Life as a SAG Awards Nominating Committee Member

I had the best time being on the 2009 SAG Awards Nominating Committee. It was a great honor and privilege, and I had a lot of fun with it.

Every year, a SAG member in good standing can request to be on the Nominating Committee (as I came to find out later, once a SAG member has served on the Nominating Committee, that member isn't eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee for 3 years. So, I won't be eligible to serve on the committee until 2012.) In 2009, I was one of 2,100 SAG members selected to serve on the Nominating Committee. I was notified in late Spring via letter and I also received my special ID card that identified me as "SAG Awards Nominating Committee Member - Theatrical Motion Pictures". There are two sections - film and TV. (Note: I ran into a Nominating Committee member who was on the TV side and tried like to hell to get info on the Californication season finale, which I wasn't able to do - I'm glad I waited - my colleague was right, there were a lot of unexpected elements!). In the letter, I was told that I would be receiving invitations to screenings and screeners starting in the summer, although I would receive most of them in the fall. We also were instructed to go to the website especially dedicated to our committee and visit it often for updates.

I found out in the summer that I would be receiving a letter that I had to complete and sign to be able to have the screeners and screening invitations sent to my home address. I assume since these screening opportunities were usually for films that hadn't been released yet, the studios and everyone associated with the awards, because of integrity reasons, wanted to make sure materials didn't fall into the wrong hands. I waited and waited for that letter to arrive, but it didn't and the due date to return the letter was drawing closer. I called SAG to see what was up and they said the letter probably went to my old address - we moved in June. When I told them I updated my contact details with SAG, they said they needed to send me the letter to my new address and I had to walk the completed and signed letter into SAG by the deadline (apparently, the letter would be sent to parties outside of SAG, who handle the mailing of the screeners, and SAG had previously sent them the Nominating Committee member database with the addresses they had at the time). So, I walked in the completed and signed letter to SAG - Whew. I made it by the due date!

So, Fall came and I was getting excited for all these screening invitations and screeners to come my way. At first, I received maybe a screening notice or two and a screener or two every week. As we got closer to that magical date in December when we would turn in our ballots - and our Nominating Committee Member service would end - the frequency of screeners and screening invites became more and more. I kid you not, the two weeks prior to turning in our ballots, I swear I was receiving something in the mail and receiving FedX and UPS packages 3-4 times a day!! It was overwhelming but I embraced it because I probably wouldn't have had seen many of these films. It was interesting to see that each screener is personal to each Nominating Committee member - it is coded with a special number so if the screener got into the wrong hands - you would be easily identifed as the culprit (it states on the screener that the screener is for the Nominating Committee member's eyes only and the screener is not to be given to anyone, I repeat, to anyone) - I can see Tootie from "Facts of Life" now, "you're in TROUBLE." And, that's a capital T, that rhymes with P, that stands for pirate. So, the message is to keep the screener for your eyes only.

So, the time came to complete my ballot and vote. I love that technology has progressed over the years that you can vote online - much much simpler! When the SAG Award nominations were announced last month, I'll be honest, I wanted to see how many nominees I actually voted for. I was right on the money with some - woo hoo!!

My personal goal for the Oscars has always been to see all the Best Picture nominees prior to the awards. This year, I have seen all the performances of the actors and actresses nominated for a SAG award. It was incredibly tough to cast my vote as there were so many amazing performances. The ones that stood out for me were Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Mo'Nique (Precious), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Matt Damon (Invictus), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Woody Harrelson (the Messenger), Vera Farmiga (Up In The Air), and Sandra Bullock (the Blind Side). My list is actually longer because of the superb performances and films. In fact, the last screening I saw was for a film called "Everybody's Fine", excellent film with an excellent ensemble cast including Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell and Drew Barrymore. An excellent film that didn't receive nominations, but is a must-see.

So, now I will vote as a SAG member this week to determine which of these nominees with receive the Actor. I'm looking forward to voting online again. And yes, I have received DVDs - duplicates of what I have.

The only thing I can think of to make this magical experience perfect is please, oh please, SAG, give me a discount on the $600/ticket to the SAG awards! I don't want to be greedy but if you want to give me a ticket, gratis, for my service, I will most gratefully accept and represent you proud!!

The SAG Awards will be simulcast on TBS and TNT on January 23, 2010. The complete list of nominees is here.


I love the awards season - and this one is going to be great! I've picked who I want to win the Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. What are your pics? Send me a note.


Cheers.

Birth-Day Gratitude

Yesterday was January 7, 2010. Just another day, right? 2nd Thursday of a new decade. Special day? Yep. My birthday was yesterday. I turned 48. As I sit here in Starbucks writing this post, I am thinking about birthdays - parties, presents, cards, cakes, party hats, balloons and the like usually come to mind. What if we celebrate birth-day instead of birthday? I was and am thinking about my 48 years of being a living, breathing organism on Earth and I can choose the experiences I want, I can choose the people I want to surround myself with. Being given this tremendous gift of life is amazing and when I think about it, I am so grateful to be alive, to be healthy, to have so much abundance and prosperity in my life, to be able to do what I want for a career - ACT!, to be surrounded by wonderful relatives and friends, to be married to my best friend, to have a great dog, have opportunities for personal and professional growth, have financial resources, a great car, a great home, and the list goes on and on.

While my birth-day got me to thinking about gratitude, it doesn't stop with my birthday. I write in a journal day - I write what is called morning pages - 3 pages of free form writing that you do in the morning before you start the day. I decided to incorporate a list of 5 things I am grateful for daily - sometimes the list is longer, sometimes it's shorter. In addition, I incorporate be gratitude into my daily affirmations.

Gratitude is an uplifting experience - you can feel it physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. How can you feel gratitude? Go into a quiet place and light a candle or burn incense and just breathe, focus on your breathing, be present with your breath, just be. That is gratitude.

Awards Season

I absolutely love awards season. I love having so many wonderful films at my disposal. As an actor, seeing films, watching TV and attending theatre is my market research. However, I have talked with several actors who say they don't watch TV, don't go to theatre, don't go see films that often. Actors, you should be doing at least two of these things - watching film in a theater, watching TV, attending live theatre - weekly.

Admittedly, I was on the fence when AMPAS announced last year that this year they would start having 10 academy award-nominated films. But, now that I have had a chance to sit with it - I'm excited. Today, the Producers Guild have announced the PGA nominations for best picture and - drum roll, please - they include:

AVATAR
Producers: James Cameron, Jon Landau

DISTRICT 9
Producers: Carolynne Cunningham, Peter Jackson

AN EDUCATION
Producers: Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey

THE HURT LOCKER
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Producer: Lawrence Bender

INVICTUS
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Rob Lorenz, Lori McCreary , Mace Neufeld

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness

STAR TREK
Producers: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof

UP
Producer: Jonas Rivera

UP IN THE AIR
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination


Later this week, I will share with you my experiences as a SAG Awards Nominating Committee member.

Have a fantastic day!

Beginnings

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2010 and my first post of 2010. Today is a day of beginnings - the first day of the year and the first day of the decade. What you do today sets the pace for the rest of the year.

Did you create your 2010 plan? Did you do some research on 2009 before you created your new plan - did you reflect on what worked, what didn't, what limiting beliefs may have held you back from completing tasks to your satisfaction? I keep a journal of accomplishments - it is a variation on what I kept when I was in corporate life - I used to keep a file of accomplishments, not only as a record so I could reflect on how my year went, but also I would use the information when personnel reviews came around - I was ready to toot my own horn on these big things I did for the company - whether I increased revenues, reduced expenses or both.

It's funny but I forgot about some of my accomplishments for 2009. Have you noticed that we take minor accomplishments for granted because we think they might not be stellar enough to list? It might not be booking a guest star role, or securing that theatrical agent, but getting your creative space uncluttered or putting together a home office, or even committing to a weekly workout routine is just as important. Definitely sweat the small stuff - they are important, too! In fact, they are the building blocks for the bigger things.

Out With the Old, In With the New

I have been on Facebook today cleaning out my account and responding to folks and I have seen many people post that 2009 wasn't a very good year for them, and they are all feeling like 2010 will be a great year. As I have written before in this blog, 2009 wasn't my greatest year. Even though I didn't meet all my goals, I met some of them, and some unexpected things occurred that I am so grateful for. I was at The Bodhi Tree this morning and along with purchasing more incense, I could open an incense store, I also picked up "Man's Search For Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. The book talks about Dr. Frankl's experiences in concentration camps, including Auschwitz. He talks about the fact that we cannot avoid suffering, but we can choose how to deal with it, find meaning in it and move forward with renewed purpose. He also believes that our primary drive is in the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

Dealing has been a major theme for me in my acting this year - coming to the table and taking what I am handed and running with it. That has been such a profound shift for me to just deal and focus on getting my needs met from my partner, whatever the conversation is, instead of worrying "does the casting director like me". I think we all have to take the fuck 'em/fuck it attitude and enjoy our process, our experience and take the pressure off whether something doesn't go right or worrying whether someone likes us or not. So here's to enjoying our process, living our lives the best we can, and taking the fuck 'em/fuck it position - this is our show, we have to live for ourselves, and we have to put ourselves first. Selfish? No way. Remember, we have to put our needs first so that we can take care of others next.

I want to wish you all a very happy new year, success and abundance in 2010 and I look forward to bringing you more notes on life as a spiritual creative, actress and human being just trying to "be" and enjoying just that.

Goin' To The Dogs

My friend Deb was walking her dog, Radar, recently, and he was attacked by two pekingese. My dog, Folsom, was attacked two years ago. There are countless accounts of dogs being attacked by other dogs - sometimes the incident is minor, sometimes not. I think we forget that having a dog is such a blessing - they love us unconditionally - no strings attached. A dog is a privilege and a responsibility. Love and nurture your dog, be grateful for your dog, care for your dog. Life is too short not to.

And so, I leave you with the following...

Unconditional Love

When a dog offers you his heart
Accept it with a smile
For his love will last a lifetime -
Which is such a little while.

When a dog offers you his heart
Take it gladly and with pride
For he will be a faithful friend
Ever by your side.

A dog loves you because you're you -
Not for how you speak or what job you do
You could be short, tall, thin or fat
Or ugly as sin, he doesn't care about that.

A dog knows if you're good or bad
He can see inside your soul
When he decides you're okay
To earn your love is his main goal.

When you're sad, he'll comfort you
And kiss away each tear
You may even wake up in the morning
With a cold nose in your ear.

When eventually the time comes
And the lights in his eyes dim
A new star will shine in Heaven
In remembrance of him.

You'll gaze up at the midnight sky
And you will hear him say -
"I'm so glad you were my human
We'll meet again some day!"

So, if this poem has caused a tear to fall
That's because you love the dog who's giving you his all
Go travel on together, happily paw in glove
He's the only one who'll ever give you unconditional love.

When a dog offers you his heart
Accept it with a smile
For his love will last a lifetime -
Which is such a little while.

By Hazel Harris-Lane

Getting To The Core Of The Matter

Happy Holidays to everyone! I wish you peace, joy and love during this holiday season. My husband doesn't believe me, but, prior to this year, I had never watched "It's A Wonderful Life" straight through. It was great to finally watch it straight through as well as watching my other favorites, "A Christmas Story" and "Miracle on 34th Street". When I say "Miracle on 34th Street", I am referring to the original, the one with Edmund Gwenn, who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Kris Kringle.

I have found at the end of the year, I do somewhat of a re-group - I review the year to re-visit my successes, my failures, my in-processes and I always manage to get back to my core - my core is my spirituality. I have done a lot of reading over the past few days - I have read "Conscious Creation" (by Dee Wallace) and "The Power of Awareness" (by Neville), and I am currently reading "Journey To Enlightenment" (by Ross Bishop). I recommend you purchase all three books from Amazon (save some money in the process).

I am having difficulty reading the last book because I am actually absorbing every word of this book - so I stop and really let it sink in which takes me more time but it is so worth it - and I swear the chapter called "The Misunderstanding" was written about me and is speaking directly to me. This book is all about choosing whether to live in what the author calls "God-Space", living a life of compassion, love and gratitude, or living a life in the shadow of fear, emotions and the ego. It talks about problems form because of limiting beliefs we all have that we cling to. Problems we encounter in life are signs from the Universe to change these beliefs or the problems will snowball into crises. Enlightenment asks us to deal with our limiting beliefs and fears, and in doing so, we move out of the shadow of fear and back into a life of compassion and love. This book is "The Secret" with a shot of reality. I say that because while I enjoyed "The Secret" very much, it oversimplified things. It stated to manifest your desires, you had to think positive, do your affirmations, visualize, and constantly think about your desires, and you would receive. However, if you are consciously thinking about these things but subconsciously you are saying that "I am not worthy to receive because I do not deserve them", your conscious and subconscious cancel each other out, and the result is that the Universe does not deliver because it is confused over what you want. So, the trick is to change your beliefs to those grounded in love, compassion and gratitude while focusing on your desires, and you will manifest your desires sooner.

However, this is easier said than done because we all resist change, we especially resist change in beliefs we have held with us for years. 2009 was not a good year for me because I resisted a lot - in my acting goals, in my health goals, in my financial goals - and while I saw some progress, I saw a lot of areas where I was "stuck". We all go through these moments. I have learned that staying in the moment is a big component to stay in light and love. My desires are to be a sought-after character actress who has more than enough paid acting work that will sustain me, to be healthy and maintain a fit weight through sound nutrition and daily exercise, and be full of love, compassion and gratitude. Profess your desires to the Universe. Let me know your progress.


Cheers.