The SECOND Big Bang Theory Blog
The SECOND Big Bang Theory Blog
As remembered from Monday, October 26, 2009
*Artist’s note: All grammar, verb tenses, possibly some spelling and any concern for length has been disregarded for the purposes of getting this shiz out of me at the present moment. No apologies are made, but I suppose this preamble can be taken that way. And a one, and a two, you know what to do…….
The day started off as normal. This time our call was at 8am so I was a little drained during the first part of the day. I am a morning person, but I was unable to sleep on Sunday night, thus leaving me with tired eyes, “too early to be up and at ‘em” stomach, and an overall feeling of mild yuckiness.
I get to set and wait in the bleachers as last time. No famous boys or blonde girl yet. I was feeling extra yucky by the time I got to sit down that I felt like I looked like I was under the influence of narcotics. I’m sure I seemed weird- but I’m naturally quiet in unknown situations, so to me, this was normal behavior. I could swear I heard Jim Parsons’ voice in the bleacher area a few minutes after I sat down. (The stand-ins wait in the bleacher area all day, so it’s possible the voice I heard that was unmistakably that of Jim Parsons’ was in fact Jim Parsons going over some notes or something with his old ass stand in. Yes, I kid you not- the stand ins for this show make no effing sense, but whatevs. That is an entirely different blog in itself.)
We wait and wait and watch them set up a big scene next door in one of the sets next to the bleachers. We watch the crew set up for some pre-taping in the boys’ apartment. Jim appears to already be in Sheldon costume and maybe even make-up. We watch him record some dialogue as an integral part of the episode. He gets notes from the director. I really feel as if I am watching a theatrical rehearsal. It makes me long deeply to be on a television series. It most definitely IS the closest thing an actor can get to a 9 to 5 job and BANK LIKE CRAZY. At least for half-hour shows the schedule is 3 weeks on, 1 week of(PAID) and so on-so forth until Summer hiatuses and such. The 1 week break is a chance for the crew and actors to have a break, while the writers prepare the next 3 scripts of the season. I never knew that before. Being an extra can be quite educational. Each time I think I wont get to learn something really interesting, I am proven wrong.
Because we are shooting on a Monday, we are doing “multiple look” days. That’s when those 2 extra complete changes of wardrobe that are required of all NON-union backgrounders come in handy. The extras were needed for scenes A & C. Lucky peeps got to be featured in both scenes, some were only in one. I was not “lucky”, but maybe I was- depending on what the finished product looks like on air. I was only put in Scene C, which meant I did not have to change costume. Had I been chosen for Scene A or both scenes, I would not have been able to wear my arrival outfit for Scene A. I wore my new favorite gray cardigan and lime green v-neck shirt. The wardrobe lady loved my combo, but said I couldn’t be near the character of Wolowitz (the amazingly brilliant and adorable Simon Helberg) because he would be wearing the same color (bright green)! To think, I may have pulled focus from a lead! Never! Sad thing is, because they kept the Scene C-ers in holding while they filmed A- I never got to see my kindred color costume. I guess I will have to wait until the ep airs.
Again, Mark- the background wrangler puts me at the same damn table in the back of the set. Upstage, as far away from the camera and leads as possible. I swear I’m too pretty for the show and that’s why he always tries to hide me. I even tried wearing a bright color to catch his attention and thus making myself more viable to be closer to my love(s), but to no avail. He looked me over a trillion times throughout the day and placed skinny- plain- and spectacled women and odd old men near the action. But, I feel like divine intervention may have played a part. Yes, I ended up in the back, but I got the chair center screen with my back turned to camera. (No thanks to Mark, I ended up with that seat because my 3 table-mates scampered to the camera-facing chairs.) Now, don’t expect to point out my back. Because of the placement of the Hero table this week and the special guest star (Barry Kripke is the character’s name- if you watch the show religiously -as you should!!!- then you know he’s Sheldon’s(Jim Parsons) arch nemesis with a spweech impwediment. Heheh) I am dead center and fully believe you will be able to see my gray cardigan, lime green v-neck and animated face as I pretend to laugh at something “hysterical.” I will be heartbroken if this is not the case. I mean, they separated me from my love- Jim Parsons as he was only in Scene A with the extras this week- can’t they at least capture my ridiculous face this time????????? Come on *Cendrowski! Don’t do a playa like that.
(*Cendrowski is Mark Cendrowski- the director. He’s affectionately known as “Cendro” on set. God, I need to be in tv. It’s so much like theatre. Everybody’s like family and nicknames and sillyness abound. It’s where I was meant to be people!!!!!!)
The Paragraph or Two devoted solely to Jim and the rest of the actor gang:
Jim- I watched him like a hawk whenever I could. He’s always on the far side of the set - in the boys’ apartment, or in his office set when I arrive for background duty and then he gradually makes his way to my side of the house as cafeteria scenes are imminent. Why can’t he be waiting in the bleachers for me and save my seat? Ah, I can dream. Anyway, the first time he appeared less than a hundred feet away from me, was when the Scene C-ers were watching just off stage as Mark the wrangler went over notes with the prettily placed Scene A-ers. I had my head down and was silently cursing Mark for keeping me from my love when I randomly look up and Jim just darts through set- 15 to 20 feet away from me. I LITERALLY did a gasp/inhale combo that thankfully was just quiet enough so that no one heard but me, but geez, that could have been embarrassing. I watched him from the bleachers later in the day and trailed him forcefully with my eyes when he walked across sets. I must have looked like a psycho stalker, but I can’t help it. I feel so close, yet so far away and it ingratiates me. Why can’t the directors and producers see that I am the uber-talented lady that needs to join the cast as Sheldon’s geektastic lady love????!!! Damnit!....Someday. I seriously want to do massive casting recon and find out who the principle casting agent is for the series and just bombard her with my cute face in prop glasses with scotch tape and bouncy pig tails. Maybe even a used copy of “Quantum Physics for the Frighteningly Intelligent” tucked under my arm for added flavor. (This book does not exist, but wouldn’t that shiz be hilarious and MEMORABLE??? Omg, I think I have to do it-even if it ruins any chance I have of ever being featured on the series- I mean, I’m actually here- in LA now- my antics could actually get back to someone in charge and casty. I have to be more aggressive!)
As for the rest of the boys and the blonde girl- Kaley had full make-up on this time and her hair was very pretty. She just looked like what I expected her to look like over a month ago- the first time this all went down- but didn’t. She and Jim and Johnny had to film some of those little show promo things for the network. I always wondered when and how they did those things and now I know. In between filmings. It seemed extra cheesy, but they all went with it. I guess it’s a small price to pay for making big bucks and doing a job you effing love 5 days a week. At breakfast time, I peeked into the makeup area and saw Kunal (Koothrappali) getting his hair trimmed. I had a private squee moment- don’t know why. I guess it’s because I literally could have walked in and touched him if I wasn’t afraid of NEVER WORKING IN THIS TOWN AGAIN. Simon (Wolowitz) was as cute as ever and more talky today than last time. Johnny too. You know how Johnny gave me death daggers last time? This time, he actually seemed happy on set and laughed a little too hard at everything….leads one to think he was high…but who even knows if he does drugs. He seems very professional (THEY ALL DO), so I doubt he was high on drugs. He was probably high because his arch nemesis (ME) was not in both scenes and therefore I could not make eye contact with him- which I guess leads to death daggers. At the end of shooting, he did whiz by me (us) and I could have clotheslined that little bastard- he was so close, but I held back. The boy is really hot in person (WITH GLASSES) and I wouldn’t want to hurt that or Miss Barra-Tournis indirectly by doing so. I do have a heart.
I did make eye-contact with the guy who plays “Kwipke”. It was surreal. I just looked up and there he was. You know how I have this problem with making eye contact with strangers? I am trying very hard to get over that out here because that is the only way I’ll get to see these people I dream of meeting or at least being in close proximity to.
I promise I’m not creepy, I’m just desperate to live my soul’s destiny - which is being a very famous actor and these people are getting to do what I want to do and was put here to do, so it makes me SOUND creepy the way I blog or talk about them. It’s just my way of putting it out in the universe that I am ready to accept my soul’s calling as a famous actor and that now would be better than later if the universe can manage it.
The rest in a nutshell as I marketed this as a mini-blog:
1) This time, we were held on the Two and Half Men set. I hate that effing show, my dad loves it, and it was weird to stare at it for half-hours at a time. They are on hiatus this week, so it was free for BBT background holding and 20,000 studio tours. We were quasi celebs for the day as mini-tour after mini-tour arrived and got the history of television thrown at them by some average and very kickass tour guides who made us seem important. I guess to peeps who are actual tourists- we backgrounders must seem like the chosen few who get on tv. I used to think that way…I know better….but then again, some extras are the chosen few as they have a certain look or quality that may land them some unscripted line(s) which leads to SAG cards, agents and fame.
2) I met ANOTHER Birthday twin on set. I went in to the day thinking (again) that I would not make any friends and be semi-miserable. One of the ladies selected to sit at what I affectionately call “My table/Hero Table #2” -as I consider myself an honorary lead character on the show- was quite friendly and made me feel at ease. Once we were seated, she told me that I had “such pretty skin”. I told her she had made my day. And, I think if you know anything about Taurus’ you know compliments are the easiest way to make us fall in love with you. So, we talked a bit in the breakfast line and I found out she was a fellow southerner (she’s a Floridian - she lamented about not having had grits in a long while - so I asked the seminal question “are you a southerner?” I then divulged my Texan-ity and that was that. Later on in holding I asked the other seminal question “what’s your sign?” She says Taurus. I could have done a cartwheel. (She makes the 3rd Taurus I’ve met in as many days!!!) And then of course “when’s your birthday?” is the next thing out of mi boca. And then she says what I’ve only every heard ONE OTHER TIME FROM AN ACTUAL REAL LIFE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME THAT I COULD REACH OUT AND TOUCH- April 25th. I could have done 10 cartwheels. It was unbelievable. So now, I have a new (21 years my senior) birthday twin FRIEND whom I definitely plan to stay in contact with.
While I feel like an acting cockroach as a backrounder, I do walk away with more knowledge of the magical world of tv production, a new pal and future earnings of $55.21 (that’s net baby!) each and every time. So, I suppose it’s not a total loss. Maybe some day I’ll be able to relay these events to Oprah or whoever the lead Talker of the day is about how I - Billionaire Actor - The Bull Monkey- used to drool and lust internally over my current and lawful husband- Jim Parsons from afar while pantomiming and fictitiously guffawing my way to $55.21(net baby!) for 7 hours work.
You can’t see it, but a little piece of me is smiling on the inside at remembrances and POSSIBILITIES.
As remembered from Monday, October 26, 2009
*Artist’s note: All grammar, verb tenses, possibly some spelling and any concern for length has been disregarded for the purposes of getting this shiz out of me at the present moment. No apologies are made, but I suppose this preamble can be taken that way. And a one, and a two, you know what to do…….
The day started off as normal. This time our call was at 8am so I was a little drained during the first part of the day. I am a morning person, but I was unable to sleep on Sunday night, thus leaving me with tired eyes, “too early to be up and at ‘em” stomach, and an overall feeling of mild yuckiness.
I get to set and wait in the bleachers as last time. No famous boys or blonde girl yet. I was feeling extra yucky by the time I got to sit down that I felt like I looked like I was under the influence of narcotics. I’m sure I seemed weird- but I’m naturally quiet in unknown situations, so to me, this was normal behavior. I could swear I heard Jim Parsons’ voice in the bleacher area a few minutes after I sat down. (The stand-ins wait in the bleacher area all day, so it’s possible the voice I heard that was unmistakably that of Jim Parsons’ was in fact Jim Parsons going over some notes or something with his old ass stand in. Yes, I kid you not- the stand ins for this show make no effing sense, but whatevs. That is an entirely different blog in itself.)
We wait and wait and watch them set up a big scene next door in one of the sets next to the bleachers. We watch the crew set up for some pre-taping in the boys’ apartment. Jim appears to already be in Sheldon costume and maybe even make-up. We watch him record some dialogue as an integral part of the episode. He gets notes from the director. I really feel as if I am watching a theatrical rehearsal. It makes me long deeply to be on a television series. It most definitely IS the closest thing an actor can get to a 9 to 5 job and BANK LIKE CRAZY. At least for half-hour shows the schedule is 3 weeks on, 1 week of(PAID) and so on-so forth until Summer hiatuses and such. The 1 week break is a chance for the crew and actors to have a break, while the writers prepare the next 3 scripts of the season. I never knew that before. Being an extra can be quite educational. Each time I think I wont get to learn something really interesting, I am proven wrong.
Because we are shooting on a Monday, we are doing “multiple look” days. That’s when those 2 extra complete changes of wardrobe that are required of all NON-union backgrounders come in handy. The extras were needed for scenes A & C. Lucky peeps got to be featured in both scenes, some were only in one. I was not “lucky”, but maybe I was- depending on what the finished product looks like on air. I was only put in Scene C, which meant I did not have to change costume. Had I been chosen for Scene A or both scenes, I would not have been able to wear my arrival outfit for Scene A. I wore my new favorite gray cardigan and lime green v-neck shirt. The wardrobe lady loved my combo, but said I couldn’t be near the character of Wolowitz (the amazingly brilliant and adorable Simon Helberg) because he would be wearing the same color (bright green)! To think, I may have pulled focus from a lead! Never! Sad thing is, because they kept the Scene C-ers in holding while they filmed A- I never got to see my kindred color costume. I guess I will have to wait until the ep airs.
Again, Mark- the background wrangler puts me at the same damn table in the back of the set. Upstage, as far away from the camera and leads as possible. I swear I’m too pretty for the show and that’s why he always tries to hide me. I even tried wearing a bright color to catch his attention and thus making myself more viable to be closer to my love(s), but to no avail. He looked me over a trillion times throughout the day and placed skinny- plain- and spectacled women and odd old men near the action. But, I feel like divine intervention may have played a part. Yes, I ended up in the back, but I got the chair center screen with my back turned to camera. (No thanks to Mark, I ended up with that seat because my 3 table-mates scampered to the camera-facing chairs.) Now, don’t expect to point out my back. Because of the placement of the Hero table this week and the special guest star (Barry Kripke is the character’s name- if you watch the show religiously -as you should!!!- then you know he’s Sheldon’s(Jim Parsons) arch nemesis with a spweech impwediment. Heheh) I am dead center and fully believe you will be able to see my gray cardigan, lime green v-neck and animated face as I pretend to laugh at something “hysterical.” I will be heartbroken if this is not the case. I mean, they separated me from my love- Jim Parsons as he was only in Scene A with the extras this week- can’t they at least capture my ridiculous face this time????????? Come on *Cendrowski! Don’t do a playa like that.
(*Cendrowski is Mark Cendrowski- the director. He’s affectionately known as “Cendro” on set. God, I need to be in tv. It’s so much like theatre. Everybody’s like family and nicknames and sillyness abound. It’s where I was meant to be people!!!!!!)
The Paragraph or Two devoted solely to Jim and the rest of the actor gang:
Jim- I watched him like a hawk whenever I could. He’s always on the far side of the set - in the boys’ apartment, or in his office set when I arrive for background duty and then he gradually makes his way to my side of the house as cafeteria scenes are imminent. Why can’t he be waiting in the bleachers for me and save my seat? Ah, I can dream. Anyway, the first time he appeared less than a hundred feet away from me, was when the Scene C-ers were watching just off stage as Mark the wrangler went over notes with the prettily placed Scene A-ers. I had my head down and was silently cursing Mark for keeping me from my love when I randomly look up and Jim just darts through set- 15 to 20 feet away from me. I LITERALLY did a gasp/inhale combo that thankfully was just quiet enough so that no one heard but me, but geez, that could have been embarrassing. I watched him from the bleachers later in the day and trailed him forcefully with my eyes when he walked across sets. I must have looked like a psycho stalker, but I can’t help it. I feel so close, yet so far away and it ingratiates me. Why can’t the directors and producers see that I am the uber-talented lady that needs to join the cast as Sheldon’s geektastic lady love????!!! Damnit!....Someday. I seriously want to do massive casting recon and find out who the principle casting agent is for the series and just bombard her with my cute face in prop glasses with scotch tape and bouncy pig tails. Maybe even a used copy of “Quantum Physics for the Frighteningly Intelligent” tucked under my arm for added flavor. (This book does not exist, but wouldn’t that shiz be hilarious and MEMORABLE??? Omg, I think I have to do it-even if it ruins any chance I have of ever being featured on the series- I mean, I’m actually here- in LA now- my antics could actually get back to someone in charge and casty. I have to be more aggressive!)
As for the rest of the boys and the blonde girl- Kaley had full make-up on this time and her hair was very pretty. She just looked like what I expected her to look like over a month ago- the first time this all went down- but didn’t. She and Jim and Johnny had to film some of those little show promo things for the network. I always wondered when and how they did those things and now I know. In between filmings. It seemed extra cheesy, but they all went with it. I guess it’s a small price to pay for making big bucks and doing a job you effing love 5 days a week. At breakfast time, I peeked into the makeup area and saw Kunal (Koothrappali) getting his hair trimmed. I had a private squee moment- don’t know why. I guess it’s because I literally could have walked in and touched him if I wasn’t afraid of NEVER WORKING IN THIS TOWN AGAIN. Simon (Wolowitz) was as cute as ever and more talky today than last time. Johnny too. You know how Johnny gave me death daggers last time? This time, he actually seemed happy on set and laughed a little too hard at everything….leads one to think he was high…but who even knows if he does drugs. He seems very professional (THEY ALL DO), so I doubt he was high on drugs. He was probably high because his arch nemesis (ME) was not in both scenes and therefore I could not make eye contact with him- which I guess leads to death daggers. At the end of shooting, he did whiz by me (us) and I could have clotheslined that little bastard- he was so close, but I held back. The boy is really hot in person (WITH GLASSES) and I wouldn’t want to hurt that or Miss Barra-Tournis indirectly by doing so. I do have a heart.
I did make eye-contact with the guy who plays “Kwipke”. It was surreal. I just looked up and there he was. You know how I have this problem with making eye contact with strangers? I am trying very hard to get over that out here because that is the only way I’ll get to see these people I dream of meeting or at least being in close proximity to.
I promise I’m not creepy, I’m just desperate to live my soul’s destiny - which is being a very famous actor and these people are getting to do what I want to do and was put here to do, so it makes me SOUND creepy the way I blog or talk about them. It’s just my way of putting it out in the universe that I am ready to accept my soul’s calling as a famous actor and that now would be better than later if the universe can manage it.
The rest in a nutshell as I marketed this as a mini-blog:
1) This time, we were held on the Two and Half Men set. I hate that effing show, my dad loves it, and it was weird to stare at it for half-hours at a time. They are on hiatus this week, so it was free for BBT background holding and 20,000 studio tours. We were quasi celebs for the day as mini-tour after mini-tour arrived and got the history of television thrown at them by some average and very kickass tour guides who made us seem important. I guess to peeps who are actual tourists- we backgrounders must seem like the chosen few who get on tv. I used to think that way…I know better….but then again, some extras are the chosen few as they have a certain look or quality that may land them some unscripted line(s) which leads to SAG cards, agents and fame.
2) I met ANOTHER Birthday twin on set. I went in to the day thinking (again) that I would not make any friends and be semi-miserable. One of the ladies selected to sit at what I affectionately call “My table/Hero Table #2” -as I consider myself an honorary lead character on the show- was quite friendly and made me feel at ease. Once we were seated, she told me that I had “such pretty skin”. I told her she had made my day. And, I think if you know anything about Taurus’ you know compliments are the easiest way to make us fall in love with you. So, we talked a bit in the breakfast line and I found out she was a fellow southerner (she’s a Floridian - she lamented about not having had grits in a long while - so I asked the seminal question “are you a southerner?” I then divulged my Texan-ity and that was that. Later on in holding I asked the other seminal question “what’s your sign?” She says Taurus. I could have done a cartwheel. (She makes the 3rd Taurus I’ve met in as many days!!!) And then of course “when’s your birthday?” is the next thing out of mi boca. And then she says what I’ve only every heard ONE OTHER TIME FROM AN ACTUAL REAL LIFE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME THAT I COULD REACH OUT AND TOUCH- April 25th. I could have done 10 cartwheels. It was unbelievable. So now, I have a new (21 years my senior) birthday twin FRIEND whom I definitely plan to stay in contact with.
While I feel like an acting cockroach as a backrounder, I do walk away with more knowledge of the magical world of tv production, a new pal and future earnings of $55.21 (that’s net baby!) each and every time. So, I suppose it’s not a total loss. Maybe some day I’ll be able to relay these events to Oprah or whoever the lead Talker of the day is about how I - Billionaire Actor - The Bull Monkey- used to drool and lust internally over my current and lawful husband- Jim Parsons from afar while pantomiming and fictitiously guffawing my way to $55.21(net baby!) for 7 hours work.
You can’t see it, but a little piece of me is smiling on the inside at remembrances and POSSIBILITIES.