I cannot believe it has been SO long since I Blogged. Well, Chip’s going to un-password my Blog, which will give me an incentive to keep it up a little more, as I’ll use the Blog to keep up with a whole bunch of everybody, not only SpyNotebookers (but I’ll always love y’all the most…shh). Hm. Wonder if I need to go through and edit out anything incriminating from the archives. Nah. Anyway, this will now be the main source for news and updates and links of interest, rather than trying to keep all of that in different places on the bonsite.

Boys are so forgetful. I’m not talking about things like dates or silly emotional things that chicks get so caught up on guys remembering. I mean big things. Big, stupid, he-said-he-did-it stuff. Urgh.

I got pissed at the powers that be at the paper this week. They pulled my piece from this week’s issue. I’d only put about 30 hours’ worth of work into it and it was of the theme of the whole issue, per their request several weeks ago. Bastids. Response: “Yep. That’s the price of freelance living. You’re not in here pitching for your story to stay in with all the staff writers.” Theory: the muckity mucks above are pissed that I own the rights to my work and am going to get rich (“Rich! Rich, I tell you!”) from the sale of my book. Keep pushin’, punk-ass suckas. I welcome the walking papers!

Ah, don’t mind her. She’s just venting. 😉

Santa Ana Winds are killin’ me! Ugh. My poor allergies. Broke down and took drugs today. I don’t care if I wind up addicted to this sinus medication. It’s better than the not-breathing option.

Finished the edits on the casting director‘s book (woo hoo) just five hours before deadline. Pulled all-nighters the ENTIRE weekend. It was rough, but worth it. It’s a happy dance-inducing thing, finishing a big project like that. I must say, though, it sure is a hell of a lot more gratifying, editing your OWN work, than editing someone elses.

Let’s see… what else to tell?

I’ve been doing way too much posting over on Wolfesden with this dink who owns a casting director workshop and actor database website thingy. He’s sent shills over to pitch on his behalf and stand up for his services. I finally broke it all down for him, since he’s clearly not getting it. The board to which he’s pitching his wares is filled with cynical, skeptical, seasoned veteran actors who know a turd when they step on one. This guy is definitely one. Anyway, the most recent thing is that he’s been publishing a Casting Director Guide that is written by one name (his pseudonym) and edited by his legal name. Smarmy guy. I say run from anyone who has the need to pretend he’s more people than he really is in order to make money off people.

The illness that wouldn’t die had me sick in bed for a full week, feeling better for two days, and back sick in bed (but editing) all weekend, then dragging hard for the rest of the week. Keith got it and was done with it after five days. Lucky guy.

Today, the 12th, was supposed to be our wedding day. If you’re looking for news on how that went, then you missed the announcement of the big postponement decision. Oh, it’s nothing dramatic. Keith and I were so overwhelmed by the drama of planning a wedding and all of the chaos involved that we chose to back burner the whole thing and stay blissfully engaged for as long as we can stand it. We’ll run off to Vegas and do the hitching thing… or perhaps do the deed at the Beverly Hills Courthouse one Thursday (thanks for the tip, Judy)!

‘Til then, you can continue to weigh in on the dress, the ring, etc. over on the bonsite, and I’m sure someone, somewhere, has started a pool for predicted dates. Keith’s one-year anniversary in LA is upon us. That’s a huge celebration, as he has accomplished SO much in no time, really. Ahh. We’re so happy! Being engaged rocks. Really!

It’s official. Cricket Feet Publishing‘s inaugural title Casting Qs: A Collection of Casting Director Interviews is at the printer! Expect it out just in time for Pilot Season, January 2003. You’ll be able to buy the book online at CricketFeet.com/CastingQs. Further titles in the works: Casting Director Stuart Stone‘s new book, Acting Out (due out Spring 2003, edited by me, see above); and my two other titles Self-Management for Actors: Getting Down to (Show) Business (due out Summer 2003) and Casting Calendar: An Actor’s Datebook and Action Log (due out for Pilot Season 2004). I’m currently looking at a couple of other manuscripts that have come my way, from folks who have some cool stuff to say.

While the book has been my main focus right now, I’m still collaborating on a few other writing projects. Most recently, I’ve been asked to contribute to the 10th edition of Judy Kerr’s top selling book, Acting is Everything. I’m really excited about that! I’m doing the section on casting directors and on acting in Atlanta. And Keith’s headshot will be featured in it, as well as his story on starting acting in his mid-30s. Other writing projects include a series of articles posting to The Actor’s Bone. I’m answering questions in the Career Chat area of the BackStage.com site. That’s amazingly gratifying. I’ve also started dispensing advice on ActorPoint.com. Guest lecturing here and there on the business of the business (next up, I’ll be moderating a panel on successful women in film at Take One! Bookstore in West LA.

Here’s the press release.

Take One Bookstore, 11516 Santa Monica Blvd. (five blocks west of the 405) 310.445.4050 Wednesday, October 23, 7:30pm, FREE OF CHARGE.

Back Stage West Casting Columnist Bonnie Gillespie will moderate a panel discussion featuring documentary filmmaker Mollie Gregory, author of Women Who Run the Show: How a Brilliant and Creative New Generation of Women Stormed Hollywood and several special guest panelists (women profiled in Gregory’s book, other women who have made their mark in film).

Review of her book from Publishers Weekly:

Documentary film producer and director Gregory interviews over 100 powerful women who’ve made their mark in film in this hefty book. She organizes it by decade; thus, the 1970s chapter is called “Beachhead,” the ’80s is “Securing the Perimeter” and the ’90s is “Breakthrough.” She investigates the barriers women like The Sting producer Julia Phillips came up against and lauds the accomplishments of Mimi Leder, who directed The Peacemaker. Dense and very thorough, Gregory’s work will be important to those in the fields of film studies and women’s studies. Photos.

Getting started back up with the management company, slowly but surely. For those of you just tuning in, when I started managing Keith’s acting career earlier this year, I had no idea things would take off so quickly for him. I decided I must know what I’m doing, so we decided to start up a little management company. On July 1st, we launched Cricket Feet Management. Keith’s been working on two series (one for the Discovery Channel, one for the Learning Channel–check back for when they will air), as well as indie films, student films, commercials, plays, staged readings, and two Spanish-language videos. Amazing!

Have a short film burning a hole in your pocket? Enter it in the ActorsBone ShortsFest (inaugural fest, January 2003). If you’re interested in being a screener for the shorts, shoot me an email. I’m the co-founder in charge of that element. We’d love to have your help! The deadline is fast approaching (November 1st), and I am so happy to have such an amazing team of professionals in the industry helping out with this entire process. Wow!

Radio show Back Stage Live kicked off in September on KRLA 870am. I’ve been the in-studio guest a couple of times. Download the evil listening tool, then go here to listen, and then call 1.866.870.KRLA between 6pm and 7pm Saturdays with your questions about acting and casting. Woo hoo!

A quick response to some Blogs before I sign off (oh, and you’ll notice I’m not responding to some of the more intimate issues in SpyNotebook-er’s Blogs, now that this puppy’s going public.

Chip: Thank you SO MUCH for killing the evil letters. Now I KNOW I love you. I love the idea of an anthropological study based on the contents of a school’s Lost & Found. Maybe someone has done this? Don’t worry that you missed me on the air last week. I’m on again today (see above). Ironic that I had my return to the air for the first time in five years on the same day as the WUOG 30th anniversary. Greatness. Did you listen to the alumni DJs? Any good? Is long red-haired Blake the guy from punk band Balrog? We studied acting together at UGA in the early ’90s. Tell him I said hi.

Trevor: Interesting dialogue on copyright issues. I’m sure, if I had the energy, I could come up with actual percentages, but let’s just look at the professional writing I’m doing these days, as opposed to the gazillion pages of academic writing, personal creative writing, and other expressions of creativity and angst I’ve penned or otherwise let escape from me somehow. As for the stuff I get paid to write, the % that is owned by me is 100. That was by design. I get low pay to write freelance, but I do retain my rights. So, it was a trade off, and based on how the book sales go, I’ll get an idea of how great that trade off was. The money I get for my column each week is minute, and considering the paper is $3 and goes out to 30,000+ weekly, I ain’t getting much of a cut. No royalties, but no reprint without renegotiating the contract either. % of the pieces I’ve written sold? All of ’em. In fact, even if I broaden the scope to include other works (photography, art, acting, creative writing), I’ve scored a very unusually high ratio of sold works, compared to most creatives. I absolutely understand how incredibly lucky that makes me! I think, as to your last question, that the work is the same for me, whether I’m paid to do it or not. Obviously, a deadline and someone else’s money changes the vibe attached to getting a piece done, but I think the creative joy is the same. At least I hope it is. I think I would stop writing for money if I didn’t enjoy it.

Courtney: Big ew on the blood spatters thing. I have so much more I want to say to you about other stuff, but want to respect your privacy on this now-public Blog. Wanna email me?

David: Your string of Braves game, Chick-fil-A, and Steak-n-Shake posts just got me SO homesick. Dang. See the post to Trevor above about item five in the copyright discussion. I don’t know that you would feel more creative if paid to write. I think the bliss of it comes from the doing it and the pay is just a huge, unexpected bonus. At least that’s the way I see it. Perhaps because I know it could all as easily dry up as it has flooded in. That’s the former actor in me, I’m sure. We’re always prepared for the downtime between paying gigs. And we still go do free theatre and stuff for the love of it.

Stephanie W.: I am so impressed with your boot camp thing. Wow. Y’know, I don’t think I’d ever get anything done if I had Trillian. It’s probably for the best that I’m not even going to explore whatever that is. Oh, in software news, Keith used something called Hijack (or somesuch) to record my radio show off the Internet last week. He then used iMovie to edit it down and will burn it to a CD when we have enough tracks to make that worth doing. Then (total side note here) we’ll shop that baby around for some other interesting opportunities. Woo hoo!

Tina: Thank you so much for looking for pix of Hello Kitty slippers for me. I’m bummed you didn’t find them, but I think I can gather a pretty good idea of what they look like, from your description. I have Power Puff Girls socks. Is that close? 😉

Jocelyn posted! Yay! I must be rewarded for my optimism of checking the “tardy” Blogs by getting to see your story about the blind date and the guy winning bible trivia at church camp. Reminds me of something that happened to my friend Deb when she was living (and dating) in Athens. She was set up with this guy who turned out to be a real bible thumper (which was so not her thing). He had on purple socks and Deb mentioned that. He said, “I wear purple in honor of our King.” Deb asked, “Elvis’ favorite color was purple?” Of course, all I could think of was Donny Osmond (shows the generation gap) and his saying, “Cute Marie. Real cute.”

I am SO obsessed by these online quizzes, I finally made a page just for sharing the experience! More new quizzes just added… again (oh, it’s so dangerous)!

Some Interesting Name Statistics for Bonnie Gillespie:

* The Girl’s Name Bonnie is shared by ~314,000 people in the USA.

* The Last Name Gillespie is shared by ~41,300 people in the USA.

* The First Name, Last Name Bonnie Gillespie is shared by ~50 people in the USA (there’s me, a stripper in Hotlanta, a gym teacher in the midwest, and some really well-published academic).

* The First Name, Last Initial Bonnie G is shared by ~11,270 people in the USA.

* The First Initial, Last Name B Gillespie is shared by ~1,900 people in the USA.

* The First Name Athene is not common in the US and if it exists, the shared population is less than 1,000 (damn straight).

Terribly cool, is this product name random description generator. Here’s what it came up with for me.

bonnie is a screwdriver! It waters your plants! (Which is ironic, since I kill plants.)

keith is like a normal key-ring, but it can be used on the move.

cricket feet is a billboard! It weighs anything you put on top of it!

casting qs is a small plastic pyramid that’s made of solid gold! It is also available in white and detects harmful gases. (Me likee that.)

Had to do the cats.

archie is a new type of vegetable that looks bigger than it really is! (So true!)

salema is like a normal suitcase, but it sticks to the skin. (Hee hee.)

And a reintroduction, of sorts. Ah, yes… the greatness of Babelfish. Shoulda figured! Thanks, Panj.

or (english to portugese and back to english)

Ampere-hour, yes… greatness of Babelfish. Shoulda appeared! Gratefulness, Panj

Okay, that’s gonna have to be it for tonight. Back to work I must go. Or sleep. Not sure yet. Decisions, decisions. XXOO all!

—

Bon
“Welcome to the humiliating world of professional writing.” – Homer J. Simpson, food critic, to Lisa, his ghost writer