Amanda's First National Commerical.

Kudos to Amanda for landing her first national commercial. To say I am proud of here is an understatement.

Clip-n-Feathers commercial from Scott Leslie on Vimeo.

Robert Downey Jr. and the Missing Crack Pipes

Everyone though it was him but I knew better. The "talent" does not stand in front of the camera while the lighting is set up and rehearsal goes on. I knew it was Robert Downey Jr's stand in. I have to admit it sure looked like him from where we were standing. Then the shiny new black mini van pulled up and out came someone who must have been his bodyguard. Right behind him was Mr. Downey.

We were on the set of Joe Wright's new movie "The Soloist" starring Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Fox. This shot was being filmed under the 7th street bridge downtown LA. This was hollywoods version of skid row and from the pictures I've seen it looked pretty damn good. Throw in some real homeless people a couple of fires going and the fact that it was after midnight and you have yourself one realistic scary little scene.

The prop department handed out lighters and crack pipes to some of the extras and actually believed all would be returned.Yeah right!. You got to be kidding. At the end of the shoot everyone was lined up at the folding table to return the items. On the left a big pile of lighters and on the right a handful of crack pipes.

It's a Girl! Miranda or Mia? Hurry Pick One!

Wow, where does the time go. I can't believe it's been over 3 months since my last post. Well, lets see, I found out we are having a girl and we are trying to decide on a name right now.Miranda or Mia. April will be here pretty quick.We'll probably decide during delivery. Just finished working on a Sony Playstaion commerical.It was filmed at Petco Park because Dodger Stadium was having lighting issues. That was an all nighter but was really cool(actually it was freezing)because both of my sons signed up to be there. Met with an agent. Invested a lot in roof patching material. We have had a lot rain in good ol southern Cali and the doublewides roof just can't take it. Started selling blind parts on Ebay.The writers strike goes on like the Energizer bunny which makes work in tv and film extremly slow. Hopefully things will pick up soon. I was in the movie above "A Day Without a Mexican" as -you guessed it - a Mexican. I ended up with 3 other guys as car washers. This was an interesting movie. I don't think I have met anyone who was affended by it but I'm sure there are some who were. It's basically a story about all the Mexicans in Southern California disappearing and what happens to the economy. It has a certain documentary type feel to it. Defenately worth watching once.

My First Time with Pamela Anderson. Sort of.

My first time on a real set was in a TV movie starring Rob Estes and Pamela Anderson. It was the CBS Tuesday Night Movie "Come Die With Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery".Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to meet my fellow Canadian actress but It was still a fun experience. This was in the early 90's and I was working at Walmart unloading their trucks and stocking shelves on the graveyard shift. If I ever hear that Walmart cheer again, I'll shoot myself. I wanted to keep my days open for auditons but when I dozed off at the wheel one morning climbed an embankment and nearly took out a no stopping sign I decided it was time to quit.My wife was flipping burgers and the apartment we were in would eventually evict us because we couldn't get the rent in on time. Not the best of times but not the worst either. That would be when my 3 three year old ended up at Children's hospital for 2 months a paraplegic. That's going to be a tough post but I'll get to it someday. Ok, back to my first time. Casting director Sam Warren calls me and asks if I want to play the part of a waiter at the Del Mar Race Track for a TV movie. Sure I said and showed up promptly to stand in line with a bunch of other guys wearing black pants and white shirts. A short time later Sam is looking at his clip board checking everybody in and starts looking a little puzzled. You see, he forgot to hire someone to play a jockey. Since I was the shortest there, they rushed me in the wardrobe trailer and started putting a makeshift costume together. Red satiny vest, long black boots and a helmet with a pointy thing on top. A little embarrassing but hey its show business. The highlight of this day was when the director approached me and started giving me directions like I knew what he was talking about. Hit my mark. What mark? Oh, an X on the ground. Right. After the car smashes through the barrier I run after it. Ok, got it. I ended getting my first Taft Hartley on this movie. The other 2 came pretty quickly too. When ever I watch my performance on the vhs I have I get a little depressed. You see in the background they caught my sweet tricked out 1967 Chevy Camaro that I had to sell when times got bad. Oh well, gotta grow up some time.

Top Dog and Rod Stewart?

The guy hands me a gun and an id badge that said Detective Mundy. I was a cop on the set of "Top Dog" starring Chuck Norris. The gun was a prop of course and the guy who handed it to me looked just like - I kid you not - Rod Stewart. The hair, the accent, and even the outfit he was wearing screamed "Hey look at me I'm Rod Stewart!". Anyone who worked on this movie can back me up. It was uncanny.

Getting on this film was interesting. Apparently the first batch of cops to be in the scene were actors/models who were 6 foot plus. This made our leading man look small. Can't have that. So, enter the small guys. I usually miss out because of my small stature but this time I got in thanks to it. I will post later about landing the part of a jockey.

This movie was directed by Chuck Norriss' brother Aaron Norris and both of these guys were really laid back and mellow. I remember we were all sitting together between scenes and Chuck gets up to talk to the motorcycle cop that was helping with security. He apparently likes bikes and they start rambling on like they're best buds. I was a big karate fan in the 70's and thought Chuck Norris was cool especially when I found out he would train with Bruce Lee. Breaker,Breaker was a favorite movie of mine back then. I read he made a whopping $10,000 for that flick. I think he gets a little more these days. Another cool encounter was with a crew member who was involved with all the stunts in "Chips" starring Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. Boy, I'm starting to feel old. The crew member ended up driving my car with me in the passenger seat in a scene which gave me a "car bump." That's extra pay for letting them use your vehicle.

It was fun working on this film not to mention the looks on my kids' faces when we went to the drive in and there on the giant screen was their pappy.

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"Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't"

Matthew Perry and Chris Farleys Last Movie

So we're standing in the wardrobe trailer and this lady is telling us that the outfits we are about to get into are the same ones that were worn in Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves".Cool. They were too clean though and we were instructed to roll around in the ground to get them wrinkled and dirty. They also put movie dirt on us. Kinda like make up for your clothes. A rag with this black stuff on it. At the time this movie was being called Edwards and Hunt. They do that a lot. The working title being different than the finished product title.
Anyways, we were getting mucked up and just hanging out when I noticed Matthew Perry coming out of his trailer and sitting on the steps. He stared out and looked very distant. He also looked like he hadn't eaten in days. I mean this guy was very skinny. I later found out that this is when he started having drug problems. You wouldn't of noticed it watching the movie because of the extra weight that's added when you're on film. Chris Farley on the other hand didn't have a "skinny" weight problem. He was a riot. We shot at Blacks Beach -a nude beach- and he had this personal tent with I don't know how many people catering to his every need. Always laughing and acting like a big kid. I loved watching him on Saturday Night Live. The "Van down by the river" is probably my favorite skit. I don't think anybody had a clue this was his last movie and that we would die before it was released. Runs a chill down my spine as I write this. I guess there were a lot of people who knew he was going down the John Belushi road but didn't know when it was going to happen. Very sad

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"Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

Tracy Lords Standing in Front of Me

No, I didn't do porn. Thought about it but that was as far as it went. Remember, married 20 years, 3.3 kids. I'm not going there. I played a paramedic in a made for TV movie starring Crystal Bernard and Tracy Lords called "As Good As Dead". The thing I remember most was these really high heels she wore and the fact that when the VHS was released it went on sale for $79.99. Needless to say I didn't go right out and get me a copy. That's three months of macaroni and cheese. When I asked why it was so expensive, they said it wasn't the store that slapped that price on it but the studio that released it. You can get it on Amazon for less than three bucks now. I would like to add that Crystal Bernard was super on the set. She talked to us always smiling and showed how down to earth she was. Not to mention a very pretty lady. I think I will enjoy watching reruns of "Wings" a lot more now. As far as Tracy Lords goes, I'm glad she turned her life around and is working on films that I can take my kids to. It takes courage, and a strong will to do what she did and I can imagine there are a lot of young ladies who never make it out. I hope she can offer some inspiration and hope to anyone who is thinking there is none and this is all they can do with their lives. Thumbs up to two fine ladies.

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"Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak."

Pirates of the Caribbean Theme

Amanda just turned 12 and she wants to throw a Pirates of the Caribbean Theme birthday party. So we have the hats and eye patches. A journal for the kids to log in their pirate names when they arrive and a Pirates pinata. I think she is obsessed with pirates. I'm sure it's just another phase kids go through. My wife and I found this Pirates of the Caribbean dvd player at Kmart which Amanda went nuts over. The remote is Jacks compass. Pretty cool. It's on Ebay for $99.99 but if you use this link you can get it from Kmart for $69.99.

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"The things that come to those who wait will be the scraggly junk left by those who got there first."

It's a wrap! Bye to Little Lionel and His Brothers Keeper

Just finished filming my part as the property manager on Little Lionel Little and it's a wrap for Amanda at His Brother's Keeper. Time to update resumes and start mailing out to agents again.
As I write this it's raining in San Diego and I'm hoping the double wides roof wont' leak. Did I forget to mention we're remodeling. It was going smoothly before we found out about the baby coming. Now it's me and Matt, my guitar playing seventeen year old . He is actually a pretty amazing guitar player. We won't discuss his grades though.

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"The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room."

The Green Screen

Shot in front of a green screen today. I'm working on a short film and I was supposed to emit negative energy or bad vibes. It all comes out in the background. They have a great website. Check out the trailer at littlelionellittle.com My daughter appears in this one too. It's been nine years since we worked on a film together. She was three at the time. That was the super hero flick I starred in. Check out my site for movie downloads. That little film led me to my first paying gig for an industrial. To check out the training video I shot go to Skinwearusa.com and click on training video. I always recommend anyone starting out in acting to work on student films and independent shorts. Yes, I know you're working for free but look what happened when the owner of a company just happened to see a clip from one of my little films. I didn't even have to audition. Got a call. Showed up to shoot. It was all teleprompter work. Got paid $100 an hour. It can happen to you. Why spend thousands of dollars on a class taught by some out of work actor when your local paper has tons of auditions for these kind of films. Now with everyone into online video, more and more casting directors are expecting to see you do your stuff on the small screen before they hire you for the big one.

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"When you go into court, you are putting yourself into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty."

The Day The Rabbit Died

I woke up this morning in the usual way. I counted my blessings and looked back on all my positive accomplishments. My oldest son is starting his second year at Humboldt University. Wow! a kid in college. No way. Number two is now a senior at Santana High and my daughter will be 12 this month. Where does the time go. Even though it was a quiet morning and I felt calm there was something different about this day. My feelings were warranted when my wife came out of the bathroom with this look on her face that I know I've seen before. Maybe a dozen or so years ago. She leaned over to my ear and said,"I love you". And then she presented "the thing". You know the thing with the lines on it. Oh yeah. We were having an addition to the cast. Another mouth to feed. A bundle of joy. Wait a minute, we're in our 40's!. Holy cow! our families are going to like this one. Needless to say we are both ecstatic and excited. Time to look up names.

A Paramount Studios Hair Cut and Another Short Film

Apparently Amanda doesn't get any lines in our latest short film venture. When we got word we landed parts we were expecting lines but welcome to the world of disappointment's. In a way I'm glad it happened.She needs to get used to it. She took it a lot better than I would have. I think my biggest acting disappointment was when I was called to drive up to Paramount Studios for an interview. I landed a part with Peter Dinklage in an episode of Nip/Tuck. I drove back up to LA for a fitting and then one more time for the actual shooting. They never used me. I watched and waited and they never used me. Well, that's Hollywood for you. Your just the actor they need and then it's "Oh we just wanted you here in case we needed you". Huh? Ooohkaaay. Well I got paid not to mention a free haircut on the Paramount Studios lot. I once read that this show was like a bad car accident. You know you shouldn't look but you do anyways. I definitely wouldn't let my daughter watch it. Talk about pushing the envelope.

Amanda and The Crazy World of Show Business

Just got word we landed parts in our latest short film Little Lionel Little. My daughter Amanda is turning out to be quite the little actress. Should I worry? After all it's a tough biz to be in. You know maybe I was put here to get the experience to hand down to her and watch her become the next big thing. That would be awesome. If I don't get anywhere in this crazy road to stardom, at least I can guide and support her and most of all protect her from the weirdos and sickos out there. Been there and met them. Tonight I'm taking Amanda to a rehearsal for the first short film she landed, His Brothers Keeper. Wow! 11 years old and already two films. She'll catch up to me in no time.

Desperate Housewifes Rush Call

I had a rush call to work on Desperate Housewifes but unfortunately I had other commitments. I hate when that happens. Auditioned for a short film called Little Lionel Little with my daughter who wants to get into the business. They seemed impressed. We'll see where this one goes.

Spongebob Squarepants Defeated Once Again

Family Fun Day was yesterday July 22 at the Del Mar Racetrack and I in my Pony Boy costume raced Spongebob Squarepants. You'll have to check out the video to find out who won. Just received MMK Productons "The Final Hit" dvd which is my latest project. I will upload it shortly. Thank you Omar!.Great Job!

New Headshots and Sag Agent Night

New headshots up. Thank you Joanna for a great job. Check out her website at http://www.herrphotography.com.Attended Sag's San Deigo Agents Night. Lots a great info.

Emily Osment and Curious George

Played Curious George at the "Yeah Baby Expo". That was one hot suit. Ending up seeing Emily Osment who plays Lily on Hanna Montana. For those of you who don't know, she is the younger sister of The Sixth Sense star, Haley Joel Osment.
Had some new headshots taken. Will post soon as I get the CD.
Received my Dvd copy from Kendra at SDSU. That was the scene replication for Chinatown. Auditioned for a short film called "Donut Shop Hero" at WCI studios. Just got word Omar will be sending out DVD copies of the "Final Hit". This should be an awesome flick. He spent a lot of time on this film.

The Easter Bunny and Why I Joined Central Casting

Looks like I have some gigs playing the Easter Bunny. Your laughing aren't ya.Signed up with Central casting. Yeah, I know,backrground work,sheeesh. Hey, I gotta eat .

Chinatown at SDSU

Chinatown - Thank you Kendra for calling me to work on your scene replication. I had a great time. Can't wait to get the copy.

The Completion of The Final Hit

The Final Hit - Omar has completed the film but is searching for a composer to lay an appropriate soundtrack. Sounds like Omar is really going all out on this one.