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.

Tags: Acting, Dance, physical training

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Governors Kate Linder and David Michaels along with the Daytime Programming Peer Group Executive Committee hosted a cocktail reception honoring the nominees for the 36th Daytime Emmy Awards and the nominees for Outstanding Animation for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.

The event took place at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre, which had been transformed into a comfortable indoor/outdoor summer-themed lounge area. Traditionally, the Daytime celebration and Primetime Animation party are separate, but I loved that they combined the event.  It was great to see familiar faces and friends who are still working in Daytime on both “Days of Our Lives” and “The Young and The Restless“, not to mention all the wonderful cast and crew members from “Robot Chicken” and other friends in the Animation peer group that attended.  Congratulations and good luck to David Millbern, it’s his first nomination as one of the producers on  “The Ribbon of Hope Celebration“, which was nominated in the Outstanding Special Class Special category.

The Daytime Emmy Awards will air on the CW network on August 30^th.  The Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Sunday, September 20^th, on CBS.

Tags: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, ATAS / TV Academy Events

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hosted the 4th All-Academy Mixer, celebrating the Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Downtown Los Angeles.

Costume design from: “Castle“, “Coco Chanel“, “Dancing with the Stars“, “Ghost Whisperer“, “Grey Gardens“, “John Adams“, “The L Word“, “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency“, “Project Runway“, “Sense & Sensibility“, “The Tudors“, “United States of Tara” and “Without a Trace“.

Costume design is one of the main visual components that can make a big impact on the overall essence of the characters being depicted in any production. By adding colors and textures to the wardrobe elements, costume designers can make choices that set the tone to establish both a timeline and emotional tone of any scene, enabling the audience to be captivated by engaging characters in suspended reality when watching television, movies and even stage performances.

Of the costumes on display, some were from the collections of the nominees for this year’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Costume Design.  Jo Katsaras and Zureta Schulz, were featured for their work on “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”, as well as Joan Bergin and Susan O’Connor Cave, for their work on “The Tudors” since they are all nominees for Outstanding Costumes for a Series.  Nominated for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Catherine Marie Thomas and Mickey Carleton had work on display from HBO’s “Grey Gardens”.   Donna Zakowska and Amy Andrew Harrell, Emmy winners for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special from 2008, had costumes from HBO’s “John Adams” still on display.

I’m a detail-oriented person, so I loved being able to see the incredible handwork on some of the costumes, many of which had embellishments like beading or special notions and trim.  It was also really interesting to read about how each designer approached the theme of the show that they worked on and incorporated those ideas into their designs, which was noted on some of the displays.  For example, the designers from “Gossip Girl” had the opportunity to create designs for an episode that had a fashion show scripted, in which they featured their own originals.  And the highlight for me was being able to attend this event with my favorite young, up and coming designer, Alexandra Yeaggy.

The 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards will take place on Saturday, September 12^th at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, Los Angeles.  The show will be broadcast on E! Networks on Friday, September 18, at 1:00 pm, so tune in to see this year’s winners.  Highlights of the costumes from the 14 different shows can be seen in the online gallery.

Tags: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Alex Yeaggy, Fashion

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.

Tags: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Family Guy

Congratulations to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who has recently been nominated again for an Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for portraying “Christine Campbell” in “The New Adventures of Old Christine“.

This SAG Foundation Event screened two episodes of the show - “Rage Against The Christine” and “Everybody Loves Christine, Except Richie” and was followed by an interview with Julia by event moderator / writer Jenelle Riley.   After the episodes were screened, Julia Louis-Dreyfus talked about the progression of her career from her start at Northwestern University, which led her to booking a contract role on “Saturday Night Live“.

Later, when Julia talked about creating the character of “Elaine” on “Seinfeld“, her advice to actors about the creation process was to “look for business between the lines”, she said.  She also described comedic timing as being similar to the rhythm that one might hear in music, to help explain how it can feel organic for some actors to relate to those types of characters when they read material in a script.  What I enjoy the most about Julia’s acting work is her knack for physical comedy, coupled with the ability to retain the likeability of the slightly flawed characters she often portrays.

Tags: Acting, SAG Foundation Events

This panel discussion included casting directors Matt Huffman, Donna Morong, Rick Pagano and Gary Zuckerbrod.  The discussion was moderated by actor Michael Bofshever who asked the panelists to share their experiences and perspectives to give actors an insight into the overall casting process, along with tips on how to make the best of the audition process and maintain a professional attitude towards continuing to promote an active acting career.

Casting director Rick Pagano considers Los Angeles to be like “The Olympics of Acting”, where the best actors come to showcase themselves.  He had a wonderful tip on how to keep a positive attitude when going into auditions, suggesting that an actor walk into an audition as if they were the host of the party.  “Leave the room quickly, leave the building slowly”, said Rick, just in case the Producers or Director might decide to invite the performer back into the room again.

Matt Huffman finds that being involved in theatre and with other performers can help to make an actor familiar with current projects and the people who are working on them.  He’s a member of The Actors Gang Theatre Group as both an actor and director and considers it a valuable resource for casting his independent and internet based projects.  Matt also spoke about the benefits of being willing to take a lesser part and how doing a good job can sometimes lead to more acting work.  In “Letters to Iwo Jima” when Matt stepped in to assist with casting, he said there were several actors who had accepted background parts that were later upgraded on the set as they were casting characters with dialogue.

As for when actors audition for an episodic, “on an established show, it’s important to know the show”, said Gary Zuckerbrod.  With current technology, episodes of all kinds of shows are usually available to view online through either the network website or other resources when the show is not currently airing. Using available technology can help actors stay educated and aware of current trends in casting too.  Gary suggested that actors try to gain access to as much information about the show and the character they are reading for, prior to the audition, by reading the sides for other characters in an effort to get a better idea of the full script.

Donna Morong admitted that she doesn’t heavily rely on current technology to find new talent, but she accepts postcard submissions or good reviews for consideration, to be able to discover new talent and keep up with the actors that she’s auditioned.  Her perspective, along with supporting comments from the other panelists throughout the evening, was a great reminder that success in the entertainment industry comes down to maintaining professional relationships over time in order to sustain a long-term career.

For more details about the event and each panelist, see: SAG Foundation Casting Director Event

Tags: Acting, Screen Actors Guild Foundation

TV Moves! 2 Live, was an event hosted by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences celebrating dance and choreography featured on television.  The evening was a combination (no pun intended) of a panel discussion with notable choreographers, plus dance performances from current television show dancers as well as local dance company members.

Panelists included: Debbie Allen, Mark Ballas, Steve Binder, Cheryl Burke, Tony Charmoli, Dante Di Loreto, Tyce Diorio, RJ Durell, Mitzi Gaynor, Robert Iscove, Nigel Lythgoe, Joe Malone, Barry Rosenbush, Howard Schwartz, Shane Sparks, Fred Tallaksen, Zach Woodlee with panel moderator Daniel Ezralow.

Whenever I attend any event featuring dancers and choreographers, I always feel fortunate to reconnect with performers that I worked with at the very start of my career.  Although I no longer work as a professional dancer, keeping movement and being physically connected to performing remains a part of my soul.  Joe Malone was one of the panelists at this event that was dance teacher/ choreographer whom I studied with in the early 1990’s, whenever I could fit in a class between auditioning or being on tour.  What I remember the most about his style and technique was his wonderful ability to explain the accents in a piece of music and how important those accents can be when a dancer is learning choreography.  Joey has always been kind to performers that are “actors who can dance” and taught me a lot of valuable lessons on how to be a better dancer, by helping me to understand how to breakdown a routine enough to concentrate on the details that would matter ~ a skill that helped me book quite a few dance jobs at that time.  It was great to see that he’s still very active in the dance community and still working in television as a choreographer.

During the evening, we were treated to dance performances from: FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, Choreographer Mandy Moore, Amrapali Ambegaokar - Solo Silver Medal NBC’s Superstars of Dance, Choreographer Kristin Denehy, HBO’s “Entourage”, The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, EDGE Performing Arts Scholarship Students and a special performance by the Groovaloos, Grand Champions of NBC’s SuperStars of Dance.  All of the dance performances were unique and entertaining, each one incorporating different styles of music and dance, so it would be challenging to choose one as a favorite. For a more in depth article about the event, please see the article on the TV Academy website.

Tags: ATAS / TV Academy Events, Choreographers, Dance

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.

Tags: Michael Jackson Public Memorial, Michael Jackson Tribute, Staples Center