YouTube Nation: The Natural Actor's Audition
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

YouTube is fascinating, be it clips of television shows, people involved in dangerous stupid stunts, folks airing their opinions, re-edited music videos to political ads, etc.

The other interesting thing about it is that I can tell when people are auditioning. I don't mean to put them down, I am certain that their feelings and what they are stating is authentic.

It's just that people who've attended acting school have a method of expressing themselves in a way in which normal people do not.

Some signs of an actor: long pause(s), structured "rants", the ebb and flow of dialogue that seems rather rehearsed, the deliberate 2-3 second stare into space (down and off to the left / right), and monologues that may sound familiar. You've heard it before, because the "actor" is reciting lines from plays / movies.

No crime in that. Authenticity is hard. Yet, the doctored stuff is easy to spot.

Those scenes with phony, hectoring, quarrelsome people pretending to be angry over nothing. How can I tell it's fake? The slight gestures they make to each other: the head nod, the long pause, and extended eye contact. You have the next line... Those little signals actors give one another.

Harmless fun, but some of these amateurs should say they are auditioning.

How to tell the real from the fake? When people look directly into the camera, close your eyes and listen. Don't they sound like they are on the phone talking to you?

A natural flow and chatty tone is real. Very few actors can really emulate that.

Labels: actors, auditioning, internet, YouTube

posted by GoldenAh
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Is the Hardass, Tough, Blond Man Making a Comeback?
Thursday, May 31, 2007











My opinion is based on watching "24", with Keifer Sutherland in the lead role as an evolving super agent fighting terrorism. Usually a role such as his goes to a brown or blue eyed, dark haired man.

I also base this modest theory on the producers of Bond films picking a rugged looking - fine ass body - blond, Daniel Craig, for the first time evah! It was such a big deal!



Going back in my mind the badass blonds of the past were:

• Clint Eastwood, boy, was he pretty back then!

• Steve McQueen was the man! Every guy in every film since, has tried to be him. He was tough, blue eyed, blond, and ruggedly handsome. And a true badass.



It was shocking to watch the "Getaway" and how he just up and smacked Ali McGraw's character across the face several times . It must have worked, because in real life she left her husband for McQueen.

Don't get it twisted!! I'm not into anyone smacking anyone (unless it's consensual). I realize that was exaggerated macho for a film of that period. It's simply the tough guy persona that is the attraction.

Here are other blonds I could think of:

• Paul Newman, not a bad guy, more nuanced and layered. See "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof": I was sympathetic to Elizabeth Taylor's character. I wanted Paul to scratch my itch too!

• Kurt Russell, sometimes he was blond, sometimes he was not.

• Kevin Costner he has his moments; loved him in "Bodyguard", "Tin Cup", etc.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger was always more of a comedic butt kicker than an angry, rough man. Although he did scare the crap out of me with "Terminator."

I'm sorta iffy with the following:






• Matt Damon with the Bourne series are getting really good. His other stuff, I just don't bother to watch. I'm not into his "The Talented Mr. Ripley" lemme-win-an-Oscar-with-this-performance kind of films.

I'm ignoring the blond pretty boys. I don't like films where the men aren't hardcore and gritty.

So, let's hear it for the hardass, rough and tough guys with blonde hair! Yeah.

I'll make updates if and when I remember other fair haired chaps.

Labels: actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger, blond men, blonds, Daniel Craig, Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Costner, Matt Damon, Paul Newman, Steve Mcqueen, tough guys

posted by GoldenAh
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