Lesly Kahn & Company, Actor Training

THE NEW BLOG IS HERE! THE NEW BLOG IS HERE!

2011-04-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

The new and improved LK&Co blog is up and running! Check it out here.

http://www.leslykahn.com/blog/

NEW BLOG COMING SOON!

2011-04-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are working on a new blog format and will be posting all kinds of awesome stuff very soon! Stay tuned!

Keep At It

2011-03-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

Pete also told this story that I loved: "One guy hits a rock with a hammer in order to break it. He does it ninety-nine times. A second guy watches. The rock finally breaks on the hundredth attempt. The second guy says, "Wow, you must have hit it really hard that hundredth time!"

"Nah,"says the first guy. "I just had already hit it ninety-nine times before that."

Pete Goldfinger

Stay In Line

2011-03-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

"If you stay in line your turn will come." - The guy who played Sly Winkle on California Dreams

Create Your Own

2011-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last week, Pete Goldfinger, writer of Sorority Row, Piranha 3D, and many TV pilots, came to the Kahnstitute and led a FABULOUS workshop called "Create Your Own" for actors who want to write their way to success. He did an exercise in which everybody in the class effortlessly came up with an idea and he and the class helped shape it. He talked about the importance – really the NECESSITY -- of actors creating their own material in order to stay current. So many of you have great ideas for projects that would help your career; the problem is that you may not know how to facilitate writing and producing these ideas. Pete got everybody moving forward in just a couple of hours! It was an amazing thing to see. My favorite thing about the class was when Pete said his job was, in addition to teaching, to be "each student's writing partner." I LOVED that. I LOVED Pete!

He talked about how important it is to be an expert in what you do and to see the world as a writer (just like Betty Edwards says that it's important to see the world the way an artist sees it in a li'l book called DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN, and we therefore ask you to see the world as an actor sees it. Some nice antitheticals there, huh?). He suggested that we all start to notice the little things in our lives. He talked about opposites and how they help us create characters, and suggested that we write about our fears -- that we MAKE something out of them.

Pete says it's absolutely mandatory for actors to have SOMETHING on line. And when you Create Your Own stuff, it shows you're working and productive. He told us that every million hits you get means $3,300 to you! So it's remunerative! In addition, Creating Your Own is inexpensive right now -- the pilot for IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA cost only $200. Finally - you GOTTA Create Your Own: it's your legacy.

Pete also told this story that I loved: "One guy hits a rock with a hammer in order to break it. He does it ninety-nine times. A second guy watches. The rock finally breaks on the hundredth attempt. The second guy says, "Wow, you must have hit it really hard that hundredth time!"

"Nah,"says the first guy. "I just had already hit it ninety-nine times before that."

And guess what! Pete teaches a class! You bring in your stories and ideas in order to begin developing them into web-series, pilots, shorts, etc. that you can create and star in. He only teaches two of these classes a week (due to the fact that he is still a busy writer) and they are currently almost full. If you’re interested in a spot, please contact his assistant Tyler Neale (tylerneale@gmail.com, 646-714-9076) for information.

Following is some of the feedback from the actors who came to the workshop:

I loved the workshop! So inspiring!!!!!! It's nice to hear the affirmation from a professional writer, that anyone can create and write. Its important for actors to be well rounded in the industry! I'm sure this workshop inspired everyone in the room! - Xxx, Soon to write, Sydney H

I loved it! I thought Pete was interesting and had great information to share. I loved how he made it interactive. I felt like we all left with some information on how to proceed in creating our own projects even if we don't take his workshop. Thanks! -Courtney C

I loved it! I feel creatively charged. I thought Pete was great. I loved bouncing ideas off everyone. I would have loved hearing more about the next step regarding resources or ways to build creative team or ways to market the material once it has been created, but I recognize there is only so much that can be accomplished in a night. Thanks, -Rachel D

Great class! I love that he told us about his journey as a writer and then made it more of a workshop that allowed us to get up and work through the process that his students work through to create projects. He has great, positive energy! – Kristen W

I absolutely LOVED the writer's workshop with Pete! I am so glad I decided to do it, as it really helped me find my direction. Classes @ LK&Co always do that for me :) I felt that the insight Pete provided us with, as well as the creative encouragement, were extremely beneficial to my procrastinator's brain. I actually made a great contact with another student, with whom I am going to bounce ideas ...who knew? I feel pumped on the future and am ready to make my dreams fly! Thanks LK :) MANY BLESSINGS -Alexandra M

Pete's class was good. Actually has gotten me excited about writing the pilot I've been holding back on. Which is what I lost...that drive...momentum. – Sydelle N

I loved it! Pete really got me thinking about things differently, I'm now looking at things like a writer. I'll definitely be taking his class! – Cher T

Work Begets Luck

2011-03-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

"I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." ~ Thomas Jefferson

2011-03-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

We were upgrading our website this weekend and naturally, something went wrong. So if you emailed us between Friday, March 26 and Sunday, March 28, WE DIDN’T GET IT! Please resend!

Many thanks!

Coverage

2011-03-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

"I have so much more fun on other actors' coverage, so now I trick myself into thinking it's never my coverage." Eyal P.

Practice Slow, Learn Fast

2011-03-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

“Practice slow, learn fast. Practice fast, learn slow.”

Don’t get it? Neither did I. Translation: If you practice slowly, you will learn quickly. But if you practice quickly you will learn very very slooooowly.

Naturally, I have NO recollection of who said it! Some brilliant person in my Thursday Day class.

“You can’t practice running faster. Only correctly.” Apparently I said this brilliant statement.

- Lester

Pick Yourself

2011-03-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself.

Amanda Hocking is making a million dollars a year publishing her own work to the Kindle. No publisher.

Rebecca Black has reached more than 15,000,000 listeners, like it or not, without a record label.

It's a cultural instinct to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission and authority that comes from a publisher or talk show host or even a blogger saying, "I pick you." Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you--that Prince Charming has chosen another house--then you can actually get to work.

If you're hoping that the HR people you sent your resume to are about to pick you, it's going to be a long wait. Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound.

No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.

Seth Godin

Success Feels Weird

2011-03-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Letter from Puja M:

Hi Lesly --

This is from a writer's perspective...but I thought it was relevant for an actor who truly commits to this profession.....and it echoes SO much of what you teach us. http://filmcourage.com/content/success-feels-weird-and-unreal-after-so-much-failure, especially the part about how much time it takes to write even a good half-page of a script....and how much we invest into our creative growth and training....

Here's a little clip if you don't have time to read the full thing:

"On a good writing day, I turn out roughly half a page of script an hour. In terms of sheer time spent tip-tapping away at the laptop, I put about one-hundred-and-eighty hours of writing into the first draft of a screenplay. Actually, that isn't the true figure, because for every hour spent writing, I spend about two hours in research, rewrites, polishing, tweaking and pondering. I believe that realistically, every single feature length script I write, is the result of about five-hundred hours work. What this means, is if I were to pay myself the UK minimum wage for that time, it is an investment of nearly £3,000 (nearly $5K) per script.

If I were to add up all of the time that I have spent learning how to write a screenplay and all of the years I have put into understanding how stories are told cinematically, even calculating those hours at minimum wage levels, the cost would be frankly staggering. There are days when I really don't want to think about all of those hours, days, months and years spent writing without any clear indication that anyone but me cared about the outcome. I've been thinking about that investment a lot recently.

I've said many times in this past year, that for a writer or a creative, the actual act of writing or making has to be enough. In the end, the actual doing of the thing, has to be the only payment that you need. I still believe this to be true. No matter how dedicated a writer or film-maker is, there is always going to be a point in the process where all hope of seeing a reward for your endeavours has gone from the burning certainty of your first attempts, to a dull and lifeless ember which is more ash than coal. That is the point at which the vast majority of people give up, move on, grow up and do something else.

The thing is, almost every writer you meet believes they are doing this because they have to, it is their calling... and yet, almost all of them will quit when it gets too hard, too unrewarding, when the cost of what they've invested becomes so monumental they can no longer comprehend the magnitude of it. It is only when you reach that point, I believe, that you really find out whether you are a writer, or just someone who is in love with the idea of being a writer. It's a fascinating experience. Seminal, in fact. I have been though that experience half a dozen times over the years. Times when I could no longer understand why I kept on doing this. And, ironically, every single time that happened I carried on, not out of a sense of artistic integrity or any kind of calling, but more because I couldn't think of anything else to do instead. In learning how to do this one thing, I have all but ruined myself for any other kind of work."

.....if you keep reading, it's inspiring to hear him talk about the success he's having now after "so much failure.".....and so much investment in his artistic growth.”

In a town where it's easy to see actors find "quick success" because they have the right look, agent, personality, or just sheer luck.......this article was a good reminder that it takes time to grow as an artist and to experience success.

Love,
Puja

Lesly’s favorite excerpts from the article:

. . . There are days when I really don't want to think about all of those hours, days, months and years spent writing without any clear indication that anyone but me cared about the outcome.

. . . for a writer or a creative, the actual act of writing or making has to be enough. In the end, the actual doing of the thing, has to be the only payment that you need. . . . No matter how dedicated a writer or film-maker is, there is always going to be a point in the process where all hope of seeing a reward for your endeavours has gone from the burning certainty of your first attempts, to a dull and lifeless ember which is more ash than coal. That is the point at which the vast majority of people give up, move on, grow up and do something else.

The thing is, almost every writer you meet believes they are doing this because they have to, it is their calling... and yet, almost all of them will quit when it gets too hard, too unrewarding, when the cost of what they've invested becomes so monumental they can no longer comprehend the magnitude of it. It is only when you reach that point, I believe, that you really find out whether you are a writer, or just someone who is in love with the idea of being a writer.

. . . I can't think of any image that has suited suited me more, than that of a compulsive gambler, so deep in the hole, that only a big win can redeem him.

Coming to You LIVE From The Field of Suckage

2011-03-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

A little shameless self-promotion compliments of Melody F. -- thank you, Melody!

http://www.blondemoxie.com/2011/03/wednesdays-from-west-coast-field-of.html

Notes From The Universe

2011-03-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

Really, all one has to do to transform their life is remind themselves to think and behave a little bit differently, each day.

Rainbows,
The Universe

Elizabeth Taylor: 1932-2011

2011-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

"What's the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof? Just stayin' on it, I guess." - Elizabeth Taylor

Don't Shake Your Acting Like a Polaroid Picture

2011-03-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

Our minds are kinda like photographic paper. After exposing the photo paper (our mind) to the negative (the script), the presence of certain chemicals (text analysis training) on (in) the photographic paper (our mind) causes a picture (a choice) to appear when the paper (our mind) is submerged in the chemical bath (relaxed on the couch). The photographer doesn’t have to wave the paper around, beat his breast, pray for inspiration or take psychedelic drugs. The picture WILL appear because of the science involved. It’s the same with acting. When you’re sitting on the couch under the afghan with your script, simply allow your choices to reveal themselves in the same way the photographer allows the picture to appear after he places it in a chemical bath. Don’t push. – Lester

The 6 Levels of Fame

2011-03-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Eric just had the table read for his pilot, DON’T TRUST THE BITCH IN APARTMENT 23A with James Van Der Beek. Eric wrote, “James Van Der Beek was so funny. He said these are the levels of fame:"

First, people come up to you and go, "Did we go to high school together?"
Then as you get more famous, it’s like, "Oh shit! You're that dude from that show!"
Then you get more famous, and it’s like, "Oh shit! You're Dawson!"
Then it’s, "Oh shit! You're James Van Der Beek!"
Then, as your career starts fading, it’s "Oh shit! You were that guy on that show!"
Finally, it’s, “Hey.... were you on SAVED BY THE BELL?”

The Pursuit IS the Happiness

2011-03-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

I was actually having a great conversation the other day with one of you about how depressing and frustrating being an actor (and especially pilot season) can sometimes be. In class, Lesly made the oft-repeated point that you can't be focused on booking the job, you have to be an actor because you love being an actor. And I hear this so much, but I really resist it. I think in part because it just sounds so damn self-help-y, but also because IT FEELS SO GREAT booking the job!! How can I not focus on that??

So I read THIS ARTICLE on hedonic vs. eudaimonic well-being. And I'm sure many of you are already familiar with these concepts, but I totally was not. This study suggests that focusing energy on "being happy" and achieving hedonic experiences (like winning a game or booking a job) actually leaves you less healthy and less happy overall. Those who pursue eudaimonic experiences (fulfilling their potential through pursuing their purpose in life) are less focused on "being happy" and tend to be healthier and...happier.

It just really made a lot of sense to me. Nothing feels better than the phone call that says you booked it. But overall in my life, when I'm working towards a goal rather than dwelling on every win or loss, I just generally feel better. But for some reason, I have refused to change my perspective towards acting. I see my auditions as successes or failures, instead of one more addition to my "body of work." But I'm going to change that. I henceforth resolve to focus on the journey. And to that end, I'd love to enlist your help. If I make any stupid comments about being depressed because I didn't book something, or that an audition was a waste of time, or whatever, can you like yell at me or something? And I'll yell at you if you want me to. Because I think you're all really talented actors and wonderful people, and I look at you and think "OH MY GOD PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP YOU'RE AMAZING." But I think we forget to do that last part to ourselves. - Carrie W.

Step Into The Matrix

2011-03-19T17:08:00.001-07:00

“I’m no longer reading the lines; I’m just reading the white space on the page. It’s like THE MATRIX.” - Adam Korson

"Just Keeping Busy"

2011-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Check out this interview with our very own Todd Stashwick on Radar Online!

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/03/exclusive-interview-meet-actor-todd-stashwick-just-keeping-busy

Focus

2011-03-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

"I am so thankful my dreams are bigger than my fears . . . I constantly use my imagination to focus in on those dreams to fuel past my weaknesses." - Cody Deal

Commercial Agent Hunter

2011-03-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

COMMERCIAL AGENT HUNTER maintains a 100% success rate in getting clients signed with commercial representation. I help you brand your submission to stand out from the rest. You'll walk away armed with everything you need to make the most out of your commercial rep mass mailing: branded cover-letter; headshot & styling feedback; website & reel review; resume re-format; short & long-term marketing plan; plus up-to-date and targeted mailing labels. Agent Hunter is time booked one-on-one. A standard session takes 1.5 to 2 hours. If you are planning to shoot headshots we can meet ahead of time to discuss looks so I can peruse your wardrobe options and direct you "look"-wise (my most successful clients go this route). You can also adapt this submission to use for theatrical agent and manager mailings. $60/hour for workshop alumni or $75/hour for new clients. You won't just get a commercial agent, you'll get the right commercial agent for you. More information at http://www.jillforpromqueen.com/ or contact jill@jillforpromqueen.com.

Jill

"Thinking Makes It So"

2011-03-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

". . . there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 239–251 via Christine Garver

Raise Your Bottom

2011-03-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

“My purpose is to raise your bottom.” - Lesly via Philip M

In Absentia

2011-03-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I've been so out of touch, blog-wise. I'm just completely overwhelmed by Pilot Season. I promise I'll be back to being Queen of the Blogs as soon as the hysteria subsides. Meanwhile, here's what my divine acting teacher, Barbara June Greener Patterson, always said to us before we went onstage: "We who are about to die, salute thee."

Create Events

2011-02-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

"[Don’t forget about] creating events in the scenes. Those God awful moments on the page where the writer indicates that a "dust cloud rolls towards them like something hot and familiar." It’s the actor’s job to make sure that they really commit to that emotional history, the love, the pain, the longing... really fill it up with images... without that the scene is just all heightened melodrama." - Eyal Podell

"Type Me"

2011-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

Check out this BACKSTAGE article about branding yourself. Not branding like burning an insignia into your skin with a hot iron, branding like marketing so that you can... you get the idea.

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/type-me-1005039262.story

Notes From The Universe

2011-02-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

The thing about making it big, and doing it fast, is that invariably the first steps will be small and slow.

Which oddly, for many, is the same reason they don't take them.

You know better, huh?

Huh, huh, huh?
The Universe

Hang On!

2011-02-25T09:34:00.001-08:00

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." – Thomas Jefferson

Worry About Now

2011-02-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

"When you're worried about next you miss out on now." - Adam Korson

Thoughts on Thoughts

2011-02-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

Thoughts allow you to improvise your results. Listening allows you to improvise your thoughts. - Doug Simpson

Excellence vs. Perfection

2011-02-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business." - Michael J. Fox

An Inside Job

2011-02-17T15:46:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed how easy and natural it is to think that the problem is out there? It's somebody else, something else, having nothing or little to do with us. Wanna rethink that?

"If you start to think the problem is 'out there,' stop yourself. That THOUGHT is the problem." - Stephen Covey

Worth pondering, don't you think?

Genie Kahn

We Gotta Do Better

2011-02-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

. . . most actors are mediocre – they work somewhere between 15 and 85 percent on a scale of 100. It doesn’t really matter what you do if your acting is within the mediocre range on that scale. You gotta break 85 just to get into the B+ range – just to not be a total waste of the casting director’s time. And then you gotta break 90 to get a producer to wake up and notice you. Then 95 to get the people with the money to care. A 75 is a solid C. It’s not a callback. It’s better than most, not interesting or exciting, perfectly acceptable and not embarrassing and definitely not memorable.

It’s pretty easy to coach you from say a 25 to a 65. But that’s just low mediocre to medium mediocre. Getting you from 75 to 90 is a nightmare. Getting you from 85 to 95 is close to impossible. But that’s what we gotta do.

Acting actually isn’t just figuring out the best way to say the lines. We gotta do better than that. - Les

New Vocabulary

2011-02-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

Actorbatics: Acting performed with the intent to impress the viewer. - Greg Marcel

December 2010 BOTOC Results - IV: Individual Awards

2011-02-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

And the Individual Awards go to . . .

Best Actor . . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . A FEW GOOD MEN. . . . . Evan Gaustad!

Best Angelina Jolie . . . . . FRIDAY DAY! . . . . . GIRL, INTERRUPTED . . . . . Marcienne Dwyer!

Best Baby. . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . Ainsley Rae Querrida Kelleher. . . . . Vikki Kelleher!

Best Bios. . . . . MONDAY EVENING! . . . . . Actor Bios. . . . . Courtney Cunningham and Ensemble!*

Best Characterization. . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . BATMAN. . . . . Ryan Bailey!

Best Choreography. . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. . . . . Evan Gaustad and Rachael Kemery!

Best Crafts. . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . SEASONS OF LOVE Lyric Folders. . . . . Nikki Hayden!

Best Dance. . . . . MONDAY EVENING! . . . . . RISKY BUSINESS. . . . . Andrew Roda!

Best Dog (tied) . . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . Cha Cha. . . . . German Legaretta!

Best Dog (tied) . . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Jackson. . . . . Alison Turner (Honorable Mention to KC Morgan)!

Best Finale (tied) . . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . SEASONS OF LOVE. . . . . Ensemble: Nick Clifford, Rachel Germaine, Nicole Hayden, Eric Kaplan, Adam Korson, Morgan Krantz, Riccardo LeBron, Mylinda Royer, Kaitlyn Samovar, Richard Tanne, Trevor Torseth, Alison Turner!

Best Finale (tied) . . . . . MONDAY EVENING! . . . . . 12 DAYS OF KAHNMAS. . . . . Ensemble: Arriane Alexander, Ben Baur, Courtney Cunningham, Julie Dove, Jay Ellis, Kelli Hancock, Philip Martin, Benjamin McGroarty, Andrew Roda, Erica Taylor, Julia Wackenheim, Justin Wade, Kristy Webb, Kay Wilson!

Best Javier Bardem. . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. . . . . Gonzalo Escudero!

Best Kisses. . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . . . . . . Morgan Krantz, Mylinda Royer!

Adam Korson, Alison Turner!

Kaitlyn Samovar, Alison Turner!

Mylinda Royer, Morgan Krantz!

Mylinda Royer, Rachel Germaine!

Rachel Germaine, Morgan Krantz!

Kaitlyn Samovar, Nikki Hayden!

Rachel Germaine, Rich Tanne!

Best Lighting. . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . THE ABYSS. . . . . Nick Clifford, Mylinda Royer!

Best Little Touches . . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . red fur rope, clipboard, fir trees, etc.. . . . . Ensemble: Nick Clifford, Rachel Germaine, Nicole Hayden, Eric Kaplan, Adam Korson, Morgan Krantz, Riccardo LeBron, Mylinda Royer, Kaitlyn Samovar, Richard Tanne, Trevor Torseth, Alison Turner!

Best Meryl Streep. . . . . MONDAY NIGHT! . . . . . THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. . . . . Gina Novish!

Best Monologue. . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . ROCKY BALBOA. . . . . Jay Lacopo!

Best Musical Number. . . . . FRIDAY DAY! . . . . . MOULIN ROUGE. . . . . Carina Covella and Colby Kane!

Best Notebook. . . . .MONDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Lili Mirojnik!

Best Overall Acting. . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . Ensemble: Rachael Besant, Gonzalo Escudero, Christine Garver, Evan Gaustad, Natasha Goss, Alexander Greer, Matthew Holmes, Stephanie Jackson, Susie Kantar, Rachael Kemery, Matt Knudsen, German Legarreta, Mallory Mcgill, KC Morgan, Courtney Parks, Stephen Steelman, Ursula Taherian!

Best Overall Save. . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Ensemble: Nick Clifford, Rachel Germaine, Nicole Hayden, Eric Kaplan, Adam Korson, Morgan Krantz, Riccardo LeBron, Mylinda Royer, Kaitlyn Samovar, Richard Tanne, Trevor Torseth, Alison Turner!

Best Scene (tied) . . . . . MONDAY NIGHT! . . . . . MOMMIE DEAREST. . . . . Jennifer Landon and Sam Carson!

Best Scene (tied) . . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . THE ABYSS. . . . . Mylinda Royer and Nick Clifford!

Best Scene (tied) . . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . ARMAGEDDON. . . . . Jay Hayden, Jay Lacopo, etc.!

Best Skin (tied) . . . . . MONDAY EVENING! . . . . . LOVELY AND AMAZING. . . . . Julia Wackenheim!

Best Skin (tied) . . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Cher (SONNY & CHER). . . . . Alison Turner!

Best Soundtrack. . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Tiffany Elle!

Best Use of Moustache. . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Sonny, etc. (SONNY & CHER). . . . . Adam Korson!

Best Use of Prop. . . . . MONDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Blow Dryer. . . . . Zach Lewis!

Best Wardrobe: Stylishness. . . . . MONDAY NIGHT! . . . . . GIGI. . . . . Lili Mirojnik and Perry Ojeda!

Best Wardrobe: Cleverness. . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . ARMAGEDDON. . . . . Jay Lacopo, Jay Hayden, etc.!

and CLUE . . . . . Tiffany Elle, Trisha LaFache, Ellen Wroe, Ryan Bailey, Kelly Smith!

Best Wardrobe: Painfulness. . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . THE ABYSS . . . . . Nick Clifford (the wetsuit)!

Best Wardrobe Flashback to My Youth: . . . . . MONDAY NIGHT! . . . . . MOMMIE DEAREST. . . . . Jennifer Landon!

Biggest Surprise. . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . GREASE II. . . . . Natasha Goss!

Most Fun Had Acting in a Scene. . . . . FRIDAY DAY! . . . . . TAMED. . . . . Micah Sloat and Jennefer Ludwigson!

Most Fun Overall. . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Ensemble: Ryan Bailey, Angelique Cabral, Chad Coe, Tiffany Elle, Alison Haislip, Jay Hayden, Victoria Kelleher, Ginifer King, Jay Lacopo, Trisha LaFache, Jeff Meacham, Chris Schneider, Kelly Smith, Jesse Soffer, Ellen Wroe!

Most Fun Scene . . . . . THURSDAY DAY! . . . . . MEAN GIRLS. . . . . Rachael Besant, Rachael Kemery, Courtney Parks and Ursula Taherian!

Most Kisses. . . . .THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . KISSING JESSICA STEIN. . . . . Alison Turner, Kaitlyn Samovar!

Most Moving Scene. . . . . TUESDAY NIGHT! . . . . . ARMAGEDDON. . . . . Jay Lacopo, Jay Hayden, et al.!

Most Valuable Player(s) . . . . . THURSDAY NIGHT! . . . . . Alison Turner, Adam Korson!

__________

*Best Bios. . . . . MONDAY EVENING! . . . . . Actor Bios. . . . . Courtney Cook and Ensemble!*

Arriane Alexander has completed about 1/1000th of her 10,000 hours, so she figures she will still be studying with Lesly Kahn until she is at least 82.
Ben Baur was here first.
Julie Dove is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and great in bed.
Jay Ellis uses his stakes sparingly. You never know when you're gonna need 'em.
Kelli Dawn Hancock is tall. Get over it.
Brian Houtz will give this to you tomorrow at brunch (ugh, bios...).
Philip Martin has leather pants. He "says" they're not his.
Ben McGroarty prefers Ben 2 to B.M. It's a poop thing.
Andrew Roda wants to be in a relationship. No, seriously.
Julia Wackenheim likes stuff.
Justin Wade didn't always drive a minivan.
Kristy Webb is the most frustratingly talented person to ever exist. Ever.
Kay Wilson is not a vegetarian/vegan because she loves animals... she's a vegetarian/vegan because she hates plants.

Courtney Cunningham Wait, what? We have a Courtney in this class?

Marketing & Me

2011-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

We played in a game called M&M (Marketing & Me) in Thursday Night Class this week. I thought you’d like to see the results.

I asked everybody to look through a buncha past breakdowns and, using breakdown language, come up with a new marketing line for him or herself, including age range, race, etc.

Then they were to pick ONE day of breakdowns and go through the entire day, counting up how many roles TOTAL were listed.

Then they were to count up how many roles TOTAL were PERFECT for the new marketing line they wrote for themselves. (I.e., within their age range and race too.) They were only to INCLUDE THOSE ROLES THAT were PERFECT for them according to their new marketing line.

Then they were to determine what percentage of the roles in that day's breakdowns were perfect for them.

The results were fascinating:

Out of 130 roles, only eight (6%) were perfect for Cari, a petite, bubbly, bright and funny, type A, tightly-wound, fresh-faced, early to mid 20’s blonde girl next door.

Out of 179 roles, 20 were possible for Mar, late 20’s, charming, cute but not hot, the good hearted guy next door with a smart ass edge. The bastard child of Jason Bateman and Jeremy Piven. The guy the funny girl loves; the dude who solves the crime.

Out of 49 projects and 257 roles, only three were perfect for Caro, attractive and likable, the girl next door. Fun-loving, charismatic, authoritative. Unfortunately one was for star names only, bringing the total down to two, or .78% of the roles in the breakdowns that day.

Out of 143 roles, six (6.4%) were perfect for Nik, late 20’s, girl next store, a little off, assistant, young mom, sweet.

Out of 96 roles, three (3%) were perfect for Mel, sexy, fun, 28, sheltered, sweet, romantic, quirky, vulnerable, attractive.

Out of 83 roles, only four (4.8%) were in the range for Rae (white, pretty, intelligent and confident, a cool girl who has fun and knows how to get what she wants). Only one was perfect: it was for a non-paying USC graduate film project. “20-30 years old: expressive face/eyes. Fun loving, loves life. Able to emote with her face. Non speaking role.”

Finally, this from Jay, a confident, immaculately groomed, emotionally engaged mother in her 30’s. Exuberant, can do broad physical comedy while staying grounded. Bridget Jones meets Lucille Ball – goofy, open, positive, vulnerable, honest to a fault. Dorky and awkward, but comfortable in her own skin. (Jay prefers however to be described as a beautiful and strong dancer who is an athletic African American firefighter and veteran of the Air Force. She is a brilliant florist while concurrently a well-adjusted and appealing high school sophomore.) Out of 185 roles, one (0.5%) was perfect for Jay.

“First let me say that plot based breakdowns give me the shits. Last week in 57 pages of breakdowns the only description I could find to suit me was 'female.' So why the fuck can’t I book a job?”

Anti-Mediocrity

2011-02-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

A manager asked me to assess a potential client yesterday -- I thought you might find his responses (in blue) of interest. -- Lester

Pursuant to your request, I worked with Actor P today. He chose to bring in material from GOOD WILL HUNTING. I never think it’s a great idea to bring in material that has been definitely performed by a much loved movie star – I just think it makes the actor’s job harder – but at least the writing was great so we had great material to work with.

Actor P is sweet and willing and seems like such a good kid. He certainly is dedicated and a good young man. His first read was not bad at all – just general. Not good as when we go into a room we only have one chance to make an impression. I like to tell the actors that most actors are mediocre – they work somewhere between 15 and 85 percent on a scale of 100. And that it doesn’t really matter what you do if your acting is within the mediocre range on that scale. I completely concur with you. You gotta break 85 just to get into the b+ range – just to not be a total waste of the casting director’s time. Totally! As they will take note and not see them again. And then you gotta break 90 to get a producer to wake up and notice you. Then 95 to get the people with the money to care. You know the biz that is why I send green or established talent to you. His read was a good, solid 75. Better than most, not interesting or exciting, but perfectly acceptable and not at all embarrassing. Not acceptable to go out in a buyers market. How long do you think it would take for you to work with him should he be able to go out there?

Then we worked – again he is extremely open and eager to learn. He did everything I asked him to do -- and that wasn’t easy for him because he was somewhat attached to his way, but I can be persuasive (read: loud) and eventually he got a lot better. Up into the mid 80’s I’d say. Great!

He can be totally charming. But there was no zing. True. It’s very difficult to get kids to understand that acting actually isn’t just figuring out the best way to say the lines. They’re not big readers or dreamers – they’re very result-oriented, so it takes some time to get them to see the light. Yes, today’s generation is lacking in reading the golden years of their craft and willing to truly understand that acting is a profession and having all the right tools fine tuned in order to bring their point of view as only they can and finding the rhythm of the scene distinctly within the parameters of one’s own identity.

Me, As a Penguin

2011-02-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

Our very own Brendan Hunt (who just won the Ovation award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical) is in a new play called "Me, As a Penguin" at the Lost Studio every Friday-Sunday from now until March 6th, and it is getting great reviews from BACKSTAGE. Check it out!

http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-la-theatre/me-as-a-penguin-1004139711.story

Texting While Working

2011-02-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, you shouldn't text while driving, or talk on the cell phone, or argue with your dog or drive blindfolded. It's an idiot move, one that often leads to death (yours or someone else's).

I don't think you should text while working, either. Or use social networking software of any kind for that matter. And you probably shouldn't eat crunchy chips, either.

I don't think there's anything wrong with doing all that at work (in moderation). But not while you're working. Not if working is that the act that leads to the scarce output, the hard stuff, the creative uniqueness they actually pay you for.

You're competing against people in a state of flow, people who are truly committed, people who care deeply about the outcome. You can't merely wing it and expect to keep up with them. Setting aside all the safety valves and pleasant distractions is the first way to send yourself the message that you're playing for keeps. After all, if you sit for an hour and do exactly nothing, not one thing, you'll be ashamed of yourself. But if you waste that hour updating, pinging, being pinged and crunching, well, hey, at least you stayed in touch.

Raise the stakes.

Seth Godin

Have a Big Old Good Time

2011-02-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

“ . . . the main idea that I’ve recently given up on is that I can be a working actor . . . . After all this time . . . I’ve realized that I have no shot at my dream. And that’s mainly what was [adversely] affecting my performances . . . . After our first meeting . . . somehow I took to the concept that it was you who had to validate me as an actor and, ever since, I’ve just been making an effort to try to be great every time you were watching. With the results that you and I have seen. Well, for the last couple of weeks (ever since the Battle of the Ongoing Classes), that self--‐imposed pressure to be great has been decreasing to a point in which, when I came to class [last week], I thought it would be my last, and I couldn’t care less about how I did, I couldn’t care less about where it would take me and (and please don’t take this the wrong way: you know I love you and would come to class just to give you a back rub), I couldn’t care less about what you thought of my acting. Because I couldn’t care less about my acting myself. I just came to play a little with a group of people I really like. And I wanted to have a big old good time. Period.” – G

And he roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooocked. - Lesly

Trust

2011-01-23T21:47:00.001-08:00

"Do not abandon trust when your ego thinks things should be different than they are." - Wayne Dyer

Surgeon General's Warnings

2011-01-23T21:19:00.000-08:00

Surgeon General's warnings for Twilight, Angry Birds, and Twitter, brought to you by the folks at someecards.com

"Perfect No More"

2011-01-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

From the incomparable Genie Kahn:

I've been hearing too much wailing lately about the need to be PERFECT. Noted author John Updike believes "perfectionism is the enemy of creation." He understood the need to be perfect stops the forward march of any creative undertaking.

In my considered opinion,there is nothing useful about striving for "perfection." Carried to extremes, it's toxic as well as paralyzing. Maybe it's about working to be the best you can be -- a work in progress. There is no perfect - only a better you.

"And who is to judge what is 'perfect' anyway? What I have judged full of flaws so many others have called terrific. Maybe the definition of Perfection is something that actually gets done." - Neale Donald Walsch

A Special Cleaning Service

2011-01-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning - once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has 547 partners to help these women. It's our job to pass the word and let them know that there are people out there that care. Be a blessing to someone and pass this information along.

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

You may not know someone going through chemo, but someone on your email list might. Please forward! (Thanks to Cynthia Sophiea for sending us this)

"Respect and the Gun"

2011-01-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a BACKSTAGE blog post from Ann Hu about shooting guns. Badass.

http://backstage.blogs.com/unscripted/2011/01/respect-and-the-gun.html

A Reel Community

2011-01-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Lesly,

. . . Over this looonnngg break, I decided to do something I have been putting off forever...create a demo reel. Kristy and I organized our class to shoot some scenes, so last week we rehearsed a few times and yesterday we shot all day. We had great DP's and about 5 people from our class were involved -- Kristy, Ben M (who also helped Direct and DP because he has a rocking camera), Courtney, Philip, Jay (he helped coach and direct) and myself. It was amazing having these people be super committed and focused to put in the time, energy and money while we were still on break. It was awesome. So excited about the footage.

Here's why I am sharing this...not because I think my class is awesome (even though we are)...but because . . .

· I LOVE having a community of driven, professional actors to work with in my class. I have always dreamt of having awesome people to support, work with, create projects with...and now I have them. THANK YOU for helping us create such an awesome community of actors.

· I never thought I was "good enough" to have a demo reel I was proud of. From my months in your classes, I feel so confident in my acting where it is today. Of course I will always improve, but where I am today, I am damn proud of. While I had moments of Bad Actor Thoughts, most of my day was filled with Good Actor Thoughts! My whole intention for shooting yesterday was, "I want to have fun doing this and have a product I am proud of." I feel really great about my scenes, and know I will be proud of what I put together for a reel.

· I didn't "know" how to create a reel. Well....since I am involved with so many freaking talented people in class, it was SO EASY. My job was to organize rehearsals and times and scenes...things I am really good at. Kristy has the know-how and relationships with the DP's. And she bought a light kit. And she knows about sound. So she took care of that end. Courtney has the know-how to have an awesome house where we could shoot everything. And she knows editors. Ben has the awesome camera that he is so generous to let us use. Jay knows how to coach and direct. Philip is great at showing up, being committed to whatever we need and being flexible. And EVERYONE knows how to ACT! WOW! I didn't have to "know" how to create a reel, I just had to know the right people. And I do now. I didn't have to do it on my own. Thank GOD!

So just wanted to share, say thank you, and tell you how excited I am to be working with you and Eyal...I just know this year is so so so so so so so freaking great already.

Arriane

Notes From The Universe

2011-01-19T09:20:00.001-08:00

There's always, and only, one sure way to bridge the gap, heal the wound, mend the fence, and otherwise reach those who seem unreachable.

Thought.

Send them your finest,
The Universe

Love Letter

2011-01-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

I got a love letter from a client today. I am the happiest acting teacher on the PLANET. I'm done now. I can call it a day.

Thank you, Eric Nenninger.

What I Learned; The Story of an LK Actor on the Set of a Television Comedy Series

I had been a Kahn-vert for 2 1/2 years when last spring I booked a re-curring role on a single camera comedy pilot that was eventually picked up for series. Nine more episodes started shooting in the fall. Hallelujah. Now, you always hear stories of re-curring roles getting bigger because the actor playing them is 'so amazing we had to write him in.' This time I was part of that story. The show is about college and my character was supposed to graduate at the end of the year, leaving room for the lead and MY girlfriend to start dating. In short, now it's not gonna happen for them. Sorry lead guy, there's plenty of fish in the sea. Here's how it happened and what I learned from it.

I originally went in on this project for a different role and, after killing it, the CD said 'They want a black guy (I'm not black). Here take this other role out in the hall and come back when you're ready.' I had already read the script, of course, and knew the role. I took it downstairs and SLOWLY read everything on the page. I made strong, text based choices that would serve the script and make my character charming, specific and, of course, funny. This took about 30 min. When I came back in, it was effortless and since it was re-curring, I didn't need to test and was booked off tape. Bang!

First and foremost I was perfect for the part. I'm pretty much playing myself which you can't do anything about. Second, I didn't go in the hall to 'get ready'. I came to the audition ready. I had been reading and working on sides that SUCKED for 2 1/2 years so cutting through a role that I was perfect for, was easy. I could hear what it needed to be because my ear and my instincts were already in tune, and so was my instrument, when it came time to play.

I was busy for the table read of the pilot (I know, I'm so big time) so when I showed up on set it was the first time the producers had ever met me. No pressure. Thankfully my camera technique was sharp because I've done a few things and had recently been making short films and webisodes with some friends. My role in the pilot was small, but I didn't take anything lightly. I mined every word and scene for as much gold as I could find. Looking for every opportunity to make my character more of a real person. I used the 'white spaces' on the page to do it. To my surprise the director/creator were also open to new ideas. Hallelujah. An actor’s dream. Because I understood the comedy and story that was being told, from years of watching television shows, my ideas fit like a residual check. I made a few key changes in the relationships with ad-libs and improvs that caused my character to 'fit in' more. Several people would tell me later, including people from the network, that when I did such and such, it really made my character three-dimensional. "Oh really?! I didn't even notice that I was making my part bigger. Fancy that!"

I was LUCKY that my OPPORTUNITY met my PREPARATION. I think I've read that somewhere.

So we start the series and a couple re-curring roles are bumped up to series-regular. Not me. Who cares? I know how the industry works. One guy had another gig and there was a chance he would not be available. Another was a minority and the network needed it. Who cares? I know how the industry works. I got an open door in front of me and I'm not going to try and fit jealousy through it. I'm going to think of myself as a series-regular anyway, so what's a title? (We'll get to the money thing later.)

At the first table read, after the show got picked up, it seemed like every employee from the network was there. The night before I was reading the script that was, and forever will be, a work in progress. I see a couple jokes of mine that, in my egotistical opinion, could be better. A "three" that is not completed, a button here and there. Nothing major. I know not to change what the writer wrote, the structure of the story, just the flavor of the jokes. I also know that the table read is HUGE and I want to bring my A-game so I say FUCK IT. I add my "three" and buttons and they get HUGE laughs cause my ear is in tune and so is my instrument. Then comes the payoff. When I get the re-write of the script sent to my house (I know, I'm so big time) my ad-libs MADE THE RE-WRITE! Almost nothing compares to that. I'm collaborating!

We when started shooting I had the confidence that what I was doing was working so I kept at it. I never took anything lightly. From first rehearsal all the way through the final shot I was looking for new jokes and new ideas that connected to the script, which I knew inside and out. Not because I had read it 20 times, but because I've read so many scripts that I can pick up on almost all of it with just two reads. I was making sure that each take I was hearing and thinking for the first time. Not repeating performances and not settling for good enough. I knew that every minute was an opportunity to shine or fade. I also had a strong personal instinct for what was good and what wasn't. Even when people were telling me how great everything was. On-set, everything is hilarious, great, sooo wonderful until it airs and it sucks, or worse, is mediocre. You need a higher standard for yourself, much higher. I knew what was possible with the material because in the yellow room I had seen crap shine.

The amount of re-writes on this show became a joke...funnier than most of the writing. It was ridiculous. We used to say that the final revision would be out, right after the episode aired. It was a nightmare learning your lines and making them funny only to have them change when you got to set. For me though, it was a dream. I knew how to instantly learn new material because I could see what the writers were going for. I had worked on so much material and been given so many adjustments it never really threw me. The writers were on set too, so I could talk with them about the jokes and pitch new ideas to them with a great handle on the genre that we were working under. We would talk about different styles of shows and the jokes they used. I knew all about it cause I had watched hundreds of hours of TV and seen every possible show out there. I could feel the new joke they were going for and could see why it had been changed without really trying. My right brain took care of it. That freed up my left brain to think of alternates for it on the spot. With each episode I saw my character get more defined and I was part of that process. I started showing up to work with the attitude and responsibility that my job was to add to the script and the show, not just paint the numbers on the page.

My part started to grow.

With each new episode we had a table read on our lunch hour. All the producers and writers as well as people from the network would attend our little performance of the next episode. We wouldn't get the script till that morning, so you would have time to read it once before we started shooting scenes for the day. "Thank GOD I go to LK," I would tell my wife on table read days. My cast was great and responsible so everyone would read the scripts and make good choices, but I knew how to work faster than them so my performances would be more specific and therefore, funnier. One day they asked me if I would also read the part of a major guest-star who wouldn't be attending. I know not to take anything lightly so I said FUCK IT and jumped in with both sides of my brain. It went great. I could sense the jokes that were written; turns, builds, point of views and all. I would later learn from a writer at the wrap party that at these table reads was where I really made my mark on the show. After the read it was back to shoot the rest of the day.

By now I was working six-seven days an episode, on average 12 hours a day. I figured I was in the process of 'acting', i.e., reading, rehearsing, thinking or actually shooting, about seven of those hours. There is a certain amount of fatigue that goes along with that but I had been rehearsing, reading and in class four-five days a week already, so getting to that level wasn't as hard. I also would sit around for three hours then act at 11 pm or later and was expected to be brilliant on cue, but I knew that was coming. I had done that in the yellow room dozens of times.

We had new directors for each episode. One day I finished an episode in the morning with a director who would ask me how my character felt about the scene and then started a new episode in the afternoon with a director who said 'sit on this word, look left on that one, and take out the huh.' (Those notes came in the first read.) But I’ve learned how to be director-proof and can adjust on a dime. I know my work is not precious and will try any new idea just for the hell of it. I'm specific and consistent.

So now, I'm an invaluable part of the show. The story line has changed to include my character. I watched as other series-regulars' roles got smaller, while mine got bigger. They get paid, probably double, to do one scene in an episode. Partly because their characters didn't have any room to grow. I was blessed to have a role that had room in it and would rather have the screen time than the cash. (For this season at least.) But also partly because they didn't see what was passing them by with each scene that we shot. A friend of mine on the show, who also understood this, had a running joke with me where I would ask him if he had any lines in this scene and he would say "not yet."

It worked. It worked because I had put in SO MUCH WORK before I got there that the choices almost made themselves. I could hear what it needed to be and I could feel how it should go, in the moment, without really knowing why. My right brain had absorbed so much creativity at the studio and my left brain had contemplated every angle that when I got to set, they sang in harmony. It was beautiful and I'm a terrible singer.

So what did I learn?

It works.

and...

...she's right.

Everything, EVERYTHING that Les does in class and at the studio is set up to help us succeed when we get on set. It allows us to live our dreams and be a part of that story where the show changes to include you. Everything from the obnoxious assignments with material that is crap, to that beautifully shrieking Jewish voice saying "STOP!!!" To the snacks in the kitchen that are like Kraft Services, to the astronomically high expectations on performance and adjustments, to the therapy sessions to get you out of your head, is in place so you can live your dream. Every time I knew how to handle a situation it was because we had gone over it or talked about it or it was screamed into my head a hundred times in class before. I used everything that she taught me everyday on set. Her voice was in my head, like it's in all of ours, all day. Saying 'make it specific, slow down, stop trying to repeat, dare to suck and get out of your left brain, NENNINGER!!!! (Maybe that last part is just in my head.)

Thanks, Lesly.

Sincerely,

Eric Nenninger

Karma Police

2011-01-18T23:05:00.001-08:00

"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." - Wayne Dyer

December 2010 BOTOC Results - V: Aaaaand the Winnnnnnerrrr Iiiiiizzzzzzzz . . .

2011-01-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

Lesly Kahn

December 2010 BOTOC Results . . .

Lesly & Adam's Friday Day T&A had a grand total of 183 points . . .

LESLY AND ADAM'S FRIDAY T&A BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

Lesly & Jolie's Tuesday Evening had a grand total of 197.16 points . . .

LESLY AND JOLIE'S TUESDAY EVENING BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

Lesly's Tuesday Night had a grand total of 224.5 points . . .

LESLY'S TUESDAY NIGHT BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

Lesly & Eyal's Monday Evening had a grand total of 274.25 points . . .

LESLY AND EYAL'S MONDAY EVENING BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

Lesly's Monday Night had a grand total of 315.5 points . . .

LESLY'S MONDAY NIGHT BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

Lesly & Vikki's Thursday Day had a grand total of 321.25 points . . .

LESLY AND VIKKI'S THURSDAY DAY BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

and . . .

Lesly's Thursday Night had a grand total of . . .

517 points and . . .

are the winners of . . .

a $300 contribution made in their names to The Young Storytellers Foundation!!!!

LESLY'S THURSDAY NIGHT BOTOC 2010 from Lesly Kahn on Vimeo.

Kahngratulations, Nick Clifford, Rachel Germaine, Nicole Hayden, Adam Korson, Morgan Krantz, Riccardo LeBron, Mylinda Royer, Kaitlyn Samovar, Richard Tanne, Trevor Torseth & Alison Turner!!!!

Chadwick Struck Casting Workshop - THIS Friday @ 6:15!!!

2011-01-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Time to get to work on that resolution and come to the year’s first Casting Workshop with Chadwick Struck!

Friday, January 21, 2011 at 6:15 pm
COST - $47.50 if you are currently enrolled in class, $57.50 if you are not currently enrolled in class (the price includes validated parking)

Chadwick is currently casting the feature ROCK BARNES as well as two upcoming Indie Films.

Material will be distributed at the workshop.

Remember – these workshops tend to fill up fast and we can only hold your spot once we have your payment.

Please CLICK HERE to set up a time. If you are taking an Ongoing, Clinic, or Intensive with us in January 2011, please purchase “Chadwick Stuck Casting Workshop (IC) web item # 4138 @ $47.50”. If you are NOT enrolled in a January 2011 class, please purchase “Chadwick Struck Casting Workshop (NC) web item # 4138 @ $57.50”. ASAP to purchase your spot by credit card at our online store. If you’d like to pay at the office via cash, check or credit card, you can email Evan (evan@leslykahn.com).

Exceprts from CATCHING THE BIG FISH by David Lynch

2011-01-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

I just finished listening to this book (recommended by Heath Cullins!), and while a LOT of it is all about Trancendental Meditation, there are also several great quotes I wanted to share with you. Here ya' go . . .

"Ideas are like fish: if you want to catch little fish you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish you've got to go deeper. Down deep the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract, and they're very beautiful."

""It would be easier to roll up the entire sky into a small cloth than it would be to obtain true happiness without knowing the true self."

"I call . . . depression and anger the suffocating rubber clown suit of negativity. It's suffocating and that rubber stinks. But once you start meditating and diving within, the clown suit starts to dissolve. . . . Anger and depression and sorrow are beautiful things in a story, but they're like poison to the . . . artist . . . they're like a vice grip on creativity. If you're in that grip you can hardly get out of bed much less experience the flow of creativity and ideas. You must have clarity to create. You have to be able to catch ideas."

"If you want to get one hour of good painting in, you have to have four hours of uninterrupted time. . . . You don't just start painting. You have to sit for a while and get some kind of mental idea in order to go and make the right moves. And you need a whole bunch of materials at the ready. For example, you need to build framework stretchers for the canvas. It can take a long time just to prepare something to paint on. And then you go to work. The idea just needs to be enough to get you started because for me, whatever follows is a process of action and reaction -- it's always a process of building and then destroying. And then -- out of this destruction, discovering a thing and building on it. Nature plays a huge part in it. Putting different materials together like baking something in sunlight or using one material that fights another material causes its own organic reaction. Then it's a matter of sitting back and studying it and studying it and studying it and suddenly you find you're leaping up out of your chair and going in and doing the next thing. That's action and reaction. But if you know you've got to be somwhere in a half hour, there's no way you can achieve that. So the art life means a freedom to have the time for the good things to happen. There's not always a lot of time for other things."

"Through meditation one realizes the unbounded. That which is unbounded is happy. There is no happiness in the small. -- From the Upanishads"

"Little fish swim on the surface but the big ones swim below. If you can expand the container you're fishing in -- your consciousness -- you can catch bigger fish. Here's how it works: inside every human being is an ocean of pure, vibrant consciousness. When you transcend in Transcendental Meditation, you dive down into that ocean of pure consciousness. You splash into it and it's bliss. You can vibrate with this bliss. Experiencing pure consciousness enlivens it -- explands it -- it starts to unfold and grow. If you have a golfball sized consciousness, when you read a book, you'll have a golfball sized understanding. When you look out a window, a golfball sized awareness, when you wake up in the morning, a golfball sized wakefullness, and as you go about your day, a golfball sized inner happiness. But if you can expand that consciousness, make it grow, then when you read that book you'll have more understanding, when you look out -- more awareness, when you wake up, more wakefulness, and as you go about your day, more innner happiness. You can catch ideas at a deeper level and creativity really flows. It makes life more like a fantastic game."

"There's an expression -- keep your eye on the doughnut, not on the hole. If you keep your eye on the doughnut and do your work, that's all you can control. You can't control any of what's out there -- what's outside of yourself -- but you can get inside and do the best you can do. The world isn't going to pass you by. There's no guarantee that meditation or delivering the Wall Street journal is going to make you a success, but with focus and meditation, although the events of your outer life may stay the same, the way you go through these events changes and gets so much better."

"I was listening to the radio one day when I was working on THE ELEPHANT MAN, and I heard Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I fell in love with the piece for the last scene of the film. I asked Johnathan Sanger, the producer, to get it, and he came back with nine different records. I listened to them and I said, "No, that's not what I heard at all." All nine were completely wrong. So he went out and bought more. Finally, I heard Andre Previn's version, and I said, "That's it." It was composed of the same notes as the others, of course, but it was the way he did it. The music has to marry with the picture and enhance it. You can't just lob something in and think it's going to work, even if it's one of your all time favorite songs. That piece of music may have nothing to do with the scene. When it marries, you can feel it. The thing jumps. A whole is greater than the sum of its parts kind of thing can happen."

"When I made DUNE I didn't have final cut . . . It's totally absurd for filmmakers not to be able to make films the way they want to make them, but in this business, it's very common. I came from painting and a painter has none of those worries. A painter paints a painting. No one comes in and says, "You've got to change that blue." It's a joke to think that a film is going to mean anything if somebody else fiddles with it. If they give you the right to make the film, they owe you the right to make it the way you think it should be. The filmmaker should decide on every single element - every single word, every single sound, every single thing going down that highway through time -- otherwise it won't hold together. The film may suck, but at least you made it suck on your own."

"It doesn't matter how wonderful an actor is. When you're casting, you have to pick the person who married to that part -- who can do that part."

"Watcha Gonna Do With That Duck?"

2011-01-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

We're surrounded by people who are busy getting their ducks in a row, waiting for just the right moment...

Getting your ducks in a row is a fine thing to do. But deciding what you are you going to do with that duck is a far more important issue. - Seth Godin

Enable This!

2011-01-09T15:12:00.001-08:00

"By the tenth time compassion becomes enabling." Eric Kaplan

Liars & Bitches Beware, Oh My!

2011-01-09T14:26:00.001-08:00

You will, I suspect, be thrilled to hear that the lady who ran into me in the parking lot finally admitted liability. What do we learn from this? You tell me.

Notes From The Universe

2011-01-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

..the new year starts, so now's a great time to:

1. Wipe the slate clean.
2. Focus upon what you really want.
3. Chart your course.

Right?

Well... only if you want to risk having to repeat these steps for the same wishes next year! Maybe this is splitting hairs, but here's an adventurous alternative:

1. Give thanks that life is... just as it is (and that it's been... just as it's been). Because of it, you're now "READY."

2. Define what you want in terms of the end result. Don't worry about the hows, or even the course. KNOW that what you want is ALREADY yours in spirit, by divine LAW, just focus on the certainty of this ownership, understand it, claim it, and "it will be on earth, as it is in heaven (spirit)."

3. LET THE UNIVERSE show you the way via your impulses and instincts that appear as you take inspired action. Don't worry that your first steps seem silly or futile. And if you don't know what to do, do anything! Go! Get busy! Do not insist on intermediary successes, only upon the end result.

2011 is going to be your year (it already is),
The Universe

Those Scarves Really Come in Handy

2011-01-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Lesly! Doing reversals on the slopes in Park City! Happy 2011! - Jill Alexander

"Authentic Underbelly"

2011-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

This is a blog post from Jolie Jenkins, one of our fab teacher's here at LK & Co. I think we've all been in this situation at some point in our lives. Well, maybe not if you're a man.

http://joeycake.blogspot.com/2010/12/authentic-underbelly.html

Yoga = Life

2011-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Les,

I started doing yoga with my wife a couple months ago and I echo your sentiment about the parallels to acting and to life in general. So, as thank you, here are a few of the pearls of wisdom I have gleaned from my time sweating and stretching:

"If you're stretching, you're strengthening."

"Focus makes it easier to keep your balance."

"It's not about IF you'll fall but how you treat yourself when you do."

"You will gain so much more by remaining here in the moment than by letting your mind wander to other concerns."

"Focus is the attribute most closely related to happiness."

"Whether you believe you can do it or you can't do it, you're right."

Ok, so that last one was from an episode of Family Guy I saw once but it's still true. And funny when Stewie says it.

Happy New Year!

Daved Wilkins

"Bumps In The Road"

2011-01-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

"People talk about being on their 'path.' But it's never really a stick-straight road with well illuminated signs, is it? So, if you get discouraged, remember that 'The road to success is always under construction.' - Lily Tomlin" - Genie Kahn

Kahn You Think of Anything?

2011-01-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Les,

Is there any thing your last name Kahn't do?

Chris S

Swap Shop Success!

2011-01-08T12:39:00.001-08:00

Thank you for all of your efforts regarding Swap Shop. It was a great success. The Kahnstituents got a lot of clothes and so did the ladies at Friendly House (attached is a photo of dropping clothes off there at the end of the day with a lady who runs the house and one who is living there). In short everyone was thrilled. YOU GUYS MADE IT HAPPEN!

Many thanks and much love,
Gina Novish

Katherine Wolf's Battles With Her Brain

2011-01-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

If you don't know about Katherine, please check her out. What an extraordinary and miraculous and inspiring Kahnstituent she is.

What Are You Waiting For???

2011-01-05T14:35:00.000-08:00

Pilot season is coming! Pilot season is coming!

Are you ready? Well you need to get ready! Yes, your acting needs to be infallible, but so does your psyche. Your mental game is just as important as your acting game and pilot season is usually a time of frustration, fatigue and rejection. You need to know how to come out on top without leaving your morale at the bottom.

"How can I do it," you say? With the help of a life coach, that's how. "How will I find one," you say? Click here and call Genie Kahn, that's how. Genie Kahn is not only a genius life coach, but she also spent many years in the business and knows all too well what we go through. She also understands that many of us are not only "artists," but "STARVING artists" and offers the best rates in town.

So what exactly are you waiting for? Call her!

No, seriously. CALL HER.

*Editor's note: I would like to say that neither Lesly nor Genie asked me to write this. I am writing this because I believe in the power of good mental health and it's necessity as an actor. The last year and a half I have spent with Genie has been the most transformational time of my life, and without her I would not be firing on all cylinders. The Kahn sisters are the best decisions I've ever made.

Notes From The Universe

2011-01-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know it seems that your emotions arise from circumstances, even though it works the other way around. And this is kind of scary because sometimes they literally seem to overrun you.

But I also know that most of the time they don't, which is all the leverage you need.

Just feel good when you can; it'll always be enough.

Can you feel me, now?
The Universe

Interestingness

2011-01-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

"... self-consciousness is the enemy of 'interestingness.'" - Malcom Gladwell

November 2010 BOTOC I Results - FINALLY!

2011-01-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, I tore myself away from the BOTOC II presentations long enough to tally up the results for the BOTOC I - the Reality Show Pilot Trailers.

For those of you who don't recall, a BOTOC is a Battle Of The Ongoing Classes. For this kahntest, each class was tasked to make as many reality show pilot teasers as they wanted to make. They had two weeks, no money and no more than two-and-a-half minutes for their final product. Some classes made several, others only made one. Each class voted for the video that would represent their class. Their prize? Given the state of affairs out there in the world they wanted me to make a donation in the names of the members of the winning class to their favorite charity.

All the videos are on you tube. The first eight are the winners from each class:

1 PORN'D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRPPyfa3mjQ
2 A-LIST http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaEWjOQ9Xg
3 THE BRIDE WHISPERER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jAcuMaSGok
4 BAD ACTOR REHAB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOz8cSPo9zU
5 RIGHT OR WRONG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TzIPU-yaws
6 TEXTERVENTION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB3bh_4jYG0
7 INTERVENTION (TODDLER EDITION) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0VApqn5ZOE
8 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP ASIAN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lHISKGi8TI

And?

Here's what the judges had to say!

Judge # 1 - ACTOR
I'm giving it to RIGHT vs WRONG... the idea was all over the place, but the acting was better. ASIAN, BAD ACTOR AND BRIDE WHISPERER were better concepts, but the execution wasn't there. Felt like writers acting their own dialogue... and most writers can't act.

Judge # 2 - THEATRICAL AGENTWatched the first 7 so far and RIGHT OR WRONG was pretty funny. I think its hard to judge because some are good ideas and poor execution while others were executed better even if the idea would never sell. BAD ACTOR REHAB got a personal LOL. BRIDE WHISPERER is a funny concept. The winner is: BRIDE WHISPERER for originality. PORN'D for best execution. NEXT BEST ASIAN - Funniest Title, but poor execution. BAD ACTOR REHAB- most laughs from industry execs.

Judge # 3 - THEATRICAL AGENT
This was a really tough one... So, I am going with the one that probably made me laugh out loud more than the others, but I also felt really was the best use of the ensemble which would be THE BRIDE WHISPERER. It was original and fresh. As far as the others...I liked the idea of BAD ACTOR REHAB, but felt that it just missed the mark. TEXTERVENTION was funny and incorporation of original show’s premise. RIGHT OR WRONG was good, but a bit all over the place to really make it work. A-LIST was well written. PORN'D was well produced, but not a fresh idea. AMERICA'S NEXT TOP ASIAN was a good homage to the show, but felt more like a music video/ something for a director’s reel than something for an acting class. Sorry...I just didn’t get INTERVENTION: TODDLER EDITION. I understand what they were trying to do...but it just didn’t work for me...maybe other people think differently, and I am not knocking the acting and they did do a good job of working “Intervention” in, but it is a thumbs down from me...

Judge # 4 - CASTING DIRECTOR
My fave was RIGHT OR WRONG.

Judge # 5 - NETWORK EXECUTIVE
I love the commitment to character! All of them shone in that regard. PORN'D, BRIDE WHISPERER and RIGHT OR WRONG were my faves because they were the most developed. PORN'D-Funny! Good concept. A-LIST-Cute girls, great concept, couldn’t follow story. BRIDE WHISPERER -Well done, well acted, written and edited. BAD ACTOR REHAB-Love the cast, not a fan of the premise. RIGHT OR WRONG-Haha Vicky cracking up.loved that. TEXTERVENTION-Well done, looked great. INTERVENTION-Hilarious premise, could have been funnier in execution. AMERICA'S NEXT TOP ASIAN-Great idea, less posing and more writing would have made this one great.

Judge # 6 - CASTING DIRECTOR
1) BAD ACTOR REHAB - Genius concept, solid production that is consistently stimulating / funny. The pacing / editing is spot on. Killer dialog, authentic situation comedy, solid cast throughout...Brendan Hunt (who I have been lucky to meet) fucking rocks it! That "Bad Acting Rehab" was solid.
2) INTERVENTION (Toddler Edition) - Risky, funny content. Although it was heightened, the cast did a killer job of playing it straight. Really enjoyed this kind of funny and DROLET ROCKS!
3) PORN'D - Production value is through the roof. Looked like the real Punk'd series. Content and the play by the actors was equally precise in matching the real show (Punk'd).
4) TOP ASIAN - Risky, funny not hilarious, brief but left us wanting more. Concept is awesome but cast could have been more funny in their play.

Judge # 7 - FILMMAKER/DIRECTOR/-SCREENWRITER
I just LOVE the idea!!! To me the clear winner is RIGHT OR WRONG (see below). I also REALLY liked THE BACHELOR: LATTER DAY LOVER, REAL WIVES OF AKRON, YEMEN'S NEXT TOP MODEL. Real Wives of Akron cracks me up! And FURNITURE MAKER…tehehehehe! Brilliant.

Judge # 8 - CHI CHI MAGAZINE EDITOR
TEXTERVENTION.

Judge # 9 - TALENT MANAGER
Winner is TEXTERVENTION. clever, well directed, well acted, funny. loved it. 2nd place would have to be RIGHT OR WRONG. And 3rd TODDLER INTERVENTION. Men are good- AMERICA'S NEXT TOP ASIAN - PITCH PERFECT. LOVED. great! -TEXTERVENTION. Great-BAD ACTOR REHAB. Great-RIGHT OR WRONG.

Judge # 10 - TALENT MANAGER
PORNED wins. Ryan Dobson needs to be doing this more and more. Runners up are: TEXTERVENTION and ASIAN IDOL. Really liked RIGHT OR WRONG, but I may be biased because of the amazing Vicky and Ryan!

Judge # 11 - CIVILIAN
The winner is... TEXTERVENTION because of its style, humor, sad realism and, while funny, probably would get picked up as a reality show. A very close second goes to RIGHT OR WRONG because it was the best acted. A slightly faster pace would have made it number one.Honorary Mention goes to NEXT ASIAN TOP MODEL which had the best look, production value and editing.

Judge # 12 - ACTRESS
Well.... It's a toss up between the 2 Interventions for me. TEXTERVENTION and TODDLER EDITION. Both equally enjoyable, good acting and well produced. Honorable mention going to RIGHT OR WRONG.

Judge # 13 – ACTRESS
I LOVED TEXTERVENTION and even BAD ACTOR REHAB but as a former wedding planner I've got to go with THE BRIDE WHISPERER! Hilarious stuff. Hope they win.

Ready?

Here we go.

No really.

Ok then.

Annnnnnd . . .

I'm so predictable!

Tied for third (3rd) place with a total of 1 vote apiece are:

Lesly & Jolie's November Tuesday Evening Class for BAD ACTOR REHAB and

Lesly's Thursday Night Class for TODDLER INTERVENTION!!!!

Woooo hoooo! Kahngratulations!

And . . . .

in second (2nd) place with a total of three votes is:

Lesly & Eyal's November Monday Evening Class for PORN'D!!!!

Woooo hoooo! Kahngratulations!

And . . . .

there is a three-way tie -- with four votes apiece -- for first (1st) place (so y'all gotta split the prize)!

First there's . . .

Lesly's November Monday Night Class for THE BRIDE WHISPERER!

Woooo hoooo! Kahngratulations!

On behalf of the members of Lesly's Monday Night class -

Sam Carson

Luke Diliberto

Traci Dinwiddie

Jules Hartley

Jennifer Landon

Zach Lewis

Matt McKane

Jack Merrill

Lili Mirojnick

Gina Novish

Angela Oh

Perry Ojeda

Angel Parker

Alyssa Preston

Shawn Reaves

Kristina Sexton

Doug Simpson

-- we have made a kahntribution of $100 to SIDNEY'S SAFE FOUNDATION in the memory of Sam Carson's sister (who passed away about five years ago). The foundation raises awareness about domestic violence, addiction and depression among young women.

Then there's . . .

Lesly's November Tuesday Night Class for RIGHT & WRONG!

Woooo hoooo! Kahngratulations!

On behalf of the members of Lesly's Tuesday Night class -

Victoria Kelleher
Jay Hayden
Angelique Cabral
Chad Coe
Ryan Bailey
Chris Schneider
Jennifer Bassey

Sally Pressman

Alex Quijano
' Jesse Soffer
Bill Coelius

Tiffany Elle

Alison Haislip

Ginifer King

Jay Lacopo

Trisha LaFache

Jeff Meacham

Eyal Podell

Kelly Smith

-- we have made a kahntribution of $100 to MUCH LOVE ANIMAL RESCUE, primarily because Tiffany reeealllly likes turtles. Among other things.

And finally . . .

Lesly & Vikki's November Thursday Day class for TEXTERVENTION!

Woooo hoooo! Kahngratulations!

On behalf of the members of Lesly & Vikki's Thursday Day class -

Rachael Besant

Nathan Clark

Christine Garver

Evan Gaustad

Natasha Goss

Alexander Greer

Mara Hall

Matthew Holmes

Stephanie Jackson

Susie Kantar

Rachael Kemery

Matt Knudsen

German Legarreta

Mallory Mcgill

KC Morgan

Courtney Parks

Stephen Steelman

Ursula Taherian

-- we have made a kahntribution of $100 to CARING BRIDGE in the memory of Mallory McGill's friend Ann (who passed away). Mallory says, "The girl was a game changer, the ultimate girl's girl. She was someone who would've brought the Koreas together for a tea party, and at the first sight of trouble, jumped in your bunker to help you throw grenades. Everything about her was light bulb brilliant. She was a cheerleader with the brains of a surgeon (the only reason I made it through AP BIO in high school!). For the record, she wasn't a surgeon, she was an accountant in Atlanta, who had a spreadsheet for everything, but you see what I'm saying... a smart cookie. While she was overseas, she was diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. ARDS moves fast, and is almost always misdiagnosed as double pneumonia. This beast has a mortality rate that ranges from 40 - 70%. Over the course of her hospital stay, Team Anne formed back home. So her parents created the charity, "Hearts and Hands Across the Atlantic, FIGHTING A.R.D.S." which is dedicated to finding a cure and helping someone else survive. This is her website.... http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/anneMahlum (click the link, the page has really specific info about the charity!). I know ya'll didn't know her and I know every charity makes a difference in someone's life, but this is my suggestion since my heartstrings are attached...and because ARDS affects 150,000 people every year."

* * *

Y'all did an amazing job and if you think this is the last you'll be seeing of assignments like this, you got another thing coming. And if you're in another teacher's class - you kahn do it! Next time, right?!

* * *

I also reeeally wanna thank all the judges. I know how busy and how stressed y'all are and it means so much not only to me, but to the actors as well, that you would take so much of your time to judge our li'l kahntest. I included all of your comments because it was so nice of you to take the time to MAKE THEM because they are so freakin' educational! You didn't have to do that. I gave you no credit herein or anywhere else (I woulda but I don't wanna maybe getcha in trouble with the actors so I thought anonymity was the best way to go), and it was just really awesome of you to participate so fully.

Happy New Year everybody!

Love,

Lesterina

December 2010 BOTOC II - Results I

2011-01-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

For the last class BOTOC this year, all my Ongoings were asked to do as many scenes as they possibly could within the category of "Roles You Wish You'd Played." Points were awarded as follows:

Was there a program?

Did it provide the name of each scene in the order in which it was played? (+1 point if yes, -1 point if no)

Did it provide the names of all the participants in each scene? (+1 point if yes, -1 point if no)

Did it provide the number of pages of each scene? (+1 point if yes, -1 point if no)

You got .25 points per quarter page

Were you off book? (+1 point if yes)

Was there wardrobe? (+1 point if yes)

Were there props? (+1 point if yes)

Did you have fun doing it? (+1 point if yes)

Did we have fun watching you? (+1 point if yes)

Did you provide me hard copies of all the scenes? (+1 point per scene if yes)

I gave extra credit for things like:

a scene change curtain

a soundtrack

accents

babies

bangs

blow dryers as guns

choice of music

choreography

commitment

confidence

dances

daring to suck

deaths

decor

dogs

dramatic interpretation

effort

environment

Evan's mac and cheese

events

excellent acting

extra curtains

extra great costumes

sex changes

extra lighting

fast set changes

girardhelli chocolates (my fave kind with chocolate and caramel)

great casting

great program graphics

great stakesgreat voices

guitar playing

guns

hairspray

handcuffs

harmony

if I was moved

attention to detail

kisses (female/female)

kisses (male/female)

kisses (male/male)

kisses, with tongue

jokes

Lesly clipboard

listening

LOTS of fun

monologues

no pants

original songs

overall yumminess

me crying

pace

popcorn in green stocking of fur

pregnancy pads

punchlines

red fur ropes

relationships

scene binders

scene change music

semi-nudity

signs

songs

stage knives

steering wheels

stripteases

torture

towel acting

turtles

unusual lighting

using my episode of THE COMMISH

video

wigs

wings (i.e., screens for off stage changes)

xmas decor

xmas trees

As usual, I'm pretty sure I learned more than did the participants.

The main thing I learned is how important it is to leave no stone unturned.

1. NEATNESS COUNTS. Monday Night's notebook of scenes outdid that of all the other classes: it included title pages, graphics, loglines, casting and appendices, and was all perfectly organized into a beautiful notebook. It was clean, effortless to work with and just fabulous. The other classes? Not bad (except for ONE class that shall remain unnamed). There were some great graphics by Gonzalo for Thursday day, Friday Day T&A had some very creative bios by Carissa, and Monday Evening's by the actors and Courtney were brief and very entertaining as well, but in the other classes, some scenes weren't titled, most didn't have the actors names written on them, some classes didn't provide me with the number of pages in each scene per my request, some were thrown together in a file folder, many weren't stapled, some had writing all over 'em. Come on now, people. You KNOW me. Recognize your audience. If your audience is anal? Maybe you shoud BE ANAL.

This reminds me of what we were talking about a few weeks ago, remember? Let's say there are 100 possible points in every audition. You can "get" up to 100 points every time you walk in the door. That's great, right? Sure, until you realize that anyone who has a name that's bigger than yours walks in the DOOR with 100 points ALREADY because their name has value (their name will get money overseas, or eyes on the screen because of who they are). So while YOU walk into the audition with 0 points and can get up to 100, THEY walk in with 100 points and can get up to 200. Follow? Even if you NAIL THE BEJEEZUS out of it, you can ONLY GET 100 points. But THEY can do the worst job EVER - they can suck bizballs (I made that up) -- get ONE freakin' point for the scene -- and still beatcha with 101 points. SUCKS!

So?

So you can't just be good. You can't just follow the directions. You have to dig deeper and do moooooore. No more just scratching the surface. The scene is not a letter "h," remember? You're not just a hooker with a heart of gold.

2. ENVIRONMENT.

Both Monday Nights and Monday Evenings provided a curtain for scene changes (Monday Evening even made "wings"), but Tuesday Night's scene changes (while curtain and wing-free) were choreographed, rehearsed and sooooo FAST (whereas some class' were interminable)! The show came across incredibly professional.
Thursday Night had some great lighting,
Tuesday Night and other classes provided sound cues.
Some classes had sound tracks (Tuesday Night's -- I believe it was done by Tiffnicity -- was fabu), others didn't.
There were some amazing props throughout including guns, handcuffs and pregnancy pads,
as well as some fabulous costumes including wigs and moustaches (thank you, Thursday Night!) and skin (more on that later), and some weird white socks with gorgeous black suits. You know who you are.
Thursday Night had fab decor -- from fir trees to xmas lights to a sign.
While all the classes provided enough food and drink to save a small third world nation from starvation, some classes recognized my love of say, Turtles, and Evan's Mac & Cheese, for example, while others did not. (KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!)

3. CONTENT (KAHNTENT).

Monday Evening and Thursday Night both did show stopping finales including everyone in class, and
All the classes included lots of musical numbers (a great way to my heart), and
Tuesday Night's last scene made me cry (of course so did Tuesday Evening's UNLIMITED). And
Mama likes a good dance, too. Monday evening's Tom Cruisathon was BRILLIANT.
Deaths? Tuiesday Nights outdid themselves -- practically everybody died at least once. Well, at least Trisha, Jay L, Jeff and Jay H did. And I'm pretty sure either Nick or Mylinda bit it on Thursday night.
There were also some great monologues throughout the week: Andrew had one on Monday Night, Evan and Matt K on Thursday day, Adam did two, I think, on Thursday Night, and Jay did a couple on Tuesday Night.
Cleverness is also important. Thursday night included a scene from THE COMMISH. A very SPECIAL scene.
With regard to fun, some classes had it, some didn't. Tuesday Nights, Thursday Days and Thursday Nights had it in spades. Monday Evening, Night and Tuesday Evening -- not so much. Friday Day was on the cusp.
In order to accommodate some classmates that couldn't be at the show, Tuesday Nights and Thursday Days incorporated video scenes, and Thursday Nights had an entire video component to their presentation.
Then, there was sex. Or not. I like
skin as much as the next guy. Monday Evenings and Thursday Nights especially took advantage of that knowledge. Julia showed some skin on Monday Evening, Arianne did some nice towel acting on Monday evening, Alison and Adam on Thursday night, Jenn and Micah on Friday Day.
Now, about the kissing. There can NEVER EVER be enough kissing. And while I'm into a good hetero kiss or two, Thursday Nights took it to the next level.

4. ACTING. Here's the thing - yes, the assignment was to do as many scenes as possible, off-book, but I still expected FABULOUS ACTING. Some classes just phoned it in - no listening, no thinking, just words. Uch. Thursday Day, on the other hand, showed me some freakin' GORGEOUS acting THROUGHOUT their show. I was blown. Away.

Ok, ok, I hear the Friday T&A bitching all the way from Agoura. "We're a new class! We didn't know! You didn't TELL US you liked kisses and deaths and props and music!" Well, yah. You are new. But Jim is in your class, and he's certainly not new. He's put up with these insane assignments of mine for years. You coulda asked him. OR! You coulda just GONE FOR IT. Assumed that the competition was OBSCENE and YOU HADDA DO MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE in order to compete. 'Cuz you CAN. (Or Kahn. Whatever works for you.) I mean, wait 'til you hear the comments about your Reality Show Pilot Trailers, Fridays! A-MAZING feedback! People LOVED your ideas! I can't tell you how often I've heard that the girl who'd been reading for the role since January, had been in six times, had two work sessions, was everybody's favorite and the network's first choice didn't get the role. The chick who'd never read for it at all -- the one they flew in on a whim on the red eye from New York booked it in the room. MAKE IT. HAPPEN.

Sooooooooooooooooooo . . . who won????????

Stay tuned! LOTS more to come, including specifics about your class and you! And the winner!!!!!!!!

December 2010 BOTOC II - Results II: Make Miracles

2011-01-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I went to yoga. Yeah, yeah, get over it. Here comes another epiphany. Yoga is like . . acting! Yup! There's ALWAYS another layer to it. There's ALWAYS more you can do. Just when you think you've GOT it, you KNOW it, you can (kahn) DO it, the freakin' teacher comes around and whispers some crap in your ear about twisting or reaching or breathing into the freakin pose and before you know it, you've gone further. Way beyond what you thought you could, what you thought was possible.

While that's GREAT, it's also a HUGE problem in terms of acting. Because what we don't know about -- we simply don't attempt to do. If we don't know we can find a fabulous prop,

listen while we're in a scene,

or bleed fake blood,

we don't do it. If we don't KNOW we can listen better, think more specifically, move more strategically, we don't do it! So -- aside from having a teacher or director glued to us -- how, pray tell, do we go about KNOWING all the stuff we don't know?

No worries. It's all sitting there in our right brains ALREADY. We DO know. Someone knew or it wouldn't have happened. Somehow, Arianne knew she could act in a towel,

Monday Evening knew they could make a great group "bang" sound, Ben knew about temporary hair color,

and Sam knew he could have a sex change with a wig.

Nobody TOLD them that. I truly believe that at SOME point, all of those people, and many, many more of you, sat quietly in the car in traffic, on the couch with the tv off, went for a run or were falling asleep when it OCCURRED to you that you could do THIS or THAT extremely clever, wildly entertaining thing.

There is ever so much MORE where that came from!

I was blown away in my Friday T&A class the other week by Michaela and Carissa

and the MIRACLES they created with Eileen and other girls from NOTHING. I mean, Lord KNOWS I don't have anything hip or stylish in my closet (except for what Gina picks out), so I was no help. But somehow, they took Eileen in the bathroom and just with stuff from their bags (like make-up, hair clips and hair spray)

turned her from a lovely woman --

into "a rebellious wild child

and party girl."

We were all stunned.

Our left brains, God love 'em, will (theoretically) get us there on time, know our lines, and remember to bring the face cream. They will do all the administrative stuff in the directions (provide the scene for the teacher, make the program, list the scenes), but it is our RIGHT BRAINS that will make gorgeous title pages.

It is our RIGHT BRAINS that will think to make wonderful graphics,

it is our RIGHT BRAINS that will make space suits out of ski jackets

and use hospital masks as underwater breathing equipment.

Our right brains can transform Eileen.

Our right brains make miracles.

It's important, that left brain. But it is the BARE MINIMUM. We're entertainers! We gotta go sooooooo much further!

And it's not hard! It doesn't take up a lotta time! We just gotta sit there and do NOTHING!

Ha! That's the answer! Don't just DO something! Sit there!

December 2010 BOTOC II - Results III: What Each Class Did (and Didn't Do)

2011-01-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

I suppose you wanna know who won already.

Here are some class-related specifics:

The LK/EP Monday evening class did a gorgeous presentation, led by Courtney,

replete with a wonderful red and white program. There was a soundtrack throughout, a curtain for scene changes,

candy next to me, and a GORGEOUS edible fruit arrangment that was sent over by Erica

who couldn't make it for the show. Only we didn't know was from Erica for the class so we didn't put it out we I totally SUCK, unlike Erica who totally ROCKS. I'm so sorry nobody got the beautiful fruit. If it makes you feel any better, we figured it out on Thursday, so the Thursday Day class enjoyed it. (You can see a shot of it below.) Uch. Anyway, there were also xmas lites, two screens for changes

and extra curtains, among other things. However, they forgot to provide me with the number of pages of each scene, the scenes weren't marked with titles and they weren't in the right order, and I had to count the pages myself! They did 21 scenes, almost 60 pages and got 113 extra credit points.

LK's Monday night class was also great. They too provided a screen for scene changes, as well as cookies, pie, and a stunning binder of all the scenes made by Lili. It had a fabulous title page that looked like a script, title pages for each scene including fabulous graphics, loglines, the year of the production, and the names not only of their actors but also the names of the actors who originated the roles. In addition, there were two appendices: the first listed great lines from great productions (which the class enacted at the end of their show),

and the second included the lyrics to I'M GONNA KEEP ON LOVIN' YOU. They did 22 scenes, almost 67.5 pages of scenes and got 90 extra credit points.

They also had some interesting footwear.

The LK/JJ Tuesday evening class created a lovely program filled with all the right info including the scene names, length and actor names. We really enjoyed the waitresses,

the music and the costumes,

but there was a lack of flow, messy scene changes, not much production value, and we waited for scenes to start an awful lot. They did 18 scenes, 52 pages of scenes and got 26 extra credit points.

LK's Tuesday night class' production contained incredibly fast and expertly executed changes, an ENORMOUS amount of fun, and great scene change music and score.

However it started reeeally late, there was no set to speak of, and the program was lacking. They did, however, provide all the scenes clipped together in a packet with a very cute cover page entitled, "The Kahnmunity Theatre Proudly Presents LEGENDS! A Live Review of Hollywood Favorites." They did 19 scenes (including one screening), 31 pages of scenes and got 112 extra credit points.

LK & VK's Thursday Day class furnished us with a fabulous looking

program with graphics by Gonzolo entitled, "BOTOC! A Dramatic Musical Multimedia Extravaganza." Though it lacked the number of pages in each scene, the program had all the actors' pix on the back. There was great attention to detail, and, of course, the epic cuteness of Cha Cha and Vikki's baby helped A LOT (dogs and babies, people, what can I say?).

Almost ALL the scenes were reeeeallly good! Some were perfection!

I liked the program graphics and worshipped Evan's mac and cheese.

They did 19 scenes, 48.75 pages and got extra 145 credit points.
Lesly's Thursday night class totally transformed the yellow room into the "Thursday Night Holiday Variety Show Memorial Spectacular 2058." There were fir trees,

all kinds of decor,

twinkling lights, a fabulous sign,

popcorn in a green furry stocking, turtles, Girardhelli Chocolates (my fave kind with chocolate and caramel), Tic Tacs and Reece's Pieces,

an amazing program,

a clipboard and a score throughout as well as the lyrics to Seasons of Love for everyone. Plus, there were cupcakes,

music,

and an excellent dog named Jackson.

They did 28 scenes, 52 pages and got 223 extra credit points.

The LK/AK Friday T&A class made a valiant effort for their first time at bat. They made a cute program (lacking the requisite numbers of pages, however), with fabulous bios by Carissa, had great décor, a very good program, a wonderful dog,

a unicorn,

and a terriffic score.

They did 12 scenes, 32 pages of scenes and got 74 extra credit points.

Well, that was exhausting. Waaayyyy too tired to tell you who won right now. Keep your pants on!

Attitude

2011-01-02T17:31:00.001-08:00

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the inevitable.... The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes."
-Charles Swindoll

Liars and Cheaters and Thieves, Oh My!

2010-12-31T10:07:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago after my Yoga class, I was sitting in a parking lot at a suburban mall waiting for a spot so I could go get health food for lunch (can I get a cheer?), when some lady backed into my passenger door. She got out of her car and said, "You were in my blind spot."

Presumably because I had been so recently yogified, I calmly said, "No worries. Let's just exchange insurance."

She said, "Ok, we could do that or maybe we don't do the insurance."

I said, "Let's look at the damage."

We went to look at the damage. At first I didn't see anything, but then I could see that her bumper had kinda smashed in my door. "Uch, I said. Yah, there it is. See that there?"

"Yeah," she said. "What about that?" She said, pointing at scratch down and over to the right on the car.

"Oh, you didn't do that," I said. "That was already there."

"Oh," she said.

I went back inside the car to write out my insurance information. When I was done I came out to give it to her. I found her railing at someone -- I dunno who it was -- maybe a friend or her daughter.

"I couldn't possibly have hit her car!" She was in the midst of saying.

"No, no way!" Her friend vehemently agreed.

"Yeah, lemme show you," she said to her friend, getting back in her car. "I'll show you how I couldn't possibly have hit her. The angle's wrong."

"Totally wrong!" Said her accommodating friend.

"I'm sorry," I said, interrupting. "Are you saying now that you didn't hit my car?"

"Um, yah, that's exactly what I'm saying!"

"Then why did you come out of your car and say I was in your blind spot?"

"Well, you were, weren't you?"

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"What do you think?" She retorted.

Now totes shaking, no longer a yogi supreme, I fled back to the relative safety of my car. I gotta make sure I get all the right info from her and don't fuck this up, I thought. So I tried to reach my husband. To no avail.

I couldn't BELIEVE her! She knew she hit my car! She had insurance! What was the big deal?! Why lie?! I better take a picture of the damage, I said to myself, getting out of the car.

'Course my cell phone refused to take a picture. (Ok, shaddap, I don't wanna hear about the iPhones anymore, people! I shouldn't have to have an iPhone because some liar says she didn't hit my car; it's ridonkulous.) I went back to the car, tried my husband again, failed to reach him and promptly burst into tears.

Why am I crying, for God's sakes? I asked myself rhetorically. She's the one who's lying! She should be crying!

I tried my husband again. Nada.

Ah! Thought I. I'll call the insurance company! They'll know what information I need!

I heard the lady screaming outside of my car. "Please send a squad car out here immediately! She's blocking my car and won't let me out and she's claiming I hit her car!"

I hadn't thought to move my car. Dear Lord, she's called the coppers on me. I sobbed as I dialed the insurance company. "Hello?" Said a stoned sounding young man's voice.

"Um, yah, is this Major Insurance Company?"

"Yuh."

"Is Mark Smith available?"

"Who?"

"Mark Smith."

"Who's he?"

"Um . . . my . . . . insurance agent?"

"Oh. Ok. Lemme check."

Hours seemed to go by.

"Um, yuh, I don't think he's here. But, uh, maybe I could help you?"

"Ok, yes, I was just in an accident and I'm wondering what information you need me to get from the lady who backed into me."

"Right."

Silence.

"Can you tell me what information you need?" I asked.

"About what?"

"Um . . . the accident I was just in?"

"Oh! You were in an accident?"

Oh. My. God.

"Yes. Yes I was."

"Wow, I'm sorry. That's too bad."

"Yes, it is. Can you tell me what information you need?"

"Yah, sure, I'll find out for you."

Hours seemed to go by.

"Who are you holding for?"

Dear. Lord. Above.

"Listen, I'm a client. Can you just look me up in your computer? I was in an accident, and I need help. My name is Lesly Kahn."

"Are you injured?"

"What? No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Could you. Please. Just look me up? L E S L Y K -"

"Do you need an ambulance?"

Silence.

"Ma'am? Are you there?"

I couldn't speak. I was too hysterical.

"What was the name again?"

"Kahn. K A H N."

"Ok."

Hours. Went. By.

He came back on the phone. "C O N --"

"No no! K A H N."

Silence.

Looooong nada-ness.

"Hello?" I said.

Nothin'.

"Helllloooooo?"

"Yes?"

"Are you there?"

"Where?"

Holy shit.

"Could you try my husband's name?"

"Oh, sure! What is it?"

"It's Bob. Bob Hir -"

"Oh, sure! I know Bob!"

"You know Bob?!"

"Sure! Bob's great!"

"Yes." I sighed. "Yes he is. Could you -"

Sirens in the background. The coppers a-comin' fer me.

"Could you just hold on for a --"

"Ma'am? I don't see Bob in our system . . . "

"But you just said you -- listen, could you just hold on for a --"

The cop pulled up next to me and threatened me with his furrowed brow. I got out of the car not about to be intimidated by a suburban cop. He pulled ahead. I pointed to the lady's car. "She called you," I said. "I didn't. She ran into me."

"Okay, okay!" He grumbled as though I was screaming, when, in fact, all I was doing was sniffling and getting snot everywhere.

Suddenly the lady leapt from her Ford Explorer screaming that I had falsely accused her of hitting her car. He got in between us holding his arms out as though we were wielding broken off bottles and threatening each other with 'em. Which, I admit, would have been fun.

"Can I call you back?" I said to the stoned insurance kid.

"Bob's not i-

"I WILL CALL YOU BACK, DUDE, OK?!"

"STOP SCREAMING!" Screamed the cop.

"Sure," said the toker. "Tanya will be in later."

"Oh goody," I said, hanging up.

I could go on about how the lady kept on lying and how the cop was a douch. Bag. And how I couldn't reach Bob and how I couldn't stop shaking or crying, but I think you get the idea. And it's all really beside the point.

I could deal with the asshole cop. I mean, what was the lady thinking? Nobody was injured. What a HUGE waste of this cop's time, schlepping over to deal with two crazy women and a minor bump on a car door. If that's what his days are like, no wonder he's irritated.

And I could deal with the stoned kid at the insurance company, because when I called back later, Tanya answered and she was lovely and took care of everything. (And listen, if I could get high without devolving into a useless mass of humanity, I would too.)

And I could deal with Bob not picking up the phone for a couple hours. He feels strongly that it's rude to bring your phone into appointment; when he's at meetings he wants his attention on those people and that project -- not on other events. So he leaves it in the car. I get it. I agree. Mostly.

What I was having a LOT of trouble with was the lady. Why do some of us think it's totally ok to lie and cheat and steal from other people? And I'm not just talking about lying and cheating and stealing from strangers, mind you. I'm talking about lying and cheating and stealing from friends and family. Why????????

I guess when we weigh the pros and cons, some of us think lying and cheating and stealing yields an outcome far superior to the alternative, which, in this case, was a financial burden for the lady. But what some of us don't get, and I speak from experience -- having been a liar and a cheater and a thief myself in my youth -- is that it's NOT better. A little more money right now is NOT better than the person you have to live with when you're a liar, a cheater and a thief. Liars, cheaters and thieves are not very lovable people. Nobody loves them and they really hate themselves. Which makes them MORE miserable. Which, in turn, makes them lie and cheat and steal even more.

Due to sobriety, a truly astounding number of years of therapy, a freakin' genius therapist and a LOT of self-help (hellloooo, Abraham) I'm no longer a liar, a cheater or a thief (to the best of my ability). And -- possibly due to yoga -- today, two days later, I GET why the lady did what she did. She is so unhappy, she feels soooo unloved, that the poor woman will do anything to feel better, to get ahead, to win SOMETHING. She's not even thinking about ME, how it affects the OTHER PERSON. She's just trying to alleviate a tiny bit of her OWN pain and fear TODAY. (When I'm able to come to that conclusion DURING the incident, not just forty-eight hours later, THAT will be amazeballs.)

I grew up in a home where being a good girl was paramount, but getting ahead was even better, and nobody really denied it. I also grew up in a home in which reality was not a contant thing: some days the sky was indeed blue; other days it was most definitely green. Sometimes even orange. You never knew. You never had any warning. It was kind of exciting. If you like horror. It was craziness, and I never learned how to handle it. I just escaped.

Naturally, I became a young woman for whom being a good girl was paramount, but getting ahead was even better. I accomplished that by changing my reality to suit my needs. I suppose if I needed my reality to be that I didn't, in fact, hit that car, I too would have lied, cheated and stolen, just like the lady.

I am so glad I don't have to live that way anymore. It was so confusing. I feel so lucky to be where I am today: sober, married to the king of consistency, surrounded on all sides by deeply good people. I would never be living this life if I was still lying and cheating and stealing. Oh, my.

It'd be so nice if we could all abide by a few basic rules like, oh, I dunno, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not out and out lie in broad daylight in front of the health food restaurant. But after eighteen point five years of sobriety, I'm starting to get the sense that I'm not gonna be in control of what anybody else does. Ever. All I can do is my very very best and move on. Detach. Think, "Huh. I'm dealing with a crazy lady. Oh well. It must be awful for her. That's too bad. Moving on."

So that's what I'm gonna be working on in the new year. Noticing the craziness, trying to forgive it and moving on.

You?

Notes From The Universe

2010-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, shoot! I don't think I ever told you that whilst in the pursuit of a grand and wonderful dream, should you all of a sudden round a bend and see before you an enormous uncharted mountain with towering cliffs, jagged rocks, and seemingly impenetrable walls, just consider it a sign that your dream is considerably more worthwhile than you had previously imagined, and that you are exactly where you're supposed to be.

Kudos -
The Universe

Triumph

2010-12-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph
of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as
angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Mafia. - Vonnegut from The Sirens of Titan.

Every Day

2010-12-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Les,

I wasn't happy with [my audition]. I was flying high, thinking the character's thoughts and being there...but on one of my last blocks of dialogue, I missed a connecting word in an odd sentence structure...which would have been fine; except I [the actor, not the character] noticed, and suddenly there I [the actor, not the character] was, in an audition, aware that I [the actor, not the character] was an actor in an audition. I took a beat, reconnected, then finished the scene. Eh, it happens. I did learn that I'm beginning to hone in on truth in character thought, and in doing so, I recognize it the second I stray from it.

Dear Actor Not the Character,

Recognition is the first step so yay. But yah. That’s gonna happen. Until it becomes HABITUAL that it doesn’t. We gotta getcha acting – in front of people – on text -- with odd sentence structures – every day if we ever wanna getcha past that. EVERY DAY, dude!!!! -- Les

It Needs a Little Salt...

2010-12-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

Click here for the recipe for a hit TV show, courtesy of Kristin Wald.

Develop Yourself

2010-12-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Les,

I am looking for a manager and I wanted to know what Management Agencies you would suggest. Would it be possible for you to give me a referral to a manager? I am looking for someone who is willing to work with me and understand me and to help me develop my talent.

Dear Develop,

These days most managers are only interested in actors that are either really young, have credits or are making money. You can't get mad at them -- development simply isn't a cost-effective business model and while reps love art, they gotta eat too. That's why they want to represent people who are working.

The best way to find a great rep is to book jobs that turn into great projects that people see. Yup, it's a catch 22. But it works. Become a fabulous actor who does fabulous auditions and books work. Then they will find YOU.

"But how do I book work without an agent?" That's why God created Actor's Access breakdowns, BACKSTAGE audition listings, the non-Equity theaters proliferating on Santa Monica Boulevard, the Improv, the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, ACME Comedy Theatre, Groundlings, USC and AFI student films . . . there are all KINDS of jobs for you to book and ways for you to get seen. Sure we hear stories of the gorgeous kid who stepped offa the bus onto a soundstage, but those stories are not typical and we can't expect that to happen to us. If we want to achieve this unbeliavable dream, we have to make it happen ourselves. -- Les

And So It Is

2010-12-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

Les, Wanted to share that a month ago, in a very dark hour, I wrote, "I will have a SUPER agent who LOVES me and HEAPS and LOADS of auditions by spring," on a piece of paper and put it into my "Whatever is contained in this box IS" box (per Esther [Hicks - www.Abraham-Hicks.com]),) and today I got a SUPER agent who LOVES me!!!

2010-12-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

I got this letter a few weeks ago from an actress who today is standing up for herself, her needs and women everywhere. I post it in her honor. You go, girl!

Love, Lesterina

-------

Hey,

Today kind of sucked.

Got a call that the role in a pilot presentation I auditioned for this week (based on a feature I was in) is going to a name. Well, he didn't actually say her name - just called her (insert Character Name) from (Massively Popular TV Show). Anyway it was kinda painful since the character is named after me and was written with me in mind. My producer friend assured me that they love me but had to go with the actress who could hopefully help them financially. And that they'd have something for me if it gets sold. I told him I totally understood, was excited for them, and had to get off the phone to cry.

So I cried for about an hour, prayed, walked the dogs, but still felt pretty miserable. Something inside told me I needed to sit down and write, so the first thing I typed was, "I feel like I'm chasing something I'm never going to catch." What followed was ostensibly a scene from a screenplay I'm working on, but more than that it turned out to be a little encouragement from God. A sweet reminder about what, or rather Who, I need to be chasing and I wanted to share it with you.

I know this business we're in kind of kicks us in the teeth from time to time, but we're not here to chase a rabbit on a stick. Here's to pressing on for the real prize ;)

M

-------------

CARL, 65, sits next to CAMERON 33.

CAMERON

I feel like I'm chasing something I'm never going to catch.

CARL

I had a dog when I was a kid - little older than Luke. Greyhound named Ginny Lou. My grandpa brought her home from the race track in Midland. Hell of a dog. Strong. Fast. Smart. Nobody could out run that dog in her day. I went up to watch her race a few times and I was always sure that she was gonna catch up to the dummy rabbit. Then one day she was racing, coming around the final turn, and wouldn't you know it but a wild hare ran right out onto the track, cut clean through the pack. Now these dogs had been trained since birth to chase the dummy and they stayed the course. But not Ginny Lou. She broke right off. Hadn't ever seen a real rabbit, but but as soon as that critter crossed her path, thousands of years of instinct kicked in and she was gone.

CAMERON

Did she catch it?

CARL

Nah. Wrecked the whole damn race. Officials had to forfeit, punters got their money back, and everybody went home.

CAMERON

They wouldn't let her race again?

CARL

Oh sure, they might have. But she wouldn't. Wasn't interested. Once she came across the real thing, she was finished with the dummy. Killed her career.

CAMERON

I'm really not sure how this is supposed to make me feel any better.

CARL

Well, it made me feel better. It got me a dog. Listen, son. People spend their whole lives chasing after what they think they want. Most of the time they don't even get close enough to realize it's a dummy on a stick. What is it you're trying to catch?

Reality Show Pilot Trailers BOTOC Voting Update . . .

2010-12-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here's an update for the Reality Show Pilot Trailers BOTOC, November 2010 voting . . .

PORN'D - 2
BRIDE WHISPERER - 3
RIGHT OR WRONG - 3
TEXTERVENTION - 4
INTERVENTION (TODDLER EDITION) - 1

. . . the votes are still coming in! Keep yer pants on!

I'm a Little Verklempt, Talk Amongst Yourselves

2010-12-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Y’all! Look what Ann Hu (“Evan’s Outliers” Intensive) wrote! I’m so verklempt (Yiddish: Verklempt: Extremely emotional. On the verge of tears.)

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/as-we-remove-the-scar-tissue-1004134008.story

Notes From The Universe

2010-12-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

Be at peace, rest easy, relax, coast and luxuriate to any degree that you can allow yourself, for the day will inevitably arrive when you'll understand all the "reasons" that now elude you, bless the darkness that now seems to separate you, and celebrate the ancient choices that once made you. Just as we do.

Trust me,
The Universe

It's Tricky, Tricky, Tricky

2010-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

"It’s tricky when an activity involves technique but is actually done best when you just get loose and let things happen naturally and effortlessly. Dancing is that way, and drawing is too. There are a lot of things to consider, but in the end you have to take all the lessons you’ve learned and go with it." - Courtney Jordan (from The Artist Daily) via Kristin Wald.

2008 Kahndance Film Festival Winners Finally Get Prize!

2010-12-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

As long as I’m cleaning up past transgressions, I think it’s important to point out that I never gave the winners of the Kahndance Film Festival 2008 their prize either. They were gonna get a casting workshop but it never happened for a million and one reasons, not the least of which is my . . . spotty memory. In order to rectify THAT situation, I have made a kahntribution in all of their names to Much Love Animal Rescue per the suggestion of one of their membership.

The brilliant winners of Kahndance 2008 were

Molly Baker

Christina Chambers

Michael Cotter

Tammy Dahlstrom

Tiffany Elle

Todd Felix

Bethany Geaber

Ross Kohn

Adrian Lynn (Jenny Dempster)

Marc Menard
Angela Oh
Darren OHare

Heather Stephens

Scott Subiono

Emily Wing &

Jeff Witzke!

-- all members of my beloved Monday Night class from February 2008. Here's the link to their winning video!

Background info in case you care:

In 2008, we conducted the annual Birthday Present Tation in honor of none other than my birthday, and my Monday Night Class won! Click here to see all of the Kahndance 2008 videos. Should you be so overwhelmed by those that you wanna see the entries for the 2009 Kahnnes Film Festival, click there. Here’s what I wrote about it way back on January 13, 2009:

And the winner is . . . .?

Yes, it’s true. It has INDEED been almost a year since Kahndance ’08. And we are finally, FINALLY announcing the winner! But not before I attempt to ‘splain myself. See, it’s like this.

I’m crazy. Crazy, controlling, obsessive, compulsive, detail-oriented, perfectionistic and insane. And while you might think those qualities are not so terrible, you would be wrong. Because they caused me to attempt to judge Kahndance by putting a truly obscene amount of time into the ridiculously thorough study of each and every frame of each and every Kahndance video in minute detail. (I took frighteningly copious notes on everything -- every single one of you, every single script, the lighting, the sound, the acting, the look, the plot, the titles – EVERYthing.)

And then I couldn’t decide.

And then I STILL couldn’t decide.

Then I pretended I didn’t HAVE to decide.

(That was a three.)

Then somebody stopped me in the hall and bitched at me about having not decided and I felt guilty so I tried to decide again.

Then I realized I’d missed some videos.

Auuuuuggghhhhh!

So I started the ridiculously thorough study of each and every frame of each and every Kahndance video in minute detail AGAIN. It was around this time that I believe I had a psychotic break which resulted in my turning the judging over to two impartial saviours who then put a truly obscene amount of time into the ridiculously thorough study of each and every frame of each and every Kahndance video in minute detail THEMSELVES.

And – at great length -- came up with a winner.

In retrospect, it’s clear to me that there were two primary problems with the whole Kahndance situation:

(1) I’d made a lotta rules for the Kahntest (i.e., was everybody in it? Was it the right length? Did y’all follow the instructions?), and it was very time-consuming to determine which films were, as Heidi Klum says, “out” because I’d feel guilty every time I disqualified a class for some transgression. Especially if it wasn’t one of MY classes that was getting disqualified. Then I’d disqualify one of MY classes, and feel guilty about THAT. (2008 was a very guilty year.)

(2) I had trouble being partial because my own classes were part of the Kahntest and I tended to judge them more harshly than I did all the other classes. (Because, as mentioned earlier, I’m insane.)

Anyway, it’s over now. Yay. And it’s not my fault. ‘Cuz I didn’t make the decision. (But don’t worry, I feel guilty about that too.)

Aaaaaaaaaand the winner is . . . .?

Scroll down.

Further.

Further.

Fuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrther.

Ha!

(I love this part.)

L’il more.

You KAHN do it!!!!

The WINNER . . . .

Of the 2008 KAHNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL . . . . .

And the recipient of a Kasting Workshop or Faux Kasting Session with the Casting Director of their Choice (within reason and to the best of my ability – assuming I have a relationship with them, and they have time to come in and do it with us) . . . .

is . . . . . .

waitforit . . . .

Lesly’s Monday Night Class!!!!!!!!

Kahngratulations!!!!!!!!

But listen, alla youse. I thought Kahndance ’08 was AMAZING. I LOVED the videos sooooooooooooooo much – in some cases y’all blew my mind. It was SOOOOOOOO amazing to sit and watch all the fabulosity you created (in some cases over and over and OVER again). I was truly thrilled.

I’ve attached some of the notes I took – if you don’t see notes on you or your video – forgive me please. I took different kinds of notes on different kinds of videos. Some were individual performance oriented, so I did a lot of individual note taking. Others, not so much. Also -- some of the files I was using to store the info got unretrievably corrupted in our recent, nightmarish computer changeover, so I no longer have my notes on all of the films!!!!!!!! But please rest assured I watched all of them (see above) and am thrilled by ALL of you. Especially the full-length noir feature!!!!

Many, many thanks again . . . can’t wait to . . . do it again!

Love,

Les

Thank God.

BOTOC Winners 2009 Finally Get Their Prize!

2010-12-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not remember, recall or care, my Thursday Night class won last year's (2009) BOTOC (Battle of the Ongoing Classes). But, because I am a horrible, forgetful person, they never got their prize. (Click the link above to see highlights, pix and slideshows over which I totes slaved.)

In a poor, tardy, barely acceptable attempt to rectify that situation, I have made a $300 donation in each of their names, per their suggestion, to The Young Storytellers Foundation.

They are

Natalia Castellanos

Katelin Chesna

Katie Conway

Brian Drolet

Brea Grant

Tyler Hilton

Adam Korson

Morgan Krantz

Miranda Lilley

Gregory Marcel

Glen Powell

Buckley Sampson

Elizabeth Schmidt

Beth Triffon

Alison Turner

Ian Ziering

If you are interested in getting involved with Young Storytellers as an actor click here http://youngstorytellers.com/?id=9.

If you would like to get involved as a mentor click here http://youngstorytellers.com/?id=8.

It's a great program. Everyone loves it.

Belated Kahngratulations, Thursdays, December 2009!!!!

Love,
Lesterina

November 2010 BOTOC I: Reality Show Pilot Trailers

2010-12-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

Late this year I remembered how much I love BOTOCS (Battle Of The Ongoing Classes), so we did a couple of 'em.

The first one was between all LK&Co. Ongoing Classes. Each class tasked to make as many reality show pilot teasers as they wanted to make. They had two weeks, no money and no more than two-and-a-half minutes for their final product. Some classes made several, others only made one. Each class voted for the video that would represent their class. Their prize? Some wanted pizza, but most agreed that -- given the state of affairs out there in the world -- they wanted me to make a donation in the names of the members of the winning class to their favorite charity. (They are playing for some very cool charities!)

I sent invitations to some friends (five managers, four casting directors, one director, two casting directors, one civilian, one music industry executive, two network executives, an attorney, two actresses, one actor and a stand-up comedian) and asked them to vote for their faves. I gave them Christmas Day as the deadline.

All the videos are on you tube. Check 'em out! The first eight are the winners from each class:

1 PORN'D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRPPyfa3mjQ
2 A-LIST http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaEWjOQ9Xg
3 THE BRIDE WHISPERER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jAcuMaSGok
4 BAD ACTOR REHAB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOz8cSPo9zU
5 RIGHT OR WRONG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TzIPU-yaws
6 TEXTERVENTION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB3bh_4jYG0
7 INTERVENTION (TODDLER EDITION) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0VApqn5ZOE
8 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP ASIAN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lHISKGi8TI

Here are the runners up and other editions:
9 MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEEN AGAIN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaWvUDiSp-A
10 PORN'D - Full Length version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JLUMCcJKdk11 REAL BIG BROTHER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9kKCxOG5Ng
12 FURNITURE MAKER http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2vh5vOx3ac
13 THE BACHELOR: LATTER DAY LOVER, REAL WIVES OF AKRON, YEMEN'S NEXT TOP MODEL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2196lIKpTE
14 HONESTY ANONYMOUS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5u5b32GfM
15 BOSS LADY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxZB52_-qdU
16 DUMPED http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxZB52_-qdU

If you wanna weigh in and vote, just send me an email -- as long as you're not in any of the Ongoing Classes! Deadline: December 25th, 2010!

Love, Lesterina

Notes From The Universe

2010-12-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

OK. OK. I confess.

No matter what you're after in life, getting what you want always boils down to at least a little bit of divine intervention.

But then, I'm talking about yours, not mine.

Bada-boom,
The Universe

Surprise!

2010-12-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

"Work patiently and diligently every day and let success surprise you." - Ryan Raddatz

Party Pooper

2010-12-20T00:09:00.000-08:00

"Cigarettes ruin parties!" - Nikki Hayden (the most adorable person on the planet)

I Didn't Quite Catch That...

2010-12-20T00:08:00.000-08:00

“Physical fidgeting is like vocal mumbling.” - Tyler Poelle

Gift Certificates are available again this year!

2010-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Gift Certificates are available again this year (i.e., if you want to give someone a Triage or coaching or class, etc., as a gift for the holidays). Just email Jenni at JenniferS@LeslyKahn.com and she'll take care of you. Or go to the store!

Notes From The Universe

2010-12-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Of course you don't know "how."

It's OK that you don't know "how."

To be honest, you're not really supposed to know "how," because it's when you don't know that you're pressed hardest to learn that I do; to see that the hows are my domain and that your job is only to define the end result and get busy.

All so that you might quicker learn of how things really work, as you suddenly find the path that you sought lies beneath your skipping feet.

Double Dutch -
The Universe

Do What It Takes

2010-12-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

This letter was sent to Actor P, who pretty much imploded during class, by Actor B, an actor in his class, who had been there, done that and wanted to reach out and help. I thought it was pretty freakin’ amazing, so here it is:

Today is the first day of your new success and your new life. You need to make sure everything is in order so you can stay in the business of being YOU.

The tickets. Your car will be booted and or towed if you don’t deal with your tickets, then you will be out of business - guaranteed… You need to call the city and set up a payment plan. Your tickets can be reduced or negotiated IF AND ONLY IF YOU DEAL WITH THEM.

The job: You need to find a job where you make more money in less hours so you have time to audition. If you work overnights, you will never be able to bring your best during the day, it’s a medical fact. You are working a 9-5 job that busts your balls? Not enough flexibility. Your agent or manager needs to make money, they can’t be bothered working through schedules and calling casting directors back and begging for a slot. There just isn’t enough in it for them… it is YOUR RESPONSIBILTY to be flexible and make things happen.

What do you mean, you “won’t go back to waiting tables!” What the fuck? You know where your pride will get you? BROKE and out of the business of being a fucking great actor. Ten years ago I was making about $350K a year working as a record executive for several major labels. Let’s just say, my life has changed since then. I love what I do now. I have an amazing daughter who I love more than life itself, yet I am so strapped this year I could fucking jump in front of a bus at times… but you know what? I WON’T! You know why? Because there are actors with bad attitudes and lists of what they won’t do at every corner here in LA, and every time they quit, I take their slot. I LOVE WHEN PEOPLE QUIT.

I will fucking work at McDonalds before I quit. This city is about determination and the last guy standing, no shit. You are such a great actor with so much friggin’ commitment. You are amazing to have in class. You may not realize this, but your commitment is unique, charming and powerful -- all three of these attributes will get you work.

There are temp jobs, catering, bartending, waiting tables, personal assistants, Starbucks (Healthcare too)… check out EntertainmentCareers.Net weekly newsletter. This city is full of opportunity, but you have to be willing and open for the business of being you.

Get up and start kicking this city in the friggin’ balls. You are a true Outlier and a good friend.

. . . don’t make me take your spot J

call anytime if you need me.

Come BRIGHTON Up Your Holidays!

2010-12-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Arriane Alexander, who’s worked for 13 years in the fashion industry as a stylist and marketing whiz for Brighton Collectibles is hosting a party for her Kahn friends from Intensive, Clinic and Ongoing and wants to invite all the Lesly Kahn actors as well! You are invited to the brand new Brighton Collectibles store to wine, dine and shop on Friday, December 17,th 2010 from 7-9 PM.

Location:

Brighton Collectibles
Century City Mall
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Level 1, by Bloomingdales and Lucy
Park in Blue Parking

Do some holiday shopping with Brighton's jewelry, handbags, shoes, gift items and more! Make your own wish list, hang out and get to know other Kahnstituents, then head over to Pink Taco to continue the party!

Please RSVP to arriane@arrianealexander.com by Wednesday, December 15th, 2010.

Sincerely,
Arriane Alexander

Be Focused, Be Happy

2010-12-07T23:35:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting article about how paying attention to whatever it is you are doing can bring you happiness.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soren-gordhamer/want-to-be-happy-pay-atte_b_784808.html

Notes From The Universe

2010-12-05T22:35:00.001-08:00

Every compliment, criticism, promotion, setback, good vibe, cough or really long line you have to wait in is a gift that was meticulously designed to make possible your becoming more than who you were, and ultimately, happier than ever before, as we dance into forever.

We've only just begun -
The Universe

Arrogance is a Bug in Signal Processing

2010-12-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

We care a lot about finding people who are brilliant, who get things done, who make a difference. We care a lot about finding a playwright with talent, a surgeon who can cure us, a programmer who can get the thing to work.

Along the way, many of the linchpins who are able to do work like this develop affectations, quirks and even obnoxious qualities. They might demand an over-equipped dressing room or a private jet or merely be a jerk in meetings (or show up late, which is almost as bad).

We often put up with this, because, after all, they're superstars, right?

Somewhere along the way, we confused the signals with the work. Now there are people who start with the bad behavior and the affectations, hoping that it will be seen as a sign of insight and talent. And they often get away with it. "Who's that?" we wonder... "I don't know, but they must be good at what they do, because why else would we put up with them?" It's a great plan when it works, but I don't think it's a strategy to be counted on.

The key to getting a reputation for being brilliant is actually being brilliant, not just acting like you are.

- Seth Godin

More Experience

2010-11-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Les,

I don't think you placed me in the right class. I know I wasn't very good in my Triage, but I don't think my performance accurately represents my acting. I broke up with my boyfriend the night before Triage so I was in a pretty bad mood, I'd been crying all night so I was all puffy and I just wasn't prepared. Plus, I get really nervous in situations when I have to act in front of strangers.

I am not comfortable in this class. I have more experience than anyone else and I don't feel challenged. I think you should move me to a class with actors that are more like me.

----

Dear Experienced,

You may well have more experience than everyone else in class combined but unfortunately that experience didn't show up in your work during Triage. "But that's just one time!" You might say. "You can't judge me on one scene one day!"

Again, it's unfortunate, but I can, I must and I do.

Why?

Because THEY do. The casting directors, directors, producers, showrunners, studio and network executives.

So YOU have to be FABU allllll the tiiiiiiiiiiiime.

While I get that there were extenuating circumstances on the day of your Triage, there are ALWAYS extenuating circumstances. We gotta getcha to the place where you can be brilliant in oncoming traffic on the 405 (although that, in and of itself, is unlikely as the 405 is generally a great big parking lot).

I place you in class according to what I see you do in Triage -- not by what I see on your resume -- because your resume doesn't matter. The ONLY thing that matters is your work. We gotta get your work to match that wonderful resume. Every. Single. Time.

"But THAT time doesn't represent meeeeee!"

Ah, but it does. If you did that for me, l'il ol' me, THAT day, you'll do it for people FAAAAAR more important than I am because THOSE situations will REALLY be scary: money, mortgages, cars, artistic and financial freedom will be on the line. When you came to Triage, you were just checkin' me out. An audition could be your FUTURE.

Please bear in mind that I look at acting alllllllllllllllllllllll the tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime. Like 16 hours per day. If your acting is solid, even if you did the worst acting on the planet I will still be able to see glimpses of the fabulous actor hiding underneath. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. You can't hide your great acting. Sadly, you can't hide the not-so-great stuff either.

If breaking up with your boyfriend makes for sucky acting the next day, we have to turn you into an actor whose acting isn't upset by anything ever.

If being up all night crying makes for sucky acting the next day, we have to turn you into an actor whose acting isn't affected by personal issues.

If being puffy prevents you from acting well, we have to turn you into an actor whose acting is fabulous no matter what is swollen.

If you aren't prepared and you do not such great work, we have to turn you into an actor who is always prepared and amazing.

And if you get nervous in front of strangers? We REALLY have to fix that! Because WHEN exactly are you gonna be acting in front of FRIENDS ONLY???? The DEFINITION of acting is getting up and making an ass outta yourself in ridonkulous situations in front of TOTAL STRANGERS! You gotta be GREAT AT THAT!

Do you see where I'm going with this?

The likelihood that all of your auditions will happen on days when you've just gotten engaged, won the lottery or aren't fighting with your mother is pretty slim. We gotta getcha to do fabulous work ALL THE TIME NO MATTER WHAT.

For example, I am not naturally a good cook. I can't just walk in the kitchen and whip up a great meal. I need recipes and shopping and time and advice and all the planets to be in alignment just to get the water to boil for the pasta. If I have alla that, I can do a decent job. Not great, but decent. If I don't? We order pizza.

In order for me to be able to make a great meal on the fly, I have to have zillions of recipes in my head, know my way around a kitchen blindfolded, have all the food at my fingertips, my friends who can cook on speed dial and God on my side. I have to be ready. Not hopeful. Not lucky.

What do they say?
"Chance favors the prepared mind."
"Success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Let's make it happen.

Superman

2010-11-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

I worked with Superman today.

His first reading was very nice: like someone playing middle c -- quarter notes -- over and over again. Nice. Until I started seeing double.

Then we talked about Planet Krypton. And what it must be like to be the only one like you. And how it must feel to want something but know you can't have it. And we thought about the responsibility of the job. The loneliness. The fear.

And then we had a symphony.

Yup. Just like that. All we did was think about it and we were able to . . . leap tall buildings in a single bound.

And Superman? Was pretty freakin' super.

Best Deal in Town!

2010-11-29T23:05:00.000-08:00

My sister, Genie Kahn, Life Coach extraordinaire, will be raising her rates as of Jan. 1, 2011. The good news is you can still get the starving-student rate of $1.00/minute - but only if you start coaching with her before the end of the year!

Confidence, security, perseverance, emotional resiliency -- these essential ingredients of a successful life and career are truly priceless. Let Genie help you access them (and save money in the process!). Check out her blog at geniekahn.blogspot.com and take a look at her reviews from other actors. She's goooooood! Really good!

Love,
Lester

*Editor's Note: If you do not call Genie Kahn RIGHT NOW you are a fool. Yep, I said it. A fool.