i love running errands in manhattan on halloween. it's nice to see neon red hair three times on one block, and to glance down a subway car and see a giant banana reading a newspaper. it makes me wish that every day was halloween, because i'd love it if people typically had so much fun expressing themselves with how they dress. of course, when i expressed that to monica she had to be a party pooper and said, "Well then Halloween wouldn't be special anymore."
she's right, but when i imagine a culture that wears plastic devil horns as much as neckties, i also have to think that their halloween would be something truly worth seeing.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
caesar audition
it's amazing how i can spend more than half my life learning and accruing experience in this profession, the last two years training to be a versatile and skilled professional, and yet i can still walk into an audition and behave like a nervous schoolboy. hopefully as i audition more and more in this city, i'll get over the pressure of the moment and just do what i've been trained to do.
regardless, i felt i botched my julius caesar audition pretty badly. oh well! i plan to get 'em next time!
regardless, i felt i botched my julius caesar audition pretty badly. oh well! i plan to get 'em next time!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
bbq bliss
I just saw an ad on TV for a restaurant here in new york. Towards the end of the ad, it flashed quotes from positive reviews of the place in print. One was "'BBQ bliss.' -Gotham Mag." It was pretty sweet to see my own words displayed on a commercial!
I know, I'm easily amused. But it's the simple joys, ya know?
I know, I'm easily amused. But it's the simple joys, ya know?
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
scarlett's blog
for anyone yearning for more anecdotes and impressions from the egyptian experience, visit my fellow actor scarlett mcalister's blog. http://www.scarlettmcalister.com and click on 'scarlett's blog.'
she has photos of all of us and stories that include my antics.
she has photos of all of us and stories that include my antics.
ps headshots
by the way, if you look at the gallery, my headshots of choice are 97 and 114. let me know if you particularly love any others!
headshots
getting back on my feet here in nyc, gearing up for hitting the streets (i.e. auditions) as an aspiring actor. on thursday, i have a private 'callback' audition for a really great gig- i'm doing a lot of preparation for it (3 new shakespeare monologues!).
putting in an order for a second set of headshots- my new agent wants me to have two different pics, for two different 'looks.'
if you're really masochistic, want to see the anatomy of a headshot shoot, or just love staring at my face, you can see the best 150 shots from my photo shoot at www.philipkesslerphotography.com. follow the tiny link at the bottom for 'photoshoot client access' and find my gallery under headshots. the password is 'Neil' with a capital n.
i will keep posting updates every now and again- if anybody is out there still reading, thanks!
putting in an order for a second set of headshots- my new agent wants me to have two different pics, for two different 'looks.'
if you're really masochistic, want to see the anatomy of a headshot shoot, or just love staring at my face, you can see the best 150 shots from my photo shoot at www.philipkesslerphotography.com. follow the tiny link at the bottom for 'photoshoot client access' and find my gallery under headshots. the password is 'Neil' with a capital n.
i will keep posting updates every now and again- if anybody is out there still reading, thanks!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
home
after a lot of limping and a very long flight, i am home at monica's in new york. tomorrow... the rest of my life!
Friday, October 19, 2007
pictures
pictures of my last night of shooting and post-injury at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9692&l=49030&id=514867448.
rusty nail
the good news: i'm finished! we shot a LOT of scenes today, including a cross-dressing scene and a brawl, and i'm finally done.
the bad news: during one of the shots tonight a malicious thick rusty nail punctured my foot and bored about 3/4 of an inch inside. boy did that hurt! luckily i had a tetanus shot right before leaving for cairo, and a doctor immediately came to set and dressed my wound and prescribed me three medications to avoid troubles.
i fly home monday. i have some great pictures from today which i will post soon.
the bad news: during one of the shots tonight a malicious thick rusty nail punctured my foot and bored about 3/4 of an inch inside. boy did that hurt! luckily i had a tetanus shot right before leaving for cairo, and a doctor immediately came to set and dressed my wound and prescribed me three medications to avoid troubles.
i fly home monday. i have some great pictures from today which i will post soon.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
wetness
tonight we had a lightning storm and, for about five minutes, RAIN! pretty sweet. we were going to eat at Mom's, but since it's out in a field, they brought it to us instead!
going to bed. tomorrow is a 730 AM call for my 'sobbing' scene. oh boy...
going to bed. tomorrow is a 730 AM call for my 'sobbing' scene. oh boy...
people everywhere
three shooting days left (they added one) and tomorrow is a daytime one.
the two nights in a row were exhausting, but great. i really wish that yuri wasn't so frugal a director. he is so confident in his editing that he is usually satisfied with two takes, sometimes just one! but this is all new to me, and i watch the playback, and i know i can do it better. but it's ok, it's his movie! the best part about all this is that i'm finally learning a thing or two about film acting. part of me wishes we could go back and start over now, with what i've learned, but part of me just wants to get it over with and move forward with my life!
we drove into the thick of downtown again and went to... wait for it... yet another mall. (i'm not the social director!) this time a really big mall, called City Stars. and when i say big, i mean big. the atrium in the center opens up to reveal 8 stories of mall rising up, with mirrored escalators and those fancy clear elevators that you see at hotels. we ate where anybody would eat while in egypt, at a tex mex place called cantina laredo. the beef was imported from the US! we had tableside guacamole, queso, fajitas, everything. it was a cruel imitation of real tex mex, but satisfying to partake in anyway.
the traffic was insane. it's already insane in egypt but the people were out in force. at 11pm on a monday night! i think when Ramadan ends, there is a big rebound of social activity. it's an amazing thing about egypt- people, everywhere. the vans are stuffed like sardines and sometimes people are on the roof or standing on the bumper holding on for dear life. many drive with the sliding door open like it's a big window. the cars park two, three deep on the side of the street- i don't know how somebody leaves if they want to! and there's sidewalk cafes on sidewalks that are barely wide enough to walk two abreast. people are hanging out at street corners, on medians, and they even stand around in intersections! the gates to the mall were closed and there were men in suits letting people in single file as if it were a nightclub! the result was a huge throng of people crushing each other against a gate. you'd think britney spears was on the other side!
a week left before home...
the two nights in a row were exhausting, but great. i really wish that yuri wasn't so frugal a director. he is so confident in his editing that he is usually satisfied with two takes, sometimes just one! but this is all new to me, and i watch the playback, and i know i can do it better. but it's ok, it's his movie! the best part about all this is that i'm finally learning a thing or two about film acting. part of me wishes we could go back and start over now, with what i've learned, but part of me just wants to get it over with and move forward with my life!
we drove into the thick of downtown again and went to... wait for it... yet another mall. (i'm not the social director!) this time a really big mall, called City Stars. and when i say big, i mean big. the atrium in the center opens up to reveal 8 stories of mall rising up, with mirrored escalators and those fancy clear elevators that you see at hotels. we ate where anybody would eat while in egypt, at a tex mex place called cantina laredo. the beef was imported from the US! we had tableside guacamole, queso, fajitas, everything. it was a cruel imitation of real tex mex, but satisfying to partake in anyway.
the traffic was insane. it's already insane in egypt but the people were out in force. at 11pm on a monday night! i think when Ramadan ends, there is a big rebound of social activity. it's an amazing thing about egypt- people, everywhere. the vans are stuffed like sardines and sometimes people are on the roof or standing on the bumper holding on for dear life. many drive with the sliding door open like it's a big window. the cars park two, three deep on the side of the street- i don't know how somebody leaves if they want to! and there's sidewalk cafes on sidewalks that are barely wide enough to walk two abreast. people are hanging out at street corners, on medians, and they even stand around in intersections! the gates to the mall were closed and there were men in suits letting people in single file as if it were a nightclub! the result was a huge throng of people crushing each other against a gate. you'd think britney spears was on the other side!
a week left before home...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
rated R
about to leave for my second night shoot- and tonight we film the scene that will guarantee my niece won't watch this movie for at least 15 years or so. i'm kinda nervous.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
night shoots rock
5:30 am, just got back from my first full-on night shoot. i like filming much better at night- i've always felt more creative juices flowing after dark. plus tonight i worked constantly. most days i've been sitting on my butt much of the time.
my character's jacket (plus its two duplicates) were stolen out of the costume room. that's gonna be tricky for the film's continuity. there's one scene left from the first day in the world of the movie- they're talking about having me wrapped in a blanket or some other visual non sequitur.
egyptian coffee is just two fingers of caffeinated tar.
two make-up ladies sticking eyeliner pencils in your eyes is a great way to simulate crying.
there's a low-hanging lantern in the set and i hit my head on it tonight a total of seven times. seven. once so hard that make-up had to cover the mark on my forehead. yeah, i'm a professional.
my character's jacket (plus its two duplicates) were stolen out of the costume room. that's gonna be tricky for the film's continuity. there's one scene left from the first day in the world of the movie- they're talking about having me wrapped in a blanket or some other visual non sequitur.
egyptian coffee is just two fingers of caffeinated tar.
two make-up ladies sticking eyeliner pencils in your eyes is a great way to simulate crying.
there's a low-hanging lantern in the set and i hit my head on it tonight a total of seven times. seven. once so hard that make-up had to cover the mark on my forehead. yeah, i'm a professional.
Friday, October 12, 2007
getting there
Bleary-eyed days as I set my clock to nocturnal to prepare for night shoots.
Day-before-yesterday rode with Mark to the Dreamland Hilton for what anybody would do in Egypt after they've already been to Chili's and the mall. Golf! I drove the cart and drank beer and generally heckled while Mark played 18 holes. I love golfing, but not playing. I just like to spend the day outside with a friend or two driving a golf cart around. I'll let them hit the ground with their clubs and curse.
I didn't go to the light show. My castmates got stuck in downtown traffic and there was no time to pick me up.
I'm getting sick of crackers and bottled water as meals. Somebody DHL me some chocolate chip cookies!!!
Less than two weeks left, and only four more shooting days (nights) for me! But they keep changing the schedule around, so I'm always at the ready.
On-set photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9692&l=49030&id=514867448.
Day-before-yesterday rode with Mark to the Dreamland Hilton for what anybody would do in Egypt after they've already been to Chili's and the mall. Golf! I drove the cart and drank beer and generally heckled while Mark played 18 holes. I love golfing, but not playing. I just like to spend the day outside with a friend or two driving a golf cart around. I'll let them hit the ground with their clubs and curse.
I didn't go to the light show. My castmates got stuck in downtown traffic and there was no time to pick me up.
I'm getting sick of crackers and bottled water as meals. Somebody DHL me some chocolate chip cookies!!!
Less than two weeks left, and only four more shooting days (nights) for me! But they keep changing the schedule around, so I'm always at the ready.
On-set photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9692&l=49030&id=514867448.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
xmas
had fun yesterday shooting a scene where my character behaves (and dresses) rather outrageously.
kathleen's boyfriend came to town, bringing with him a santa sack full of requests from us. he said he was thoroughly scared to make the trip after he saw our list: pepto bismol, immodium, nyquil, protein bars, and breath mints. me, i'm just happy to have my pepto. kathleen is like a little kid, she's so happy to have her significant other here. it makes me very jealous!
going to see the 'light show' at the pyramids tonight. i'll post pics of that and some from yesterday's set tonight or tomorrow.
kathleen's boyfriend came to town, bringing with him a santa sack full of requests from us. he said he was thoroughly scared to make the trip after he saw our list: pepto bismol, immodium, nyquil, protein bars, and breath mints. me, i'm just happy to have my pepto. kathleen is like a little kid, she's so happy to have her significant other here. it makes me very jealous!
going to see the 'light show' at the pyramids tonight. i'll post pics of that and some from yesterday's set tonight or tomorrow.
Friday, October 05, 2007
last day in fayoum
this is a pic from two days ago, our last shoot in the fayoum desert, thank god, since it's a teeth-rattling no-seatbelt two-plus hour drive each way. my castmates are from left to right, scarlett mcallister, actress and horse trainer extraordinaire, mark adam, country music singer and former member of one-hit wonder band deadeye dick, who rocked many a mix tape of mine in 1994, me, jeff grays, former atlanta falcon and general smooth operator, and kathleen gati, who's a hollywood pro and a former star of hungarian cinema!
some pics of me dancing in the desert at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7563&l=6e713&id=514867448
Thursday, October 04, 2007
pain again
i'm afraid i just don't have the stomach for this! yesterday i only ate food from the hotel and today i'm sick again. it's very annoying!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
i'm a terrible clown
here's a link to a video of me attempting to entertain some of the kids at the studio set in cairo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zv0ZfBPVgQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zv0ZfBPVgQ
Monday, October 01, 2007
cold
caught a head cold, probably from all those kids, and because my system has been ravaged gastrointestinally. luckily it coincided with two days off from shooting, today being the second one.
we found a little pizza parlor down the ghost town street from Mom. the food isn't bad and it's so cheap it's basically free. it'll probably become the default dinner spot, since the hotel restaraunt 'Cote Jardin' is not cheap (or French, for that matter).
i have a basic cell phone that i bought out here, and it receives calls and text messages for free! so if you have an international plan and feel like a chat, call away! (0185796309)
we found a little pizza parlor down the ghost town street from Mom. the food isn't bad and it's so cheap it's basically free. it'll probably become the default dinner spot, since the hotel restaraunt 'Cote Jardin' is not cheap (or French, for that matter).
i have a basic cell phone that i bought out here, and it receives calls and text messages for free! so if you have an international plan and feel like a chat, call away! (0185796309)
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