TV time!!!

Tomorrow; that’s Thursday February 19th be sure to watch/DVR/both Evening Magazine on King 5 in Seattle. OR tune in via the internet at king5.com/eveningmagazine.

The segment I’m telling you about features STAR TREK: PHOENIX key makeup artist Brian Sipe. It’s only natural that an artist who contributed greatly to an Oscar nomination this year would be profiled on the show during Oscar week. The interview was done while he was getting our very own Roy Stanton into makeup to play Ambassador Tevon on January 24th for our pilot shoot.

Roy and others were also interviewed that day and we will surely see a little bit of us all on King 5 Thursday night. Be sure to tune in!

My first Magazine Cover

Today the new issue of Trekkie Central Magazine, which is the top Trek fan magazine out of the United Kingdom, was released. It’s a cool, well-written e-zine which chronicles TREK fan series all over the world. And this month’s all new issue featured our production. And there I am on the cover. 🙂
You can see it HERE

We had a great photo shoot last weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures once brilliant Rodrigo is through working his magic and making them perfect. I so look forward to seeing what my awesome costars look like in the pictures.

THIRD DEGREE should be out soon. It has been entered into the Seattle International Film Festival as a short, so oodles of folks might be seeing it very soon.

Looking forward to Norwescon 32 in April. Our entire principal cast will be there to chat up the fans and soak in the sci-fi goodness. We will also preview the series and a little bit of our BTS footage on Thursday night April 9th at 11:00 PM as part of the convention and we will even be giving those in attendance a first look at our beautiful shiny new starship. It is FIERCE. We’ve even got some stalker-ific secret pictures online HERE. What you can’t see in those lousy photos are blueprints of some interior spaces- one of which is part of Engineering. Very cool.

Once the publicity photos are up for view, I will post the links. Until then, check out the new and improved website at STPHOENIX.COM.

After Action Report (and some other stuff too)

This past weekend (I know, I’m a few days late here) was the commencement of filming for the STAR TREK: PHOENIX Pilot episode “Redivivus”. I have to say that it was GREAT. And I mean that in every sense of the word.

It was a MASSIVE shoot. We were in the ersatz-studio of Hangar 30 at Sand Point Magnuson Park in Seattle. I spent all day Friday setting up the enormous space with tables and chairs for breaks, makeup, hair, craft service, and green room space as well as tables and areas for the camera, props, our gaffer and his equipment, sound, the director’s monitor, etc. I also managed to gain a hairline fracture of my sternum in the process. Apparently the chair trolleys in that place are the YVH attack models. (if you get that reference, you’re a geek!)

I have to give immense credit to our crew for the eighteen hour day they pulled on Saturday in a giant old hangar with no heat in the 20-30 degreen (F) weather. Tamara Valjean, our intrepid Production Coordinator, had things under control beginning with crew call at 6:30 AM (really!). And our tireless AD, Gale Benning, who is thoughtful and thorough and creative and organized at the same time (I swear he’s got 2 hard drives running at once) kept things rolling no matter what. Leo Roberts, creator and Sr. Exec. Producer also served as director for the shoot and has found a real talent for it. Special thanks goes to Sunshine Whitton and Absolute Technology for all of the help and our ability to shoot on the AMAZING Red One camera.

It was a long day, beginning with interviews with Jim Dever of Evening Magazine which should air in the Seattle market some time in early March. Segments are often available for viewing via their website, so if you’re away from Seattle then you’ll have to settle for seeing us on your computer screen rather than on a big screen TV. Ben Andrews and I were featured in the segment along with Romulan Roy Stanton, and Brian Sipe of Gamut Studios who created the UNBELIEVABLE makeup effects. We couldn’t have aliens without him. Sr. Exec. Producer Leo Roberts and co-Exec. Producer Jön Johnson were also interviewed. The Evening Magazine crew were also provided with access to the set during shooting and footage from “Hollow” Starring Rodrigo DeMederios and three vignettes still in post. I can’t wait to see it when it airs.

The last shot of the last day of filming on a project is known as the “martini” shot. Well, on this project we have now a new tradition that the last shot of the first day of filming is the “cake” shot. I baked THIS CAKE

for the shoot and the cast and crew were more than willing to tear into it once we could get out of wardrobe.

Speaking of which: I have to give a shout out to Merrillee Schedin and Jon Schedin for their incredible and incredibly swift work on the uniform tunics. Bravo for makig us all look fabulous! Bravo also to Darren, Shynn, and co. for makeup and to Shannon for hair. I felt gorgeous. Everyone looked great.

Michelle McNamer did an amazing job at craft services and I hope that any film makers out there reading this who have a budget for such things consider contacting her to work on your set. She was awesome and no one of us went hungry or under-caffienated all day (18+ hours).

And to top it all off, we ended the day with a trailer shoot that will incorporate the entire principal cast and some material from the Pilot script. It was the first time that we have been together as a full cast, in uniform and in character, since we saw the script. We had a blast! It was cold and damp and we didn’t even care we were having so much fun. We even had a surprise attack by the evil bag-head-eans who were out to wreak havoc and get revenge on our Captain for having defeated them as a mere child. We will be doing more and more character work in the next few weeks and I look foward to it immensely.

This is a marvelous group of actors and an exceptional crew. Even the three young ladies who came to play random deck 39-ers (if you got that reference you are a geek AGAIN) were wonderful and we are pleased to welcome them into our world. You will be seeing Lt.s Ayiln and DeSoto and Ensign Kelly in the Pilot as well as in future episodes.

Tonight we have a production meeting where I get to demo some amazing software written by my very own husband (Windows 7 beta is awesome) and discuss what comes next. I can’t wait!!

Another Year… REALLY?

So remember when I used to blog regularly and then it was November and then it was the snowpocalypse and then it was Christmas and now it’s bloody January?!?!?!

The short version of what I hav been up to:
There is a post-NaNo group here in Seattle which I am trying very hard to find time to attend. There are some wonderful writers here and I can’t wait to show them all the TROPHY that NaNo HQ sent me in honor of our #1 fundraising (we wwew #1 in word count, too).

My mom came fo a visit and we had a BALL. It was nice to hang out with mom for a while and she bought me my Christmas present while she was here: A brand new SOFA! I love my living room now and will be having a party any minute to celebrate my lovely new furniture.

My friends Iuli and Mihai have a daughter. WOW.

STAR TREK: PHOENIX shoots beginning January 24th and we are still waiting to figure out where. Nothing like waiting ’til the last minute- although it’s not US who are the hold up. There is a lot of red tape in using someone else’s studio space and we’re waiting on our deal to come through or not. More on that as the story develops. The whole cast will be together this weekend to read the final shooting script and I can’t wait to see my fellow cast members all together again.

I auditioned last week for a new musical based on the story “Catch Me If You Can” which is being written by the folks behind “Hairspray”. The music is a lot of fun and I hope to get that job- but the casting is out of New York, so I’m not holding my breath.

My friend Maurica is coming to town with < a href="http://disney.go.com/theatre/thelionking/#/tour/">The Lion King very soon and I am SO excited to get to see her.

And if you think I am behind on blogging: I still have CHRISTMAS/ HANUKKAH presents which I rescued from under the tree so the kitties can’t mess with them but have yet to be mailed. So if you’re my best friends in FL, or a member of my family, and you’re wondering if I forgot you at Christmas: I didn’t. Really there was no parcel service due to the TWO FEET of snow we had and I have now, of course, fallen behind on getting chores done. Did I mention that the dryer was broken for more than a week? Yeah. Lots to get caught up on 🙂

And that’s pretty much it. Not so interesting, but things are getting rolling again- apparently there’s a little bit of an entertainment industry lull in December. Peace on Earth and good will to all y’all.

All that Blogging I haven’t been doing

So it was November. Strange things happen in November; like my birthday and NaNoWriMo and (this year only) Abigail getting married. So then there are things that don’t happen in November, and blogging always seems like on of those. Oops.

Oh well, so here’s the Reader’s Digest Version of what’s been up:

You know about the kittens: we still have 5 of them and they are 3 weeks old today and learnig to walk. One of them gets a bottle so she’ll grow faster and they are all adorable.

STAR TREK: PHOENIX has been a busy bunch of folks and we will be meeting with our studio partner again next week, this time with the Board, so that we can iron out all of the interesting details of our future shooting.

I wrote most of a book. This one is silly sci-fi and in accordance with the Facebook “Page 56” experiment: “I understand the concept of ‘top secret’ and ‘classified’ but there is somewhere a line should be drawn about letting certain people join the ‘need-to-know’ community when it could save the lives of an entire crew and perhaps even the success of an entire attempt at diplomacy.
Maybe I’ll finish it someday- but if previous NaNos are the rule then I probably won’t.

My computer broke. But I am getting a new part soon and then it’ll be all peachy again.

I was called back for Show Boat at Village Theatre and I went to that audition last night. Hopefully I will hear back one way or the other soon. I hate not knowing more than I hate not getting a job.

Katy’s movie opened and was #1 at the box office. GO KATY!!

My vignette wasn’t released on schedule, but that’s not a problem, as I am more interested in it being good than it being done on time. If Harry Potter can stand a post-production delay, then so can I.

Tomorrow my mom is coming for a visit and that’s going to be AWESOME. And I think I’m getting a new sofa.

Saturday is the NaNoWriMo Regional TGIO party at 3:00 PM at Seattle Center Ice Rink and I am thrilled to be preparing to party with other wrimos. This is fun. And before that, I’ll get to go back into the studio to work on “No Other Medicine”, which will be the fourth vignette in the pre-quel series leading up to the pilot of STAR TREK: PHOENIX. In the mean time, HERE is a BTS piece for your entertainment.

All for now. I have squeaking kitties and need to make lunch 🙂

Best Week Ever

This past week was quite possibly the best ever- I’d have blogged more but I was too busy enjoying it. The week started out like any other, really. Monday was just a monday. But then there was Tuesday.

Tuesday was election day. I’m not sure that I voted for any candidate who won or any ballot measure that passed. BUT that doesn’t make the voting and the volunteering any less wonderful. It’s about the process; America gets to save itself or damn itself every November and I, personally, love that about my country. I went and voted in the morning, volunteered in a GOTV phone bank in the afternoon, got my free Starbuck’s and free Ben & Jerry’s (Cherry Garcia in a sugar cone) that evening and then went to an election night party at my friends’ beautiful new house (Thanks Chris and Sora for having us all over!).

Wednesday was just another Wednesday save for the fact that the whole city seemed to be in a better mood thanks to the liberal leanings up here and the election results. I got some house work done and generally had a nice day. Wednesday I also bought THIS DRESS to wear to Abigail’s bachelorette party.

Thursday I got to go and see the premiere of Poppies at the gorgeous Historic Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon and enjoyed it immensely. Thursday was also my first chance to see the rough cut of “Third Degree”, and I can’t wait for everyone else to get to see it. Danara is one heck of a character and I hope that everyone else will love her the way I do. Thursday I also got a casting notice for an upcoming Ron White comedy special.

I got the job.

Best. Job. Ever.

That was my Friday morning: some very nice people paid me to hang out with Ron White and his buddy Alex for a few hours and laugh my proverbial butt off. Oh, and they fed me wine. And Ron jacked a sip of it from me. He was SO friendly and fun to work with, and he gave me a silly nickname which I will not repeat, but which was overheard by the VFX supervisor of STAR TREK: PHOENIX and therefore repeated on the set on Saturday.

Which leads me to Saturday. We shot the third vignette in the prequel series: “Holo-Victory” starring Ben Andrews as Captain Bryce Avari. I won’t spoil the plot of it, but suffice to say it was intense. We shot the vignette in the “play barn” at Gas Works Park and the shoot, although frought with the usual perils of location shooting (rain, the public, etc.) was great and I cannot wait to see the finished product.

Friday night, thanks to Ron and Alex, I got to go and watch the taping of the upcoming Ron White DVD (the one I had done the opening and closing scenes for the previous day). I took Leo Roberts with me, the Senior Executive Producer of STAR TREK: PHOENIX and a huge Ron White fan. Alex had told me that he wasn’t sure where our tickets would be, because they don’t save the front rows for house comps when they’re shooting for TV (makes sense). Well, we wound up in row 3 and had a great time. Everyone will want to watch this DVD when it comes out; it’s hilarious- AND I am the girl with Ron in the closing sequence so you will definitely be able to see me.

Sunday I was glad to be able to prepare my house for my upcoming house guests. We went to a nearby Linens-n-Things and got great new sheets and towels and blankets for the girls who will be staying with us… Janet and Rachel, if you’re reading this, you will be very comfy when you get here :). Then we made a pilgrimage to the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale to serch for shoes for the wedding and Bachelorette party. I found THESE in black and they will be perfect for both. We then came home and washed the foster cats and their things so that we could let them come upstairs and join the houehold (although still in a crate most of the time); so now we had 2 new kitties (mom and baby) added to our sitting room. And as though that was not enough for one week:

Last night I was watching an MSNBC documentary and trying to catch up on my NaNoWriMo word count when I heard the oddest sound: a really loud squeaking noise that I could not identify. I looked over at Bristol (foster mama cat) and thought maybe she had hurt herself and the noise had come from her. Not so. Turns out she was pregnant and we didn’t know it.

Before bed last night the number of kitties in our house doubled. We went from 4 of our own 1 foster mama and 1 foster baby to our 4, the foster mama, the foster 8 week old baby and 6 foster newborns. Yep- SIX of them.

This week will see a VFX meeting, two house guests, a film industry gala (good luck Ben and Rodrigo!), a bachelorette extravaganza, a tea party, a wedding rehearsal complete with italian dinner, and a wedding. Oh, and a birthday of undisclosed number. And I still have a novel to write.

Tara’s Birthday should be a National Holiday

Today is November 4th, the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday this November. What an important and momentous occasion. It’s Tara’s birthday!

Tara is my dear friend and politico soul mate whom I met volunteering on a Congressional campaign in 1994- yes I was 15. We were best of friends all through high school and she was the maid of honor in my wedding last year. Tara is an elementary school librarian in a high poverty area of a middle-size city and a hero and role model to underprivileged children where she works. For those reasons and Tara’s just-plain-awesomeness alone should make today a national holiday.

But there’s another reason that today should also be celebrated far and wide: IT’S ELECTION DAY! I love election day and I hate living in an all-mail-in county so that I can’t have one of those nifty “I voted” stickers. I missed the ’96 Presidential cycle by something like 8 days of not being 18 and I still get all excited to go and vote. Again, “fill out the thing at home and mail it in” leaves me nonplussed.

But today I will be able to help a candidate I support and have been too darned busy to do much for in last minute get out the vote efforts. And it starts right here at my blog. So to all of my family, friends, fans, and random strangers who have stumbled across my blog:

VOTE people! If you are a legal citizen of the US, are over 18 years of age, and have never been convicted of a felony go and VOTE. Cast your ballot for your guy or gal today before the polls close. Don’t think your candidate doesn’t have a chance, or that he or she will win with or without you. I know of a race that came down to 129 votes, and it was a BIG one. I’m not just talking McCain v. Obama, either. There are good Governors, Congresspeople, Senators, State Officers, Judges, and Sherriffs that need to stave off opponents, and there are bad Governors, Congresspeople, Senators, State Officers, Judges, and Sherriffs who need to be replaced. And that’s our job.

Whether your political leanings are red, blue, green, or some other wonderful color representing a “Third” Party, tell the world with your ballot.

Call it a present to Tara on her birthday. Happy birthday to the Smartest Girl in the World!!

Principal Photography

And we’re off! This previous weekend we began principal photography on the first two of the three prequel vignettes leading up to the release of STAR TREK: PHOENIX. The first of the vignettes, “Hollow”, starring Rodrigo DeMederios is a dark and artsy (and I mean that in a good way) peek in to Federation Council member Tol Hadik’s inner turmoil.

And the second scene of the day, “Third Degree” stars yours truly. Here I am on the set getting ready to shoot.

The gentleman in the foreground is the gaffer and the instrument in his hand is the light meter; he is checking the level of light at the focal point of the camera (i.e. ME) to make sure that it’s ideal for shooting.

And OH THE CAMERA!!! We had the amazing good fortune to be able to shoot these scenes on a RED ONE Camera. I had never heard of this thing before our production team began salivating over the prospect of having one. Apparently it is the absolute best thing in digital cameras ever. The resolution is something like twice what can be displayed by current HDTV technology. WOW. And our professional crew made the most of it. New ST: PHOENIX producer and filmmaker Lucien Flynn did an amazing job this weekend in coordinating all of the equipment and the technical aspects of the production.

The vignettes are being dealt with now by our crack editing staff before going to the VFX studio for Zach to work his magic. The scenes should be ready for a special preview at the ST PHOENIX exhibit at OryCon 30 November 21-23 in Portland. For those who can’t make it to Portland for the Con, the videos should be in final form and available online in early December.

The third mini-sode “holo-victory” starring Ben Andrews as Captain Bryce Avari will be shot this coming weekend on location and should also be ready for primetime by December.

And Nothing But The Truth

Yesterady I had the honor of spending a second day on director Colleen Patrick’s The Whole Truth. It was my last day playing ace reporter Cherly Olsen, and the props department was kind enough to let me bring my press badge home. I guess they’re not going to need it.

I have loved working on this movie. The sense of humor on this set was absolutely wonderful. Elisabeth Röhm was great to work with, and looks even more gorgeous in person than she does on TV. And I have to mention that Colleen Patrick’s comedic sense is really something to experience. Things that I would never have thought of: from where to seat the leading actress to just when the lawyer won’t look at his client, are HILARIOUS!

I have loved working on this film and the chance it gave me to meet cool people and to laugh with A-list actors. I will be laughing even harder, I’m sure, when I see this bit of hilarity on the big screen next year. I haven’t worked on a comedy this funny, stage or screen, in a long time. Sad it’s over, but gald to have been part of it.

And in STAR TREK news: we’re throwing a party!! Well, that is: I’m throwing a party and the rest of the cast is coming. We’ll be at the BalMar located at 5449 Ballard Ave (at the intersection of Ballard and Market streets) on November 1st from 4:00 PM until they kick us out. We’ll have prize drawings, TREK-themed drinks and general fun. The BalMar has also been chosen to be the first location to play SAL 14, the lounge aboard the USS PHOENIX, so anyone who comes to the party will have the chance to hang out on what will be a set come January.

The party is open to the pubilc and we’d love to see you there!

The Six Degrees of Pensacola

People who know me have likely heard to the “sucking vortex” that exists in my hometown. People leave and come back, and come back, and come back. But I think the reason that vortex has to be there is that P’cola is this ridiculous nexus of talent. Just a few examples: actress Abigail Spencer, recording artist Josh Walther, Broadway actress Ashley Brown, and former G4 Cheat Cory Rouse are just a few folks that I personally worked with when we still lived in my home town.

Andrew and I watch TV and every now and then I’ll see somebody and cry out, “he/she’s from Pensacola!” It drives him nuts.

And in the be all and end all of Pensacola spreading it’s talented tentacles into the rest of the world, my friend and super talented actress, Katy Mixon just wrapped a film called All About Steve in which she worked with the indomitable Beth Grant which, you likely recall, I was thoroughly enamored of when we worked together on Dear Lemon Lima.

Is that crazy, or what? Katy and I, who have known each other since 1994, have just this year worked with some of the same people even though we’re in different cities thousands of miles away from home.

Pensacola is pretty cool sometimes. And the people from there cooler still. This week has also gotten me in touch with some of the best friends I ever had, and every one of them is just as cool as ever.

Life is good. I should be back on set at The Whole Truth later this week. For full details on the film and its progress, you should read director Colleen Patrick’s blog “Wassup!”. I just discovered it (thanks Mireille!) and am reading it regularly now.

News from STAR TREK coming soon!