It’s been a while. One day short of three weeks in fact. And according to recent predictions, today is The Rapture: D-Day + 1! How are you feeling? Good? Good. I feel hungry, but otherwise I’m fine :)

Back to reality though; this was a behind-the-scenes shoot I did for Crimes of the Heart, a play performed superbly by some of my local actor friends. I didn’t get to see the play for myself until 2 days later, and what’s funny is that I had about as much fun observing the behind-the-curtain craziness as I did watching the play.

So many funny things we had to whisper and hold back the laughter for…

Promise, I did not write this, nor did I encourage it. What’s really funny is what I’m not posting here, but these messages to me got completely out of hand! Somehow it ended up involving silverback gorillas.

I feel like a rock star.

I know that X96 is just a local radio station, I know that a sizable portion of the audience must have been crew and actors, but people I didn’t know went out of their way to shake my hand, give me a hug and tell me what an awesome job I’d done on my short film called Coming Soon.

I just feel like a total rock star.

Let me back up a bit.

X96 is a Salt Lake City-based radio station. I went to their film festival with no expectations other than an opportunity for a night out. I think there were 23 films in total and the rules required that the films run no longer than five minutes, including credits.

The pre-show is over, all the theater seats are filled, the lights come down and the films start playing. Just three or four films into the festival, my film begins… And now my heart is pounding, I’m shaking in my seat, trying to control my breathing.

Is the audience gonna like it? Will they get it? Will they laugh in the right places?

The first joke comes along…

The audience roars.

I can’t believe it. Forget that I can’t believe it, I’ve never even heard such a large audience laugh to one of MY films! The film manages to offer perfect timing for the laughter to die off just before the next joke rolls around. The audience roars again.

This went on throughout the whole film. What a joy it was to hear so many people laugh! But once it was over, I could breathe normally again, I was no longer shaking and I could just enjoy the rest of the show.

So all the films are done and it’s time to announce the nominees. There were only six categories. Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Drama, Best Comedy and of course, Best Picture.

Ready?

We got nominated for Best Actor, Best Drama AND Best Comedy as well as Best Picture.

We won… Best Actor and Best Drama and shoulda won Best Comedy if you consider the audience’s reaction to our film compared to the contender (basically the other film’s cast and crew cheered louder than we did when the nominees were announced).

When Bijan got called up for Best Actor, I cheered like a maniac. I was so excited for him and he’d done such a terrific job. When I got called up for Best Drama, I hesitated, thinking they’d made a mistake… I don’t know what I sounded like up there on the stage, but I’m told I did fine. Even got a few more laughs.

And the suspense when they got around to announcing Best Picture was excruciating… I remember the auditorium fell silent, Bill Allred proclaimed, “And the winner is…………”. A loooong pause… Someone behind us yelled out “COMING SOON!!”

Sadly, the X96 film festival announced, big surprise, that the film called X96 (I believe the word to describe that title is “pandering”) would win for Best Picture…

To their credit, the film titled X96 was something to behold. Good photography and great effects.

I don’t feel cheated in the least and frankly, I feel like this is a huge win for me. Gauging by the audience’s reaction to my film while it was playing and even afterwards, given that we were nominated for so much…

Well…

I feel like a rock star.

This will be the last time I ever mention NURF Wars, and before you click to play the video below –

WARNING!!! NURF Wars would probably have been given an R rating for graphic violence and strong language. DO NOT click on the link below if you are offended by any of this!

Can’t say I didn’t warn you :)

Day 310/365

Anthony & Rose:

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Day 311/365

The sun casts interesting shadows on the ground sometimes (iPhone photo)

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Day 312/365

My little boy Mason playing in the puddle by the snow. He doesn’t care much for coats… He gets that from me I think… (iPhone photo)

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Day 313/365

A growing section of my wall with random memorabilia. I have an autographed comedy show ticket I went to in Vegas to put up there now! (iPhone photo)

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Day 314/365

I love my new album (iPhone photo)

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Day 315/365

The beginning of many more Christmas presents (iPhone photo)

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Day 316/365

My little boy jumping on strangers’ couch after I asked him not to! Thanksgiving party (iPhone photo)

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Day 317/365

Justin & Sarah.

Sarah is a friend of mine that I met on the shoot of the original Takito short film (scroll down two posts to see what I’m talking about). A year later, her and Justin finally decided to tie the knot.

Congrats Sarah (you too Justin)!

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Day 318/365

Kids’ drag racing (iPhone photo)

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Day 319/365

Day 1 in Vegas baby!! The view from the top of the Stratosphere hotel and casino where I was staying (iPhone photo)

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Day 320/365

Day 2 in Vegas (iPhone photo)

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Day 321/365

My final day in Vegas. Watching some people watching the view (iPhone photo)

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Day 322/365

I took a detour to Lake Mead on the way home. I really enjoyed the lonely road. Not only was it a beautiful ride, but the twisting, winding road wasn’t bad either. I’m a race car driver at heart and mountain roads are my little slice of heaven (iPhone photo)

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Day 323/365

New postcard promos!!

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Day 324/365

I went to see Frank Caliendo in Vegas. Here’s his autograph:

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Here’s a video to see him in action:

And here’s a picture I took with him. Poor guy… He looked like he was tired of greeting fans yelling out “DO BUSH!! DO MADDEN!!” His video does his talent far better justice than this picture:

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Here’s most of August that I’ve been depriving you of.

Day 208/365

From Dustin & Cassie’s wedding. This was at the golf course in the morning before the wedding. We got kicked out of there… The place even called the cops on us!! I tell ya, it’s gonna be hard for any couple to beat the excitement of getting the cops called on us on the wedding day!

In fact, I’d like to ask that you please don’t make your wedding more exciting than that.

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Then, true story, I went to the Great Clips to shoot pictures of the bride getting her hair done and got kicked out of there too!

Then I fell in a river in the amazon forest and a bunch of pirhanas ate my foot and half my chest. I look really interesting now.

Day 209/365

A headshot for a terrific actress and a personal friend of mine, Joylynne.

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Day 210/365

Megan bridal shoot

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Day 211/365

Marianne actually thinks showing THIS picture of her will hurt my wedding portfolio…

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Day 212/365

My promos before they went out. (iPhone photo)

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Day 213/365

The piano is in my basement now! Seems like I’m gradually moving all of my house down in my basement… Why don’t I live in an apartment? (iPhone photo)

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Day 214/365

The uhh… The bride had a bigger piece of cake… Wouldn’t you agree?

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Day 215/365

Although the groom looks deeply concerned for his new wife, they actually had a lot of fun on that trampoline.

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Day 216/365

I LOOOOOOVE this picture!!!! I’m fascinated with celloists and violinists at weddings. I’m seriously considering hanging it up somewhere.

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Day 217/365

Swinging (iPhone photo)

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Day 218/365

The neighborhood on my way to the mailbox… I was really lazy with that shot… (iPhone photo)

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Day 219/365

Utah Business Magazine shoot

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Day 220/365

Amanda’s bridal shoot

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Day 221/365

Amy gets a few extra words from me.

I loved working with Amy. Her optimism and enthusiasm was unstoppable, contageous and inspiring.

All weddings experience hiccups. All of them. If you’re reading this and you’re getting married soon and thinking “Not mine!”, then my answer is, “Yes, yours too.” It’s just how it is. So since hiccups are inevitable, the question becomes about how you respond to those hiccups.

Amy’s wedding was no different. Her wedding day was almost moved to 9/11. Not exactly a bride’s first choice. Then on the wedding day, the best man couldn’t make it.

Amy responded to every hiccup throughout the day, big or small, with grace, patience, endless optimism and a smile on her face.

So yeah, I loved working with Amy. That second shot of her will tell you everything you need to know about her vibrant and endlessly optimistic personality.

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Day 222/365

After a long-ish stretch of work, I decided to treat myself to Lewis Black’s excellent comedy in Wendover. The show was hilarious. I always wished I could have seen Carlin in Vegas before he died earlier this year. I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake with Lewis Black. (iPhone photo)

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Day 223/365

Robby & Jessica

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Day 224/365

I have a fascination with wires and skies (iPhone photo)

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Day 225/365

I printed this 11×14 of a shot that I’d taken with my iPhone (iPhone photo – yes, that means it’s an iPhone photo of an iPhone photo)

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Day 226/365

I took a very long walk that night (iPhone photo)

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Day 227/365

For giving me the green card after such a long and difficult struggle, I gave back to my immigration attorney by doing a free model-style shoot of his beautiful daughter.

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