Casting until the last possible minute.....

As the agencies were closing all around us today, we were busy trying to get actors approved at the network and get offers out before the holidays. By about 1pm today, most of the agencies had closed their doors for 2008 and the only way to get a hold of them would be via cel phones. We are still open and seeing actors for "Maneater" early next week, but then we too will be shutting down for the holidays and re-opening on January 5th.

We've got the shooting schedule for "Maneater" and it looks like the actors will be heading to Arizona for rehearsal during the week of January 26th with a start date of February 2nd in the Phoenix area. I'm not sure how they are going to get Phoenix to look like Beverly Hills, but I am happy that I am not in charge of locations or set dressing!

On the Kent State front, we've got strong interest from Richard Dreyfuss in playing one of the main roles, so along with Brittany Snow, that film is shaping up to have an excellent cast!

I've been reading lots of actors this past week or so, and have met some fun and talented new people. "Pre-reads" as they are called are always fun, as we get to meet actors that we haven't seen before and hopefully discover a fresh face. I tend to find that the ratio of "callbacks" from pre-reads is small - probably one in every 15 or 20 actors may get a callback, but oftentimes the actor may not be right for the role he or she is reading for, but I will remember them for future projects. So, it's a worthwhile use of time.

Here's best holiday wishes to all from the AreUaStar.com team. Hope all your auditions go well and your dreams come true in 2009. Don't forget to check in with the AreUaStar.com site frequently, as we'll be adding new videos in the beginning of the year.

Actor of the week: Constance Zimmer. You may recognize her from her great turn on "Entourage" where she has a re-curring role as the newly appointed studio head who owes Ari a favor. One of my offices favorite actresses, we love her raspy voice and we love her energy.