Absolutely Professional Criminals - Bank Job Review

My friend Jon and I decided to go to a movie recently, and when faced with the crossroads between Horton Hears a Who and The Bank Job, we flipped a coin, and I lost. Jon had to practically drag me into the theatre where we sat down and watched the retelling of a real bank robbing conspiracy that happened overseas back in the 70's. ... We should have seen Horton.

Hahaha, just kidding! We collectively decided on what movie to see, and it was a very enjoyable movie indeed.

The story is about a group of friends, one of which is in an insane amount of debt, that are given the proposal to rob a bank. What bank, when, and how are pretty much all planned out for them, and they would just have to execute it. They agree.

A higher power is secretly behind the bank robbery, and they want to incriminate a man named Michael X, who won't be punished by law as long as a few sexual pictures of a member of the royal family are in his safe deposit box, but they don't want the blood to be on their hands. Many people in the city have done horrible/illegal things as well, and their secrets are also hidden in deposit boxes, and with their power, money, and immorality, they would stop at nothing to make sure their secrets are kept safe.

So, while these boys think this could be an easy chance at a clean getaway with a shitload of valuables, they soon find out that they were sorely mistaken.

I thought this movie was great. It had plenty of action and suspense, as well as wit, and it created for a very well executed adventure. Character development is also spectacular, and you soon grow to care about all robbers involved, and their loved ones. I've seen many movies where I don't give a crap about characters, and it leaves their story to be really unsatisfying, but this movie is the complete opposite. Now, it's not a drama where you're going to cry and have a real life lesson to walk out with, but you still get attached to the characters and it helps amplify the suspense and your wanting them to get out of the situation alive.

The only real critique I would have, and it might just be because I get confused every now and then, but there were SO many storylines that sometimes the movie was hard to follow. Things happen so quickly, that I didn't understand what was happening with certain events/characters, or who was associated with who, until towards the end of the movie. But, at the same time, that makes for a great replay value!

All in all, I really enjoyed the movie, and wouldn't be opposed to seeing it in the theatre again - to get a better understanding of the subplots and to see it from the perspective that you get when you know what's going to happen. I would definitely recommend this movie to those who like action/suspense movies that rely more on suspense and characters than car races/fighting.

I still want to see Horton though...


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Lazy Workouts Meet Bingo

Friday and Saturday (and today [Sunday] for that matter) have been very lazy. The only thing I have truly done these days, other than sitting around/watching tv/looking around Youtube, was working out.

I have free weights that I LOVE... they're the kind that have big screws on the end, so that you can change the weights anywhere from just the metal bars to an extra 15 pounds. Currently I'm working slow and starting with 5 pounds and I'll go up to 10 from there and then 15 when I'm ready...

Youtube is a GREAT place for learning how to do things... I found out three different styles of bicep curl, and I have also found out how to do a proper bench press with free weights. I just use my piano bench, and I'm able to do bench presses without having to go to the gym/pay for a membership. On top of doing all of these things, I also do lateral lifts to work my upper back/shoulders.

Every now and then I'll do crunches, but I only do the ones that involve movement with the legs, as I don't want to hurt my back on the hard floor... I put my legs together and point my toes, and while propping my upper body to a small degree with my arms, I raise both of my legs to a 90 degree angle with the floor. Then, I lower them to about an inch above the ground and repeat - I don't touch the ground, and it gives you a great workout on your lower abs... they're super hard to do in the beginning.

I also bike on the stationary bicycle downstairs. I went for 50 minutes on Friday and burned 575 calories. It's just fun.

Well, I was pretty much doing NOTHING apart from this, until last night when I went to Cosmic Bingo at Mystic Lake Casino with some friends. I have never gone to an actual bingo hall before, and I had a lot of fun. I'm just glad I worked out my arms, otherwise all that blotting could have caused sore triceps the next day, I tells ya!!!

NUTS and nuts!!

Later in this entry I'll go over the ANTM episode from 3/26... but first...

I had another audition today (Thursday 3/27)... this time it was for representation by a talent agency here in the Twin Cities. As I have talked about previously, I quit my job about a month ago and decided to use this time as the perfect opportunity to pursue my acting career - INCLUDING expanding my repertoire from solely stage to the camera.

There are some great Talent Agencies in the cities here, one being NUTS, ltd. Talent agencies are companies that corporations will contact when they need actors for commercials/short films/industrials/voice-over work, etc. In order for the talent agency to send you out to the corporation to act in the job, they must first represent you and know you're capable of performing the job required.

My audition on Thursday included sitting down with 4 other hopefuls to get to know the company, and then going into another room for separate auditions where we read scripts into a video camera as they recorded you. The 5 of us were only 1 half hour worth of hopefuls... they had two full days of back to back sessions like this... so it's very competitive. I felt that I read my Target Industrial and LeannChins commercial very well, and now I just have to wait to receive either the "happy letter" or the "sad letter". Cross your fingers!

--------------------

In other news... one of my theories about ANTM were proven correct this week, and one was proven incorrect.

It's true that the girl whose past and personal life they focus on the most during the show is the one who gets the boot that episode...

It's false however that Aimee will be the winner of this season.

Just to keep this blog somewhat short...

The winner of the episode was Whitney who was great at "Pain Posing" (posing as if a part of your body is in pain) and delivered a wonderful Grunge music-inspired photo.













My favorite of the episode was actually Anya though - who not only won a private photo shoot with Nigel Barker himself, where she posed nude on a bed (scandalous!!!) but she also had my favorite photo of the week. It has so many wonderful angles, and there's just so much going on in the picture that all blends well together, that I have to call it my favorite.




Claire was second to last this week. She really got into a lot of catfights with Dominique this week... and when it came to really showing off her stuff, she fell flat. Her country music photo shoot just didn't work out... I HATED that skirt...









But it wasn't as bad as Aimee's R&B photo. From the very beginning of the episode I knew that Aimee was going home. There was nothing that she did in the house this episode that would cause her to be focused on... yet they shared her story anyway... it was a dead giveaway that she was going... In the end, she took some amazing and not-so-amazing photos, and she really didn't have that wow factor... and the Judges said goodbye...


Two of my top picks are still left - and actually did great this week. Anya and Whitney are doing great. Let's just hope that I don't jinx them too... as it seems when I start liking something it goes down the toilet, lol. We'll see, we'll see!

Tues/Wed Fandubs Galore!

Tuesday and Wednesday of last week (3/25 and 3/26) were filled with me making Fandubs. As I explained what Fandubs are in my blog of last Fri/Sat, I won't go into much with this blog. It will mainly be filled with the videos I posted... I'll start with my introduction video to Youtube (which isn't actually a fandub) where I say "HI" to my fellow Youtube Vloggers and give a warning to all those people out there who only want to be mean and put people down - as on Youtube there are quite a few sadly...

I wanted to do an original-cinema black and white soundless theme...

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Second, I decided I would do a fandub from one of my all time favorite movies - Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack's Lament is the first song Jack sings all by himself, and I thought it was an appropriate place to start...

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The third video is my first broadway musical fandub... it's Purpose from the hilarious Avenue Q... this was the first song I ever did Karaoke to... I only wish my high baritone voice wasn't such a "on a good day" thing... it has it's days where it's not that great (this being one of them) but every now and then it just comes out nice and clear.

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The fourth video is actually one that I made only recently, but since this entry is all about fandubs, I thought I would include it anyway - to save blog entry space. It's a fandub from The Lion King, where I sing Scar's song Be Prepared. Oh, bass/mid baritone comes so much easier to me... *sigh*

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And there you go!

To see all of my videos, and any upcoming videos - which I will probably blog about on here periodically anyway - you can always go to youtube.com/user/JalpenoBob to get the latest and most up to date of my posted fandubs! I hope you enjoyed them... these really help me with knowing my voice better and what sounds good. Plus, they're fun to do!

You Eat... FLIES!?

I had a private audition today at the Old Log Theatre for their show of Charlotte's Web.

They were looking for a Wilbur, and while they were asking for age ranges from about 16-18, my friend Tim, who works at the theatre, said that I should audition anyway as I could pull off an 18 year old when clean shaven and hair styled.

My reading went well, and the Director really gave me some good directions on where to go with the script. Overall, he really enjoyed my audition, and he thinks that I could do the part, but he is scared I might be too tall.

...

For once in my life 5'9" is too tall.

He isn't keeping me out of the running though, and he has some more people to see for the role. I made a good impression, and that's really what matters. If I get into the show, that would be AMAZING, but I'm not expecting it... as I'm really not 16-18, lol.

Snow Tubing on Easter... YAY MN!

Sunday was Easter, as everyone knows of course...

I went over to my aunt and uncle's place up in Champlin with my mom and grandpa (on my dad's side) to celebrate Easter. My Aunt Debbie and Uncle Brook have been the closest of any of my aunts/uncles in my family. They have three wonderful and spirited/motivated children, and it's their house that we mainly gather at for the holidays. We also met my Grandma and Grandpa on my mom's side up there as well, along with our family friend Carol, who is a wonderful chef.

My cousin Evan and I are 7 years apart, but he's my closest cousin, and we're great friends. He's a great kid, and a very good/well mannered young man with morals, and is always fun to hang out with - we usually will play video games in the basement, including Guitar Hero, Halo, or Call of Duty.

Dinner was great, and afterwards the cousins and I went to a hill nearby to go snow tubing. At first I wasn't very motivated to go, but once we got there it was filled with laughs and crashing our tubes into snowmen and going over jumps. Overall, it was a good Easter!

I'm Back/One Jump Fandub

It's been SO LONG blogger! Why have I not had motivation lately to blog on center-spot? Well I will tell you! I only have seven entries on my page at any given time, so instead of making a blog about each and every day - as there have been more than 7 days this time - I will simply touch on the most important of these days. Starting with last Friday (3/21) in combination with Saturday (3/22)!

One of the main reasons why I haven't been blogging as much as I could have been, Blogger, is because I've been seeing someone else... Youtube.

Yes, I have become a Youtube fiend, and created my own account with it! Now, before I go too crazy and give you too much information all at once, I'll rewind.

Last Friday I went to my wonderful friend Suzie's house. If you remember, Suzie was a fellow castmate in The Fantasticks - she played the one and only girl in the whole show, and was the wonderful photographer for my behind the stage documentary entry on my old indian make up. We have become good friends outside of the theatre world, and so we hung out and she showed me her 'fandubs' on youtube.

A fandub is just that - a dubbed version of a video made by a fan. Some of them are funny, where people dub their own voices into a movie and make it look like the people are saying new/comedic things, but some of them are simply people dubbing their voices with the regular script. Suzie did the latter, usually doing songs...

She showed me how she dubbed the videos, and knowing that it was with free programs that either came with Windows or can be downloaded off the web, I basically became motivated to create my own fandubs...

The first one I posted on the following day - Saturday. It was a fandub to Aladdin's 'One Jump'. It wasn't that great, BUT it was fun to do, and I can only get better. I look at this as a way for myself to practice voice-overs, and different voices, as well as being able to hear how I sound when I sing... it'll help for me to know what sounds right, and to improve in that area.

Here's the Aladdin Video - like i said, it has some rough spots, BUT that's mainly just because I didn't know the tune completely, and I was trying to be quiet and not disturb the family downstairs - the videos get better :) don't worry :).

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Let's Drink For Amis! One For The Homies!

**Includes ANTM spoilers**

Last night's episode was all about posing, and it FINALLY delivered some awesome headshots for the girls.

Benny Ninja, who has been the ANTM posing expert for the past few cycles, returned again to teach the girl the 3 c's - commercial, couture, and catalogue posing. The girls had a pose-off where Claire won a trip to Bora Bora! The four girls on her team, plus Claire herself, won a bunch of free stuff - bags and guitars...

The photo shoot challenged the girls' posing skills, but in only a small area around their heads. To add some interest they dripped paint all over the girls.

In the end, Stacy Ann, my wild card pick for bottom three, was called first...


It's a great photo, I agree. I just want to see Stacy Ann give a photo where her head isn't cocked to the side like it always seems to be.

Dominique was a surprise this week. She was cocky as ever, but she pulled off a great shot and was called second.

The judges were wowed by her soft look in this photo. They didn't think she could pull it off, but she did!

One of my favorites of the week was Lauren's photo - who was called 5th, after Claire and Anya.

Another favorite was Aimee's shot, who was 6th in line.

I LOVE her eyes in this photo, I think they're wonderful, and I love how it looks like the earring is weighing her head down. The colors aren't my favorite mix though. The judges gave some critique of Aimee - saying that she was a chameleon in her shots. They said it was a good thing, but to a point - my thought is that if you can mold yourself to almost anything and make it look good, and your portfolio shows that, then who's to worry that you'll suck if they hire you? *shrugs*

The bottom four boiled down to Katarzyna, Fatima, Whitney, and Marvita. I personally thought Fatima should go home. I did NOT like her picture, although it did strike up some pretty comedic talk from the judges about shaving your armpits...
However, after Katarzyna, Fatima was called - leaving Whitney and Marvita in the bottom two. Both of the girls' passion in being in the competition was challenged this week - they weren't sure if either of them really wanted this... In the end, they could see passion in Whitney's photo, and none in Marvita's.
I did not like whitney's photo... and there was almost no paint compared to some of the other girls shots... but it was better than this one...

As Paulina said during panel - it looks like an orphan modeling. She just doesn't look like she's putting any effort into this. She looks bored, she looks defeated, she doesn't look like she's trying. I did NOT expect Marvita to go home up until today's episode, but this just shows how, at this point in the competition, it's anyone's game.

One theory that has been proven with this show - watch for the girl who tells her backstory in the episode. The girl who you get to know the most in an episode, who is usually one of the first girls to have a clip in the show, is almost always the one who goes home. Marvita talked so much about her life in this show - from the very beginning I could tell she was gone... I wonder who it will be next episode?

Shit, Or Get Off The Pot - Right?

NESS CITY, Kansas (AP) -- A man whose girlfriend authorities say spent nearly two years in a bathroom in their house, sitting on the toilet so long that the seat adhered to her body, has been charged with mistreatment of a dependent adult.

Kory McFarren, 37, was charged Monday in Ness County District Court.

McFarren called the Ness County Sheriff's Office in late February to say something was wrong with his girlfriend. When authorities arrived at the home, they found Pam Babcock, 35, stuck to the toilet, which they think she had sat on for about a month.

McFarren told authorities that Babcock feared leaving the bathroom and may not have left it in two years, although said he was unsure how long she was in there. He said that he took her food and water daily, and that he repeatedly asked her to come out but that she usually replied "maybe tomorrow."

"The only thing I am guilty of is I didn't get her help sooner," McFarren told The Associated Press nearly a week ago.

Ness County Attorney Craig Crosswhite said the mistreatment charge most closely fit the situation.

"I looked at the statutes and spoke to the attorney general's office," he said. "This was a very unusual set of circumstances, and this is the law that most closely applied to the situation."

Authorities said Babcock sat on the toilet so long that open sores developed and caused her to become attached to the seat. Sheriff Bryan Whipple has said that he used a pry bar to remove the seat from the toilet, and that the woman was taken to the hospital with the seat still attached.

"She would have to be sleeping on the toilet," Whipple said.

Doctors at a Wichita, Kansas, hospital where Babcock was taken told McFarren that an infection in her legs had damaged her nerves and could leave her in a wheelchair. She was still at the hospital Wednesday night.

McFarren's first court appearance will be in April, Crosswhite said.

How Do I Know That I Love It? - Enchanted Review

I never saw it in the theatres, but when the movie Enchanted came out on DVD today I just knew I had to buy it. Many of my friends had said it was a wonderful movie that was very reminiscent of the old-school Disney that we grew up loving. It was true.

Enchanted introduces a new "princess" - Giselle (Amy Adams) - a happy go lucky, animal loving girl who just can't wait for her true love's kiss. It was about time for another red-haired "princess", I say! Now, Giselle isn't a princess yet - but she will be once she marries her husband-to-be Prince Edward (James Marsden). The Prince has an evil stepmother, Narissa (Susan Sarandon) who is Queen of their fairyland kingdom, and if Edward marries, then she will eventually be replaced by a new Queen, so she sabotages her stepson's marriage by pushing Giselle down a bottomless fountain that is actually a portal to the real world.

Not only is it a very cute movie, that's well made and even has wonderful new music, but it has a new comedic twist that's new to the Disney realm. It makes fun of the entire Disney genre - joking about how life would be like if these fantasy stories were actually real. Once the cartoon characters, and even animals, cross over into the real world, they act no different. They're still extremely happy-go-lucky, melodramatic, and very clueless about the human world - very 3rd rock from the sun.

There are cinderella-esque animals who help make things and clean the house, poison apples and ugly-ass hunchback hags a la Snow White, A Sleeping Beauty inspired Queen who even has the power to turn into a fierce black dragon , a boat ride reminiscent of the Kiss The Girl scene in Little Mermaid, a ball such as the one the Beast threw for Belle, and even an Italian Dinner that matches the romance in Lady and the Tramp.

It has a great cast - including Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey and Wicked/RENT's Idina Menzel added to the list a few paragraphs prior. The plot is very cute and comical, and it has an ending that I personally wasn't expecting when I first started watching the movie, but loved all the same.

Overall, if you want to spend a good hour and a half smiling someday, and feeling the same joy you did from the original Disney musicals when you were a child, then watch Enchanted. I am very glad I own the movie, and will definitely be watching it again soon - it's so cute! It might just become my sad-day movie to raise my spirits, as it certainly would do the trick.

SO GOOD!

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Go Away, Come Again Next Winter!

The sun has been shining, the snow has been melting, the grass has been showing...

Then I wake up this morning and all the branches out of my window are white... the ground is white... the roofs of every house are white... the top of my car is white...

ARG!

It's not that cold out, so hopefully it will melt within a day or two, but I'm ready for spring. I'm ready for this cold season to end and for it to be shorts and t-shirt wearing weather!

Snow is falling even as I type this... big, chunky snow.

He's Mr white Christmas,
He's Mr Snow,
He's Mr icicle,
He's Mr ten below.

Go away Snow Miser! Go away!

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DoML - Chapter 9

I spent a lot of time today finishing Chapter 9 in my book, and it's one of my favorite chapters so far!

It's fun how ideas in the plot line will just pop into your head when you sit down and force yourself to write. It seems I can't just wait for inspiration to come, but I have to kind of squeeze it out, like toothpaste!

I've incorporated a new character in my book, who first appears in Chapter 9, named Pierre Peintre. He's an artist, like those that you find scattered around Paris with their artwork displayed behind them as they paint a new masterpiece, and he plays an integral part in the storyline of the two poodles, Didier and Colette.

The chapter had started out as just a way to break the monotony of Maddi's boring and miserly lifestyle. I had already created the poodle characters in the first chapter of the book, and they had made a cameo in the third chapter as well, but now they get their own side plot-line, which will somewhat tie together with Maddi's story in the end.

I had had difficulties making Chapter 9 interesting, but then, as I was squeezing out the ideas, Pierre came to mind. What was supposed to be just a fun and silly chapter (the comic relief of the book, if you will) actually became a serious chapter that included both sides of the lucky/unlucky dichotomy and incorporates that kind of a bittersweet feeling that is popular throughout a majority of the book. I think the new layer creates interest though, and will compel readers to continue on.

Here's an excerpt!

"As they were crossing the bridge, Colette ran ahead of Didier a little ways, stopped, got into a pouncing position, and motioned with her head for him to follow just before dashing away. Didier took this invitation to a race with pleasure and ran after her.

He had dated many a pooch who had just wanted to lie around and look pretty in their new puppy couture; the spoiled brats that they were, but Colette was different. She liked to flirt and have fun with him. What could he have done in the past to deserve such a perfect mate?

They flew down Avenue Rapp. Didier was closing in on Colette. He pulled up beside his gal's left, and was almost nose to nose with her, when she took a quick right down Avenue Franco-Russe.

Didier was quick to recover from the unexpected turn, but Colette had already put two houses’ length in between them. A block ahead the road bent to the right, and one block further it came to an end at the Rue De L’Universite. Colette took a left at the intersection, with Didier trailing close behind.

The Eiffel Tower greeted them just a couple blocks ahead."

- excerpt from The Downfall of Maddi Lavare, Chapter 9 by Robbie McNamee

Hair Cut!!

My ears have been lowered!

I almost went with the dragon cut, shown to the left... but at last second I decided against it...

No, in all reality, my salon wouldn't even consider that as an option - or maybe they will?

I go to a wonderful place called Level Salon where I get my hair cut by a great guy named Jeffrey McMoore.

I've been going there for about the past 6 months, and it's wonderful. It's downtown Minneapolis, on Washington Ave S directly across from the Guthrie Theatre. It has free parking (free parking downtown!?!? You're insane! Oh, but I'm not!) Plus, they offer you beverages while you wait! Not to mention it has pictures of the wonderful Audrey Hepburn, Gene Kelley, and Cyd Charisse on the wall! It's a cute place... I like it!

There wasn't really anything else that I did today, so I thought I'd give Level a nice little plug in my blog.

Yay for haircuts!

Remember, Sunshine Can Be Found!

If your sweetheart sends a letter of goodbye,
it's no secret you'll feel better if you cry.
When waking from a bad dream,
don't you sometimes think it's real?
But it's only false emotion that you feel!

If your heartache seems to hang around too long,
and your blues keep getting bluer with each song,
remember sunshine can be found behind the cloudy sky
So, let your hair down, and go on and cry.

***

Alas, I didn't get into Forever Plaid, and I found out last night when the actor who played Sid in the Pajama Game had to drop our show (so he could be in Forever Plaid).

It's kind of bitter sweet, but in the end I'm very happy about their decision. Everyone at the callbacks did really well, and it was ultimately fair game - plus, I was competing with very talented equity actors and I stayed neck and neck with them the whole way until the end. There's something to say in that.

Plus, the show that's performing at The Old Log is doing very poorly in sales, so they're ending it early, and starting rehearsals for Forever Plaid in less than 2 weeks. They start the show in less than 3 - hence why our Sid had to drop Pajama Game. So, I would have had a difficult time if I had been cast anyway - going so quickly, becoming equity in only a matter of days without much time to let it sink in... it would have been crazy.

On top of it all, the theatre saw me, and they liked me. You never know what could happen in the future!

I can't wait to go see it though :)

Such a beautiful song... What's up with the heil/bow at the end? Fishy...

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It's An Anchor, Because I'm A Real Sailor!

Don't read further if you don't want to be spoiled... mwahaha

**ANTM spoilers from last night's episode***

Well, it was Fatima and Amis in the bottom two last night on ANTM. I honestly need to stop picking favorites, because they never stay very long. It was an interesting night where my picks are concerned.

The mid-episode challenge was a runway show, in which Katarzyna won an editorial shoot for Lot 27 in Seventeen Magazine. She took Amis and Marvita with her, and they got to do a photo shoot WITH Cycle 8's winner, Jaslene.

Then, the photo shoot came, and the girls had to wear meat - big slabs of meat as their outfits, and they pretty much just posed in a meat house.

Remember back when, before the show started, and I thought Anya would do well, well, she's boring the crap out of me, but she's doing well... she got called first this week with this picture:


It's a great shot, the body angles are great, and she stands out among all the dead animals.

Lauren, one of my picks for bottom three this week, actually got called halfway down the line up. She had taken such an amazing photo this week, that even though she looked like a nervous wreck on the runway, she got to stay. I do agree though that her photo this week was awesome.


She even said that she was trying to embody Leather Face from Chainsaw Massacre. It completely worked for her.

Aimee, the girl that I announced was my post-episode 1 pick to win, was in the bottom three tonight instead. She took a bad picture...


You can tell that she had some serious problems with her meat top. She just did not feel comfortable, and it showed.

I honestly need to stop picking top people, because everytime I do, they plummet to the bottom - all except for Anya, I guess, and Whitney. But I can't just pick everyone in the book, that's not fair. SO, I'll pick a top three - Anya, Whitney, Aimee. That should keep me safe - and I won't BUDGE from it at all.

Plus, Whitney took my personal favorite of the night:


I love the face, and come on - she's rockin that meat underwear.

Fatima took this shot:

And while she took a bad picture, and even showed the judges her bad attitude, she won over Amis...


And Amis was sent packing. I can't say I disagree with the judges pick. I mean, I loved Amis and all, but her performance just wasn't there, and she didn't seem serious about getting any better. She skipped at the runway challenge, and she just didn't seem all that focused at the shoot either. Her inability to 'bring it' sunk her to the bottom, just like her self made anchor tattoo. She will be greatly missed.

My bottom picks for next week - the posing week - will be Fatima, Katarzyna, and my gut instinct is saying Stacy Ann. We'll see, we'll see!

Muppets Return with Once A Year Day!

We started learning the dance to "Once A Year Day" - another song in The Pajama Game.

First, I almost died from last Friday's Steam Heat rehearsal... now I'm dead. This show is going to take a lot out of me. I don't think I've danced this intensely in any other show I've done with John at BCT.

There's jump roping, gun twirling, acrobatics - none of which I partake in because I just want to have a calming ensemble role this time instead of getting stuck doing quick changes every other scene like Urinetown.

We're rehearsing "Once A Year Day" again tonight... and tomorrow it's reviewing Steam Heat... kill me now!

Oh look! I get to incorporate Muppets again!

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My First Agency!

I had an interview with Susan Wehmann today, founder of Wehmann models and talent. I had been referred to the agency by a good friend of mine when I had expressed to him that I wanted to expand to film.

It was more of an informative meeting for me than it was an interview for them. I walked in, had only the nicest of greetings, and Susan gave me the breakdown. She told me what the industry was like, that when I got called for an audition they would want to see 'the guy next door'; they would want to see 'the normal me just doing an everyday something'. It's a very different style of acting than theatre, but it will help me improve my acting abilities in general, and I'm super excited.

My first task - to get 50 copies of my black and white headshot, and 15 copies of my maroon shirt/hands on hips/smiling headshot.

The company made me feel very welcomed and appreciated, and they seemed just as excited to work with me as I am to work with them.

Hopefully I'll have some gig coming up here soon! Who knows how long it will take.

This is a friend of mine in a commercial that aired a couple years ago... I don't know what agency he uses, but I might be next!

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Forever Plaid Callbacks!

I had Forever Plaid Callbacks today.

We had been given two songs and a monologue during the auditions two weeks ago. We were to learn them and come back ready to sing and read for our callbacks, which were today!

First, we all sang. I was happy to be chosen second to last for this part, as it really helped calm my nerves, having everyone go in before me. I felt like I did a really great job with singing. I had learned my parts very well, and the blending with the three other guys was easy. There was one part that I slipped up on once, but was able to pull myself back into it seconds later with no problem.

Then, we had monologues to read. I went first for this, which was fine. I was more excited to do the monologue than I was to sing, so going first didn't phase me.

I feel like I did close to my best for both parts of the callbacks. There is always room for improvement, but I'm proud of how I did.

Now I can only cross my fingers and hope to get in! I have nothing else to show/prove to the director, it's all in his hands now.

Smash Bros Brawl!

It came out today - Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii!

Back with the N64, Nintendo released a game called Super Smash Bros. where iconic Nintendo characters battled it out in a fighter game. It was well received by gamers like me, and so they made another one for the Gamecube called Super Smash Bros. Melee, which included a lot more characters, a lot more stages, a couple more game modes, and a huge collection of trophies for the player to collect.

Now, the extremely anticipated Super Smash Bros Brawl finally made it out! I, like the dork that I am and am proud to be, reserved a copy, so I picked it up today and started playing. It is definitely the best version so far, and is pretty much endless.

There are 41 stages - not including stages you can build on your own

35 characters to play, including Sonic, Wario, Snake, among many other veteran fighters and newbies.

Hundreds of trophies and stickers to collect

An adventure mode that takes the better part of 10 hours to complete.

Just endless gaming.

So, anyone who wants to venture over and brawl with me, let me know! My Meta Knight will kick your Meta Knight's ass!


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Summer of 42!

I saw the show Summer of '42 at Minneapolis Musical Theatre tonight, as a few of my theatre friends were in it, and I also just wanted to find out what the musical was all about.

My goodness, I have never seen a show that appeared so innocent come across so sexual! There's a song all about rubbers ("different people fill them with different things"), and another about groping breasts at the movies. It was very well done though, and had a lot of humor and fun talent.

It was performed in a small theatre on the second floor of Hennepin Stages, and so it was done without mics. Now, when you add a small band to that mix, it can make it hard to hear the singers. One in particular, the lead male, I could barely hear at all. He didn't project like all the rest, and it drowned out the lyrics and the tune half of the time.

The rest of the cast did great, sang out, and fit their characters well. I enjoyed the show, but I'm not going out to buy the cd or pitch it to a theatre to do in a coming up season though. The cast did great, but sometimes the show itself just lacked, and I hate to say it, but I didn't really care for the ending. It's got that wonderful circular narrative going for it, but just before that, it all turns really awkward.

awkward!

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Cold, No! Hot, Yes! SSSSS Yes! Yes! Yes!

We learned the entire dance of Steam Heat tonight.

I have NEVER felt so dead after a rehearsal, nor hurt so much. I was surprised my feet weren't bleeding nor extremely blistered to say the least.

We do some moves with our hats, as was expected, and it kind of reminded me of the song "One" from A Chorus Line.

So much hat movement!!!

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No Way, Jose!

Who could have guessed the outcome of last night's episode of America's Next Top Model?

"You are the epitome of apple-bottom-ness."
"She's gonna get we-we-weave down down down down!"
"Are you cold?" "No, she's posing"

***Spoilers on last night's ANTM episode***

It started out with everyone getting Apple Bottom jeans, and YET AGAIN I got the Flo Rida song stuck in my head... they didn't get boots with the fur though.

Allison and Fatima went AT it, pretty much saying the other had a huge ass... Allison stuffed a barbie's butt with kleenex to make it huge... and then at the challenge they were cocky but sucked ass. Claire won, yay Claire!

The girls had make overs, and let me tell you - 7 dramatic color changes and 6 weaves among 12 girls? I love it. Not one girl sat around getting nothing done, they all had either some drastic dying, a huge ass weave, or cut super short.

Dominique had the least change, but I think it was NOT in her favor - that girl looks old as it is, and to give her an outdated and aged haircut a la Izabella Scorupco in GoldenEye... that's not going to help.

My two favorite changes were with Claire, LOVE the short blonde hair, and Marvita, that horse mane weave is super awesome!! Anya's makeover picture makes me want to sing "My Heart Will Go On", and Stacy Ann's new cut has transformed her from Dani in cycle 6 to Ambreal in cycle 9.

The photo shoot was on a boat floating just next to the Brooklyn Bridge, and was of the girls with the bridge and New York City as the backdrop.

Lauren was the first called, with an oh-so awkward photo...

This girl, photo-wise, will not be able to do any wrong. Another awkward photo and the judges will eat it up again, and if she was ever to take a photo that looked very high fashion and sexy INSTEAD of awkward, they'll think she has a huge range in front of the camera.

I like the girl, don't get me wrong, and she does have one extreme weakness that won't do well in front of the judges; her runway walk will be her downfall.

My personal favorite shot was Marvita's.


I thought this shot was awesome. Love the hair!! Marvita is going to be such a strong competitor this cycle, but she's gotta watch out about her attitude. She looks fierce and strong in her pictures but they're going to want her to soften up at some point.

In the end, our boring and, come to find this past episode, INSANELY arrogant girl Allison was sent packing.

She bored me from the beginning, and her constant cockiness was extremely off-putting. Allison, in general, was such a fake girl, and I honestly think she didn't care about this show, no matter what she did or said to state otherwise. She pretended to cry but when she took her hands away from her face to hug Tyra there was nothing there. You could almost see her mind saying "when do I get to leave?". I'm glad she's off the show.

I'm honestly scared for my girl Amis. She is honestly my hands down favorite in this show. Her personality is wonderful, and I still can't get over her pre-show video - at cwtv.com/cw-video/america's-next-top-model/short/?play=426-2820.

Everything she did, even lick the side of her mouth, looked model-esque, she's just not shining in the episodes. I will root for her, but I'm scared she's going home very soon. She did move a step up from last week though in the pecking order with this picture.


As I stated last ANTM entry - the girl to watch out for now is Aimee.


I had made a comment to a friend that I was going to expect some red hair in the make-overs, and Aimee was the chosen one! Now, red hair isn't going to make her win, but of all the theories I have about this show, I am confident to say at this moment in time, that Aimee fits everything this season is looking for, and now that I've seen a few episodes, I am willing to place a bet on her for the win.

I hate to say it, but my bottom three pic for next week is Amis, Lauren, and Fatima. Hopefully I'm a little off.

Ready, Camera, ACTION!

'Hi, my name is Robbie McNamee, I'm an actor in the Twin Cities, and I'm seeking Representation.

Attached you will find a couple of headshots by Sara Jayne Photography and my resume.

I consider myself to be a comedic character actor, but I have also done more realistic/serious roles and have enjoyed them all the same.

After taking a film acting workshop a couple years ago and recently performing in a short film for the 48 hour film festival here in Minneapolis, I have recently become interested in expanding my talent to commercials, short films, feature films, indie films, voice overs, and print modeling.

Thank you for your consideration in representing me.'


I have a meeting with Susan Wehmann, of Wehmann models and talent, this coming up Tuesday, and I will be sending in my information to other agencies in the Twin Cities later this week. I honestly am going to pursue my acting career to its potential now that I no longer work in the corporate world... hack, vomit, spew.

Here's the film I did in last summer's 48 hour film fest... it's called Paternoster. It was my first film gig ever, so hush up about the acting - I'm not very good... but I will learn.

Pardon the test at the beginning... it's only a test.

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In The Running

Sitting on one's ass makes one feel like a dead donkey.

So, I bought some new running shoes today at Famous Footware. The Galactic M. They're a wonderful adidas shoe - picture to the right.

Went running for 20 minutes around my neighborhood. Down Stanton, around Atwood, down Chase to McGinty E and back, then Frear to Plymouth and up and around Vicki's 'cul de sac on a hill' and back home.

There will be some major hurtin of the calves tomorrow, not to mention I got a blister - yay for breaking in shoes.

I'm going to start making a habit of it. I'm not fat by any means, but I do want to be in healthier shape. Sitting on my ass is NOT a productive alternative.

As for another 'running' - I'm tired of this election already.

Sitting on one's ass is not how one votes for a donkey.

Such a classic,

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Pajama Game

April 18th-May 17th, 2008

The Pajama Game is the show I'm in, and I'm proud to be in The Pajama Game, I'll love it, I can hardly wait to wake and start the show at 8 (7:30), nothing's quite the same as the Pajama Game!

www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.com or (952) 563-8575 for tickets!

"In the midst of labor troubles at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, where workers’ demands are going unheeded, love brings together Babe, head of the complaint committee, and Sid, the factory superintendent. Members of opposite camps in the dispute, the two are thrown into a roller-coaster of emotions as corruptness is discovered and brought to justice with the help of an efficiency expert and a quick-witted assistant ending in a celebration at Hernando’s Hideaway—“that dark secluded place …where no one knows your face.” The fun includes “Steam Heat,” “Hey There,” and “I’m Not At All in Love.” Score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross."

We started rehearsals today. I'm back in the ensemble, but I'm happy to be, as I'll be dancing and singing, and PLUS I'm one of the few in the Steam Heat number - can't argue with that!

Street Signs

My number is 103. I'm not claiming it as a lucky number, as it hasn't been as lucky as my selfish self would have liked, but it's a significant number nonetheless.

I was born on October 3rd, 1984. I remember for a short time when I was still living in Mound, MN (so three years of age or less, and yes I do still have memories from that age) I was convinced my birthday was October 5th... but after being corrected I embraced the day.

Three used to be my 'lucky number'.

I was driving around in high school, looking for a place to eat near the Minnesota Zoo - as I was going to see a movie at its gigantic imax theatre and I had gotten there extremely early. I took the road just outside of the zoo to the East. If I had known nothing was out there, I wouldn't have taken that direction, but I'm glad I did. The road ended quite a few miles out... it ended at County Road 3 - S Robert Trail.

I practically flipped... my name for my lucky number's county road. It was quite literally a sign.

Once I realized 3 was just WAY too common to be a lucky number, I changed it to 103 - Oct 3.

THEN, a few years ago, as I was driving home from an audition in Coon Rapids, I noticed county road 103... Broadway Avenue. I didn't get in the show... but I have bigger things ahead of me now!

Like I said, it isn't too lucky, but it has helped me learn things about myself. As weird as it sounds, I take confidence from these street signs. Confidence that this is who I am and this is who I'm supposed to be.

Just thought I'd share.

WTF!? - it's got 103, video games, muppets, and 2 girls in 1 cup jokes, maybe I have something to learn from it... the quicksand part towards the end disturbs me greatly :(

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Light of Moon

I retaught myself Clair De Lune this week.

When I was in junior high, I found out that one of my Grandma's favorite songs was Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy. As a boy who had been taking piano lessons, I took this opportunity to learn the song by myself. Now, I'm one of those pianists who can't sight read music. I have to memorize it, which can take a little while, but then I can regurgitate it for the world to hear at any piano I encounter.

Well, I played it for my Grandma and then forgot about it. Everything but the first page and a half had been completely erased over time, until I quit my job. Today I can play the entire thing again. It has definitely become my favorite piece.

It's one of the reasons why Ocean's 11 is one of my all time favorite movies... so amazing.

*sigh*

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