Will there be a SAG strike?

Does anyone really know if there will be a SAG strike?  And if so, when will it start?  The SAG contract is set to expire on the last day of June, but Alan Rosenberg (the President of SAG) has stated that SAG and the AMPTP (who represents the studios) may continue discussions into July.

So, what does this mean for television and film production?  Well, for me, it means a very slow time.  The writers strike virtually wiped out pilot season, and now the potential of the SAG strike is making it difficult for new projects to be greenlit.  So many Casting Directors are in a holding pattern.

We are waiting on financing for a new film about Kent State.  Hopefully, we'll get the go ahead to start working on that in the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, I am working diligently on my new website - which you all  know by now is  http://www.AreUaStar.com

It's been really interesting and fun to connect with people all over the globe who are interested in breaking into acting.  The site has had thousands of visitors from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, Sweden, England and Germany.  Apparently,  the desire for stardom is universal.  

I'm also helping my friend Meredith Scott Lynn (you may recognize her from "Legally Blonde" or from her many TV appearances)  with a project that she has written for the actress Tracee Ellis Ross (Diana Ross' daughter, who just finished a very successful run on the CW's "Girlfriends").  Meredith is putting together a table read of her script and I am helping to populate it with strong actors.  It's been really fun for me to work on some projects that- if it were the busy norm- I wouldn't be able to spend any time on.  

So, let's keep our fingers crossed that the actors won't strike - there has been enough down time this year in the television and film business.  

My favorite actor of the week:  Dylan Moran from "Run, Fat Boy, Run".  He is funny, charming and British.  If you don't know him, check him out on www.imdb.com

ok... next please!

Casting Director pet peeves

My number one pet peeve is when someone refers to Casting Directors as "casting agents". What does this even mean? An agent is someone who represents actors and takes a percentage of their salary in return for soliciting jobs for actors and negotiating their deals. In some larger agencies, there are "casting agents" and this means that those agents are primarily charged with working on getting their acting clients cast in television and film.

A Casting Director, on the other hand, is hired by a studio or production company to present a variety of actors, through the audition process, to the directors and producers and to advise and inform the entire casting process. Casting Directors are responsible for the hiring of the entire ensemble, acting as a liaison between the actors and the producers and directors, and working with the actors agents to find just the right actors to fill specific roles. We sift through the thousands of submissions, audition the actors, narrow down the choices and then help with the negotiations of the deals.

For some reason, print media and many people continue to refer to Casting Directors as casting agents. This drives us crazy. So the next time you hear someone say "casting agent", do all of us CDs a favor and correct them. We'll be very appreciative.

Happy summer solstice!

Casting, Casting, Casting....

So, I just finished two fun projects. The first is a movie for MTV based on the life of Pedro Zamora. Pedro was the HIV positive young man on the Real World back in the early 90's. He was a remarkable young man - committed to educating the world and teaching tolerance and acceptance. He died not long after he left the show, but not before having a huge impact on the youth of that generation.

It was a great challenge to have to match actors to the people who appeared on The Real World. We put up the original Real World cast pictures on our bulletin board and had to keep them in mind always, so as to keep the movie authentic. This is different than any casting I've done in the past - usually, I have a blank slate and can fill the roles with people that are not identifiable with real faces. We found a great young actor named Alex Loynaz to play the role of Pedro. This is his first leading role. Jon Murray (Bunim/Murray Productions executives produces Real World and this film) was absolutely blown away by Alex's performance and his ability to take on Pedro's personality. The always wonderful Justina Machado (6 feet Under) plays Pedro's sister. Hopefully, we'll see this airing sometime in the late part of the year.

I also just completed a short film called "Boutonniere" from a new director. I've never cast a short film before, but I just loved the script, so I decided to do it. We cast the wonderful Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911) in the lead. It's a dark comedy about a mom focused on her daughter's high school prom. This film will be on the festival circuit later this year.

It's over 100 degrees today, and my a/c at home is broken. I may have to move into the office - which unfortunately isn't that much better.

Casting Stories

My friend suggested that this AreUaStar blog would be a good place for me to tell some of the fun casting stories that have happened over my long (very long) career.  So, I thought I'd do that.  I'll add a couple every now and then....

One of my best days in casting happened when we were working on the Ellen "Puppy" episode.  That was the code name for the episode in which Ellen was going to come out as gay.  Remember, this in in the pre- Will & Grace era, and it was all very top secret.   We wanted somebody special to play the role of Ellen's therapist and Ellen suggested Oprah.  None of us knew Oprah, so I just decided to call her.  I found her office number and left a message for her, telling her what we were doing and why I was calling.   About 7:30 pm that same day, my assistant buzzed me and said "there's someone claiming to be Oprah on the phone."  I thought it was my friend Lynn  McCracken who would always call my office claiming to be different celebrities, trying to get me to get on the phone, so I didn't really expect to hear what I heard when I picked up.   "Tammy.... Oprah".  I recognized her voice right away.  I was shocked that she had picked up the phone and dialed me herself.  We spent about 30 minutes talking about what Ellen was about to do, and how momentous it would be and she agreed almost immediately to take part in that now infamous Coming Out episode.  I will always treasure that phone call.  It made my very special job that much more special.

Why I started AreUaStar.com

I've had this idea in my head for probably 5 years or so, but I've been so busy casting television shows, that I never had time to build the site. Until now. You would have thought I would have done it during the writer's strike, when we ALL had so much time on our hands, but instead we spent a lot of time in the gym, at Starbucks, on the golf course and baking.

So, finally, I sat down with the help of a creative friend and created AreUaStar.com. This site will allow aspiring actors and actresses from all over the world to have me and my dream team of Casting Directors evaluate their star potential. I've also tried to make sure that the site has good information on it that could be helpful to people living outside the entertainment circles of Hollywood and New York - to help them understand more about Hollywood, and what a career in show business means.

There will be celebrity guest star video blogs (check out the first one - Jane Lynch- from "Best in Show", "A Mighty Wind" and "40 year old Virgin") and interviews with successful people who make an impact on the lives of actors daily. Casting Directors, directors, writers - you'll be able to get straight information from these folks.

And - I'm going to shoot straight too. As a Casting Director for 25 years, I'm hired to give producers and studios my real opinions about actors talent and star ability. I don't pay lip service - if someone isn't good, or doesn't have what it takes - I tell it like it is.

I love helping actors. I've been good at it for a long time, and now I hope to be able to widen my reach, by letting people know what it would be like to be in front of me in an audition - and to really see if they have the "it" factor- that intangible thing that we have all seen in our favorite stars.

So, please check out the site and tell your friends about it. Find out if YOU have what it takes to make it in Hollywood. AreUaStar?

I'll be back soon to talk about our latest projects - including a film for MTV and the Alicia Keys Dove Webisodes that are now airing.

www.areuastar.com