"Moses is Dead."

Tonight my roommate pointed out some spotlights swirling around the Variety building, which is visible from our apartment.  I walked over there to see what was happening.  They were filming a scene for the new 90210 series.  There was a red carpet, a crowd of waving “fans,” cameras flashing, and limousines lined up at the curb.  I saw Tori Spelling… but does it matter?

The most interesting part was observing the crew.  It was an open set, so I stood right behind the director and watched his monitor as they filmed the last shot.

Last week I had an internship interview at Dreamworks Animation, specifically in the effects department of Shrek Goes Fourth.  I didn’t get the job (it went to one of my friends at LAFSC), but following the interview they let me tag along as they recorded some test footage of throwing tomatoes at a wall and dropping pumpkins from a ladder (I referenced this in an earlier post).  The people were great, we had fun, and the campus was beautiful.  I’d like to return there someday.

I had a second interview at a much smaller company on Friday.  Still waiting to hear back from them.

This morning I had an internship interview that involved throwing tomatoes at a wall and dropping pumpkins from a ladder.  It was research.

Later in the afternoon a couple of our teachers gave us a shot-by-shot analysis of the first 20 minutes or so of Fight Club.  I never realized how visually complex that movie is.  I’ve gained a new appreciation for it.

Tonight we invited some people over to our apartment for a potluck meal, followed by the new episode of Lost.  The food was absolutely delicious - homemade meatloaf*, mashed potatoes, and apple pie - thanks to Chuck, Jessy, and Sarah.

*This post coincidentally contains two references to meatloaf.  Can you spot them both?

Over the past couple of days I’ve been to the Regency Fairfax Theatre twice.  They have $5 matinees there, so… it’s my new favorite theatre.  And it’s only a 20-minute walk from where I live.  Regular showings are still just $7.50, which is cheaper than Tinseltown in Ohio.

Yesterday I saw Let the Right One In, and today I saw Milk.  Good stuff.  I plan on seeing Doubt there soon.

On my way back, I walked through The Grove, which is close to my apartment.  It’s a beautiful little area with a bunch of stores, a musically-synchronized fountain, and a double-decker trolley.

I’ve been meaning to buy some new headphones for my iPod, and there just so happened to be an Apple store in The Grove.  The store attendants were all wearing aqua-blue shirts, and the guy who helped me was also wearing a red beanie cap.  I asked him if he was intentionally dressed like a member of Team Zissou.  He chuckled awkardly and said no.  I don’t think he knew what I was talking about.

One of my apartment-mates keeps seeing famous people, but I always miss them.  Apparently I’ve walked by Kyle Chandler and Zooey Deschanel (on separate occasions), but my friend doesn’t point them out until we’ve passed them, and there’s no going back.  Especially if you’re driving.  Moreso if you’re driving on the streets of L.A.

This is what I managed to glimpse of Ms. Deschanel in my rearview mirror.

The other day a couple of our teachers surprised us with a group assignment - make a short film within three hours.  Neither group’s film was very good, but it taught us the value of preproduction.

Yesterday we went to a taping of Fox’s sitcom ‘Til Death.  Sitcoms these days aren’t worth watching (except for some single-camera sitcoms), but this was a fun experience.  It was the show’s season finale, which I guess made it a bit more special.  Before the show started, Brad Garrett, Joely Fisher, and J.B. Smoove came out to take questions from the audience.

After Garrett made some awkward-but-apparently-good-humored racist jokes, one audience member named Marco raised his hand and told a story of how he once met Ray Romano, who tried to go the wrong way on a one-way street and used the line, “Do you know who I am?”  Garrett got a kick out of this, took his cell phone out of his pocket, and called Romano.  He was going to put the conversation on speakerphone, but Romano didn’t pick up, and the call went to voicemail.  So Garrett left a message, and we all got a good laugh out of it.  But man, I wish Romano had answered the phone….

A comedian named Roger Lundblade warmed up the audience throughout the show.  He was pretty entertaining.  I sat next to his wife, who happens to be from Ohio, so we had a good conversation.  All in all, it was a really fun afternoon.

Last night I saw Synecdoche, New York at the Showcase theatre on La Brea Avenue.  I’ve been wanting to see this movie for a while, and thankfully, my high expectations were met.  One critic called it a “miracle movie,” and I might agree with him.  It was definitely inspirational - I’ve had writer’s block for the past week or so, but this movie got the gears churning in my brain again.