Idol Gives Back

I am a semi-closeted American Idol fan. Debbie and I watch it after the kids go to bed. I am nothing if not cynical. Most of my humor as a teacher and comic come from my uncanny ability to be cynical and skeptical of everything. The greatest compliment I can give to the "Idol Gives Back" effort this week is that I was never cynical throughout the process. I was actually very proud of everyone involved.

I have said before that Bono is a brilliant theologian and that I truly believe he understands the reality of the Kingdom Among Us more than most. I respect that he has been able to pull so many people together through the ONE campaign while keeping his day job as a rock star. I've linked ONE.ORG to my blog (my first ever "banner") I've also signed the declaration on the ONE website and invite you to do the same.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Last Night at Lifelines I read the first half of a fairy tale which I wrote about six years ago entitled "A Tale of Two Kingdoms." Several people asked for a copy, so I have created a new blog site at www.tommyandmary.blogspot.com which contains Book One in its entirity.

It is intended to be a children's story and also an allegorical account of my understanding of my faith at that point in my life. Were I to write it today it would be very different in parts, but I am happy to say that the underlying themes and most of the application points remain the same. I wrote the story at a time when I was somewhere between the rigid evangelicalism of my youth and my current, more "basilea" centered theology. If there is something that I am proud of (on a theological level) it is that the tension of the Kingdom being both present and yet to come is not compromised in the story. I will say that there are parts of the text that reflect the remnants of a "sin management" soteriology that I no longer fully endorse...but, hey, I was just a kid at the time :) Also, the second book of the story was started but not completed in 2002. I'm looking foward to revisiting it with these years under my belt to perhaps shed some light on my recent learnings.

Anytime I share it people ask about publishing. Obviously, I am not overly concerened about protecting the story since I have just posted in publically. If it is helpful to anyone, I am happy to share it. I am open to publishing as well, but know very little about getting a book published. Particulary a "children's book that is really for adults." I assume it is as much of a process as getting a movie made or booking a role as an actor and I have never had the drive to force it through to publishing. If someone reads it and thinks it has worth I would be happy to recieve help in getting it published.

Ultimately, as an artist, I am just happy to have it read again.

Brennan Manning

I read all of Brennan's books back in 1997 - hard to believe it was ten years ago. I have been going through some sort of spiritual transformation of late and was prompted to pick them up again. It is amazing, ten years later, how much of what I am re-reading has worked itself into the fabric of my life over the last decade. Unfortunately, it is also amazing how far I have drifted from the simple concept that my primary identity is that of a child loved by my Father. Though The Ragamuffin Gospel is his classic work, I am most drawn to Abba's Child this time around. Every page seems to remind me of something essential that I have recently lost and hope to recover. I rarely do this, but I thought it would nice to use the comment space here to initiate a discussion on Brennan and his work - how it has impacted some of you, etc.

Live from Kansas...

We are spending a few days in Kansas City with my parents. It's very COLD here! Last night it dropped to 17 degrees. Yikes. Other than that we are all enjoying our trip and the my parents' new pad. They have a small wooded area behind their house and the kids have spent most of their time back there despite the record cold temps. We went to church this morning for Easter and it was kind of interesting (in a good way) to be back in church in the midwest. Helped me to reflect on my spiritual journey, etc.

What do Anna Nicole, Craig Ferguson and Will Ferrell have in common?

The weeks are flying by lately. I feel like I just posted here, but it was a week ago. This week coming up includes our presentation at Warner Bros. for my film and a spring break trip to Kansas City to see my parents' new place. We are all excited to leave town for a few days and see them. I have an audition next week for the Anna Nicole TV movie - nice, huh? It's actually for Larry Birkhead, whom I don't think I look like at all. I was submitted for Howard K. Stern and they said I look more like Birkhead. It's all so crazy anyway. Nothing says "the next step up" from soap operas like a TV movie!

The new improv show "Thank God You're Here" airs on April 9. I have a feeling it's gonna be big. I had auditioned for it a while back along with several other improv shows coming out soon. I just auditioned for a new improvised pilot hosted by Craig Ferguson called The Wizard. Lots and lots of improv stuff out there and I'm hoping to land something fun.

Debbie and I have lined up a babysitter tonight, which can mean only one thing - Blades of Glory! Nothing like Will Ferrell in spandex on a Saturday night. The previews feel more like Anchorman than his last few comedies, and that is a very good thing as far as I am concerned. I'll let you know what I think afterward. I have happy comedy vibes right now though.

Doing Better

I can't believe it has already been one week since the afore mentioned dental tragedy. I'm doing much better now. It will take a few monhts to fix everything, but the cost turned out to be a bit less than my frustrated estimate. It also has inspired me to floss everyday and stay up to date with my other exams. (I made a trip into the eye doctor this week as well.)

I spent most of the week working on the film. Our second, and hopefully last, investor meeting will be at Warner Brothers on April 4th. That will be my primary focus until then. After that I hope to be able to turn my attention toward casting and directing. Several name actors are reading the script this week...I hope to have some exciting new soon.

My tooth fell out.

Last night. 10pm. Half-way through a Burger. Just fell out. I guess because I don't floss everyday? That seems to be the verdict. I spent over three hours today getting an emergency root canal.

Turns out it was a $3,000 burger.

So far, I'd rate this weekend a little below average.

Workin Man

So...turns out producing (and now directing) a feature film turns into a full time job. I'll be in an office either at Warner Brothers or at a place in Hollywood starting in less than two weeks. I haven't had office hours for about seven years, so that should be interesting. The commute may take a toll as well. Getting there should be fine, but coming home is sometimes a 2-hour nightmare.

It looks like we are going to come in around half-funded from the Las Vegas event, so we will be doing a similar presentation at Warner in a few weeks for socal people. I am very excited to move past the fund raising and focus more on directing, casting, etc. I have learned more than I ever thought I could through this process already and look forward to the next chapters.

I've only had two auditions in the last two weeks - one for Drive on Fox and another for a commercial. I worked a bit on General Hospital again playing the same character - no lines this time. This all seems to be working out, because there is no way I could be auditioning everyday and working on this film right now. I've had to limit my auditions to TV and commercial anyway since I can't book an extended film gig with this coming up in June.

Otherwise, the rest of our life seems to be in working order. My lovely bride has a birthday coming up Friday. I think she is officially old enough now that I'm not allowed to publish her age online. I'll just say that we will be the same age for three weeks before my 34th birthday on April 9th. So, yeah...she's turning 26 or something like that.

Happy Birthday Deb.

I'm on TV Tuesday Night

I have a co-starring role on American Heiress this Tuesday, March 13. It is the pilot episode of a night-time soap opera for My Network TV. I play one of the assitants to the main character and have about four lines. It is channel 13 in LA/OC...you'll have to check local listings to find out where it is on your dial.

Quickie

A lot of people are asking about the big investor's meeting in Las Vegas on Sunday. It went very well. We are still talking with lots of people and figuring out where we stand officially, but it was succesful by all accounts. I'll give you more info as it comes up.

Making Movies, Playing Golf

It's all about the big meeting in Vegas for my film this week. This is the new teaser movie poster from Garrett Cury.

We were able to carve out a 26-hour vacation this weekend to San Diego. We spent the day in Old Town and the kids played their first real round of golf at the par 3 chip and put there. Aidan got his first real par on the back nine - about ten years ahead of my pace. Eli chipped in for par on the 16th. Looks like they inherited their golf skills from both grandpa's and not dad.

My friend Todd took me golfing last week. It was my first time in two years. It was pretty ugly, but I may give it another go soon.

I'm either manic or actually excited...

There is no better feeling than seeing an idea become a reality - especially when the idea is bigger than any one person. I was able to experience that in the early days of Canyon Ridge and again at Apex in Las Vegas. For the first time since those days I sense it happening again with "Hitting the Nuts." That is the part of producing that I actually like more than acting...seeing a common creative vision emerge from a group of people. When the vision is your own idea it is especially humbling and exciting.

The great thing about the project is that it has brought people back into my life - people I trained with at Second City in Las Vegas five years ago, people from Tony n Tina's, childhood friends, college friends, current OC and LA contacts and strangers in Hollywood who are quickly becoming friends.

This week two other groups joined our team. Through a chance meeting with a poker friend the general manager of the House of Blues Las Vegas heard about the project. I was able to meet with him and he was very encouraging and accomodating. They have offered the very elite Foundation Room atop the Mandalay Bay to use for our Las Vegas meeting for potential investors on March 4. The same day several members of The Second City show at The Flamingo Hilton offered to perform improv at the same meeting to show our guests a little of what the project will feel like. Our new producing partners are making original videos that showcase the project...it's all coming together. If that meeting goes as we hope we can move on into actual production of the film very soon.

I know full well that there will be more frustrating days ahead with this project, but it had occured to me this lazy Saturday morning that these are exciting days. I've always wanted a life of adventure and creativity and for the moment that is what I have.

Thanks to all of you who have supported us and helped us along the way.

The Actor's Life

I worked yesterday on a prime-time soap. It's called American Heiress and will air starting in March on MyNetworkTV - a Fox affiliate cable station in most every market. I has a co-starring role as the assistant to the main character in the first episode. It was good to work...however:

As always happens to me, I missed a call-back because I was working. It was a big national commercial and they were only calling back a few guys. I'd rather be working on a TV show than auditioning for a commercial, but it does illustrate how insanely complicated life as an actor can be. My last big commercial callback was the same story - I missed it because I was filming a TV show. A good commercial can generate much needed income for people like me, so it just gets frustrating. If I'm lucky I'll pull in $2,000 after residuals for my soap work. The commercial could have been 20 times that...ah, well. It's never been about the money - until the rent is due anyway :)

I've booked a mortgage infomercial that shoots Friday...a typical talking head bit about refinancing.

Having my own film to produce is a wonderful distraction from the hustle of auditioning and double booking. It is good to know that no matter what I am involved in a project that I really believe it, etc.

Oh, and by the way...I woke up yesterday with a monster pimple on my face - the kind of tumor that I haven't seen since high school. So despite the best effort of the American Heiress makeup department you and millions of others will get to see it in early March on national TV. My life rocks.

Updates Galore

I'm happy to announce that the film I am producing (Hitting the Nuts) has officially partnered with That's Hollywood Productions, a company based at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank. Our affiliation with them is opening up tremendous doors in every area. We will be doing investor meetings at Warner Brothers and in Las Vegas (probably at The Palms) in about four weeks with them. They have produced two other films recently at the same budget level, both of which went on to DVD distribution and profitability. I am officially very excited now. I'll be working some at their offices in Hollywood...

Additionally, we have added professional poker player and author Charlie Shoten to the project as Executive Producer. I really like Charlie personally and have enjoyed getting to know him. He is the author of a poker/self-help book entitled No Limit Life.

Add Pilot Season to all of this and I'm a pretty busy guy. I've had a steady stream of auditions, though not many pilots. The folks at NBC (someone there anyway) have taken a fondness to me. I've had several improv-based pilot auditions there. (Look for a lot of game show/improv hybrids this year on network TV if my auditions are any indication.) It's an interesting time to be an improviser for sure. This week I had several commercial auditions and booked an infomercial. Next Tuesday I film a supporting role on the soap opera "The Heiress" which will play nationally on MyNetworktv. It's channel 13 in LA. Check their website for your affiliate and I'll let you know what day you can see me. I also booked a part in an indie film that has had production pushed back - which means there's a good chance it won't actually ever happen.

Lots of fun little things are happening...would be nice to book a commercial or something to pay a few bills, but I can't really afford to complain. You'll know more when I do...thanks for reading.

Sy Waxer - Time Traveler

My friend Mike Betette is the writer for this cartoon. You can see the short pilot at the following link:

I'm a Union Man

This is my first award season as a member of the Screen Actors Guild. I was surprised to find three DVD's in the mail - Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed and Venus. They are basically trying to get votes for the SAG Awards. Pretty cool since two of the films are still in theaters. So if you give SAG a few thousand dollars a year you get free movies and pay bumps when you fall into a pool, smoke a cigarette, or go to lunch late. I guess it all works out in the end.

Big Stuff (Almost)

This is a teaser post. Things are progressing well with the feature film I am producing...see the link for Hitting the Nuts over there -->

It looks like a few key players are joining the team. When it is all official in the coming weeks I'll tell you all about it. This week has flown by so far and been filled with meetings, etc. Pilot Season is officially afoot. So far only one pilot audition - to host a show on the History Channel. It went well...they laughed a lot. I'm just not sure it was supposed to be funny. For hosting gigs I just try to be myself and hope they are looking for a dry, jaded, sarcastic host with a hint of hidden optimism. It doesn't always work...but you never know.

Check back soon for some HTN updates...

Thanks (Ultimate Poker Challenge)

I've received several e-mails and a few voice-mails from people who enjoyed my commentary on the Ultimate Poker Challenge TV show. (Lots of "new friends" from Canada for some reason - thanks for the encouragement, ey?)

Some have asked if I will be on again. I'm contracted for up to 100 shows in 2007, but not gauarenteed any. They have brought on several other co-hosts and seem to be rotating us in and out. If you are a regular viewer of the show and liked my work feel free to drop the producers a note. (You can find their info at www.passportentertainment.com). Don't bug them if you just know me, but they would want to hear from true fans I'm sure.

I actually haven't seen my episodes yet, though I know they have aired in Canada and Las Vegas. They show is syndicated in many markets - you can find your local listing at www.ultimtepokerchallenge.com.

Nothing Much to Say

The new year is off to a slow start. I auditioned today for a feature film...my first audition of the year. The kids are back in school as of today. Things seem to want to get back to normal, but I have a strange "new year" sluggishness about me. I'm normally quite manic in January...very odd.

I'd love to tell you all more, but I'm a little shy of inspiration these days. Hope to share more soon...

Back Home

We made it back safe and sound...looking forward to the new year.