So I'm back from Brown University -- it was a great turnout although I think I may have to start trimming the workshop/talk  down from 2 1/2 hours since I started to lose some students due to mid-terms. 

I've just decided to take a picture of the audience from the start so you can get a sense of the crowd at these things.  (Sorry, previous schools ) Thanks for showing up Brown!  Here's a cool article of the event (though I didn't catch anyone 'powdering their nose or glossing their lips' .) :

http://www.browndailyherald.com/news/2004/11/05/ArtsCulture/Star-Of.better.Luck.Tomorrow.Discusses.Films.Role.In.Breaking.Down.Asian.Stereot-795005.shtml

Here's a good example of how this business can make someone Bi-Polar. 

I was all in a good mood flying back into Cali after the talk and then I was greeted by the news revealing that "The OC" grabbed the best ratings in 8 years for FOX this past Thursday, which also upped the viewership of "North Shore" - the show that replaced my show, "Tru Calling". 

So then I was bummed being reminded of that fact. 

But when I got home and checked my e-mail Inbox, there were all these great letters from Brown students letting me know how much they enjoyed the program, how it made them more confident in themselves, opened their minds, etc.  And was the pick-me-up I needed to get me out of my funk.

Man, am I glad I'm not an actress with a 30-day cycle to top it off.  I'd be an emotional wreck all the time!  In a few weeks, College of New Jersey and maybe Syracuse.

And the meal that will be logged into my mental journal of this trip:  Grilled Swordfish.

... and a lot of good it did me.

Jk.  Well, a little bit at least. 

I just hope our President takes this opportunity to consider that by no means was it a landslide.

The country passionately expressed their                   voice -- evident in the strong voter turnout and like 4 years ago, revealed the same result: A country divided.

It was weird seeing all the states Kerry had won, because they were mostly all the states from schools that have brought me out to speak, after seeing "BLT".   It was seeing the demographics at work in any particular state on a personal level.

A few observations though, that should be put as Propositions for ALL ballots in the next election:  1) TO UNIFORM THE BALLOTING PROCESS 2) UNIFORM THE BALLOTING LOCATION 3) AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION WITH TAX FILING/SCHOOL REGISTRATION 4) MAKE ELECTION DAY ON A 2-DAY WEEKEND.

Re: Prop #1 -- For the first time since voting 4 times, I used the "Butterfly" Ballot.  I'd like to think I'm a pretty sharp guy but I stood there for a good 30-40 seconds, not knowing what the heck to do.  Confusing as hell.  Didn't know how to insert the thing --  the illustrations were no help and didn't demonstrate the insertion -- plus as a guy, I'm not going to ask for directions.   The ballots should be easy enough for a 5-year old to do.  Why can't it just be in 15-point font: John Kerry/John Edwards (Democrat) ------ ()       --  and you just fill in the bubble?  We all grew up with Scan-Trons!  Why so cryptic?

Re: Prop #2 -- If church and state are separate, why are the polling places held in a Bible Study building or Church? Or some obscure gymnasium or Knitting Club?  Why not in front a major institution, bank or supermarket?   

Re: Prop #3 -- Lots of people, such as my wife, didn't even know if they were registered or not.  Or what they would receive.  Or how to go about doing it.  For something this important, shouldn't it be automated on say, your tax forms every year?  There's already a "Presidential Election Campaign" option to dontate $3 on there, why not add "If you would like to be registered, Check Here".  And for those who don't have tax forms and are still in school (18-22), have it automated with their registration.  If they have criminal records or aren't citizens, obviously the computer will catch it.  But for everyone who's eligible, it's already done and you don't have to worry about it.

Re: Prop #4 -- You saw the backup of lines on the news.  Between people trying to find the place (see Prop #2)  they've got someting called - JOBS - they've got to work around.  A bigger window needs to be created to get everyone's vote in -- what's the big rush in needing it to be done in less than one day?  The new President doesn't even take office until the following year.  

Shouldn't this process be simple and streamlined by now?  I mean, how long have we been doing this for?  For being one of the most advanced nations, I've seen better organized student elections for ASB President.

Well, now I'm off to Rhode Island (another Kerry state) to speak at Brown University's Asian American History Month tomorrow, Nov 4 at 8pm in The Salomon Building, Rm 001.  Come out and say "hi" if you're in the area! 

"Sitcom Skool - Part II"

Okay, to recap on the Rules of Sitcom, just scroll down.  Now, let's finish up this lesson:

7) Gotta be clean for comedy.  (I think this rule came before the days of "There's Something About Mary" and "American Pie".  Potty humor is hilarious at times but also way too easy to get a laugh.  It's so much more of a challenge to get a laugh without the fart-jokes.)

8) "K"'s and "P"'s are funny.  (Words that have a "K" or a "P" in them I guess are "funnier" if you emphasize them.  It worked for me when I instinctively stressed the word "Spackle" in a scene and wound up finding an extra joke in the scene that wasn't obvious the first time reading it.)

9) Watch for Turns or Telegraphs.  (A "Turn" is where you mislead the audience.  In "The New Guy" my homophobic character keeps asking throughout the film, "Did that sound Gay?"  And another time "Does that sound gay?"  And finally when he does say something off-kilter, "Okay, that sounded gay".  It misleads the audience thinking my character is so homophobic that the joke comes when he actually admits to sounding "gay".  Now that's also an example of a "run" since the lines came in 3's throughout the film.  (P.S. In no way am I condoning what my character says in the film but it's an example of the lessons put into practical useage.) 

A "Telegraph" is when you are "giving away" or "tipping" the joke.  In "The King of Queens", I played a grocer who argues with Jerry Stiller because he thinks I'm hiding the "good yams" in the back of the store.  At the end of the show, Donny Osmond comes up and asks for the "good yams".  To which I "telegraph" with a slight knowing nod and say, "Wait, here", then disappear to the back of the store.

Now, since I "tipped" the joke, the audience KNOWS what's probably going to happen  next.  That I'm probably going to come out with a big, honkin' yam.  There's added laughter waiting in anticipation and then when the joke is finally paid off, and I actually do come out with a huge yam... even bigger laughter.  You've just milked 2 laughs from the one joke written.  It's a technique that comes instinctually with comic timing but as you can see, can actually be learned.

10) Above all, comedy comes from the TRUTH of the scene.   

Now, try to observe some of these in the shows you watch.  When Joey from "Friends" says, "How you doin'?"  Laughter, laughter.  And only when it stops, will the other characters begin talking again.  Obviously, some of the format has changed a bit with single camera shows like, "Arrested Development" and "Scrubs" that don't have the laugh track and are shot more like films.   

Regardless, it is indeed its own artform not any less worthy than dramatic acting on say, "CSI".  It's simply a different medium in broadstokes trying to encapsulate the conumdrum of comedy.

*And I'll keep a nonpartisan stance on this journal and just urge you to do your civic duty tomorrow and vote... just not for Bush/Cheney.  Alright, I lied about the nonpartisan part.

"Sitcom Skool - Part I"

The photo in the previous entry is of Andrew Koenig who played Boner Stabone.  Richard Marion played his father on "Growing Pains" and was 50 years old when he passed away -- some of you folks need to read more carefully and not just look at the pictures.  Andrew Koening aka "Boner" is alive and well.  In fact, he just played The Joker in the popular short film, "Batman: Dead End" http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2474406 ).  He is also the real son of Walter Koenig ("Chekov" of Star Trek), who incidentally also happens to be alive.  

So, here's a partial list of "rules" that my former teachers Richard Marion and Mary Lou Belli formulated on the sitcom art form. 

1) Faster is funnier ... or Louder and Faster is funnier.

2) Say the line first, then move.  (Meaning lock down, say your dialogue and then you can walk around.  If you say it while you're doing an action, it muddles up the joke).

3) Comedy comes in 3's.  (It's often called a "run".  Ex: Coffee, Tea, Me?  --  See?)

4) Don't move on the joke - don't hurt it.  (Derived from rule #2.  Rule #2 is just for any dialogue or the set up of the joke and Rule #4 pertains to the most important part: The joke itself.)

5) Make sure you understand the setup (Ex: "Coffee, Tea..." is the set up of the "Me" joke).

6) Hold for laughs.  (If the audience is laughing, hold off on speaking until the laughter subsides.  Otherwise, if you continue, the audience will miss your next piece of dialogue while laughing AND/OR they will be tentative to laugh the next time because they're unsure whether if you've finished the joke -- fearing that they'll miss more lines.  And it will actually start to piss them off.  Let them enjoy the joke, then continue).

Okay, enough "Skool" for today!  The remaining 4 Rules to come next class.  Btw, how long did it take you to catch the visual/photo set-up throughout this entry? 

RICHARD MARION

When I was first starting out in 1996-97, I took a sitcom class taught by this amazing actor, Richard Marion.  He was best known for playing "Boner" Stabone's Dad in "Growing Pains".  I still remember the dialogue of how he was introduced on the show.

MIKEY takes a glance at the lettering on BONER's mailbox.

MIKEY: Boner, your Dad's name is "Sylvester"?

BONER: Uh, yeah.

MIKEY: "Sylvester Stabone?"

Hahahhahaha!  So when I first met Richard and he said he played "Boner's" Dad, I immediately blurted out, "You're Sylvester Stabone!" 

Anyway, Richard eventually went onto directing a then little known show called, "Everybody Loves Raymond".  But halfway through his directing chores, he had a heart attack and passed away in July 1999.  When Ray Romano accepted his first Actor Emmy win in 2002, one of his thanks went out to Richard Marion. 

The weird thing was that I heard about his death from a fellow student (who I hadn't seen in years).  And that very night a few hours later, was a re-run of my very first sitcom gig "Caroline in the City" playing on late night TV.  Everything I knew about the sitcom format was from Richard.  And I never would have gotten that role without his instruction. 

In the next few entries entitled, "Sitcom Skool", I'll share some of his insights into the crazy 30-minute format world that is known as: The Sitcom.   

SLAB versus TILE

My wife and I went looking around at model homes this weekend to take photos of the upgrades/options you can choose for a new house.

The number one area to get upgrades that will also add value to the home is:  The Kitchen. 

By far, this first one was my favorite. However after some discussion, we rationalized that the second kitchen (below) was probably more practical, "warmer" and more financially responsible to go with. 

In Kitchen One,  not only would the Cherry Wood be more expensive but you would almost HAVE to get the stainless steel appliances as well, which are very expensive.

Now, you wouldn't be forced to get them but the Cherry Wood just wouldn't look good with standard White Appliances.  The elegance would be missing.

However I would like to keep the back wall "Diamond" design of Kitchen One.

The debate we have going on is what type of counter to choose.  My wife is an advocate of the Granite Slab counter top (see below).  While I prefer the Granite Tiles (Kitchens 1 & 2).

To me the Granite Slab feels like I'm eating off Fred Flintstone's table, looks dated and is more of "had to have thing" from the Mid-90's. 

What do you think? 

Because there is a HUGE price difference between getting a 500- pound slab of Granite as opposed to a bunch of thin Granite Tiles. 

Heck even if I gave everyone who voted "Tile", $20 -- it would  probably still work out to less money than getting the slab!

AUDITION PET PEEVES

The way I view auditions is that I get to put up a mini-play that lasts 3-5 minutes for a bunch of people.  However, I've been going out on a lot of them in the past few weeks and have noticed a few things that ALWAYS bug me and just undermines professionalism.

1) Let's say you've got 5 scenes with 9 pages of dialogue to prepare.  You diligently do your homework and make your choices via the process I posted in the "Acting Skool" entry.  Then at the audition, if the casting director happens to be in a rush, he/she will say something like, "We'll be only doing the first two scenes".  And usually they're not even the best scenes.  And all that work, your choices, etc for the other scenes -- goes out the window.  If you don't have time for all the scenes, then don't hand 'em out for me and the other actors to slave over!

2) Now, even if you get past Pet Peeve #1 and get to perform all your scenes, you're still not in the clear.  There are casting directors who have a tendancy to jump around sections of the scene just to save time -- reciting only the line before yours.  So that it's not a scene at all but... "Cue" and then "Your Line".  "Cue" and then "Your Line".  As a result the scene makes no sense whatsoever and have on a constant look of bewilderment just trying to keep up.  However you just wind up looking unprepared in the eyes of the casting director. 

I'd almost prefer if the casting director was a horrible actor and gave me a monotone performance because at least then he/she would be reading all the dialogue in a logical manner instead of playing "Guess What Line I'm Gonna Read Next?" 

3) When the waiting room is filled with other actors wanting to hob-nob or make small talk.  The youth oriented shows like "The OC's" and the "Everwood's" are the worst.  Between all the flirting, "whatcha been up to" questions and/or self-inflated dialogue to psyche all the other actors out -- I want to yell, "Hey kids, it's a job interview -- let's stay focused!" 

Or maybe I'm just becoming a grumpy old actor.   

BACK TO CALI

Just got back from my gig at Amherst College.   I was there for a little over 12 hours!  I think I'm so used to cross-country travel at this point that it's just become a long car ride for me.  I've got the most expedient routine to get through airline security,  found the most efficient space to park my car in the lot, the least amount to pack, etc all down to a science. 

It was a terrific turnout.  Other schools from The 5-Colleges: UMass, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire and Smith College were in attendance as well.  It continues to amaze me how many people still get excited over the film.  Stuff like that, keeps reminding me how lucky I was to be a part of it all. 

As a promo, a girl named Adrienne drew this awesome poster of me, that's right...DREW IT!!  And I so wanted to take a photo of it to post but someone swiped it while I was signing autographs.  (Smith College Ladies, do you have something that's 3' x 6' in your possession that bares a strong resemblance to me?) 

Also, someone approached me and attempted the "Mother Peasant Plucker" tongue twister challenge in under 15 seconds.  It was a good attempt, she knew all the words but took like 30 seconds.  I gave her a signed poster as a consolation prize but I can't officially post her name--so the challenge it still on!   

All in all, it was a great time.  Short and sweet.  Now, the way I recall all my trips is through food.  By eating regional food indigenous to a town/city, that meal serves as my mental journal.  This trip will be logged in my head by a restaurant called Judee's that serves doughy muffin like pop-overs that you drown in a jelly-like Apple Butter!  And there was a Dunkin' Donuts right next to my hotel!  Yum!  Thanks Amherst!

Next stop, Brown University on Nov 4th.  Can't wait to see what kinda food they got!

THE NEW SUPERMAN

Although Jim Caviezel was up for the role of the next Superman, Director Bryan Singer has chosen a relatively unknown actor by the name of Brandon "BJ" Routh.  However, he's not so unknown to me.

Here's the story:  In 1998, I befriended BJ's sister, Sara, while performing at a college in Iowa with my theatre company hereandnow.  Over the years, Sara and I eventually lost touch.  Then last November I got an email on my website from her letting me know BJ and her rented "BLT" and loved it.  She also announced they were both loving in LA to work on their singing and acting careers respectively. 

So while hanging out with Sara in their apartment, I met BJ and saw photos of him last Halloween dressed up as Clark Kent.  As you can see, he wore the suit, had an unbuttoned shirt revealing some of the costume's "S" with a coat hanger hidden in his tie adjusted to look as if he were dashing off to change. 

So when I read the announcement in the trades yesterday, I was like, "Holy.  Freakin'.  Cow." 

Last Halloween: Dressed like Superman.  This Halloween:  Is Superman. 

Then after reading the announcement, I went to workout and saw would-be-Superman, Jim Caviezel at the gym (Ha!  Jim at the gym again!).  In between his reps, I imagined him thinking, "Damn kid.  I've been workin' out all this time for nothin'!"

Anyway, congrats BJ!  I'm sure you'll do the cape justice. 

Eerie tidbit: BJ just celebrated his 25th birthday on Oct 9th, which was the same day Christopher Reeve fell into a coma before he sadly passed away AND Reeve was 25 when he took up the role in '78.   How much more symbolic can you get?   I can already see all the "Man of Steel's Passing Ignities Rebirth" headlines.

Meanwhile I'll be flying as well, only on a plane, to speak at Amherst College's Asian Student's Association tomorrow (Oct 21) at 8pm! 

Remember when I posted an entry about my dream hotel, the Burj Al Arab on July 18, 2004? 

Well, I never mentioned that a few weeks later, I received this postcard in a PO Box that I use for fan mail. 

And for months, I had no idea who it was from.

Then I recently got a call from my co-star, Jason "Virgil" Tobin, and he asks, "Dude, did you get my postcard?"

Apparently he was vacationing there when I wrote the entry!  After a tough day of laying out, he went back into his hotel room, got online and happened to read my blog. 

I guess there are some upsides to being denied entry into the United States!

Weird timing though, huh?