Entourage World

Harmony's ordeal

2008-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

My Granddaughter Harmony

On Saturday, March 8th, my granddaughter Harmony (age 3) was attacked by her pet Lab. She lost so much blood they weren't sure if she'd make it. It literally looked as if the right side of her face had been torn off. We rushed out from Calif to Utah with our boys and my Mom. She had 15 surgeons work on her during the night and it's amazing what they can do. Though swollen, black and blue and all stitched up, she looked much better than we thought. With facial fractures, crushed cheekbone and part of her upper jaw along with teeth pulled out, it only took her days to begin talking again.

Harmony loves hats!

Once released from the hospital the doctors suggested she be surrounded by family while she recooperates. So for now Harmony, my daughter and her husband are staying with us.

Trauma Unit - Primary Children's Hospital, Utah

After surgery

Harmony continues to get better each day! Thanks everyone for your prayers and support!

MONK, Tony Shalhoub

2008-03-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

MONK, Tony Shalhoub

Damien's favorite tv shows are Monk, Psych and House. I think Scrubs is in there too. He'd love to work on any of these shows but especially would like to work on Monk. We've looked on the set and stood by the open door, but no such luck catching a glimpse of Tony Shalhoub. We did see Emmy ("Julie") one day while on the set of Everybody Hates Chris. Wow, has she grown!

We are still waiting for Damien's work permit to come in the mail. He can't work without it. Since nothing new has been going on lately, here are a few photos taken from different projects Damien has worked on.

Charlie Wilson's War - Afghan Refugee

Everybody Hates Chris - Damien is in the center (Green hat) with Greg (Vincent) to the left and Chris (Tyler) to the right. This is a tv screen shot.

Wizards Of Waverly Place - Quincenera Family Member

Olvidado (Forgotten)

2008-02-27T22:32:00.000-08:00

Olvidado (Forgotten)

Well, today was a really interesting day. First, we get a phone call from a casting company that wants Damien to play as an Indian today, in Hollywood. Well, Damien's entertainment work permit has expired so he couldn't accept the part. I think this would have been a great part since they were only looking for one child. Ugh! Still waiting for his permit to come back in the mail.

So tonight I call the Director of Olvidado, Henry, to ask if they've put our copy of the movie in the mail yet. Nope. He's really busy but invites us over to his place to watch it with him and a friend. So out we go for the long drive.

Henry has to be one of our favorite people to work with! He said some really nice things about Damien being a true professional, well behaved, following directions and a "one take" kind of kid! So we watch the movie on a big screen tv and I have to say, it's totally strange to watch a movie starring your own child. Especially since I was there for all of the filming. I couldn't help but make comments like, Oh, it starts with this scene? Or....Wow, great shot! Or I'm thinking why is that other actor looking over there? And...I forgot all about this scene.

I definately did not watch it like I'd watch any other movie. Henry and Andru did a great job on filming, directing and editing and I love this movie but I think I need to watch it again. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to watch it and not be thinking about our days in the desert, or what happened to the soccer ball scene. Little things like that. I can't wait to show it to my parents and see what they think.

It's going to the Biola Film Festival and we're invited. I think it will be more fun to see the audience's reactions since they don't know my son. I hope Andru and Henry ask my son into other projects! They are the best to work with!!

Update on TV Shows and Movies

2008-02-25T21:33:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd bring you up to date on the latest tv shows and movies that Damien has worked on. So I'm starting off with a list, the latest project is listed first.

Four Christmases starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon
Olvidado (Forgotten) starring Damien Perez (Biola U student film)
Child Under The Sink starring Damien Perez (SAG Student film)
Everybody Hates Chris (numerous episodes)
iCarly
Out of Jimmy's Head (a few episodes)
Wizards of Waverly Place

Damien was picture picked for an auditon for Horton Hears A Who starring Jim Carey. Things have been slow during the writers strike but should be picking up shortly.

The Child Under The Sink can be seen on www.youtube.com Just type in: child under the sink and that's Damien, the boy under the sink! ha!

I'll gather up some photos, and post some older ones too now that the movies and tv shows have aired.

I'm back!

2008-02-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Took a long break while deciding if I should continue blogging about my son. There's some that say I shouldn't be giving out too much info about the background industry but I've decided to continue. When my son was first starting, I know that we would have enjoyed finding another background actor who wrote about their experience as an extra.

By the way, Stephon Fuller writes one of my favorite blogs on his career as an actor. The link to his site is off to the right. He has some great info and I've watched him on many shows!

It will take me some time to bring you all up to date so for now, you can see a video of my son if you go to www.youtube.com and type in: Child Under The Sink
It's sort of a spoof of MAD TV. It was a SAG job and a great crew! Lots of fun and laughs that day! Oh, by the way, that's my son, the kid under the sink! Don't worry though, he's happy and healthy! lol

Everybody Hates Kwanzaa (Everybody Hates Chris)

2007-06-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

Thursday was an 11:30am call time with only 6 kids and probably 60 adults or more. Filming took place on the street and holding was inside an empty building. We knew this was a Christmas/Kwanzaa episode that will air next December. They had many of the background actors dressed in red or green (or both). There was "snow" on the ground and everyone was wearing jackets, mittens and scarves. Damien wasn't used much at all. He might be seen walking down the street and again in front of Chris's apartment but he also may have been too far out of the scene. It was a long day on set and we couldn't wait to grab something to eat on the way home.

Friday he was called back in to be a Corleone student. Only 20 kids were on set yesterday. It was a 9:30am call. This time filming took place inside Corelone Jr High. First 10 kids were called in to film and Damien was not one of them. About 40 minutes later the second set of kids were asked to join them. Damien tells me he was sitting in the classroom while they filmed but soon they took him out and refilmed the same scene. Not long after they took out more kids and filmed it over again. Which one they'll actually use is anyone's guess.

I'm not surprised any more when scenes get cut out. Damien loves doing this and is saving his money, so he was happy to hear he's now considered a regular on the show!

Two Days on Everybody Hates Chris

2007-06-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

Got another call from Damien's manager for two days of work on Everybody Hates Chris. Damien is excited about this call since they asked for a hispanic boy. This usually means he'll get to do something special and be seen on camera. Also, we feel very comfortable on the set of Everybody Hates Chris. We know our way around the studio and the crew is beginning to recognize Damien and myself. Unfortunately they don't like photos taken on set so I won't be taking any photos UNLESS we happen to spot Adrian Monk (Tony Shaloub), then we'd have to be brave and ask for a photo. "Monk" is Damien's favorite show.

Last night we were channel surfing when we came across a movie called, "You, Me and Dupree". It was funny though later I noticed it wasn't a movie aimed at kids, oops!, but Kate Hudson plays a teacher and when they show her classroom, who sitting there but Mario, the actor from Surfer Dude! He was too cute when this was filmed. If you watch it, that's him sleeping in class and later yawning! lol

Damien has a late call tomorrow for EHC so we could be there late. Not sure I'll have time to update you tomorrow but if I have the energy, I'll do my best.

While typing I just received another phone call from the same people who sent us on Surfer Dude. They want to know if Damien can do a commercial this Saturday for WalMart. Wow. When it rains, it pours.

~My sympathy goes to my brother, his ex-wife and their three kids in the loss of Rick yesterday. Keep your chin up Tami. We love you.

Entourage in Columbia

2007-06-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, I should know this by now. If you can't wait to see the scene your child is in, it's sure to be cut! Ugh. Well, that's what happened on Entourage. Last Sunday night, June 17th, was the Season 4 opener. Damien did two scenes. One was filmed over and over again and was Damien stealing fruit and running past the Entourage crew. We couldn't wait to see it.

This episode of Entourage was really different compared to the usual Entourage episodes, this one was done like a documentary. I "know" when Damien steals the fruit and runs past the Entourage so I do see his head go by in a flash but nothing that anyone else would catch. Unless of course I give you exact details on where to look.

At the beginning of this episode there is writing across the screen and as this writing fades, there's Damien and another boy in a hat, kicking a soccer ball.

Photo of my tv set showing Damien in a faded red shirt.

This scene is just seconds long and there's a few times you'll see a flash of him here and there but nothing major. It's funny how we met Tony on the set of Surfer Dude (Tony is Mario's younger brother) and how we saw Tony on this episode (he cries when his father is shot) but never actually saw him on set. We believe that Damien was to have that part when he was picture picked but because Damien got bronchitis that first day, he was replaced.

We are a little disappointed that his fruit stealing scene was cut and I've heard from other parents of child actors of major scenes being cut, so now I won't get my hopes up to see Damien on Surfer Dude....okay, I'll try not too. Ugh!

Mmmm...Matthew

2007-06-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, who knew that we'd be chatting with Matthew McConaughey just days before he is named People's Hottest Bachelor of the Year? I know if you ask my son Damien, who was the nicest actor you've met so far, it's hands down to Matthew. Damien can't say enough nice things about him. Also, if you think about it, (and this was pointed out to me by a friend), for Matthew to choose to spend time with me and my young son instead of hanging with all the hot girls sitting around on the set, says a lot about Matthew's character.

People Mag - on sale today

Along with Matthew McConaughey is Damian Lewis, who took the time to talk with my son and tell him he could join him for lunch. It wasn't a casual, "Get over here kid" but Damian Lewis squatted down, put his hand on Damien's shoulder and asked Damien what was wrong. He took the time to calm Damien down and then inviting him to eat with him was just amazing. He's a very caring man. These men are my heroes and Damien looks up to both of them.

Damien and I went to the local bookstore and were happy to see our friend Doc working. Doc was once asked to play the part of a prisoner in the movie, The Cable Guy. He changed his mind and his friend took the part instead. So we often chat about our favorite tv character, Monk (which also has a series of books) and about Damien's acting jobs. When I showed him the photos I had of Matthew McConaughey, he was surprised to hear that his black and white shorts are for the movie. He was believing the stories from the magazines about Matthew acting crazy on the beach. I was shocked to hear that people believe those stories but then I guess I've done that in the past. Just so you know, Matthew jumping, waving plants, looking warpainted, and kissing a girl in the sand are all still shots from the movie.

Matthew on the beach

When filming we can see the paparazi from all directions and by the next day we can find the photos online, often with captions that are not even close to what really happened that day. I feel proud to have my son look up to Matthew and it's my hope that Damien will work with him again someday. I am happy that Matthew was selected as bachelor of the year because with his winning personality, he deserves to be admired. Congrats Matthew!

Entourage - Season 4

2007-06-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's wednesday and no work so far this week. Damien and I are both sad because we had a few friends call us to let us know that they were called in to work on Everybody Hates Chris today. Damien wanted to go so badly. I'll have to mention to his manager how he'd love to work with his best friend again (who is working today).

In the next two weeks we have a funeral, a wedding, an 18th birthday, a high school graduation, my Mom's birthday, a friend's birthday and Father's Day. I'm just hoping that Damien doesn't get his dream job (working on Monk) on any of these upcoming days/events.

Damien on Entourage

I heard, but can't be absolutely sure, that the episode Damien did on Entourage will air this Sunday, June 17th. We are looking forward to it especially since Mario, the boy who worked on Surfer Dude, also has a part in Entourage. Damien can be seen playing soccer in the street with one other boy. He's wearing a faded red pullover top. In another scene he is wearing the orange and white striped shirt seen above in the photo (minus the jacket). He will run over to a fruit vender and then run past the Entourage group who are standing in the road.

Surfer Dude update

2007-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

I better invest in suntan lotion! No need to wear blush here with these sunburned cheeks! ack

Damien had a 10am call to the set of Surfer Dude. Basecamp was set up at a different beach than before. I was surprised to see only a few trailers along with only a few people. Everyone we ran into remembered us and welcomed us back, even people we didn't remember! Soon there were six kids, all boys and one girl. They sent us to wardrobe where to my surprise, Damien was approved with what he wore to the set. He'd be the only boy not wearing a bathing suit. They also wanted him to wear his hat so that he would not be confused with Mario, the main boy in the movie that Damien had photo doubled for.

From basecamp they took us in a van to a house where they were filming. It was a beautiful home overlooking the ocean.

Home used in Surfer Dude. Lots of round windows.

Once we reached the home and stepped out of the van, Rod (my brother's best friend) was waiting for us! We waited on the lawn (seen in the photo above) along with about 100 other actors. There were dozens of "hot" girls in bikinis, security guards and more. Matthew McConuaghey sat with us on the lawn. He remembered Damien from the days Damien worked as a photo double a few weeks earlier. Since he sat on my red jacket (along with Damien) I am now considering NOT washing it! haha!

We never saw the filming indoors but it was interesting talking with the other actors. A small plane was circling over head, apparently hired by the paparrazi which soon showed up. They couldn't get very close though since the area was blocked off by the police. Another little boy actor showed up to be included in the autograph scene that Damien would be in, making a total of 7 kids.

When it was time to go back to homebase, where the autograph scene would be filmed, we were last in line to get in the van. There was no more room. Luckily Rod was near by and heard, so he put us in the van with the cameramen that would be filming the scene. They were really nice to us and chatted with Damien on the way down to the beach. They laughed when Damien told them about his short bus scene in Everybody Hates Chris. They told us that we were misinformed about the autograph scene and we wouldn't be asking Matthew for his autograph, but Matthew's rival surfer in the movie.

Filming the kids who are asking "Lupe" (the Rival Surfer) for his autograph.

Damien and "Lupe" Ramon Rodriguez

This will be a short scene in the movie featuring Red Bull. The cameramen said it's a "staged promo". I'm not sure what that means. We hope it doesn't get cut. It had the kids laughing and this crazy Mom (aka Me) asking Ramon for his photo!

Matthew McConaughey Fan!

2007-06-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Updated with a new Photo! (I'll be adding a new post with more photos soon.)

Yes, I am now an official Matthew McConaughey FAN! I have a great photo of Matthew sitting with my son and watching Damien play his PSP while chatting. I was shocked when he sat with us, as there were dozens of beautiful girls on set along with a hundred or two actors. For him to take the time to talk with my son was amazing. I so appreciate it! My son can't stop saying how nice he is.

Damien and Matthew McConaughey (my two favorite Stars! haha)

(This photo is purposely cropped and posted with bad quality.)

Here is a photo taken while they're filming a scene where several kids run up to ask Matthew's rival surfboarder, Lupe, if they can have his autograph. Damien is the only one in a hat.

Scene from Surfer Dude.

Damien is on the right wearing a hat, rusty orange shirt and brown shorts. One hot girl in blue bikini and the rival surfboarder, Lupe (played by Ramon Rodriguez), in a hot pink wetsuit!

In Memory of Michael Brophy

2007-06-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

Michael Brophy - Singer for "The Weasels"

When tomorrow starts without me
and I'm not there to see
if the sun should rise to find your eyes
all filled with tears for me
I wish so much you wouldn't cry
the way you did today
while thinking of the many things
you didn't get to say
I know how much you love me
as much as I love you
and each time that you think of me
I know I'll miss you too
But when tomorrow starts without me
please try to understand
that an angel came and called my name
and took me by the hand
He said my place was ready
in Heaven far above
and that I'd have to leave behind
all those I dearly love
so when tomorrow starts without me
don't think we're far apart
for everytime you think of me
I'm right here in your heart

...In memory of Mike Brophy

At Heavens Door, Friday, June 8th, 2007

While on the set of Surfer Dude, I received a phone call from my brother Hiram, that his best friend Mike Brophy had passed away. Rod Bennet (also Mike's friend), who was working on the set, then drove down to basecamp to tell me he just got off the phone with Hiram.

My family sends our deepest sympathy to Mike Brophy's family.

Surfer Dude again!

2007-06-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

I was searching online for any jobs that might suit Damien when I came across one for Surfer Dude. They wanted surfer kids. Hmmm... I was wondering where their phone number was so I could call and see if they could use Damien. Just then the phone rings!

Matthew McConaughey and Mario

It's someone calling to see if Damien can film Surfer Dude tomorrow! What? Are they kidding? YES he can film! Damien was so happy! Later he was talking about filming on Surfer Dude and said he couldn't wait to see Mario and Tony again. That's when I told him they might not be in this shot. He was disappointed but still happy to work on Surfer Dude. Everyone is so nice there. The actors, the crew, everyone. Tomorrow there will be lots of extras working on the set. I also believe it's a different beach than the last one.

With all the extras working I'm not too sure if I can ask Matthew for a photo but I'm sure going to try. Damien will be a surfer boy who runs up to Matthew to ask him for his autograph! Damien hopes he really gets his autograph and says this won't take much acting to be excited!

If we're home early tomorrow, I'll post more photos. By the way, I posted a new blog this morning but noticed it didn't show up till tonight. I'm not sure why that happened but hopefully it's been fixed. See you tomorrow!

Everybody Hates Chris and More!

2007-06-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my husband David!

This episode of Everybody Hates Chris, titled Everybody Hates The Guidance Counselor, is going to be hysterical! Not only did the scenes have the parents and crew laughing, but the kids were cracking up too. I can't spill all of the details but I will mention a part that my son is in. He will be on the really short, "short bus". Everybody wanted to take the bus home! Damien will be one of the "challenged" kids wearing a green helmet on the bus. The outfits they wore were funny too. We can't wait to see that scene and hopefully it doesn't end up on the cutting room floor.

The short bus is the size of a jeep.

I won't go into much detail about these past two days but I will say that there are things you should never do on a set. I'll mention a few of them here but don't think I did these....uh, at least not all of them!

Don't take photos! Not with your camera or your cell phone. They will search you.
Don't go where you don't belong. Security will find you!
Ask where you can view your child if you want to see them filming. Otherwise STAY in holding and BE QUIET if you're held near the filming area.
Don't peek through curtains to see your child perform.
Don't go upstairs to get a better view.
Don't take another parents word as the official okay (ie: The parent tells you she has permission to be there/do that.)
Don't talk to any main actor unless they talk to you first.

These rules are general rules for all shows.

Okay, you've all guessed it. Yes, I did get into some trouble but it wasn't me with the camera. I was standing with her and yes, you can be guilty by association. Ugh.

I can't inlcude main actors in photos unless I have their permission. At least I already knew this one. So a big Thank You goes to Matthew McConaughey for letting us photograph him! What a nice guy! Oh, by the way, the first day on this set (for this episode), we saw one of the actors who played a fisherman on Surfer Dude. He was a pedestrian. We talked a little. Hi Tito! Then the second day (yesterday) we saw another actor who also was a fisherman. He played a pedestrian and a hosptial patient. Hi George! George has his own casting site for latino actors and he was nice enough to let me take his photo with Damien. (I never got a chance to ask Tito.)

George and Damien

I also met some really great Mom's on this set and I hope Damien gets to work with their kids again. Most of them have the same manager as Damien, so most likely they'll all work together on something again. It's great to make new friends.

Emails

2007-06-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day of phone calls and emails. I just wanted to post a quick note before we leave for the set of Everybody Hates Chris to tell you about the emails I received late last night.

The first was from the Producer/Director of an independent movie Damien did over six months ago. He just wanted to check in with us and wish Damien well on his career. Damien will recieve credit for this movie on the internet movie data base website. Yay!

The next email was from Mario (and his parents). Mario is the boy in the movie Surfer Dude. He and his brother are the nicest kids we have ever met and those who have met them will know exactly what I mean. They say Hi to everyone and just seem to get along with everyone they meet. The boys want to come over and play video games with Damien but also, I was offered a copy of the script to Surfer Dude with Mario's autograph! Another Yay! I told them one page of the script would be great! (Fans of Matthew McConaughey probably think I'm nuts for not taking the whole thing!) We'll see, maybe I will get the whole script but I'm going to be happy with one page and a visit from these boys.

Off to Everybody Hates Chris. Another day of shooting outdoors! I like it when they shoot outdoors because us parents can watch them film much easier. We are now off for a long drive into Los Angeles. I'll post more when I get home if I'm not dead tired.

The Fisherman and The Manager

2007-06-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Today I got two important phone calls. The first was from one of the fishermen in Surfer Dude. We had exchanged info so we could swap photos. He wanted to know if Damien was interested in working in commercials. It means more than double the money but Damien is happy doing what he's doing now. So commercials will wait. This nice actor thought so much of Damien that he said he'd recommend him to an agent but for now, we're sticking with our favorite manager.

Mario and one of the Fishermen with an actress

He mentioned that Mario, the boy in Surfer Dude, would probably be filming more scenes and that Damien was going to be needed again. This was great news. He heard this on a day he worked and we were already off the set. They even told the four actors playing fishermen that they'd get used again in another scene. I can't wait to go back and hope to grab more photos of Matthew to post here. I asked the fishermen about Matt and he said he was one of the nicest guys. Not stuck up at all and just plain kind to everyone.

The second call was from Damien's manager. This gave me a chance to talk to her about Surfer Dude. She hadn't called them after all and she said if they have Mario back they are very likely to call Damien back too. (I've emailed Mario's Dad to ask if Mario will return to the set but so far no reply. I'm sure he's busy.)

Damien's manager asked if Damien could shoot another episode of Everybody Hates Chris. He will be on set for at least two days, starting tomorrow. We listened to the recording on the phone tonight which tells Damien what time to show up on set, what to wear and what to bring. It also mentions some of the kids by name. We recognized a friend's name, so Damien is excited. He has a late morning call time so we are sure to be staying later than usual. I'll update this tomorrow night if I'm not totally beat when I get home.

Done with Surfer Dude?

2007-06-03T23:26:00.000-07:00

On Damien's last day working on Surfer Dude, we met a woman from the casting agency that had called us. She told us that Damien would be used in another scene, probably a beach scene, airport or marketplace scene. Well, since my brother's friend works on the set, I know the beach and airport scene have already been shot.

Damien on the set of Surfer Dude. All the tables and benches are

moved out of the camera's range.

Friday I saw the breakdown for the Surfer Dude marketplace scene online (a casting site) but we haven't been called to go in. So I emailed the casting company to ask if they still planned on using Damien in the scene. No reply. Now it's Sunday night and it shoots early tomarrow morning. I know this means Damien is not in the scene and we are both feeling sad about it. We were also told on the last day Damien was there that if we stuck around we could have photos taken with Matthew McConaughey. We waited till dark and knew that shooting was going to go on for a while, (plus my camera's battery was dying), so we left. I was thinking when we came back again, we'd get those photos taken. Sob! Looks like that ain't gonna happen!

Now our hope is that Damien gets called back as a photo double again. We were told by a crew member that they might need Damien for one or two more days as a double. This could also be the reason why they wouldn't use Damien in another scene. He looks an awful lot like the starring boy! Anyway, we have our fingers crossed that he makes it back on the set. If not, maybe I'll ask my brother's friend if he can get us an autographed headshot of Matthew!

Chuck & Larry Poster

Now that it's June, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" should be hitting the theaters. We've seen the trailer and we just hope that Damien's short scene in the movie hasn't been cut. We can't wait to go to the theater to see Damien for the first time on the big screen.

Kevin James and Adam Sandler star in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.

Everybody Hates Earth Day

2007-06-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

We are always given a call time change box to call. When I called it this morning, the time was changed from 7am to 8am. Ahh...more sleep!

We get a kick out of these golf carts! And on the PA's manilla envelope (which holds the boys paperwork) it says Everybody Hates Background! Hey! That's my kid!! lol

Today was a GREAT day for Damien. They shot outside and it was Damien's first time on Everybody Hates Chris shooting outdoors. It's very different from shooting indoors. Seems like there were lots more crew on set.

In this scene, Chris runs from the Corleone school doorway. Damien will be standing by the bike rack to the left of the doorway, chatting with other boys.

A restaurant scene. Damien can be seen walking in the background. You can find his shoulder length black hair and his checked blue shirt.

Damien really had to act in this scene. They placed him with a group of bullies. He gets to pummel Chris! Damien is far from a bully!

This turned out to be one of Damien's favorite days on set. He made some new friends and was used in a lot of scenes. A tour van passed us as we walked to lunch. They stopped to announce that Damien was shooting Everybody Hates Chris. Hi there people on the tour! We'd love to take that tour ourself! They get to go all over the Parmount lot but Damien needs to stay in the holding area. If you're ever on the tour and see us walking by, please say Hi, we'd love to talk with you.

Everybody Hates Actors

2007-05-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

I called the infomation line and heard that Damien's call time would be at 7am. That's early! We would need to get up at 4am. It took us 2 hours to get to Paramount Studios. I'm always surprised to see how many cars are in the parking garage that early in the morning.

Today was a confusing day. They were shooting in Studio 17 and holding for the parents was in Studio 18 (where part of CWW was shot). That is a huge holding area and it was freezing. Damien is out of school for the summer and a few other kids were also out of school. They waited with us while all the others (about20 students) went to school. It seemed like a long wait but they finally took the kids from holding and the school to film.

Most of the productions seem to have their own golf carts to get around. I spotted the EHC carts and had a good laugh!

I went inside to check out the set but it was surrounded by walls. There would be flashback scenes so there were several different sets. Damien and the others seemed to be gone for hours. When he finally returned he was very excited because they had sat him next to Chris in the school and he knew he'd be on camera. But not much later we learned that there was a problem with lighting and the scene would be reshot. They took only half the kids this time, Damien not included.

Though Damien was called onto the set a few more times, he was always waiting by the side and never actually filmed. He was a little disappointed at the end of the day.

While sitting in holding another Mom and I began chatting with a Dad of one of the child actors. Turns out his son worked as a surfer on Surfer Dude and also the Dad himself dressed up as Madonna for a funny scene with Kevin James in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. That will be fun to see.

Damien's haircut for Surfer Dude.

Well, it was a long day for Damien and he really made no new friends this day. He was teased about his hair but what the boys didn't know is his hair needs to stay this way till they are done with him on Surfer Dude.

When Damien was leaving they asked him back tomarrow and he agreed. We got home at 10pm, ate dinner and now off to bed. Up at 5am for a 7am call tomorrow.

Another EHC job

2007-05-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today we get a call from Damien's manager. Not only does she want to know if Damien wants to work on Everybody Hates Chris this Thursday, but also asks us who exactly is calling us for these other jobs. (Charlie Wilson's War and Surfer Dude.) I told her that I'd rather have her handle any jobs Damien gets because when someone just calls us out of the blue, things can get confusing. I gave her the casting companies name.

For instance, we were waiting in the parking lot one day for a van to take us to Surfer Dude and an hour later I finally had to call my brother. He then called his friend, who was working on the set, to get someone to send us a van. We were lucky to know someone to call or else they might believe my son was just late. With our manager involved, we can just call her and she straightens everything out for us. I believe she called the other casting company. I just hope they still want to use Damien in another scene in Surfer Dude.

So Damien accepted the job to work on Thursday. We'll need to call her hotline Wednesday night for more info.

More Matthew McConaughey Photos

2007-05-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Oops! I forgot to add these photos of Matthew McConaughey on "Surfer Dude."

The house and jeep used for a scene in Mexico (Surfer Dude).

Alexie Gilmore and Matthew McConaughey on the porch of the house before they run down to the beach. I found this photo on the internet which proves that I need to buy a long zoom lens for my camera!

Shooting the love scene on the beach. That's Alexie (left) chasing after Matthew (center) when they run from the house. The cameramen on are the right.

Matthew McConaughey and Alexie Gilmore kissing on the beach (left).

Matthew McConaughey on Set

2007-05-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that some Matthew McConaughey fans have been visiting this site, so I've decided to post more photos. Most of these photos aren't very good and I'm sure the paparazzi has much better ones online but at least these aren't the ones you can find online or in magazines any where else.

Lunch. Damien is holding a cup in front of his face. Matthew is sitting at a table behind us and looks like he's sitting in the pitcher of fruit punch!

Setting up for a love scene on the beach with Matthew McConaughey and Alexie Gilmore.

Can you see Matthew McConaughey on the porch? He's wearing his now famous black and white striped shorts. Alexie is in the center front keeping warm in her black sweatshirt.

You can't see Matthew McConaughey in this shot. This is the love scene on the beach. I kept my son back behind the little fence. The beach slopes down so we couldn't actually see Matthew and Alexie.

This is the beach where Matthew McConaughey hangs out in Surfer Dude. One of those small dots to the left is actually him. Too bad I don't have a paparazzi camera with those super long lenses.

Taken during filming, Matthew McConaughey is carrying a log to the bonfire while his new friend (known as "The mexican boy") follows him dragging some wood for the fire.

Matthew McConaughey is in the center waving those two big plant branch things! lol They are setting up for the shot. The guy crawling on the left is erasing footprints in the sand.

I know they are shooting an airport scene and a marketplace scene. Damien should be in one or both scenes. Fingers crossed that he gets to work with Matthew McConaughey again.

Matthew McConaughey

2007-05-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention that yesterday Damien found a wallet on the beach. Luckily he saw who had left it there and ran after him. The man handed him a twenty dollar bill! Damien felt bad and was sure this man thought he gave him a dollar or possibly a five dollar bill so we had to go and hunt down this man to ask him to take the twenty dollars back. We found him and Damien asked him if he knew it was a twenty and the man said Yes, go buy yourself something. Wow! Damien was totally shocked and of course didn't return the wallet for a reward but the man was nice enough to insist and he explained how if his wallet wasn't returned, how much trouble it would have been for him to replace. We walked back to the fishermen who told us, Don't you know who that is? Gulp! No. It was the director of Surfer Dude, SR Bindler! Now Damien wants to frame his twenty dollar bill! lol

Matt walking to the set.

We spent a lot of time with the four fishermen. Only three are here in the photo. The beach was beautiful and the men were all really nice. We shared email adds so we could swap photos.

The fishermen.

We weren't needed back on Thursday but the fishermen were. They sent me this photo taken with Matthew McConaughey.

Matt and the Fishermen.

Being a photo double meant that Damien had to watch Mario's scenes. Matt was really nice to the boys and Mario and his brother have to be the nicest boys I've ever met!

Matt and Mario.

The paparrazi were everywhere! I had to take a photo of them for a change! ha!

The Paparazzi.

Surfer Dude - Day two

2007-05-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

We left the house about 9am to make it to the set by noon. A van picked us up in the parking lot and took us to basecamp. The PA greeted us and told us that one of the big trailers was gone so two of us had lost our trailer for the day. The PA told us to hang out wherever we wanted, on the set or on the beach until they called Damien in to get his hair cut. We would just be there for 4 1/2 hours today anyway since Damien was leaving early to be in a school play (Oliver).

We mostly hung out with the fishermen again and sat with them at lunch. Lunch was great. We ordered from the menu at one window and pick it up at the next. They had a salad bar and desserts at the end of the table. Tables and chairs were set up outdoors with large pitchers of fruit punch. Before the hour lunch was up the PA came to find us. Time to cut Damien's hair!

Hair and Makeup Trailer. Getting his matching haircut.

Damien wasn't too happy because his hair wasn't long enough to donate and he knew this meant starting over to grow it again to donate to cancer victims. I sat in the "barber" chair next to my son which left two empty chairs on either end. While getting his hair cut, Matthew McConaughey came in and sat in the chair next to me, while Alexie Gilmore also came in and sat next to Damien. Both were having their hair fixed for shooting. I am starting to like hair and makeup trailers, this seems to be the place to sit next to the "stars" (see Everybody Hates Chris! lol).

Damien and Mario after the haircut.

After the haircut Damien was still sad, especially since they tried to slightly "poof" it out. They didn't match it perfectly to Mario's hair yet, they'd wait till Damien was needed for filming. We went to watch more filming on the set and heard that tonight they'd shoot the bonfire scene, which they couldn't get the fire to work quite right the night before. Before we knew it, we were told it was 4pm and time to leave for the play! Damien felt bad because they wanted to use Damien in the bonfire scene that night. Instead we drove straight from the set to the play, taking over two hours to get there and barely making it.

Dodger in Oliver.

The play went well and Damien remembered all his lines. Tomorrow's call for the set is at 11am.

Surfer Dude

2007-05-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Without hitting any traffic, we made it to set early in only 2 hours. When we reached the parking area we saw the usual signs that the production company put up but these didn't say "Surfer Dude". I thought maybe we were in the wrong place so I asked the security guard. He said that the paparazzi was looking for Matthew McConaughey and so they didn't want to use the actual title of the film. A van then took us to the set at a different beach about 15 minutes away.

Damien in his trailer

What a shock! Damien had his own trailer. It said "Boy Double" on the door. This was a first for him. This same trailer had rooms in this order: Matthew McConaughey, Alexie Gilmore, Scott Glenn, Damien, and the boy he'd double for, Mario Quinonez Jr.

Damien and Mario

(Mario just shot a scene "after" the fire)

It wasn't long till Damien met Mario and his little brother Tony. Turns out Tony was in an Eminem video (wearing a superman outfit and jumping on a bed). The crew on this set were so nice, along with Mario's Dad and the four fishermen. My brother's best friend, Rod, went out of his way to find us. Alexie Gilmore kept saying Hi to me every time we'd pass each other. Wow, she is absolutely beautiful and just as nice as can be. Matthew came up to us and shook our hands and introduced himself as "Mateo" (spanish for Matthew...though I speak no spanish). He is one nice looking guy!

Matthew McConaughey and the starring boy, Mario

Soon the paparazzi found Matthew anyway. I'm not sure how the stars take it with all those photographers around. They were on the beach practically in the water, climbing down cliffsides and hiding in bushes. I'm sure there will be plenty of photos of Matthew in his black and white striped shorts in magazines today!Damien was told to watch Mario in his scenes with Matthew, so that he could recreate them. They didn't cut Damien's hair and wouldn't until they absolutely needed to use him. We watched all day and would you believe it, they never used Damien. They did tell us to expect him to work tomorrow though, so looks like that haircut will be tomorrow.

Surfer Dude

2007-05-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Photo of the beach where "Surfer Dude" is filming.

Well, it's been about a month since Damien's last job on Charlie Wilson's War. Still his manager hasn't called us for any more jobs but late last night the same people that hired him for Charlie Wilson's War called us about a new movie, Surfer Dude. This movie stars Matthew McConaughey.

Earlier today I was thinking I should measure Damien's height because he seems to be growing. I had to buy him bigger jeans for the length. So when this agency called and asked, Are you sure he's 4 feet 7 inches and only 72 pounds? I had to tell her I didn't really know. So she asked if I could measure and weigh him and call her back. Wow, has he grown! 4 feet 10 inches and 85 pounds! Well, it turns out that is the exact height and weight they were looking for to be a photo double for a little boy in the film.

There were only two problems and I had to call the agency back again to let them know how we worked these out. This job would take a week to film and Damien's last day of school is Tuesday along with a Play he's in, Oliver. The second problem is Damien's hair is too long and they'd need to cut it so he looks just like the boy starring in the film. Damien donates his hair to help cancer victims and he really didn't want to cut it, but after some thought, he decided he would donate some money from this job to cancer research instead.

So I called the agency back and told her Damien was willing to cut his hair but he did not want to let the school down and not show up for the Play. Since the Play would be at night, she called the Assistant Director of the film to see what could be done. She called back and let us know it was all settled, Damien would have half a day off on Tuesday so he could make his Play! Yay!

I will need to call later today to get all the details and will bring you up to date.

Okay, the update. I was talking with my brother about this movie and what does he tell me? His best friend is working with the crew. This is his friend that was also working on Charlie Wilson's War. It's nice to know that we'll know someone on the set.

We were given the information for Monday's shoot. Damien will need to be there at noon. This means it will probably be a late day. Not sure if we'll stay in a hotel or make the long trip back home. From the phone information it sounds like there will be very few people filming. Four men and the two boys. Damien is getting excited and also getting worried about the haircut they'll be giving him. I'll post photos on Monday night (if we come home).

Friday

2007-05-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears that Charlie Wilson's War has wrapped up. We were hoping that Damien would get recalled so he'd have more scenes in the movie. When he was on the set of CWW, they told us Damien may be used again the second week of May. So even though some say it's wrapped, we still have some hope he'll be called in again. You never know with reshoots.

People are beginning to find out that he's doing TV shows and movies. He was approached by someone in Target the other day asking if he was on TV. My little niece Kory, who happens to be adorable, is now applying for a part in a major movie (along with Damien). I think she has a better chance at it since she's younger and this is really a part for a younger child.

My neighbor may start acting too and I'll be passing him all the info I have for adults getting started. Looks like he may drag one or both of my older son's with him. I wish he would. Extra money in their pockets and hey, what job out there also feeds you breakfast and lunch at no cost to you? Can't beat that. CWW sent Damien's check and tacked on extra for gas. All of Damien's money is being saved so he can buy the car of his dreams. If he had it his way, he'd own every game system out there. Oh wait, I think he already does! ugh

Damien's manager hasn't called us in a week but we're not worried. Actually this is giving him time to catch up on school work especially since he just switched to a private Christian homeschool program. This school offers classes which works out really well for him. He can easily take a day or two off whenever he needs to be on set.

My husband took Damien to see Spiderman today! Damien said he didn't recognize any of the kids in the movie. They both gave the movie a big thumbs up! I wanted to see it but have been too busy with my work-at-home business. I'm trying to get ahead in case Damien gets called for a job. We have our fingers crossed that he is chosen for a small part in National Treasure 2.

Life - the movie

2007-04-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

A made for TV Movie is what I was told "LIfe" was all about. Starring Damian Lewis. For you that don't know who he is, he is the redhead in Dreamcatcher. "Life" is about a cop who was wrongly imprisoned and then released to join the force again...or at least that's how I've heard the story goes.

Basecamp 1 in downtown LA

Basecamp 1 was set up in a parking lot in downtown LA. From there we were bussed to a residential street for filming. This was Damien's first time filming on a street. To our surprise the streets were not blocked off. Damien, along with 4 or 5 other kids are eating fruit they get from a fruit vending cart. Officer Damian Lewis (not sure of his name in the film) also stops at the cart for something to eat. Its a short scene and I think we were there for about an hour or so.

Damian Lewis (Life Chair)

Damian Lewis sat in a chair right next to where I was standing and when Damien was done filming he went up to Damien Lewis and shook hands. They spoke a little and talked about having the same first name but with different spellings. Damien Lewis was very nice.

We let the set teacher know that we were going to head down the long outdoor stairs that led to another residential street. Here were the tables of snacks and bathrooms. When we went back up, we discovered the set teacher and all the other parents had left in the van. We were led to another van full of actors and waited while they filmed some more before the van could leave.

Instead of taking us to where our car was parked, we were taken to basecamp 2. Here they had tents set up with lunch. We saw Damian Lewis here and again he was nice enough to bend down to Damien's level and have a long chat with him. I had no idea if were suppose to be at basecamp 2 but Damian Lewis assured us it was fine and invited Damien and myself in to eat.

Finally another van pulled up and we had our ride back to our car. We learned to expect the unexpected on these jobs and from now on if we end up at the wrong basecamp, we'll be okay with it and not in such a panic! Besides, the stars of the show can be really nice!

Independent Movie

2007-04-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

I heard that it's a good idea to try for independent or student films mainly for the experience and to add to your resume. So I applied for Damien to be in one. It was filming close by and it was only for the part of a student. Independent and student films often don't pay. The film is called "Those Chosen" and is the story of a boy raised in a cult. I was surprised when the producer contacted us in an email and invited us to the set.

Damien had already filmed several tv shows by this time so when we showed up to the school where the filming would take place, we were surprised that no one was there. We sat in the car for a while and eventually saw a few people walking around. There was a card table with snacks, the producer and two or three other helpers. After a while a few more kids showed up but not many.

Filming on a school yard.

Even though filming an independent movie is different than a tv show or big budget movie, we had a great time on this small set. Damien was filmed quite a bit, we got to chat with other Moms and Damien made friends with the young star of the film, Kevin. In fact they hit it off so well, that Kevin and his Mom invited us to the producers house after they were done filming outdoors. Damien and Kevin played the producers new Wii system while Kevin's mom and I chatted. I took plenty of photos with permission.

Later the producer sent me a CD with all of Damien's footage and a little more! We'd gladly work on a film with him again!

Work From Home

2007-04-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of birthdays at the house this week (ugh, don't ask) and I came across a website that actually auto-posts a list of people who are celebrating their birthdays. Not a bad idea! I think I'll see about adding that to my business site. After a slow winter things have really started to pick up again with the business. I'm on a hunt for a few more web content (usually keyword) writers. At one time we (my good friend aka ex-business partner) had over 100 writers. I am now down to about 20 good writers. When I invite people to write for me, many assume it's a scam. They think it can't be that easy to get paid to work from home. I love being able to work from home and I'll even write articles myself for extra spending money. I think a work at home job is a great idea for those with kids who are actors and well, really for anyone with young kids who wants to work from home.

On one of Damien's acting jobs I ran into a Mom who was telling us other Mom's how she paid almost $2,000 for a list of agents, managers and breakdowns. Breakdowns are similar to employment opportunities. It will list the name of the project (movie, tv show, etc) and what they are specifically looking for. A breakdown might say, "(Name of tv show), Boy, ages 10-12, ethnic appearance, must be outgoing, must be able to cry on camera (etc)" plus usually more information. Many breakdowns are available online for a small monthly fee. Some breakdowns can only be viewed by your manager or agent. Paying someone a huge amount of money, Iin my opinion, is not worth it. You can find lists of agents and managers online or buy a book that lists current agencies. Save your money! The total cost for my son to get into the acting business, $100. But it doesn't need to cost anything! You can start with a photo you've taken yourself and self-submit your child online, in some places for free or as little as $2 for each submission. Don't fall for any scams!

Another Mom told me she paid over $40 for a work permit. These permits are needed by minors that act. They are available for free from your local county office. Do some research online before paying money for anything. We are new to acting but there are many other Mom's online that can lead you in the right direction. Join a forum for parents of child actors before starting in the biz. When your child gets his or her first job, talk to other Mom's on the set. Not just "one" Mom but several. Expect to get some wrong info since not all Mom's will know about the same hints and tips. Sort out all your info and just use what's best for you and your child.

Charlie Wilson's War - Filming

2007-04-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

What can I say? This was an AMAZING set!

Charlie Wilson's War
(Found on the internet)

This could be my longest blog ever but I'm going to try and keep it short after the comment I received telling me my blogs are too long.

Charlie Wilson's War was the biggest and most impressive set we've ever been on. So large in fact that they took us by bus to move from holding to the set. The Refugee Camp was an exact duplicate of the real thing and just amazing. It felt as if we were visiting an actual Refugee Camp. Dozens of amputees were used, including children. It was a very moving sight.

Tom Hanks was on set but I heard Julia Roberts wasn't there this particular day. Damien wore his traditional Afghan outfit which included a red hat (not sure what they call them) and he was filmed walking down a dirt road towards the camera while pushing a old wooden cart.

This was obviously a big budget film with hundreds of Afghans, camels, a helicopter and a set we'll never forget. Damien has a chance of filming again in May. I know this movie will be a major hit when it's released.

Hi to Mina and her daughter Arika who was standing next to Tom Hanks in one scene, so close I hear they bumped shoulders. Arika plays the older sister of a young girl who is missing an arm. Hope we see you again on the set in May!

Everybody Hates Caruso

2007-04-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

It was a long day on the set of Everybody Hates Chris. This is the fist episode of the new season called Everybody Hates Caruso. Damien had a great time working today. He made some friends and hopes to see them back on the set soon. In fact, they say they want him back on friday. Only problem with that is when we were driving home, Charlie Wilson's War casting called and confirmed that Damien is working on their film tomorrow. Tomorrow is my husband's birthday. I feel bad that we won't be home to help him celebrate but we'll make up for it over the weekend.

We entered Paramount after the guard checks out our California ID's. It was nice knowing exactly which studio to go to. We signed in and went to wardrobe. The wardrobe lady remembers Damien, which is nice. She sent him off to change into a denim blue long sleeve shirt and a pullover gray sweater.

They sent Damien to the hair and make-up trailer. There are four chairs in the trailer. The doors were closed but since they told us to go in, we opened the door. Standing there was "Chris" (Tyler) who is the main character of the show, so I politely closed the door. Then it swung open and the hairdresser said to come on in and leave Damien's suitcase outside. So we went in and Damien sat in the second chair. "Chris" (Tyler James Williams), "Joey Caruso" (Travis T. Flory) and "Greg" (Vincent Martella) were sitting in the other three chairs. I was so wishing I could take a photo but when we entered Paramount Studios, we had been handed a paper saying that all cameras would be taken away and not given back. It would have been a great shot! Damien sitting among the stars! They pulled Damien's hair back tight into a pony tail and sent him off to school.

He spent some time in school before being taken to set for filming. Seems this episode is going to have a fun cafeteria scene! I'll say no more! Damien's friend CJ was there. We've seen CJ on past shows and have been so excited to see so many close-ups of him. In this episode, he's carrying a cafeteria tray with food and well, things get exciting in the cafeteria.

Lunch at Paramount

Most of the kids finished school (3 hours) just before lunch break. We took a walk with other mom's and their actors to the Paramount Studio Cafeteria. Since no cameras were allowed, I took a picture of Damien eating his lunch without others in the shot. I just wanted at least one photo for his scrapbook!

Over Booked! Yikes!

2007-04-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Charlie Wilson's War

Wow! What a day! While waiting for my son to be let out of his class, I called The CWW casting to see if they had an update on the shoot for tomorrow. It sounds as if Damien will be needed. The recording said that everyone working on the film today was to return plus there would be new actors coming in. That would be Damien is my guess.

So I get home and just sit down to relax when my cell phone rings. It's Damien's manager! She wants to know if Damien can go to Everybody Hates Chris tomorrow and possibly Friday! Damien loves working on this show. Now what to do? I reminded his manager that Damien is doing Charlie Wilson's War and she was so nice about it. I just love our manager! Since we won't know for sure if Damien is working on CWW, she booked him for Everybody Hates Chris and told me that "if" we get a confirmation for CWW tonight, to just leave her a message and she'd try to find a replacement. If Damien doesn't get CWW, then it's off to Everybody Hates Chris tomorrow. He is so excited. He wants BOTH jobs! Hopefully this will work out.

Everybody Hates Chris

I'll update this blog as I get more news.

Okay, here's the update! I went to the CWW website and Damien's name is still not on the list. Though it does look like a list of different names. So that settles it, Damien will head to Paramount Studios tomorrow for Everybody Hates Chris. He is going to be a Coleone Jr High Student in the year 1985. I heard the message for wardrobe and we had to run out and buy a long sleeve button down shirt for the show! Damien's shirts are the wrong color (no red, white or black is a common guideline for tv shows).

Hopefully I can get his photo on the set tomorrow so you can find him when the show airs. We called Maggie and Nancy to see if they would be there but they didn't get a call. It's probably because only a few girls have been called in for tomorrows show. We need to get up early, about 4am to get to the studio in time. I'll post pictures tomorrow if I can snap a few.

Postponed or Cancelled?

2007-04-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Received a phone call on Sunday evening that Charlie Wilson's War was postponed. Now does this mean it's cancelled and Damien will get paid for the day? It really doesn't matter but that's a lot of money to earn for a cancellation! The person on the phone told me that Damien's scene was not being shot tomorrow after all and they would be calling me back tomorrow with a new date. I figure this is due to the rain. Yes, rain in sunny California.

So I went to their website to see if it says anything about the day being cancelled and to my surprise it didn't. Damien's name is removed from the long list of names though. I wonder how many other names were removed and what kind of scene Damien would be in. When his name was up on the list for filming, he was to be included in the arrival scene at the Refugee Camp. Now, the list of names is "still" for the arrival scene but Damien isn't included. I wonder what exactly he'll be filming now. At least it appears that there will be fewer kids or people in the scene he's in. Maybe I can ask when they call me today.

CWW casting is also offering a discount rate at a nearby hotel. I talked it over with my family and we are seriously considering getting a room. Damien has to shoot from 2 to 5 days and it's a long drive through traffic each way. I saw the early morning calls which means getting up at 2 or 3am if we leave from our house. It's probably cheaper to get a hotel than to pay for gas!

10:30pm Update: CWW website was just updated. Looks like another day of not working. So tomorrow, it's off to homeschool classes. Hopefully Damien will get the phone call to work on Wednesday. Thursday is his Dad's birthday and we were hoping we'd be home that day. So far it's not looking good. We'll have to celebrate over the weekend.

More on CWW

2007-04-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have a website to check for updates on Charlie Wilson's War. I went to see if they had posted a time to be on set this Monday. Well, no time is there yet but...There was Damien's name! Along with many others but at least it's there! We are just so excited about this movie. Working on a movie that is starring Tom Hanks is just unbelievable. Though it looks like there will be hundreds of people in this scene, chances are my son will be hard to spot on the big screen. Luckily he is in a red hat which may help us find him when the movie airs.

I'd print out the page that includes his name but when I did a print preview, yikes! It's 19 pages long! Looks like Monday may not be a rehearsal but the actual filming now. I'm not sure. They are also offering a discount at nearby hotels for anyone who wants to stay. We just may take them up on that. With the cost of gas, it could be worth staying.

We are off to the show. Trying to decide what movie to see. I'm always open to see anything. I know my husband wants to see 300 but last time we went to see it, we bought tickets for The Reaping instead. We love the movies and I am hoping that the trailer for I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry is running before the movie this time! I know others have seen it.

CWW and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

2007-04-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Looks like the wind was really bad in the valley. Another wind storm is due to hit on Sunday. I wonder what this will mean for Charlie Wilson's War. Meanwhile, when we got the mail today, we saw a check for Damien. Before we opened it we tried to think of what he hadn't been paid for yet. We made a few guesses but nope, he's been paid for everything. Then Damien says, "Oh the Charlie Wilson's War FITTING!" and sure enough, that's what it was. He's never been paid for a fitting before so that was nice.

Taking measurements at Charlie Wilson's War fitting.

I don't think I've mentioned that I am "not" an actor. I work from home on my computer. I have an online business producing articles for websites. I love working from home and being able to spend time with my kids. Another great benefit is working your own hours. If I can't sleep, I can get up and start working. I not only hire writers but I also write some of the content myself. I'm always on the hunt for more articles to write.

Well, what do you know? I'm here writing when my cell phone rings. It's someone from Charlie Wilson's War. He wants to confirm that Damien is able to go to rehearsal on Monday. Then he tells me how Damien will be paid for today (cancelled day) and also full pay on Monday if it gets cancelled again! Wow! That's a lot of money! Especially for sitting at home! How nice is that? I wonder if this is the standard. We've never had a film be postponed before. Guess they are concerned about the wind warning for Sunday night.

Damien works with Nancy again. What a small world.

Damien did a little scene in a movie that was shot at a school. It's called "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry". Starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. They used tons of kids on this movie so chances of Damien being seen are slim to none. He had a late call. Homebase was held in a parking lot but so close to the school we walked to the set. They did offer bus rides but many just found it easy to walk. We were excited to see Nancy on the set though our kids ended up in different groups.

I took Damien to wardrobe where they approved his own dark maroon shirt. They said most of the boys were in blue so that was a great choice of color. Maybe we can spot him in this film by his shirt. Most of the kids also wore backpacks. We were all asked to bring our own. I had to run out and buy him one, which he has now put to good use. As we were walking back to the holding area (a huge tent) we passed some men playing basketball. I didn't give it much thought till later when I was told that Adam Sandler was one of the men playing basketball! Whoops! I walked right by him and didn't know it.

The holding tent.

We sat at tables with lots of other Moms, kids and adult actors. School was in an attached tent next to us. Damien played his Nintendo DS while waiting to be called. A mom sitting at the table showed me photos on her digital camera of her daughter with Adam Sandler. Apparently he was very nice and met with the kids and parents who had arrived earlier. Some of these kids were dressed in baseball uniforms, and an adult actor sitting next to me was dressed as a baseball coach. Later I heard as each group of kids filmed, Adam would come out just to meet the kids.

Lunch

Damien had lunch before he was called in to film. He was probably in a group of 20-30 kids. They let the parents go into the library and watch the kids on a monitor. The kids went down the hall for their scene. I couldn't really see much but from what Damien tells me, two men get in a fight in the hallway. One is Kevin James. He grabs a school science project and bats the other man over the head with it. The kids are all shouting, "Fight, fight, fight" and laughing hysterically! Damien said that Kevin James is the funniest guy around. Adam Sandler entered the room to talk to the crew but since Damien was with the last group of kids to film, I suppose Mr. Sandler had a long day and was tired. At least Damien got to see him and I just love Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore!

Going indoors to shoot.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry will be in theaters in July 2007. I hear that trailors are being shown in the theater already. We've gone to the show this past week but didn't see it. Everyone is saying it looks like a winner. I hope we can see Damien in the hallway scene so we can scream in the theater! ha ha! It will be our first time seeing him on the BIG screen.

Charlie Wilson's War and Curb Your Enthusiasm

2007-04-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today we were suppose to be at rehearsal for Charlie Wilson's War. Last night I went out and filled the car with gas, bought snacks for my son in case he didn't want to eat the food served at the set, got our clothes all ready, got the map book and printed out maps from mapquest...then we got the call. Cancelled due to high winds! Damien is rescheduled for rehearsal on Monday.

My oldest brother is good friends with a guy on the crew of Charlie Wilson's War. So today, my brother calls to tell me that his friend mentioned how two of the tents blew down yesterday! That's some strong winds. Now we will call the hotline on Sunday night to get the time to be on set on Monday.

Nancy and Damien

This isn't the first cancellation of a job. About two weeks ago Damien's manager called with a job for Disney Wizards, a new TV show. We were both excited about this one because earlier in the day, Damien's friend Nancy had also been called for this job. This meant Damien and Nancy could work together and I could hang out with Nancy's Mom, Maggie. But later that night Damien's manager called back and asked what grade Damien was in. When I said 6th, they cancelled him. I called Maggie and found out Nancy had been cancelled too. At least with Charlie Wilson's War, it's not really a cancellation but a postponement.

Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm

About three weeks ago, Damien did a show called Curb Your Enthusiasm. He was just one of many boys playing on a soccer team. It took us much longer to get to basecamp than we expected. Apparently there was a car on fire by the side of the freeway that slowed things way down. We showed up right on time, along with quite a few others who had taken the same freeway. Basecamp was held in a park and school was in a half tent. I call it a half tent because it only had two sides and a cover. We checked in and filled out the paperwork, then Damien was off to school. The crew were especially nice on this set. They had muffins, cereal, donuts and more set out for the kids. Parents were allowed to be near there kids (some sets won't let the parents join the kids when they're schooling). One mom who homeschools, was allowed to teach her own child within the school. This set was just much more relaxed and friendlier than any we had been on before.

Damien in front of school tent at Basecamp

Then the boys were called over to a fitting. They were each given either a red or blue soccer uniform. The uniforms were too small for the boys! The shorts were so short that the tallest boy couldn't fit in the uniform and ended up standing on the sideline during filming, wearing his own clothes. Once the boys all changed, we were all taken by vans to the set. This was filming at a school in the field.

Walking from the van to the field

Never having seen the show, I was surprised at their set up. They had all of the cameras facing one way, but as the sun came up, they changed plans and moved the cameras around. They just seemed to have a "go with the flow" attitude. Later I would learn that everything done on this show is improvised. This means there is no script. Well, there must be a general script, but no specific lines. At one time, Larry David walked up to us parents (and I believe he was looking right at me) and said he was sorry for cussing in front of my son! lol I thought it was part of the script but I guess the cussing was improvised too!

They let the boys warm up by playing soccer and then put them in their positions. Damien was not placed on the field with the "teams" but put on a back field with about 4 other boys to practice shooting the ball in the net. Then the crew asked us parents to play "soccer parents". A few standing "parents" were actors, but some of us, mostly sitting were real parents. I happen to be standing. A crew member came along with tape and covered any logos we had on jackets or shirts.

This was the quickest shoot we'd ever been on. I would guess we were out on the field about an hour with filming only about half of that. By about noon we were on our way home! Even after checking out the crew asked if we'd like to stay for lunch! We didn't, in hopes of missing the evening traffic, but I wish we had. There are acting jobs posted online and I keep searching them in hopes that Damien and maybe even myself, would get cast for Curb Your Enthusiasm again.

Entourage HBO

2007-04-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Since Entourage seems to be the most popular show that Damien has worked on, I thought I'd name this blog after this job! Not only did Damien work on it, but I did as well. Getting this phone call was so exciting because I knew it was my friend, Charles', favorite show. Or at least one of his favorites. Now he'll be able to see Damien on TV.

This show is filmed far from our house so we had to leave early in the morning. We left about 4am for a long drive through Los Angeles and about an hour north of it. I was shocked to see the dirt road that we needed to turn down. We almost needed four wheel drive. Luckily I was following another car or else I probably would have gotten lost or turned back, thinking this couldn't possibly be the right way. But after a while we came to a grouping of trailers and lots of parked cars and we knew we found the location.

Homebase way out in nowhere land.

It was cold in the mountains, I do mean freezing cold with a slight breeze which made it even colder. We both wore our jackets and Damien was starting to cough and sneeze. We went inside the holding area which was a large tent. At the sign in table the young lady looked at Damien and said she has picture selected him. This means she looked at pictures of boys and girls and said, Thats the one we want! At least that's what I've been told. I hear being picture selected is a good thing. By the way, Damien was also picture selected for Charlie Wilson's War.

We filled out all the necessary paperwork and then off to the large table lined with food. Wow, they had all sorts of breakfast goodies, from muffins and cereal to eggs and sausage. Damien ate a little and we waited to be called. They sent him off to wardrobe where they handed him three outfits. He was to play a poor Columbian child. His clothes were faded and worn and seemed to be a size or two too small. Luckily the really short shorts were too small and he didn't have to wear them in the freezing cold weather. His first outfit was a faded red shirt and his own jeans and shoes.

Soccer scene.

While getting his outfits a car pulled up and I could hear people whispering, "There's Adrian." Okay, never having watched the show before, I wondered if this could be the "star" and sure enough, it was. A very very tall and handsome man got out of his car wearing a long black coat. He had curly black hair and a gorgeous smile that I won't forget. I know better than to talk to the main actors but geesh, we were about 6 feet away from him. At least I got a good look!

Then Damien was sent off to school where all acting children need to go for at least 3 hours of tutoring. Meanwhile, I met another boy's Mom and we decided to sit inside the tent together. The crew was really nice (I'd love to work this job again) and they asked us if we could help them out by being extras in the show. We both agreed and filled out our own papers then we were sent off to wardrobe. Okay, here's the tricky part. I had no idea that you "must" wear whatever they tell you to wear. Ugh! I was given three outfits to wear. Most of course were too small. Okay, it's not that I'm huge but if you ever see a breakdown, you'll notice they tend to think a woman's average size is a 4. Ha Ha! I was given a button down blue shirt for the first scene. We then had to go on set with our boys. I was surprised to walk up the hill a short ways and find a whole Columbian village. Roads, churches, chickens, donkey's and lots of background actors.

Damien and the other boy were given a soccer ball and told to kick it around the street. A wardrobe lady came around with a small black nylon bag full of some sort of dirt and patted myself and my son with it to make us appear dirty. Our jeans and shoes needed some extra cleaning that night!While the boys kicked a ball around, the other Mom and I chatted while we walked down the dirt road and around the corner. When a tank and other vehicles pulled up the boys were to run over and hold the soccer ball while they looked at the cars. In the second scene the other Mom and I were to cross the street, right between the camera and the tank, followed by the car which Adrian and the other actors were getting out of. It was funny to hear our directions.."First goes the donkey, then you two, then the man pushing the ice cream cart".

Orange and white stripes.

The boys were then in another scene where they steal fruit. Damien's outfit for this one was a tight orange and white striped shirt. He wore his jacket between scenes and we even tried to stay warm inside of the Columbian Church for a while. This scene was our favorite. It made us Mom's laugh as they ran over to take bananas and sometimes potoatoes from the stand. It was filmed quite a few times and we have no idea which take will be used, but in one take Damien slips and falls, and in another a man catches him by the waist when he's trying to get away. Hopefully the scene will make it to the tv screen. The boys run right past the Entourage crew so we're hopeful.

Stealing fruit! The "Entourage" is to the right.

One thing we weren't told about this job is the cussing that is used on set. I now understand it's part of the HBO show, but at the time, I had no clue. Damien seemed to handle it well, though he told me afterwards, "Wow, did you hear them?" After lunch the other Mom and I were told to change wardrobe. Ewww..I was given a sleeveless horizontal striped tank top to wear that was again two sizes too small. They also put me in lace up orange shoes. The other Mom was in a short skirt, matching top and scarf and flip-flop shoes. We went back to the Columbian Village but they filmed without us. I have to admit, we had a great time and it was even better when my check arrived at my house. Talk about easy money! Plus we were fed lunch too.

A service man from the tank.

As we signed out for the day, they told us they might call us back the next day. They did. They wanted Damien back for 5 days total. Unfortunately, he ended up with bronchitis and we spent the next day at the doctors. The other boy couldn't return either so other kids were hired. This show hasn't aired yet, so we have high hopes that they make the cut!

Everybody Hates Chris

2007-04-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy sitcoms, you might like this show! My teenagers get a kick out of the childhood of Chris Rock. That is one funny guy! Damien has been in several Everybody Hates Chris (EHC) shows. I like to think of him as a regular on the show, but he's not. We do have hope for next season though. Our first time to this set on Paramount was quite different than his job at Warner Brothers. First, we had a hard time getting past the check point. They didn't have our names on their list. While we waited more kids started showing up and also weren't on the waiting list. So the uniformed guards called our managers and got a confirmation that we could enter the studio.

Paramount Studios

Once inside we had a long walk to the studio. We waited in a waiting area that had seating but was also a pass through for a hallway. Signs were up on the wall pointing to the office of Charlie Wilson's War. It was filming in the studio right next door to Everybody Hates Chris. My fingers were crossed that I might get a peek at Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts.

Working on Everybody Hates Chris was quite an experience. Damien made a friend on this job, Nancy, and I became friends with her mother, Maggie. We stay in touch and spent Valentine's together this year. Even though EHC doesn't feed the background actors or parents, we actually enjoy walking to their small outdoor food court and eating among other actors there. We've met some very nice people there including other actors and crew. It's a long day on this set but we love it.

Since parents are allowed to be within eyeshot of their acting child, I always hang around the set. Other parents will go to the holding area, which has been in different places on the studio grounds. The first time on this job we were held in an old theater far from where the kids were shooting. The next few times we were held in an empty studio, which is basically a big empty building.

Parents holding area.

One time while sitting just outside the door of the holding area, we saw Chris Rock standing across from us. I started to take his picture with my cell phone when another Mom covered my phone. She said we weren't allowed to take photos. Darn! A lost opportunity. I just wanted it for my son's scrapbook. The next day when we entered Paramount Studios we were given a map that also mentioned, no cameras allowed. Yikes! I had no idea. Another time on the set, also sitting outside the doorway again, I watched as Tom Hanks and his wife rode by on their bikes. Later I would see them again but I didn't say Hi or stare, just casually walked on by. I know that they need their privacy and they must get bombarded with fans on the streets and don't need that while on the set. I was curious about Charlie Wilson's War since they were taking parts of an airplane onto their set, but I didn't want to take a chance and enter a set where I didn't belong.

Watching EHC film was amazing. I had no idea how easily the walls can be moved around. I actually thought the show was filmed in a real school but it isn't. It's a built set. Damien has played the part of an Italian student attending Corelone Jr high School. Coreleone is "Chris's" school. He did nothing but walk in the halls for two days. Another time he played a student at Dolemite Elementary School, which is where Chris's little sister attends. Damien is in a library where they're having a book sale. After shooting all day, you can only get a glimpse of him as he walks past a doorway.

On the EHC set.

We both enjoy this job because everyone is so nice there. The wardrobe lady goes out of her way to make sure everyone is dressed just right (1980's show) and the hair/make-up lady was so proud of Damien for growing his hair to donate. At the time of filming EHC, Damien had hair to his waist and the hair/make-up lady would tie it back into a braid and tuck it down Damien's shirt. Even the crew were nice and would make sure we got a good view of our kids while shooting. We have our fingers crossed that he gets recalled as a regular on this show!

Hair and Make-up. Damien having his hair braided.

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Haircuts

My son has grown his hair long to donate to Locks Of Love two times so far. He recently had his hair cut a third time and we are waiting to hear back from a casting director that wants him to donate his hair on a tv show. Of course, after much thought, we cut his hair to his shoulders and then two days later someone calls us asking if he will get his hair cut on tv to help a cancer patient. Ugh! I told them he just had it cut and they said they would see if they can work it out where Damien will walk on stage and actually hand his hair over to a little girl with leukemia. He would love to do this and offered to do it for free since his heart is really in helping people with cancer. So currently, his hair sits in a bag here on my computer desk, waiting for another phone call. The casting director also suggested we send this batch of hair to Wigs for Kids if he doesn't get to do the tv show.

Getting ready for a haircut

Donating his hair for the third time

Damien also paints and sells his paintings on greeting cards along with the painting by his best friend K.J. Together they raise money for cancer research. Both boys have had articles written about them in their local newspaper. K.J. gave acting a go for a while but is now busy in college (yes, he's only 12) but now his older sister Jessica may give it a try. She's an absolute beauty (spitting image of her Mom) and we know she'll have a great career as an actress.

Painting by KJ

Painting by Damien

Recently my daughter came for a visit and stayed with us for 10 days. Her and her husband are thinking of moviing back to California where they'd like me to get their 2 yr old daughter into the business. At age 2 it's not that easy. Most films use twins when it comes to the little ones. This helps with hours they are allowed to work. They get "double time" with twins. It's not easy to get work for single babies. Still, I think my granddaughter is just adorable! Any managers out there see the potential? lol

Harmony

Currently Damien is growing his hair again. So far, he's worked with hair down to his waist with no problem. They slick it back in a tight braid and tuck it inside his shirt. No one has complained and he usual gets compliments about helping cancer patients. His manager believes he would get more work if he cut his hair slightly shorter, but Damien is determined to grow it once again for donation and there's no talking him out of it.

How it all started

2007-04-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Damien attends a homeschool program in a nearby town one day a week. While we were there, we met another homeschool Mom who happens to make her own educational films. She met Damien and said she could use him in her next film. This is where it all began!

School Christmas Play

She told us what we needed to do to get him started in the business. I really lucked out when my dentist told me about her daughters manager. We met with her and liked her so much, we signed on with her that day. Damien has been working ever since. They tell me he has that unique look and can pass for several different nationalities. He's also small for his age, which is an added benefit. I really like that his manager calls us to ask if Damien would like to accept a job. She is very accomodating and knows that sometimes family stuff comes up and you just have to say no now and then. When Damien did Entourage, he worked only one day when really they wanted him for five. I did worry that he wouldn't get called any more, but his manager is so great, she just keeps on calling!

If you're thinking of starting your child in the acting biz, don't think you need to spend a fortune. I suggest starting your child as a background extra. This way they can see exactly how it all works, what is expected of them, and whether they really enjoy it or not. I knew that scenes would be repeatedly filmed but Damien didn't. Actually we both thought maybe a few takes, but it's sometimes much more than that. Then there are different camera angles. Most people are nice to the kids but some can be snappy and want those kids back to their original spot as quick as they can. The one thing that surprised me is how much time each scene takes. Someone told me that for every hour of filming is 5 minutes of TV time. Can this be true?

Everybody Hates Chris - take 8

A good headshot is important but if you're starting out as an extra, don't bother. Just use a photo taken against a blank wall and it will be fine. Damien got the job with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts from a photo I took against a wall in our house. I knew it was a war movie in Afghanistan, so I put him in old clothes and snapped away. The professional photos I did ended up costing me only $50. They have a simple white background and show Damien as he really is. Casting people often select from photos and want the child to look like the photo, so don't over dress them or tie their hair back. Let them look natural.

Photo taken at home

Once your child says they want to give acting a try, let them know that they can be on the set all day, going into school for only 20 minutes at a time and getting pulled back out for a costume change or to film a new scene. Kids need to be prepared for this disruption. My son loves being on the set and finds school is disrupting his acting! lol I like school on the set because he gets a lot of work done with the tutors provided.

Damien's manager will call us, almost any time of day. Almost every time its to work a job the following day. Once we agree that he'll do the job, we are given a call back number. This number will be called after a specific time to get details on the job. Ususally the recording will tell us what to bring, such as ID, work permits, bank information, etc and also what part he will play (school boy, bully, homeless child, etc). After this you'll get another number to call which gives specific details, such as, clothes to wear and bring with you, and directions to the basecamp. Basecamp is where you park your car and everyone meets up. Sometimes you are bussed from basecamp to the place where they will be filming.

Basecamp in downtown L.A.

Clothing is important. They may be very specific, such as "converse shoes" or it may be general, such as "wear winter clothing". You'll need a small suitcase, probably one with wheels to put several different changes of clothing in. Later on set, they will look through your outfits and tell you what to wear. Some jobs will provide specific clothing for you, so be sure to know your sizes and measurements. I found out the hard way that when they choose clothing for you, that's what you're wearing. You don't have a choice. Don't complain about it. I saw a man on one set getting so upset by the shirt they wanted him to wear, he stormed out. Of course I heard people talking about it and how they'd never invite him back to work on their set! So prepare your kids, you just never know. My son wasn't too thrilled with his very short soccer shorts but luckily he didn't feel too bad since the whole soccer team were wearing the same thing.

If you decide that this might be for your child, research the laws in your state. Get in touch with other parents of child actors online. There are some great forums for parents who are interested. We love it and I'm sure you will too!

All of Us

2007-04-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

There was a rerun of "All of Us" on last Sunday night which was Damien's very first job. It was filmed at the Warner Brothers Studio. We had a great time there. The crew were nice and fed all of us, including the parents. They allowed us to sit in audience seating and watch the show as it taped. We saw Debbie Allen and others working on the show. The funniest thing is, while I was walking up the stairs to sit in the audience seats, a young man was walking down the stairs. We bumped shoulders just slightly and I turned to look at him. It was Stephon Fuller! An upcoming actor whose blog is online and I read faithfully! I felt like I knew him but of course he had no idea why I was staring at him! lol

A Fireside Kid

Damien was to play a "Fireside Kid" which is similar to a boy scout. They dressed some boys in red and others in yellow. Damien was in yellow with an Indian headdress. There were quite a few boys in this scene, including a set of triplets. Since this was the first taping we'd ever been to, it was interesting to see the final cut. They had Damien and a few other boys cheering on some sled racers, then they filmed Damien running over to push the sled. A couple of takes Damien helps to push the sled off screen and doesn't return! And at one time part of the set falls down. In the end there's a few seconds of Damien cheering but lots more of his back or side turned towards the camera. You can find him if you look for his very long black hair. This was before he cut it up to his shoulders. He grows his hair to donate it to "Locks of Love" to be made into wigs for kids with cancer. He's donated it three times already.

Damien's first headshot - long hair

The kids are all schooled for 3 hours. Damien made a friend there named Chris. We found out that Chris had filmed Santa Clause 3 and had a great time doing it. He has the same manager as Damien. His Mom and I decided that after filming we would walk to the Warner Brothers Museum. We passed a man with bright red hair coming out of the next studio. Some other mom's of young actors starting talking to him and seemed very excited to see him. I had no clue who it was because I've never watched E.R. I suppose all of you know exactly who it is. I'm clueless. I need to watch more TV. In the museum they had a large display of Harry Potter's actual movie props and outfits. It was amazing to see the actual clothing and props used in the film. The boys had a good time looking around the two floors of the museum but unfortunately no cameras were allowed.

"All of Us"

It was a great first job for my son and lots of fun for me!

Introduction

2007-04-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start a blog about my son's acting career since I have so many people asking me to fill them in on his jobs. Instead of writing emails all day, I will just post here and my family members and online friends can learn all the latest news about Damien's acting career.

For those that don't know me well, I'm married and have four kids. They range in age from 12 to 28 years. The oldest is a girl, the other three are boys. My actor is the youngest and is homeschooled. I'm not homeschooling by choice, it just seems to be necessary. Also, I'm not homeschooling because of his acting career but because he's gifted and the school really didn't have a very good plan for him. We just recently found a remarkable private Christian homeschool program that suits him well. They allow him to work at his own level while taking classes with other students his age.

Damien's headshot

This past weekend I received a phone call from Paramount Studios. This was a first and apparently it's unusual. They told me they had found Damien's photo online and were interested in using him in a movie called Charlie Wilson's War. This movie is starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. He would play the part of an Afghan Refugee. My son is usually called by his manager, who arranges any work for him so this took us by surprise. They told me that Damien would need to go to a fitting in Hollywood on Monday, which was two days ago. The basic rule when you are a parent of a child actor is only ONE parent may attend an acting job but since this was just a fitting and not attached to our manager, I decided to ask my husband to tag along. This was his first time he saw what goes on behind the scenes. Besides that, my husband can drive those one way Hollywood streets much better and faster than I can.

We had never been to a fitting and we weren't really sure what to expect, but I must say that the crew for Charlie Wilson's War was very organized and everyone was as nice as can be. We signed in and they took my son's measurements while I filled out paperwork. A crew member seemed to be assigned to my son and went on a hunt for shoes for Damien. He had the hardest time finding shoes that fit. Damien is small for 12 years old, at only 4 feet 7 inches tall, he wears a size 5 shoe. He tried on about 3 or 4 pairs and finally they led us back to a dressing room to try on his outfit while his assigned crew member went to find more shoes. His outfit was amazing! Red hat, beaded shirt and string-tied pants. Finally they found some shoes that were just slightly big so they punched some holes so the straps could tighten up.

(I will post a photo here after the film is released.)

The crew were so nice, even though only one parent was allowed to go in the dressing room (of course I went), they told Damien to go out in his costume and show his Dad. After Damien's whole outfit was approved by two crew men, he was sent to hair and makeup. The hairdresser told me not to cut his long black hair and not to color it. She suggested we don't wash it (yikes!) and then he was sent to makeup. We were told to get him chapstick and a sunscreen for the days they would film since it would be hot out and they would be filming on a mesa.

Damien's outfit was placed in a bag and he was given a number to claim them on rehearsal day. We filled out more papers and were given a map and other directions concerning rehearsal day. It was a fun day and we are totally excited about this film. We've seen Tom Hanks twice on another set but of course we never bother him. This will just be amazing to be a part of this historic film. I believe it will be in theaters in December 2007.