Today is bleak, cold. The leaves are sodden, fallen on the wet pavement. Rain falls outside, and I can feel the chill in the air. A couple mornings ago, I heard the call of the geese – finally leaving town.
This week it’s Thanksgiving. I’m going home for a day … it will be good to get out of the city. I want to go down to the beach. My favorite time to see the ocean is in the late fall, and the winter. The bleakness is – poetic to me, cathartic. Much better than the sun-blasted days of summer.
I’m finally joining Actor’s Equity. It’ll all be final in the next couple of weeks. This is good good news.
This week it’s also my birthday. I’ve been keeping a low profile about it. Whatever. Normally, I get all stressed out in the days approaching my birthday – but I think that usually happens when I don’t have too much else going on, and all I do is sit around thinking about myself. THEN I get stressed out. Not wacky about the birthdays. But this year, it feels okay. Even though, you know, I’m still not married and stuff like that.
I watched LA Confidential last night. Uhm … I’ve seen that movie … 15 times, maybe? It never gets old. I never get tired of certain scenes. It’s just … a marvelous accomplishment. Maybe I’ll talk more about it later. But it was really fun to watch it again – haven’t seen it in quite some time. Guy Pearce was the one who really struck me this time around – Normally, I am too gob-smacked by Russell Crowe’s performance to really notice anyone else – but Guy Pearce is terrific in it. Just terrific. Even more terrific when you see him in interviews, etc., and realize he is NOTHING like Exley. He has a couple of close-ups that are phenomenal. After Dudley (the great Cromwell) says “I’d like you to look up an associate of Vincennes … a Rolo Tomassi …” Close-up of Pearce’s face. The dawning horror. But he has to hold it together. GREAT close-up – that’s exactly what a close-up SHOULD be – a psychologically probing moment, where we get to see inside someone’s thought process. Then Dudley walks on – leaving Exley behind – and the shot is: we see the back/side of Exley’s head, and as Dudley passes, Exley turns to the camera, and watches Dudley walk out of sight. Now that’s ANOTHER phenomenal close-up. Anyone remember that moment? His eyes are like laser beams – there is suddenly a hardness in his face, a coldness – he has lost the smugness in one moment … He now knows the kind of monster he is dealing with. In those two close-ups, we see Exley – an insufferably vain and smug man – give all that stuff up, and become a man – he becomes a COP, a real COP in those two close-ups. Great job. I love that movie.
That’s great news–congratulations! (And hippo birdie). Have a great Thanksgiving.
From a fairly uneventful beginning, in Aussie soaps, Guy Pearce has done some great work in the movies I’ve seen him in.. Adventures of Priscilla as well as LA Confidential.
And congrats on the good good news too!
i like james cromwell in that movie also.
I’m going home for a day
Can we anticipate a train ride story?
Even though, you know, I’m still not married and stuff like that.
I’ll make you a deal. If neither one of us is married by the time we’re 40 we’ll…Wait. That’s been done before.
RE: LA Confidential. I think it would be fun to sit and watch a movie with you and you could provide commentary on the actors. I think I would appreciate their/your craft more if I understood all the nuances ‘n “stuff.”
Figured this was a good place to drop a Happy Thanksgiving. I can’t relate to your view of Fall this year even though I spent several years in Western NY and Nebraska. I grew up in South Florida and Fall just meant playing footbal as opposed to baseball. And Phoenix is just as good. :)
Actor’s Equity?? (I am SO show business ignorant!)
JFH – Actor’s Equity is the union for stage actors. Just like Screen Actor’s Guild is the union for film. There are many reasons NOT to “turn Equity” … it keeps you from doing certain non-union jobs – but now in my life is a perfect time to join the union.
Patrick –
hahahaha NO TRAIN RIDE STORY!
I learned my lesson. I’m taking the bus home tomorrow morning. No more Amtrak.
Somebody’s gettin’ a present. . .
beth – i totally agree. I love how Cromwell turns the supposedly affectionate term “boyo” into a sort of menacing threat.
Lisa –
what is it????
This really wasn’t a ‘buy me stuff’ plug – but I do appreciate it nonetheless!! Which reminds me – I still have to send you that feckin’ mistletoe candle – which is in my desk drawer right now. Why am I such a loser??
Here is the only thing I have really asked for from my parents – we’re pretty informal now. My mom called me: “What do you want for your birthday?”
So that’s what I want. Not that exact version – I am sure we can find something cheaper – at Home Goods or something – but something JUST LIKE IT. My mom and I can go shopping for it. I can’t wait!!!
Now if I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise! But it’s something from your list, something you’ll be able to enjoy from your new chair (which is beautiful, btw).
Like the chair. I am not a fan of recliners. Give me a nice captain’s chair and ottoman any day.
Hippy barthday! also.
Oh, and speaking of Actor’s Equity: please keep your fingers crossed as hard as you can that there is not already a Sheila O’Malley listed in Actor’s Equity. PLEASE LET ME KEEP MY NAME!! I love my name.
If I have to change my name, I think I will change it to something impenetrably Irish.
Aoife
Saoirse
Medb – or better yet: Meadhbh!!
Uathach
Fionnabhair
Eibhilín (Uhm … that’s Eileen in English, if anyone is interested)
I could go on and on. However – I love my name. Please let me keep it!!
Can’t you just be Sheila K. O’Malley or Sheila O’Hara-O’Malley or something?
I’m all for Sheila O’Hara-O’Malley.
If I can’t have my beloved first name, then I would love to go with someone completely insane like Aoife. hahahaha
I could probably get away with putting my middle initial (very good memory,Emily!!!) in there – I guess it depends. if there is another Sheila O’Malley out there, and she has a vibrant career, doing regional theatre throughout the provinces – then it would be best for me to just pick another name altogether. But if there is another Sheila O’Malley out there on the rolls, and she lives in Staten Island and hasn’t had a job since 1963 … then I could probably just add the K to my name – with no worries that I will be mistaken for someone else. … We shall see, we shall see.
or how about Tara O’Hara?
The “K” was a totally random choice of letter! How funny that I got it correct.
I seriously considered hyphenating my last name with my mother’s maiden name a while back when there was this British model also called Emily Jones who was going around screwing every C and D-list celebrity in England and then bragging about it to News of the World. Either that, or get business cards printed up that say “I swear under the penalty of perjury that I have never had sex with George Best’s son” under my name.
Tara O’Hara?
As long as you stay relatively sober and avoid nipple slippage. The name Tara now carries a heavy price.
She’La O’Malley
She B. O’Malley
She Laomalley
Paris O’Malley
!!!!! H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !!!!!
u, emma, amber…al b-days this week..i love you..u seem less depressed than usual for b-day time..im glad..hooray for Equity!!! The initiation fee is a bitch tho’!!! I miss u.
Congrats on AEQ, happy birthday (you’re not getting older, you’re getting more marketable as a character actress), happy thanksgiving…
As to the name; why not kill two birds with one stone, adopt a Cajun twang, and call yourself Sheila Variations?
No? You’re sure?
Anyway, happy birthday!
Mitchell-
I’m using my salary from this show for the initiation fee – it all works out!!
I know – so many people’s birthdays this week! I think Emma’s is on Thanksgiving this year, right?
Let’s hear it for the Sagittarians!!
I don’t believe in astrology or anything, but Sagittarians rule.
Capricorn’s where it’s at, baby!
Libras are the best. Or not.
A Libra broke my heart into a gazillion pieces. So yes. They are the best. Or not.
A Sagittarius broke my favorite coffee mug into a bunch o’ pieces. Not the same thing though.
I should say not. You can buy another coffee mug.
A coffee mug, perhaps. But not that coffee mug! :(
Science fiction is working on the heart thing. I’m sure ;)
:: hiding his Libran-ness ::
Happy Birthday, Sheila!
:: Golf Clap ::
Well done…Well done…Bravo…Bravo…
I vote for She’La O’Malley. HAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHA!
wutz –
Nothing against Libras. I was more in love with a Libra than I ever was with anyone. Libras and Sagittarians are apparently very good together (grain of salt assumed here.) But it sure was that way for me – fireworks!!
Beth –
Or how about La’She O’Malley.
I think that might be confusing, ethnically. If you know what I mean.
Oh by the way, Beth – I did get your email – I just haven’t responded because I’m an idiot.
sounds great!!! Can’t wait!
hey wutzizname – what is Rachel True’s sign?
If anyone would know, it would be you!!!
How about Sheila Ashtray?
hahahaha
Ah yes, the good old days!
Happy birthday, Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Joining-Actor’s-Equity, Sheila! Have a great time back in Rhode Island.
Oh, and for the record, I’m a Gemini, and that does describe me rather well…er, not that I believe in such things, of course…which I suppose is a very Gemini thing to say. ;-)
Rachel’s Birthday is Nov. 15. Isn’t that Scorpio/Sadge cusp?