My Careless Unprofesshional Review of Sid and Nancy

A few days ago I saw Sid and Nancy, directed by Alex Cox. I have wanted to see it for a while. I have loved punk rock music so somehow there seems to be an unseen hand pressuring me to watch this film.

So I did.
And it was okay for me.
To summarize, as a random review on the web says, I thought it focused too much on the drug aspects of the story, which made it dark and moody. I mean I totally think doing drug sucks, but I thought there were more to the story of how punk starts other than drugs. Or maybe there wasn't?
The two main characters' lives were totally messed up by the end of the film that I started to doubt the reality of the film. Seemed like the film itself was on drug and not thinking clear. Did she really die at the end? Did he really stab him? I could not see clearly. I just couldn't fully watch by the end because it was really sad that a great and talented musician ended up so miserably, and it was based on a real story.
Again, felt like anti-drug campaign to me by the end... But I will buy it.

I have to say that the main girl is not the pretty glamour-Hollywood-actress type at all, and I think few would disagree. Was the filmmaker trying to make it "realistic"? But I have to say she was a fantastic actress. She really made it feel "realistic". Oh and the actor playing Sid was totally Sid. He looked like him, the same hair, same face, same body. He was a perfect fit! Great casting.

Throughout the film I was sometimes reminded of the film Nana which was adapted from a Japanese manga. I think even the author of Nana admitted that this film had influenced her work. The character Ren from Nana totally looks like an Asian version of Sid.

Ok end of random comment.

I have to say that by watching the film I could sort of understand why punk sounded so angry and desperate at first. It reflected what was happening in youngsters' lives at the time.
But I am also glad that punk has since changed and gradually evolved into the happy Japanese ska punk stuff that I now enjoy.
I couldn't ever relate to what Sid and Nancy were going through..... but I do like his punk hair.

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Short update: (Has nothing to do with Sid and Nancy).

Was one of the backgrounds at a Lenny Kravitz music video. Was at USC for a short student film.

But then things are not going too well.. I am kind of in trouble. I might have to look for a day-time job ASAP! so I won't be able to do as much acting work as before...
I don't want to give up yet.. but life is harder than I imagined.
At least there are no more B*TCHES barking at me anymore :) I am grateful to God for giving me a blessed peaceful life. Thank you God and Buddha and everyone else.

Advice on Searching for an Internship in the Entertainment Industry in LA

Advice follows the update-

Last week saw a breakthrough in my (short) actress career. I played a character that I would otherwise never have gotten involved in in life (hopefully).
I played an Asian anime stripper girl. Within a team of 6 strippers. We are here to save the world with our crazy powers.
Yes. It was a comedy webisode. Pure comedy. I didn't have to flash anything of mine, thank goodness.
I didn't wear anything scandalous either. Someone else took up that job.

But hold on, let me share something way more interesting that happened in my real life. Way more dramatic than any reality tv show. Yeah I am still in shock to this day.

ADVICE STARTS HERE-

First let me start with the crazy stalker calls.
So this unknown number had been calling me for a couple of days. I didn't know who it was so I did not pick up. Thank goodness I didn't.
I ignored it until I couldn't take it anymore. So I texted her, "whoever this is, stop calling." I said.

Then a message came. It said, "stop seducing my husband, you japanese bitch!!"

I was like WHHHAAAAA?????!?

First of all, who the ... is this??
(And I am not Japanese.)
(And I... seduce?? *chuckle* who?? huh?? *giggles*)
Anyhow, I have to tell you, I was very confused.

So I searched the number and found who it belonged to. It was not a misplaced call. She knows me. It was the wife of my former internship's company's boss.

Why did she call me and say that to me?

I searched further and found that I had sent an email to the boss earlier asking him if he knew any agent/manager I can send my headshot to. I used very polite office language, just fyi. Nothing out of the normal.

Apparently she stalks his email inbox and thinks I am seducing him with that email.

And I have to add, I am entitled to ask him for connections at least, since I worked for them for 3 months for FREE, taking not one cent. It's not like the 30+ miles I drove every single day don't cost gas money. Moreover, when they were trying to lured us in during interview, they had promised connection, being one of the biggest product placement companies in the Hollywood industry.

But three months later, instead of a polite reply email, I was greeted by a figurative bitch slap on the face.

I immediately texted back, telling her, I didn't do nothin'. In a polite manner. Just trying to clear things up.

Then, a looonnnnggg text came in about 2 seconds later, that basically summarizes as follows: Don't you contact me and my husband again. I don't want to hear from you anymore. You can't act. (what?? random) Go find another married man to seduce. (Huh??)

I was again going WWWHHHAAA????

In the 3 months I worked, I had not been in contact with the boss for more than 2 hours, total. We worked in the crappy office in the back, not the nice ones in the front where they are. I don't see him. There are no other connections that I see except that the wife is Asian, and I am Asian as well. (except I didn't have to go get bot*x on my face every 6 months lol) (And to be honest, his looks are NOT handsome enough for a normal person to want to seduce.)

Why do I deserve this?

After enjoying 3 months of free labor from a hardworking intern, how can they reward me with such an uncalled-for defamation?

Traumatized, I talked to another mutual contact about it. She solved the mystery.
She said, "Yea, this wife has been known to do coo-coo things like that, and you are not the only victim. She was just crazy jealous of any woman near her husband." Ok I feel a little better. At least I am not too ugly to not induce jealousy or suspicion from Mrs. CooCoo wife. Hey, just trying to stay positive here, you know.

After a lot of meditation, buddha, chocolate, ice cream, soul food, hot bath, aromatherapy, talking to my dog, talking to my stuffed animal, playing fruit ninja, beat up my pillow, knock my head on a tree, hug the tree, crazy exercise and more ice cream and chocolate afterwards, and more meditation to calm myself..............

I finally saw the LIGHT.


Let me put it this way-

If you saw a poor thin dog starving on the street, what would you do? You'd be nice and go feed him food. However, he turns out to be a rabies-infected crazy dog and bit you on the leg after you fed him.

*ouch.....*

Do you blame the dog?
No. even after the initial shock and hurt (and make sure you didn't contract the same disease)....

"oh poor dog..." would be the more appropriate reaction.

And then you would report the dog to the police or animal control officer in hopes that the dog doesn't bite any other innocent victim. Make sure he is under control.

So I have to warn all the new interns going into the entertainment industry, try to avoid a product placement company in Noho that starts with an L and is on a street that starts with a C.
Especially if you are beautiful and/or Asian.
That's the best I could do for all the starry-eyed innocent newly-grads.

Beware, of the dog!

Dealing with Slow Business

Business has been slow... for a few days.

Well not entirely.

There was a rush call for extras at 2PM on the same day the ad got posted. I was like yay after 3 days of idleness I will finally do something. Anything. But then the CD called and said, oh it would be an adult shoot.
I was like, uuuuhhhh. eew. "oh, so what will I be doing.....?"
And she was like, "nothing. Just stand in the back and smile."
I was confused, what kind of film has some extras stand in the back and smile? so I asked politely, trying to hide the disgust, "so will there be any thing going on in the scene?"
She was like, "no. it's just dialogue."
Oh, ok.
There was only one second for me to make a decision.
"Think I will pass." I decided.
"Thank you." She replied and hung up.

I was really glad she at least said thank you. I mean she sounded pretty desperate to find some extras who can be there in an hour or two. And CD's are usually not polite. That is a privilege they get as casting directors. They get to treat extras like shit. And we gotta take it. It is becoming a rule in Hollywood.
So I thank her for being a polite CD. I think the next 9 I meet would be b*tches again.

And I go back to sitting idly at home.

But then I did something. I borrowed a book on tarot. I am on the way to learning to use tarot to answer some questions and confusions I have in life. Does it sound lame? Well, who knows? if I get good enough maybe I can put up a booth and start helping people. Yeah helping people. But first I will try it on myself.

Will I get work next week?

And I checked my email box and found 2 audition notices! One for today and one for tomorrow! Yay. I don't know why they picked me for the Disney princess theater role. (why did you submit yourself? asked an unknown voice) I don't know. You never know... I think the only 2 roles they would possibly cast me are Pocahontas or better yet, Mulan...

My Unofficial Unscholarly Review of 3 Idiots

Last night I saw the Indian film 3 Idiots directed by Rajkumar Hirani. It was great! It surpassed the (one) other Indian film I remembered seeing, Slumdog Millionaire, and became my favorite Indian film.

Even though the film focused on the harsh reality faced by the students in an elite university in India, I think it was something that likely took place in top universities all over the world. Therefore, it was not a scenario too unfamiliar or too difficult to relate to for non-Indian people.
Throughout the film, the way the director chose to depict the subject of pressure and family struggles faced by young Indians was quite effective, and it left a strong impression on the viewers without becoming too serious, as it was a comedy. Moreover, the film was not just meaningless joke-cracking comedy that a lot of Hollywood comedies were. The film remembers to shock us with something strong and unwanted, like death, when we get too absorbed in the happy mood as we see the 3 idiots do idiotic things. Then when it gets too solemn, like during the funeral, the idiots will come and do what they have to do and cheer us up. I love the little mood-reversing surprises placed here and there. The filmmaker definitely deserves some props there.
The film got to be so popular hopefully student suicide rate would drop in India as a result of this film. (Although I doubted that it was India which has the country with the most suicides as stated in the film... I was sure it was Japan.)

The film was funny and sad and funny again and then sad again. I almost wanted to cry at times. And the funny parts were entertaining. I loved how in Bollywood films people just break into dances and songs out of nowhere. Doesn't it draw you back to reality and introduces a gap in the linear storyline? the scholarly technical me asked. But then I thoroughly enjoyed the dance and song numbers regardless. The dancers' butt-scratching moves were pretty memorable :)

And, totally unrelated to anything, I thought the main actress was not very pretty, or less pretty than I expected. I mean there are probably a lot of Indian actresses prettier than her... I wonder why she was chosen. (some parts of her face stood out to me and distracted me from the plot.. I gotta confess.)

But the main reason that it was a great and entertaining film was that everything fit together perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle! It was amazing how the story-weaver can construct a plot in which every detail leads to another and it all came together at the end perfectly. Not a loose thread was hanging out. I like that. I don't like to be bothered forever by loose threads.

Memorable quotes, you ask? I have to quote IMDB for the exact phrasing, but this was a good one-
Pursue excellence, and success will follow.
(and let me omit the phrase "pants down" which was supposed to follow)

But the most memorable one has got to be
All izzzz Well......


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unrelated section below:
a quick update. just for my own record.
Last week-
a soft drink commercial shoot which will be played all over Japan. It was cool I got to see the Japanese rock band equivalent to U2 in America. Again I can disclose nothing. nothing at all.
and a commercial casting call which calls for Asian people 3-70 years old. Which was like everybody. I don't even know what the commercial would be for as I sat waiting for the audition in a room with a bunch of kids running around. Let's hope I get it!