Meeting like-speaking folks ...

Well, sort of.

I went to a meet-up of French speakers (about 20) at a Seattle coffee shop today, and had a really wonderful time.

It's been *years* since I spoke French, when I spent five weeks apartment sitting for a Seattle couple who lived in the 11th arrondissement (section) of Paris, where few people speak English and everything is done the French way. Initially it was a culture shock - but I quickly acclimated.

The trip was one of the highlights of my life; I actually miss several of the places I visited even in that short period of time, and it was definitely special experiencing it alone. Next time I go? It's going to be a romantic adventure!

The couple wanted someone from their home town to take care of their domicile while they were visiting their parents in Seattle during the annual national French vacation (I repeat - 5 weeks).

Every morning I would fill my backpack with food and water and strike out in a new direction in the City. I'd walk for miles (I lost 10 pounds, even eating the divinely rich French food), take bus trips, take train rides and special tours to areas around France to round out my experience.

There are few historical landmarks, art museums, public exhibitions devoted to writers, artists and famed French folks, tourist destinations like the Moulin Rouge and palaces I did not see, as well as performances at La Comedie Francaise (Molier's theater) and other cultural sensations.

I was fortunate to find restaurants that were not tourist havens - where the food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Tourist spots are exorbitantly expensive (a friend from Seattle visited, we stopped at a cafe in the tourist section - my hot dog and soda cost $16, and that was several years ago!).

Anyway, the day I arrived at the apartment, I said something to the taxi driver in (my version of) French. He turned to me and asked, "What part of America are you from?" In perfect English of course.

When I left five weeks later, there were no such incidents. Only polite (yes, polite!) responses and smiles. (OK, maybe smiles is a stretch, but you get the idea.)

Back to today's meet-up.

Some 20 people showed up, slowly filling up an area of the coffee shop from the single table that started with just two of us chatting.

I felt a little flummoxed in the beginning since it had been so long since I spoke French I was a little tongue-tied. I tend to understand far more than I can easily speak (I listen to French music, watch French film and TV5 - the French cable network), which is why I joined this drop-in group.

The fluency rate was extensive, from folks who could barely parlez to those whose primary or secondary language is French. All were welcoming and the fluent among us were extremely patient with the rest of us who battled to remember tenses, grammaire and des bons mots.

Likewise, the vocations and interests of those attending was vast.

Since the part of the coffee shop we met at was outside today, it was harder to hear people speaking, but I settled in with a lovely little group, becoming more comfortable and fluent as the two hours pushed on - though I have a way to go to get back into the groove!

Which means that I'll be practicing intensely for our next session in two weeks!

Casting in LA ...

Was a supreme pleasure and a completely wonderful experience.

I had the time of my life.

Casting director Rick Pagano, who is well respected in Hollywood, and his assistant Russell Boast, could not have worked harder or more dilligently - speaking with agents and managers and actors and others involved with the actors' careers. Noted producer Toni Wells-Roth helped us out with camerawork (wow!).

One observation I must mention: there is an extremely serious problem with agents who don't really do their jobs or do them well, and I'm including folks working with "top" agencies.

Several had *no* idea how to contact their clients (wrong emails, phone numbers), or that their clients were currently working, or in some cases made no effort to send the script or even contact their clients requested by Rick for this project. In some cases they made an appointment for their client and then cancelled it because they did not contact the client.

One very well known actor who is a good friend of my producer (actually our casting director and producer know a lot of great actors) said he was never contacted by his agent. When his agent was contacted (who made an "appointment" for his client to meet with us), the agent had *no* idea his client is currently working on a mini-series at an out-of-LA location. He's coming to Seattle to meet with us soon.

In the case of most actors we auditioned or met with (at a certain level of fame/work, meetings are held in lieu of script readings or auditions - though certain very top professionals still ask to read), they are at the top of their game and crazy about our project.

Some sensational actors dropped by to meet even though they knew they weren't right for this project, but know we have several more slated so wanted to get together with us in person. And believe me, we kept careful notes on everyone we saw.

One well known actor with whom we had a meeting said the industry is now run by "second rate" agents who don't do their jobs, don't know how to do their jobs or can't do them very well - and the people suffering are actors - at all levels.

S/he added that the situation is cyclical -- that their incompetence will only be tolerated for so long before there's a big shakeup, when the system will change again.

In some cases, the agents only want big paying deals for their clients so they can make big fees, regardless of the quality of the work.

There are obviously some agents who take their work seriously and do a good job -- they were spoken of just as positively as the others regarded so negatively.

Enough about that.

The very up side is that the actors with whom we interacted were amazing, terrific and top professionals. They worked so hard on the material to bring their characters to life - screwball comedies are the most work of any genre by all concerned.

Each brought something that only they could bring to their character.

They're making my work of selecting the right person for each role incredibly difficult - which means they did a splendid job. The harder my job, the better the cast.

Some of my choices are going to surprise audiences, and quite honestly a couple people (very well known) came in to speak about doing extremely "against type" characters (unlike anything they've ever played before, unlike the persona they appear to be normally or the characters they've played in the past).

One well known actress from a very popular dramatic TV series did her very first comedic performance in her audition for the lead and absolutely WOW'ed us. She did a brilliant job, looked fantastic, and what's so exciting for me is that she loves the script and the role. Very impressive.

I can't tell you how rewarding it was to hear so many of these top pro's tell me how much they loved the script! Most importantly, I couldn't hear a wasted word in the dialogue. Whew.

A good sign is that everyone who read it felt very strongly about the script - they were either head over heels in love with it, or they absolutely hated it! I think those who didn't like it will feel very differently when they see it up on the screen.

Even our producer was pleasantly surprised when actors who understood the script and characters breathed hilarious life into their scenes.

I enjoyed most audition performances so much - extraordinarily talented, skilled artists did such magnifienent interpretations - that the experience was downright heavenly for me. And I let them know it. I'm not one of those directors who holds back her enthusiasm or appreciation.

After all, these are artists who have shared a part of themselves they'll never get back; they worked hard on their audition scenes and deserve credit and praise where it's due.

It's easy to see why these actors are employed as much as they are. They deserve it. I was proud to be in their company.

Mind you, if anyone shows up unprepared or without doing their homework? I also let them know how I feel. But that was not the case, so I was able to shower actors I met with appreciation and affection.

Our producer, Larry Estes, is a former studio executive and lengendary producer in the field of indie films. He is well known and highly regarded by many working actors who came in to say hello - he now lives in the Pacific Northwest. I was proud to be in his company - I could see the admiration and fondness these artists held for him as they hugged and spoke to him warmly about families, kids, the past, pets, work and life in general.

I was treated to some fantastic stories of show biz past and present by Larry along the way. Another highlight of the trip.

Larry and I met over dinner with our estimable editor Stephen Myers (he just found out the Pixar documentary he edited is nominated for an Emmy!), who has worked with classic comedic filmmakers like Carl Reiner. I showed him my shot sheets along with overhead drawings -- floor plans -- of camera placement, character and camera movement.

After scouring my work, Stephen sent me suggestions for insert shots and editing sounds. The very things that make the difference between work well done and excellence.

Thank you to every actor who came by to meet and perform for The Whole Truth (Gabe, I owe you a little stuffed skunk); decisions will be made soon because cameras roll the third week in September.

Interestingly, we set out to cast three lead roles in LA and came back considering actors to fill 6 roles. We'll be meeting with a few more actors here and in Vancouver, B.C. as well.

Next big step after that: local casting in Seattle for another lead role and several supporting roles with Stephen Salamunavich at Complete Casting, which I know will be just as much fun. Every role is written with a scene to steal included.

We'll also be opening a production office, then bringing production folks in the next few weeks.

Heart Break Productionz supports:

Executive producer (and my biz partner in Heart Break Productionz) Gary Allen Tucci and I agreed: we want Heart Break Productionz to support in word and deed a special, terrific cause that deserves kudos, financial (and other) donations and media exposure.

After some research, we decided on First Place.

First Place is a school for homeless kids in Seattle - but the staff and volunteers provide so much more than readin', writin' and 'rithmetic for youngsters without a permanent home, kids on the run with a parent escaping domestic violence, and kids who are constantly moving for whatever reason.

Donations of money, clothes, books and all sorts of school supplies are always welcome.

Teachers, staff and volunteers work to keep classes limited to 14 - there are often as many as five adults in a classroom at once, which means these kids are getting a new and positive lease on life.

I'll be showing you photos of the school's interior. It's a secure large building whose location is supposed to be confidential, but I've seen the address disclosed in places when it's not supposed to be.

The kids - my assistant Matt and I took a tour just yesterday - are really well behaved, happy and excited about learning; excited about understanding how to deal with life. Before you think they were "told" to behave, the kids didn't even know we were there.

As I told our guide Melissa. The point of good child care is not to protect children against all pain because that's impossible, but to teach kids how to deal with pain in a way that is healthy and positive so they can create rewarding lives and relationships as they grow up and have children of their own.

She emphatically agreed.

There will be much more about First Place here - photos, stories and all sorts of good stuff - as well as on the Heart Break Productionz and The Whole Truth websites soon; we're also mentioning the school in media appearances and any other opportunity we get.

Later I'll be doing some special workshops for the kids regarding writing, acting and making films; Gary is not only a great father of three kids himself and loves kids, but has a number of skills I bet youngsters would love to hear about and see. He's into boats and cars and motorcycles and all sorts of other cool things he'd love to share with the students.

Ultimately -- when our films make a profit -- we will be donating a percentage of our proceeds to the school.

This school is making a phenomenal difference to kids who otherwise would not only be at extreme risk, but unhappy, dysfunctional and lost.

Most importantly, First Place is a private, non-profit establishment, which means it can't be politicized or influenced by government input or school district politics, its budget can't be juggled and the kids don't have to worry about unexpected changes or the physical state of the building eroding.

More, the school is scheduled to expand physically and include a curriculum that will feature pre-school and kindergarten classes in the future.

Hats off to all the staff, teachers and volunteers of First Place who work hard to right the wrongs done to innocent children who now have the chance for a new start.

The script is finished!

Whew!

The Whole Truth script is off to the unit production manager (UPM), who's breaking down the budget and shooting schedule.

Now I'll go to work writing my next feature, Ghost Hound, and we're getting the crew together for The Whole Truth.

As soon as the budget and shooting schedule are up, we roll our sleeves up and it's off location scouting and putting all the pieces of the preproduction puzzle together so we'll be ready to have a great time shooting the film.

I've been drumming up good will around Seattle, telling people I'll be shooting a fun feature this fall in case they want to help us out, since we'll need lots of extras for a couple scenes, and we want real Seattle-ites mixing it up with actors so it's fun for the whole city.

We're now looking for a great, experienced Director of Photographer who hopefully has working with comedy in his or her background; we're shooting 35mm film. We should find him or her soon.

Lots of information will have to be confidential for awhile relating to casting -- but for now, I've listed the colors I think would set off each character in the milieu of the set pieces, as well as listed a musical instrument that I believe represents each character well.

We've got an unbelievable composer aboard - more about him later. He's in LA, but working long distance with composers is not a big deal to me. I've worked with composers in Manchester, England and Toronto, Canada.

God bless the internet and Skype.com!

OK - I'm going to take the rest of the evening off; I have an actors' seminar to conduct tomorrow (Saturday) and an improv group I've been invited to watch tomorrow evening on Bainbrindge Island. I'll give you a review - it reportedly features a remarkable, talented group of performers. I need an entertainment break!

Changing it up

Mercifully, my friend Will helped me build a new metal fence for my back yard so my pups can no longer escape when one of them (Soul Seeker) chews another big hole, the other two bounding after him.

I have no doubt they left the neighbors shaken from their notorious, menacing pack patrol posture for which my three 5-pound Pomeranians are renowned.

Not.

Actually, come to think of it, I helped Will, but what does building a fence credit count between friends?

So I'm back to sleeping soundly, knowing the little critters are locked and loaded inside the yard and can no longer put themselves in harm's way, even for a few minutes. Thanks, Will.

I have so much writing to do - between two feature scripts that are going to be produced, another animated feature and a couple other projects - I decided to change the scenery and ambiance to work. Instead of working at home - great as the fireplace is - I'm going to a local coffee shop with free wifi.

Which one is the question.

I've got a short list I'll be trying to see if it's a good idea. For me because I can work away for long periods of time and don't like to be bothered; for them so they don't think I'm taking up space that could be used by someone who eats and drinks more than I do.

Noise doesn't bother me because I spent so many of my formative years in newsrooms with police, fire, state patrol and sheriff radios blaring - at one time topped with the cacophony of wire service machines clacking and ringing when a bulletin crossed.

I live relatively near the University of Washington district, so there are probably lots of students who have the same idea, so a writer shouldn't cause any problems. It's also the reason there is this list of places in the region with free wifi and decent, reasonably priced food and drink.

I read that August Wilson used to write every day at a certain Seattle cafe. Maybe this will help my writing.

And my shape.

I figure I'll ride my new bicycle to these places so it won't take me an hour or more to walk to them. I'll load my scripts, research books, writing impliments, laptop, bike lock, rain cap, yadda yadda yadda in my new Sierra Club rucksack (could this scene possibly reek any more of Seattle?) and strike out for the first destination - a coffee shop that serves crêpes. Which, hopefully will be authentically French, parce-que je l'aime beaucoup.

If all this works out and I find just the right place, I'll put the picture up here.

Meanwhile I have my selections of songs down to about 40 for the potential singing competition. I'm driving some very patient people a little crazy - singing each of them to see if they think I should perform them. You know, if I sound good enough to perform them. So far we've eliminated one. Another couple of sessions with patient listeners next week should tell the story. I need to get the selection down to about a dozen.

I continue to work out weekday mornings at the nearby gym with my very kewl workout partner. I can't believe how much I'm enjoying it! And how much I continue to change up my nutrition program with good stuff.

There will be lots of news to report in the next few weeks; everything is proceeding positively one step at a time, moving forward as it/they should.

Hey, thanks for reading my blog - so far this month readers from 50 nations are tuning in. I have a couple show biz subjects I want to cover, which is always positive - and the hits go through the ceiling when I write about politics, so of course I'll be sure to cover those subjects.

I'm torn between Senators Clinton and Obama - wishing they'd join forces and run as P/VP. I don't even care who would be which. Together they'd put America back on the track of which we and the rest of the world can be proud in record time. Separately? It will take awhile.

Senator McCain, unbelievably, continues to tell the same tall stories Bush told us that got us into Iraq when we had no business invading the country. There are a million ways to fight terrorists; starting wars in nations that are not a threat to us in a region akin to a very dry powder keg sitting next to a lighted match is not one of them. And continuing to put more and more forces in does nothing to establish peace because the Iraqi government continues to do nearly nothing to create a political solution to their violent differences. Differences that existed before Saddam's iron fist crushed their enmity, and will continue after the US evacuates.

If Iraqis are only shown by invading forces that the way to "peace" is war, then they'll continue the war they have been fighting for centuries. A good role model showing them how to live in prosperous peace would have been a good thought. Too bad our President and his advisors had no idea how to create such a plan.

Actors needed for formal screenplay reading

I'm directing a formal feature film script actor's reading for my new screenplay (written with Chris Koruga), The Herbalist ("You don't need to be Chinese to have a fearless Chinese heart.") in January for investors and industry professionals. Excellent food and refreshments will be served.

I'm looking for:
Chinese/Asian actors - all types, ages, looks, women and men
Caucasian women actors - early 20's, if you can play teen - great!
African American actors - women/men 40+

Executive Producer: Chris Koruga
Writer/director: Colleen Patrick (hey! That' me!)

Please send HARD COPY HEADSHOTS/RESUMES ONLY to:
Colleen Patrick
11328 28th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125 attn: The Herbalist

Auditions and performance will take place in a downtown Seattle studio and theatre.
Audition: Saturday, January 12
Rehearsal: Saturday, January 26

Performance: Monday, January 28

This is a *mainstream,* A-level, non-stereotyped characters script. I'm looking for performers with range for this stage performance to match the quality of the screenplay.

NO EMAILS/CALLS/ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS, PLEASE

Because of the security surrounding this project, all participants will be required to sign a confidentiality/nondisclosure agreement to prevent leaks about its content.

Note to self: Ten-huh!

I attended my first session at a Seattle fitness boot camp - a combination of hard exercise and nutritional coaching held outdoors, rain or shine, Monday through Thursday mornings 7-8:15 a.m. for four weeks.

The coach definitely knows what she's doing and is appropriately supportive and helpful, which gives me great hope for some real progress over the next month. I've wanted to be part of an exercise program that keeps me accountable as well as receiving proper coaching and nutrition guidance, and sure enough - I found it just last week, in time for today's starting date.

After the physical assessment/evaluation this morning, I was surprised I'm in as good a shape as I am. I've taken some *serious* time off walking and working out as much as I had been enjoying earlier this year, and I'd much rather be writing than dashing about. But it's time to buckle down, restructure my schedule and re-establish my healthiest form.

If my experience this morning is any indication, I'm on my way!

Please remember this upbeat post as I start to grumble and mumble and curse and grouse as the end of the four weeks approaches .. ;-)