William Mapother

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Archive for the ‘Recs’ Category

Suffering Snowmen

Posted on: December 17th, 2011 by wmapother 1 Comment

If you’re a fan of Calvin & Hobbes, you’ll love this video recreation of Calvin’s famous snowmen..

 

Posted in Funny Like Ha-Ha, Random, Recs

Culture Made Easy

Posted on: December 2nd, 2011 by wmapother No Comments

Suggestion for actors #2,317:  Sign up for email newsletters of your local museums and cultural centers.
Among the many advantages:

•  They often have free events.
•  They’re a great opportunity to make contacts with writers and directors (It was at a reading by Adam Gopnick at LA’s Skirball that I met the NYC director who led me to NYC’s Public Theatre’s Shakespeare Lab which led me to the casting director who thought of me for Another Earth (more on that some other time.  You get the idea.)
•   The events are good to go with a date.  Or someone you want to be a date.
•  Pt. 2 of the line above:  They’re a good place to make contact with a date.
•  Did I mention that some of the events are free?
•  Filmmakers love it when actors see classic movies.  Such as those shown at museum.
•  You don’t have to trust yourself and/or take the time to view their websites.  Actors like it to be easy, right?

Some in L.A. to get you started:
Skirball
LACMA
Hammer
Getty

[This has been another in a continuing series of potentially helpful, hopefully commonsensical information to actors on practicing their craft or surviving while trying to do so.  I bear no responsibility for how this or any of my posts might ruin your life, lead you to law school, or make your parents sick with worry.]

For more suggestions to actors, click the ‘Info to Actors’ category at left.

Posted in Acting Tips & Info, Los Angeles, NYC, Recs

Xmas Gift? Done.

Posted on: November 29th, 2011 by wmapother 3 Comments

Another Earth comes out on DVD today, and it’s the perfect gift for the humanoid in your family.  Or even your other you.  Get it now, before you go ahead and buy it for yourself and then have to regift it back to yourself (this whole “There’s two of me/you” gets old and/or  confusing pretty quickly when mined for laughs..)

Posted in Acting Projects, News & Events, Recs, Video (Online & Home)

Two funny shorts to start the year

Posted on: January 4th, 2011 by wmapother 5 Comments

Okay, many of you may have seen these, as they made the rounds last fall, but someone recently reminded me of them, so I re-watched and still found them worth wasting time on (I mean, come on, there’s just sooo much time left in 2011…).

‘So you want to go to law school’ (here) is both painfully funny and accurate, at least according to lawyers, or those of us who know scores and scores of them.

‘The client/agent relationship’ (here) is both painfully funny and accurate, at least according to actors, or those of us who have cast our sad lot among them.  [Note:  I excuse my agents and managers from any criticism, assumptions, or collateral abuse which can be in any way derived, presumed, guessed at, or otherwise  irresponsibly fabricated from the previous sentence.  (So, call me, guys, okay?  Seriously.) ]

Finally, the first one above is on YouTube, and the page include a number of links to similar videos, which you can watch to your heart’s content.  (It’s only Jan 3…..)

Posted in Random, Recs

Evidence of Justice

Posted on: June 24th, 2010 by wmapother 5 Comments

I think my feelings of adoration Randy Newman are well established (post here).  Evidence of universal justice, if not a Supreme Being itself, was offered a few weeks ago when Randy was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (the 2,411th star, to be exact).  He also has two Emmys, five Grammys, and an Oscar.  A Hollywood Reporter article is here.

His music for movies tends to be very sweet and straightforward.  Would you have heard it?  Well, if you’re ever seen a Pixar film, you have.

His work on his individual albums, though, is a bit quirkier.  He usually sings from the point of view of a character, and they’re often funny and heartbreaking.  If you’re a curious sort who wants to learn the best of what this world has to offer, check out his works on the iTunes store.  A link to his Best of album is here.

Posted in Music, Recs