2004

I want to thank all my friends and family for the wondrous Christmas delights. Times like these remind you that people genuinely care. Or, something.
I thought I would take this post to kind of recap this insane year. It's not quite over yet, but I think there's enough to reflect on. I don't know about anyone else, but this has been, by far, the craziest year of my entire life. There are things that happened this year that I never thought would happen in my wildest fantasies.
I began the year by climbing into my go-cart hatchback and driving across the country for four days. That was only the beginning of the bizarreness.
This year saw a crazy political shift, as Geore W was challeneged by John Kerry in the Presidential race. Neighborhoods all over the country were divided, communities were actually having discussions, and people were forced to make tough choices. Houses right next to each other had opposing "Bush/Cheney" or "Kerry/Edwards" signs. Family members all across the country had to argue over the issues and stand their ground. Ultimately, Bush became a second term President and the Republicans gained seats in the House and the Senate.
This year we saw the cultural phenomenon of "The Passion of the Christ", which made Mel Gibson even more of a household name. Again, people were confronted with intense ideas. Never had a film portrayed the death of Jesus in such a graphic manner. Theaters were filled up and sold out for extended times. The impact here in Hollywood was really incredible to witness firsthand. I'll never forget sitting in that sold out show one rainy night in March, watching and being deeply moved by this film.
"The Passion of the Christ" did a great deal of overshadowing of the Oscars this year. Much of the national attention was diverted from the ceremony, and hopefully Hollywood got the message. The Oscars saw, in my opinion, the best line up of "best actor" nominations in my lifetime. Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Ben Kingsley, and Sean Penn are some of my favorites. I also loved Tim Robbins and I was glad he won best supporting actor. The Academy Award ceremony was also the time Michael Moore made his controversial statements about the war in Iraq in his acceptance speech. Shortly after that, "Farenheit 9/11" came out in theaters to sell out crowds. In LA, this film got repeated standing ovations at the end of showings. Of course, Hollywood is a bit biased. But, this film still made an impact across the country.
This year saw the loss of President Ronald Reagan, whose Presidental library is about half an hour up the road from me. His body was on display there, but I didn't get to see it. The line was hours long! Reagan was a very beloved President. This year also saw the loss of comedian Rodney Dangerfield, rapper ODB, and one of the best actors of this or any generation, Marlon Brando. It also saw the death of the Wayne Brady show, and the birth of the Tony Danza show. This year "Hey Ya" made huge waves on the charts, and was listed as one of Rolling Stones 500 Greatest songs of all time. I got to meet Andre 3000 outside my favorite smoothie place, 'Jamba juice." He was also in the same showing of "Passion of the Christ" I was in just three days after I met him.
This year the country was somehow riveted by the Scott Peterson trial. The interest of this trial escapes me, but it was all over the news. We also had to hear about Michael Jackson's continued drama with his second child molestation allegation. His trial is set to begin near the end of January. The King of Pop is probably toast this time.
last but not least, this has been a year of war. We have American troops scattered all over Iraq, and we saw much fighting in Fallujah. Hopefully we won't be over there forever, and the violent aspect of this war can be concluded soon.
I don't know about you, but this year has been the height of ecstacy, and the depths of discouragement. I have experienced personal growth, learned about strength, and come to the end of this year with things money could never buy. I'm looking forward to the next year of weird stuff happening, and hopefully it will be all good.

best week ever

Well, friends, in true Hollywood form, this has been an absolutely bizarre week. It has also been exciting, and crazy. At least, it has been for me.
Wednesday night, up at Universal, we had our Christmas employee party. I had to work that night, so I went after my low budget shift. So, it was in this space upstairs that used to be some kind of bar. It was empty, so they used it for the party. I walked up there and was greeted by various co-workers. There were probably about 150 people or so. The DJ was kickin' the 80's music, so that was good. They raffled off over 1000 dollars in gifts, and I won a 50 dollar gift certificate to EB Games. The grand prize was an XBox, which I unfortunately didn't win. However, I was happy with my prize.
They gave away about 8 tickets to the Premiere of "Meet the Fockers", which was thursday night. My friend Jose won two tickets, but he had to work. He called me thursday afternoon before I went to work and asked me if I wanted to trade my gift certificate for the Premiere tickets. Now, I love Ben Stiller and everything, but I ALSO love playing video games for hours. So, I had to politely turn him down. (I hung up on him.) No, not really. But, I told him he may be able to sell the tickets. They were worth about 100 bucks each. I called my roommate Andy, who had the day off, and asked him if he would be interested in buying the tickets from Jose. He was excited about the opportunity, so he jumped at it. He and his ex, Katie, bought the tickets.
Quick background on Katie: and I hope she doesn't mind me telling this: she has been struggling with a brain tumor for months. She had to have surgery, and chemo. She still has treatments, and is undergoing continual treatment. She doesn't get the chance to get out much, so she was happy to get the tickets.
Fastforward to the Premiere: Andy and Katie were in the Universal Ampitheatre. They saw Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow. Katie and Andy both wear the yellow cancer braclet things that Lance started. They got to talk to him about it, and Katie got to tell him that he inspired her. Cool, huh?
Meanwhile, I was outside the pizzeria watching the red carpet. I got to see Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller, and Dustin Hoffman. Many of the people around me saw Barbara Streisand, but I didn't see her. She's afraid of public appearance, so they snuck her in the back. However, my boss got some really nice pictures of her somehow. The media was going nuts because the celebrity status was so high. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Robert DeNiro because he's in New York hosting Satruday Night Live.
This was also the second time I have seen Dustin Hoffman and Ben Stiller. The first time, my friend Les and I were on the Universal lot one afternoon and they were shooting "Meet the Fockers." We didn't know we were standing right next to Dustin Hoffman's trailer. He came out of the parking garage, walked across the street, and walked into his trailer right next to us. Then, he came out, walked around us, and went onto the set. It was hilarious that we were in the way.
last night (friday night) I was in the grocery store buying ingredients for tuna casserole, and Eric Estrada was in line behind me. He was with his kids, so I didn't bother him.
You can probably find some information on the "Meet the Fockers" premeire on the internet. Peace and I'm out.

the Comedy Store

Back in March, a couple of friends of mine from college came to visit. They flew out from Washington D.C. and stayed with me four or five days. We had some bizarre adventures, and the memories are permanent, to say the least. We saw a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel live show, in which my friend Mike Lowery got on stage and did a dance for the audience (I wish I could make stuff up as weird as this), and we ALMOST got on the Price is Right. We missed the Bob Barker glory by about ten minutes. Literally, the people right next to us got into the show, and we didn't. We arrived at the CBS gate in Hollywood at about 6:30 AM, but it wasn't early enough. We waited four hours, but it wasn't enough. We barely didn't make it.
Anyway, one thing we did was go to a comedy club called the Comedy Store. Back in the late eighties and early nineties, the Comedy Store was the hot spot for up and coming comedians. Steve Martin, Jim Carrey, Gallagher, David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, and many others that went on to greatness performed there early in their comedy lives. So, I thought it would be amazing to check out some stand up comedy there. Who knows, we could have seen the next big thing.
Keep in mind, I had only been in Hollywood two months, so I was incredibly naive about how things worked. Apparently, the Laugh Factory, which is right down the road from the Comedy Store, has become the new "it" place. The Comedy Store started going down hill in the late nineties, and now it's sort of a trashy low budget remnant.
First, I'll tell you the idea to go to this place came about when we were at Jimmy Kimmel Live. The warm up comedian said if we went there, and told them we were at the show taping, we could get in free without a cover charge. So, we thought it would be a good idea. We drove down Sunset Blvd until we got to the club. We parked, and walked up to the front. We told the guy behind the "ticket booth" that we were at the show taping, so he let us in. We walked in to a dark, dank, and dirty looking cave. There were old dusty neon signs along the walls, spelling out the names I listed above. There was the stage, the spotlight, and the microphone. And, there were four people in the audience, scattered in the dark corners. I was seriously considering a career evaluation for myself in that moment.
Soon, the first comedian took the stage. We sat through comedian after comedian, and I never thought it would end. There was one forlorn comedian on the stage, probably a 35 year old man. On the brink of tears, with a totally downcast expression, he told us he thought it was ridiculous that he had to perform for four people, and he was going to quit stand-up comedy forever. We're pretty sure he wasn't joking.
After an hour or so of this weird torture, the warm up comedian from the Jimmy Kimmel show showed up. He was like, "Hey, I remember you from that dance you did from the audience!" (talking to Mike.) He tried to convince us to stay and watch more comedians, but we were so freaked out by the environment, we didn't want to stay. But, he talked us into watching "two more" comedians, which became five more. He promised us Comedy Store buttons if we stayed a little longer. Each comedian got worse and worse as the night continued. Some of them got into verbal fights with other people in the audience. One woman just asked us questions about Burt Reynolds the whole routine. She asked Mike, Alex, and me about Burt Reynolds' mustache. Is that comedy? It was so weird. We decided to leave, and when we asked about the Comedy Store buttons, they told us they were out of them.
We left that place about 1:30 in the morning, completely traumatized. I had future confontation with the Comedy Store, but I'll write about that later.

fancy Hollywood parties

My friend Les has been a constant source of interest and adventure since I've lived here. He seems to have a gift for finding bizarre and amazing situations. One such situation was earlier in the summer.
I got an email message from Les saying that this company he was connected with, 'Premiere Catering", was hiring like crazy to get help with a party. They needed more people to help with an upcoming HBO emmy party! Of course, I was interested in helping. I wasn't sure how the situation would turn out, but I knew it would be crazy. And, at least I could get paid a little extra. So, I emailed the woman with Premiere Catering, and was able to get the job. That sunday afternoon, they day of the Emmy ceremony, Les, Ward, and I climbed into an SUV and headed down to West Hollywood. It was so rad to go through police barracades and security, just telling them that we were working at the party. It was inside this graphic design firm. It was close to where my roommate Andy works, at Koontz Hardware in North Hollywood. We were all wearing our "fancy pants", and we were given black dress shirts upon arrival.
If you're familiar with the Hollywood system, it should be no surprise that all 75-80 workers of this catering company were struggling low budget actors. The situation was like a dream, as we were instructed not to ask for autographs or for pictures. Les, Ward, and I were each assigned to different teams with specific jobs. Ward was stuck bussing tables. Les was working at a buffet table. And I, of course, was stuck with the job I most dreaded: holding silver platters full of drinks. This could only be bad.
Words can't describe it. The theme was roses, and everything was covered with rose petals, plush red velvet seats, tables, chairs, a DJ and a leopard print dance floor. And, there was a giant red pavilion tent set up. This was the super VIP section, with only the biggest stars, or something.
As the night began, things went normally. People entered, and I stood at the back entrance with a silver platter of drinks. As the night progressed, one of the managers of Premiere Catering asked me to help out with bussing. This was when the really strange part happened. I was able to walk around to different tables, asking people if they were done with their plates. Since HBO swept the Emmys this year, they were showing acceptance speeches on a giant screen. Whenever an acceptance speech would start, people would quiet down, and applaud the speech. I was surrounded by so many people in the entertainment biz, it was strange.
I got to see people dancing around with Emmys in their hands! I got to see Chris Rock sneacking in the back door. I got to see Ray Ramano come in the party surrounded by his entarouge. I saw William H. Macy, Mark Wahberg, Glen Close, Mos Def, most of the cast of "the Sapranos", Shannon Daugherty, the guy who played Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscimi, among my favorites. It was an exciting and insane nine hours of constant work, but it was amazing.
You can read a little bit about the HBO emmy party by clicking on Daily News Bulletin.

plight of the homeless

Whenever I eat at the low budget Panda Express near my apartment, I almost always get approached by a homeless person. Most eating establishments in L.A. have outdoor eating patio areas of some kind. Sitting outside the Panda Express draws many homeless for some reason. A little while back, a scruffy looking man walked up to me and began talking to me from behind a shrub.
"Got any change?"
"No, I'm sorry. I don't have any change." At least I was being honest.
"Thank you, sir. At least you're nice. Most people ain't nice."
Once I was in McDonald's with my low budget food, and a short little Indian woman approached my table. She stood uncomfortably close to me, and asked me for the Monopoly game pieces from my drink. I told her I collected them, which was a lie. She said, "Oh,...I don't think so." So, I gave her the game pieces that were supposedly "for her kids", just so she would go away. But, that wasn't enough. She thought there was another game piece on my french fry box, so she grabbed the box and started trying to rip the game piece off. Whoa. I have limits.
I've been approached by homeless people that were more of the "insane" persuasion. There's a lovely diner in North Hollywood that I frequent, known as the NoHo diner. Once, my friend Travis and I were leaving after a hearty meal. As we rounded the corner going into the parking lot, we were awkwardly confronted by a scraggled Hispanic man. Most of his teeth were gone, his skin was grundgy, and his tattered flannel shirt must have been sweltering in the summer sun. We had to stop, however, because he was blocking us from our cars. He proceeded to explain to us that he had just gotten out of jail, and he needed to get to Santa Monica. He told us he had learned some terrific jokes while he was in prison for twenty years. His English, by the way, was not the best. He asked us to pick a number in our minds. Then, we had to add, subtract, and multiply that number by certain amounts. Then, at the end, you would have the number he proclaimed. "9!" He was right. Maybe he was psychic, or something. He then told us that we could go into any bar, and really impress the senioritas with that trick.
My friend Les was going to the bank one day, and as soon as he opened his SUV door, and elderly homeless man approached his vehicle. Les couldn't even step out of his car. The man told Les that he needed to borrow some money for the drug store because he was bleeding from the anus.
My friend Ward was at the grocery store one day when a younger man came running up to him in the parking lot. he told Ward that his wife was in the hospital, he desperately needed to get there, and he needed to borrow Ward's car for just a couple of hours. Um...no thanks. There will be no borrowing of cars by weird people in parking lots.
Living around homeless people is just part of the experience of being here. I don't know if there's a perfect way to handle the situation, but Les and I have given homeless people leftover food from our work before. You can at least be concious that they exist, without accomodating their drug habits or helping the problem. Travis used to give them a phone number of a shelter where they could get some help. That's better than giving them thirty five cents, I guess.

Uncle Chuck

One of the most important things to me about finding your identity in a community is getting involved in a church. The first weekend I was in L.A., I accomodated my friends Les, Travis, Rich, and Ward to a church called Shepherd of the Hills. (Many of the modern protestant churches in L.A. don't have official denomination affiliation). In true L.A. fashion, this church does not meet on sunday morning. It meets at 6 PM sunday night. you also won't find a shirt and tie in sight at this place. You'll think you've stumbled onto the set of the O.C. Young, vibrant L.A. beauty.
This church is also gigantic. Forget any image you have of a mega church. This place has services on saturday night, sunday morning, sunday afternoon, and sunday night. There's a total of seven churches. The total attendance of this church is about the population of Morristown, Tennessee. It's big. Their fourth of July celebration had streets blocked off, stages set with live bands, and a multi million dollar fireworks display. However, I'm not sure if Jesus showed up or not.
The point is, this place is different. However, the worship services are terrific. Most of the pastors are from the southeast region originally, so it's a little taste of home. The first sunday night I was there, it was a fairly full house. We walked in, and found our seats somewhat near the front. The service was amazing, and I really felt like I was at the right place at the right time.
At the end of the service, there were a series of baptisms. One of the "baptizees" was a girl named Jennifer Norris. After the baptisms were over, the church service ended, and everyone broke apart to leave. As we left our seats, I noticed...hey,...isn't that...? Yes. Chuck Norris.
The whole service Mr. Norris had been sitting three seats in front of me, along with his wife and young children. Was this true? Yes, I had just seen Chuck Norris's daughter get baptized.
A week or two later, I showed up to the service minutes after it started. They're very laid back about what time they start. 6 PM usually means 6:15 or 6:20. At any rate, they had already started, so i stumbled around in the darkness for my friends. i found them, and joined the worship in progress. I noticed fairly quickly, however, that Chuck Norris was sitting next to me. Now, it's very hard to focus on worship when you're standing next to Walker Texas Ranger. The whole thing just takes a different spin. We also had communion that service, which was an experience all it's own. Imagine everyone reverently praying with their heads bowed. The communion tray with the bread comes down the aisle, and Chuck Norris takes one then hands it to me. A minute later, the communion drink comes down the aisle, and Chuck Norris takes one and hands it to me. Very surreal.
One weekend my friends and i were looking for Uncle Chuck, but he wasn't there. We saw later on the news that he was skydiving with former President Bush. Huh?
The last time I saw Mr. Norris and his family at church, they sat right behind us. There was no one else around in that area except my friends, me, and Chuck Norris' family. During our "meet and greet" time, I said hello, introduced myself, and shook his hand. That was several months ago, and I haven't seen the Norris family at church since then. To this day, I still feel kind of bad that they're not there. I'm sure they're in Texas, or Norris is filmming a movie or something, but I still feel bad. I hope we didn't lavish them with too much attention in the services. I tried to be tactful and appropriate. But, you never know.
I know there are other active celebrity Christians in Hollywood as well. I know that "Weird Al" Yankovic is Seventh Day Adventist, or something, and goes to church regularly. Once, Travis and Ward went to hear a Christian author speak at a church service, and in the front row they saw "Biff" from Back to the Future, worshipping and participating in the service. John Schneider, from "The Dukes of Hazzard", and "Smallville" is an active Christian in the town, and has been working steadily in film and television ever since "Hazzard."
I know other various working actors in Hollywood who are approaching this weird business from a Christian perspective. One person I've had the privelage to meet is Doug Jones, who I'll write more on later. He definitely deserves his own post. I'll probably get his permission before I blab all about him on the internet, too.
Anyhoo, I guess God is at work in every corner of our society.

Wolverine Water

The second week or so upon moving to Hollywood, I got a job up at Universal Studios. There were many advantages to working there. First, it's only about a mile away. That makes it easy on the 'ol CRX. Secondly, Universal employees have access to the lower lot, where all the movies, commercials, shows, etc are made. That means I can wander around sets, backlot soundstages, and production offices. I'll just use this blog to share a couple of the first exciting things that happened to me when I started working there.
I don't actually work in the theme park. I work on the Citywalk outside the theme park. One day i went up to work, and right outside the pizza joint where I work, they had an elaborate red carpet set up, and a section with all the media. I found out that the Van Helsing premiere was happening that night. Apparently, the media was right next to our pizza place, and the red carpet went right in front of it. This was hilariously perfect. Because I was an employee, I had access to the red carpet that even the media didn't have. I was outside on the Churro cart (if you don't know what a churro is, you have to find out!) And I saw slews of celebrities going down the red carpet. I had screaming fans on my right, media on my left, and the red carpet in front of me. Obviously, no one was buying any churros, so I got to just hang out and watch everything, while getting paid a very small amount.
Near the end of the event, a woman came running up to the cart dressed very professionally. She frantically asked me, "Do you take credit cards? Do you take credit cards?" I regreted to inform her that the cart was cash only. She got really freaked out when I told her this. Then, she said, "I just need one bottle of water. I'll pay you later, or whatever it takes. I just really need it now!" I didn't know how to react, being bombarded like this. Then, she seemed to get really desperate as she checked her watch. "Look, this bottle of water is for Hugh Jackman. I swear. I'll pay you later." Pay me later? Why, anything for Mr. Jackman. As I got the bottle out, another man came running up to the cart frantically, waving cash around. He bought more water, and paid for the woman's water. Apparently, she was Hugh Jackman's personal assistant, or something. Then, minutes later, cameras went crazy, and the crowd went nuts as Hugh came strolling down the carpet. When he got in front of the cart, he stopped and began signing autographs for some little girls. Then, he WALKED OFF THE CARPET and stood feet in front of the cart!!! So, there I was, in the middle of this movie premiere, with Hugh Jackman signing autographs, surrounded by flashing bulbs and tv cameras. Was this really happening? Doesn't that only happen in bizarre dreams?
There's nothing profound about this story. I thought it was interesting, or something.

Following in the footsteps of Will Ferrell

Tonight at work a co-worker asked me why I was in Hollywood. I told him I was here to pursue comedy. He kind of chuckled and said, "Keep your day job." Do people actually say that?
Shortly after I moved here, I auditioned for and began taking classes at the Groundlings school of improvisation. They've got a web site that explains what they're all about at http://www.groundlings.com. Anyway, this school is down in Hollywood on Melrose Avenue. It's kind of a sleazy avenue, and it's known for its trendy shops and whatnot. Not my cup of tea, it's a bit too trashy. The Groundlings school has been around since the 70's, so I suppose a lot of things have changed there since the school was founded.
I arrived at 10 AM on the morning of my audition appointment. There were about twelve others scheduled for a group audition. Sitting in the lobby, looking at pictures of various Groundlings sketches through the years, I struck up a conversation with a girl sitting next to me. The vibe in the air was kind of tense, so I wanted to break the ice.
"I feel like we're waiting at the dentist's office, or something."
We began talking about reality tv, or some such nonsense. The lobby was filled with Hollywood hopefuls wringing their hands, some chatting, some staring at the wall nervously.
As if i wasn't nervous enough, the doors to the Groundlings theatre opened, and Mindy Sterling emerged. If you don't recognize that name, you may remember her from the Austin Powers movies. If I wasn't nervous yet, I was nervous then!! She herded us into the theatre like cattle, and we all took our seats.
There it was. The Groundlings stage. Hallowed ground for comedians and/or improv fans. Molly Shannon, Chris Kattan, Will Ferell, Chris Parnell, Mya Rudolph, Lisa Kudrow, Phil Hartman, and even Paul Reubens graced the stage as they got their training there at one time or another.
The audition process was intense, and intimidating at times. We played a series of improv "games", including one in which we all stood in a straight line on the stage. The first person would begin telling a story, until Mindy pointed to someone else, and they had to continue the story seamlessly. We did a few two person scenes in which we were given a scenerio, and we had to act it out. I was in a scene where I was in a restaurant. The other guy was the waiter, and he had to inform me that the restaurant was closing for good that day. I'll tell you right now, I made some bold choices in that scene. When the waiter informed me that the restaurant was closing, instead of acting sad or disappointed, which would be the typical reaction, I burst into a fit of pure joy. I explained that I was happy the place was closing down, because my wife forced me to go there every day. After the scene, Ms. Sterling said, "Evan, that was a really interesting choice to play it happy." I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was being honest.
After the audition was done, they opened the door and herded us back out like cattle. "We'll be in touch", in true Hollywood form. I actually felt really bad about my audition. I walked out of the doors, and began making my way down the sidewalk. Half way to my car I stopped. I wanted to turn around and go back. I wanted to beg them to let me in. I wanted to explain that I was just having an off day, and that I really am good at improv. I wanted to beg them. But, I didn't. I just went to my car and drove back to my apartment.
The next day, I got the good news that I had been accepted into the school. "Congratulations! We'll take your money!"
I'm sorry for being a name dropper. I don't care anymore. I don't care about stepping on anyone's toes anymore. If you're not careful, people will take advantage of you and use you. One thing about city life, you have to be on your toes and stand your ground. I've been mellowed by this town, but also hardened. the Groundlings classes helped me focus and compose my goals. Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. There are many life lessons to be learned here in Hollywood, as well as acting lessons.
I also want to thank people who believe in me and encourage me in this endeavour. It's certianly a struggle. I've learned the true meaning of "struggling", as well as "starving." Even if I leave Hollywood as an anonymous statistic, I've still got my integrity....right?

the stage is set

I can't remember the exact moment I decided to move to Hollywood. I suppose it's a dream I've had for years. Back in the beautiful woods of East tennessee, around '93, I went to a private middle school/high school called Harrison Chilhowee. Mr. Bradam was my history teacher. He also invited me to be in a musical in 8th grade. I had never really performed, but I enjoyed making the older high schoolers laugh, so i thought it would be a great opportunity to show off. It was a musical called "Base 6". (or "Basics"). I was the sarcastic "funny guy" in the play, which consisted of mostly high schoolers. I was definitely hooked! I'll never forget the joy of making adults laugh.
Years later, at the age of 23, In 2002, I was working for a Christian youth camp called Student Life. I was on the acting team. We had an orientation camp, and that's where I met a young man named Les Bradford. he first approached me one morning and asked me if I was on the acting team. I definitely sized him up as the athletic type. He had a deep southern drawl as he explained he was from Alabama, and he was on the recreation team. (That meant he was in charge of organizing youth athletics at our camp.) Yup. Athletic. And very Alabama. he then explained, "I'm interested in actin'." Huh? Yeah, right. Everyone is.
I regreted my judgement of Les. He explained that he had lived in L.A. for a couple of years, had an agent, and had even done some acting. What?!? Shame on me for judging him so harshly. Now, I don't want to embarass Les too much, but he has a significant claim to Hollywood fame. If you watch "Gigli", starring Ben Affleck and J.Lo, you can see Les in the diner scene getting his laptop smashed over Ben's knee. Am I really seeing this? That's my friend Les?
Well, Les and I became friends that summer, long before "Gigli" came out. I had another friend on the acting team with me named Doug Clayton. He was from California, and was making plans to move to L.A. By the end of the summer, Les had already approached me about moving to tinsel town. I stayed in contact with Les and Doug over the next year and a half while I finished college.
So, here I was, piling up my '91 Honda CRX with most of my low budget worldly posessions, mere days after my December graduation in 2003. The day I left home was a wrenching one. it wasn't east to sat goodbye to my brother, sister-in-law, Mom, Dad, and my neices Taylor and Emilee. So, all alone on the open road, I set out for the promised land. All I had was some clothes, a chunk of money in my bank account, a college degree, and some vague dreams of becoming a mediocre actor/comedian.
I was very impressed and encouraged by my friends' support. I definitely wasn't prepared for the outpouring of love and advice from my friends and family on my crazy move. My friends even had a goodbye get-together the day before I left. They made a cake with a map of the U.S., and a red line from east Tennessee to California. It was a hallmark staple in my life. What awaited me in sunny California? How would Hollywood treat me? Only the next few months could tell.

now is the time

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Evan, and I am a starving artist. I went to Carson-Newman college in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Now, I reside in the giant mecha of Los Angeles, California. More specifically, Studio City, California. yup, this town will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought. i'm 25 years old, and I having a college degree in Communications. I almost had a Religion degree, but missed it by one class. That's right,...literally one class. But, it's ok.
I want this site to be a glimpse into my life and times here in Hollywood. I may include excerpts from my very personal daily journal. There are many incredible tales to tell, and I want people to hear my story. It's the story of a free soul, roaming through this great nation of ours in search of fulfilling a hunger. The hunger is to become that thing which every artist senses, but can't place a finger on. It's a romantic experience, wrought with excitement, disappointment, frustration, and sheer joy. This experience has taken me from the tip top ecstacy of cloud nine, to the depths of the darkest discouragement and lonliness. But, don't be confused: I'm not bipolar. it's just all part of the quest of a wandering soul to find God's purpose in the beauty of the land, and acting out the will of God in relation to fellow man. I hope you're interested in hearing my story.