Audition: Pier One @ Cathi Carlton Casting

Wow...I've never seen Castaway Studios so dead!! It was a little erie, I guess Hollywood is officially on vacation. I've been pretty light on auditions lately, but I haven't really had a lot of time to notice with all that's been going on. I'm trying to make some really positive moves in the near future and I've been busy getting my game plan together, so I can't say I mind things being a little slow right now. I like to think of it as the calm before the storm :).

So you wanna be on the radio....

Guess who's got their first radio interview for their first lead role in a tv film :)My girl Apryl from back home hooked this up for me. Good lookin' out gyrl!!!

It will be a 10 or 15 minute interview on a Morning show that airs on stations in IL, St. Louis & SC (not sure if it's in any other markets). I don't have all the details yet, but we're looking at a tentative date of June 23rd. The show includes personalities Tony Scott & Guy Torry.

It's funny...I used to go see Guy's brother at The Comedy House in Columbia, South Carolina ALL the time! I actually saw him last year at a party Mekhi had, too. Anyway, it's pretty cool to go from a fan to a guest on his morning show...movin on up, baby :)!

Life is SOOOO good and I am SOOOO Blessed! GOD is simply amazing and I will forever give him thanks and praise :)

Happy Memorial Day!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!! Mine was excellent. My girlfriend and I had an impromptu cookout that turned out to be a lot of fun. I must say I've never played charades quite like this before :)

Special thanks to all the veterans who have served and sacrificed. We honor all of you today.


Kickin Back on the Holiday

Today was a day of recovery...lol. I think I celebrated the completion of the website just a little too much yesterday. It's NOT what you think...well, maybe a little, lol.

First, I met up with Michelle & Lamman for a Capoeria class at this cool place called Capoeira Batuque. Talk about a workout! That dude kicked out butts!! I was literally pouring with sweat, Lamman looked like someone had thrown a bucket of water over his head and Michelle was wo' out, too. I was like, 'this don't feel like celebratin' to me!" LOL. It was cool though, I actually did a front flip for the first time EVER!! I'd definitley go back.

After I got home and took a power nap (I'm tellin ya, that class wore a sista out!) a very good friend and all around BEAUTIFUL person accompanied me on my mission to celebrate. My girlfriend works at Zanzibar so we decided to hang out there...thanks for taking care of us LC! Zanzibar is a really cool place and I was in really cool company which made for a really, really, really cool night. I honestly can't remember the last time I had sooo much fun. Thanks GM...THAT'S what I call celebrating, lol!

After such a long day yesterday, its no wonder that I woke up this morning and could barely move! Between dancing and that crazy Capoeira class I was all jacked up. But I have to admit, I don't mind being sore. It makes me feel like I did some real work. I even took the twins to the kids class this afternoon. It was less intense, but they got a pretty good work out too, much to their dismay...lol.

Finally!! At Long Last!!

After WEEKS of hard work, LONG days and LATE nights the Let's Talk website is FINALLY up!!!!! This is the first site I've ever designed for someone other than myself...it was a lot of work, but I'm really proud of how it turned out! BIG thanks to Michelle (the director and my friend) for being there every step of the way! OK, here's the info:

On the Web: www.letstalkthemovie.com
On Myspace: www.myspace.com/letstalkthemovie
Me on Myspace: www.myspace.com/jillian reeves

Come by and check us out!!!!


The Let's Talk Poster (Designed by yours truly; Enhanced by the support and input of many others :)

In the words of Tony, Toni, Tone..."Doooo youuuu know what today is? It's our anniversary..." One year ago today I married Mr. Efren Ortiz, Jr. In some ways it seems like yesterday and sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago. As Forrest Gump said, "Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks." Funny, as much as I talk, words are kinda failing me right now. I guess..."That's all I have to say about that..."
  

Tonight I attended a production of The Bachellorette @ The Los Angeles Theatre Center. My friend and cast mate from Let's Talk, Janora McDuffie, performed in a starring role. Congrats girl! You rocked that role :)

Audition: Robbin in Da Hood (feature) - Role of Jessie (lead female role)

This audition went well...pretty funny. Sometimes I surprise myself with some of the things that come out of my mouth...lol.

Let's Talk has been accepted into the San Francisco Black Film Festival!! Very cool! I've never been to San Francisco so I'm very excited for this opportunity. We screen on June 10 @ 2:30pm, but we'll probably head up for the whole weekend. Should be a nice little get away!

The Let's Talk website is almost ready to publish, which is also exciting. It's been alot of work and I can't wait to get upload it and start promoting the film. Could web design, marketing and promotion work be in my future?? Could be, could be not...who's to say...lol

My Aunt Debbie had surgery today. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and today she had a large portion of her lung removed. Any believers, please take a moment and mention her name in your prayers. I believe that the prayers of the righteous availeth much. Any you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Finally got the script for that AXE short and unfortunately I had to pass. Just not the right project for me. Ah well...I'm sure there will be many more opportunities coming my way soon...hopefully Very soon :)

Happy Mama's Day!

Hope all the mother's had a great day today! Especially my fellow single moms...I know it gets hard ladies, but it will all pay off in the end. Here's to YOU...to Us :)

My Mother's day was lovely. I received two beautiful handmade cards, went to the park and out to dinner. We went to Outback Steakhouse which was one of my favorite restaurant in South Carolina. I hadn't been there in like 8 years, but today it was my choice. We had to drive to Torrance to get there, but it was soooo worth it :)

I'm always exhausted on Sundays these days since I started working on the weekend. My blog writing has been pretty sparse lately, but I've been soooo busy. It's funny, I thought I was gonna be depressed during this time of the year...and although there are times where I definitely feel blue the beauty of life won't let me stay that way for to long. That in and of itself is a blessing.

I called E's sister a few days ago...we both talked about how we've been meaning to call and how we think of each other often. It's good to know that we're in each others hearts though we don't talk often. She is such a great person but I have to admit talking to her brings up some pretty difficult emotions. She told me that whenever she thinks of E she thinks of me and the love I brought to him and their family. That simple statement brought me so much comfort and solace. The power of words is really amazing. I told her that I might come through Chicago this summer and she said she'd be honored if I stayed with them. Truthfully I am honored by her offer. She was the sister E was closest to and it's so easy to see why. She's kind and compassionate, and maybe the most understanding woman on the planet. I usually end up a bit of a mess when I talk to her, but for the first time ever, I talked to her without crying. Strangely enough THAT made me sad...lol. Life can be strange that way I guess...

I sent my mom and E's mom flowers for today. I have to admit I've been working so hard that I Mother's Day kinda snuck up on me. My mom got her flowers yesterday and though she complained b/c she could tell I spent a lot of money, she couldn't hide how happy she was to get them. She was all like, "I got the Big, Beautiful Flowers you sent. You don't need to be spending this kinda money...but they are Beautiful!"...lol. My aunt told me she started crying when she received them, so I figure it was worth every penny. I am a big believer in showing people you appreciate them while you can...I don't need to get hit by a truck to remember to appreciate my mama. E's mom should get her flowers today. He always went the most amazing bouquets...I mean AMAZING. I couldn't let the day go by without making sure she got her flowers this year. I hope they bring her some joy in this difficult season.

Things are great on the work front. I have been sooo busy working on the website and poster for "Let's Talk" over the last few weeks and it's almost done! It's been ALOT of work but hopefully it'll be worth it. We just brought a great publicist (and awesome guy), on board in hopes of really maximizing the potential of this project. It's amazing how much work goes into the prep, production and promotion of a film...it's been a great learning experience for me.

I still haven't receive the script for the AXE film project that I got cast in. I'm a little concerned because rehearsals start this week but I really can't commit to the project without seeing the script! Hopefully, I'll get it soon.

Today the kids, some friends and I attended the Revlon Cancer Walk. This was a 5k walk around the USC area. Seeing so many whose lives have been affected by this disease was really touching and made for very emotional day. In addition to the personal loss I've experienced from this disease, about a week ago I found out that both my uncle and aunt have been diagnosed with cancer. So the children walked in support of my uncle and aunt, and I walked in memory of E. There were people of all ages, from very elderly walking with the aid of a cane to the very young riding in a stroller. The kids did a great job and were proud to be a part of the day too. There were people laughing, crying, rejoicing and reflecting. I did a little bit of of it all...as I'm sure most people did. It was hard not too...emotions can be complex that way. It was a beautiful, moving, inspiring, touching event and I am very happy that I was a part of it.

Afterwards we attended a friend's barbecue with was fun. I should probably have a get together soon myself. I've been really fortunate to have met some wonderful people in LA, it would be nice to celebrate them :)

The Signs. The Yellow heading is "In Memory Of" the Blue is "In Support Of" and the Red is for Cancer Survivors. Click the photos to enlarge.



Our Journey.



Our Signs.



The Crowd. It's amazing to see how many people are affected because of this disease.



BBQ with friends. Fun time...gotta do this more often!

BOOKED!!! BUT...

Ok, so I've been cast in one of the films in the AXE project BUT... the it was for a different character than I read for and the new character seems a little "suspect". The first red flag was when the CD said, don't worry you don't have to do anything slutty...you just get into a fight. Hmmmm.....I'll wait until I get the script, but this might be a project I have to pass on.

Audition: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button @ Laray Mayfield
Callback: Jeep @ (I forget the name...lol) Casting

The audition was for a good-sized role in this feature film that shoots this fall in LA. It went GREAT! Laray was very supportive and gave me alot of positive feedback. I would love to work on a project like this!

The callback went really well too. The role is for a Jazz singer and I sang "God Bless the Child" and received a rousing applause. It was sooo much fun and I would love to do this spot!

Audition: AXE Project @ Pamela Azmi-Andrew Casting

This audition is for a series of shorts that will be judged by F. Gary Gray at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in Miami this July. The films will then tour about 20 HBCU's around the country. This audition went pretty well. We also submitted Let's Talk to ABFF...it'd be kinda cool to be in two films at same festival :)

Happy Birthday E!!

This is a really, really tough one. I wish I didn't have to miss you.


This is one of my favoite pictures. Taken in 2004 at Isla Mujeres. I call it "King E".