LDW = slow-moving zombie and mean nurse

I've got two new clips for you, which are pretty much on the opposite ends of my range -

Here I am as a slow-moving zombie in a spot for CapCom:


and as a surly nurse in the Secret Millionaires trailer:


Last weekend's performances of (Ovation recommended!) Skeleton Stories and Haunted House of Improvised Horror were fantastic. Great audiences and good times.

Happy Friday!

Inundating Hollywood

I love fall, which is a season we don't often get to experience here in Los Angeles. It has been raining almost non-stop for a week and I LOVE it. Makes me want to break out my sweaters, bake, and drink anything with "pumpkin" in the title. 

I'm excited for my four performances at two different theatres within a four-block radius in Hollywood on Halloween weekend. I'll be performing in Haunted House of Improvised Horror at Improv Olympic on 10/29 and 10/30, and going on with the alternate cast of Skeleton Stories at Theatre of NOTE on 10/28 and 10/31. Please come check us out if you're in the area. Or make a special trip. Both shows are that good. My fellow improvisers with Haunted House are brilliant and Skeleton Stories has been getting consistently amazing reviews and is a beautiful and spooky show.

A few weekends ago I spent three days shooting a webseries with the folks at RandomCreepyGuy.com. We had a blast - over the course of the shoot I got to protest the killing of pigs, throw a guy into the ocean, attack him with vegetables, and shove him into the back of a kidnapper van. I love being an actor.

An interview I did with Shanna Micko and Steve Yager of Leaving Bliss just went live on the website Brains of Minerva. The interview is very informative about creating your own webseries, and these two are comic geniuses, good friends, and generally swell people whom I was lucky enough to watch tie the knot last week. Congratulations, you two! 

My acting class with Stephen Book continues to blow my mind, because of the content and what I'm learning, but also because of the talent of my classmates. Last night we celebrated many successes in class, including TWO Ovation nominations for Anna Khaja for her one-woman show Shaheed and one for Lisa Canning for Something Happened at Pacific Stages. Classmate and friend Kevin Ashworth was on last night's episode of "Law & Order: Los Angeles." So fun to be surrounded by so much awesome.

Speaking of awesome, I saw two short films at the Lady Filmmakers Festival that really touched my heart - Worth and The Butterfly Circus, which is available to watch on YouTube. See both of them, you won't regret it. They are stunning and poignant films.

Thanks for making it through a link-laden update. I'm on avail for a commercial, so fingers crossed. Come see shows Halloween weekend! Happy Autumn!

Web distribution article! LDW Update!

Long time no post, I know, I'm sorry. I've been truly remiss. Forgive me. Please? Thank you.

I'm excited to link to an article I wrote about web distribution for the awesome actor website Brains of Minerva. Please check it out on their site!

Feel the surl.

So what else is new? I had a great time shooting two days on the new webseries Secret Millionaires. I played a surly nurse and was inexplicably bitchy. This is obviously a huge deviation from my normal character, but it was very fun.

I'm currently in rehearsal with a new improv team for the annual Haunted House of Improvised Horror show. Look for us at the end of October at Improv Olympic. It's gonna be spooky.

Yikes.

Speaking of spooky, yesterday I played a zombie waitress in a spot for a video game. The spot is hilarious and I was pretty terrifying. Nothing like zombie make-up to make a girl feel pretty.

Oh! And I won my first award! I am very flattered to be included in StageSceneLA's Best of 2009-2010 awards category of "Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama" for All My Sons. Many thanks to Steven Stanley!

Thursday I'm shooting a spot for Matthews International, which I'm very excited about. I'm also attending rehearsals for Skeleton Stories, the upcoming show at my theatre company, Theatre of NOTE.  I'll be understudying the role of Annie.

That's the update for now. Thanks for stopping by!

August LA Actor's Tweetup!

We took a bit of a summer break, but we're back on August 9th for another  LA Actor's Tweetup - Bring a Buddy Edition!

LA Actor's Tweetup: noun. 1. Networking event for actors/industry professionals who use twitter and happen to be in Los Angeles at this exact moment. 2. Excuse to put a face with a handle and converse using more than 140 characters. 3. Ridiculously good time with amazingly kind and stunningly beautiful people. And free ping pong.

When  - Monday, August 9th. We'll be there from 6pm until the bar shuts us out. Happy hour goes until 7.

Where - Busby's, 5364 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (google map) Free parking behind the bar/restaurant. Stay tuned to see if we'll be in the private room again.

Theme - Bring a buddy. Whether they're on twitter or not, if you like them, bring them.

Hosts - @TheJudalina @TiffanyAPrice @BenWhitehair @laurendwebb

Bring your pretty - event photographer Nicholas Sayaan will be snapping away all night.

New to the August edition of the tweetup:

Raffle of Awesomeness - We'll be having a free raffle for the following fabulous prizes:

Free Demo Cutting Reel Deal - Basic Package from Cut My Reel, a $300 value! @cutmyreel 

Winner! Eme Ikwuakor @emeikwuakor

3-Look Headshot Session from Pro Headshots - 3 prizes, a $400 value each! @ProHeadshots
Winners! Woody Schultz @UGottaWoody, Mike B. Nelson @MikeBNelson, and Jen Levin @TheJenLevin

Makeup for one of the Pro Headshots sessions by Makeup Your Mind @makeup_yourmind
Winner and Birthday Girl! Jen Levin @TheJenLevin

Custom actor website design from Webixel - a $200 value! @RominaEspinosa
Winner! Kelsey Link @KelseyLink

A copy of Dallas Travers' The Tao of Show Business 
Winner! Amanda Robins @amandar213


and her Audition Accelerator CD! @dallastravers
Winner! Sheila Daley @shedaley

Please follow our awesome contributors! More prizes to come - please contact me if you'd like to donate!

Promo Table - In a show? Have an actor-friendly side business? We'll have a table for you to place your postcards/promo materials. 

RSVP - If you would like to join us, please leave a comment below so we can have a head count. And leave your twitter handle (e.g. @JohnDoe) so we can start following you. Hope to see you on the 9th!

Sincerely, Your LA Actors Tweetup Hosts

Humbled by Kindness

We have two more weekends of All My Sons, and I have been absolutely blown away by the kindness of the audience members and reviewers. My friends and family who have come have been awesome and so supportive, but the response from people I had never met has been unexpected and overwhelming. It means so much when people go out of their way to say a kind word, send an email, or "friend" me with a message on facebook. Thank you all.

LA Weekly gave us a "GO!," which was very exciting. Paul Birchall had a fantastic review for the whole show, and had the following specific quote about yours truly: "Webb's sweet, then fierce turn as Annie becomes surprisingly complex as she ultimately wields a weapon that puts the final nail in the villain's coffin..." 

Paul Stroili of LA Talk Radio saw the show and gave a glowing on-air review on "State of the Arts." Here is the link to the June 28th show if you care to listen - the review of All My Sons starts at 24 minutes.

Tony Frankel of StageandCinema.com titled his review "All My Praise" and was so kind to us that I have to share two quotes in their entirety:

"Kudos to Miss Johnson’s Kate and Miss Webb’s Ann: you can sense the weight-bearing pressure on Kate, who is still not reconciled with ghosts of the past, and the nervous reservations of Ann, who is ready to move into the future. You may want to hold them, comfort them, or shake them out of complacency, but you will be too riveted to turn your gaze from them."

 and

"It is Nicholas S. Williams as Chris who astounds with his authentic vulnerability – it is the performance that dreams are made of: his listening, reacting, internalizing, and discovery should be studied by acting students near and far.  There isn’t a second of falsehood. If you ask why you should seek out small, legitimate theatre in Los Angeles, Mr. Williams is the reason. Watch an actor at the top of his game close up."

The whole review is wonderful and specific and worth a read, and I couldn't agree more about all the other performances - I have a better-than-front-row seat and I am inspired by them every single night. My favorite line from the review: "Certainly, Miller’s ghost tapped director Kiff Scholl on the shoulder during the casting session and said, 'Them.'" Mr. Frankel's review was runner-up for Critique of the Week on Bitter Lemons, where we are also "100% Sweet."

I am so grateful to you all. Thank you. 

There are two more weekends to catch the show! Visit Plays411, Goldstar, or LA Stage Alliance for tickets.

Aaaand we're open!

All My Sons opened last weekend to almost sold-out houses. I was lucky enough to have several friends in the audience opening night (which was also my birthday - great way to celebrate!) and they really enjoyed the show. I love my castmates and everyone did a great job. I'm very excited for our run!

This morning I received my first legit review ever, and I was floored by how kind it was:

"From Webb’s first entrance as Ann, the lovely young actress is perfection, embodying every young man’s girl-next-door ideal and capturing the precise look and sound of the era."
- Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA (Read full review on StageSceneLA)

I can't wait to meet Mr. Stanley, and give him a hug or buy him a drink. Or both.

Backstage also posted their review today, with kind words about my phenomenal castmates and this:

"Webb portrays Ann as a strong, independent woman who is near the breaking point."
- Jeff Favre, Backstage (Read full review on Backstage)

Needless to say I'm very excited. I'll post more reviews as they come.We have a very long run, so hopefully folks will be able to make it.

Tickets and more info here: http://tiny.cc/plays411
And half-price tickets on Goldstar: http://tiny.cc/allmysonsgoldstar
And for those who like do their social planning via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131471123536831

If any industry folks are reading this, thank you! and let me know if you would like me to reserve you some comps!

Here are some of our press shots:

with Nicholas S. Williams (as Chris Keller)

with Mary Carrig (as Sue Bayliss) (My face in this one cracks. me. up.)

 squeezing Nicholas S. Williams (as Chris Keller) and yelling at CaroleAnne Johnson (as Kate Keller)

Come see the good times in person! And as always, thanks for visiting!

"All My Sons" and a weekend of talented friends!

I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted...a lot has happened since April 14th. I hope no one has missed their LDW news fix too much.

I'm super excited to share that I was cast as Ann Deever in Arthur Miller's All My Sons. We're in rehearsal now and open June 5th at the Raven Playhouse. Everyone's summer plans should include a quintessential American drama, so get your tickets now! :) The show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 5 - July 25.

In other theatrical news, I am a proud new company member at Theatre of NOTE. I can't wait to work more with the fine folks I met during Titus Andronicus.

The comedic webseries I co-produced and acted in, Getting By, has been accepted to premiere with the launch of Somebody's Basement on 5/16/10. Please follow @LoveGettingBy on Twitter or "Like" us on Facebook for more info.

I'm looking forward to a weekend of seeing friends in shows - Rick Steadman, Brad Light, and Rebecca Sigl in Holy Ghost at Theatre of NOTE, David Ross Paterson and Sarah Lilly in Copenhagen at The Chandler Studio, and Jennifer Losi and Lindsay W. Evans in My Sister in This House at Deaf West Theatre. All of these shows were given a "GO" by LA Weekly, so go!

#LAActorTweetup!

Monday night was what I hope will be the first of many LA Actor Tweetups, hosted by myself, Judalina Neira, Ben Whitehair and Tiffany Price. We were excited to organize the event, but weren't sure who would show up and how it would go. I think it's safe to say it was a smashing success - proof is in the Facebook album of photos by the rockstar photographer Nicholas Sayaan.

I don't know why I'm surprised that it was such a great time. OF COURSE I would love hanging out with actors who are interested in meeting other actors. Fellow people who, for the most part, picked up and moved across the country to chase a dream and are in active pursuit of said dream. I was so inspired by everyone, and impressed by folks who have been here for 6 months or less, and are already super connected. It took me a good six months to figure out which way was up when I moved here.

So. I'm done gushing. I told everyone I would post our info so that we can all follow each other. Thank you all so much for coming, and if you missed it, we'll see you next time!

Judalina Neira @TheJudalina www.judalina.com
Ben Whitehair @BenWhitehair www.benwhitehair.com
Tiffany Price @tiffstrum http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2378634/
Lauren Dobbins Webb @laurendwebb www.laurendobbinswebb.com
Nicholas Sayaan @catnick @synapticstills www.synapticstills.com
Xan Stevenson @xanstevenson www.xanstevenson.com
Sheila Daley @shedaley www.sheiladaley.com
Alej Keigan @akeiganphoto www.akeiganphoto.com
Kelsey Link @kelseylink http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2648624/
Stacey Ann Shevlin @staceyshevlin www.staceyshevlin.com
Derek Houck @derekhouck www.derekhouck.com
David August @davidaugust www.davidaugust.com
Ben Blair @dubblebee www.benblairdonethat.com/
Liz Brown @lizbeeloo www.lizbrownonline.com
Justus Zimmerman @justuszimmerman www.justuszimmerman.com
Leigh Larson @missleighlarson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2592531/
Goldie Chan @goldieisworking http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2592023/
Clark Coffey @clarkcoffey www.clarkcoffey.com
Susyn Elise Duris @susynandfolsom http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2380972/
Katherine Taub @katherinetaub www.katherinetaub.com
Sunny Williams @sunnycwilliams www.sunny-williams.com
John Paul Rice @norestrictions www.norestrictionsent.com
Hedia Anvar @ravnah http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0993853/
Dino Archon @dinoarchon www.promaxdigital.com
Kristina Coolish @kristinacoolish www.kristinacoolish.com
Jose Ortega @joseortega4 www.joseortega4.com
Mike B. Nelson @mikebnelson www.lacasting.com/mikebnelson
Woody Schultz @ugottawoody http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0776376/
Kat Primeau @katprimeau http://katprimeau.weebly.com/
Kristoffer Kelly @kristofferkelly www.kristofferkelly.com
Jamie Fishback @jamiefishback www.jamiefishback.com
Kevin Ashworth @kevinashworth www.kevinashworth.com
Paula Killebrew-Mason @killmaso www.thecastingdirector.com/killmaso/
Stephanie Yadon @stephanieyadon www.lacasting.com/stephanieyadon
Musme Bravo @musmebravo http://burgeoningactress.blogspot.com/
Sarah Levin @sarahtothelevin resumes.actorsaccess.com/sarahlevin

Please let me know if you want to be added/removed. Hope to see you all at the next one!

Vlog experiment

Last night I recorded an audition for a vlogging project, and I was inspired to actually vlog. Here is the result:



We'll see if it happens again. Signs point to yes - it was sorta fun.

Resources for taking the plunge

I have a fellow actor friend from college who is very talented and is starting the journey of pursuing acting in LA. We had lunch this week and I compiled the following links of resources that I find valuable. I thought this might be a good list for anyone else embarking on an acting career in Los Angeles.

As ever, take these with a grain of salt. I think they are great, but what speaks to me might not be right for you. This list is not comprehensive by any means. If you have a great site that we should all know about it, please add it in the comments!

From my email to my friend:

"There is an unending wealth of information on the internet, which is a mixed bag. These are my go-to sites and a good starting point. Feel free to direct any specific questions back to me and I'll do my best to answer them.

Bonnie Gillespie's book Self Management for Actors, is the book I recommend everyone read first. Her column, The Actor's Voice, comes out every Monday and her archives are a treasure trove. Have fun.

actor's access is a casting/self-submission site where it is free to create a profile. You can peruse the breakdowns and pay $2 when you want to submit, or pay $68 for a year of unlimited submissions.

I believe you can also set up a free profile on Now Casting but have to subscribe to submit. This is one of the newer casting sites, but I have booked work on it and have seen some big shows (24, Criminal Minds) that exclusively post here when they open it up for self-submitting actors.

LA Casting is the other main self-submission site. It seems to be more for commercials, and is more of an investment to create an account. They have an informative newsletter that you can read on their site and also offer free information workshops with casting directors.

Brains of Minerva is an actor's career and lifestyle resource. They frequently post interviews that are so good that I feel an explosive burst of inspiration and feel the need to share the article with everyone I know.

http://playbillsvspayingbills.com/ is a great blog that I've been reading recently. I know one of the contributors, Ben Whitehair, from twitter, and actually met him in person last night.

I have some lists of industry people on twitter, if you're interested in jumping on that bandwagon - www.twitter.com/laurendwebb I have gotten a couple of auditions from casting directors posting jobs on twitter, and learn something fabulous from a post by another actor every single day.

I have heard rave reviews about The Actor's Network from more people than I can count. I'm a little fuzzy on what it is exactly that they do, but it seems to be a great resource, and a large number of the people I know who have been affiliated with them are working consistently.

There is a lot of controversy over casting director workshops, where you pay for the opportunity to read for a casting director, but I have had good experiences at The Actor's Key in Burbank. You get to choose and prep your own sides, you do your scene with a reader, and many of the CDs will give you a written evaluation. (I've also gotten called in for a show after meeting someone here, so there's that. However, the only guarantee is the opportunity, and you should always research whether or not that particular CD is known for calling people in from workshops.)

Hollywood Happy Hour is a really useful yahoo group. Members ask for advice on various things and also sometimes post casting notices.

A similar useful yahoo group is Big Cheap Theatre. People do more show promotion on that one, but also sometimes post theatre auditions.

Alex's Info is a daily email for actors with all sorts of info - who's casting what, movie premieres, industry events, gas prices, side jobs... I look forward to reading it every morning.

The LA Stage Alliance is the group that puts on the Ovation awards, among other things. They are a good resource for half-price tix and info, and I like to check there to see what theatres are doing work that is consistently nominated. Same with the LA Weekly Theatre Awards - here is the list of nominees from this year: http://blogs.laweekly.com/stylecouncil/stage-news/stage-raw-31st-annual-la-weekl/

Dallas Travers is a great resource who focuses more on the business of the biz and career planning.

Backstage.com has great message board - http://bbs.backstage.com/groupee. The message boards are also a great resource when you want specifics on a name you think might have something shady going on. :)

Showfax message board as well - great resources there since some of those posters don't post on the Backstage board. (Thanks AmbitiousB!)

I hope this helps. I'm so glad you're considering the adventure - I say do it for as long as it makes you happy!"

So there you have it. I've already included a few things I forgot to put in my email. I'll edit as I have "I can't believe I forgot that site!" moments.

Know your type - the common theme

This morning I met with Kris of k2foto to talk about shooting headshots. I'm very excited to shoot with her, mainly because she spent so much time emphasizing the importance of knowing your type, and how she likes to know how you see yourself and how you plan to market yourself when she goes into the headshot session, so that she can help coach you through it to get the photos you want.

I've done typing exercises in class before and know how invaluable it is to hear how other people see you. The harder and somewhat more important task is knowing who you are and how you present when you walk in to the room. Everybody wants to be the stunningly beautiful girl, but everybody can't be. Knowing that isn't who you are can be difficult, but is so important.

I left my meeting with Kris thinking a lot about my type (and about how I really need to go shopping) and remembered that I had homework for the commercial class I'm starting tonight with Jill Alexander. She asked us to bring a description of ourselves as a character, as it would appear in casting director speak. Here's my crack at me:

Sweet but sassy best friend next door who can charm your mama, make your daddy laugh, and kick your brother’s ass. 22-28. The kind of person even shy kids hug on the first play date. Experiences soaring joy from clear blue skies and pugs. Smart with a barely suppressed inner librarian. Feminist who loves to cook. Southern girl with Midwest appeal. Liberal arts type with a few hippie tendencies. Kind but fiercely loyal. Saves worms and slugs from certain concrete deaths. Music lover born in the wrong era. Avid swing dancer. Plays clarinet.

After sitting down and doing that exercise, I feel much better about me and knowing who I am. I do know my type, I just need to remember how to articulate it. I'll let you know if the feedback I get agrees with my own assessment. I highly recommend that all actors write the breakdown that encompasses you.

Back on stage!

I'm performing the role of Lavinia in Titus Andronicus at Theatre of NOTE tonight and tomorrow night, and I'm excited!

I also have a revitalized passion for live performance, and a refreshed respect for live actors. Because when you've been in the film/tv world of "That wasn't my best, can we do that again?," you get sorta used to it and it gets sorta comfy. And then you go back to stage and you want to say "That wasn't my best, can we..."

Granted, I'm an understudy, so I've been watching instead of doing for the most part. The awesome cast came in on one of their nights off and rehearsed with us, so I feel great about tonight, but it is certainly a different animal. I love that live performance different animal. I never want so much time to elapse between the times I'm onstage, unless it is by choice.

There's my "live actors rock" soapbox. Come on down to Hollywood if you want to see the show!

Post "Blue" Blues

I had a fabulous time in Prescott, AZ last week shooting "A Blue Uncertain Buzz." Met some fantastic people and worked with some truly talented actors. It was a great experience.

Now I'm back in Los Angeles with that "What's next?" feeling. I'm grateful that I have other work coming up. I'll be performing the role of Lavinia in Theatre of NOTE's production of Titus Andronicus on March 4 and 5 at 8pm. Tickets are available at the site or for half price at StubDog.

Other than that, we'll see what comes! This morning I read this article by Tiffany Black, with a wonderful reminder that seems especially relevant during those "What's next?" moments: "Part of having faith that your dreams are going to come true is preparing for when those big opportunities before they present themselves."

So that's what's next for right now. Meeting with my agent tomorrow, meeting about a Fringe show I'll be working on, attending a seminar this weekend. Staying up and being prepared. Be well!

Learning to Love LA

I'm very grateful to realize that the longer I stay in this city, the more I like it. My sister is coming to visit this weekend, and I'm very excited to see her and to show her around this city that I'm starting to think of as home.

I found this blog post on Caroline on Crack called "100 Things To Try in LA Before You Die." Please check out the list at her blog, as it has links to many of the places/drinks/eats.

Here is the list. The (very few) things I've already done have a strikethrough.

1) Cocktail punch at the Radio Room in the Edison

2) Chili dog from Pink’s - I'm veg, but I've had the baja dog and onion rings...might have to add a stop here to the agenda with my sister.

3) Rattlesnake and rabbit with jalapeno at Wurstkuche

4) Korean short ribs taco from Kogi BBQ taco truck (I finally got there and had the quesadilla with tofu - awesome. Also saw a line of 50+ people run across the street to get to the truck. Funniest. Thing. Ever.)

5) Great Los Angeles Walk

6) Ajo Garlic Ramen at Ramenya

7) Sour Kraut Cocktail from Copa d’Oro

8) Red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles

9) Singing Elvis at Palms Thai

10) Churro from churro cart at Disneyland

11) Junk food dessert platter at Simon LA

12) Dessert tasting menu at Providence

13) Classic martini at Musso & Frank Grill

14) Roasted bone marrow at Church & State

15) Pedal boat at Echo Park Lake

16) Bowling and $4 cocktails at Shatto 39 Lanes

17) Kobe-style beef at Park’s BBQ

18) Mulholland Drive from 405 to 101

19) Medicina Latina at Malo

20) Father’s Office burger

21) Maple bacon doughnut at Nickel Diner

22) Mashti Malone’s lavender ice cream

23) Red Line Metro barhop

24) Live music at Spaceland

25) Magic Mojito at Bar Centro at the Bazaar by Jose Andres

26) Wine tour through San Antonio Winery

27) Sample everything at Scoops ice cream

28) Bike from Santa Monica to Hermosa Beach and back

29) Mochi from Mikawaya Little Tokyo

30) Broiled San Francisco stuffed French toast at Starling Diner

31) Mojito sampler jelly shots at Bar Nineteen12

32) High Tea at Royal/T

33) Pimp your own burger at the Counter in Santa Monica

34) Carne asada burrito from Tacos Tumbras A Tomas at Grand Central Market

35) Diddy Riese Chocolate Chip Cookies

36) Ride the mechanical bull at Saddle Ranch and have a premium SR AMF

37) Greyhound Proper at Hungry Cat

38) Blue cheese fries at Pete’s Cafe and Bar

39) L.A. Conservancy’s Historic Core walking tour

40) 21+ screenings at the ArcLight

41) Secret beef feast at Totoraku

42) Moonlight Rollerway

43) Bartender’s Choice at Comme Ca

44) Tomato, mozzarella, sausage, salami, bacon & guanciale pizza at Pizzeria Mozza

45) Ride the Pacific Ferris Wheel at Santa Monica Pier

46) Late-night Danger dogs

47) Bet on a horse at Santa Anita racetrack

48) Loco Moco (foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger) at Animal

49) Blood & Sand cocktail at Tiki Ti

50) Tea and a stroll through Huntington Gardens

51) Drive Sunset Boulevard from Echo Park to PCH in a convertible

52) Double chocolate croissant pudding with Jack Daniels sauce at Milk

53) Hike from Fern Dell Drive to Mt. Hollywood, stopping at Griffith Observatory

54) Meatball sandwich from Bay Cities Deli

55) Scorpion cocktail at Hop Louie

56) Magic Castle

57) Scoe’s No. 2 at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles

58) L.A. Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats

59) Philippe’s French Dip with hot mustard

60) Dim sum at Empress Pavilion in Chinatown

61) Remember the Maine at the Varnish

62) Omakase dinner at Urasawa

63) LA Phil concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall

64) Pool party at Standard Rooftop Bar

65) Quarter chicken with side of garlic sauce at Zankou Chicken

66) Goddess spa treatment at Olympic Spa

67) Vodbox at Nic’s Martini Lounge

68) Turkey dinner at Clifton’s Cafeteria, don’t forget the green jello

69) Los Angeles Marathon

70) Marty & Elayne at Dresden Room

71) Coleslaw and sourdough toast at Original Pantry

72) Real Black Dahlia Tour by Esotouric

73) Ninotchka at Bar Lubitsch

74) Stay in a bungalow at Chateau Marmont

75) Auntie Em’s Market dinner

76) Sunday wine tastings at Silverlake Wine

77) Grilled cheese night at Campanile Â

78) Power lunch at the Polo Lounge

79) Cadillac Margarita at El Cholo

80) Courtside at a Lakers game

81) Angel City Derby Girls Tournament

82) Box seats at Hollywood Bowl summer concert

83) Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium (I had a beer - close enough?)

84) Ride the Good Year blimp (I'm striking this one out because I couldn't possibly - I'm terrified of dirigibles.)

85) Sip mojitos poolside at the Hotel Roosevelt’s Tropicana Bar

86) Ringside at Lucha VaVoom

87) Summer movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

88) History Walk from Mission San Gabriel to Olvera Street

89) Taro ice cream at Fosselman’s

90) Galco’s Soda Pop Shop

91) Apricot & Honey 75 at the Penthouse during sunsetÂ

92) Angel City Drive-In

93) Downtown Art Walk

94) Bonfire at Dockweiler Beach

95) Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s

96) Karaoke at Brass Monkey

97) Yee-Mee-Lu “blue drink” at Good Luck Bar (I'll have to go back to drink blue.)

98) Sunset dinner and horseback riding with Sunset Ranch

99) American Food & Wine Festival

100) Hike to the top of Sandstone Peak and sign the register

I've got a lot to do! I'm stoked to check out the LA Street Food Festival and Mutti Gras Pet Parade this weekend, and maybe to add more strikethroughs to this list. Then on Sunday I'm flying to Arizona for a week long shoot...anybody know anybody in Prescott?

Actor life lesson - utilizing your team

I started life with a fierce independent streak. I'm not sure where it came from, and I'm sure my mother would have had a much easier time had I not wanted to do everything myself or on my terms. I wanted to come out feet first, nature be damned. (Sorry Mom. Bless your heart.)

That streak hasn't really lessened in the 20-odd years I've been roaming the planet. Often my independence serves me well - it came in quite handy when the tour truck I was driving by myself broke down in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. (Is that redundant?)

Sometimes my independence gets in my way, like when I forget that I have a team.

All actors have teams. When you start out, that team might just consist of you and your family, if you are lucky enough to have their support. Slowly your team grows to count the people who like you and believe in you and want to see you succeed. Then your team starts acquiring players who can do more than just cheer you on - managers! agents! publicists! stylists! accountants! lawyers!

I'm lucky enough to have a few people playing with me on my team. However, I'm so used to doing everything myself, I forget to utilize them. Or I forget that we're on the same team and am afraid to ask them for anything because I don't want to bother them or I'm afraid of what they'll say. Or I just don't think about it, and that can be a costly mistake.

Use your team. Practice your passes. Have your manager look over anything you sign before you sign it. Don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help. You're all sharing the same bench and playing towards the same play-off! The same championship! Going for the same Super Bowl!

The metaphor is dead, but I'd like to take it a little further. You're going to fare better with a line of teammates behind you, because sometimes you're going to be playing against The Man. People With Power. Corporations Who Don't Care About Your Image Rights. That's what happened to me, and now I'm looking to draft a new teammate - Mr. Union.

I'm done. (And I promise to avoid sports metaphors in the future - that was exhausting.) I appreciate the work and the exposure. But I won't be making the same mistake again. I hope you can learn from mine and avoid it altogether.

The Unveiling

That is quite a presumptive title.

I've been absent of late from the blogosphere. Partially because I've been busy with my survival job, which is not so great, and partially because I've been busy with my real life and acting, which is great, but also because I've been struggling with how transparent I wanted to be and whether I wanted to come out as myself.

I'm coming out. I'm me, and I'm linking myself to myself. I had this idea that I wanted to be honest about things so surely I shouldn't attribute that to Lauren Dobbins Webb (gasp! I'm out!) the actor in LA. But I was wrong.

I've learned so much since my first post here two years ago. One of those things is that honesty is best, and I'm going to get cast for being me, not for being someone lame with no personality who hides their real feelings behind a blogosphere pseudonym.

I also thought about going back through my old posts and taking away some of the fainter-of-heart ones, but in the spirit of the new honest and open Lauren Dobbins Webb the actor in LA who talks about it, I didn't. So don't judge. The learning curve is steep. Lesson #347.

So, now that that's off my chest, here is what I've been up to:

* Shot a commercial for Vehix, currently airing on Comcast:

* I'm understudying Lavinia and Chiron in Titus Andronicus at Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood, opening this weekend.

* I just got cast in a short that will be shooting in Prescott, AZ. More on that when I know more.

* This is from way back in the fall, but was super awesome: I got flown to Argentina to shoot the footage for Big Fish Games' Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove. Here's the sizzle reel:

Other than that, I'm auditioning, looking forward to what is next, and enjoying the palpable excitement of pilot season. Haven't been sent out for it yet, but excited about it nonetheless. The LA air is electric with excited and anxious actors.

I apologize for not being open and completely honest before, but that's over now. I'm an open book. Please don't call me. Unless you work in casting.

Brains of Minerva

I found a ridiculous amount of awesome information today, mostly from my new favorite actor website, Brains of Minerva. I wanted to make sure to share it.

This has been a rainy LA week of auditions for me. Hope everyone is doing well!

January 12 of 12

First 12 of 12 of 2010. I'm doing it, even though I'm at work and struggling not to bore you all with the inane minutiae of my day. Thanks as ever to Chad Darnell for the idea.


1 of 12 - Green tea. I'm a week in to switching from coffee. It's up and down.



2 of 12 - Blood orange snack.



3 of 12 - I'm afraid this isn't going very well cause I'm busy at work and forgot to whip out the camera on my exciting lunch break trip to the ATM, post office, and Trader Joe's. View of the ocean from the office. Also me, on the way back from a trip to the printer.


4 of 12 - View looking south. The clouds look neat.


5 of 12 - I can never make it through a whole day in these things.


6 of 12 - I know it's a bit redundant, but I thought the sunset was pretty.

12of12 FAIL. I'm sorry. I'll try better for February.

Leeky Scallops with Squash "Pasta"

I really like to cook, and I like to take photographs. Yesterday I was inspired to combine the two likes and post my cooking adventures, when I remember.

Last night we made Leeky Scallops with Squash "Pasta." The scallops were an adaptation of Rachel Ray's Leeky Linguine with Shrimp, which is delicious when made according to the recipe, but we had scallops on hand and are trying to slim down, so we substituted the pasta with Zucchini "Pasta." We eat zucchini like this at least once a week in our house. It's delicious and versatile. I like it alone with salt, pepper, and parmesan, or with pasta sauce.

Anyway. Here are the scallops in process:



And here is the finished product, the scallops and sauce stirred together with the squash and topped with parsley and parmesan:



The scallops were a touch overcooked for my taste, but overall it was pretty delicious.