As some of you may have noticed, the blog is in need of an update.  September was a quiet month, during October and November I spent time with my sister who was visiting here from Denmark, which meant a much needed hiatus from online activity.

Eventually the blog will replace the current homepage of the website ~ it’s a matter of me learning how to reload the template and post new images to the main page.  Wordpress is not my native language, so there has been a bit of a learning curve recently, as I explore ways to make information easier to update.

One change for 2010 will be in the style of future posts.  There are a lot of blogs, writers and entertainment sources online that offer more extensive coverage of the events that I attend, so I’ll be posting more links and less commentaries in an effort to post more frequently.

With the holiday season in full swing, please check back in 2010.

Sergio Carbajal has a well-deserved nickname, “PowerSerge“, based on his positive and enthusiastic approach to life and to fitness. A talented and kind-hearted athlete/choreographer, I was lucky enough to work with him a few times during the years that I was dancing professionally, prior to the car accident that ended that career for me.  Sergio and I met during in the 1990’s, by working together on a music video, performing as dancers.  He has the gift of being able to make any woman that he partners with look beautiful as a dancer, featuring their talents and keeping their body lines the focus of his elegant choreography, so he helped me to book more jobs by giving me hints on how showcase my strengths to look better in dance auditions.

Fast forward almost 2 decades and Sergio has morphed his talents into reaching more individuals by creating his own fitness program, using his nickname “PowerSerge“.  He encouraged me to attend one of his classes at the West Hollywood Equinox and the Fitness Factory to learn more about his approach to health and wellness.  His high-energy plyometric workout was easy enough for any non-dancer but enough of a challenge for a trained athlete, because he encourages people to work at their own level.  Taking his class awakened muscles that I hadn’t activated in awhile, so I left his class feeling inspired.

For people who are not class oriented, Sergio is also an ISSA personal trainer.  I’d recommend taking at least one personal session with him to be able to get a better sense of his unique approach and his personal philosophy.  And, he’s still active in the entertainment industry as an actor, choreographer, gymnast and much more, so he’s able to be compassionate and sensitive to the challenges performers face by being in the public eye.

The cast of the Emmy-nominated “Family Guy” performed a live table read of their controversial episode, titled “Partial Terms of Endearment”, for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences members at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre.

Getting a glimpse into the creative process by actually seeing these talented actors perform directly from their scripts in front of a live audience was a real treat.  During the act breaks, Seth McFarlane, along with other cast members, entertained us with different songs that they performed in character, accompanied by a full orchestra. After the table read, there was a panel discussion where the actors and creative team answered questions from the audience.

“Family Guy” is nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award as Outstanding Comedy Series, which makes it the first animated show in the Comedy Series category since “The Flintstones” back in 1961.  If you’re a fan of the show, James Hibberd’s The Live Feed website has posted a video clip from the table read, but be forewarned that the video clip does contain adult language and content.  Apparently, the table read will be available on the DVD when the current season is released.

Today, Tera Hendrickson and I attended Michael Jackson’s Memorial Service at the Staples Center.  I’m mildly addicted to taking unlikely opportunities on the off chance that they become rewarding experiences, so I had entered the drawing for free tickets on a whim when the lottery for the event was announced, without any further thought about it.  At first, when I found out I had been selected to get a pair of tickets, I had mixed feelings about winning and attending because of the media focus and strong opinions about the event.  There was also a part of me that had never expected to attend a public memorial for someone whom I’ve never actually met. (Although, I do know people who worked with Mr. Jackson and had nice things to say about him when they did).  After Tera and I talked about how historical the memorial was going to be worldwide, and given the odds of how special it was to get awarded tickets, it was clear what a privilege it was to be able to attend and experience the event in person.

The stories told by Mr. Jackson’s friends and family were thoughtful, insightful and deeply moving.  Our seats were stage left in the lower level section, so we had a similar vantage point to those performers waiting offstage, making us close enough to appreciate the nuances of each tribute and performance.  Each person who spoke about their relationship with Michael Jackson or performed to honor him, became a reminder of the overall message and tone of the tribute ~ how one person can have an effect on so many people on so many different levels.  There are so many talented people and performers in the world, but so few who become as publicly recognized for their accomplishments.  Over the course of his career, Mr. Jackson’s philanthropic and artistic contributions to our society were diverse and indisputably far-reaching.

There had been so much speculation of what would happen during the event that I had expected some form of chaos, either from fans or the media.  To my surprise, what transpired was a very dignified and respectful service honoring Mr. Jackson, kindly acknowledging the deep sense of loss that his children, his family and his friends are experiencing.  Each attendee was provided with a commemorative program free of charge and no merchandise was for sale inside the Staples Center.  And although the media was clearly present to cover the event, they never appeared to be intrusive.  Kudos to all the public employees, especially those working in law enforcement, who were pleasant to the public and helped make getting to and from this event so seamless.

Upon reflection, this event was an enlightening experience. Hopefully, the worldwide broadcast had a similar effect on the audience with a message of love, kindness and appreciation.  I am still a bit mystified by how the general public held Michael Jackson so accountable for his actions and choices during his life, especially considering that there are countless celebrities who are not being held to some of those moral standards.  Given his continuous commitment to the entertainment industry and to making a positive difference in society, it’s so much easier to take an honest look at what he brought to the world and to have compassion for the pressures he must have faced by attaining superstar status at a very young age and maintaining that for so many years.  I can’t imagine what it must have been like to know him personally or what it would feel like to have that level of fame.  But, I certainly respect and admire Mr. Jackson for the impact he had on so many people, bringing them joy and inspiration just by sharing his talents with the world.

John Stamos kept this fundraising event for the X Repertory Theatre lively, by asking his own questions to his fellow panelists and keeping the mood light, as they discussed the challenges of Hollywood and how actors can have effective partnerships with their “behind-the-scenes” team.  Each panelist gave the audience advice, based their experience within the industry, giving us all a well-rounded overall perspective of the elements frequently responsible for the success of a project and an actor’s possible subsequent success.

“ When you represent someone it’s like an asexual marriage…it requires the elements of any good relationship”, said Talent Agent Brandt Joel.  Manager Danny Sussman stressed the importance of a positive approach to the industry and that with any team effort “somebody’s success is everybody’s success” he said.  Producer Neil Meron encouraged people to have resilience by saying “sometimes ‘no’ means keep coming back”.  And, Director Andrew Bernstein discussed the faster pace of current production and how important it is for actors to be performance ready during the audition process.

At the conclusion of the discussion, John Stamos encouraged all of the actors in the audience to participate in the upcoming events and theatre shows at the X Repertory Theatre to keep their skills sharp and increase their exposure in the local community.  Afterward, all of the panelists were approachable and mingled among the guests during the reception and the silent auction.

On June 19th, Choreography Media Honors in association with Dance Camera West presented the Choreography, Collaboration and Cocktails event with Choreographer - Marguerite Derricks,
Director - Matthew Diamond, Choreographer - Tyce Diorio, Choreographers - Tabitha D’Umo and Napoleon D’Umo, Choreographer - Daniel Ezralow, Production Designer - Mark Hofeling, Choreographer - Charles Klapow, Producer - John Palermo, and Producer - Barry Rosenbush.

Teresa Taylor, one of the Executive Producers at Choreography Media Honors, invited me to this wonderful event. At the beginning of my career, Teresa was my dance agent and her dedication and encouragement had a great deal to do with my choice to stay in the industry when I was learning about the business. Years passed and both of us went on different paths, but to my delight, we reconnected at the “TV Moves” event last July, which she produced for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  Over all these years, Teresa has been devoted to promoting dance in the media and her enthusiasm for dance and performers is contagious.  By helping numerous dancers, choreographers and directors navigate and maintain their careers during the past 20 years; she’s built some amazing relationships with gifted artists.  As a producer, she continues to contribute enormously to the dance community by finding ways to bring many types of these visionaries together to collaborate and create inspiring projects.

Instead of an award presentation, a panel discussion was held about how dance affects our society, the collaborative process involved in producing events with choreography and how the use of media can help to continue the art form.  Many of the panelists talked about how they were first inspired by watching dance performed on television, which originally made them want to learn to dance. Over the course of their careers, each one of these panelists have made major contributions to programs and continue to have an active influence on today’s television audience.

“So You Think You Can Dance“, is actually classified as a game show, so the creative team of Matthew Diamond, Tyce Diorio, Tabitha D’Umo and Napoleon D’Umo talked about the rules and regulations they are required to follow.  One of the many challenges is the short amount of time that they are allowed with the contestants for the rehearsals and performances.  On the same note, Marguerite Derricks and John Palermo credited Hugh Jackman’s ability as a performer to bring their collaborative idea to life at “The 81st Annual Academy Awards”, since they also had time limitations for rehearsals and production.  Barry Rosenbush, Mark Hofeling and Charles Klapow face a different set of challenges by creating “High School Musical”, which has specific production design needs in order to showcase the choreography and protect the performers in the process. Daniel Ezralow also talked about incorporating the way a performance is captured into the choreography design on a project.

All of the professionals on the discussion panel have an incredible understanding of the technical aspects production and their creative styles keep performances engaging, so viewers can be captivated by a performance as if it were a live show.  As television becomes more progressive, these artists are the pushing the boundaries to keep the dance community growing, so it can evolve and continue to thrive within our society.  Thanks to them, dance can keep inspiring people to become performers, like it did for me.

My good friend Troy Burgess is currently starring in “Ring of Fire,” at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Creators Richard Maltby and William Meade skillfully used 35 of Johnny Cash’s songs, relying on song lyrics combined with a few narratives, to give us a glimpse into Cash’s life and his journey.

When I met Troy in 1989, he was already known as a triple threat performer, acting, dancing and singing for a living.  In this show, he really shines by playing guitar as well. Although I’m typically not a fan of Country music, Cash’s songs, with their hints of his gospel roots and wry storytelling style, coupled with the enthusiasm of this multi-talented cast made the show feel more like a live review than a musical. To me, the most impressive numbers were songs like “I’ve been Everywhere”, when the entire cast sings and also play acoustic guitars as they perform.

The show also stars Michelle Duffy, Jason Edwards, Christa Jackson, Brantley Kearns, Jeff Lisenby, John W. Marshall, Tom Mason, Brest Moyer, and Mark San Filippo. “Ring of Fire,” is at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, until June 21st.

David Ackert was kind enough to allow me to be a guest in his “The Working Actor” course at UCLA Extension. The panel discussions that David hosts, with professionals who are well recognized in the entertainment industry, give actors the opportunity to hear directly from people who have extensive work experience.  Panelists were:  Brian Altounian, Todd Justice, Vahan Moosekian, Randy Vasquez, and Gary Zuckerbrod.

David asked the panelists a series of questions, giving them an opportunity to share their background, knowledge of the business and insights with the class.  “Understand what you are getting into”, said Todd Justice, when he gave us some staggering statistics citing the number of actors submitted online for some recent television roles.  Although the number was high and those odds might make some individuals uncomfortable, Brian Altounian reassured us that producers, directors and casting directors are usually rooting for the actor when they audition them for a role.  To better explain that idea, he used the analogy of when people go to watch a stand-up comedian, where audience members are really hoping that the performer can entertain them and want to see the performer succeed.

I was particularly impressed with the consistent reminders from the panelists to remember the   professionalism required to attain and maintain success. Gary Zuckerbrod had 3 tips -  1) Acting is an artistic craft and performers need to constantly renew their craft. 2) When you audition it’s a job interview, so be prepared, assess a room and adjust accordingly.  3) Make sure to do your homework to know the series and the tone of the show.  Vahan Moosekian added “show your point of view in your reading, really bring yourself to the role and be creative in your interpretation”.  It’s also important to network and be creative to keep working, so Randy Vasquez has expanded his career by producing his own projects, which is something that David Ackert does as well.

David’s “The Working Actor” will be co-taught with casting director Pam Dixon this fall at UCLA Extension.  Classes are on Mondays at 7pm starting September 21st, 2009.

Stuart W. Howard and I met when I had the pleasure of working with him on “Days of Our Lives”.  He’s currently performing as “Captain Keller” in “The Miracle Worker” at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica, so I headed over to catch him in action.

“The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson, explores the relationship between Helen Keller and her sign language teacher, Anne Sullivan.  Based on Keller’s autobiography and Sullivan’s letters, the story depicts some of the challenges these two women faced and were able to overcome, giving hope and inspiration to generations of individuals dealing with disabilities.  The play also reveals the intense and sometimes profound effect that coping with a special-needs individual can create for the family and the primary caregivers.

Stuart’s portrayal of “Captain Keller” embodied the deep emotional conflicts that any parent would face, trying to balance the love of his family with the moral standards of society during the 1800’s.  The entire cast gave rich, captivating performances, incorporating the physical outbursts and emotional metamorphosis of their respective characters, making each one of them interesting to watch.

“The Miracle Worker” is running until June 28th.  For the frugal theatergoer, discount tickets can be purchased through Goldstar, Plays411.  The Edgemar also has tickets available on their website.