Short Films & The 5 Song Weekend

Yes, I am back (I hope).
Life (and facebook) has kept me from blogging this past month.
Every day I think to myself... oooh I've got to blog about this! But then, I get lazy and think, ugh, I don't want to type it all out... So now, here I am, with too much to blog about and not enough time.

I do want to say thanks to everyone for your heartfelt condolences and prayers for my family as we've had to deal with losing my gramps. You don't even know how much it has meant to me and my family. That is a mark of a true friend, and I love and appreciate you all the more for it.

Okay, so two things.

1. 2 weeks ago, I found myself smack dab in the middle of a casting call for a short film that I co-produced on. It practically fell from the sky, this opportunity, and I grabbed at it. The casting call was super fun, first off because it wasn't me this time having to read lines with the director and secondly because I got to sit there and scrutnize each actor and then make fun of them when they left! (no, really I didn't make fun of ALL of them. Just a few seriously funny guys who definitely came from somewhere over the rainbow, if you know what I mean.) Then, it was the arduous task of dwindling down our options and casting the parts. I was rooting for one guy because he was tall, dark, and handsome and had been an extra on several episodes of Prison Break... (Lock me up with Michael Scoffield Please!!!) But then, my common sense came back and there was a clear cut choice for the lead role.

Now on to the hectic weekend of shooting the film. (yes, we had to shoot the entire film in a 4 day span!) I had to miss the last day of filming because my real job got in the way of that... ha ha ha. But the other three days were 12 hours each of grueling, fast pace, sit and wait, sweaty, exciting, mundane, loud, quiet, brain taxing, exhausting work. (seriously, all that in 12 hours a day!) It was an amazing experience.

On the second day, our extras bailed on us, so the whole crew were on their cell phones trying to round up family and friends to come on location and shoot some scenes for us. My mom even got a principle extras part and her scene in the film is HILARIOUS. She had skillz! Who knew... well she's always enjoyed entertaining the masses ... lol. Even Deb came down to support us and got in a couple of group shots. My cousin, Eileen, is working on her acting resume, so we got her to play a waitress in a few coffee shop scenes. All in all it turned out to be a fun family experience. Well that's my perspective. If you ask Deb, she will say... too much work -- NEVER AGAIN! There is a lot of waiting around for the actors and then the same shot over and over again. Not her cup of tea. Ha ha ha.

So now the film is complete and shipped off to San Antonio, Texas where it is being judged at a film festival there. The festival is called San Antonio International Christian Film Festival. (SAICFF) It will be screened in January at the actual festival and up for a 100k cash prize. The whole reason why I did this project was not just to learn more about the industry, but ultimately, if ... no, WHEN we win that money, it will finance our pilot show of Kidz Praize Zone, which is where my heart truly lies.

That weekend was a bon-a-fide once in a lifetime experience and I know there is so much more to come!

Okay so now my second thing. My pastor's son got married this weekend at the Radisson Hotel in Newport Beach, CA. I've known Devin since he was eight years old, so this was kind of a sweet, but sad moment. He is the eldest of four boys and I know that he has really made his parents proud over the years. He is kind hearted and compassionate and is just a selfless happy go lucky human being. He is 19 years old now and has really proven himself this past year. When his girlfriend moved down here to Southern California from Modesto, I just knew that something was up. Sure enough they shortly after announced their engagement. Now some people may think -- but they are so young. Well, for them, it felt right. And his parents married when his mom was 18 and his dad 19 and they just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. What God joins together.... So I just say, well, God has a different plan for each of us.

So after a whirlwind engagement, the day was finally arriving. They asked me to sing in their wedding and I was truly honored. I was asked to sing a duet with our church's music director (Faith Hill & Tim McGraw's "It's Your Love") and then a solo (Shania Twain's "From This Moment On"). So I arrived at the wedding rehearsal to find 5... count them... FIVE songs sitting on the piano waiting for me to rehearse. Luckily I knew most of them, but one of them, I had never even heard in my whole life! The wedding coordinator just came up to me and said, but you'll learn it for tomorrow right? It's not a problem right? She gave me a pointed look like, don't even think of ruining the bride's day. She wants that song, so you will sing it. I meekly said Yes Ma'am and went on practicing.

Well, that night there was no time to get on the computer to find this unfamiliar song. So bright and early on Saturday morning, I found the music video on youtube and quickly learned the song. I had a noon time last minute practice and the wedding started at two o'clock. I can't believe it, but I actually pulled it off! I was able to sing all five songs and not ruin their wedding! All the way to the hotel on Saturday, I implored God to keep my emotions in check (crying and singing do not mix well for me) and to help me remember all the songs. God as usual was faithful and got me through it.

The wedding was so sweet and touching. Deb took some pictures which I'm sure she will post soon on her blog. The reception was fun and before you could blink, the day was over. At the reception I found Devin standing alone talking to people around him and I said, "Devin, where's your wife?" He shrugged his shoulders and said, "uh, I don't know". I said, "do you like to hear that... people calling her your wife?" He got that same big grin on his face that I've seen for the past 11 years and said in that lazy cowboy way of his, "yeaaahhh..." so sweet. Congratulations Devin & Kaitlin.

WHEW. Hopefully this will catch ya'all up with my busy, filled life and I won't wait another month to post on here.


THAT'S A WRAP!

The Screen Queen