Tons of stuff

I know a lot of faithful readers have been anticipating the next installment of CTD, so here it is. My computer problems are under control, but I will have to have someone look at it because there is still some funky stuff going on with it, but I digress.

Lots of stuff has happened since I last updated the log, so here goes.

After my friends and I helped out the AD on Dr. Vegas, I was able to get work on that show whenever I want. The casting director at Central Casting told me to call in whenever I heard the listing for the show and he would put me on. That gave me a sense of relief because sometimes it can be difficult to get work due to the volume of people calling in to get work.

So I was working pretty regularly on Dr. Vegas, and since I was there so much the other Assistant Directors began to recognize me and call me by name, which was very nice. One day, I ran into my friend M who I knew back in Chicago, on the set of Dr. V. As he and I were catching up, the AD came up to us and told us to go to the soundstage where they were shooting a scene. When we got there, we were placed at a blackjack table with another girl. I knew something was up when the stand-ins for the main actors came and stood or sat next to me.

A stand-in is a person of the same height and build of the main actors that they use to set lights for, so the main actors can go and sit/eat/relax. They are referred to as “Second Team”.

I was sitting there thinking about how cool this was when they called for “First Team”. The stand-ins left and Rob Lowe, Fisher Stevens and Sarah Lancaster moved into position. The director told us that we were in a scene where Fisher Steven’s character was having a coughing attack at the blackjack table and they had called Rob Lowe to check him out. Sarah Lancaster plays a dealer on the show. I knew that I was supposed to be quiet and not talk to them, so I just sat there and listened. Rob Lowe was teaching Fisher Stevens a new way to memorize lines quickly. Apparently this is a technique he used on the West Wing because they would often get new scripts the day of shooting. Basically you write down the first letter of each word in the margin next to the sentence. Then you just concentrate on the letters and your brain will remember the words. I thought it was a crock, but I still remember the line of dialogue that they practiced on, which was “This is the best place in the city to get laid. Forget weddings or funerals, women are on to that”. So the next time I get a script I am going to try that out.

I was just being quiet and listening to them without looking like I was listening to them. I was praying that they would include me in their conversation. I was coming up with all of these interesting things to say, a funny anecdote or two and the fact that I just moved from Chicago. I was even trying to remember the name of the hockey movie that Rob Lowe made in the 80’s with Patrick Swayze, but I couldn’t do it.

We shot the scene a couple of times and then they asked for Joe Pantoliano and Tom Sizemore to come to set. They were in the last part of the scene where they walk by and say a line. But the best part of the whole day was when Tom Sizemore started talking about working on “Heat” with Robert Dinero and Val Kilmer. He started talking about how he would tease Val a lot and would get Robert, or Bob to him, to join him. He was doing a Dinero impression and everything. It was pretty bad, but he was so committed to it that it was really funny. So he is talking about how during the big shootout scene in downtown L.A. that they kept telling Val to call Robin and why were they running when they could just get the Bat mobile. Apparently Val did not like this very much because he asked them to stop. To which Dinero replied, “Why don’t you go get fucking Robin to save our asses here”!

While this was going on we were shooting the scene. So Tom would tell a couple minutes worth of the story and then they would roll and he would shoot his part and then would go right back into the story. It took about half and hour and everyone at the table was laughing the whole time.

The thing that hit me during all of this was that these were professional actors and they were screwing around in between shots, just like I like to do. So I was pretty jazzed about this whole thing while I was driving home. It was midnight here, 2am Chicago and the only person I knew who would be up was my friend R who is a waitress and gets off around 2am. So I called her all excited and started telling her the whole story. I am sure I didn’t make much sense and sounded like a maniac, but at least I got to tell someone right after it happened.

Oh, and I am sure that I will be seen in the episode also. Fisher Stevens plays a dying man and goes to the Casino for one last fun time. It should be the 2nd or 3rd episode. Check it out if you are interested in seeing me.

Dr. Vegas starts Friday, September 24 at 9 or 10 pm.

Oh, and it has been pegged as one of the first shows to get cancelled by the critics. I guess the Friday night at 10pm slot is not that great to get the 18-35 demographic they want. Go figure.