JohnBillingsley.Net
Welcome!
06/03/2006
Catherine the Wise thought that people might be interested in hearing a bit more about THE NINE, among other things, and suggested I write a few lines . . . and she suggested that some of the questions that have come up recently might be a jumping off point . . . soooooo, I'm going to respond to some of the questions she's submitted to me . . .(And feel free, anyone who's interested, to drop a line via the website attn: JB anytime . . . Catherine forwards email to me and although it sometimes takes a week or more, I do (eventually) answer everything . . .
The Nine
Q. How did you get the role?
A. It was the first audition I had this pilot season past and, what can I say, sometimes the stars are in conjunction . . . it was late in the process for the exec. producers, they'd seen a lot of people and felt, I think, that actors were over-stressing the 'glum' notes instead of the 'upbeat' notes in the material (at least that's what the CD told me prior - just prior - to my walking in the room) so. . . . with that direction in mind ... I marched saucily forward and there ya have it . . .
Q. What attracted you to the part?
A. There's a wonderful excitement for an actor in getting to play somebody who's trying, desperately, TO CHANGE HIS LIFE . . . Egan, in the script, emerges from a traumatic situation with a great desire to 'boldly go where
(he, at least) has never gone before' . . . . whatever the genre, it's fun to play a man who is making discoveries about himself . ..
Were you and Bonnie cast at the same time? I was cast first and Bonnie was called in by the Casting Director shortly afterwards to read for a part on WITHOUT A TRACE, another show produced by Hank Steinberg (THE NINE'S co-exec). Although she didn't get the role on WAT, the CD thought she'd be perfect for Mrs. Foote and brought her in but didn't tell Hank or his partners that she was my wife . . . she got offered the part, the CD broke the news (sometimes execs get nervous about casting spouses) and, thank god, they were as thrilled as we were . . . it's a recurring role, so we don't know how prominent she will be, but it's one of the most exciting aspects of this whole shebang, for me.
Prison Break
Q. Did you have to pull out your teeth for the part?
A. Wait until you discover what they've done to him beneath the waist . . I drew the line at 'the method approach' at that point . . .
Q. How many hours were you on the set for you 3 second appearance just to put your teeth in?
A. Maybe four, maybe five hours . .. it can be tricky getting the shot lit correctly, cuz they wanted a shadowy, mysterious effect . . . the other tricky part, for me, was false teeth management, holding them just so, etc . . but definitely one of the cushier gigs I've had, reminiscent of STREK paychecks I received when I did bupkus, maybe waltz through an episode giving painkillers to the young bucks with my syringe-y thing . . .
Q. Are you going to be in more than 3 episodes?
A. That was the plan, but now that I'm on THE NINE, ABC has dibs on me and it's up to them . . . generally speaking, networks ain't too keen to share . . . so the jig may be up for Mr. Steadman . . . we hardly knew 'ye . . . (it's actually being decided as I write this: should know within the week, cuz they've asked to have me on set mid-June . . . )
Cold Case
Q. What is it like to play creepy characters?
A. I don't really make too much of a distinction between character A and character B - it's the audience that defines somebody as 'creepy', not the actor. We just try and find a way to express different points of view. Mind you, I wouldn't want to play a steady diet of killers, scuzzballs, etc - it's all about figuring out another person's point of view and not being
judgmental ... in essence, you take long walks and talk to yourself as if you are the character you are playing, you explain to yourself why you feel what you feel, you tell yourself the reasons why you do the things you do (do you know what my mom did to me?) . . .If you have actor-empathy (always empathize, never judge: the cardinal rule if you're an actor) you find your way into anybody's psychology pretty quickly. Plus, it helps to look like a serial killer, which apparently I do.
Q. Do you take the character "home with you" and if so how does Bonnie deal with having a psychopath de-eyeing her dolls?
A. Nope. Like everybody else, I take a little bit of my day home with me but it's more a question of 'bad day'/'good day', which means 'damn, the director wouldn't give me another take and I could have done better' or ' I had a great moment today where we found something really unexpected' - I would say that if you didn't feel very connected on the set, then you take the character home the same way you'd take homework home - you haven't cracked the nut, you need to walk and talk some more ...
CSI New York
That was a paycheck. Very very very nice people but nothing about that part was memorable . . .
Now, nobody asked but if anybody watched Nip/Tuck that was a fun part to play: a guy who wants to have his leg amputated cuz he has a rare 'disease', Body Integrity Identity Disorder . . . lots of hobbling around, cuz the character ties his 'bad' leg up behind his back to simulate the life of the amputee - very interesting juxtaposition of normalcy and 'lunacy' in one guy .. . anyway, that's me dipping into the mailbag - hope all is well with everyone, xox jb
. . .
05/13/2006
THE NINE, featuring Yours Truly and his wife, Mrs. Truly, got picked up by ABC (don't know details re: fall or mid-season, day/time but will let everybody know when I get more skinny) and Mrs Truly aka Bonita F. and I are off to NYC for the big dog and pony show known as the upfronts (don't know why they're called that but it makes me laugh, it sounds so foursquare and all-American - whereas it's essentially a two day cocktail party with the media and potential advertisers in which you try not to spill anything on yourself and ask your spouse to monitor your liquor intake for you . . . ) We're also just back from New Zealand and Australia where we had a FABULOUS time visiting friends and fans in Wellington, Adelaide and Sydney . . . I drove on the left hand side of the road for the first time and aside from a few sheep and a rural postman, no fatalities to report . . . more to come in about a week or so when we return . . .
xox jb
02/13/2006
Hi everybody! Sorry I've been out of touch: busy busy, which is good news - booked a pilot last week, a show called 9 Lives, produced by the brother/sister producing team
Hank and K. J. Steinberg (Without A Trace) at Warner Bros. for ABC. It's a very exciting project (as always, digits crossed that it sees the light of day) about the aftermath of a botched bank heist. The show follows the lives of the hostages and the robbers post-trauma (we learn, through a season's worth of flashbacks, what transpired in the bank during the 56 hour 'standoff' with the cops). I play a mild-mannered schlub who is at the end of his tether (ball-busting wife, something I can't personally relate to, but we actors must use our imaginations, after all) and who, in the crisis, comes through with flying colors - the attendant outpouring of media attention (he dons the mantle of 'hero) makes him re-evaluate his dead-end life . . . anyway, Chi McBride is attached as well as a few others (I think you can log on to WWW.THEFUTONCRITIC.COM for more info) and it starts shooting in March. Also appearing on Prison Break in a recurring role, shot two low-budget genre pictures (The Man From Earth about a guy who claims he's 12,000 years old, written by Jerome Bixby and a zombie comedy starring Dean Cain called Dead and Deader). Also - Miss Bonnie is up for a series regular part herself, which she doesn't want me to talk about cuz it might prove jinx-ish. But I'll keep everybody posted. Anyway, that's the professional situation - life-in-general-wise, I have nothing new to report. Recently read two deeply disturbing books that I highly recommend - THE LONG EMERGENCY by James Kuntsler, about the world's bleak prospects in the inevitable 'post-oil' future and the classic psychological treatise by Erich Fromm, ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM, about man's fear of independence . . . both very relevant, sadly, in this dark time . . . also enjoyed Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, Peter Carey's Illywhacker, Peter Taylor's A Woman of Means, and Walter Isaacson's The Wise Men . . . The girl cat is now officially bigger than the house which poses problems of ingress and egress.
xox jb
01/01/2006
Hi everybody! I wanted to take a moment on New Year's Day to thank everybody so much for their continued interest, appreciation, affection and . . . tolerance?? . . . re: yours truly - and a special shout-out to people who took the time to pass on Xmas greetings/gifts this year. The scrapbook is very special and will be much treasured and the books/book related items are also great. I hope everybody had a happy holidays and wish the best to you all in 2006. On the career front, well . . . for me, a recurring role on Prison Break, not sure how sizeable, and for Bonnie, a film in the Sundance Film Festival this year, which we'll be attending (she doesn't like me emphasizing this fact, but I can't help it: there is a scene in this movie - it's called STAY, by the way - in which she mud wrestles another gal - wearing period undies and a beehive hairdo - for the sexual delectation of Elvis . . . how can such a film NOT be a hit?) Cats are fat and sassy, but they, along with yours truly, begin a diet tomorrow, so I have to eat all the cheese and chocolate in the house by midnight or else chuck it down the sink . . . . the big picture is that we're healthy and happy and love our pals and have been reading good books over the holidays - currently, for me, White Teeth by Zadie Smith . . . Zadie or Zandie . . . Hmmmmm. . . . I'm too lazy to go upstairs and check. . . regardless, a very funny (ever so slightly dated, perhaps) novel about multiculturalism by the gal who wrote this year's acclaimed On Beauty . . . . I'll try to be a better correspondent this year for those who peek at this website every now and again and wonder if there'll ever be anything new on it (totally my fault, not Catherine's). And if things ever get too slow, I'll just make up some crap. I was in a bar the other night and somebody recognized me but didn't know why, kinda thought I might be an actor, and, being half in the bag, and a smart-ass, I said, oh, maybe you know me from Zorba The Greek, you ever see that, I played Zorba? And of course expecting a laugh I got, instead, nods of recognition, oh right, yeah, of course . . . . . . I wasn't sure what to do, but in the end (being half in the bag) I just couldn't resist sending some poor soul off into the night thinking they'd met Anthony Quinn and that we actors really don't look at all, in person, the way we do on the screen. (RIP Mr. Quinn)
xox jb
11/07/2005
Hey everybody, and thanks at the outset to Catherine, who very graciously reminded me that I owed everybody a letter - Catherine, you would make a very good mother, your children would write their thank-you cards within hours after opening their Christmas presents and would probably not get bronchial ailments because you would have them well bundled up during the cold and flu season . . .. . . actually, I haven't written in a while because I haven't been doing anything worth reporting . . . I've been going out on a fair number of auditions, many of which result in my being told that "YOU'RE IN THE MIX!", a phrase I've come to despise because no jobs come forth and nobody ever bothers to call and say "YOU'RE OUT OF THE MIX!" . . . for all I know, I'm in several mixes right now, even as we speak . . . but no jobs, no jobs . . . . it might be time for me to sit right down and write the great American novel, which I will certainly do right after strenuous attention to my pecs and abs, a stint in the Peace Corps, and a rigorous cleaning out of the gutters . . .
Dream on, in other words.
I continue to work with the AIDS SERVICE CENTER - unfortunately, due to rather stringent budget cuts at the Federal and State level, monies available for programs dwindle daily - if anybody is interested in supporting their terrific work, donations are always appreciated - we're not in danger of closing our doors, but we are, sadly, in danger of having to lay off personnel and shut down important component parts of our variegated operation. Our mission has always been to provide a complete array of services to people whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS, and we may, unfortunately, no longer be able to help people in some very important ways (providing access to local food banks, for instance, via transportation vouchers: many of our clients cannot drive and don't have the resources to hire a car - obviously - to take them to food banks to stock up their pantries. Needless to say, asking a sick person to transport bags full of groceries home on the bus isn't gonna cut it . . . but in our modern world, that's the essential message being communicated to our agency by the powers that be . . . sigh . . . ).
On a cheerier note, Bonnie's been working a lot, nothing - she tells me - that she is prepared to trumpet, or even toot-toot in a small way on, say, a flugelhorn - and I am only allowed to spill beans on my wife when she gives the go ahead, so for now . . . she's bringing home the bacon for the family and I'll leave it at that . . .
Reading a lot, of course. Let's see - Letting Go, by Philip Roth - his first novel, and one that I quite enjoyed, although it's slow going and doesn't quite add up, ultimately, to a tremendously satisfying whole: still, what a writer, and one section in particular, about a young couple who arrange a back alley abortion, is timely, chilling, hilarious . . . Letting Go was written during the Eisenhower administration and is largely about the way we struggle under the yoke of 'the call to righteousness' (and I don't mean in a narrow, theological sense) - it's both a period piece and a reminder that the virtue-crats among us sometimes artfully choose to misrepresent the intellectual and spiritual stultification of our not so rosy-hued yesteryears . . .
O Jerusalem by Dominique La Pierre and Larry Collins, is about the years 947-1948, when Israel was declared a state and the Middle East suffered it's first Arab-Israeli War . . . a pretty even handed portrayal, very informative and a reminder, not incidentally, that terrorism is and always has been oft-practiced, by all parties, and that nobody gets to sit astride the moral high horse in this screwed up world - a great companion novel would be Robert Stone's Damascus Gate, about contemporary Middle Eastern politics lurching ever more dramatically toward the apocalyptic . . .
Light In August, can't say enough about Faulkner, what a mind, what a heart - even if the 'Christian Redemption' stuff is irritating, to this crusty old atheist - it's hard, for me, for instance, to love Flannery O'Connor, brilliant as she is, cuz ultimately her work is in service of a theological point of view that I don't share - both she and Faulkner could write the bark off a tree, though; Chasing The Dime, by Michael Connelly, one of my favorite suspense writers, stepping outside of his Harry Bosch series in this book to tell a stand-alone story about a scientist who gets mixed up with a call girl ring - great, fast, taut thriller, maybe a smidgen preposterous but you forgive Connelly a lot cuz he really writes the best page turners; Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, what a BRILLIANT book: about a hermaphrodite growing up in Detroit during the Sixties, with ruminations aplenty about nature vs nurture, the sub urbanization of America and the consequent loss of America's multi-faceted cultural and ethnic authenticity . .. just a wonderful read, one that doesn't really achieve a gangbusters climax, but one that you feel, once you get fifty pages in, that you could just go on reading forever - and a terrific book, I think, for teenagers who are good readers, cuz so much of it is about 'gulp, what's happening to my body?'; Mohawk, by Richard Russo, his first novel, and not up to his subsequent standard, I think, but if you like his voice - Empire Falls is a template for whether you dig his stuff or not - pick it up, he's got, I think, such a lovely and gentle sympathy for life's 'loser's' - I find his stuff incredibly touching, and very warm, although this one suffers from a plot twist that I think is less than credible; Stanley Park, by a Canadian writer named Tim Taylor, not worth going out of your way for, I'd say, unless you are either a foodie - it's largely about a hot young chef trying to establish his bona fides in the Vancouver restaurant world - or particularly interested in Vancouver, in which case you may appreciate some aspects of his portrayal of the city's increasing yuppification - I thought it's over-riding theme, the difficulty we have protecting the authentic because we are now so rootless and unmoored in the way we live that we have ceased to place value in the concept of 'home turf', was interesting, but not very compellingly dramatized - but it won a lot of awards in Canada a few years back and may be worth reading if you have any interest at all in contemporary Canadian writers; Naked by David Sedaris, which isn't quite as gut-bustingly funny as the reviewers suggest (I think Thurber is the go-to guy when it comes to making you do spit takes while reading) but is nonetheless a lovely book, so honest and so courageous in its' willingness to reveal a man as 'nakedly' as Sedaris reveals himself, with a sense of humor that you know isn't superior or smug . . .this is a memoir about his family, to an extent, and the nature of self-absorption, told in l5 or so chapters, and the cumulative weight is somehow oddly compelling - it's got the peculiar density of a novel without ever tilting towards ponderousness . . .
Anyway, those are the books I've enjoyed enough, recently, to note here -
And what else can I say? Not a lot going on. But I'll keep everybody apprised, and thanks as always for your interest -
And for those people who are participating in the 2005 Holiday Projects, I can only say thank you again for your generosity and affection - !!
xox
jb"
09/02/2005
John wanted me to share with everyone that he will be in an episode of Nip/Tuck: "Yes,
the episode is titled: "Ben White", I play Ben White, a successful architect who has BIID, Body Integrity Identity Disorder - Ben wants to have his leg amputated so he 'can finally feel whole'. Don't know when it airs yet, will let you know.
Bonnie's going to be appearing in an upcoming episode of Over There, the Stephen Bochco show about Iraq - I believe it's either this week's or next week's episode; she also just completed working on RODNEY, an ABC sitcom, playing a caustic nurse (is there any other kind on sitcoms??) xox jb"
08/10/2005 - John (Part I)
Hi everybody! Two things: first, Bonnie is no longer in The Book of Liz. She has moved onto other projects (working on a film written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwaite called Stay). So, if you were planning on attending Liz: ABORT ABORT!!
Also: If anybody's around and about the LA area on 9/25, the Aids Service Center is throwing a great party to help raise money for their organization. As many of you know, I am on the ASC's board: we provide services, education, and advocacy for men, women and children affected by and at risk for HIV/AIDS in the San Gabriel Valley and LA County.
The event is called "Urban Distinction: The Anti-Tea Party", and is essentially a tip of the cap to the classic afternoon tea party, but with a distinctively urban and stylishly subversive sensibility. (One of the components of the party will be an auction of artwork, so if anybody is interested in donating a piece of art . . . hurrah!, and let me know ASAP). Tickets are $l00, there's food and booze and performance art and it's being held at the Art Center College of Design, South Campus (Wind Tunnel), from 4:00PM - 9:00PM (again, September 25th of this year). Wear something fun! Come and say hi - Bonnie and I will both be there. There's a chance I might be doing something bizarre, but that's still being negotiated. And spread the word! Feel free to send this posting on to friends and charitably inclined souls who also like to PARTAY DOWN!
The phone number of the Aids Service Center is 626-441-8495 - ask for Patrick Brown and tell 'em John B. sent 'ya, and he'll line up tickets. AND HEY - IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET INTO HEAVEN, YOU CAN SIGN ON AS A PATRON!!! You'd be agreeing to either sell ten tickets or purchase ten tickets and you'd be getting goody bags, special high-falutin' backstage access, plus - ah, I dunno - phone calls from the ASC for the rest of your life, I guess (hey, that's how I got on the board!!!! But I couldn't be happier!!) Anyway, feel free to drop me an email c/o Catherine our Web mistress if you'd like more info or just call Patrick at the ASC directly!!! xox jb
08/10/2005 - John (Part II)
To Booksters
Mea culpa, mea culpa - I've been SOOOOO BAD ABOUT STAYING IN TOUCH, LATELY -
NOT JUST WITH THE BOOK GROUP, BUT WITH EVERYBODY I KNOW. OY! Anyway, I spent this morning catching up on months worth of wonderful, informative posts - shout outs to everybody I know, shout outs, as well, to the few people I don't know (and hearty welcomes to the latter, as well) and glad to hear that the recent changes in format I suggested are (perhaps) encouraging a greater level of participation. And now: yay and thanks for the great recommendations!! I've been meaning to read M. Kneale's English Passengers, and Bernard Sharpe (generally); never heard of Dead Witch Walking and sequels by Kim Harrison , Peter and the Star Catchers, MacAvoy's Tea With Black Dragon, and several others listed. I took notes! Read the Philbrick book a while back and dug it; ditto a lot of McCullough's bios (Mornings on Horseback, Adams book, Truman bio). Bonnie, my wife, for those who don't know (she gets mentioned a lot) has enjoyed Laurie King, although I haven't gotten to her yet. And recently was given Barbary Coast by Herbert Asbury, which I'd read a bit of when I was preparing to play Ambrose Bierce a year ago (who spent the better part of his life in l9th century SF). Jacqui: you wrote an entry specifically addressed to me, and my apologies for not responding earlier. Ironically, I was in Scotland on/around the day you posted that entry, my first trip - Edingb., Inverness, Isle of Skye - and I can't wait to return. Glorious. Met a guy on the train who talked my ear off about William Wallace, full of piss and vinegar re: historical inaccuracies in Mel G's movie of a few years back. Hadn't seen the movie, didn't know squat about W. Wallace, but he had a lovely burr and bought me beers (Bonnie pretended to nap), so what the hell. Marsha, I think you mentioned that Empire Falls was being shown (HBO) on tv and I don't know what you thought, but I was extremely disappointed. I love Ed Harris, but I thought he was woefully miscast, and the whole thing seemed flat to me, like soda left out in the sun. Very disappointing. Let's see - what else: I think I liked Little Children a lot more than most, which won't come as a surprise to veteran book-clubbers: not just grudging admiration, actual flat out enjoyment - and I thought the ending was quite lovely, these four disparate personalities sharing a smoke on the playground, smoking in the rubble, really, of their shattered lives, but finding some measure of relief in the unexpected contact - something oddly moving and elegiac and hopeful about that image . . . thought the book had great humor, suspense, and a lovely ability to make (me, at least) give a damn about some pretty objectionable folk through sheer dint of authorial empathy . . . the only clank moment, for me, was when Mary Ann attended the book group and opined about Emma Bovary. Didn't believe she would get within a mile of a book club OR Flaubert. But that was a small stumble in what I thought was otherwise a virtuoso performance - (small scale, granted).
I'm currently reading Life of Pi, which I believe the club read in my absence a year or so ago, and am enjoying it very much, although I do a bit of an eye roll (so far) at his tub thumping religiosity; recently finished Rock Springs, a collection of short stories by Richard Ford, who also wrote The Sportswriter and Independence Day. He's in the Raymond Carver mold - minimalism, more minimalism, and then just a leeetttttlle more minimalism, topped off with a dollop of anomie. An acquired taste, frankly, although I do find some of his stories stick in my mind. Lots of blue collar Montana types (whose relationships don't function too well) who wander the prairies in an inarticulate funk . . . also enjoyed T. Frank's "What's The Matter With Kansas" (FOR LIBERALS ONLY) and Richard Price's "Freedomland".
I know we're not supposed to talk about anything except books . . . so a few other things that I'd like to SHARE will be put in a message for everyone's consumption and post it on my web site. HOWEVER: cuz some folks were talking about going to see Bonita's play - she is no longer in it, she's moved onto another project (low budget film directed by Bobcat Goldthwaite).
I still sit on my ass.
I won't be going away for a while - it's been a busy spring and summer heretofore - so I should be a better chatter from now on in. xox jb
Hey - if anybody's planning on being in the New Orlean's area on the weekend of Aug 5-7, Bonnie and I will be attending CRESCENT CITY CON, a small, fan-run con (600 or so folks) - stop by and say hi. It sounds like it'll be very casual and low key - for info, try googling Crescent City Con - I don't have a contact number to give out right now, but if you can't find info, let me know via
webmaster@johnbillingsley.net
and I'll dig up some phone #'s/e-mail addresses . . .
Bonnie, by the way, for anybody in the LA area who may be interested, is playing the eponymous heroine in THE BOOK OF LIZ, an affectionate spoof of the Amish ('the Squeamish') by David and Amy Sedaris, at the Blank Theatre, 6500 Santa Monica Blvd.,
(323-661-9287 for info re dates, times, tickets, etc.) She's great (and she wears funny teeth).
She's also appearing on an upcoming episode of the new Stephen Bochco show OVER THERE as the beleagured mom of an AWOL soldier.
I'm just sitting around on my fat ass.
xox jb
Hi everybody: please forgive me for issuing an all-encompassing THANK-YOU to those sweethearts who sent me birthday greetings. I'd love to respond to everybody individually, but I've been out of town for three or so weeks and am still wading through bills, messages, etc, etc, and so a collective shout out will have to suffice. Forty Five years old. Holy Cow. Next year I start counting backwards. I hope to live to 0. Hope everybody is having a terrific June, and I'll announce the next book in a week or so (and, again, apologies for not getting a chance to discuss Little Children with everybody). xox jb
Hello everyone! A few updates about John's activities:
April 25, 2005
Book Chat!!!!!
"'Little Children' by Tom Perrotta (the author of the book Election, basis of the FABULOUS film with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick)"
6:30pm-7:00pm Pacific Time: Open chat with John about any book at all.
7:00pm-?pm Pacific Time: Chat with John about 'Little Children' by Tom Perrotta
If you want to keep updated on the Book Chat events and schedule, please join the Billingsley Book Group - HERE
April
27, 2005
Hamburger Mary's, West Hollywood
Forget your misconceptions of Bingo... Legendary Bingo at Hamburger Mary's is a fun-filled evening of food, fun, and great prizes!
On April 27th, Legendary Bingo will be working towards helping my fundraising efforts. John Billingsley (Doctor Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise) has offered to assist as celebrity ball caller.
In addition to gift certificates to local gyms, trainers, salons, and restaurants, I've got a slew of other neat prizes: Memorabilia from Star Trek: Enterprise, Family Guy, Law & Order: SVU, even Desperate Housewives! Four tickets to the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton will be given away as part of the grand prize package ($120 value). Each prize package will include two signed Enterprise scripts. And one cast-signed script will be auctioned off.
A suggested donation of $20 gives you all 10 regular Bingo games and one grand prize game! ALL the proceeds from the event will go towards meeting my fundraising goals.
Bingo starts at 8pm... but the restaurant fills up quickly, so get there early.
This event is to support Juan Carlos Fernandez's bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Juan was Enterprise's pre-production coordinator during it's run. Juan is a very dear and fun person and I hope that you all will take a moment to support him in this cause! For more information about Juan and this project, please visit: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/3724
To
make a donation for Juan's efforts, visit this link: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/donate/3724
A couple of quick thoughts for folks who may be visiting the website for a response to our recent cancellation: THANK-YOU for your loyalty, support, affection, enthusiasm, and many kindnesses shown to Bonnie and myself over the past four years. Although the show won't be around any more I certainly hope to extend and embellish my relationships with the fans for years to come. I know we wouldn't have had a fourth season, in all likelihood, if it hadn't been for your tireless support last year: it was, and is, much appreciated.
On a specific note, and at the request of Bill Geradts, who hosts a New Zealand/Australia convention (Armageddon) that I had been planning to attend this April, I wanted to say that (sadly) while I won't be able to appear this spring, I will be looking forward to attending their next convention in October.
Finally, this Monday, February 7, 2005 (rescheduled
due to filming!), I will be conducting a live 'web-chat' at thefandom.com with Chase Masterson!!
Hi everybody: NEXT BOOK CLUB CHOICE: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. I quote from the dustjacket: "For two years before she left Iran in l997, Nafisi gathered seven young women at her house every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature . . . Their stories intertwined with those they were reading (Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, Washington Square, Daisy Miller, and Lolita) . . . Nafisi's luminous tale offers a fascinating portrait of the Iran-Iraq war viewed from Tehran and gives us a rare glimpse, from the middle, of women's lives in revolutionary Iran". I'm probably also going to read a couple of the aforementioned novels as well, and if anybody else is so inclined, great, although that certainly is not necessary (from what I've been told it is not at all essential to the enjoyment of this book). HOW ABOUT February 21st, 6:30PM??
To Join the John's Book Club please visit the following link for details: Book Club
10/05/2004 - John's Book Review of 'Mortals' written by Norman Rush. see the Book Club page for more details.
First off, apologies for being tardy with this (kinda/sorta/quasi) review. This is
the deal - too swamped these days to compose anything terribly lucid. So I'm going to riff, write a few random thoughts and hope they cohere. Works's
picked up (non-Enterprise related stuff) and I'm running to stay in place.
I liked Mortals once I realized that I had to approach it as if it were a Russian novel and embrace all the digressions, ruminations, and filigree. It reminded me, in many respects, of two novels: Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary, both about the stultifications of marriage (and the ideology of marriage), but one to
my mind finally more successful because it stayed on point (EB). AK was more capacious, even more revelatory of the broader societal impulses that shaped a Russian marriage's 'rules of engagement', but nonetheless contained passages (chapters!) that were tedious, tendentious, tangential. I don't know how many of you have read AK but when the character Levin waxes poetic about the Russian peasant's attachment to the land, and when Tolstoy describes the way the wheat is gathered during harvest . . . . well, oh my god, on and on and on and on, it's like the passing of a Russian winter . . . . and I have to say, that reading the section of Mortals in which Morel runs down Christian theology and Kerekang defends it . . . well, I had many of the same feelings I have reading the Russians. GET ON WITH IT!! In Mortals, granting Rush time to make some points about an individual character's religiosity or lack of same, I still felt like saying LESS IS MORE MORE MORE.
That said - I did like this book quite a bit, ultimately, probably because it really took off in the second half (In the Cup) and began to gather terrific narrative drive. I also thought Mortals had a lovely ending (particularly the section in which the Finches make love for the last time). Much of the first part was engaging but excessively precious: I'm not sure I needed as much of Ray's brother's letters, as much of Ray and Iris's badinage, even, although I realize that the heart of the book lies in the quality and character of their interaction. Still, I think this book, successful as it was in many ways, could have stood for a more rigorous edit, although I suspect Mr. Rush's intentions were to mimic, to some extent, the sprawl of the great Russian novels.
I thought that one of it's central themes was delightful -- the way the passage of time reveals what fools we mortals be, the way our literate, polished, incorruptible selves can crumble as we grow older, revealing the pedantic, narcissistic, and morally compromised children we are underneath. I thought that this book, to an extent, was about growing up. Ray had a bit of Peter Pan about him! (As did every character) And when the multiple crises of Ray's life converged - ah, how Ray flailed about, like a child, in a sudden and dreadful atmosphere of blight, attempting through strenuous activity, through empty gesture (burning his passport!),
to re-express virtue, re-capture virility, re-engage with the world. And, I suppose, the passage of time is, in a way, its own "Cup," and we emerge ultimately from the blasted landscape of change with something akin (one hopes) to grace and clarity.
Which is what, I think, we are asked to believe Ray has emerged with at the end of this book (Are we asked to believe as well that Iris and Ray may end up together again, as two mature adults?)
I also thought the theme of conversion was handled very intelligently, the way each character is trying to convert the other characters, constantly (albeit sometimes subtly) to their own way of perceiving the world. I appreciated, especially, the applicability of this theme to the ways in which a married couple are forever engaged in a battle for moral and intellectual primacy. I also admired Rush's deftness with language and the way in which he captures the 'artifice' of language, the way we shape our language to become a force for selling ourselves and our viewpoints to others. How precious language was to Ray! That constant voice in his head saying "stop, back up, rephrase, re-calibrate": how artificial and non-impulsive and non-instinctual one's feeling life becomes when that voice can never be stilled. That's what struck me about the evolution of Ray's character -- somehow he begins to surrender to his feelings, and his actions and behaviors become less cerebral, less calculated as the book progresses, without the author in any way making us feel that Ray's essential nature is being unfairly manipulated by the author. I think that's a real gift - I've read too many books where I think 'nah, that character, as described and introduced to us by the author, would never behave that way.' I felt, in Mortals, that this enormously cerebral man remained cerebral to the end but found, somehow, a way to engage in life more instinctively and more passionately at the same time. Which is what struck me, finally, as the grace note of the book's ending, the wedding of instinct and intellect which might allow us to believe that Ray could actually become a good teacher, a good man ...
Anyway, that's all I have time for, but I look forward to our chat on the
llth.
xox jb
09/25/2004
John will be appearing on Saturday, October 23, 2004 at 5:00pm Pacific Time at the following event:
If you attend, please send in an appearance report and photos to webmaster@johnbillingsley.net
09/25/2004
John announced in a chat earlier this week (thank you for the impromptu chat John!) that he would be on KABC on September 25, 2004 at 10:00pm Pacific Time portraying Ambrose Bierce.
The link for listening options for this radio station online is: http://www.kabc.com/listenlive.asp
We don't know if online listeners will hear the program that John will be on, but we are hoping that you will! We would love to have a transcript of John's radio appearance. If you have one, please email it to webmaster@johnbillingsley.net
06/06/2004
"In matters of thought and conduct
to be independent is to be abnormal.
To be abnormal is to be detested" - Ambrose Bierce
"You're all a bunch of f**king morons" - Mis Margarida
ANNOUNCING THE COMING OF WASPISHNESS (IN REPERTORY):
Bottom's Dream presents the West Coast Premiere of Mac Wellman's BITTER
BIERCE, or, THE FRICTION WE CALL GRIEF, Directed by Jim Martin,
Performed by John Billingsley.
Stage Door Johnny Productions presents Roberto Athayde's MISS
MARGARIDA'S WAY, Directed by Bruce Weiland, Performed by Bonita
Friedericy (Mrs. Billingsley in spirit, if not in name).
The Los Angeles theatre company Bottom's Dream re-emerges onto the
producing scene with the West Coast premiere of New York
Obie Award-winning playwright Mac Wellman's Bitter Bierce, or The
Friction We Call Grief. John Billingsley portrays Ambrose Bierce,
author, journalist and one of America's harshest (and truest) moralists.
Directed by Bottom's Dream Artistic Director James Martin, Bitter Bierce
is a jaunt through America from the Civil War through the Gilded Age.
Sentimental America hates Bierce: he stands for everything we have not
become.
Stage Door Johnny Productions presents award winning actress Bonita
Friedericy in the title role of Miss Margarida in Miss Margarida's Way
by Roberto Athayde, directed by Bruce Weiland. Originally staged in New
York with Estelle Parsons, Miss Margarida takes you into the heart of an
8th Grade classroom. A fun-filled psychotic romp through your worst
adolescent(?) nightmares, fascists everywhere love Miss Margarida: she
stands for everything she'll make sure you never become.
These two plays will be presented in rotating repertory from mid-July
through the 22nd of August. There are dirty words, and your patriotism
will be impugned. But there will be refreshments available, too. Not
for the easily offended, but plenty of yuks.
Bitter Bierce opens on July l6th and plays July l7, l8, 24, 25, 29 and
30, in addition to August performance dates on the 7th, 8th, 12th and
13th (with a pay what you can preview on the l5th of July.) Miss
Margarida opens on July 22nd and plays July 23, July 31 and then kicks
ass in August: l, 5, 6, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, and 22. Extensions ain't
too likely. Performance times are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 PM,
Sundays at 7:00 PM.
Tickets are fifteen bucks, ten bucks for anyone presenting any kind of
union card: pipefitter's union, teacher's union, actor's union, etc,
you get the idea. CASH ONLY!!
PERFORMANCES ARE AT THE ZEPHYR THEATRE, 7456 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA. For reservations, please call 323-860-9860, but not until JUNE
15th!! The reservation line will not be up and running until that date.
Please don't call the Zephyr with any questions - they will get testy.
Catherine at johnbillingsley.net will be happy to refer any questions to
John Billingsley. Don't bring your kids unless they're smart little
pissers.
PS - A BENEFIT PERFORMANCE, FOR THE AIDS SERVICE CENTER, WILL BE HELD ON
THE FINAL WEEKEND, PARTICULAR EVENING TO BE DETERMINED, AT A SPECIAL
TICKET PRICE (THIS MEANS MORE EXPENSIVE) TO BE DETERMINED, WITH A PARTY
TO FOLLOW (QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF FARE TO BE DETERMINED).
xox jb
05/20/2004
Hey, John Billingsley here wanting to give a personal SHOUT OUT to youze guys for all of the great work you've done in helping to ensure Enterprise continues to flys forward!! Thank you so much, all of you, your efforts have been instrumental in encouraging UPN to renew us for another season. I hope we can reward your confidence in us with another great season. Maybe I'll be naked again, who knows.
05/17/2004
Hi everybody, sorry it's been such a long time since I've been in touch. It's been a very hectic spring for my wife, Bonnie, and myself: we went to Maine this March and spent close to a month and a half shooting a children's movie called THE TWELVE DOGS OF CHRISTMAS, about a lonely little girl in a Depression era town that has banned dogs. I play the evil, scrofulous Dogcatcher and Bonnie plays the crusty, hardbitten town hairdresser who turns out to have a heart of gold. Our stuff was pretty over the top, and is either going to be deeply painful to watch or (hopefully) goofy and fun. The movie was arduous (a low budget film, which meant that more scenes were shot in a single day than is normally the case - the overall tone and tenor of things can best be captured by quoting this oft-heard admonition: "COME ON!! JESUS CHRIST, LET'S SHOOT THE REHEARSAL, WE'RE LOSING THE LIGHT!!").
Bonnie and I are back, now, however, but have begun rehearsing two one person plays which we are producing ourselves, to be performed in what we pretentiously will call 'rotating repertory' at the ZEPHYR THEATRE, here in Los Angeles, beginning Mid July. The piece I'm doing is called BITTER BIERCE, by Mac Wellman, and it is essentially an hour and fifteen minute introduction to the work of Ambrose Bierce, one of America's premier social satirists and a sadly neglected literary figure from the l9th Century. A contemporary of Mark Twain's, Bierce was a crusading journalist, a memoirist, a short story writer, a prankster, a firebrand, "a purveyor of morbidities", and "about as interesting as a kangaroo, in the words of J. S. Cowley Brown, whoever he was". It's just me gabbing for a long, long time and right now I'm packing in the words.
Bonnie is working on a play called Miss Margarida's Way, by a Brazilian playwright named Roberto Athayde. This play was originally performed in America by Estelle Parsons back in the early 80's: it's a very funny, very savage, and very mean piece about a school teacher, Miss Margarita, who is dealing with AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT CLASS (us, the audience), and WON'T PUT UP WITH ANY *&$%#@ (from us, the audience). This piece is about fascism, how the fascist operates and how the stooge (us again) responds. Neither play is for the easily outraged or the politically disengaged, but if you're in the area and interested in attending here' some info:
BITTER BIERCE previews on the 14th and 15th of July, opens on the l6th, runs on the l7th, l8th, 24th, 25th, 29th, 30th July, also performs Aug 7, 8,12, 13. Miss M's Way previews on the 22nd of July, opens on the 23rd, performs on the 31st and lst of August, the 5th and 6th of August, the l4th, 15th, l9th,
20th, 21st and 22nd of August. Tickets are l5$, curtain time is still being discussed, and we don't have a reservations line set up yet, but I will ADD TO THIS MISSIVE the appropriate details within a matter of weeks. (And I'll tell you where the Zephyr Theatre is, and all about parking, and even about some of the nearby restaurants!)
As for the show: well, I'm as in the dark as anyone as of this date, the l6th of May. If we're back, we should return to work on or around the lst of July and if we're not back . . . Bonnie has to go get a job! Only kidding. Hope all is well with everybody. The book club continues, for anyone interested in joining us, although I'm going to have to take the next 6 week tour off to open my show. JB
01/26/2004
Hi everybody, and welcome to A FRESHLY DESIGNED WEB SITE. All thanks to the webmasters for this endeavor (I can barely turn on a computer without the assistance of my wife: my apologies for not being more websavy). I'll try and post a few stray thoughts now and then - not much going on right now, although Bonnie and I are planning on producing one-person shows, to be performed in tandem, this summer (dates and location TBA, very soon). Mine will be about Ambrose Bierce, hers will be about the dangerous allure of fascism, but both will have a few laughs, I promise, and we're planning on hosting little cocktail parties after each night's performance, so if you come and hate the show you'll at least be able to down a free beer or two afterwards.
What else? Out of Time is out on DVD, I don't have anything else coming up that I'm inclined to tell anyone about (I had a small part in the new Hillary Duff movie but I have a feeling it ended up on the cutting room floor - I hop around like a frog and all I can say is that the check didn't bounce).
Oh, and I walk around naked on an upcoming episode - although the producers chose to artfully (or is it gutlessly) deflect the question of what makes The Denobulan Member the talk of the known universe.
That's all for now - hope everybody's reading something fun. jb