Thursday, May 26, 2005

Silverscreen Ambitions

Well in my extreme boredom today, I was browsing the Web looking for something interesting to read, when I came across an interesting article that I think a couple of you might be interested in (most of you probably won't care about what I am about to write about, so bear with me). Anyway, I found this article concerning George Lucas and his future plans involving any future Star Wars material. Apparently, one of the reporters for this website ran into Lucas while he was on vacation in Hawaii. Naturally, the reporter inquired as to whether there would be any more Star Wars movies (as you may know, Lucas has said before that episode III was going to be his last Star Wars movie). Lucas replied that there is a possibility that another Star Wars movie will be made, if not by him then another director (I will spare the details for the sake of readers who could care less, but I will provide the link to the article at the end of the post).

Now I will get to what the title of this post suggests that I am going to talk about. As many you know, I will be making my cinematic debut this summer (or fall possibly, the release date may have been pushed back). I was fortunate enough to be able to be an extra in upcoming movie Elizabethtown, directed by Cameron Crowe, and starring established actors/actresses such as Orlando Bloom, Suasan Sarandon, as well as the lovely Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Biel. While these big-names will be playing in some of the lead roles in the film, I will be playing the illustrious role of " Sexy young man on porch", or as it may read in the credits "Piece of eye candy #1". Okay, maybe I am just "man on porch #1". Nonetheless, it is an important role. I know you are probably laughing that I take myself so seriously, but here me out on this. First, let me give you a quick synopsis as to what this film is about. Some dude (Orlando Bloom) is like a VP at this shoe company out west, but he has recently lost the company a lot of money with his lame ideas, and therefore he has lost his job as well. On top of this, his father (who lives in Elizabethtown, KY) has passed away. Therefore, this dude must return home to see his family, as well as get his life together. At some point, he meets a stewardess (the lovely Kirsten Dunst) and they hook up or something. This is where I come in. Seeing my opportunity, I sweep in and steal her away from the loser, unemployed shoe guy (ironically, I am a loser, employed shoe guy-we are not much different) using my dashing good looks and unrivaled charm. But then Jessica Biel gets all jealous and things get ugly. (Ok, so once again, I fabricated pretty much everything after the part where O. Bloom and K. Dunst hook up). Anyway, here's what I really do. At some point, O. Bloom gets lost in E-town while driving around looking for the funeral home. As he drives through a neighborhood, he looks to his right (with a look of utter confusion upon his face) and sees a family sitting on their front porch just chillin, of which I am a part (I play rebellious teenage son who is looking for the meaning of life) . At that moment, he makes eye contact with the father (my on-screen father, I forgot his name). The father simply nods and points in the direction of the funeral home, letting O. Bloom know that he is going the right way. O. Bloom responds by nodding his head and smiling, showing that he is gratelful for the help. It is truly a touching moment, and a major turning point in the plot (well, not really). Anyway, Pretty much what I do is sit there on the porch, looking all good and what not, while gently smiling at O. Bloom as he cruises by in his Benz.

So at this point you may be saying to yourself "Hey Wes, I thought you said your role in this movie was important." So here is my theory: obviously, the only reason O. BLoom looked at that porch on that day was because in his peripheral vision he saw a stunningly handsome rebellious teeenage son sitting on the porch dressed in a bright red shirt and basketball shorts. Had I not been there, he would have just driven on by, thus never recieving the head nod and finger point that reassured him that he was going in the right direction, in turn possibly causing him to turn around and head off in the completley wrong direction. And we all know that if he never makes it to that funeral home, there is no story. Period. So as you can see, I am essential to the plotlline. And yet I only got paid $65 bucks for shooting this movie.

But it was not the money that drove me to be a part of this experience. I think it would be fun to be an actor. I had a blast on the set. I met some cool directors (but not Cameron Crowe, unfortunatley), and was even 3 feet away form O. Bloom at one point while his car drove by for a re-take (I could have even met him, but our group had lunch at a different time than his. I heard a few other extras talking about how he was at lunch with them.) It was a truly magnificent experience, seeing how a movie is shot and all.

At any rate, hopefully some director will see me in this film and my acting career will begin to flourish. I think it would be a great career. This brings me back to my original discussion about Star Wars. If it turns out in the future that another film is made, you can bet that I will book it out to Cally to audition for it. Until then, go see Elizabethtown in theaters July 29 as of right now, but there is a good chance that the release date will be pushed back to October 14 for some reason or another.

http://www.theforce.net/latestnews

Monday, May 23, 2005

The Vote Is In

Well, now that school is out I've had plenty of time to think about what is really important in life....my new favorite TV show. As you may have read in the previous post, Everybody Loves Raymond, my all-time favorite show, has gone off the air. It will still remain my all-time favorite, but I need a new currently airing favorite to replace it. Anyway, many of you have given me several suggestions, and I appreciate your input. I've looked at all the positives and negatives of each candidate, and I've reached a decision. The winner by a nose is ......Scrubs; it barely beat out King Of Queens. Here's why: while King Of Queens is a great show (Kevin James is freakin hillarious), it would appear that it has already its comical peak, so to speak. I think that the producers of King Of Queens will take the same approach as Raymond and go out while their still on top instead of dragging the show on an unnecessarily long time. On the other hand, Scrubs is on the rise and a newer comedy. The potential for the show is limitless, if producers don't ruin it first. And now that the first season is out on DVD, I think more people will begin tuning in next season. As for the other candidates, here is why they did not win:
-Arrested Development: This is a hilarious show, but I miss it half the time because it comes on Sunday nights and I am either doing homework or hanging out with somebody that night. And there are rumors that it is being cancelled.
-Law & Order: SVU: A great show, but I'm not always in th mood for it. On a side note, I was watching an episode the other night when an idea for a new Law & Order show came to mind. You now how Detective Stabler and Ice-T are always rouging up suspects in an attempt to get information form them, and how they almost lose their jobs every week becasue they crossed some "moral boundary" in thier interrogation methods? Well, Stabler and Ice-T would be the perfect stars for my new show-Law & Order: Renegade Cops Unit. They would run around NYC kneecap-bustin', choke-holdin, and drive-by shootin' any fool who wouldn't give up important information. I doubt NBC would go for my idea though.
-Crossing Jordan: Another great show. It combines great drama with witty humor for a pleasant 1-hour show about medical examiners and cops in Boston. Kind of CSI meets Law & Order. However, in the season finale, one of the main characters left the show (I think) so it took a big hit. Still a good show, though.
-The Apprentice: Unfortunately, NBC has taken a good idea and ruined it. I have recieved word that the next Apprentice will be hosted by Martha Stewart. The only thing that will get me to watch the show next season will be if instead of firing contestants, Martha eats them instead.
So starting this Tuesday, me and Chris Smith will be watching episodes from the first season of Scrubs on DVD now that this season is over. And after we have wathed all 24 episodes, we will probably watch them again. Why? Becasue we're 'bout it 'bout it, that's why.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Hats Off To A True Role Model

So I was talking with this kid at work who goes to Tates Creek High School. He mentioned something about thier soccer team, and instinctively I asked him if he knew their star center mid-fielder Taylor Wherle, who is a friend of mine. He said "Yeah, I know him. He's pretty cool. He never does anything bad". Another employee asked "You mean no drugs or alcohol or cursing or anything?" to which the previous employee replied "Nope." I kind of chuckled at hearing this, but then I got to thinking about it. How many of us can say that when our name is mentioned, the first thing people will say about us is that we are a pretty cool person and that we don't do anything bad? This person didn't say "Yeah, he's good at soccer" or " he dresses really well" or even "he's really funny". I don't know about you, but when my name is brought up in a conversation I hope that the first thing said about me is comparitive to what was said about Taylor.
Here we have a great example of what it means to live the true Christian life. As far as I know, this kid that knows Taylor is lost. But through his actions, words, and behavior Taylor has already been a witness to him whether he is aware of it or not. And the best part of it all was seeing the look on my co-workers face when he said that Taylor never doe s anything wrong : he was puzzled. He has know idea why Taylor acts the way he does, which provides Taylor (and myself) a great opportunity to witness to him.

My point here is not to glorify Taylor; he is flawed like the rest of us. But I think he is on the right track to being "above reproach" , which is what Paul says that Christ has called us to be. I think we can all learn a couple of lessons here: first, that actions often do speak louder than words, and second, more good role models like Taylor in a society that looks up to the likes of Brittany Spears, Ron Artest, and 50 Cent. So Taylor, if you read this, I'm proud of you, keep up the good work. We can all learn a lot from your example. But don't get a big head, you're still a schmuck.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Update

So right now I am over at Chris and Dustin's house and I just checked the weblog for the first time in forever. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with the amount of fedback I have recieved (except for the the anonymous fool who said that Law & Order sucks). Anyway thanks for the input. Although the decision is not final, I think that in the end Scrubs will win out. John, it is good to hear from you again....I look forward to you coming back to LexVegas (and you are absolutely right, I should do more productive things). Well anyway, I'm all moved out of Troy's house and out to WoFo county. Nothing exciting ever happens out there, but it's all good cause I don't have to pay rent. It's only a 15-20 minute trip, so if anyone wants to come out, give me a ring. We'll try to have a cookout or something when everything settles down.
Anyway, hope everyone is doing well now that school is out (unless you are in high school of course). There are lots of cool things going on this summer; it will be fun. I am still a little drained from finals, moving this weekend, etc., so I don't really have much to talk about. Hopefully some stuff will happen, or I will have a deep thought or something. Until then, let's get pumped for the softball game this week....we play Southland this week. Time for some WebGems!

Monday, May 02, 2005

The End of an Era

For the past 9 years of my life, 9 p.m. Monday night has always meant one thing to me: Everybody Loves Raymond. For those who know me, I'm sure you hasve found out that it is not only my favorite show currently on air, but my favorite show of all time. But at last, it seems, the time has come for the show to end, before it becomes lame and repetitive. All good things must end, I guess. 9 seasons is a good run. As depressed as I am that Raymond will be gone, an even bigger problem has emerged in my mind over the past few days: what will my new favorite show be? I have several candidates, all of which currently fight for second place in the never-ending struggle to gain my affection. So here's my list of candidates(in no particular order) for Wes's new #1 TV show.....
1. King of Queens
2. Scrubs
3. Arrested Development
4. Law & Order: SVU
5. Crossing Jordan
6. The Apprentice

It looks like the frontrunners right now are King of Queens and Scrubs, but Crossing Jordan is quickly moving up in the polls (I just started watching it about a year ago, so it is at a bit of a disadvantage). I fear the The Apprentice stands no chance, for I hear that next season, Martha Stewart will be replacing Donald Trump. Law & Order: SVU is always stable, but it needs some really great new episodes to move up. Anyway, your opinions on this matter would be much appreciated, becasue this is a difficult decision for me.