How Do You Find an Agent... and Keep One!

Hey Future Stars!

So, one of my personal not-really-a-joke jokes is "One of these days I'm going to start taking my career seriously, then look out!" I say that because I often do these big great gigs, and then I stop for a while... and then I get back into the swing of things.

Well, this week I went to see my friend Lisa Gold do her great seminar for actors: "How to Get and Keep an Agent" See, every once in a while, I get worried about my agent relationship, so I went for the "Keep an Agent" part.  But a lot of my friends often ask me:

"How Do You Find An Agent, Bones?"

I often get into a conversation where I reminisce about the days when I freelanced for a while with several different agencies, until I eventually had to sign with my favorite. My advice to How Do You Find An Agent is really anecdotal, but when pressed, I can do a seminar on it too!

But the way that Lisa Gold puts her work together, you can tell that she really enjoys helping actors get ahead in their careers.

 Well, after I went to her seminar this week, I'm SUPER-RECOMMENDING her work. I told some people to go to the live seminar, but now I see that Lisa has them available for download.

Even though I am a professional working actor and have a career going, Lisa has changed my approach to many of the ways I'm tackling not only getting representation, but so much more about the biz that I didn't even know I needed to know!

The seminar download is just a few bucks, and since I make money online instead of waiting tables I just decided to use some of that cash to pay for my actor training. That made sense to me. So, the next time someone asks me "How Do You Find An Agent", I'm sending them to Lisa!

I give Lisa Gold, Act Outside the Box, and How to Get and Keep an Agent my HIGHEST recommendation.  Here's a LINK  to find out more about it.

 I hope you get it, love it, and use it like I did.

 Let Your Light So Shine Before Men,

Bones

Wait- I missed the Victoria's Secret Special?

OMG.

 I missed it?

 I MISSED IT?!?!?! 

I got a text from my cousin saying that his wife was "SURE those boobs were fake"
 and I was like "Wha....? Who...?"

 And he said "You're NOT watching the VICTORIA'S SECRET special?"

 I jumped from my seat, and turned on the TV: Just in time to see this:

She was just leaving the stage, and I didn't even know The Victoria's Secret Special was on!

I was on a Webinar learning how to make money online, and it was so good, I totally lost track of time! The Victoria's Secret Special was the last thing on my mind because I was learning how to make money to BUY all of the stuff! 

 So, my wife was like "Ohhhh, you missed it? Maybe it'll be on Demand."

 I obviously am The Luckiest Guy to have found my wife.

 So, instead, I just went to the Internet and found this:



Problem Solved :-)

 Now, I'll say this- These are some skinny women.

 I mean, I'm all into fitness, and my wife does trapeze and is strong and thin, but the women in Victoria's Secret are skinny. I'm all for women in underwear, and these are absolutely gorgeous, but I wouldn't mind seeing a woman with some good curves.

Maybe there needs to be a SPECIAL Victoria's Secret Special for women with hips!

 Does anyone agree with me?

Seth Godin's Formula For Success in 2012 and Beyond

How To Succeed in The "New Economy" according to Seth Godin...

Let me make this clear- I think Seth Godin is brilliant. I love how he writes, and how he has been on the cutting edge of marketing and the world of business from an IDEA standpoint instead of the money standpoint. He makes a clear distinction between doing something for a PURPOSE versus doing something for an "advantage". "Tribes" is probably his most powerful book, but I have almost all of them, and I eagerly pre-order a Seth Godin release the second I hear about it.

What does Seth Godin say now?

This video clip has Seth Godin sitting down with some dude talking about why people now have to take their own financial destinies into their own hands. "Pick Yourself" he says, and I've been doing it for years now.
 
Seth Godin says "Pick Yourself"

 I keep telling people that I don't have to ask permission from anyone where or when I can go eat, go to the bathroom, release my book, play HALO, or do ANYTHING because I create my own income... Some days I'm better than others, but that's not the point! What do YOU want to do in life? WHY should you create a new independent course for yourself?

Will you follow Seth Godin's advice?

If you want to start being more independent, I suggest you take a look at how we're creating incomes with this blog. You don't need to wait for anyone's permission- you can really "Pick Yourself"

PICK YOURSELF HERE

Look Sexy, Save Money, and Help Some Sick Kids...

Today is Black Friday, and the stores are selling, selling, selling. Well today, I felt like I should be helping someone, and I realized that I have stuff to sell, and I could help people along the way...
One of my best books- "Half-Assed Health- How To Look Good Naked -WITHOUT Starving, Suffering, or Surgery" is available today for $4.99, and for every purchase, I'm going to give someone a 10-minute consultation, AND donate a dollar towards the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation.

When you buy HALF ASSED HEALTH, you'll realize how the Workout industry just churns people and makes money from their misery, making things FAR more complicated than thy need to be, so they can continue to make money on people's fears.

IT"S IN THEIR INTEREST TO MAKE THINGS COMPLICATED!

 In my book, I break down the SIMPLEST, EASIEST and FASTEST ways to change your body- and you can read it in ONE sitting.

 Many people don't know this, but when I was little I had Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, and it's a horrible disease. In me, it was a reaction to Penicillin and what happens is that your body actually BURNS ITSELF from the inside out. The people have to go to the BURN UNIT, and are treated for relief- there is no cure. Manute Bol died of it, as many people do. 80% of people are left blind in one or both eyes, and it's pretty traumatizing. I was in the hospital for 2 months, and went to school very late into 1st grade, where all the kids thought I was very dirty (My skin was all different colors).

  Anyway, I hope you'll watch the video, and use $5 of non-shopping to help me make a small difference to some sick people, and get SEXY-LOOKING at the same time!

Lucky Guy?

So, when a guy gets married, it’s polite to call him “Lucky“.

“Oh, she’s a great lady- you’re a LUCKY guy!” people say. And whereas I’m sure it’s true sometimes, why is it that we say that? It’s not much of a compliment to the woman, now is it? “Oh, well- you got that girl, who OBVIOUSLY is an idiot, otherwise she wouldn't have picked YOU!”

That’s an insult to both of them, isn't it?

Like, he’s LUCKY that she had NO OTHER OPTIONS to choose from?

Well, I got news for you, and on behalf of all of us guys who were “lucky” enough to find some great women-

IT TAKES BALLS.

So maybe we were “lucky” enough that we HAD THE BALLS to ask out our women, court them, romance them, and eventually marry them. Maybe we were “lucky” enough not to let the opportunity pass us by, and instead put our hearts on the line and commit despite the fact that NO man actually wants to do that (yeah, I said it).

Maybe we were “lucky” enough that when she was crying we CARED and let her have a shoulder and a manly, soothing, protective hug.

Maybe we were “Lucky” enough to tell our friends “she’s the one” and tell the other women “sorry, I’m taken”.

But that hasn’t been my experience. For me, everytime I’ve found myself with a woman, it took some sort of RISK, I took a CHANCE, and it took BALLS for me to get there.

Saying hello takes BALLS.

Asking for her name when all you want to do is rip off her clothes takes BALLS.

Leaning in for the first kiss takes BALLS.

Saying “I don’t know what the future holds, but dammit, I want to spend it with you, and I’ll do whatever I can to put a smile on your face” TAKES BALLS.

And women like men with BALLS.

So yeah, I know some guys who are ultra-duds and they’re with some hot but so-desperate-I-was-getting-older-and-I-wanted-to-get-married women who were lucky to be in the right place at the right time, but even then- it took BALLS.

So next time you hear someone say that to a guy, just remember that even if he’s a sloppy, slovenly, dumb, ugly, unmotivated, broke loser- at some point, he had some BALLS.

and to BE LUCKY TAKES BALLS.

So- do you have what it takes to get LUCKY?

It’s like growing a business- sure, some guys get lucky, but some guys GROW SOME BALLS AND GO FOR IT.

Will You?'

P.S- If you’re a guy who “Got Lucky” with his woman, why not pass this around- no one will think you’re being arrogant, and if they do- f*ck ‘em! BALLS.

P.P.S- By the way, ALLLLLL of this stands for women too. And for women, it can be even harder, because you’re not expected to “Have Balls” I mean, the metaphor is… BALLS! Maybe we should call them “OVARIES”!

The Moment It All Changes

This feels unfinished, but doesn't everything...?
*****************

As this book opens, we see you reading it. The surrounding areas are a picture of your life right now. This is the beginning of our movie, and you’re the star- we know this because we’ve started with you, sitting there, reading this.

The thing is, we flash back to that time you wanted to do something, that thing you wanted to do, we see scenes of your life where you have failed over and over, and we see how those times, and what you learned during them have brought you to your current life- sitting there reading this,

But now we see you take a deep breath.

You let it out slowly- with resolve, you look at the camera and say:

Today is going to be different!

That thing you wanted to do today, that thing that you were going to put off- that reason that you bought this book, in the small hopes that it would get you off your ass to go TRY- that reason is now the thing you ARE going to do. You have no doubt about it-

The audience swells in a little cheer as we see you take another deep breath, look to camera and say- YES- I WILL!!

The couple in the front row hold each other a little tighter, because your resolve has spread to them- he’;s going to be a better husband, she is going to be a better wife. Your resolve to finally go do that thing you really, really want to try has given them courage to be better for each other.

The old man in the middle seat smiles wide, his wrinkles and age spots coming together in a dance like the stars on the night sky, remembering a time when he went for it- that girl, that job, that small showing of courage and telling life that he would not be denied. His feeling reminds him of what it is like to be alive, and he too resolves that he is not dead- dammit, if he can watch a movie, and he can breath, then dammit- he can still go do it!

You smile at your audience, knowing that you have done this for them, and you immediately get started on your plan. You know that every montage needs a list of actions, and most have a paper plan- step 1- is always to begin, even if the hero doesn’t know what to do.

so you start. My god, the makeup people have done a fantastic job because you look amazing. The lighting people have this glow that is coming from you, the music swells, and the camera pans in to watch you working hard towards your goal. We all know that you will make it if you keep it up.

You begin with excitement and energy; you feel like you are a new person, and you are- you are now one of those people who does the thing- not anymore being someone who SAYS they’re “going to” or a non-whatever- you are an actual member of that elite group- you call yourself by one of those titles even before you have actually finished because you know you will accomplish it, you just haven’t caught up to that moment in time yet.

We are watching your montage- you have never been so attractive because your light shines from the inside, your resolve, your spirit, your LIFE has led you to this moment, and we feel happy and giddy as we watch you take action.

Your first obstacle comes up, and whereas before it would be a stumbling block, maybe even something that would have prevented your goal, you break through it simply because you have already made that decision- there’s nothing to think about anymore- you are in the PROCESS, and it doesn’t end here- the PROCESS ends at the finish line, at the goal, at the end- when you WIN.

It doesn’t actually matter when that is, how far in the future, or even if it’s beyond your lifetime- you have set the actions in motion, and the audience watches, now knowing how the movie ends, but wanting to watch it happen.

And then you stop.

You stop for a second.

Just to reflect on what has happened.

Not just in this montage, but from the beginning- you watch that horrible thing that happened so long ago, and realize that it HAD to happen for you to come to this point in your life. You can actually look at that horrible time in your life, and from this perspective be GRATEFUL for it, because of how it has all turned out.

Without that horrible experience, which you cursed at the time, you wouldn’t be able to do what you are doing now. You see it again, from this perspective, and its pain has transformed. It’s not that the memory doesn’t hurt; it still does, but you relish in it. From this perspective, it gives you a new appreciation for the rest of your life- you see it all as a part of what has brought you to now.

And that’s when it happens.

In the middle of this montage.

Your actions, and reflections. Your past and present.

You see your life from the FUTURE, and realize that it has ALWAYS been about building you towards the next thing you want to do. The next thing you want to BECOME.

Your entire life: the childhood traumas, the teen angst, the adult insecurities, the middle-age doubts, the senior fears have all conspired together to help you CREATE WHO YOU ARE- you ARE these experiences, and you ARE the choices, and you ARE the PROCESS itself.

From this vantage point, the audience watching your growth cheers, seeing themselves in the process, seeing themselves as the challenges, seeing themselves AS the process.

We ARE the process, and we can cheer about every part of it. We stand up, together, cheering, applauding your progress, your life- because it is our own.

WE Cheer as we take a long view- one that spans forever, seeing the entire movie that has no beginning and no ending, but a never ending PROCESS of one decision to the next, creating a weaving pattern of CHANGE that brings about the beautiful nature of the Universe, created by us-

BEGUN WITH YOUR DECISION, BEGUN WITH YOUR NOW.

"In The Heights" the MUSICAL!

I absolutely LOVE the musical "In The Heights" by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I got to see it before it went to Broadway.
When I saw the show, I felt COMPELLED to play the part of "Usnavi", who reminded me of myself a lot.

The character raps, sings a little, and doesn't dance too well- JUST LIKE ME! So, when I got the opportunity to audition for it, I jumped all in, and got to do the show. I was ecstatic, and after it was all done, I had this promo video made:

Lin-Manuel Miranda's music just moved my soul, and made me reminisce about my family here in New York. I cried my eyes out as I watched "Paciencia y Fe", because it so reminded me of my family's story and struggle to come to America. I REALLY connected with this broadway musical, and a few of my friends really understood. It is a show about US, in the same way that "Fiddler On The Roof" is about the Jews.

And I felt like the show was about ME.

This show is PERSONAL to me, and I hope to be able to write something as powerful for other people.

I got to experience some great emotions, and bring those to the audiences who came, and many folks told me it was the bet show they had seen at that theater. We got to perform for a few of the other people who have done it before (I wish Lin-Manuel could have seen us!) and they thought we were great.too.

That MEANS something to me.

As we continue in the crazy profession, I finally got to cross a life-goal off my list- to perform that show with my Mom in the audience. Thank you to everyone who was a part of making that happen.

Bones Rodriguez in IN THE HEIGHTS!

I'm Rapping and Singing in: Y'know how you have those things in life you WISH you would get the chance to do? Playing USNAVI in "In The Heights" is one of those things for me. I had just about given up on the idea since it closed on Broadway, and the character is in his twenties, and I... am not. Good thing I've been healthy! Amazingly, CR Productions (The Capital Region's Best-Rated Theatre) chose to do the show, and chose me for the part! It was one of those things: Laura had done two shows for them in the past, they knew I wanted to do the show, and when the guy who was going to do it had to drop out (congrats on your baby!), I got the audition! If you live anywhere near COHOES New York, from September 13-23rd I'll be playing USNAVI in this Amazing Show, and I would LOVE to do it for you! (Click the picture to see the video) You can also paste this link into your browser: ADVANCE TICKETS can be bought here: CR PRODUCTIONS

Also...I win GOLD during the Olympics! That NY LOTTO COMMERCIAL I shot back a few months ago was running during the Olympics like Usain Bolt! Thanks to everyone for the fun facebook messages, and since the Lotto commercial is running, and "In The Heights" is about winning the lotto- I'm off to get some tickets- JUST IN CASE! Thanks for reading, and please keep in touch! Bones Rodriguez http://www.BonesRodriguez.com

The Nutella Breakfast IDIOTS

Last night I was watching The Daily Show, and Lewis Black was on talking about people lying in the campaign- yes, that sucks.
But something else caught my attention while he was talking about an advertisement that Nutella was running, that showed Nutella to be a great breakfast food.
Lewis Black said something like "You'd have to be an IDIOT to believe that spreading creamy chocolate onto a piece of bread is a good breakfast for your kids!"
It was funny, and the audience laughed.

But hold on- it's not that Nutella is a good breakfast- OF COURSE, but why would people have to be IDIOTS to believe it? Actually, how many people had to OUTRIGHT LIE to get that message out there?

Yes, we know that Nutella is going to lie so they can make their money, right?
But how many PEOPLE make up Nutella? How many people had to say "Well, I'm not going to stop this ad even though it is a BLATANT lie, and someone would have to be an IDIOT to believe it- let's run it."
And then the poster company had to say "Well, it's not my job to stop a BLATANT LIE, just because this will POISON children a little bit". Then the guy who puts up the posters had to say the same thing, etc.

There had to be a whole STRING of people who had to agree to tell this BLATANT lie, that parents would have to be IDIOTS to believe, right?

IS THAT WHAT WE WANT?

Do we want a world where a blatant lie is passed around, poisoning kids before they even get a chance to start the day? What kind of a world are we creating where we allow poisons to advertised as breakfast where people have to be IDIOTS to believe the message that hundreds of people have verified?

And where does this leave COCO PUFFS as breakfast?

IS THAT WHAT WE WANT????????

DAMN, I hit 40...?

Ok, so I just turned 40 years old, and I could be doing better.

I don't know if everyone feels this way, but there are definitely certain things where I feel like I haven't grown at all, and I have been pretty disappointed in myself in those areas.

Those areas would be financially, career-wise, accomplishment-wise, making up English words-wise.

But y'know what?

I can't believe I actually have a muscular body! I just put up a new picture on facebook, and people have been pretty complimentary. I think the people who credit my Genes are funny. I have been trying to gain some muscle for more than 20 years, pretty steadily and stubbornly.

Anyway, so I wrote this book, and people are buying it up- http://www.HalfAssedHealth.com

One of my friends talks about how I've always been skinny, and I agree with her- but that has NOTHING to do with the growth. Had I not been working out, I'd probably just still be skinny, y'know? Or that kind of skinny-fat thing.

Anyway, if you're working hard at the gym, but not getting results, don't give up- the turtle gets the the finish line, even if not first.

Now if I could just get that attitude about those other parts of my life...

TheThankYouChallenge.com

So, I made a new site, called TheThankYouChallenge, and it's about spreading gratitude and appreciation through sending a card through the mail. I of course use http://www.SendOutCards.com/Bones, but even if you do it by hand, it's a great way to let someone know how important they are to you.

http://www.TheThankYouChallenge.com  Coach Code: Bones


http://www.TheThankYouChallenge.com Coach Code: Bones

Hey Jamba Juice- Listen Up!

I walked into Jamba Juice today because I had walked a long way without eating, and wanted to have a large drink. When I walked in, I saw that for the Holidays, they were doing a special- Free Jamba Juice for a $25 gift card. Sounds good, right? I'm a customer, I really like going there, and I would probably use the gift card myself, and as a result, buy more Jamba juice.

Which is WHY you offer gift cards- so people will give you money NOW, for something they will probably use more often because they have it.

 The woman in front of me ordered a POWER, their largest size, and a gift card. However, the special was only for the 16oz. size, like it said on the poster. She begrudgingly paid the extra $1.16 for the power size, took her gift card with the "buyers remorse face" you've seen before, and walked over to wait for her "free" drink... which as far as she's concerned cost her $26.16

But Bones is different.

Bones said "Hi, I WAS going to get a gift card, but I wanted a POWER size drink, and since I can't get that for free by spending the extra $25, I'm not going to buy the gift card. Please tell corporate that limiting the special to the 16 oz. size is stupid marketing."

 The girl at the counter looked at me with frustration.
"I guess aside from her, I am not the only person to say that to you today. You should definitely tell corporate they should fire the idiot who made that policy."
She said "Are you serious? You're not going to get the Gift card because of the DOLLAR?"
"That's right. I'd rather buy what I want, and maybe spend the other $25 somewhere else."

That's when she said "If I give you a POWER size, will you get the gift card?"
"Happily" I said.
And she did.

Now it seems like this story is about me "winning" something, but it's not-

The story is about a minimum-wage register clerk who took it upon herself to make the customer happy and took responsibility for HER customer's experience at the store she worked at. She didn't earn any extra money for doing that, and frankly, she'd probably get in trouble for it-

BUT I BOUGHT $25 MORE THAN I WAS GOING TO because of her initiative.

Tell the suit at corporate that I have his replacement.

My friend Jules Price made a fun video for Holiday cards, and I thought I'd show you her brilliant work:

Didn't she do such a great job?

CLICK HERE TO SEND A FREE CARD!

What Kindle should be doing...

As an author, I recently uploaded a bunch of my books to KINDLE, and told people they were available.

A bunch of people bought them, but many told me they didn't have a kindle, so they couldn't get them.
So, the first thing Amazon should be doing is telling people that they do not need a kindle to read the books more effectively than they are.

In fact, I am a "kindle Author", and I don't have a kindle either why would I when I can get the kindle apps on my PC and my smartphone?

But here's what Amazon should be doing with Kindle books-

LET PEOPLE SELL THEIRS.

That's right- let people sell them to other people for 1/2 of what they paid for them. All of a sudden, there is a market for USED Kindle books, and people can pass them around, still generating money for them, and yet paying less than just getting them from Amazon. After a few passes, the book could expire.

Let's say I buy "Captain Kirk's Guide To Women" for $11, someone else can buy it for $5.50, the next for $2.75, the next for $1.35, etc. The same people still get paid again- the Author, Amazon, the Publisher, etc, but the previous purchaser gets a piece too.

This is a good idea.

And I believe it will save the book world.

If you like this idea, share this post and get it to someone at Amazon please.

Osama's Dead- LET'S PARTY!?!?!?!

So last night, the big news came out that Osama Bin Laden was killed by special forces. Strange news, as it's been 10 years. There were people celebrating as if something great happened, and I have a mix of emotions about it. Of course I'm glad he's gone, but I just feel weird celebrating someone being killed. Facebook was where I went immediately, and made a ton of jokes along with a lot of other people.
Out in front of the white house, and here at Ground Zero, people were congregating, chanting "USA! USA!", and I even saw a beach ball or two. That's what inspired this:

I just had to!

Gold went up $10 TODAY... TODAY!!!

No seriously you guys. I'm a big Robert Kiyosaki fan and if you have't read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by him, go get it now.Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

 He's been telling everyone that the US dollar is headed for serious collapse (along with everyone else), and he's been advising buying Gold and Silver as a hedge to protect against the devaluation.

So, I went and bought some silver last year, and a little more two weeks ago.

Last year, around April, I bought some silver at $20 (spot price was $17).
Two weeks ago, I bought some more at $40 (Spot price was $38).

That is to say that silver has more than DOUBLED in the past year, and I am of course mad at myself for not buying a lot more last year.

However, here's the thing- TODAY, silver is at 43. So that means the silver I bought TWO WEEKS AGO is  now worth about $5 more today (43-38). So, without doing ANYTHING, I have made more than $5 per piece. Are you listening to that?

And then GOLD went up today $10- so you would have made $10 per piece just today!

However, with gold at $1489, the percentage is only .72, whereas today's move on silver was 2%.

You get that? So, you are better off having silver in your earrings than money in the bank right now!!!!

I had to tell someone.

I get ego-maniacal...

So, I found a site called animoto.com where you can create videos from clips... here's one of me:


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Neat, right?

Tubin' at the pool....

Tubin' at the pool...., originally uploaded by bonesrodriguez.

I just thought I'd let you know that we're on vacation in St. Kitts. We are here because The Marriage Ref awarded us this trip, and we're finally here! I am sunburned already!

I'm in "Threase"... also known as "Grease 3"

Ok, so some friends of mine Shayna Ferm and Katherine Bryant decided to write an hilarious play and titled it Grease 3- or "Threase". It is a parody of "What If.." they made a Grease 3. Although none of us are playing John Travolta or Olivia-Newton John's characters, there are some... similarities.
The show is super hysterical, totally inappropriate, an super-fun at only 45 minutes. I play a dancer from a rival high school whose sexuality is.. well... revved up. It will be the first time I've been on stage with Alex Goldberg since way back when we were in Kundalini Komedy together, and I can't wait!
Every friday this February at the NEW People's Improv Theatre: GET MORE INFO HERE

 GET MORE INFO HERE

I shoot a commercial for... AARP!?!?!

I went to an audition for AARP, and my agent giggled. Then I went to the call back, and I posted that on facebook, and my friends had a ball making "You're getting old" jokes.

But then I actually Booked the commercial!!! Thankfully, I am not yet the subject of an AARP commercial, but I was proud to be a part of it, and we had fun shooting it. The woman who is the subject took a zillion takes of the same thing over and over, and she kept the same level of heart-tugging the whole day. I was an upper-middle income shopper in the same store. Fun day, and MANY, MANY jokes on facebook!

Video games will put Hollywood out of business...

The video below is a preview for a video game.
This video game is from the Writer of Red Dawn and Apocalypse Now.
It is another step towards the end of movies, and everything becoming
video games instead:

I think I'd better start doing voice overs for games FAST!!

Eric Worre Left Agel!

Today, news of Eric Worre leaving Agel just blew me away! When I found out, I immediately made a video, and called him! Eric Worre quit Agel for a few different reasons, but either way, I love the new company he joined, as do a lot of people, so I jumped in!



Come see: http://www.ContagiousGiving.com

I make a YouTube Playlist of "Bones on TV"

So, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=411B99FD9018B271

but here it is embedded:

A Santamazing video...

They posted this on the website, and on facebook:

"Christmas Rappin'" for Sears...

When I got hired to be Sears' SANTAMAZING, I had no idea that we'd be doing a rap video...

One of my friends said that I look natural, so that's good!
I used to do rap performances in college; my name was "Bone-E-Luv"- must be why I'm such a pro here.

Santa Visits Santamazing...

Ok, so I'm the straight guy in this, but SANTA is hilarious...

I am SANTAMAZING!

So, I shot the stuff for SEARS a few weeks ago, and now the website is up!
It;s all about doing Christmas shopping at SEARS, and my character, "Santamazing" gets great gifts for people by learning about them and going all out. I like the behind the scenes footage they shot in the parking lots and just all around the place. I hope they crank out more stuff!

http://www.Sears.com/Santa

WGirls NYC First Fall Fling - 4th Annual Bachelor/ette Auction - 357054.jpg - Image 301

Last night I hosted a rather swanky charity auction. I MC'd while we auctioned off eligible bachelors and bachelorettes to raise money for Odyssey House. One of the WGirls- Meghan Goddard asked me to do it, and I was THRILLED.

Everyone had a GREAT time, and we raised about $40,000 fro Odessey House!

WGirls NYC First Fall Fling - 4th Annual Bachelor/ette Auction - 357054.jpg - Image 301

I like Seth Godin

Ok, so I have a TON of Seth Godin's Books, and I get excited everytime he releases a new one. I'm also a subscriber of his blog. Today's Blog post goes with my philosophy of "Half-Assed Life":

The myth of preparation


There are three stages of preparation. (For a speech, a product, an interview, a sporting event...)

The first I'll call the beginner stage. This is where you make huge progress as a result of incremental effort.

The second is the novice stage. This is the stage in which incremental effort leads to not so much visible increase in quality.

And the third is the expert stage. Here's where races are won, conversations are started and sales are made. A huge amount of effort, off limits to most people, earns you just a tiny bit of quality. But it's enough to get through the Dip and be seen as the obvious winner.

Here's the myth: The novice stage is useful.

If all you're going to do is go through the novice stage before you ship, don't bother. If you're not prepared to put in the grinding work of the expert stage, just do the beginner stuff and stop screwing around. Make it good enough and ship it and move on.

We diddle around in the novice stage because we're afraid. We polish (but not too much) and go to meetings (plenty of them) and look for deniability, spending hours and hours instead of shipping. And the product, in the end, is not so much better.

I'm all for expertise. Experts, people who push through and make something stunning--we need more of them. But let's be honest, if you're not in the habit of being an expert, it's unlikely your current mode of operation is going to change that any time soon.

Go, give a speech. Go, start a blog. Go, ship that thing that you've been hiding. Begin, begin, begin and then improve. Being a novice is way overrated.

Go sign up for Seth's blog HERE

9 Years Later...

Another one of my absolute favorites. I'm pretty down on our country right now, feeling that we've learned absolutely nothing in the last 9 years, but I'm glad you took the time to make this message today.

My apartment was full that day; people couldn't go home, so they came to my place as we made food and stayed in front of the television. I was asleep, and the phone wouldn't stop ringing. Back then I still had a landline. I answered the phone, and Rick told me to "turn on the TV".

"Dude- I'm sleeping"
"Bones- Some planes just crashed into the twin towers"
"huh...? Was it an accident?
"No....."
"Ok, I'll turn on the- Oh my God- LESLIE! She lives down there..."
"Can I come to your place?"
"Yeah, of course- bring whoever. Where's Dave?"
"I don't know, I called you first."
"My phone's been ring... someone's on the other line; ok- come over."

I was answering the phone non-stop; more and more people were asking if they could walk over, since there was no getting through downtown. Laura and I had been hooking up, but after that, I don't think she ever left. I was suddenly proud of myself for being someone people felt they could call. It felt ridiculous to have that thought while everyone was crying in silence.

Then the people started jumping, and eventually the whole thing came down.

Leslie was apparently caught in one of those ash clouds, but she made it out ok.

Across the world, that's everyday for some people.
Because someone else's God said so.

And Gays cause Earthquakes and shouldn't marry because someone else's God said so.
And Jews are put in camps because someone else's God said so.
And Muslim Taxi Cab Drivers are stabbed because someone else's God said so.

And Our God says we should be free-
unless you want to build a community center if you're God is different.

And Our God says you should earn from your own sweat-
unless we want your oil, and you're God is different.

And it seems like the only time we DO get along is when we make money together,
so maybe we oughtta sponsor all the politicians, and place people from different
faiths in their group, and then we won't need to talk about faith in God when what we
really mean is faith in money.

A New Video for Moms, and a Great Marketing Lesson

First of all, you gotta watch this great video for Moms from NUMMIES.com:



I got seriously choked up around 2:45 because I was really sick when I was younger, and I wondered how my parents must have felt waiting to hear if I was going to die or not.

Anyway, this company just makes nursing bras, and there wasn't even ONE in this video- just a super-simple, heartfelt video that connected with it's audience, and cost almost nothing to make.
It's spreading, and people are learning about the bras.

WELL DONE!

The Re-Launch of "No More Waiters"!!

Well the fall is here, and I re-wrote and updated "No More Waiters- How To Build Your Acting Business Without A Day Job". I added a whole bunch of stuff, and really got to talking about YouTube and the future of our profession.

I also wrote a free report called:

"How To Be An Actor In The 21st Century-

5 Things That Have Changed Acting... FOREVER!"

Click on the Picture for your Copy

I had a stroke of genius in that I'm allowing people to be affiliates for No More Waiters, but also letting them re-brand the 21st century report as a giveaway. Now, I'm providing the actual asset for people to create an income with aside from myself!

I want to be YOUR Santa Claus!

SEARS had me audition to be their SANTA CLAUS, and of course, they're having a web video contest- can you help me and VOTE for me!! Anyone who leaves a comment on the SEARS site will get a free something cool.... I don't know what yet!

Contest details

Cee Lo Green's "F**k You" Marketing Lesson...

Here is a brilliant song:

a crappy video with over 2 million views in 4 days- people are passing it around not only because of the lyrics, but because it's a damn fine song, sung with a wonderful voice with a fun, relateable message.

He also has some other great songs, with the same great voice, but with expensive, well-produced videos, without the same relateable message. They've been out for months, and gotten 2 thousand views.

What's the lesson? PEOPLE LOVE WHAT SPEAKS TO THEM.

The record company promises a "new video", and in my opinion, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. KEEP THIS ONE, and let other people play with it and continue passing it around.

Economy DESTROYED- what to do NOW...

Seriously you guys, our dollars are losing value as you read this.

As Neale Donald Walsch says "When everything changes, CHANGE EVERYTHING",
so I'm taking it upon myself to make some adjustments, and I hope you
are too. Here are some of the things on my list to change:

I'm learning new skills for the next "big thing" on MOBILE platforms:
http://bit.ly/Mobiledevice

I'm expanding to getting more checks from:
http://www.BuildItEasily.com

I'm moving towards the FUTURE of business with:
http://bones.hubhub.org

I'm updating my 1st ebook "No More Waiters"-
http://www.NoMoreWaiters.com

I'm re-writing the FREE STAR TREK BOOK:
http://bit.ly/PonFarr

Why? Well, it's not about gaining the actual money,
it's about building new skills and knowledge that
can be used later- if you're with me,
comment below. If not, then comment below.
(I have a guess who will be first)

Thomas Jefferson the Psychic

Thomas Jefferson once said:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies . . . If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] . . . will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered . . . The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." -- Thomas Jefferson -- The Debate Over The Recharter Of The Bank Bill, (1809)

2 Videos, 4 Minutes of ART that make the Internet Worth it.

Let me make something clear- this is the ART to me. This is 21st century, popular art, and it is the HEIGHT of the accomplishments on the internet. Watch the first 2 minute clip, which is a news story. Then watch THE REMIX...



And the THE REMIX:

You are a Porn Star.

Is it me, or are the women in porn getting insanely beautiful? I don't just mean sexy and hot- I mean beautiful. Tera Patrick may very well be one of the most stunning women to walk the Earth, and mixed-race women are very popular in porn. Complex just listed the top 50 prettiest porn stars, and I gotta say, these women are extremely gorgeous, and will give any Hollywood starlet a run for her money.

So, if porn is attracting the more attractive women, and Hollywood has few real actors, and basically just pretty people and quick-cuts, aren't they pretty much going to merge soon? I mean Jenna Jameson has done a few cross-over movies, and Sasha Grey did that Steven Soderbergh deal, right?

But I think it means more than that.

Here's the thing- if I'm picking who my fantasy women are going to be- or maybe just the "special 5" (those 5 people whom you can have sex with permission from your partner), then I'm going for the Porn star WAAAAY over the Hollywood Celebrity.

I have NO IDEA if the Hollywood celebrity is going to be any good; she may just SEEM like it, but then be a real disappointment. With the Porn Star, I've SEEN THEIR WORK. They have a resume and a "body of work" (so to speak) that shows off their talents. I could just take a quick look at BorrowMyPorn and I would even know what to ask for, what they may be into, or what "special moves" they have.

Lets say you've got a thing for Angelina Jolie. Well, she sure SEEMS sexy and fun, but you can go watch Angelina Valentine at work (Yes, the name is a little obvious), and actually see for yourself. The woman everyone wants now is Megan Fox- well, I'd trade her in for a Jessica Jaymes any day.

Paris Hilton is well-known for "being a celebrity" and has her own MTV show, but her oral sex skills are just as well-known online (c'mon, you've seen it). She's not a "porn star", but she has her blowjob technique out there for everyone to see, and got an amazing amount of publicity for it.

Which leads me to YOU.

Yes, YOU.

Internet dating is here to stay, and is on the rise. We post pictures of ourselves and friends; we try to look our best when we're looking for someone new or just meeting new people.

So why not show of our sexual exploits as well? I think we are ALL going to have sex videos soon, where we actually showcase our sexual talents, likes and dislikes- and it will HELP us come closer together.

That's right- I said it.

I think it will be a GOOD thing.

Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably already happening somewhere, but to a section of society that is probably deemed "deviant" so far.

Well, mark my words, get naked, and get your flipcam ready!

NY Water is FLAMMABLE???

Up in Candor NY, a man can LIGHT HIS WATER ON FIRE:


How are we ok with this? No one has investigated, because they would then of course find something wrong, and then the company would be liable for something, and then they'd get sued, and then more people would probably find that their water is flammable and toxic, and the company would lose more money.

I assume that's why no one official has looked into this.

But then we gotta ask ourselves if it's worth the profits to let a Vietnam Vet have FLAMMABLE toxic water. What happens in his neighborhood when there's a fire, and they call the fire department? They are going to have to hose from the same FLAMMABLE Water!

And who MAKES money from this story? The Bottled water companies.

In my mind the bottled water companies shouldn't even exist- there should be no need for them, and yet, I filter my water, and buy bottled water when I'm out- supporting their corrupt agenda.

And here's another from MSNBC:


This makes me crazy and sick- just like the water.

Genius Frakkin' Marketing

Ok, so "The Old Spice Guy" thing is working BIG TIME. However, FINALLY, a big company has realized that social media is a TWO-WAY conversation, and that just making ads that you post on facebook is not correct- in fact, it's WRONG.

I have been saying it for about two years now, but these guys are doing it BIG TIME, and were smart enough to engage celebrities with big followings.

So, now Old Spice has taken "The Old Spice Guy", and is doing what I wanted to do in Miami but multiplied it by a million- Observe GENIUS marketing, and then watch Alyssa Milano REALLY show them up:

This is where they misstep, and got lazy-
And now HERE's the Checkmate from her:


NOW I wanna see what they do next!!

My review of INCEPTION

"Mission Impossible" meets "Dreamscape"... but it's no "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors"

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/229595/reviews/view.php?type=2&id=1217219#reviews_main

As much as I liked this movie's last half, there were things about it as it was going along that I thought were downright awful.

I think if I had stopped watching it mid-way (before the "last job") I might have been like "meh- I can do without it".

The dialogue was sometimes atrocious, and it's a good thing that Leo gives us all of his acting skill to make some things roll right on by.

The whole "I've done inception before" felt extremely obvious to me (I'm trying not to spoil a major plot point).

Also, the whole "This is the last job, then I'll go back to my family" thing seemed almost like a joke. And then there was the showing the end at the beginning, which I don't think helped the story at all.

And could we PLEASE tell someone that Saito's accent was too strong to be understood?

AAaand- why wasn't it more "dreamy"? The hotel was just a hotel, the fortress was just a fortress, and nobody did anything DREAMY- that was just not interesting to me. I expected the girl to at least manipulate the world they were in at the end, considering she showed how she could do it before. All of the layered dream worlds were just like reality. Boring!

NOW THEN- All that being said, the last half was SOOOOOO frakkin' amazing, that I forgave all of that!

It was a classic "Uh-oh, things are going wrong already" with the plan, and they had to do some cool stuff to make it work anyway. Very cool. The layering of the dream worlds was inspired. The fight in the hallway was absolutely AMAAAAAAZING, and probably worth admission and the time for the rest of the movie.

The whole idea of The guy (the "target") having been trained to resist attack in his mind by other agents was great, and frankly the only reason for the action. Very smart. I can imagine the discussion in the board room:

"It's about invading people's dreams"
"How do we get GUNS in it?"
"Um... we don't... wouldn't make much sense"
"Well then forget it."
"No- wait! We can get the SUBCONSCIOUS to fight back... with GUNS!"
"Ok- you sold me!"

The writing of the story (for the second half), and the direction was absolutely incredible, considering the complexity of the story.

I cannot imagine how someone would leave the theatre not enjoying this film. I really hope it does well, and the word of mouth is pretty damn good, so it looks like it will.

I pity the Fool...

I decided to get a Mohawk. Why? Well, lemme tell you:

A Snapshot of the Future?

For the record, I think I'm hilarious:

The Friendship Factor- 3

Part three of The Friendship Factor by Alan Loy McGinnis; I'll upload the end later on:

If you think you might enjoy making your relationships better, I advise getting this book:

The Friendship Factor- 2

We continue right near the Flatiron Building on 23rd and 6th avenue in New York with Alan Loy MicGinnis' "The Friendship Factor":

Noisy, huh?

The Friendship Factor- 1

The Friendship Factor by Alan Loy McGinnis is a super-simple, yet very rich book on relationships of all kinds. I OF COURSE got all of the books he's written afterwards- Enjoy:

"Men described a 'friend' as 'someone I go out with', whereas women described sharing'

Conversations With God Book 1- 7

We end the book Conversations With God, Book 1 By Neale Donald Walsch:

I hope you enjoyed my highlights, and I hope you choose to go get your own copy and highlight for yourself:

Conversations With God Book 1- 6

Almost to the end of this fantastically deep and mind-expanding book. I figure out a way to keep the camera on my terrace: Conversations With God, By Neale Donald Walsch:

Continue to the last day- it's only 3 minutes!

Conversations With God Book 1- 5

Ahhh! First the camera almost falls 11 stories, and then the batteries run out! Well, I get into the money section of Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsch for a bit:

Tomorrow is the section on SEX and death!