OCT. 9

                Found out I get to audition for one short, SAG, paying film today and another tomorrow.  Today’s film required me to scramble, print the 3 page monologue, reschedule and rush to my massage, then back home to change, put on makeup, eat, and drive over to the audition.  All the driving gave me time to mostly memorize the lines though. 

The scene I auditioned for is a pregnant wife, talking to her comatose husband for the first time.

                Had to wait about 30 minutes before I got in.  Gave me time to review my lines.  Looked through Grandma’s red velvet photo album a few times and read the notes she typed beneath each picture.  It still smells like her house.

Did a great job at the audition!!!  Able to produce just enough tears.  Mostly memorizing the lines helped.  I also asked for a “human prop”.  The cinematographer was willing to stand in for my comatose husband, so I could hold his hand, and kiss it, really helped a bunch.  Thrilled the writer (and other 4-5 people watching).  Rode the high for hours and hours.

OCT. 10

                Today’s audition had 350 actors who applied.  35 got to audition.  I was one.

                Arrived precisely 10 min. before my audition.  Checked in. The continuity guy selected my biz smiling face on headshot.  Gave continuity guy one of my cards, so I can add him to my Crew List.

Asked him what the plot was.  The movie’s about a wife who is remarried.   Her ex I think takes her kid, trying to “win” her back to him.  Reviewed monologues during my 5 minute wait.

When I walked into the audition room, there were at least 7 people in it.  They laughed at the end of my Raising Helen monologue (as they were supposed to). 

When I finished introducing my two 30 second monologues, slating, and doing the monologues, the director was pleased that only 1 min. 33 sec. had passed.  (Monologues were to run no longer than two minutes, and the entire audition five - they had a stopwatch so they could cram in all the actors.) 

I was given a page of dialogue with the wife and her ex, who is trying to talk her into going away with him.  She finally tells him, three times, she has a lunch date.  I did it 3 different ways.  They seemed really pleased with how I did the lines: I  glanced at my watch before telling him I had a lunch date, then slowly repeated the line (as if he was a moron), then seductively said it again as I stepped closer to him (before adding the addition to the line - “with Leonard” my new husband). 

Happy, surprised, delighted looks and laughs as I finished.  I’m pretty sure no one did the lines that way.  Score!

Now I just pray and wait to see what happens.  I love performing and auditions certainly count!

..              Matt.. and I went to see District 9.  Before the movie started, there were, of course, trailers, which included the CGI trailer for District 9.  I was startled, because they don’t usually show the trailer for the movie you’re about to see, plus it said it would come out on 9-9-09.  I also prefer to go into a movie, not knowing what it’s about, and now, thanks to the trailer, the surprise was ruined.  I figured mistakes get made, and I’d know in 2 hours what the film was about anyway.

I was surprised that the CGI film started completely live-action.  I figured it started this way, until the humans blew up the earth due to the aliens.  I kept waiting for that to happen.  I thought it was also a smart way to start a film - completely live-action at first, and then switching to 100% CGI. 

About an hour into the film, I realized it wasn’t ever going to become CGI, and was thrilled at the smart marketing ploy.  How better to hide what a movie is really about, than to issue a completely false trailer under the same film title?  If the movie is excellent, they won’t care.   This was as great a surprise as The Sixth Sense.  Count on something from Peter Jackson to have such a completely unique marketing ploy.

In the car, I raved about the set up.  ..Matt.. couldn’t remember the District 9 trailer.  We both thought the other was losing their mind.  And then ..Matt.. explained the CGI trailer was for the movie “9”.  No “District” in the title.  They are 2 different movies, not the same one.  No clever marketing.

I still think it’s a great idea.

Last night ..Matt.. and I stopped by his parent’s pasture.  A guy from ....Mexico.... is paying Dad to keep his horse there.  Turns out the horse was pregnant.  Yesterday, she had a foal.  Mom and Dad saw it yesterday, staying away to keep the mother horse from getting anxious.  I really wanted to pet the baby and concocted a plan…..

                When ..Matt.. and I walked through the gate, the mother horse was standing by the barn.  The baby was laying down.  He got up, legs wobbly, and chowed down as best he could.  Hard to get his neck at the right angle, coordinate sucking, while staying balanced. 

                While he ate, I walked so I was directly in front of the mother, but still several yards away.  She didn’t seem too worried about us, so I walked forward a few feet, hand extended, talking to her.  She walked toward me, sniffed my hand, and let me pet her face.  Poor horses had flies bugging them. 

                When the mother walked away a few feet, to crop some grass, the baby followed her.  I snagged some tall green grass, then approached her with my offering.  While she was eating the grass, the baby sniffed the grass, imitating his mom.  He also tried to scratch his ear with his hind leg, but could only lift it half way before he got too wobbly and had to set it down.  He was dark chestnut, with a cute little black tail and mane. 

                As I figured, the baby was curious about me, so he approached me.  He let me pet his soft head and neck.

                Heaven!

                We walked away, the horses followed, but we had to leave.

One of the top moments of my life.   Doubly sweet because this is where my husband proposed to me.

HOW THE DR. SEUSS SHOW WENT IN FONTANTA, CA
It was wonderful to perform in the city's 1 year old theatre.  The audience was great.   Kids and adults (some I knew, many I didn't) enjoyed the show. 

One father sat in the exact middle of the theatre.  It's always such a thrill to have an intense audience member, right there with you, every scene, every song.  He paid a friend of mine to take photos of me with his 2 utterly adorable kids.
"Thank you so much for coming!" I told them.
"No," he replied.  "Thank YOU!" 
Such a gift.  I'm so honored.  I have no idea who he was, but I get the feeling he really needed that show.

At the end of the show, all the kids came up on stage with me for more photos. 
I encouraged photos.  3 photographers and a videographer came, so I should have wonderful new photos on my website after the next update.


DEALING WITH DEATH
At the end of Feb., my college mentor (now a dear friend) lost her husband to a sudden  heart attack.  Most of her kids live in other states, so I've offered to help her with anything. 
This week I went over and helped her with things that were easy for me (since I'm tall), so she wouldn't have to get up on a ladder.  Then we weeded.  I tackled the hardest, deepest rooted weeds, living around some rocks.  Must have spent 15-20 minutes on one 6 inch ball of root.  Got the bugger though!  We talked, got weepy, hugged, and shared.

2 weeks ago, my cousin's husband suddenly died of a heart attack.  He'd have been 41 two days after he died.  They have a 15 year old son.  Her dad died of cancer a year ago.  Her mom was killed in a horse-riding accident when she was 12.  NOT FAIR! 
The coroner said it'd be 5-8 weeks for a report on why he died (he was found dead in his car, parked on the side of the road).  I made some calls, and, what do you know, she got his cause of death a week later.  (I was nice about it, but used my acting abilities to make those I talked to feel and understand just why she needed some help, and closure regarding her husband's unexpected death.)

Of course, I told both wonderful, strong, kind, hurting women that they can call me in the middle of the night, when they can't sleep.  I'm not more than someone who can hang with them on the phone, and listen, but it beats an empty bed.
It helps to be an actress.  I'm used to waking up immediately for late night calls and falling asleep fast, whenever I can.

There were also about 10 April B. Days to work on.
So that's the latest.

If you're interested in seeing memorized stories performed live, you can book me from my website - www.DianeMatson.com