molded head, but I couldn’t feel it on my skin. I could hear everything in the room, but it sounded distant and muffled. It was kind of comforting actually. I could hear my breathing & I was tucked into an intimate space with myself. Ah, so serene.

But then I got an itch on my chin …and I couldn’t scratch it. Ugh! I’ve never had a broken bone before but now I understand the pain. However, I knew I just had to hold out for a few minutes and I would get some relief. The itch got more intense and I tried to focus on some other part of my body, my ankle, my knee, my arm, anywhere but my chin. Oh the itch!


Then finally I heard “Ok, we’re ready to take you out.” Yes! I think 4 people were all around me working. They cut a seam up the back of the mold and I moved my face all around to loosen the mold from my skin. Then on the count of 3 they pulled me out of the cocoon mold. I had been wearing a little mascara and lipstick and inside you could see a perfect imprint of my lips and eyelids. Totally creepy!!! During that week they made a cast of my head. 

 My new wig holder

Next time: I perform as Princess Polly with my new SOTA-designed face!


*This episode of "Monster Man" will air Wednesday, March 21st @ 10pm/9pmC on SyFy

"Monster Man" with Richard Elfman Part 1

This story begins in Spring of 2010 when I performed for the first time at Sacred Fools Theater in a crazy, rockin' musical called "Forbidden Zone: Live In The 6th Dimension" or FZ6D for short. This musical was a stage adaptation of the cult movie "Forbidden Zone" produced and directed by Richard Elfman and starring his brother Danny Elfman. If you've never seen the movie, here is a scene with Danny & the character I portrayed, the "Princess:" Squeezit The Moocher

 

Artist, Jeret Ochi's depiction of me in FZ6D

I met Richard on a few occasions & I heard he was planning "Forbidden Zone 2" but there were no other details at the time. Then fast forward to August 2011. 

I was working the annual Sacred Fools Theater season opening fundraiser. The theme was Midsummer Nightmare or something. So my interpretation of the theme was to wear little blue shorts, a “What happened in Vegas?” tank top, pink knee-high socks, giant mismatched cloven feet I bought from the UCI costume shop a million years ago, a curly blue wig, pink butterfly clips, and blue wings on my back. I thought the night was going to be particularly boring because I was tucked away from all the action working the food room, but I was unexpectedly offered free whiskeys and it all went into a blurry haze from there. However, before I got too faded, I remember running into Richard Elfman. He took a look at me in my crazy outfit, with my emotions & thoughts leaping from one topic to another, and apparently thought I would be the perfect Princess Polly for a "Forbidden Zone 2" promo he was working on. He told me to email him before he left. Two days later, when I finally came out of my party fog, I received an email from him saying “Email me!!” So I did. 

Richard is going to be featured in the new SyFy show "Monster Man." It's basically a reality show about a special effects studio in Los Angeles.  He wanted to promote his next movie, "Forbidden Zone 2," with a music video of his new princess character, Princess Polly. We started with a meeting at his cool Beachwood home under the Hollywood sign where I also met with the amazing composer, Ego Plum. Ego then collaborated with both Richard and Richard’s brother Danny. A few weeks later I met with them again at the Beachwood home. This time would be the first of many when I was invited to wear a silly hat while I visited (a tradition at Richard's home). I chose a Peter Pan cap. The song was pretty fun. Some of the racier lyrics never ended up in the final product, but I think the final is probably the better choice to air on SyFy. After that I went home to learn the song. 

Sometime that next week we all met at Ego Plum’s studio in East LA. He has a really cute studio tucked back behind a residential house in a quiet neighborhood. Within 1 hour we had the song recorded. Bam!

Next time: Richard takes me to SOTA studios to get a life cast made of my head!

What I eat: Easy Vegan Lavash Pizza

Most of the time when I tell a non-vegan that I don't eat animal products they ask, "What do you eat?" Well...follow me on this food adventure as I unveil that mystery.

This week:  

Easy Vegan Lavash Pizza

This one is pretty darn easy to do and yet tastes great & looks so colorful! This is what you'll need:

1 Lavash per person (These are personal size pizzas)

Pizza sauce (Pasta sauce will work too)

Chopped veggies (Pictured are onions, 3 colors of bell pepper, tomatoes, & mushrooms)

Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds *Optional 

Toast the lavash while you chop your veggies. If it's not toasted, the sauce will make the lavash soggy instead of crispy.

Spread a good amount of sauce over the toasted lavash.

Distribute your chopped veggies over the lavash.

If using, sprinkle the Daiya shreds over everything.

Bake in a toaster oven or regular oven at 425 degrees F for 5-10 minutes or until the Daiya has melted & the veggies are heated. 

You can get really creative if you play around with different toppings or sauces. Make a BBQ pizza with BBQ sauce or a Thai pizza with Thai peanut sauce or a pesto pizza with fresh vegan pesto. 

I also make party sized versions of these using English Muffins instead of lavash.

So back to the original question: "What do you eat?" Now you know!

P.S. Daiya Shreds are a super tasty, totally meltable cheese substitute that can be found at Whole Foods & health food stores. For more info: http://www.daiyafoods.com/
    

2012 Luck Dragon (Better late than never!)

Like most people I've been trying to put together a list of goals for 2012. I've been having a hard time getting started this time around. A career coach, Dallas Travers, suggested that you must first acknowledge what you accomplished last year in order to move ahead this year.

I first thought: "What I accomplished last year? Yeah, right! A whole lot of nothing!" I was seriously disappointed that I wasn't light years ahead in terms of my career. But I decided to look over my calender for 2011 & see what I did. I actually did a lot! None of it is really making me money but maybe 2012 will be the year it pays off. This is what I discovered:

• I produced and performed in a late night stage competition & out of 16 we made it down to the final 4
• I performed in a total of 9 episodes with 3 different web series
• I performed in a TV pilot that is being pitched
• I performed in two different "reality" type shows. One of which I performed for a music video.
• I performed in a 48hr film festival where the entire script was improvised
• I performed in 7 weekends of a stage show
• I took 2 commercial classes with 2 casting directors
• I took an on-camera audition class
• I took a musical theater class with an artistic director
• I started taking a few casting director workshops
• I joined SAG & paid up my AFTRA dues
• I got new headshots
• I tried out a manager 
• I signed with a print agent

Whew! I was busy!

But really the biggest things I accomplished were:

• I figured out my personal life & got rid of a lot of baggage that was making me unhappy
• I helped 2 friends get SAG eligible (Though now the unions are merging!)
• I met a lot of new, awesome friends

So in the end I didn't actually accomplish some of the giant goals I was hoping for and I'll probably just do a "cut & paste" of last years goals but I guess I see a lot of things I did in 2011 that I can build upon for the year to come. And I sure hope the Chinese are right about the Year Of The Dragon as being a lucky year. I could use some!