Rest In Peace, Stan Lee (1922-2018)...

This month marks five years since I saw Stan Lee in person at his Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles. While the Marvel Universe and comic book fandom as a whole won't be the same without the legendary Lee to look up to after he passed away today, this is both a sad and joyous moment. It's a joyous moment because we can forever remember the Marvel visionary as a person whose amazing superhero creations—ranging from Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Spider-Man to Black Panther and The Avengers—are popular icons that millions of fans around the world can continue to be inspired by...both on paper and on the big screen. At 95 years-old, Stan Lee lived a full life that had a positive impact on dreamers around the globe. So I won't end this entry by saying 'Rest In Peace' again, but by exclaiming Excelsior!

The Life of a Background Actor...

For those of you who do film and TV extra work, I'm sure you can totally relate to this video...which pokes fun at the largest casting agency in Hollywood that books background actors for movies and TV shows (Won't mention the name of this agency since I don't want to piss it off— I actually get a lot of gigs through this company, haha). So anyways, I can work on Chatty Vaginas. Do I need to show up on set having had*?



* - Having had is background acting parlance for having ate breakfast, lunch or dinner before arriving on set...since the production crew already had meal like, an hour ago (and catering usually has tons of leftovers that literally end up being dumped into the trash once lunch break ends).

Photo of the Day... Looks like Sasha and/or Malia needs to come to their dad's rescue. Or maybe Bo, the First Dog, does.


Pete Souza / The White House

Katy Perry: Part of Me... I'd watch this flick, for free that is. Normally, I'd share a great disdain for self-indulgent films and documentaries that feature flavor-of-the-month music artists (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Britney Spear's Crossroads, Mariah Cary's Glitter, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie and 50 Cents' Get Rich Or Die Tryin'), but I'd give Katy Perry's new movie a shot. Of course, it's probably because I'm thinking with my you-know-what (the word starts with a 'p' and rhymes with 'Venus') and not because I have classy taste in movies. How can I not watch a film that centers on a girl whose 2008 hit song ("I Kissed a Girl") was inspired by her 'lesbian crush' on Megan Fox and Scarlett Johansson (in case you didn't already know this)? And "Teenage Dream" isn't so bad, either.

If there's one film about the life of a music artist that I enjoyed, it's 2002's 8 Mile, starring Eminem. Not only are his songs (both old and recent) a lot better than some of the new crap spewed by other rappers these days, but Eminem can act too. Heck— Music-wise, Slim Shady's 8 Mile anthem "Lose Yourself" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003, for cryin' out loud. You da man, Slim. But this journal entry isn't about you. It's about the sexy brunette / blonde / red head / purple or blue-haired chick from Santa Barbara who likes posing provocatively on pink cotton candy.

Katy Perry: Part of Me gets released in theaters today, for those of you planning to movie-hop after watching Ted, Oliver Stone's Savages or The Amazing Spider-Man this weekend. That is all.

(I'm well aware of the disparity between this Blog topic and the NASA-related entry I posted on Tuesday, thankyouverymuch.)

Transformers update... Okay, this isn't really an update, assuming that you've already heard that Michael Bay is back to direct a fourth Transformers flick...and that it will feature a new cast but will continue the storyline established by the first three movies. Anyways, I just found out on the Web yesterday that the cute brunette who gets her face um, hugged by the Steering Wheel Bot in the first Transformers film is none other than Odette Yustman—err, Annable. You'll remember her from Cloverfield and maybe the horror flick The Unborn, and her stint in this year's final season of the hit FOX TV show House. If you've visited my Blog long enough, you'll also know that I devoted a journal entry to her a few years back, haha.

I'll resist the urge to point out that Mrs. Annable should've been in Transformers: Dark of the Moon [FYI, Michael Bay cast actor Glenn Morshower (who played a Secret Service agent on the other hit-but-defunct FOX TV show, 24) in Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon, despite the fact Morshower already played a character who died at the beginning of the first movie] instead of the hot Victoria's Secret model who was out of Shia LaBeouf's league. Then again... Carly in the original Transformers cartoons is blonde, so unless Mrs. Annable dyed her hair that color, she obviously wouldn't have fit that role. That, and Megan Fox probably would've been peeved that another brunette was moving in on her dorky on-set squeeze. Hey, at least Bay found a way to get another sexy Hollywood girl in his movies. That's probably one of the main reasons why I'm glad that he's directing Transformers 4. (Okay, maybe not.) And that's why it just occurred to me that Annable can always be cast in this next film, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in 2014. Duh.

BURN NOTICE... Just thought I’d post an entry giving props to this awesome TV show, which airs Thursday nights on the USA Network with reruns being shown Wednesday nights on My13 (here in SoCal). Burn Notice is about a former spy named Michael Westen (played by Jeffrey Donovan), who abruptly loses his job with the U.S. government and has to make ends meet by using his Special Ops skills assisting hapless civilians in the city of Miami. He’s not alone in helping out innocent folks and fighting the bad guys in nice Florida sunshine, however... Westen is assisted by his hot but trigger-happy ex-girlfriend Fiona (played by Gabrielle Anwar), his close friend / FBI snitch Sam (played by none other than Bruce Campbell of The Evil Dead and Spider-Man movie-cameos fame) and Westen’s chain-smoking mom Madeline (played by Sharon Gless).

There are several reasons why Burn Notice is awesome: 1.) Michael Westen not only kicks ass, but he’s also like MacGyver...building cool contraptions like a cell phone-hacking device made out of a plastic cup and metal hangers (you’d have to watch the episode this was shown in to see how plausible it is), and giving good combat and spying advice whenever he is about to confront a new villain. (Plus— Have any of you ever heard of a ‘water saw’ before? Neither did I. Didn’t know about this cool tool till I watched a recent episode of this show.) 2.) It’s interesting to follow Westen’s quest of tracking down the government folks who suddenly fired him and erased his job history (also known as a burn notice...surprise, surprise). I’m not gonna elaborate, but I can also relate to how he tries to make a living by taking any job he can to make some cash after being "dumped" in Miami following his blacklisting. And 3.) I like how the show is set in Miami. I love Florida, and if it weren’t for the dang hurricanes, I’d totally move there.

Two syndicated episodes of Burn Notice airs on My13 (channel 13) at 8 PM and 9 PM tonight...while the show originally broadcasts at 9 PM on the USA Network tomorrow. Check it out. And no, I wasn’t paid to blog this. Though like Michael Westen, I’ll take the work.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY (AND 'ON TRACK PRODUCTIONS')... Earlier last month, I went down to Burbank to be an extra on a TV pilot shoot that one of my former co-workers invited me to. Called Up the Hill, this pilot was written by another former co-worker of mine and is a political satire about the life of an aspiring but bumbling congressman in Washington, DC. From what I saw during filming in Burbank, this pilot looks to be pretty hilarious (with a very talented cast in it). Can’t wait to see the final cut of Up the Hill...assuming I’m invited to the premiere, if there's one. The wrap party should’ve long taken place, since production was completed the day after the Burbank shoot on um, June 4.




To stray off-topic a little (or a lot), I was an extra on Up the Hill just by showing up...much as how I was an extra on the first Spider-Man flick by showing up as well (actually, I had to RSVP online, but that was it). Don’t ask me why, but I’ve been going onto Craigslist lately (I think you guys can tell where this is headed) to find more gigs as an extra and get other movie work. Just to give you folks a warning, if you’re looking to be an extra in a short or feature film, BEWARE of a job posting on Craigslist that asks you to call a phone number with a 323 area code to do an audition/interview to be a background performer. In hindsight, NO ONE should have to audition or even interview for a role where you have NO SPEAKING LINES...and are just standing there or asked to run around and look scared or something.



Needless to say, I learned the hard way that the Craigslist posting was essentially a scam and I wasted a half tank of gas driving to the so-called production office that held these audition/interviews in Hollywood—not to mention I spent $10 on parking for nothing. (I refuse to park on a street in Hollywood...especially after getting a lousy $55 parking ticket in my own residential area two weeks before I stumbled upon this fraudulent job posting. Thank the economy.) The name of this office is On Track Productions...but this name isn’t mentioned on On Track's Craigslist postings...only the 323 phone number [which was actually changed recently after another person posted on Craigslist and other sites revealing that what this company was doing is illegal. The original phone number that is used on almost all of On Track's job postings is (323) 468-7365].



The co-worker who invited me to the Up the Hill shoot does background extra work for a living, and he himself pointed out that On Track Productions was pulling a scam when I told him about my trip to Hollywood. A red flag to him was me mentioning that I was gonna be given a one-page script to recite a monologue from during the audition (as a reminder: An extra HAS NO SPEAKING LINES). He said I was right to walk out of that office less than 5 minutes after I arrived there. (Yep, I definitely wasted $10 and a half tank of gas.) Another red flag, to me at least, was the receptionist working at the office. More on that in the next paragraph.



When I arrived at the office, I had to use the restroom before I went to the waiting area for the audition/interview. I asked the receptionist where the restroom was, and she flatly responded with "I need collateral." Looking perplexed since I was never, ever asked this kind of question when I had to use the John at any other place before, the receptionist became impatient, stuck her hand out, and said "I need something from you." Again looking perplexed, I remained silent as I handed her my sunglasses, took the restroom keys from her, and exited the office to use the restroom down the hallway. (Why the office didn’t have its own restroom is beyond me. Of course, the building this office is in is a total dump. Um... Another red flag right there.) Nice first impression for your company there, lady. Plus, exactly what happened in the past to make you distrustful of people trying to take a No. 1 or 2 at your workplace? Hmm.



So to summarize for y’all, you DO NOT have to audition to be a background extra in a film or TV show. Professional casting companies may ask you to pay a small upfront fee to register with them (but they’ll actually get you work being in the movies or TV shows...most of the time), but you’ll never be asked to do a monologue or something...unless the production company was being shady and actually auditioning for acting roles under the guise of telling folks they’re just casting for extras (a theory my co-worker came up with). Avoid On Track Productions, and do research online about which companies can hook you up with a non-speaking gig in the next Adam Sandler or Judd Apatow movie. Or a Michael Bay flick. That is all.

TRANSFORMERS 3 Update... The newest trailer for Dark of the Moon hit the Web today, and as per tradition if you regularly visit my Blog, here are a collage of screenshots I got from the preview. Since my computer is pretty old (how old is it? I bought it a month after I graduated from college...which was in the same year Spider-Man 2 was released in theaters. Why am I telling you this?), and every Quicktime video on Apple.com is now in High Definition (which my computer can't handle unless I buy more RAM and a better video graphics card for it), I had to get the screencaptures from a Youtube version of the trailer (that I linked to below)—which is of lower quality than that of a Quicktime clip. Oh well.



If you want to see the TF3 trailer on the big screen, watch it in front of Fast Five when it comes out in theaters tomorrow. I might watch the fifth Fast and the Furious film this weekend. Might.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK... I saw the film two days ago, and thought it was pretty good. Definitely not the piece of crap that the teaser trailer made it out to be. (PUNK... PROPHET... BILLIONAIRE... STFU!) Jesse Eisenberg—of Zombieland fame—was amusing as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg...though it’s funny how little Eisenberg sounded like the real Internet billionaire [Zuckerberg made a guess appearance on last week’s episode of The Simpsons...and the dude has a pretty deep voice. Of course, The Social Network is based on events 7 years ago, but I doubt Zuckerberg sounds any different than he did when he was a hated(?) Harvard computer nerd in 2003].



Justin Timberlake did a notable job as Napster founder Sean Parker...though I wonder if Parker is anything close to acting like the somewhat douchey and cowardly partygoer that Timberlake portrayed him as. I don’t know much about British actor Andrew Garfield except that he's gonna play the next Peter Parker, but my hopes for 2012’s Spider-Man reboot have gone up a little after seeing his commendable performance as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.



The actress who plays Saverin’s girlfriend, Brenda Song, looked so friggin’ hot in the movie. Seeing as how Song is credited on IMDb only as "Christy" in The Social Network, was her character fictitious? Just kidding... Upon further research, I know that her full name is Christy Lee. It's Erica Albright, the girl played by Rooney Mara who is the reason why Zuckerberg created Facebook in the movie, that doesn't exist. Supposedly.



Before you ask... No, I didn’t post a status update about The Social Network on Facebook after I watched the movie. But I did tweet about it on my Twitter page (I’d provide a link...but I’ll probably end up deleting my Twitter account a few months from now...only to create a new profile on the same day. Just because). I wonder if the origins of MySpace and Friendster were just as dark as that of Facebook. Probably not. Otherwise, we would have already seen a Friendster movie...and Tom, the creator of MySpace, wouldn’t have been relegated to a cameo in last year’s unfunny flick Funny People. That is all.

This Friday, summer's first big blockbuster film comes out in theaters. Can't wait! I'll probably watch it in Imax on opening night like I did with 300...and then the next few screenings will be at regular theaters. Hey- This is the only movie series besides Star Wars where I'm willing to watch a film more than once at the cineplex (with some buddies, of course). Then again, I only watched the first Spider-Man once in theaters when it came out in 2002, but that was because I was wasting my dough on Attack of the Clones. Jango Fett rules.

SPIDER-MAN 3: The final trailer... Go HERE to watch the last preview to this May's upcoming blockbuster film. Venom is finally shown in this trailer, as well as some cool footage of the aerial battle between Peter Parker and Harry Osborne on the glider. You'll notice that there aren't that many shots of Sandman in this video, but that's because his story was already featured in the teaser and the first full-length trailer. Anyways, sling on! Or whatever one would say to, um, Spidey.

More on SPIDER-MAN 3... Last night, FOX aired the ‘world broadcast premiere’ to 2004's Spider-Man 2, and during most of the commercials, showed brief clips from the newest trailer to next year’s third Webslinger installment. Right before the movie started, however, there was a promo to these sneak previews, and a quick shot of Venom from the film was shown for the first time! In the words of Eric Cartman from TV's South Park: "Kiiick. Ass! Kiiick. Ass!" Thanks to the folks at SuperHeroHype.com for providing a video that combines all clips from the sneak previews. Word.

SPIDER-MAN 3 Trailer... Check out the newest preview to the third Spidey flick on iFilm.com, and in front of the next Bond flick Casino Royale...which comes out this Friday. Hopefully, a downloadable version of the trailer will be made available online once Royale is released. By the way, there's no sign of Venom in this preview (except Topher Grace playing Eddie Brock...Venom's human alterego). Sam Raimi is trying to keep the character under wraps, eh? Hopefully, Venom will look awesome when we finally see him on the big screen next May. That is all.

Farewell, Paramount Pictures... Yesterday was officially my last day working at the studio, after being there for a year. All in all, it's a great place to work. I'd write a longer entry, but I don't wanna. Maybe later. Click here to check out several photos that I took while I was at Paramount. Some of the photos include a prop vehicle from the upcoming Spider-Man 3 and the Batmobile from the old 1960's Batman TV show.

SPIDER-MAN 3... Click here to view the official teaser trailer for 2007’s most anticipated film (YEA, YOU HEARD RIGHT). From the footage that’s shown, this movie is gonna rock!! Spidey looks totally badass in the black outfit, Sandman looks pretty cool when he transforms into, you guessed it, sand, Kirsten Dunst appears much prettier in the SM3 footage than she did in Spider-Man 2 (no offense, haha) and Harry Osborne...uh, looks pretty determine to get revenge on Spidey while soaring on the Goblin’s glider (though I wonder if Osborne will be donning more than just that mask seen in the trailer for his Hobgoblin attire. Is he even called the Hobgoblin in SM3?). The one character most notably missing from the trailer, of course, is Spidey’s slithery arch-nemesis himself, Venom. Topher Grace’s Ed Brock is shown, but not his evil symbiotic version. Well, more power to Columbia Pictures for keeping Venom under wraps...till the full theatrical trailer comes out next Spring, that is. Did I mention how this movie is gonna rock??

SPIDER-MAN 3... Just so you know, these aren't black & white images of the web-slinger. Spidey will indeed be dressed in black for the Must-See Movie of 2007. Now which version below is an accurate depiction of the costume? Hmmm...


The image on the left is courtesy of the official Spider-Man website

UPDATE (March 10): Spider-Man 3 has begun filming today in the New York Street backlot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. I'm not gonna divulge anything, since I didn't see what was going on (I was too busy driving around the lot during work...and I like having that thing called a job, haha), except to say I saw Director Sam Raimi in person when I visited the set after the shoot was wrapped for the day. That was cool.

UPDATE #2 (March 17): Since I obviously wasn't the one who took these pics, I guess it's safe to post up these photos (err, hopefully)...especially considering the production crew was still preparing the set at the time these images were shot (New York Street looked really awesome once it was completely dressed for filming). These photos are courtesy of SuperheroHype.com.





UPDATE #3 (March 23): Spider-Man 3 wrapped up filming at New York Street two days ago, but continued filming in Stage 18 (where the classic Sunset Boulevard and the soon-to-be released Mission: Impossible 3 were shot) up until yesterday. I saw Kirsten Dunst outside Stage 18. She was driving around in a small green golf cart. Oh, and Tommy Lee Jones was filming a commercial outside nearby Stage 9 and the Assembly Stage. That was cool.


UPDATE #4 (March 24): Hmm... Looks like they weren't done filming, after all. I visited New York Street after I caught a free screening of the Pierce Brosnan film, The Matador (funny movie) at Paramount Theater this evening, and a night scene was being shot. I obviously won't go into specifics here, but there was one actress from the previous film who I saw. Her name is Mageina Tovah, and she plays Ursula (the dorky daughter of Peter Parker's landlord Mr. Ditkovich), who handed Parker a slice of cake in Spider-Man 2. Or I think that was her, haha. Anyways, that's all. Below are two photos that I took of the Daily Bugle van and the New York cabs as they were parked near soundstages on the Gower side of the Paramount lot.





UPDATE #5 (March 25): For more photos that I took at Paramount Studios, click here. C'mon, that page needs hits!