Volume 3 Number 12

Copyright 2007 Phillip Moon

The Summary

Working background has been great fun, and even though I could continue to do this for a long time, at some point I will have to get another job (read that as a "real" job), and start the auditioning process that helps to make the move to actor with lines. Till then, I will keep having fun.

The Suite Life has been really good to work on. This is an AFTRA show (not SAG) and I have become one of the regular hotel guests, from week to week. I have decided that my character lives at the hotel, though I still don't know what he does. He ends up walking with many different men and woman of all ages, so I think he is in sales. The cast and crew are great, and Michelle (our 2nd 2nd) is wonderful to work with. When I came to set on June 1st and told her Jessica was in labor, she told me to leave. Go home. Be with you family. She also paid me for the day. Something she did not have to do. The background folks I work with on that show all were thrilled to hear of Gabby's birth. This show is slated to end at the end of July.

On Wildlife, we recreated a zoo complete with a chimp, 3 penguins, many chipmunks (including one practicing back flips), a monkey and one giraffe. Because of the near total lack of any cell phone signals, background were pointing out the few places where one could possibly, maybe, with luck, get a signal long enough to holler out a short message like the one I yelled at Linda when I got through. I found a spot where, as long as I didn't move more than an inch either way, I could maintain a signal long enough to tell her to call and accept a job for the next day.

I, for one, am sorry to see Gilmore Girls end. I worked that show quite a bit. This last time, I got to see Sally Struthers on set. She seems like a nice person, and not totally unlike her ditsy characters.

24 was a blast. On my last visit to the set, we all took a break and went into the CTU set where we watched (on the many monitors in the room) the South Park Episode that was a parody of the show. The crew and cast were on the floor laughing at the dead on episode.

Got to see Henry Winkler on The Thick of It. He made a point of showing his gratitude to the crew by ordering extra food that was delivered to the set.

On Cold Case, one of the principals gets shot, and I am one of the doctors in the emergency room (shot on the set of ER). They picked a background actor to be the attending doctor (no lines). He couldn't follow directions to save his life, or hers for that matter.

I have had many geek fixes this last two years. On the Untitled DC project, I got to work with Michele Trachtenberg who played Dawn on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Not that I'm counting, but I have worked with Alyson Hannigan, Michelle Trachtenberg, David Boreanaz, Nathan Fallion, Gina Torres, and Morena Baccarin (and saw Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker), all actors who have worked on either Buffy, Angle or Firefly. Oh heck. I am counting.

I am now nearing the middle of hiatus, and only doing a day or two of work each week. Thanks to Heartland and Suite Life, there has been at least a little work. And, of course, Gabriella was born this month, so it's not like I didn't have something to do. This officially catches me up. I will start putting this newsletter out again when there is something to write about. Enjoy your summer.

Brothers and Sisters filmed at Disney Studios on March 26, 2007.
Episode: Bad News - Who was I: An Ojai Staffer in their office.

Wildlife filmed at Hope Gardens in San Fernando on April 2, 2007.
Episode: Pilot - Who was I: A zoo patron, and a zoo worker.

Gilmore Girls filmed at Warner Brothers on April 3, 2007.
Episode: Unto the Breach - Who was I: Town person

24 filmed at Chatsworth 20th Century Fox on April 4, 2007.
Episode: Hours 23 and 24 - Who was I: USAF General

The Thick of It filmed at DC Studios on April 10, 2007.
Episode: Pilot - Who was I: US Congressman

Cold Case filmed at Warner Brothers on April 11, 2007.
Episode: Stalker - Who was I: Doctor

Untitled DC Project filmed at Warner Brothers on April 12, 2007.
Episode: Pilot - Who was I:

Monk filmed at St. Brendan Parish on April 18/19, 2007.
Episode: Mr. Monk and the Wrong Man - Who was I: Wedding Guest

House filmed at 20th Century Fox on April 24 - Episode: The Jerk, April 25 -
Episode: Human Error
Who was I: Administrator

Suite Life of Zach and Cody filmed at Hollywood Center Studios.
Date and Episode names:
April 13 - First Day of High School, April 19 – Orchestra, May 4 – Team Tipton
May 11 – Arwinstein, May 18 – Tale of Two Houses, June 7 – The Bench Warmers,
June 14 – Romancing the Phone
Who was I: Always a Hotel Guest

Heartland filmed at Robert F. Kennedy Medical Center in Hawthorne.
Date and Episode names:
April 26 – Episode #6, May 22/23/25, June 5 – A Beautiful Day
Who was I: Always a Doctor