Just Another Manic Monday...

Selecting the costumes for our two former one-hit wonders, young Martha Cherry and mature Martha Cherry, was a delight. I mean look to the left people...doesn't that catch your interest?

The costumes were ordered from Funwirks.com, a delicious site for the 80s-induced. I almost wanted to buy more but with express delivery being added to the cost, the pink and black bangles had to be the final guilty pleasure in our Martha Cherry budget.

Speaking of guilty pleasures we just appointed the wonderful Bryn Drescher as our "Behind the Scenes of Revivals" host. She'll be spending an hour or two on set each shooting day, catching the good the bad and the ugly of production and also interviewing cast and crew. I'm sure the interviewees will be their charming selves, if not, it's nothing a few beers can't handle. Anything to set the moood. (We'll have short web episodes of "The Making of..." posted consecutively after the shoot.)

Fingers crossed Bryn does not have to document any injuries or accidents on set, otherwise my butt is on the line. Hmmm, I see another story in the works...

DAYS TO SHOOT: 5

STRESS LEVEL: 4/10

And we're off...

So this week starts the REAL work.

Between you and me, I'm not a huge fan of the holidays because I often get bored and start over-thinking, having too much time to imagine all sorts of catastrophes that could occur and getting distracted by personal BS (see below for self-exposing blog embarrassment). Now it's time to put that aside and go full steam ahead!

Just as a side rant- my new printer is already acting busted, so I'll have to spend a good part of tomorrow morning on the phone with Lexmark customer service....oh joy of joys. I wonder if the "please wait for the next representative" music will be Christmasy or Simon & Garfunkel? Let's place bets.

But now to nailing things down production-wise...Part of me is glad my character is not appearing in more than a two scenes, otherwise my head would be spinning. Plus, Rita Chassin is an effectively clueless and scatter-brained assistant, so it won't be a hard part to "get into." Bring on the ink smears and accidents, I say.

Me and the director, Mike Keller, meet tomorrow. I'm sure we'll be shocked by the few essentials we missed on our list but then again, that's what making your own stuff's all about. Here's a snapshot of some tasks we have:

-Buy a toy saxophone
-Cast 2 male model dancers, both willing to be shirtless and wear eye-liner
-Buy bookcase that looks sturdy but is light enough to not cause human & lawsuit damage when toppled over

...and many, many more. As you can see, we have our work cut out.

Until next time!

Ready, set, GO!

Welcome, to the wonderful world of pre-production!

My pilot presentation, "Revivals" is the perfect thing to blog about because:

1) It will make me feel accountable(ish) to you guys.

2) For the next few weeks, I'll be able to let off steam in a "safe" environment.

So thank you lucky audience members, you get to be receivers of my neurosis. I can hear you cheer in the bleachers, as we speak! (Or were those anguished sighs?!)

I've mentioned "Revivals" a few times in my blogs but now money goes where my mouth is and we'll be shooting the ten minute TV pitch promo, about a guy who tries to resurrect the careers of one-hit wonders. It's been a rather sparse year of work so I'm eager to jump in, even if it's a detriment to my nervous system, which it's obviously proving to be. It's not so much that things are behind or going wrong, it's more that this is the boooooring part of it. I mean, this is the producing aspect that just does not turn me on. It's where I find out that I'm the creative nutbag I always suspected I would be and I need to pin myself down in a disciplined manner because no one else (within our budget, at least) will do it otherwise.

Just to share with you the extent of my anxiety, I woke up at 4:50am today and now it's 6 am and I don't feel the least bit sleepy AND it's still 10 days away from the first shoot. At this rate I will probably go into hibernation by the time this thing wraps. Although the trend tends to be that I'm a lot more relaxed ON set, it's just suspense before that kills me....kinda like a good horror movie.

Today is "Paint Jake's Office Day." Our excellent production designer Kelsie Steffen-Gadsby will be selecting unattractive colors to give the impression that my main character has been demoted to the dark, dingy offices of his record label's basement. We have two issues to deal with- first, make the dinginess of the wall read on-camera (sometimes subtle pattern changes don't show), and second, make sure the color scheme does not compete with the mini-green screen that the ghost character in the office will be up against. Ghost character? Yes, we've got one of those...she's a semi-translucent, former one-hit wonder from the 80s, played by the wonderful Alessandra Assaf.

Also, I'm having to deal with location issues- one of which is a conference/office hallway setting. Work places seem to be the golden locations that are hard to get cause who wants to get in trouble with their boss? (Btw, if you do wanna get in trouble with your boss, please contact me!)

Looks like there won't be much Thanksgiving vacation on my end. But that's alright, cause right now I'm thankfull for work.

Catch the updates every day from hereon out. It'll be quite the adventure....

DAYS TILL SHOOT: 10
STESS METER: 8/10

Comedic Therapy

I'd heard rumors that comedy could cure cancer but until now I'd viewed them as hocus pocus. Having spent more hours than usual in a hospital, I'm now inclined to wonder...

I'm a healthy human being (well, mentally is still up for question) and after coming home last night I watched a few episodes of "Friends" (the good ones) and hey presto my jet-lag was better. This got me wondering- maybe laughing can cure bigger stuff? My brother's heart? My friend's arthritis? My dog's insanity...wait, wait, let's leave animals out of this. Anyway, I obviously had to do my research. How could comedy be viable medicine?

Well, apparently, laughter lowers the body's hormone and cortisol levels. For those scientifically challenged (like me) cortisol is a stress-induced chemical that can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and excess belly fat (stop the lipo, start the massage!). Laughter also strengthens your immune system because it increases the production of antibodies in your saliva and bloodstream, which fight bacteria, viruses and parasites. Huh, this laughter thing sounds pretty good.

Does this mean bad TV sitcoms are potentially life endangering, or at least, obtrusively laissez-faire? Interesting. Writers, why not try that at your next pitch meeting? "You people are letting thousands of Americans die by airing [insert bad sitcom here]. My story about a LAMCA curator falling in love with a Beverly Hills poodle is sooo funny, it'll save lives goddammit!!" Of course the execs on the other side of the table would probably be wondering if those "lives" own Nielsen boxes but, hey, it's another angle in your favor.

Back to the serious (ironic?) stuff- some cancer treatment centers have now incorporated "laughter sessions" in their daily regime. Here's the good news: "It's all right if patients can't find anything to genuine to laugh about [bad sitcoms, you're saved], because we use forced or fake laughter- and it works. Instructors lead laughter therapy classes that are akin to exercise classes [good, I hate treadmills]. During these group sessions, patients and their families play a game like "Simon Says" [hmmm] and make laughing sounds that the instructor calls out. As the participant does the laughter exercises, the brain releases endorphins." That sounds like one hell of a workout.

More than 100 hospitals in the U.S. have comedy carts or humor rooms now. I would be the first person to disguise myself as a terminally ill patient to get to see the room except that's morally despicable, so there. Instead, I can only imagine. I am going to steal one of those comedy carts though (only for an hour). What do you think is in them?

For all my Californians: Intooooducing...(drumbeat)...LAUGHTER YOGA. "Laughter yoga?" You model slash actresses slash cracked out musicians scream: "Where is it & how can we get it?" Aha. Well my pretty anorexic, over-medicated friends here are the details: http://www.laughteryoga.us/ Have fun beautifuls!!

Finally, in browsing comedy and the topic of illness, I found this website and a very worthwhile cause: http://www.comedycures.org/

"How brilliant" I say as turn on the TV and like magic, on comes a repeat of "Fawlty Towers." How exactly did the Comedy Gods know that this was going to be the best cure for a year of dying friends, romantic breakups and ailing family? God only knows.

Tonight, I will laugh myself into 2010!!

A View from a Hospital Bed

Another reason why 2009 should go suck it?!....my poor brother nearly died.

But I won't fill this blog up with pointless angry rants that just get stuff off my chest. Actually, if anything I've noticed the more crappy things get, the stronger I become and the more clear my dreams and goals are. Whadyaknow? Perhaps all those spiritual gurus are right and this truly has been a life-changing year.

For those in the dark, my younger brother, Nick, suffered a severe case of ventricular tachycardia a few days ago. Once you Google that condition you realize how serious it is and how uncommon it is for a healthy man in his early 20s to experience it. He had a heart rate of 220, with no pulse. Which basically means his heart was working its ass off but the blood wasn't flowing around the body. The solution? A load of electric shocks through the chest for 2 hours, E.R. style. Scary stuff.

When I went to visit my brother, he was pale but in pretty good spirits. Something tells me he didn't quite remember all of the incident (maybe because he was unconscious!?) because he was optimistic about returning home and carrying on a routine life. That was until an extremely nice doctor intervened and reminded him he had nearly died and was to stay under their careful watch for a week, before being transferred to another speciality hospital, which specializes in cardiology.

Believe me, in the land of free healthcare and also great lack of hospital beds, people would not be kept under supervision unless it was absolutely essential. So I am calmed that the British NHS exists for his sake and now my parents can be more grateful that their tax money has been put to use...extremely good use. I shudder to think what this would have cost in the good 'ol U.S. of A. The equipment tagged to Nick looks pretty high tech and expensive. It might provide a good set design for Star Trek.

I would never tag myself as a liberal (or anything besides "independent") but after what happened to my little bro, this is one policy I will back Obama 100% on. Speaking of which, wait, what's going on with that? No more excuses to not be informed, I have to start reading newspapers now. After all, there's nothing like a crazy personal experience to push you into that field....

All my love from across the pond & take care of YOUR hearts, please.

-Thesy
xx