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Ermire
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Name: Eric
Country: United States
State: Indiana
Metro: Gary
Birthday: 2/6/1985
Gender: Male
Interests: Theatre, Acting, Films/Movies, Humorous Satire, Reading, Chatting Online, Singing & Dancing (I'm STILL a work-in-progress), Watching TV (namely game shows and sitcoms), listening, talking, and JAVA!
Expertise: Studying to become a Musical Theatre major at Columbia College Chicago.. Outside of that, I fancy game shows, Star Trek (go ahead and laugh, asshole), serving food to the masses at Chili's (where if I don't leave soon, I'll probably die, lol), using the power of logic and reasoning over emotional whims (at least I try to), following my heart (which complicates the whole "logical reasoning" thing), giving sage (and occasionally not-so-sage) advice to anyone who asks for it (as long as I don't have to constantly repeat myself), and ultimately just trying to be the best friend I can be (assuming you're one in return, lol)!
Occupation: Student
Industry: Entertainment
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
9/8/2003
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God, there are so many things I want to say right now, I don't know
where to begin. I guess I should state the obvious and go from there -
even though no one but me knows what the obvious in my life is, lol.
Ok - I'll go in no particular chronological order.
First up -
I filmed my first movie. I played a supporting lead in a roughly
fifteen-minute student short film that was shot in and around Dayton,
Ohio (Brohio, as we re-named it). The experience, overall, was
incredible. I met so many incredible people and learned so much about
film that I never knew before and it was just amazing. From the long
waits on the set inbetween takes to the laughter and friendships made
during the nights off (and the occasional Waffle House breakfast),
everything about this production was just an amazing memory I don't
ever want to forget.
On Monday afternnon, as I stood outside
of the hotel we were put up in for the night, I looked out over the
highway and beyond into this beautiful view of Ohio. The temperature
was a abnormally warm 60+ degrees with a light breeze blowing about. I
could see a tree-lined hill-side off into the distance - which is a
sight I am not accustomed to seeing where I come from. I thought back
onto the past four days I had just experienced and just wanted to cry
about happy I was in that moment - savoring that experience and feeling
of pride that I had actually accomplished something I told myself as a
child I would. I would be in a movie. This is not to say there weren't
rough spots in the production, but even the most annoying of annoyances
that sprouted up during filming only served to fully complete the
package. I'm glad it wasn't 100% without fault because then it would've
given me an unrealistic expectation of film for the future. So despite
the minor negatives, the number of things that fall under the
'positive' column significantly far outweight them into making this one
incredible journey I am glad to have been on and hope to have many more
of in the future.
To the cast and crew of "Best Friends," I
can only say "Thank You" and hope that those two small words do justice
to everything I'm feeling inside me right now.
Back in 'reality'
(as we on the set called it with an overtone of dread), I got a new(er)
car. Yes, it had happened - the ole 'Sumbitch' 1991 GMC Jimmy I've
had for the past 6+ years has finally been retired. Mainly because it
was a death-trap waiting to happen, but still... I have a new(er) car.
After the last break-down of the '91, I left it in Indiana so
it could be repaired. After it was repaired, but before I came home to
pick it up, Mom had a flat tire and needed to drive the damn thing as a
back-up vehicle to and from work while her car was also getting fixed.
As it turns out, after two short 15-minute trips in my former
newly-reapired '91 Jimmy, she decided right then and there that no
human being would ever be safe in it and told my dad I was due for a
new car. So when I went to pick up the Jimmy, I instead was greated
with a shiny, black 1999 Chevy Blazer. I about turned a cartwheel
because this baby is QUITE the upgrade indeed. I'll post some pictures
of it when I take them, but to put into the timeline, I, literally, got
it just in time to drive this car to and from Dayton, Ohio. Whish was
nice because that wouldn't have happened with the '91 Jimmy. So out
goes "Sumbitch," and in comes (as I've already named it), "The Black
Rainbow."
Finally in this fill-you-in-on-my-life spiel, I am, as
of this moment right now in time, a professional working actor. Lemme
repeat that - because I feel it bears repeating:
I AM A PROFESSIONAL WORKING ACTOR.
Now
before you all think I've hit the big time, lemme assure you - I have
not. Its a small tiny gig that lasts for a day, but dammit - this
one-day baby pays. Hell, it doesn't even pay that much - but it does
pay. Which means I'm a professional, right? lol "You're only a
professional you can't find anymore work." This is true, but this gig
has not passed yet, so for this small two-and-a-half-week period in
time, I can say that I'm a pro. LOL!
To explain: We had a sub
teacher come in to my Advanced Acting Class one day. She called up a
few of the scenes we were rehearsing at the time to watch, critique,
and a offer direction for. One of which was my scene. At the end of the
class, she told me, "Good work today." Which was really flattering.
Jump ahead a few weeks to Halloween Day. I'm riding down to class on
the CTA train dressed as Nightcrawler (blue face-paint and all) at noon
or so when this woman plops down next to me and says, "So you're really
interesting right now..." Low and behold, its my substitute! But get
this: she doesn't recognize me. She has no freaking clue who I am and
just starting making fun casual conversation with a costumed stranger.
We talked for a good thirty minutes before she had to depart the train,
yet again leaving me flattered and with a smile on my face.
Jump
to today. My teacher, Craig, before class pulls me aside and said
"Karen, the sub we had a while back... apparently she saw you on the
train one day. She wanted me to give you her number. Call her because
she's got some acting gig for you. She's got the specifics..." and
hands me her number. I call her tonight and find out she's writing a
parody skit of "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer" to be performed in
public outside of a theater just south of where I live. Its a one-day
gig, performing the skit twice in one hour's time. "And - oh yeah, by
the way (lol) - you're playing Rudolph." How cool is this?!
So
yeah - I've written a boat-load of shit that's been really cool, its
hasn't all been flawless. I did get a speeding ticket driving down to
Ohio (81 in a 70 zone?! SERIOUSLY?! I was totally keeping with
traffic...) and that needs to be dealt with. Not to mention the car
needs an emissions test to get plated. So even though some really cool
stuff has been going on, its not perfect - which is nice because it
keeps me grounded in reality and reminds me to not get carried away
with anything.
But overall - I'm doing pretty good! | | |
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"Isn’t he cute in ’is wee-littl’ boots?"
HELP!
Ok
- for my Halloween costume this year - I need a pair of boots. Here's
the deal: Depending on which one I find, that will determine what I'm
going to be.
I need a pair of boots that are mid-calf to
knee-high in height, flat-soled, and somewhat masculine lookin'. I'm a
US Men's Size 11.
I need one of TWO colors: Solid White or Dark Brown.
If they're brown, they need to look more Medieval/Renaissance-esque than not.
--these will be used for 'Link' from "The Legend of Zelda"
If they're white, they need to look sporty/athletic.
--these will be used for 'Nightcrawler' from the "X-Men"
I
don't care which one you find, where you find them, or even how much
they cost - just find a pair at some place that will allow me to
consider it and still give me time to maybe buy them before Halloween.
(This includes store and online shopping.)
Any and all help you
can give would be greatly appreciated! I've looked and not found much,
but I hoped someone out there would know something I don't.
~Eric :) | | |
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How She Views Me
So
in my efforts to find a good audition piece, I asked a friend of mine
for help. She used this chance to ask a director-friend of hers in NYC
for advice. He wrote back the following:
I
would be all-too-happy to help out. Does your friend prefer dramatic or
comedic? What's his type? What is your friend like? Give me some
adjectives. What sort of humor does he appreciate? What kind of humor
does he use in his everyday life? Dry, quirky, goofy, crazy? Who are
some of his favorite playwrights? Which plays/actors/characters appeal
to him? Knowing
how YOU perceive your friend and knowing what kinds of things he
likes/what sort of things interest and appeal to him will help me to
make suggestions. How's that sound?
Her incredibly honest (and very accurate, I might add) reply was thus:
Alright,
as far as my friend goes: I would say he's much more capable as a
comedic actor than a dramatic one. I've always had a difficult time
buying into his more serious portrayals. This is not to say he's not a
terrific dramatic actor, but thats just what I'd lean towards. I think
I've been having such a hard time helping him because he's changed so
much since he and I did theatre together. Five years ago, when we were
in productions together (and actually not close friends at all), he was
super, super religious, very in the closet, and slightly abrassive.
Now, he's very out-and-proud and an all-around much more entertaining
individual. He definitely leans more towards the sarcastic, witty, dry
side of humor. Nothing outlandish, obvious, or gimmicky. Smart humor.
Insulting people accurately, but in good nature, is how most of his
jokes seem to come out; if that makes any sense. I can't think of any
playwrights he's mentioned, although I know he just read "Angels in
America" by Tony Kushner and was very disappointed that he didn't find
any material in it that he loved. Some of the roles I can remember him
playing were (its hard to remember someone else's resume): 'Phil' in
"The Wild Party," 'Cletus' in "Lone Star," 'Roger' in "Grease," 'Dr.
Chumley' in "Harvey" (with me!), 'Sidney Nichols' in "California
Suite," 'Marryin' Sam' in "Li'l Abner" and more that I can't remember.
Its really difficult to describe someone you know so well. Its almost
easier to describe people you don't know very well at all. He loves
reality TV - like crazy loves it - and television like "Law &
Order." He's been working as a waiter recently. Most of the time, he
has a mouth like a sailor. Well that's about the most accurate
description of Eric I can give you (outside of the basic: he's a
blond-haired, brown-eyed, 22-year-old white kid from NW Indiana). I
don't know if any of that was helpful or not, but he'll really
appreciate your input.
Can any of you give a more accurate description of me than that? lol...
~Eric :)
PS - In case you may or may not have noticed, I finally got around to adding all of my previous Myspace blogs into here. I used to love Xanga and write it in first and foremost, but most of my friends have moved on to other things, so I don't really touch this anymore. So now, instead of writing in Xanga and then copy and pasting into Myspace, I write in Myspace first. Sorry to all of my Xanga friends out there, but its the truth. At least I'm trying to not leave you behind, right? ;)
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The Holy Grail of Audition Monologues (October 3, 2007)
Holy crap. Auditioning for shows ain't easy - especially in college.
"Why so much so in college?" you may be asking. Easy...
Unlike
community theater, which usually has the auditionees doing cold
readings of the show itself, college shows (at least at Columbia
College where I attend) require that each and every single auditionee
perform two monologues any time they walk in for an audition - usually
with said monologues being contrasting in style, and each running under
a minute in length. Have you any idea what's it like to try and create
a memorable, honest, and solid character that shows off your talent in
a minute's worth of speech? No easy feat, lemme tell ya. lol...
Not
to mention that both of these pieces (of course) have to be completely
memorized. (I can't tell you how many of my directing-major friends
have told me humorous horror stories about people who come in to
audition and actually call for "line" in the middle of their
monologue.) As I've said before in various discussions on this
guestbook, at my college, that means word-for-word verbatim in
accuracy. You cannot do just a paraphrased line-to-paraphrased line
'Hey, at least I got the idea of the piece across' attempt. This is
because you never know what shows the directors you are auditioning for
know and if he/she loves the show your piece comes from (and you
obviously aren't doing it accurately), it will reflect very negatively
on you in their mind. Unless, of course, by some stroke of miraculous
luck, you still pull an Tony-worthy paraphrased performance out of your
@$$.
Because of this - and the typical 400+ other people you're
auditioning against (who all are probably more appropriate for the role
than you are) - you have to find the best monologues you get possibly
get your hands on and WORK THEM THOROUGHLY before you take them into
the auditioning room.
Although I do work out my monologues as
much as I can to be as prepared as I can possibly be, I still feel like
I haven't found the best pieces out there that show off my talent in
the best possible light. I mean, when it comes to auditions, you want
to walk in with pieces that you do so well, that the directors end up
thinking that you can play just about anything in the world and would
be "MORE THAN PERFECT" for one of the roles they are trying to cast if
you want even a glimmer of a chance of seeing your name on the Callback
List.
I'm doing my best to find a couple of those ever-elusive
Holy Grail of Monologues to use, but still coming up short. So now I'm
asking anyone out there if they happen to have ANY suggestions at all
about audition pieces I might be able to use. Can you give me any
ideas? I would greatly appreciate any and all help you can offer.
I thank you so much in advance. | | |
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And If Gay Men Had Periods? (What Do You Mean, ’IF’?) (September 16, 2007)
I
swear I must be ragging... I'm all emotional and moddy and shit... its
HORRIBLE! I don't know what's wrong with me. Like, physically and
mentally I am weak and tired, yet I move from being happy and excited
for life to sad and fearful. Its awkward.
Maybe I'm getting
sick... the weather has changed here in Chicago and it definately feels
like fall. Its getting colder and I'm being forced to dress warmer. I
don't mind, its just that one of my roommates likes our place to be in
the 60s because he prefers chilly weather. I, however, do not and am
being forced to wear a sweater. Because of this my body has been in a
state of flux for about a week now. Hot, cold, warm, chilly - it runs
the gamut and I think its taking its toll on me. Last night I stayed at
my parents place (where its similar) and couldn't sleep worth a damn.
You ever have a fever sickness where you wake up four times in the
middle of the night feeling hotter than Hell and like you've slept
twleve hours, only to look at clock and see its been two hours since
your head hit the pillow? I had one of those last night and today I am
sore and weak. Its odd.
hmmm... I don't know. Lately I've been
feeling mixed emotions about my life. More specifically where I've been
and where I'm going. I always wonder, am I on the right track? Am I
doing the right thing with my life? I feel like I am on both counts,
but there always little things that pop up here and there to cause me
to doubt myself. That's natural, I suppose, but still... its unnerving
that I don't have unshakable confidence in myself.
I do love,
however, getting all 'deep-thoughts' and 'contemplative' whenever I
feel I'm learning one of those little life lessons that come the hard
way. Like when you need to let go of something or someone because they
are doing nothing but holding you down and being a negative influence
in your life. You know the type - one of those toxic friends who just
aren't good for you? (This probably doesn't apply to any of you reading
this because anyone I'm refering to is not on my friends' list.
Anymore.)
And then there are those people you just let go of
because you've lost touch. You've each gone in different directions
with your life and to act like you're still chummy-chum and the best of
friends is nothing more than a stupid lie. There is a difference,
though, between a real friend who's far away and someone in general who
has just drifted away - another lesson I've learned. I have friends all
over this country that I still hang on to and talk to because I do
value their friendship. Then there are those who may even live a short
drive away that I let go of because I might as well be living in
another country from them since we've lost touch too much.
And
then there those people who I just cannot stand, but am forced to see
anyway. People so bitter, jaded, and angry with life (and how you fit
into it) that there's no point in ever bothering to try and make it
work. You just grit your teeth and smile through a hiss. I'm talking
about someone who goes out of their way to make you feel less than
them. And I know its because they feel so small inside themself that
they need to try and make me feel inferior for the sake of their own
ego. Those people Fucking Suck Ass (FSA). What really makes me laugh is
the fact that of these people in this "middle school/high school"
mentallity, I am finding more and more of them each day to actually be
older and older. At first I thought "This has to get better after I
leave HHS with my degree," but I encountered more of these people in
college. Then I thought, "Well, hopefully they'll grow out of it." And
sure enough, they don't. Then I meet people who act and behave like
this that are 42 years old and I realize, "Wow - age has nothing to do
with it. Some people just Fucking Suck Ass as a human being and will
always Fucking Suck Ass as a human being because they never learned how
to be happy with themselves."
I've written about these before,
I know - but I've recently been reminded of this bullshit in my life
all over again and I think I'm better off if I stop letting it into my
life altogether. The only issue with that, is that usually these people
who Fucking Suck Ass are attached or tied to other people I love and
value. So is it worth it? Is it worth putting yourself through a bit of
Hell in an effort to find the slice of Heaven therein?
I was
asked if I thought they didn't know this about themselves. I think they
do know this about themselves and as much as they'll tell you they just
don't care - I know they do. I can see it in their eyes that we both
know they're lying to me when they say, "I don't care." And I think
that's what really drives them crazy. I wonder, "How can you opt to
live knowing you're miserable inside just because 'not caring' may seem
like the easier choice then to make a change?"
They asked me if
I thought they were naive, or if I thought they were stupid, or blind.
No - I just thought they had more class than that. | | |
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