A Week with A Walking Virtue

The past few days have been really awesome. My birthday week started off with a photo shoot with Latoya Hawthorne & a trip to LACMA to see the
"In Wonderland" exhibit.






Driving around L.A. the last few weeks, I kept seeing striking images of Frida Kahlo lining the streets. A quick Google search and I found out several of her pieces were being featured at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).




Living in Los Angeles, I feel incredibly lucky to have access to some phenomenal art. From The Getty to LACMA and MOCA, L.A. is a layover for world famous exhibits and installations. And this is one exhibit everyone MUST see. It features all female Surrealist artists from the U.S. and Mexico. But that doesn't mean it's just for women. These painters delve into dreams, love, sex, music, and the subconscious mind.





So back to my shoot with Latoya....Lati (as I call her) is the founder of A Walking Virtue-an amazing non-profit organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle and self-worth for young women in order to prevent domestic violence among teens.





I was more than happy to pose for Latoya and chat about opportunities for me to work with A Walking Virtue. She suggested that I join her the following Friday at Milliken Middle School in Sherman Oaks to speak with a group of 7th and 8th grade girls.

Another sister organization called the S.T.A.R. Foundation meets with this group of young ladies every Friday to talk about issues that they're dealing with at home and in school. The S.T.A.R. Foundation provides a safe place for the Milliken girls to open up and discuss topics that they may normally feel embarrassed to confront.




After Latoya gave me all the info, of course I said yes! I had such a great time sharing my story with the group. And they instantly opened up about their own struggles. It was a moving afternoon that brought many of the girls to tears. When it was all over, they asked if I'd be back to visit them on Monday. Such sweeties! I'm really excited to spend more time mentoring these beautiful & talented young ladies and watching them develop and grow into empowered, intelligent and strong women.


*For more information on how to get involved with S.T.A.R Foundation, visit: http://www.foundationofstars.org/
*To schedule a photo shoot with A Walking Virtue's Latoya Hawthorne, visit: http://www.awalkingvirtue.org/about/

My take on the great Mariah Carey

Check out my Mariah Carey parody up on FunnyorDie.com!

Mariah Carey and Dem Babies - watch more funny videos

Stepping Out

You may think I walk blindly when I step out in my Faith.
But I walk with a vision that even lasik can't create.

I used to be shackled by my past and all my fears.
But today I walk with a confidence developed through experience & tears.

This feeling of freedom is hard to describe.
But it's with me when I wake up and at night when I close my eyes.

My heart is so full it's overflowing, makes me want to sing & dance.
Happiness, love, and peace-God's intimate romance.

A SoCal Christmas

I had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas here in L.A. For some reason, this year I've felt the holiday spirit more than I have in a very long time. And although, there's nothing like being at home with my family for Christmas, it made me feel good to shop for and create special gifts to send to them in Pennsylvania.

My sister Erin and I were on a crafting kick this year. Probably because as a kid, my mom always kept us busy making ornaments, sewing, cooking, and being creative during the weeks leading up to Christmas. It felt natural to bring that tradition to California. For weeks, my house has been littered with glue guns, brushes, paint, glitter, and wrapping paper. A beautiful mess!

I also attended some really fun holiday parties, actually mailed out all my Christmas cards, and even made it to an acting class two days before Christmas. I've been having so much fun in Mike Pointer's class, I couldn't imagine missing it.

Chronicles of a Working Actress: Commercial Class and Kickin' Wayne Brady's Ass!

It's been a slow last couple of weeks for me. But at this time of year, it's a welcomed break from the normal hustle bustle of Hollywood. I've only had one audition in the last two weeks, so I've been taking the time to update my acting reel and other "marketing materials" get into a new acting class, and work with my Improv group, Dirty Business.

So I got involved with Dirty Business a few months ago. Everyone in the group is a member of UCB (Upright Citizen's Brigade) in Hollywood. The best way to describe our Improv team is a rag-a-matag group of misfits who enjoy being on stage playing uncomfortable characters that say off the wall things. Basically-we're you're high school drama department all grown up and wearing very trendy eyeglasses. Our coach is Jacob Reed-a smart, quick witted comedian who somehow keeps our energetic bunch focused enough to work "The Harold" (a longform Improv technique developed by Del Close). I've really been having a blast getting to know my teammates. Every one of them is unique and funny in their own way. They definitely keep me on my toes and working hard to stay on my game.

I also just starting taking a commercial acting class with Mike Pointer. My actor friends have been telling me about this class for years. But I've always been too busy working on some project or another. So I guess being an out of work actress does have it's advantages because I'm SO happy I took Mike's class! He's not just an acting teacher, he's like a motivational speaker, mind & body fitness guru and life coach all wrapped into one. You see, commercial acting is very different then film and tv acting. Acting for commercials is more personality driven, similar to hosting. It's all about being upbeat, smiley and selling, selling, selling. Mike has given me some excellent pointers on how to feel comfortable walking into a commercial audition, what to wear, how to connect with the casting directors before and after the audition and how to bring life to lines of commercial copy.

Here's my video from the first day of class. It's a "personality question" that commercial casting directors will often ask when you get in front of the camera. Sometimes, the question will be totally random and have nothing to do with the product. They just want to see how at ease you are answering in front of a camera and a room full of strangers.



During the second week's class, Mike had us get up and read some ICE COLD copy. That means, we picked up the paper and read it right in front of the camera without being given a minute to review it. Remember, this was the first time I laid eyes on the copy. Don't judge me.



Last week, I also decided to sit in on a taping of Wayne Brady's game show, "Let's Make a Deal". It was a fun experience, but probably would have been even more fun if I went with a friend or family member visiting L.A. for the first time. The audience members have to dress up in costumes. As we stood in line to get in to the studio, it was like being at a Halloween party for an Alcoholics Anonymous support group. Way too many adults dressed up like freaks in the middle of the day without a drop of booze to numb the awkwardness.

I didn't get chosen to Make a Deal, but Wayne played one of the fast cash games with me at the end of the show. We played rock, paper, scissors and I lost. For a brief second, I imagined what would happen if I kicked Wayne Brady in the ass when he walked away with all that cash in his hand. I'd probably end up in CBS Studio jail. I was wearing a cheerleading uniform as my costume, so who knows WHAT they would have done to me in there...

Chronicles of a Working Actress: Ashlyn's audition

I absolutely LOVE working with kids. I have such a soft spot in my heart for them. If I could, I'd adopt a small tribe of my own, and maybe one day I will. But until then, I enjoy working with them in front of and behind the camera.

This weekend, I had another opportunity to work with a lovely little actress named Ashlyn Burrus. Ashlyn and I met last year when my production team auditioned her for a role in a short form music video I was producing with LeAnna Hallman.

LeA and I instantly fell in love with Ashlyn and cast her as the role of "Maya" in our project. I was playing Ashlyn's mom-a drug addicted single parent who was separated from Maya's dad. Maya takes off into the city with her best friend to escape the tensions at home, and ends up going on exciting and sometimes dangerous adventures. Ashlyn did a fantastic job as Maya. So I was thrilled when her mother, Dina, called and asked me to help Ashlyn with a film audition.

Sometimes, directors will request an on-camera audition be sent in if an actor can't make it to an in-person audition. This was the case with Ashlyn. So her mom, Dina, and I organized an audition shoot.

I called up a director friend named Steve Smith to help us with the project. (Check out his reel on vimeo. It's fantastic! http://vimeo.com/31941014) Thankfully-Steven was on board and helped to bring the script to life. I also put in a call to my good friend, Josh Davis, to play Ashlyn's dad in the audition scene. He really looks like he be her dad, right! And he's a dream to work with, as I knew from many other projects Josh and I acted in together. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3067344/

Once Josh gave the thumbs up and my friend, Edo allowed us to shoot at his house-we were all set!

The day went off without a hitch. We knocked out two scenes in a matter of hours. Now, our director/cinematographer Steve is busy editing it. I'll share it as soon as it's done. But until then, here's a quick video about our day.



After we completed shooting for the day, Ashlyn announced that we need to shoot a feature film together immediately. Hey-the kid knows what she wants & puts it out there. After pitching me her idea, I encouraged her to sit down and start writing it. And she did. I proudly introduce..."Summer Adventures!"

Chronicles of a Working Actress: L'effleur des Sens

The best part of being a working actress is the random but cool gigs that come my way. I got a phone call from one of my dancer friends, Roxanne Arvizu. (Check out her page on vimeo: http://vimeo.com/29855933).
We've worked on many a dance show over the past year and we always have such a great time together. So I was delighted to hear her voice on the other line.

There's an incredible dance show-a French cabaret called, L'effleur des Sens, that was a hit in L.A. a few years back. The show has returned for two nights, and the director, Cati, was looking for actresses to play ambiance characters. Which essentially means, you are costumed and playing a role to create the mood and vibe on stage and throughout the venue. It sounded like an easy and fun assignment. Plus, I had seen the show before and knew how spectacular it was 3 years ago.

From singing, to comedy, to acrobatics-the performers in L'effleur des Sens are out of this world! So the idea of getting paid to enjoy a fabulous show and play a small role in creating the magic for the audience? I was in!