BY BELINDA BREMNER
Of course you remember good ole Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life, the angel who finally gets his wings by saving George Bailey and sending him back to his family. Have you ever wanted wings of your own? Well, you gotta be an angel to get them and you gotta do a good deed to be an angel. But how? That’s easy, donate to Hearts of the Arts.
The folks at Hearts of the Arts–a foundation that benefits the children of the Englewood neighborhood–are throwing a party at Filippo’s, Claire Simon’s sister’s restaurant, located at Webster and Clybourn. By donating new warm clothing, you get a good ole fashioned warm glow in the heart AND your wings. Those who donate will have their names (with wings affixed) displayed on the wall at Claire Simon Casting. Claire, alongside Stacy Shaffer at Linda Jack Talent–and a flock of other good souls–began the project when casting Hardball.
Hats, gloves, mittens, coats, scarves, socks are all needed. Anything to keep the children of Englewood (ages 7-13) warm this winter. Because these will be Holiday gifts, they should be new, not used. The only other restriction is that they not be either red or blue, because (alas) those colors are used by the local gangs. Bring your donations to Claire Simon Casting, Linda Jack Talent, or Filippo’s BEFORE November 23rd. And hey, the food at Filippo’s is great so dine there and support the folks who are donating their place in this worthy cause.
On a less cheerful note–but echoing the intimidation by the aforementioned gangs–my phone has been humming with folks unhappy with the practices of some people higher up the food chain in town. Questionable business practices, ethics forgotten, principle abandoned...I am happy to listen and advise BUT if you want to change the situation you have to speak up. You have to be willing to go on the record to those with the power to redress your grievances if you want results. Why the reluctance? Don’t want to complain about the person who isn’t paying you for the print/promotion work you did because they might not hire you again? For more work for which they still won’t pay you? Don’t want to report abuse in a casting session because that person might then not call you in again thereby affording an opportunity to abuse/humiliate/browbeat you again? These people can only hurt you if you choose to let them by keeping silent and stewing about it! They get away with it because we let them. Call them on their actions. Blow the whistle–or save your breath to cool your porridge.
And lest we think that actors are guiltless in the marketplace, there is the incident making its way through all the agencies of the young miss who stiffed her agent by bouncing the check for the commission and the service fee. Okay, we’ve all bounced a check now and again. Covered in shame we creep into the agency good check or cash in hand to pay our debt and grovel that we will never do it again. Wash their feet with our tears...But did this creature, mais non. Repeated messages on numerous phones went unreplied to. The word is out to the agencies and her chances of working again are getting slimmer by the minute.
Okay, back on the partly sunny side of the street. The Illinois Film Office reports that everything looks very good for Barber Shop to begin after the first of the year. There are three other projects scouting for spring. The Bonnie Hunt project discussed last issue is still on hold. "ER" and "Mind of the Married Man" are still deciding if they want to fly in to do pick up shooting. The good news is that film production is staying home in the U.S. The bad news for Chicago is that the U.S. industry is still defined by either coast.
But real actors can revel in the fact that these so-called reality shows, which have been the cheap starchy filler of the networks and put real artists out of work, have indeed had their day. In a recent CNN "Showbiz Today Reports," Lauren Hunter wrote that "ratings for reality shows such as CBS’s 'Survivor’ are not meeting expectations." The ratings for the pap and self-aggrandizing drivel have plummeted. These cheap-to-produce side shows with the 21st Century equivalent of geeks who bit the heads off chickens are on their way out. Guess the networks have figured out that they need real artists to write and act. And those who thought eating bugs would make them a star might try studying to be an actor first.
Good news is that there’s a ton of commercials shooting. Tenner Paskal have cast lots of commercials with the likes of Maestro Harrel, Martin Hughes, Jason Demczak, Jimmy Palombi, Judi Lee, Carl Wright, Robert Gerdisch, Scott Goodrich, Anna Meeka, Ron Dean, Bernard Mixon, Marjie Rynearson, Michael Ramirez, Tim Gamble, Phil Riderelli, Gillian Vigman and Jerry Bertram.
Claire Simon cast Laurie McDonald, April Lynn Baker, Greg Mills and David Coronado for Cosmetic Surgery Group and Madison Schroeder, Tommy Lee Johnston, Giovanna Zito, Forrest Landis, Allen Alvarado, Tayler Smith, Sia Moody and Carey Gaynes for McDonalds. Sears bookings include John Conrad, Nydia Rodriguez, Manoa DeMuth, Laura Russell, Lucinda Johnson, Azizi Marshall, John Arreola, Bianca Melone, Enzo Senese, Nicholas Martinez, Jaelin Gordon, Roxanne Schorr, Easton Nicholson, Dante Brown, Joey Corso, Jenna Dipofi, Sierra Paris, Aidan Shields, Chloe Nourbash and Elisa Bittner. Keely Vasquez and Robert Mello were cast for Galyans. Upcoming bookings will be for Biggs, Shoney’s, Value City and Aurora Bay Care. Claire is conducting a search for the Bruce Willis feature Hostile Act . And for the stage she’s casting for Anna Christie at Milwaukee Rep. She also cast Carmen Roman and Joe Foust for A Winter’s Tale at Missouri Rep.
And Lily’s sent word that there were commercial bookings for clients Courtnie Taylor, C. J. Lee, Mia Park, Chong White, Valerie Begonia, Keith Davis, Madelyn Patten, David Vogel, Elizabeth Arceneaux, Katie Nahnsen, Jason Demczak, Caroline Gehrke, Thomas Roche, Allen Alvarado, Giovanni Zito, Kelly Banks and Elizabeth Zoller. Anisa Vasquez booked an industrial.
Peace.