bL.A.h, bL.A.h, bL.A.h, Trip

Bronchitis + New Job + Travel = No blogging. However, I was able to go out to Los Angeles for a couple of auditions plus to have a look around to see if its the kind of place that I could move to for a few years. Verdict= Maybe. Not dying to be out there and in fact, it made Chicago more attractive.

Highlights of Trip:

1.) Flew Delta out to Salt Lake City and then connected on a flight to Los Angeles. I don't know what it is, because I can't remember the last airline I flew out to Salt Lake City, but each time on the back of the seat in front of me was a small Television, where I had my choice of Cable and Network TV Channels along with a good assortment of Movies at $2 a pop. Last time I was this excited about an amenity was when I was 8 and flew for the first time out to Chicago. Tha'ts when I discovered salted almonds. If they would had this TV layout when I was 8, I'd be a pilot right now. Other than that, I hate flying and it seems as if my fear is chronic. Turbulence scares the shit out of me and all I can think of is the 7:49 minute mark into the movie, "Alive". John Madden has the right idea.

2.) My car rental...E-Z Rent-A-Car in LA was pretty solid. I decided to "Go Green" and rent a Prius but when they said they were all out, I decided to go with the Isuzu Axiom SUV. Good choice. A Prius is foo-fooey anway. The only thing that sucks about this E-Z--is trying to find it. You fly in, you'll have to take another shuttle to a place nearby, ask someone when you stop where it is and then, they'll drop you off...maybe close to it. Other than that...strong reccommend. And yes, the previous description is how I found the place.

3.) First celebrity sighting, Reddman , at LAX. It didn't hit me who he was until about 2 or 3 minutes later standing next to him...we were both waiting for cabs or shuttles or a ride or something, but nothing was like coming you know, for real, it took like bowf of us like, you know 10 minutes before we could even sniff a ride, you know what I'm say'n?! I finally just said, "Fuck it", and hopped on a Hertz Shuttle.

4.) Stayed with my friend Joe who works for Current TV ...heard a couple of good stories from him. He helps produce a lot of interviews with actors, musicians and comedians. 1.) After they finished interviewing Jared Leto, the entire crew surmised that his actual age must be really around 13 or 14, 2.) Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, were some of nicest, most professional and not mention funniest guys he's ever met. 3.) If you are backstage at a Tool concert or anywhere close to Tool, within an earshot, do not look at them. I repeat. Do not look at them. HEY! DID YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!?! DO NOT FUCKING LOOK AT TOOL.

5.) First morning that I had some time to myself, I checked Wilford Brimley's blood pressure. 120/80, remarkable.

6.) Auditioned for "The Groundlings" class conservatory. If you are in LA, it might be something fun to do if its going on that day. Go to their website and where they post a schedule. If you move to LA and plan to take classes with them you have to audition. If you pass, its good for a year before you have to re-audition. If you don't pass, you have to wait 6 months. The audition consists of about 45-50 minutes doing a quick warm-up and then two person scenes round-robin style so everyone goes twice. Basically, you have to show up and formulate audible and coherent sentences in order to pass. The one person who did not pass basically failed because when he was called upon to come up, his response was, "No, I don't think so".

7.) Learned that Troy Duffy, writer and director of "Boondock Saints" and star of "Overnight" has not been really humbled by his rise and fantastic fall.

8.) L.A. has the same layout as Ocean City, Maryland. For example, in O.C., every block is Salt Water Taffy, Jolly Roger, Surf Shop, Tattoo Parlor and Big Pecker T-Shirts...in L.A., its Nail Salon, Dry Cleaning, Movie Ad, Tattoo Parlor, and Thai-Restaurant.

9.) Auditioned for "Boom Chicago" (out of Amsterdam, Holland), main reason I went out there. Auditions were at Improv Oylmpic West on Hollywood Boulevard. Walked in, very early, waited with 6 other people for our time-slot to be announced. Everyone was very nice and very chatty. And pierced. It was a lot of nervous, empty talk about nothing. Like two hours of the Today Show, jammed into 20 minutes.

I consider myself friendly but not really talk-for-the-sake-of-talking-because-its-an-audition-and-by-God-we-are-all-in-this-together-and-pulling-for-each-other-and-its-no-big-deal-anyway!

Long-story short, audition went great. I heard back from nobody.

10.) Saw Dasariski at IO West on my last night. I thought the show was improvised, it was not. Which is good because the "improvisation" was so good that I became depressed half-way through the show. Somewhere in the beginning, as the show was being introduced, I missed the part where they explained at the end of each month they take the best of their improvised shows from the previous month, script and present it.

I left early for the airport and since it was a rental and I had a GPS, I drove to LAX via "Florence and Normandy", through Crenshaw and Compton , and stopped for some Brass Monkey next to Randy's Donuts. I dropped the keys back off at E-Z and exclaimed to the guy behind the counter that, "Today was a good day".