Holidays

Ah, the holidays. No life-changing call from an Oscar-winning director to pick me out from obscurity, so I instead am opting to pick myself out from obscurity. I am doing this through the editing of your average run of the mill comedy documentary variety show pilot. It is currently something like 15 minutes long, but I do need to add a few bits focused on me (one-liners, short songs) that I think will bump it up to around 20 minutes. And I will maybe put in some footage from a backyard variety show that was more professionally shot. It would be lovely to team up with those folks, rather than attempt to do this on my own.

I have been just trimming clips and killing darlings, and, additionally, making sure it all stays clean. The dirtiest stuff is mine, within the edutaitional songs. 

Of course, I only have one edutaining song written, and that one is about testicular cancer. I have at least one more in the works (tough to say for sure due to my being an unreliable narrator). But once I realized that I already had one in the bank, I opted to record the song and film a music video over Christmas. Hopefully there will be a nice contrast between the generally scarcely edited pieces, and the heavily edited music video in which I play around with aspect ratios.

Oh, and today, at the recommendation of a PR person I met at a holiday party (who was waiting tables), I sent an email to a British publication that focuses on music and comedy. So we will see if anything comes of that!

In the past, in the days leading up to the new year, I would be writing up lengthy reflections, tracking my growth as a person. But that feels like a boring idea, the kind that I may be driven to once I am fatigued by all this editing.

Also, the video editing has primarily been done on the adobe premiere app on iPhone. I think that if I try to export the full video from that device, it may kill said device, along with everyone in a 12-mile radius. Oopsie toodles!

No Life-Changing Call/Text/Email YET

It is Monday at 3:10 pm PST. I have not received a life-changing email. Looks like this ol' bag of bones might need to try changing his own life. Of course, I woke up at 3 pm. Last night was a fun show, but I did make the measured mistake of taking an edible that I knew would keep me out for awhile.

Waiting on the line producer to give us a new preliminary budget for what is now a pilot pitch for a comedic variety show with a hint of medicine shoehorned in.

Last night's version was maybe the best I have done of the song She Was Kind. I have changed some of the words every time due to the curse of improv, but last night's rendition took my written version, and also the ending seemed good, which is critical because the ending has no definitive written version yet.

My journey toward physical fitness has admittedly run into delays. You see, edibles and alcohol can tempt strongly when you are the one making your own projects and deadlines. Because as fun as it is to make real progress in a way that could maybe be viewed by millions at home, it is also fun to kill parts of your brain while you struggle to watch a show on your laptop in your mom's car in a fast food parking lot late at night. Two sides of the same coin, really.

But you know a good way to kick me into gear? Offer me a role with an Oscar-winning director. Or heck, any ol' role that pays a living wage to do acting.

That being said, I was kind of holding my breath for the duration of the weekend. Monday has now come and mostly gone, and I am still left with what I had previous. So perhaps it is time to follow through with a myriad of plans.

A Wee (EXCITING) Update

Looks like it's been a little bit since I posted last. I have been talking to the camera a lot more.

But the other day, I got a big wrench thrown into my plans (maybe in a good way). For one thing, I have a self-tape audition with one of the biggest directors (and some major executive producers) in Hollywood. I had to sign an NDA to get the sides for it, and the sides give away nothing anyway. This is a giant huge incredible deal, the reason why you want real reps in this business.

And once we got a line producer involved, Sonetta started laying out the timeline for the feature doc as being more like a 2027 release, whereas the footage I am currently sitting on feels very of the present times. So I am now pivoting to what I think I would potentially be best at, hosting an edutational comedic variety documentary show. There's gotta be an oscar for that, right? A poor man's SNL, but with a focus on the artists via those QR codes.

But back to that self tape... the first thing they asked of me was just an intro video that answered a few questions, then gave me a chance to basically pitch myself. I think it was on the fifth take that I knew I had it. Same sorta feeling that I get with these daily song videos sometimes. But I snagged a motel room for dosmorrow night for this self tape.

Oh, and last night, I gave in and bought Pokemon Arceus for Nintendo Switch. And I cannot tell you how incredible I feel as a Pokemon Master. Well, future master, but it is already all too obvious. I was waiting around to avoid paying full price, but I cannot describe to you how good it felt to give in and buy it. This is due in part to the parts I have been cast in of late. I am not rich, but I am at least losing money more slowly!

Filmmaking

No more waiting around for opportunities to come to me. I am officially in production on my comedy special and documentary! I get to have animation! I get to do little bits, and they all get their time onscreen.

Eat your heart out, Bo Burnham, 'cause this comedian doesn't need a studio apartment or fancy lighting to make his comedy special.

And it turns out that I know a bunch of people who know some celeb comedians. I think I can get cameos from some decently big names. Kyle Mooney, Dana Carvey, John Mulaney... not to mention favorites like the hosts of Hollywood Handbook and the Birthday Boys.

Do More See More Be More

Ah, my death year. I did creature modeling, been hitting the stage for open mics, and it is not enough. I need to do more to grow faster.

Gotta put out more narrative stuff again, little music videos, work my way up to regularly doing improvised songs onstage.

Just learned that the Comedy Store has in-person potluck signups, that the old email system (that I have reminders to send every week) is no longer in service. How helpful!

America's Got Talent has easier auditions now, emphasizing virtual submissions. All I need is a good clip from a live show, and I'm set! Or maybe not, depending on their programming.

And one of the discussions happening on twitter lately is that there has never been a funny live action Joker in Batman. Maybe Heath Ledger, but he is dead. Then I realized that it is me. I can play that role, and I would be incredible. Lean into every odd quirk, all the instincts that I typically suppress, including the cruel joke ones... Could be fun...

Invited to a Filmed Open Mic

I had my first standup comedy open mic experience in over a year, and I kind of killed it. I was great. 5-ish minutes of little songs and one-liners. And critically, it was fun. Felt loose, natural. The show's sponsor pulled me aside afterward and asked me to go to a taped open mic the following week (this upcoming Wednesday). They are doing a version of Kill Tony (which I have never enjoyed) called Open Micers. And yes, I think that they should have thought for a split second about SEO because their event will not stand out in an internet search. But you know what will pop up? A reddit post warning about this standup show producer not paying up the promised prize for standup contests. But I digress.

I have since written down that five minute set as I performed it, then edited to optimize. I did voices that I had not even planned on, but it was great!

Now I need to memorize it really well (I consulted notes in that performance), then I can play it loose and fun for the filmed thing.

Oh, and the documentary! Since my onstage persona requires some degree of dialogue with myself, I think it is a good habit for me to get used to talking to the camera. So I have been doing so more, trying to get plenty of footage stashed away before my (presumably) inevitable rise to fame.

Showing Initiative

I released another EP or album, or whatever we wanna call it. Boosted the volume a little, but nothing else.

But a fun fact I just remembered is from my time in med school. There was such a learning curve, not just with the academic side, which was overwhelming enough, but also with practical basics on the island. How do you go grocery shopping if you do not have a car? Where should I live? A fancy apartment? A dorm? What is travel like? Are they serious when they say to bring cash for food? Because I did not. So at some point fairly early on, I wrote down everything that I wished someone had told me. And that very long Word document would later be revised and incorporated as a standard part of student orientation.

Kinda neat. I tended to take initiative as a leader in so many areas, not because I love being in charge, but because I wanted to spare anyone else from suffering as I had, assuming that they had the patience to read what I wrote. A big assumption, I know.