Posted By: Lisa

So exhausted from all of the makeup and high heels! Heavy party hopping and strange conversation has me at the end of my weekend. Oh my virgin eyes shall no longer be!

Friday, Halloween dusk, my lover and I carved our own pumpkins! Talk about a full arm exercise. I don’t remember carving being such a tough art. My arms are still sore as I type! But it’s worth the pain for the fun result. Here are the 2 pumpkins:

Curly and Moe

Original Silent Movie Theater pic

After carving and eating those unforgivable oven baked pumpkin seeds, we started getting ready for the night. Our first party was at Hollywood’s famous “Silent Movie Theater.” This theater was one of the first in Hollywood. Built in 1942, the Silent Movie Theater used to charge 5 cents a movie! Inside, the history remains in the old fashioned interior as well as the black and white photos on the walls.

http://www.silentmovietheatre.com/

Lisa Mason Lee

The party started off with a special screening of a movie “The Tingler” (1959). Directed by William Castle and starring Vincent Price. After the screening was a b.y.o.b. back patio party. They were serving Pabst Blue Ribbon beer at the open bar too! Inside was a jumping dance floor and a DJ playing old Halloween favorites. I loved seeing the dead prom queen and the Girl Scouts cookie box girl busting a move! And then the night went into a karaoke contest. The movie projector was rolling “Thriller” and other Halloween films simultaneous with the singers on stage. Twas’ that trippy psychedelic “Fear in Loathing” look. HOTTT. On that note, we left and went on a Sunset Blvd strip o’ freaks drive.

Riding royal in my beau’s two seater Porsche, my bombshell starlet look was complete and alive. My blonde wig flowing in the convertible. Strange passer-byes. Man or a woman??? Is that a costume or are you for real? Alter egos in full light.

We wound up at the famous Rainbow Bar and Grill on Sunset Blvd. Stars like Guns and Roses, The Osbournes, Ron Jeremy, Priscilla Presley and B-Real have graced the Rainbow. We got our own booth and an order of calamari. Anything to wash out those unforgivable pumpkin seeds! The DJ played everyone’s favorite rock n’ roll music. I love it because NO where else plays loud rock n’ roll music while eating dinner! You got to check it out! After eating, we waited for the silver whip to drive up from valet. This is the moment when I lost my virgin eyesight. A tall and pale almost naked man walked by. He was dressed as Marilyn Manson. Almost looked exactly like MM. Weird eye, bad hair and bleached skin. He was pretty much in a leather thong and some thigh strap thingies. He kept parading his package around! The Porsche came just in time to escape! VVVrrroooomm and away into the night!

Saturday was the official FX Sons of Anarchy season one wrap party. The Hollywood hotspot “Avalon” was shut down with a full open bar for the party! Almost the entire cast and crew attended. The party was packed! Stars Charlie Hunnam, Theo Rossi, Katey Sagal, Kurt Sutter, Tommy Flanagan, Kim Coates, Kurt Sutter, Christi Sotomayor, Dayton Callie and Johnny Lewis all attended! A hilarious “gag reel” compilation of season one bloopers was projected on the big screen, displaying cooky moments of the cast and crew. Free alcohol is great with a room full of creative and talented people! Just when the party was getting hot, it was over! But actor, Mr. Theo Rossi saved the night. He invited everyone over to “Happy Ending” bar and restaurant in Hollywood. “Drinks on me,” he said. Half of the S.O.A. party crew showed up and we continued our festivities. Everyone took advantage of the house drinks! I can’t imagine what Theo’s bar tab was! AHHHHHH! We then left the party on an early note. Got to beat the 2am zombies on the road!

That’s a wrap!

Lisa Mason Lee

I wrote a post recently named, “What you need to know as an actor before moving to Hollywood.” Seems that fellow actors have been checking out my advice. I got an email on www.Myspace.com from a male actor who wants to make his move from a little town in Texas to Hollywood. Here is what he said:

(An email from him to me)

Subj: what i needed to know

hidy from west texas. i’m bud. im 29 and guess what. yeah i, like everybody dreams want to move to la. this is something that has always been in the back of my mind but do to priorities in life i have never chased the dream. for the first time since highschool im not tied down in any way. no relationship, no career, no family on my ass for this or that. i googled “what to do when moving to hollywood” and saw your page. good job by the way. some of the things you wrote about for instance the headshots and central casting i have been told by several people when attending SXSW Film festival. other than the basics for which you may have already mentioned is there anything you know that i dont that could help me the most. i imagine that is alot by the way but you know what i mean.

For the record let me tell you a little about myself. im your stereotypical west texan for the most part. bbq alot, like cold beer, golf, football and movies. no matter where ive worked its always been physical and in the elements. if i were to make a move like this it is only because, and i really want you to know this, it is only because im investing in myself counting on personal qualities that i think most people lack and quit or give up during the pursuit of the dream. im the hardest worker i know, educated, people skills, and as competitive as one can get. and its like everything i have ever done whether successful or not ive never felt like it was for me. acting is the only thing that has ever made since to me. but thats a hard sale in west texas, and only my closest friends know about my dream. but in many ways i think looking back life has been maybe preparing me for this journey. anyways i just wanted you to get an idea of who i am and where im coming from.

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My spies have come through for me once again on the Sons of Anarchy set. It’s official, and you are hearing it here first. Sons of Anarchy has been picked up for a 2nd season on the FX network. Congratulations to the cast and crew! Stay tuned for more details…

Seems iPhones have been causing huge problems on the FX show “Sons of Anarchy.” The good ole’ iPhone has been messing up media drives including sound, cameras etc. Creating that strange gremlin buzz. This problem took a lot of time and money to figure out. The iPhone gremlin has been caught and banned from the set.

This photo was distributed to all cast and crew today.

My best headshot yet and what you need to know as an actor before moving to Hollywood.

As most of you know, I’m an actress living in Hollywood. I love giving you the news straight from the source or closest to. This blog is for anyone interested in making a move to Hollywood with dreams to become a working actor. I was inspired to write this blog because I recently took a new headshot. I worked with an amazing, intelligent and stylized photographer, Josh Targownik. It has taken me a while to find a photographer that can really capture me for a headshot. He not only photographs headshots, but also shoots products and people for print advertisement. Before shooting people and products, he shot travel photography similar to National Geographic. Educated in every aspect of photography, he has high quality equipment and all of the latest photography computer programs. Here is his link to his website www.Targophoto.com I strongly recommend if you are seeking headshots, you contact him.

Anyway, I have some reality checkpoints that you should know about before making the move. Working in this industry is not as easy as it looks. Some people think that you just show up here and you get on TV and/or film. In some cases you can do that! If you have a friend or family connection, it is sometimes easier to become a working actor. Or you can flat out get lucky! The director may pick you out of the crowd and give you a break! I have seen it happen! The majority of actors that come here, show up by them self with a huge dream at their side. A lot of actors that I know bust their butt to make their career happen and make ends meet to survive the city.

The reality of working on TV and film sets is shocking to some newcomers. The difference between what you see on TV vs. behind the scenes on set are like night and day. It is work. What you see on the screen is very different than the film set. There is a lot of waiting around. A lot! You must have patience. You must love- love- love the art of film and acting. The more you love all of the aspects of TV and film, the longer you will stick around and better the chance of you getting ahead. For instance, I had a friend that came out here to be an actress. She is very outgoing and beautiful. She only stayed for about 4 months and then went back home. She said it’s not what she thought it was. She said she thought it would be easier to become an actress.

If you love your craft and you stick to it… if you work hard and set your mind to it… I really believe you will get there. This goes for any hobby, craft and/or career. You need to have perseverance.

Now BEFORE you come out to Hollywood, there are a few things I recommend:

1. First, you must have a couple of acting classes and/or plays on your resume.

2. Try to act in independent films in your town. If you don’t get the part, get into their crew or volunteer. Everyone is filming everywhere. If not, make Youtube monologues. Film yourself. It does not have to be professional. The idea is to get real life experience in film.

3. Get a photographer to shoot a visible and clear-NOT overly airbrushed headshot of you. Your first headshot does not need to be the best ever. You are just starting out. Look natural. Light makeup. Be you.

Eventually after you’ve moved to LA, you will be shooting with the best of the best photographers! Just do this headshot so you have SOMETHING to show so people know that you are for real in Hollywood. If you cannot retouch your photo in Photoshop, have the printer company do it. For everything you need to know about a headshot go here:

http://www.zerotopia.com/resources/headshots/index.html

Here is an example of my latest headshot:

My headshot photographer Josh Targownik did an amazing job. His photography equipment is top of the line. www.Targophoto.com He is amazing! His style is like no other!

4. Put a little resume together. Every headshot has a resume on the back. This is why you must work in independent films and plays! For resume examples, go here: http://www.actorspages.org/resume.php

5. Stash some cash for the move.

6. Try to put the deposit down for your apartment before you arrive. If you really plan ahead and save a lot of money, you can stay in a hotel and then find a place to live. www.craigslist.org and www.westsiderentals.com

7. When you get here and you are ready to work, get pretty and go sign up with Central Casting. Network by speaking to other actors and find out where else to sign up for castings.

8. Get your 3 SAG vouchers! For more information about joining the Screen Actors Guild, visit: http://www.sag.org

Now you are on your way!

Lisa Mason Lee

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1467375/

Movie Poster Image courtesy of Sci Fi Movie Page.

I just worked on the movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” You’ve probably seen little sneak previews that resemble the movie “Independence Day.” I worked in a scene the other day and it was a “re-shoot.” That means the movie shoots certain scenes over and/or edits in some new scenes. This is usually to satisfy the studio that is backing the movie.

Our featured scene was a group of people and I standing on the London Bridge. We stop and stand outside of our cars and look into the sky. An alien ship has taken over the entire London sky!

I will tell you what! CG has come such a long and impressive way. Did you know that Independence Day used “miniatures?” Miniatures are little hand crafted and molded miniature models of big objects. For Independence Day, the miniatures consisted of little spaceships and little city explosions that look huge. Did you know that Mary Poppins was never filmed in London? The aerial view of the sky and all of the background was done by a technique called “matte painting.” Yes! professionals painted the town!

After we shot that scene, I changed out of the London wardrobe expecting to leave set for the day. Then the wardrobe woman Lisa and her posse roll into the room and pick me. They said they wanted to try some costumes on me. (Hoping to be an alien! :)) Me along with a few other girls that were chosen, go with the posse to the wardrobe trailer. Lisa puts on a black long sleeved button up on me. Then she puts a leather coat on over it. It fits! She said, “okay you are going to double for Jennifer Connelly.” I was very excited. I am a fan of Connelly. I followed her films ever since “Labyrinth!” Oh David Bowie and his spandex!

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DO YOU RESEARCH BEFORE YOU SIGN!

A little background info before the hit…

I have acted in a few TV shows and movies. I felt that it was the right time to get a publicist to help promote my career just like any other actor/artist does. Publicists get you red carpet events, put press releases out about you to various media outlets. They pretty much push your career into the spotlight.

I was referred to this woman through my old manager. I, along with my confidant, met with her over coffee to go over the future of my career. We went over “what she could do for me.” Everything was on a very understanding level and I was very excited about her being apart of my career. I pictured this woman being on my team.

I then signed a 3 month contract with her involving pay and in return she would do her part for the Lisa Mason Lee campaign.

The first month went by and it was time to pay her. I kindly asked her to show me the work that she has done for me. She made up excuses that she has been in the middle of moving. She then lashed out at me in email and claimed that “I gave her TOO short of notice for her to show me results.” She said she didn’t have time for the “drama.”

My confidant and I had such high hopes and put holy faith into her. A few days later, she emailed me 10 media outlets that she supposedly sent my press release to. My confidant and I were thrilled! We thought, “gosh, she really came through like we hoped!” So I put her check in the mail right away!

2 weeks later I sent her an email in hope that the media outlets contacted her for more on the Lisa Mason Lee push. I hoped for red carpets (celebrities.com can get me on red carpets!) and some other surprises. Come to find out, she gave me the wrong mailing address in an email and the check never got to her! She told me that it was my mistake and that I sent the check to the wrong address, even when I fowarded her-her own email stating that address! What a dodo. She said she was going to forward me an email to prove me wrong. Still haven’t seen the email honey.

So, her and I are done. It was hurtful and a waste of time. I should have listened to my mother! My mom said she couldn’t find her on Google. Usually in entertainment, you can find anyone on the internet/Google. She is no where to be found. But you can find me as number 3!

So here is what I learned:

1. Google their name and people they work with

2. Cats run with cats, dogs run with dogs

3. Do NOT sign a contract until 3-5 smart friends and 1 lawyer reads it

4. Do NOT sign a contract unless you can afford the dollar amount.

5. If there is a contract involved, don’t be surprised if you get their lawyer’s letter in your mailbox for a ridiculous reason.

6. Use your sense of smell, money hungry dogs smell the same.

Love,

Lisa Mason Lee

www.myspace.com/lisaleehollywood

What a non-stop weekend! Lately on weekends I’ve been impersonating Britney Spears. Yes. Blonde Brit Brit and black haired Brit. I changed it up and attended a couple Oscar events and other parties…

My weekend started on Thursday. There have been a lot of Oscar parties. Too many to attend but I managed to get a couple in. I originally wanted to go down to the Oscars on Sunday and video record my own red carpet! But security is extremely tight and the people in the audience somehow got tickets for the stands. I will have a badge next year! Thursday, I worked on a show airing on the Animal Planet called “Groomer.” It’s a human haircutting competition using different breeds of dogs. We had to stay longer than expected till later that night! I finally got out and headed to the club “Opera.” The rain was pouring so hard my hair and makeup melted off and my feet were soaked. I might as well have went swimming in my outfit. Hollywood clubs are always a difficult scene. I am personally not into them unless I am there for press. That is the only way to get in quick! Everyone says they are on so and so’s list, at so and so’s table and push to the front! I was reminded of why I do not go out in Hollywood unless I am press or with a celebrity. I got into Opera for the “Clothes Off Our Back Foundation” party. Everyone dressed in black for the sponsor “Little Black Dress” wine. Actresses who gave dresses to the foundation include America Ferrera, Nicollette Sherdian, Emmy Rossum and Chelsea Handler. These actresses were not present but every woman in the club had their black dresses present. The guest list of actors did not show except for one. The beautiful Ryan Starr. She made her presence known and flattered me to the floor! She was complimenting me and then I really looked at her and said, “You’re Ryan Starr, I saw you name on the list I am glad you showed. You are so beautiful in person.” We chatted about Celebrities.com and she told me she was interested in an interview with me. You can find her on Myspace. She told me personally that she reads and writes her own emails. She loves her fans! Good to hear! And last, I ran into former Celebrities.com writer Jesse Hart. He is presently performing locally and still working strong on his music career.

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Congratulations to our friend Brandon Trentham for his new Aldo billboard on Sunset Blvd and La Cienega just above Pink Dot.

Click here to read my interview with Brandon

Wednesday night in Hollywood!

Ian Zeiring (90210)

was at the S Bar last night. In plain jeans and plain long sleeved button up. With “nerdy” male friend. Ian was drinking water. Not alcohol. A batch of women were flocking and conversating around him and his friend. Me and my brother’s conversation with him was quite genuine. He asked what we did for a living. I asked him what he did of course! He said he was an actor We left off on something about being thankful for having a healthy and blessed life every day and he agreed. Sweet, genuine and easy to talk to.
*btw-his name is pronounced “eye-in”*

p.s.: When I was 7 living in Indiana, he made an appearance at a retail store named “Venture.” I got a picture of him and Wow were me and my Mom excited! And here I am at 24 chatting with him. Life is funny.

Jeremy Renner (Dahmer, 28 Weeks Later, SWAT)

At Big Wangs Wednesday Karaoke last night. All I can remember, he was wearing a fedora style hat. He happens to be a really great singer. Actors like going out-not always to get wasted. They go out because they don’t have an every day job! They sometimes book a handful of projects a year. What can they do the rest of the time? Save dolphins sure but going out is something they like to do just like non-actors. They put their britches on the same way we do! Jeremy is always friendly. Looks the same.

Jesse McCartney (Disney? Singer, going to be Simon in Alvin and the Chipmunks)

At Hyde last night. My brother gave him a cigarette and they lit each other’s cigarette at the same time. My brother is gay but I don’t know if Jesse knew that? Do 2 straight guys light each other’s cigarettes at the same time? So then my brother got Jesse to come over and take a picture with me (who is this guy?). I then took a pic of them. “No pictures put the camera away,” said a man. I replied, “suck it.” I then look up to see that it was security. Uh oh. “I didn’t know that was you,” I said. Jesse said “It’s all cool, I know them.” And off to Teddy’s at the Roosevelt he went with his mates. Nice, young, optimistic and good guy!