This week....

I will mostly be doing the following;

Tomorrow (Tuesday 24th Aug) I'm hitting the Fringe! This was *meant* to be happening on sunday but the man-flu put paid to that. Thanks man-flu. However, plans have changed slightly. We're still going to see Spring Awakening (which I've n0 doubt, I'll get all bitter and complain about!) but we were also gonna see Caroline Rhea's stand up. Which I've since decided against. Caroline Rhea is probably better known, well better known to me anyway, as Aunt Hilda from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I'm not too sure why I decided against it. That makes me sound hella selfish because there's 2 of us going, I just didn't fancy it too much and my pal I'm going with is very reasonable. I now sound like a prize tosser. SO! We're gonna see Edges. I've heard lots about the show and that it's apparently quite good. So WAYY!

For the rest of the week, I've decided to do something I probably should've done absolutely ages ago. I'm gonna compile an audition folio. As someone who's been claiming to be an out-of-work actor, I haven't really done anything to make myself an in-work actor. In 2 years I've had very few opportunities, and in fairness, I haven't really gone out of my way to get them. BAD PAUL. So I don't blame anyone bar myself for lack of progress. As I realised not so long ago, only I can control my destiny. True words. So, I'm not gonna dwell on getting the opportunities here anymore.

BECAAAUUSE!;

I got an email this morning from an acting agency in Oz this morning saying that they would be happy to audition me when I arrive! FUCKING SCOREEEE!!!! SO! Part of my decision to up my audition folio is so that I'm prepared with whatever they ask for. So here's what I'm thinking.

Songs.

1) Musical Theatre - ballad

2) Musical Theatre - uptempo (something Jason Robert Brown?)

3) Musical Theatre - something funny

4) Rock - driving song (Meat Loaf? Creed?)

5) Rock - ballad (Creep.)

6) Rock - easy uptempo (Paolo and his new shoes all the way.)

7) Pop - ballad (Suddenly by Angry Anderson in a key or 2 lower?)

8) Pop - uptempo (Just Haven't Met You Yet - Bublé, gotta be.)

Monologues.

1) Funny

2) Shakespearean

3) Serious

4) Contemporary

NB - I need extra help with monologues so answers on a postcard please.

So I'm thoroughly career driven just now. Which is ace. I don't wanna land in Australia come October and achieve SFA (sweet fuck all).

I don't know what more there is to say except my new joint favourite song is "Stoney End" by Barbra Streisand. I don't know how proper it is for a boy to sing it. I don't think there's anything quintessentially femme about it. That and Suddenly by Angry Anderson are fast becoming the most played.

I don't think there's anything else to say for tonight.

OH yeah. Congrats to Kimmeh! Whatever happens, you KEN i'm rooting for you! Sushi's on me :). (her twitter is http://www.twitter.com/KimShepherd_ so give her a follow!)

Peace and love.
Paul xx

PS. I got a new camera from my mum and dad for going away and I couldn't resist playing with it before then. So here's a sample of the quality. I'm most impressed.

Just blogging for blogs sake.

Hiya all.

There's not much to say today.

I was looking forward to a fringe trip but that is not happening because I have man-flu. A rather not nice turn of it, no lyin'.

Friday night, my nose was seizing up like it does when you have a cold emerging, I thought it was hayfever until my nose ran all day. It seemed to get better around tea-time yesterday, then by night time it was blocked and I was feeling woozy. I blamed all the meds I was taking. I don't think it had anything to do with the meds, but I still felt awful.

I woke up following a horrendous sleep with a sore throat that saw to it that whenever I swallowed, it felt like someone was attacking my velum (get me with my college talk) with a stanley knife AND, for one final beautiful turn, my ear hurts whenever I swallow. I hate my body.

However, the diet and stuff kickstarts tomorrow. I've got 2 litres of Coca Cola with Cherry to plow through, which I'll do today no doubt. It's diet juice from tomorrow onwards if anything. I think I'll start drinking water again, I went thru this amazing stage where I was voluntarily drinking about 2 pints of water. It's still not enough, but it's a start I reckon.

I do have a confession though readers. I've developed what many would consider to be a worrying obsession. That sounds like a G&S song. I HATE G&S. But yeah.
So here goes.
I'm so sorry.
But I'm totally back into wrestling. It's so amazing! I've even gone as far as to buy a DVD. And yes, I know what you're saying, I should be saving money blah blah blah! But I can't help myself. My personality is really obsessive so it might shift and just settle on the next obsession, but it's not happening at the moment. I just love it. I don't know what more I can say about it.

I think I might start "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest" today. It depends how much longer I plan on feeling sorry for myself though.

Peace and love.
Paul xx

So much happened....

Since I last blogged...sorry.... :(

I can't believe I took so long to post again. It's not because I've had a lack of anything interesting to say. The complete opposite to be honest. I've done so frickety much that it's not even real. I could summarise in a list, but why the hell would I do that? I am a nightowl. It's my job to type wayyy into the night!

I just checked and the last time I blogged was a week into the Stirling production of Billy Elliot. Ahhhhh. Such good times on the most part. One of the things I noticed quite surprisingly was that even in Youth Theatre practices, staff find time to develop egos. That pisses me off beyond all measure. As staff working on a project at the magnitude of Billy Elliot, our role as practitioners is to support, nourish and encourage and I find it sad when that gets ignored. Very sad indeed. I shall say no more on the matter, because I stopped moaning about the Billy Elliot happenings when I put the prompt copy in my wardrobe never to see the light of day again! So aye, project was a success, and the kids had a ball! I also got to spend loads of time with friends surprisingly during that time which I didn't think I'd get. So plusses all round says this observer!

So Billy was my July basically, Started end of June and finished on July 31st. I did a wee helping on RENT: School's Edition so that meant that my YMTS summer officially wrapped on August 2nd 2010. (Sidebar: Does anyone else hear Handel's Messiah in the distance?!)

I had a whole garden shebang that had to be cancelled though. Gutted. Not got the staff or money though so it's a matter that was more or less out of my hands sadly. Hopefully happening before the end of my Scottish tenure though, so watch this space.

Speaking of Scottish tenure, my flights are officially BOOKED! I leave on October 15th 2010 at 16:40 from Edinburgh Airport and travel for about 2 days. EESHK! But worth it I'm sure you'll agree.

Although, it's wacky. I can't think of it for too long because I do get really genuinely upset. The truth is, I'm desperate to get out of here, I've made no secret of that. I'm gonna miss my family, my parents my brother and sister, grandparents blah blah blah. But I'm gonna miss my nephew the most. I can't explain what it is. At the moment (admittedly only for another 3 or 4 weeks) it's just him and my sister and my sister tries her best with him, she really does. But today for instance, she asked me to look after him while she went for a shower so I thought, okay, he doesn't require much in the way of looking after (not in a negligent way, he's quite self sufficient for a 6 month old!) so I grabbed my juice and my book (which I'll talk about later on =D) and sat on the sofa while he was playing with his toys in his little cushion fortress. And every so often he would turn around and look at me with his big blue eyes and smile at me from behind his dummy. I don't know why but when he did it, I was instantly filled with something, it had the same connotations as pity, but it wasn't pity, it was probably regret that I wasn't gonna be with him for so long. Love? I don't know what it was. Anyway, I felt my heart break at that moment and I sat with him and just watched him play and played along where necessary and it got me really emotional. I just don't want him to be lonely, which I don't think he will be before long. He's just such a good kid, I'd hate to not be there for him if he needed me. I'm literally on the verge of the tearies writing this because "Objects In The Rear View Mirror..." by Meat Loaf came on on my iPod and it's the song I was listening to when he was born, it's a sad-ish song so all this stuff adding together makes me really sad.

Anyway, I'll wipe my tears and soldier on!

Reading Corner!
So, over the summer I was a reading machine. I read shit loads of books I reckon. Well, more than I normally cram into a summer. Actually, thinking about it, it was only four...
Anyway! Those were;

1) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath.

2) The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum.

3) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson.

4) The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson.

1) Bell Jar. Hmm. It's a "cult classic" of a book, but it doesn't do much for the morale of the reader. I enjoyed parts of it, but I think I read it mostly because it was one of those "have-to-read-before-you-die" dealies. Good if you like that sort of thing. Otherwise, it might be a bit snoozy.

2) The Wizard of Oz was just plain lovely. It's a nice wee read, not particularly taxing because it's a children's book with pictures! Bangin'! I think I expected it to be epically complicated because of how complicated Wicked is. But no it was lovely and I'd recommend it to anyone. (I know I said in a previous blog that I was gonna reread Wicked. Fuck that. Faaaar too boring.)

3) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Now THERE'S a gripping read. Absolutely fucking fantastic! Well written characters, tangible plot, mind melting, always frustrating mysteries but always engaging! I'd say for me, as an avid reader, it was perfect. It's probably on the way to being the next Da Vinci code with the Hollywood movie adap. in production with Daniel Craig, which means that it'll have a juggernaut of hype probably along less tweeny lines than Twilight. However, it was originally written in Swedish which means that the translation into English is sometimes a bit literal, once you get used to that, it's a beast of a read. It also drags up a whole load of questions. The central protagonist is Mikael Blomkvist and if I understand rightly, he's the literary representation of the late author himself. He makes a living exposing corrupt heads of big business much like the author did himself. There's an overwhelming undercurrent of wondering who to trust, but seriously, if you read one thing in 2010 (and you've finished Twilight ;D) let it be this!!!

4) The Girl Who Played with Fire is the follow on. A completely different story but concerning the same characters and introducing some new ones along the way. What this book does well is tells more about the mysterious Lisbeth Salander who is one of the memorable characters from the preceding outing. Sadly common of sequels is that it doesn't quite live up to it's predeccessor. The plot isn't always as satisfyingly conclusive as the first book, but it is still gripping prose. I'm told that the 3rd book (which is waiting patiently by my bedside to be read) is more or less a continuation of this book which doesn't fill me with much hope. I can't see how the story can conclude over ANOTHER 700-odd pages, considering that 'Fire' was 569 pages in length. We shall see! I shall approach it with an open mind. I should also point out that I finished this book 4 hours ago. It took me longer than the first one because I was on holiday when the first one was being read so I devoted all my time to it.

Another point I should make about Dragon Tattoo is that I was ready to give it up after just over 100 pages. I was advised not to, which I'm glad of! The Swedish movie adaptation of the first is out on DVD and the next one is about to go to the cinema (i'm sure there'll be subtitles though so dinnae worry!) and if the first one is anything to go by, then the 2nd'll be a CRACKA! Such a good film. Noomi Rapace is Salander in a nutshell. Honest. Watch it and LOVE IT!

I think I've said enough for this evening.
Sleep well.
Peace and love.
Paul xx