John Belushi - Biopic

All my life i was told i look like this funny guy, Belushi. i said, "Okay... thanks?" turns out he was also known for his physical comedy and his ability to 'commit' to the point of pain or worse, injury. what people don't understand is, IF IT'S FUNNY, IT'S WORTH IT!!! The joy that laughter brings far exceeds any physical pain your body can suffer. In that moment, you don't feel the pain. Only later do you look back and think, "Shit, i probably could have killed myself. oh well, it was worth it."

Turns out, Todd Phillips and Judith Belushi-Pisano are producing a biopic about John Belushi, this guy that "i look so much alike." I have always been a fan of his comedy but never really knew anything about him. I purchased Judith and Tanner Colby's biography and I am finding huge similarities that are blowing me away. Commonalities such as: views about friendships that are identical, gravitation energy, facial features, stage presence, charisma, humility, dreams, ambition, and even pictures that i already have of myself (in this life) without even knowing he had already taken them(in his).

I was born to play this part. Anyone who has known me has heard me say it at some point. I knew this movie would be made and now i am at the perfect age, 28, the age he was during "Saturday Night Live", I am living in Los Angeles, I have worked on half a dozen features now, I have the body structure, the athletic ability, the inability to be a good cold reader but yet still shine when i get on stage, and I have always been told that i can make people smile with a simple facial feature. I have never felt so strongly about anything and now the moment is here. This role is extremely destructive and will require going to some very dark places, but i am ready and willing to explore any place to tell this story. This is my role and i won't take no for an answer.

I am currently in the process of contacting the people behind the project, but i am want to make sure i approach them in the correct way. I would rather they find me, but realistically, i am willing to tell anyone and everyone who wants to hear my claim. please leave a comment about how you feel about this and re-share this blog to help me create as much "buzz buzz", "buzz buzz" as possible.

THANK YOU!

Links to more information about this project:

Real Bollywood


Movie Cultists

Ghost Town Review

Absolute hysterics. Ricky Gervais kept me laughing, even when the plot would stick it's sappy head in. It was almost as if the jokes appeared out of thin air. definitely a must see. Good date movie or even curl up on the couch with your favorite companion; dog, cat, ferret or human.

Commercial Agent

How do you even get a Commercial Agent?

I'm still not sure. Here's what happened.

A friend of the family recommended me to his agent. It is always who you know... after my friend called his agent, i then sent them an email the next day with my headshot, resume, and reel information (not as important). they scheduled a "meeting" (audition) almost a month later. When i got into the "meeting", they looked at my head shot and i immediately apologized for how out of date it was. The title reads, Alexander, Solomon
"So is your name Alex or is it Solomon?" I laughed and explained how i have never felt like an Alex and that i feel like a Saul. One of the agents responded, "Don't go by Saul, that sounds like an old man's name." i quickly interjected, "Like a man that owns a deli and maybe spits a lot." laughter. We talk some more and the agent notices my address is really far away. I explain, "I use that address because the mail lady refuses to deliver my mail to the apartment. I guess she doesn't like the name Saul either." laughter. The interview continues and the agent asks, "Are you able to do beerspots?" she said beerspots rather quickly and i am not use to this term so i looked like a deer in headlight and commented, "I'm sorry" she explained slower, "beer spots, are you 25 or older?" to which i remarked, "Beeeeeeeeeeeer??? what is this?" i must have done something with my face, because by this time, the other agent is in stitches. This continues for about ten more minutes, then out of no where, they look at each other,
"Do you like him?"
"YES!"
"Do you... obviously right?"
"yes."

Next they asked if i had any questions for them and i started with, "so technically..." i was cut off but i know in my heart a horrible question was coming. i don't even remember what it was, but after 20 minutes of running the gamet with success, i was due for a question to bomb. like a bomb so bad that farting out loud might make the situation more appropriate.

All in All, NO AWKWARD MOMENTS!!!? i was just myself.

Lane Kiffin goes to USC

In case you care, Lane Kiffin decided to take the Head coaching job at USC this week. A lot of Tennessee fans are angry and i can understand why. They lost a coach who made a commitment to inspire their program. A coach who had great potential. A coach that liked to pick fights, to help his team develop a certain swagger (i'm not exactly sure what that swagger was, but it gained them some TV exposure). A coach that took them to a bowl game (even though they lost it to Virginia Tech).

So i understand why Tennessee fans are upset, but you really can't blame the guy for leaving. He had previously worked under Pete Carroll at USC for 6 years and didn't want to leave, but who could turn down a promotion? He knew Carroll wasn't going anywhere with all of his Draft worthy football players. The Raider's scoped up Kiffin and after going 5-10 in the National Football League, he was fired. All hope wasn't too low though, in fact 2 months later, it was Rocky Top Mountain High. Tennesse liked Kiffin's style and gave him another shot as Head coach. In return, he gave them a winning season, going 7 - 6 and some SEC exposure. All of this turned into the 4th highest recruiting class for next year's season. At the same time, Pete Carroll's Trojans were under investigations, incredible injuries, and lack of depth in their program.

Both programs ended up losing their final game of the season a with neither coach happy, they were eager to take bids for a new job elsewhere. All and all i am happy for Kiffin, because now SEC fans don't have to listen to him. Also, because he was able to do something a lot people don't get the chance to do, go home again.

a new year's standard

What do you think people will call the next few years? This decade has been '01 - '09. Sometimes you probably said 2001 or 2009, but the short hand notation remained the same. The possibilities for the next decade are:
1) Two thousand and ten
2) Twenty ten
3) Oh ten
and simply
4) Ten.

'Remember back in ten when we were in that movie?', simply sounds silly.

Oh Ten. '010. First time i saw the year written this way, i laughed and then realized, it is just the short hand of 2010. Although it really isn't that much shorter than writing the whole year out, I think it will catch on. Personally, I have always been a fan of describing zero as 'aught'. 'Remember back in Aught Five in Gary Indiana?' (that's okay, very few do)

Twenty ten. Phonetically, this one has the most efficient sound. But it promotes segregation between the twenty and the other numbers. Therefore, this one does not get my vote, racist.

Two thousand and ten. i got tired just typing that out, i can't even imagine have to say that out loud, on purpose. 'Remember back in two thousand and ten when... HEY where did you go?' 'I'm in the kitchen. I decided to make a sandwich while you were attempting to announce what year that was.'

Happy New YEARS!!!

Day 3 - Last day in Rochester

4 Hours of sleep and it is time to check out of the hotel, but since we didn't finish the scenes from yesterday, we had to go back to the gorge. We get there and Russell's stunt double is setting up the shot, on the edge of a cliff. Jonah's character is suppose to be standing out next to him, so the 1st A.D. says, without asking me, "That's ok, Alex will do it." Yeah, he is right, of course i'll do it. Why wouldn't i? Sounds fun. But they made a big deal about it and made me strap on a harness, for safety something something. It is so nice of them to be concerned. I can just hear the producers, "Yeah, if he dies then we can't screw him later." The 1st A.D. got a picture of me standing there and i will post it in 3 months when he uploads all his pictures. Finished the work day in 4 hours, but our plane tickets were pushed until 5:30pm. The crew's departure times were 2, 3:15, 5:25, and 7:30. Somehow Ricky and i were important enough to get the 5:25 flight and not the latest one. Sorry grips and electric, maybe next year. However, the vans to get us to the airport were scattered and we had to wait in the bug infested field until all the people on the first 2 time slots traveled. Luckily there was room for in one of the vans for us to leave the park by 12:15. As we were all ready to go, the same kid, from the day before says, "oops, i lost my retainer." Everyone got out of the van to help him look. I mean really kid, 2 days in a row you are making us wait for you... After 30 minutes, everyone decided, the kid and his mom had to stay and look, but we are leaving without them.

Got to the airport at 1:30 and checked in at the E ticket kiosk. While checking in, i noticed that it didn't offer me a seat on the earlier flight, so i asked the kiosk man if there was anything he could do. He told me to pay 50 bucks and i could get on it. I said no thanks and that i would come back in 30 minutes to see if the flight info had changed. With an attitude he said, "The flight is over booked, you won't be able to get on it." I kindly said thank you and told him i would come back. After 30 minutes i came back to a sarcastic kiosk worker, "OH, are you ready to checking NOW!!???" Nothing had changed so i got my ticket and went through security (only once this time) where they were trying to figure out what Russell Brand's name was. They knew he was famous because his assistant held all his paper work for him, but they couldn't remember why he was important. I arrived at my gate and ask the worker if i could get on the standby list for the 3:15 flight. She looks down at me and says, "Sir, the flight is over booked." I said, "I know, i would like to get on the standby list please. i figure it couldn't hurt right." The plane began to board and it was a little embarrassing having a good chunk of the crew board the plane while i sat on my computer waiting. After they all board, the worker calls me up and had a ticket for me. 3 times today people told me it was pointless to fly standby, but what they didn't know was i knew there was a little boy and his mom who weren't going to make it in time. So for the 2 times he held me up on set, he held himself up at the airport, Thanks precocious british boy, thanks.

Day 2 - first day of work

I awake from my nap and go downstairs to grab some breakfast. There was only one other person in the restaurant and since I didn't have a call sheet, I wasn't sure if I was in the correct place. I asked the waitress, "Is this the get him to the greek food?" she clearly had no idea what I was talking about and after thinking about it, if you didn't know that Get Him To The Greek was a movie, you would think I was pretty 'special'. "Greek food, no this is breakfast sir." The only other person at the restaurant assured me I was in the right place. During my meal, I was received with many warm greetings from several people who didn't know I would be in rochester. I love giving other people surprises. now to sit on a bus for an hour to Inspiration Point (a beautiful gorge). Ricky and I played this fun game where we tried to figure out what job each person had, but not in the normal way of electric or gaffer, more of a that is John V. and that is Toby and that is Joey (from the LA crew). It gave us something to do while we were swarmed with gnats, the most pointless insects alive. Being from the south, I am used to bugs, but this was as if we had bathed in meat juice swarming.

Stand in work is incredibly boring and unrewarding but the job itself really puts me in incredible situations. We are getting paid to hang out in this wonderful setting, a place I wouldn't have ever found on my own. Honestly, the only time we worked was the only time I had to use the restroom (of course). At some point the 1st Assistant Director (or 1st Asssitant Director according to the LA call sheet) came up to me to ask if I was going to London too. "I will if production takes me. I brought my passport just in case." Then he proceeded to tell me I would have 2 days of stunt work while in New York. The 2nd A.D. had already told me to bring my pads, but I had no idea who had told the stunt coordinator that he had to use me and not HIS guy. I was very thankful, because it really helps make this trip worth wild. The wind picked up early so we weren't able to do the stunt all day (another character's stunt), so we had to come back the next day. Production was prepared for that so the only huge hassle was pushing everyone's flights back to the city.

It is not the second to last shot of the day and production didn't know if they were going to need Jonah tomorrow of if they wanted me to double him, so they had me go to Hair/make-up to get a haircut. 15 minutes later, as i am getting out of the chair, they decided they weren't going to use me and now hair has to stay longer because of the miscommunication. Even though it wasn't my fault, i felt bad. later, head hair lady found me to tell me it wasn't me she was mad at. It was a long day of un-organization and miscommunication. after traveling back and forth from base camp and set just to get paid for the day, we finally got on the 'people mover', but the little 9 year old british actor made the whole crew wait for him because he was signing his first autograph...

Next we had the longest and most nauseating trip on a bus ever. I fell asleep for an hour and awoke to see that we were still in the park. Once we made it back i wanted to use the amenities, so i went down to the gym to find Russell Brand and his entourage working out as well. I had made plans with Ricky and Brandon (Dvd guy) to grab a quick drink and a bite to eat at the Hotel Restaurant, but when i got down there, The producer had a tab open for the crew as sort of a fake wrap party for Rochester. Not only was it just a day of work, but we still had more to shoot the next day. Either way, free alcohol is still free. The three of us got our drinks and sat down to eat some real food. The waitress seemed into us, but none of us thought we were the one that she liked. At the end of the meal, we asked for the check and she gave us a wink, almost to say, it was free. But 5 minutes later she brought us a check, totally tricking us. I wanted to be social so i sat down at the bar to get to know some of the new crew guys. There one of the guys wanted to buy the bartenders some shots. There was a fat bartender and a kind of cute one. Talking about the kind of cute girl, the fat one said, "oh wait, she can't drink, she is on anti-biotics". When the crew guy asked what for, the fat one said, "She has The Clap!" Oh my god, what a cock block. i thought she was just fucking with her friend and so did everyone else, so the crew guy kept asking why. The cute girl responds, " i have an infection." The crew guy inquires, "Where? In your vagina area?" "MAYBE" she responds. man, how awkward and that was my cue to hit the sack, knowing that i was only going to get a few hours of sleep at this point.