Ray Liotta is back. Craig has reported
several sightings. He called me Tuesday night to report finding 'the
Liotta' parked in a car eating a frozen yogurt. It was after 10pm and
the yogurt shop was closed. That isn't really unusual behavior as far
as actors are concerned. I wonder if Craig thinks 'the Liotta' is
shadowing him while developing a new bit for his acting. I don't
think he is. They are both Jersey raised snack loving organisms.
'veI actually witnessed the man buying snacks on more than one occasion.
It would stand to reason that they would cross paths fairly often.
That part of town is fairly small and somewhat cut off from the rest
of the city. Though I could easily be wrong. I once did an interview
with an actor while I was still on the east coast. All the while, he
was learning the accent and mannerisms of my writing partner. He had
a very serious Philly accent and some peculiar mannerisms. He could
mimic them perfectly after a very short while. Craig is a fascinating
individual. The Liotta could be observing him. I still think it's a
snack thing.
This week has been better than last
week on the whole. I've been able to clear out a lot of stuff from
the dreaded inbox, and the apartment is back in order from the trip.
I need to knock out a couple more things before I can get back to my
fiction writing, I think I'll get those done before next week. I
hope. It looks good for getting it done at the moment. Why the
uncertainty? Things keep coming up that I'm not expecting.
Actor Interactions and Reactions
I am most often asked about my
interaction with actors by people on the East Coast. I've detailed
encounters with the famous and infamous in my blog. It was routine
when Jon and I worked on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. My favorite moment was when Barbara Streisand admired a button I
was wearing. It read 'Strip Him, Bath Him and Bring Him to My Tent.'
She said that I had the right idea about men. A close second was
waiting on Patrick Stewart – twice. I almost jacked up a co-worker
to get to him. And I had a really nice chat with James Cameron while
helping him shop for non-fiction. He needed reading material when he
was 'unemployed' after Titanic. I understand that Ted Danson looked
for me for a year after I left Borders Books. Somehow, I became his
personal shopper. He was very nice, so I did take the time to pull
the books on his lists and ring him up. That service also kept bedlam
to a minimum in the store when tourists figured out who he was.
Currently, my encounters are in
supermarkets or drug stores when they are usually in my way. It's
funny, young actors that I know are from CW shows try to hide who
they are. They do that even in areas that tourists rarely go – like
the markets in Marina Del Rey near here. This is really an area for
locals. But they hide behind their dark sunglasses and hats with big
brims. That makes them more noticeable to me. And I don't care who
they are as they are usually in my way. I've seen a number of older
actors that I recognize from shows I followed in my youth. They make
sure that they are seen. I always get a bright smile when I give them
that 'hey I know you' smile and nod. Sometimes, I'll make a point to
quietly tell them that I always loved their work.
The upshot to all of that yammering is
that I am seldom star struck. My reaction when I spot a celebrity is 'Is this person going to inconvenience me? And how badly?'
When you factor in the fact that I hire and work with actors, my
view of them is vastly different from when I lived in Philly. They
are fun and often funny. Even those that aren't leading male or
female pretty have very attractive personalities. I'm not unaffected
by that. After all, I have to basically fall in love with actors that
I cast as a writer and producer. By and large, they are a pleasure to
be around. Even the ones that have turned up at our place in the wee
small hours of the morning are entertaining in some fashion. I do
like how those young, studly men can be out of their pants in an
instant. A fine trait, I must admit.
 |
| Still doesn't capture the pecs or the biceps! |
The actors in my regular orbit are
either those who are climbing the ladder to regular gigs or those
who've been working steadily and are recognized but fans don't
approach them on the street. I find that the actors we remain closest
to are also writers and producers. There are exceptions, but that is
the typical situation. Yesterday, I had lunch with one such actor.
The encounter reflects our creative relationship with industry people
out here. Ryohei (ree-oh-hay) is an actor-writer-director-producer.
That is a lot of hats, but he's a young man. We got to know Ryohei
when he came to work for me on my 'Cook Like a Uke' series. He is
adorable which is why I cast him. And he could act and cook. I had
such a great experience with him that I was pleased to read a script
he wrote. Jon and I thought it was awesome. We gave him notes, and
I'm going to teach him how to do a business plan for the film. The
lunch yesterday was a send-off/planning session. Ryohei is returning
to Japan where he has some really great plans for the script and some
great connections to make a production happen. We laid the groundwork
for what would happen with that script and made plans for him to
continue doing cooking videos for me from there. I'll be putting up
the first video we shot in the next couple of weeks. We've forged
many creative relationships out here where we've learned as much as
we've shared. These ties have really inspired us and kept us moving
forward. Ryohei is one of those inspiring people that I sense will
have an amazing career with the right break. He is also absolutely
adorable! The servers kept fluttering over him during lunch. I
couldn't blame them. There are times when I think 'if I were
younger,' 'if I was single,' if I weren't so danged ethical.' People
close to me that are familiar with how very naughty my writing is are
surprised that I'm not consumed by those thought in the face of such
temptation. Those thoughts crossed my mind for an instant during
lunch. Then, I chuckled at myself and got back to my inbox.
Updates
By Monday, I will be clear of all my
writing/editing obligations save for my fiction! I don't think I'll
know what to do with myself! I have a great deal of new marketing
duties for Sybaritic Press and my Titles that we're trying. But that
should only take a few hours a week. Sybaritic Press, as I have
mentioned, has a Facebook Page. Please, like us and post reviews of
our titles. The link is here:
https://www.facebook.com/SybariticPress. Much more is upcoming!
Stay tuned.
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