Archive for October, 2009

This means if you don’t get called back, it isn’t because you suck. It means you either A) weren’t right for any of the roles, B) didn’t fit a certain “look” the director is going for or C) don’t have enough natural charisma to hold anyone’s attention for longer than fourteen seconds. The first two aren’t your fault; the third you can’t really do anything about.

Don Hall, the Angry White Guy in Chicago, wrote a great post yesterday on auditions. It’s worth a read if you’re auditioning at any level, but especially at the point where your headshot, resume and two-minute audition seem to really matter. Don’s an honest man (or as honest as the internet allows), and this post is no exception. I can’t disagree with any of it, I tend to react the same way when I’m conducting an audition.

Give it a read, actors.

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County is looking for input on their next three-year funding priority cycle that begins in January. That story and others are in this week’s edition of “The Report,” now available for viewing online at watchctv.org.

Newsweek’s Daniel Lyons discusses the tablet PC that Apple is rumored to be preparing for a mid-2010 launch, and the effect it might have on journalists and other storytellers. He’s correct that such a device, always connected to the internet, would advance the convergence of different story telling media (print, video, audio), it’s his take on where the next “evolutionary leap” in media is coming from that I really agree with:

The Internet today is a lot like TV circa 1950. But we are about to take an evolution-ary leap. That’s why all this hand-wringing over the dying newspaper business is so misplaced. In 10 years the print newspapers we have today will seem as quaint and primitive as those old Uncle Miltie shows. Heck, the Internet we have today will seem quaint and primitive too. Chances are the cool stuff won’t come from people my age (I’m nearly 50) but from the kids who are growing up with these digital tools the way (Steven) Bochco, (David) Chase, and (Larry) David grew up with Uncle Miltie.

Worth a read at Newsweek.com.

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends. Enjoy your dinner.

And me.

I love my iPhone. I knew when I got my iPhone 3G in February that I wasn’t going to have 3G service very often where I live. But the iPhone was a major upgrade from my old Samsung phone on Verizon, and gives me the PDA features I was used to for years with my Palm handhelds, and much more. I was also hoping not to have to carry two devices around anymore, and that’s worked out the way I expected.

But AT&T’s overall coverage is inferior to Verizon’s, especially along the St. Clair River where I spend a lot of my time, which is also the border with Canada. At least a quarter of the time my iPhone is attached to either a Rogers or Telus cellular tower across the river (which is generally a much stronger signal as well), but I get charged by the minute if I make or receive a call when “roaming” in Ontario. I could pay AT&T an extra monthly fee to “roam” in Canada, but I shouldn’t have to do that. And even when I have a strong signal on AT&T’s network, my calls fail far too often. The signal doesn’t fade; the call just drops. It’s like AT&T has decided my call isn’t important enough and disconnects me. This is a fairly common complaint, and up to 30 percent dropped calls is considered normal, at least according to this Engadget post. Often, even when I have a strong signal on AT&T’s 2G/EDGE network, the data transfer rate reminds me of an old 56K or slower dial-up modem. The sound quality is also inferior to my old Samsung/Verizon combo, though that could be the iPhone, which has had taken some criticism for the phone components.

Hopefully, the rumors that Verizon might get the rights to market an iPhone in 2010 will turn out to be true. Verizon has its critics, too, of course, but in the six years I was with Verizon, I hardly ever lost a call due to it being dropped. Signals faded, of course, but I honestly can’t remember a call just ending (I’m sure one or two did, so I won’t claim that Verizon never dropped a call, but I can’t remember one. I can remember dozens just in the last month with AT&T).

I love Verizon’s new ads mocking the iPhone “there’s an app for that” commercials:

As goofy as the Broncos’ throwback uniforms look, I’m still enjoying watching the old AFL teams play in their original-styled uniforms this season in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American Football League.

Of course, the Broncos old colors of brown and yellow are absolutely horrible. Good thing no other professional or college team ever decided to use those colors… I’m sure they would look awful. Oh wait.