April 28, 2005

Ch. 5: The Wackiness Continues...

Chapter 5. Jarrod takes on the Hollywood Texan



When last we left our hero (Hero? Has he really done anything "heroic?" Did he save anyone's life? I mean really, people.)...

When last we left Jarrod (Better.) he was on his way home from making his sacrifice to the Grand Gods of MGM. The high priests of Fact Checking had given Jarrod the task of Audee Shoning, a strange ritual where Jarrod must prove himself better than his peers in order to get the coveted "Role."

Before Jarrod could do so he must take on the wild man known as the Hollywood Texan.



Well, I called Regan (Regan Redding, a.k.a Regan Redding III) and he had no problem with me going to the audition. He still wants me to do the Script Super job, which I still don't think I'm getting paid to do, and said to just get there after I audition.

Wa-hoo.



Don't miss the action when Jarrod returns to the Giant Golden Lion, idol of the Grand Gods of MGM, to perform the native rite of passage, the Audee Shone.

April 27, 2005

Ch. 4: More Wacky Adventures of Jarrod in...

LAS VEGAS!!!





When last we left our intrepid explorer he was standing at the mouth of the Giant Golden Lion, idol of the Grand Gods of MGM.



Chapter 4. Into the Mouth of the Lion

So today I had my "interview" with MGM Grand. I put interview in quotes because it wasn't really an interview so much as a double check of my application. When you apply for a position with MGM or New York New York you do it online. At the end of the application you get to choose an interview time. I thought it was because I was special and scored well on the verbal portion of the test*, but it seems that pretty much anyone who applies gets an "interview." You may also have to have answers for their job specific questionnaire that correspond to a certain level of what they are looking for. Or maybe it's just dumb luck.


In any case I showed up rather early for my interview time. About an hour early. This was due to the fact that I don't have a car and had to ride an unfamiliar bus system. It turns out that I was a straight shot to the MGM (about 20 minutes as the CAT flies) and didn't have to leave as early as I did.


Once there I was sent into a room with about 12 two person desks neatly aligned in their rows and columns. At the front of the room was a podium and a projection screen playing the MGM feel good promotional video set to some Tina Turner song. I think I watched it about five times. The periphery of the room was lined with more desks; the walls had various MGM themed prints hanging off them.


The oddest thing about the room was the toaster. It was a Dualit 4 slice vario toaster. Dualit is a manufacturer of catering equipment based out of the UK. Here's what the Dualit website has to say about the Vario Toaster:


"The Dualit Vario Toaster combines simplicity and sophistication perfectly. Hand assembled at our Crawley,UK Factory the toasters feature extra wide 28mm slots to accommodate a Sandwich Cage. The award winning ProHeat elements, a patented design which increases toasting efficiency & element longevity, every toaster has a removable crumb tray and an adjustable rear foot. Manually operated the Dualit toaster features switches to control the degree of browning and an ejector system which means that the toast does not pop up but stays warm until the ejector lever is pushed up."

Fascinating. But what do I do when I want my 30mm bread toasted? This toaster costs £144.82 (about $275.77). That's some expensive toast for us interviewees.


After sitting in the holding room for about 15 minutes talking to Carlos, the bartender apprentice interviewee who currently works at TI (Treasure Island's new hip alter ego), we went into the alter chamber and gave up our sacrifice of Social Security numbers at the alter of the Computer Queue. From here we played a rousing game of Stand and Fill the Chairs, after which we spoke with a high priest of Fact Checking.

And this is why "interview" is in quotes. We were there to confirm that the information we supplied was correct. I didn't even have to confirm all of my info. Just that my references weren't current employers or family members and that my previous job was with Destiny Point Productions. I did however find out what I really applied for. The "Gatekeepers" are the "characters" who "usher" people to their seats for the show KA. Guest service meets Stanislavsky. So now I have to go on Friday and actually audition for the position. The only information I got about that was that it is at 10:00am at Studio 54.

Faced with the dilemma of either going to the audition or doing the film (see Chapter 3. Jarrod Goes "Hollywood") I began my journey back to the gapping mouth of Golden Idol. On the path I came across an odd sight. They say it's name is "Carrot Top." I believe this to be due to the bright, curly, red plumage sprouting from it's head. It's well developedmuscless straining to hold what appeared to be a "cell phone" to it's ear. What an odd sight, this "Carrot Top."

I continued to the bus stop, perplexed by the creature and pondering how it may help me with mydecisionn.


In our next episode: Jarrod Confronts the Hollywood Texan.

*There is no verbal portion of the online test. That would make for some difficult webprogrammingg.

April 26, 2005

Nicole


The smartest, most selfless, most beautiful woman I know. Posted by Hello

I Want Annie



[Right Click and "Save As" the link above, or just Click and let it stream]
[About 7 Mb]

No, I'm not talking about some stripper I met here in Vegas!
This is the song I wrote, with Eric Nordin, for the movie "Finding Love for Annie."

It features Jarrod Rothstein (me) on vocals, Bryan Brophy on bass, Komoki Bunting on drums, and Joe Hammnons on guitar (lead/rhythm/electric).

If all goes well it will be used in the end credits of the film.

April 24, 2005

Chp. 1-3: The Continued Adventures of Jarrod in

LAS VEGAS!!!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well hello there girls and boys!

In this weeks episode of The Wacky Adventures of Jarrod in Las Vegas! Jarrod looks for a job,
f(_)¢ks up his car, and prepares for filming.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 1. Jarrod Looks for a Job

The job hunt has been slow going. I've applied to Blue Man Group, the Wynn hotel/casino, and MGM Grand. Blue Man group sent me a letter saying they are looking over my resume and will contact me if I match what they're looking for (and not to call or they will send wild, blood-thirsty wolverines after me and my kin). Wynn said no thanks. MGM Grand will be interviewing me on April 27.

The MGM Grand position is "Gatekeeper." I'm not sure what this position is. The description said that they would like applicants with improv background or theatre training, but it was posted as a regular job and not really as an "acting" position. I also believe it has something to do with the Cirque Du Soliel show "KA" which recently opened and MGM Grand.

On the brighter side of finding a job, my sister, who is also living in Las Vegas, put me in touch with a friend of hers, who is friends with the Musical Director for the ADA folks at the Venetian.
No. I don't know what ADA stands for. From what I've gleaned it's the wandering minstrels in the Venetian shopping area. It may also be the gondoliers. In any case they asked me to send them my stuff and a demo. Now I just have to get that all together. (I would have had the headshot and resume if my computer hadn't died a couple weeks before coming out here. Poo.)
I'm still working for my aunt doing parties and stuff. I'll write later as to the specifics of what this entails.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 2. Jarrod and the Curse of the Bad Clutch

So my clutch starts going out before I head to Las Vegas. Only I don't realize it's going out. It takes Nicole and her dad driving my car and telling me that it's going out for me to notice it. And then it just gets worse. Luckily I towed it with the moving truck to get it here. And it lasted for the past two weeks. Of course the day I set out to my Uncle's (he's a mechanic) it completely craps out on me, two miles out of Vegas. So now I get to get a new car (the bright side) which I can't afford (the dark side [Luke I am your Clutch]) but for which I will be paying my parents back for the rest of eternity (or sooner if I get a job).

In the meantime I don't have a car to get me to my interview or other job related activities.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 3. Jarrod Goes "Hollywood"

Vegas, the new Hollywood. Well, not quite. I'm going to be Script Supervisor for a short film. It's not Las Vegas specific. It actually deals with some dark subject matter to do with the entertainment industry. I'd like to say more, but I'm not supposed to.
I will say this, however. I've noticed a trend in my film career that is a little disturbing. The trend being I'm doing films that have inanimate objects as main characters. The last film I did (also my first) was "Finding Love For Annie" (
http://www.findingloveforannie.com/), which involves a "love doll" (NO! It's not porn), and the movie that's shooting next weekend has a ventriloquist's dummy (and no, this one's not porn either). If I do more films, they better not have a living sofa or teddy bear or whatnot.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And so concludes tonight's episode of The Wacky Adventures of Jarrod in Las Vegas.
Tune in next time when Jarrod attends Passover Seder at his Aunt's house, Jarrod has his Big Interview, and how the film goes.
Thanks for watching.

Prologue: The Wacky Adventures of...

Jarrod in LAS VEGAS!!!

(A repost of a mass e-mail sent April 8, 2005)

Hello everybody!

Well this is my first mass e-mail on my wild and wacky "Adventures in Las Vegas." Yep, that's right, I'm done with school (got a peice of paper with my name on it, says I have a B.A. in Musical Theatre) and I'm moving to Las Vegas!

"But Jarrod, do you have a job?"

Well, yes. My Aunt is setting me up with a job. I'm going to be makeing balloon animals....yes...balloon animals. However this is temporary, until I can find something in theatre. I have also been offered a job as Script Supervisor for what will be my second independent film. (For those of you who don't know about the first one check out
www.findingloveforannie.com.) This one is a short and the shoot is only 3 or 4 days at the end of April, but that's 3 or 4 days of working on a film. Gotta love experience. There is also a small possibility that I may work on a film shooting in Las Vegas called "Lucky You." However my hopes aren't too high on that one.

"Who are you living with?"

Me, myself, and I. My parents were very kind and helped me get a one bedroom apartment. I'll be there for 4 or 5 months, then I'll be moving into a condo that my parents bought (seperate from the one they already own) and paying them rent, at a discounted rate.

"Can I visit?"

If you plan on coming to Vegas let me know. I have a couch that hasn't been used on a front porch!

(Skip the next section if you don't like lovey-dovey stuff)

"What about Nicole?"

Leaving Nicole has been the most difficult part of the whole moving proccess. Nicole and I are still very much in love, still want to get married, and we're going to work as hard as possible to get through the next year or so. It was a tough decision to make, this moving thing, and Nicole supports me 90%. The other 10% (though probably more) wants me to stay. But we both know that I can't get anything going if I stay in Chico. I love her, and apreciate how much support she's given me, not just in the last few weeks, but over the past couple of years. We are going to spend our lives together, and we'll get through this.

Well, time to take my computer apart. I'm going to try really hard to e-mail evryone and keep y'all up to date. If you want to pass this on to someone who you think might want to hear about what's going on with me, please do. If you don't want to get e-mails from me again, let me know. I won't take it personally.

Las Vegas, here I come!!