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HMB Exclusive Interview: Challen Cates (Nick’s Big Time Rush) Proves TV’s Newest Boy Band Momager ROCKS!

Posted on28. Aug, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Photo by Jennings Paige

I’ve known Challen Cates for almost two decades now but until our interview last week the most I could tell you about her is that she is from Virginia, is a talented actress and as you can see in these amazing accompanying photographs taken by Jennings Paige – She Never Ages. Just like the character Mrs. Knight she plays on Nickelodeon’s break out hit “Big Time Rush,” I’ve learned there is much more to Challen than meets the eye. Television Star? Yes. But she also proudly plays the real roles of wife, mother and advocate for the prevention of childhood sexual abuse. Oh, and she’s really funny too.

HMB: Looking at your body of work, I’d said your acting background is varied, some prime time TV guest spots, independent film roles, even producing. What attracted you to the role of Mrs. Knight?

CC: I was actually watching a competing show and I said to my husband, ” I’d like to play the mom on a show like this,” et voila that’s exactly what happened. Be careful what you wish for, right?! I love comedy and I really love working on a broad comedy. Mrs. Knight is such a cool and trusting mom and she’s a single mom. I have an incredible amount of respect for single mothers so it is an honor to play one.

HMB: Did you have any hesitations about becoming a series regular or was it more like a dream come true?

CC: This really is a perfect job for me at this point in my life. It’s great that I am working on a show that shoots 15 minutes from my house and a show that my kids like to watch! However, I am an actor and as much as I love playing Mrs. Knight there are also other roles that I want to experience. I love playing against type. Anything that involves totally losing myself in a character that is a departure from me.

HMB: What process did you go through to get the role on “Big Time Rush?”

CC: Besides the obvious sexual favors? Just kidding. Oddly enough, it happened through normal channels. I didn’t know anyone involved with the project. No nepotism. I just auditioned and got the part. As an actor, you go on so many auditions. Sometimes you walk out of the room feeling great and sometimes not so great. This time is just felt right. I was completely at ease with the character, even though we have different backgrounds and lifestyles. I think Mrs Knight and I approach life in much the same way–with a healthy sense of humor to get you through the day.

Challen Cates with Husband Aaron MacPherson, son Colton and daughter Jasper. Photo by by Jennings Paige

HMB: Every actress has to ask herself when the right time is to go from ingenue to more mature roles. Is this the first time you’ve played a mom?

CC: Ha! Moving from ingenue to mature roles wasn’t something that I decided, it was sort of decided for me. But really, aren’t mature role more interesting and multi-faceted!
I’ve been playing a mom for a long time. I’m just better at it now because I have real experience to draw from. And honestly, I think that having children has made me a better person and a much better actor.

HMB: When the show debuted, it was a huge ratings score for Nickelodeon garnering more than 6 million viewers, making it the top premiere in Nick’s history. How rewarding was that for you and the other cast members? Did it put any unexpected pressure on you to continue that kind of ratings success?

CC: We are all very excited that the show came out of the gate with such a bang. The ratings continue to perform incredibly well and we are all very proud of the show. And of course there is pressure to keep the fans in our new season. The creator of the show is Scott Fellows and I think he is sort of the John Hughes of television. He just speaks kid. I guess it helps that he is a father of 4. He really understands kids, their language, their humor. As long as he can continue to tap into that wavelength I think the show will continue to be a success.

Kendall Schmidt and Ciaro Bravo

HMB: What is the biggest challenge of playing mom to Kendall Schmidt and Ciara Bravo?

CC: Um well it is probably that Kendall is so cute and funny it’s hard not to break down and laugh in the middle of a scene. And that Ciara is so darn cute I just want to scoop her up and squeeze her! She is also so sweet and innocent that I feel a natural maternal instinct to protect her. My own kids are only 2 and 5 so I am learning a lot about teenagers!

HMB: Your character is hilarious. I read a description online that Katie (Ciaro Bravo) is “always shown to have more tricks up her sleeve than her mother, who is portrayed as being very naive with regard to Hollywood machinations.” What’s your take on your character? Do you think she’s really that naive?

CC: Scott and I discussed this and we agreed that Katie gets her antics from her mother but Mrs. Knight just can’t see that. I mean seriously, this is the mother who attacked another mother at an audition, dressed up in a chef’s uniform to get an autograph for her daughter, knocked the maintenance man out with a frying pan, and pretended to be a hotel manager so that her kids could stay in Los Angeles. I love it and I can’t wait to do more shenanigans. Mrs. Knight does come from a more innocent place and perhaps she wants to hang on to some of that naivety because she wants her kids to be happy, and like every mother, hopes that they won’t grow up too fast.

HMB: Admittedly, this is me being an armchair writer/director but I would love to see Mrs. Knight have a larger role and more of a good cop/bad cop relationship with Gustavo Rocque (Stephen Kramer Glickman) who plays the boys manager, sort of reminiscent of the relationship Mrs. Partridge (Shirley Jones) had with Reuben Kincaid (Dave Madden) in “The Partridge Family.” It would be a kick to see more of Katie and Gustavo play off each other too. Any chance of this happening?

CC: Will you please call the show and pitch your ideas?! It would be great to go toe to toe with Gustavo. I don’t think he has a clue how fierce a mother can be when protecting her cubs. Right?! Katie is great with him and of course it’s hilarious because she is such a little peanut. I think that in the future there will definitely be more interaction between family and business. Watch out Mr. Rocque. And Griffin too!

HMB: Speaking of Shirley Jones, how does it feel to tackle the iconic role of “Mom of the Band?” How would you like to see your character develop?

CC: I love it! I just wish I could sing like Shirley Jones. I would like to see Mrs. Knight take a bigger interest in Kendall’s (and the guys) future as a musician and singer and in Katie’s future as an entrepreneur. I would also like to see Mrs. Knight be more involved in Kendall’s personal relationships as well. Heck, I’d like to see Mrs. Knight have a first name!

Photo by Jennings Paige

HMB: I love the fact that your family and the other boys are all transplants and end up living in a hip version of the Oakwood Apartments. Have you or any of the cast members ever stayed in the Oakwoods during your own acting careers?

CC: I almost moved into the Oakwood when I first moved to LA but at the last minute I stumbled onto a beautiful apartment on Crescent Heights in West Hollywood. The drawback was I shared the apartment and bathroom with two testonterone laden young guys. And apparently it’s come full circle!

HMB: How has life changed for you since Big Time Rush? Do kids recognize you wherever you go?

CC: Yeah I get recognized when I’m with my kids on the playground and at Colton’s preschool. Some of his friends are huge fans of the show which totally ups my cool factor. It’s hilarious. I love kids who are fans of the show. I especially love it when they know more about the show than I do. They can recite my dialogue, sing the songs, and correct me on the minute details of the show.

HMB: And an obvious questions, are the boys swarmed with fans?

CC: Oh gosh, yes they are all swarmed with fans and are getting an enormous amount of attention which all seems to be evenly distributed. Kids (and adults) love to tell me who their favorite guy is and I have to say it is very even. It was obviously great casting because there is a btr boy for everyone. The guys are all amazing and they are handling fame beautifully. They are all very close with their real parents which I think really helps keep them grounded.

HMB: You’re a mother and wife in real life also. How do you balance that with your shooting schedule?

CC: I am a mom in real life to my son Colton who is 5 and my daughter Jasper who is 2. My schedule on the show varies so we take it one week at a time. Every night Aaron (Challen’s husband) and I discuss our plans for the next day so that we can make sure that everyone is covered. It can get pretty tricky since both of us are actors and Aaron is also an acting coach (www.aaronmcphersonstudio.com). My kids have a wonderful nanny who helps us when Aaron or I can’t be there. Even when I’m not working on the show I am still running around this crazy city going to auditions and working on other projects. Sometimes I take the kids with me to auditions, especially commercial and voice over auditions. We just make it work out and we try our best to make it a fun adventure.

HMB: What do your kids think of their mom starring on Big Time Rush?

CC: Colton and Jasper just think it is completely normal. Colton says things like, “How was work today mom? Are you going to see Kendall today?” They love to come and visit me on set. They love the cast and crew and the awesome sets. They are also big fans of the show and the music. I love that it is actually a show they can watch. Nothing horrible happens to me on Big Time Rush. Thank goodness!

Challen Cates with Husband Aaron, son Colton and daughter Jasper. Photo by by Jennings Paige

HMB: Do you think either of your kids have the acting gene? How would you handle it if they asked to become child actors?

CC: I don’t know. It’s too soon to really know. At this point Colton seems like a director and Jasper is my little comedienne. It is just such a hard profession. It is hard emotionally. The rejection is brutal and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. However, if they decide they want to be actors, we will do everything we can to support their decision and give them the encouragement and help they need.

HMB: What other projects are you involved with or have slated for the near future?

CC: I did a feature called Foosteps which should be coming out soon. I play a mom in that as well but it’s a chilling thriller and definitely not something my kids can watch. I am actively reading scripts because I would love to produce another feature but it really comes down to finding the right material.

Challen also works closely with the charity Darkness 2 Light, the world’s leading non-profit working to prevent child sexual abuse.

CC: I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and so it is a cause that is very close to my heart. One is 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused. We need to increase awareness and educate adults and children in how to prevent childhood sexual abuse.

ABOUT the Darkness to Light Organization

In 2000, Anne Lee, Darkness to Light’s President/CEO, developed and implemented a strategy for a non-profit primary prevention program with the mission of reducing the incidence of child sexual abuse through public awareness and education. With tremendous community support, over $100,000 was raised and an award-winning Darkness to Light media campaign was developed and launched in June of 2001. Darkness to Light’s public awareness campaign seeks to raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse. Their ads are a “call to action” encouraging adults to call or go online for free materials that educate adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Darkness to Light is also actively educating adults through its newest initiative, Stewards of Children, a sexual abuse prevention training program that provides frontline training for organizations and corporations that serve children and youth.

Love these Pictures? Photographer Jennings Paige can be reached at jenningspaige@yahoo.com

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Hollywood Mom In People Magazine!

Posted on09. Jun, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Big Sister, Lola Thomas

Well, technically Hollywood Mom did a celeb interview for People Magazine – it’s not about us or the blog. But a girl can dream can’t she?

It’s an article about gorgeous Hollywood couple Aonika Laurent and Sean Patrick Thomas, covering their baby shower for son-to-be Luc Laurent. Our love and congratulations to the entire family.

You can check out the article and photos by clicking here.

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HMB Exclusive: Parenting Hollywood Style with Kathy Ireland, Ed Begley Jr., Tony Dovolani & the Original Celebrity Momager, Shirley Jones

Posted on18. May, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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By Contributor Diana Marcketta

Celebrity parents gathered in Beverly Hills this past weekend in support of their friend and fellow celebrity parent, Kathy Ireland who hosted a Mother’s Day reception at Geary’s, a leading retailer of fine luxury gifts, in honor of the launch of her new jewelry line produced by Elan Luxury Collections. The collection includes diamond-studded hoops designed to hang straight without an uncomfortable swing effect, artful crucifixes [pictured on Kathy below], dinner rings and a variety of bangles and bridal items which provides Ireland’s customer with high quality items at a variety of price levels, which begin under $200 but expand to several thousand.

Among Ireland’s guests were the original real life and television momager, Shirley Jones, her husband Marty Ingels, Ed Begley Jr. with wife Rachelle, and Tony Dovolani of “Dancing with the Stars.” HMB Contributor Diana Marcketta had the opportunity to glean parenting tips from each of them, beginning with Shirley Jones who raised a pack of devilish Cassidy boys in the city of Angels. When it comes to parenting in the fast-moving world of Hollywood there are no easy answers, say several of entertainment’s leading moms and dads, but some solid, hard rules can be helpful.

The original Hollywood Mom, Shirley Jones (left), attends Kathy Ireland's celebrity-studded Mother's Day Event at upscale gift shop, Geary's of Beverly Hills. Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

Shirley Jones, the “television” mother of the 1970’s sitcom “The Partridge Family” and the real-life mom of three sons (former “Hardy Boys” teen idol Shaun Cassidy and brothers Ryan and Patrick) and one stepson (David Cassidy, former teen star of “The Patridge Family”), was in attendance with husband, comedian Marty Ingels.

Having grown up in a community of 800 in rural Pennsylvania, Jones, whose own decades-long acting career began on Broadway and then led directly to the silver screen in “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma,” says she worked diligently to instill the same kind of small-town values in her children. In fact, she took the role on “The Partridge Family” so she could be home with her children. The father of Jones’ children was the late Jack Cassidy – an highly-renowned actor who died in 1976. She divorced Cassidy in 1974, two years prior to his death, and later married Marty Ingels [pictured above].

Jones recalls that the family originally moved to Beverly Hills because, at the time, the school district was one of the best in the country. What she didn’t anticipate was the peer pressure her sons would experience living in such an upscale community. Shirley immediately felt challenged by the material demands and expectations of her sons. “They would say, ‘That kid has a Rolls-Royce. Why can’t I have a Rolls-Royce?’” says Jones, “I said ‘You can have a car, but you have to pay half [and] I’ll pay half’,” said Jones. “Then I would tell them to go down to [local grocery stores] Von’s or Ralph’s and get a job boxing groceries. At least, they could do that to earn some money.”

With a houseful of boys – stepson David Cassidy, sons Shaun Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy and Ryan Cassidy – Jones endured her share of teen-age antics. “I had a list of rules for each of them written on yellow legal paper stuck to the refrigerator,” says Jones. “So that any time I was out-of-town, or working late, there was no doubt what the rules were. No girls spending the night,” says Jones of some of yellow, legal pad, written rules. “No screwing girls in the car parked in the garage.” And despite Jones’ pleas, each of them followed the family tradition, pursuing careers in show business.

“I begged Shaun not to go into show business. I pleaded with him to go to college,” says Jones of her oldest son. “But [into show business] he went, right after his brother David.” Ryan and Patrick are also involved in the entertainment industry. In fact, Jones was so vigilant in her pleas for her oldest to get a regular job, Shawn reminded her of it immediately following his very first performance at Madison Square Garden. While Jones waited with several family members in an alley way for her son following the performance, she recounts, “He pulled up next to me [in his limousine], rolled down the window, and said, ‘Now do you think I should be boxing groceries?’” says Jones. “[Then] he rolled up the window, and drove away.” Jones says the best advice she could give any parent is to be vigilant about knowing what’s going on in their children’s lives. “You have to stay on top of them,” says Jones.

Ed Begley & wife, Rachelle Carson at Kathy Ireland's Mothers Day Celebration at Geary's Beverly Hills. Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

TV actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. and his wife Rachelle Carson, who star in Discovery’s Planet Green series, “Living with Ed,” share similar parenting views with Jones. “We try to spend as much time as possible together as a family,” Begley says of life with their 10-year-old daughter, Hayden Carson. “You can’t let life get in the way of being with your children. There’s always social networking. There’s always that email to send out. You know how it goes, ‘Just a minute, let me send this out,’ and then 10 minutes later, you’re still at the computer. You simply have to walk away and be really there with your child.”

Begley says he makes sure his schedule gives him lots of time at home with his family. “When I’m there, I’m really there with her,” Begley says of parenting Hayden. Begley and his wife monitor their daughter’s behavior, as well as her friends’ behavior. “You want to make sure your kid is hanging out with the right crowd,” says Begley.

Being active with your child is also an important part of being a parent today, says Begley. The distraction of television, the Internet and in some cases cell phones, makes children sedentary, says Begley. “Participate with them,” he suggests. “I’ll go riding bikes with [Hayden] or go swimming, or maybe it’s not a sport I’m into, but she’s into it. Just as long as they’re staying active and you’re staying active with them. I think that’s important.” Begley says because of he and his wife’s environmentalism, his daughter has also had the added benefit of experiencing a garden and understanding where food comes from.

“She’s not afraid of worms. She’s never afraid of worms in the garden, “ says Begley, who taught his daughter Hayden about worm’s role in the supplying needed nitrogen for the garden soil’s benefit. “She knows that food doesn’t come on the Safeway bus nor grown on the Von’s tree.”

Tony Dovolani at Kathy Ireland's Geary's Mother's DAy Event Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

Tony Dovolani of Dancing with The Stars and father of three says life moves in the fast lane in Hollywood, not just for adults but for kids as well. “There is a lot of peer pressure to having everything now,” says Dovolani, who lives in Connecticut with his wife and children when not shooting ABC’s hit dance show. “I don’t understand why they don’t want to experience life. Life is a wonderful experience. Experience life as it comes. It doesn’t all have to be now.”

He’s often shocked by teenage girls’ desire to have breast augmentations and lip-pumping injections, and to seek public attention. “Everyone seems to be publicity hungry even if they’re no one,” he says. “It used to be that fame and notoriety came because it was talent-based. Now people want to be famous for being famous and for blogging about nothing. That influences our children, our teenagers, in a negative way,” he says.

Dovolani sincerely understands the concept of hard work. He came to the U.S. under political asylum when his family fled their home country of Kosovo. “We came here with nothing,” says Dovolani, whose father was formerly CEO of a large computer corporation in Kosovo. “But it was too dangerous for us to stay [in Kosovo]. We would not be alive today had we not come to the U.S., but we left everything behind to do that.”

Dovolani says he and his wife have long established a united front in parenting their children…even before his wife Lina became pregnant with their first child more than four years ago. “In our house, the parents are the parents,” he says. “The children do not make the decisions. We do. If we have a disagreement about how something is to be done, we don’t share that in front of the children. We discuss it alone. We share each other’s views. Then when we speak to the children, we speak to them as one.”

Tony learned his communication skills from his own family. “We never fight,” he says of his extended family. “We listen to each other’s views. We may not agree with each other. But instead of getting angry, my father will say, ‘Did you look at it this way?’ and then ask you to consider your opinion from another point of view.” Dovolani additionally shares that he and his wife rely on the comfort and support of extended family that live nearby in New York. But the most important relationship, Dovolani feels, in raising children is for parents to be supportive of one another. “It takes a team,” he says. Dovolani will soon appear on the TV talk show “The Doctors” to share his views about parenting.

Kathy Ireland Photo: Diana Marcketta for HMB

More About Kathy Ireland:

When former supermodel Kathy Ireland, now 47, ended her famous career at 27 or 28, she was anxious to begin her own business.

“I had tried all throughout my modeling career to start my own business, “ says Ireland, who is founder and owner of the brand Kathy Ireland Home and Kathy Ireland Jewelry, both part of the multi-product marketing site KathyIreland.com. “But I kept failing. I tried one business after the other, and it failed.”

“When I ended my [modeling] career, I could dedicate myself to the business,” says Ireland, whose first success in launching the Kathy Ireland brand came in the design of socks for women. “I was turned down time after time,” says Ireland. “They told me I was too dumb to do this, that this wasn’t the right product, that I didn’t know what I was doing, why did they need me, I heard everything. Then I hit my millionth sale in socks…a simple item that women need. Women bought it. I knew I had something.”

What Ireland found was that it was her connection with women, and her deep understanding of their needs as a working mother and wife herself that helped build her success, she says.

“KathyIreland.com is dedicated to finding solutions for the busy Mom,” says Ireland, who has more than 15,000 products to service her customer. “I listen to her, to my customer. She knows what she wants. She communicates to me what she wants, and I respond.”

Ireland reads through emails she receives daily from mothers like herself, who often manage a career, a family and marriage. She penned a book released in 2009, “Real Solutions for Busy Moms; Your Guide to Success and Sanity,” to provide guidance to a population of women whose daily schedules are often packed full of work, children and maintaining a home. “It is heroic for a woman to make it into a store,” says Ireland of most mothers’ busy schedules, “I want them to have a wonderful experience when they do.”

Ireland says she began her business career as a child growing up in Santa Barbara with her sister, Mary. The two would gather rocks, paint them and sell them at a price of 5 cents or 10 cents as paperweights or interesting sculpture pieces. Ireland says her sister made more money by selling her rocks at a higher price, but her own artfully painted rocks were more creatively designed with painted flowers and rainbows. For years, she says, her grandmother kept one of her painted rocks in her purse as a weapon should she be approached by unwanted strangers. “That taught me a lesson in quality,” says Ireland. “That people will hold onto things that are well-designed of a high quality.”

Her own jewelry line, produced by Elan Luxury Collections, includes diamond-studded hoops, ingeniously designed to hang straight without an uncomfortable swing effect, artful crucifixes, dinner rings and a variety of bangles and bridal items which provides Ireland’s customer with high quality items at a variety of price levels.

“At first, she, my customer, told me she wanted something that doesn’t have any fluff. Sometimes my customer tells me she needs a solution to traveling, and we find a solution for that. But now she’s ready for something more romantic with a little luxury, ” says Ireland. “We designed the jewelry line as a solution for people in love.”

Ireland says her days as an entrepreneur for KathyIreland.com vary. “Sometimes it’s about design, sometimes it’s about human resources, sometimes it’s about distribution,” says Ireland, who worked to discern her own strengths and weaknesses in building her business. “I have strengths. I know what they are. I have my weaknesses too. They are many. So I built a business family to support the areas I was weak in and now I feel we have a very strong network. I have a very strong, supportive business family.”

Although Ireland, who gained notoriety for her appearances as the cover swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated is grateful for her modeling career, it’s business that has always been her passion. “When you have a passion for something, it’s not work,” she says.

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Service Review: Ready, Go…Set! Audition Coaching, Transportation & On-Set Chaperones

Posted on25. Mar, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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I drive a lot. And by a lot, I mean all the freaking time. At the risk of sounding like a mathematical word problem, my daughter’s school is located about 15 miles away to the west. So with 2 round trips per day to and from school, I drive a minimum of at least 60 miles every day. But it’s always much more driving than that with auditions, acting class, privates, cheer, golf, parties, sleepovers, the dog park, etc. which all seem to take place about 15 miles to the east. My alter ego is that of a yellow cab driver. I always tell people, and it’s true, that I wouldn’t be able to take the journey of the Hollywood Mom if I had more than one child because of the demands it entails. Several parents I know have kids who would love to be in the business but aren’t simply because of the constant driving it requires and the craziness it is to juggle the schedules of multiple children.

A few weeks ago as I was schlepping (*happily*) to yet another audition, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if I could clone myself? One of me could be going to this audition with Jo and the other one of me could be doing everything else it takes to keep our household and businesses together. That’s when I learned about Ready…Go…Set! a unique service which provides the ultimate in audition preparation, coaching, transportation to and from and chaperoning of young actors on set. That’s right Hollywood Moms, you no longer have an excuse not to get it all done.

Ready…Go…Set! (RGS) is the brainchild of acting coaches Katie Von Till, Joanna Brooks, and Lisa N. Lennox, who collectively have national commercials, TV programs, broadcast news, films, video games, Broadway tours and regional theatre productions to their credit. The coaches each have degrees in Theatre with extensive training in acting, improv and directing. Some of their client’s recent bookings include “The Wizards of Waverly Place,” and the series finale of “ER.” Clients have been called back to producer/director sessions for TV shows and movies including: FRED (the motion picture), “Eastwick,” “Oldyweds,” “Roommates,” “The United States of Tara,” “Good Luck Charlie,” “Mackenzie Blue,” “The Good Wife,” “Make It or Break It,” “Parenthood,” and more.

Some of the services RGS provides:

RGS can pick up your child from school or home and drive him/her to an audition.
Busy schedule preventing you from getting your child to appointments? RGS can coach your child at their place or yours or via SKYPE.
RGS will coach your child on his/her audition material so that he/she has a strong “take” and approach to the scene and to the character.
RGS will prepare your child so he/she knows what to do upon entering the room and meeting the producers and casting directors. As working actors, as well as coaches, they understand the process and know how important it is to feel comfortable throughout the audition.
RGS’ goal is to assist your child with the choices he/she makes about the audition material so that he/she feels confident about his/her talent, comfortable in the audition and hopefully books the job!
When your child has booked the job, RGS can serve as temporary guardians for the day, as on-set chaperones, when you can’t get off work to be with him/her as the law requires. The coaches stay as long as your child is needed on set and then drive your child home at the end of the work day.

So how much will this god send of a service set you back? One hour of coaching runs $65/hour with $50 for each additional hour. All other service time including driving is $25.00 per hour, with a $5 discount after 3 hours. Please inquire for weekly or monthly discounted rates for on-going coaching. Extra fees may apply for overnight shoots and driving distances exceeding 20 miles.

From Left: Lisa, Joanna and Katie

As RGS is not a partnership, each coach is hired on an individual basis. Find individual contact information and complimentary parent endorsements & testimonials on www.ReadyGoSet.net

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Success Story: Child Actor Joe Mazzello Graduates to Acting in Adulthood the Old Fashioned Way – He Earned It.

Posted on13. Mar, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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After a month of depressing new stories about the tragic ends of former child stars, I have some encouraging news to relay about the rewards of hard work and strong parenting. This is the story of former child actor Joe Mazzello.

Former child actor Joe Mazzello [“Radio Flyer,” “Raising Helen” and “Jurassic Park”] takes an adult turn Sunday night as character Eugene Sledge in HBO’s “The Pacific.” While difficult to imagine, Mazzello is already a 20-year acting veteran at the tender age of 26. Unlike many child actors who lose their way and find their careers over by their teen years, Mazzello has transitioned to adult character actor roles with relative ease.

How was this possible? According to Mazzello: “I think all of it has to do with parenting and keeping your kid grounded, keeping them in the real world and don’t let them get caught up in it. I always lived in upstate New York in a small town. And I never moved out to L.A. and did the ‘pilot season’ thing. I never immersed myself in it. I would do the job, then I would go back home and live a regular life. I would be playing in the leaves and kickball with my friends, and I just had a very normal life. So I felt like I got to live two lives. I got to go out and do these amazing things, go to these exotic locations and have all this fun, and then go home and also be a normal kid. I think that balance is what made me always love it.”

Mazzello recalls the first time he worked with Steven Speilberg, at the age of nine, while filming “Jurassic Park. “…There was a hurricane [sic] and Steven Spielberg decided instead of being safe, going underground and making sure he was alive, he was going to film the hurricane. So he went outside and got some shots of the hurricane approaching. That moment was when I knew not only did I want to be an actor, but I probably wanted to be a director too, which set me on a course to go to college [USC] to learn about that, because that kind of dedication is just remarkable.”

His current project “The Pacific” reunited him with his mentor Speilberg, and focuses on the Marine battles of the Pacific Isles like Peleliu, Guadalcanal, Okinawa and toll war takes on the young. “It has changed my life again because I’ve transitioned from being a child actor to being an adult actor, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me,” he says.

But just because he ‘d worked with Speilberg on Jurrasic didn’t guarantee the actor his transition role to adulthood acting. Mazzello admits the audition process for “The Pacific” was the most arduous he has endured thus far in his career and that he auditioned 6 times for 3 different roles. “It was the usual [process], I went to a casting director, then the next audition was in front of one of the producers, then another for another producer and another. Finally, the fifth audition I find out, ‘You’re going to audition for [producer] Steven Spielberg.’ Getting into a room with 20 people, HBO executives, PlayTone and Steven Spielberg.” Producer Tom Hanks wasn’t able to be at the fifth audition so Mazzello had to try out yet again for him. “I felt like I’d already been through boot camp. I started auditioning in October, and [the process] ended finally in April.”

Mazzello was taught patience by his parents (dance studio owners) and that not everything depends on whether Mazzello would win a given role. “When I was in high school, my acting career took a backseat for me. I didn’t even have an agent for 3 years. I just took some time away from it. Again, it’s a credit to my parents, who raised me to feel like all these other things were just as important. So I never got that engrossed in the whole scene. SAT’s, the Prom, girls and getting into college — that all meant a lot to me, so I focused on that.

Following high school, Mazzello went to USC film school. ”I learned about the other side of the camera and as I was doing it I was thinking, ‘You know, I don’t think I’m done with acting.’ It was something I always loved and made the decision: I’ve got to give this my whole heart now instead of just a half or a third of it. When I was a kid, I was doing movie after movie. And when I came back, people said, ‘Oh, Joe Mazzello, that little kid.’ I said, ‘No, not exactly. I’m 23.’ I had to definitely reinvent myself a little bit and let people see me as an adult. I could still get into all the rooms I needed to get into because of my resume, but I had to still do it the old-fashioned way.” Working with Spielberg again was always his ambition. ‘My fondest memories of ‘Jurassic Park’ are of him, so I felt it came full circle when I auditioned for ‘The Pacific’.”

* Sources: StarPulse Entertainment News, KansasCityStar.com and Google

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From the Momager Trenches: Slow as Molasses in Texas

Posted on11. Mar, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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By HMB Contributor Cari Surch

Being the parent of a child actor requires hard work, dedication and patience – lots of patience! When my daughter, who has been pursuing acting professionally for a year and a half now, first approached her father and me with the news she wanted to act, we were skeptical. I did a little digging to see what *our* first steps would be – and yes I said *our* because acting is a commitment the entire family makes not just the child actor. As we are not located in Los Angeles or New York, the number of work opportunities are significantly fewer; but on the flip side, the number of actors competing for a given job is also significantly less.

According to most of my research, we needed to start with some type of acting lessons and then get her auditioning for no-pay and low-pay roles like student films, extra work and such so that she could build a resume. Now seeing as I sometimes put the cart before the horse, I went out and got her headshots before getting an agent. When I look back at this, I wonder if this was a waste of resources or if it was the key in getting her into some of her early auditions because even the low and no pay roles ask for you to submit a headshot. For now, I’ll look at it as anything that keeps the momentum rolling forward is well worth it.

Once she had a little experience under her belt, I sent out her headshot and resume to local talent agencies. She also attended several open calls with the hopes of being signed and finally signed on with a smaller agency. We liked the idea of there being only 2 or 3 actors in a certain age category as opposed to her being one of 25 the agency represented.

So now, even with all our ducks in a row, we have come to a standstill. My daughter’s resume is somewhat up to par (she even has a decent credit or two); she takes weekly acting lessons with her coach; she attends the occasional workshop (auditioning, callbacks, scene-study, etc.). But still NOTHING!

Okay, maybe not nothing, but barely anything. I can’t believe how slow it has been. My daughter’s agent tells her to “hang in there, because things are going to pick up.” But when is that going to happen? When I talk to other parents in the business most of them feel the same way. I guess we all want our children to feel the success of landing that role or at this point even being chosen to audition for that role. And when things aren’t happening it gets a bit frustrating for everyone.

We are well into March now. So much for the booming New Year prediction, but let’s all keep our fingers crossed that things start happening very soon – for my child as well as yours.

Cari Surch is the momager of young actress www.KennedySurch.com You can follow her adventures on twitter http://www.twitter.com/cariscalling

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“Modern Family” Moment with the Emphasis on “Moment”

Posted on27. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Last week Jordan got a call to work one of our favorite television shows, “Modern Family.” We were hoping it was for one of the “featured friends of Alex” played by young talent Ariel Winter, but no, she was (too young I tell myself) cast as “kid standing in line outside the Apple Store as Claire Runs by for an unknown but assuredly hilarious reason.”

So after a day of work in the rain Jordan will have perhaps a “moment” on screen. Is it worth it? I can tell you what my husband thinks and that would be “No, it is not.” He seems to ascribe to the “go big or go home” theory in acting as in life. What do you say Moms and Dads of child actors? Go big or Go no matter what?

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Former “Wonder Years” Child Star Danika McKellar graduates to Wonder Woman of Math

Posted on20. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Even back when she was a child star shooting the television hit “The Wonder Years,” with iconic co-star Fred Savage, producers had to hire an advanced calculus tutor to keep up with Danica McKella’s math aptitude. But at that point she had never considered becoming a mathematician. Social conditioning, says 32-year-old McKellar, made her believe girls didn’t have a place in the math world. “Who did I think math was for, if it wasn’t for me?”

Danica went to UCLA intending to study writing and directing, but converted to mathematics, earning a math degree summa cum laude and co-authoring a research paper that solved a statistical mechanics problem involving magnetism in two dimensions—a solution now known as the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem.

In math class McKellar learned that solving probabilities wasn’t going to solve the biggest math problem in the United States: “Girls fear math,” she says. Although girls and boys in fourth and eighth grades have similar math and science proficiency scores, a national survey recently found that girls are less likely than boys to agree with the statements “I like mathematics” and “I like science.” Teachers often unknowingly foster this preference, which, McKellar claims, isn’t helped by the feeling among young girls that they need to act ditzy in order to get boys to like them. The negative attitudes girls hold for math translate into career choices later on in life: four times as many men as women hold full-time university faculty positions in mathematics, science, and engineering. And as McKellar sat in a sea of male classmates in her advanced classes she realized she was living the direct repercussions of these early gender inequalities.

McKellar plans to change these statistics by putting some of her other skills to work. “Math doesn’t have good PR. I’m going to do my best to do great PR for math,” she says. as a spokesman for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, she testified to a Congressional subcommittee in 2000 about the country’s need to better prepare math teachers and draw more young girls toward math, especially at the age when they tend to start avoiding the subject. “Not only is middle school a time in life when girls are dealing with so much emotionally, it’s also when math gets harder.”

To help girls struggling with the complexity that comes with seventh-grade math, McKellar has penned Math Doesn’t Suck: how to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing your Mind or Breaking a Nail. The book hones in on middle school’s trickiest points-––like fractions, ratios, and percentages—and presents them in a style that’s appropriate for the cool kids’ lunch table. Figure out your “type” in boys and you’ll understand greatest common factors. All of those iced lattes celebrities drink make multiplying fractions tasty and don’t forget, savvy shopping requires killer decimal skills.

As McKellar fields math questions from kids on her personal website she sees how the hard work and persistence required by math can empower girls. The subject has a reputation for being tough, but coming up with the right numbers can give girls an important boost of courage. In addition to being gorgeous and brilliant, Danika can be seen guest appearing of the new hit television series, “The Big Bang Theory.”

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Does your Child Actor have her own Website?

Posted on18. Feb, 2010 by Hollywood Mom.

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Some child actors do and some child actors don’t. My kid does. Have a dedicated website, that is. While the debate rages on amongst parents with the “Should we or shouldn’t we?” conversation, many of us have forged forward into the internet abyss, securing our child’s *namesake URL and creating web sites that range from the very basic to the extremely elaborate.

In researching the phenom of the “child actor website,” I’ve stumbled upon other Hollywood momagers and popagers with the same idea. If you’ve passed the hurdle of whether or not to do this, and have decided to create junior’s web site, then the next immediate choices to make are:

What is the site’s purpose?

How do you want the site to function?

How will the site benefit your child actor?

How much time can you dedicate to maintaining and updating your child’s web site?

How much money do you want to invest in the construction and maintenance of the site?

Purpose & Function

My daughter’s web site www.JordanBobbitt.com is an upbeat, age and career-level appropriate site. The primary purpose of Jordan’s site is to function as an elaborate calling card (all her professional contact info is posted) and also to function as a marketing tool. The site is set up with a shopping cart but we do not envision utilizing that feature in the foreseeable future. *I would recommend a shopping cart add-on for a child actor who has branded or relevant merchandise to sell.

Specifically our child actor web site encompasses 1) Resume, 2) Head shots, 3) Publicity Shots 4) Bio and 5) Recent Noteworthy Entertainment Projects. I plan to add a Charity page and in the near future we’re reformatting the site into a blog structure which I will update and maintain with the assistance of our wonderful family web designer Shanna Cote of SiteSquared.com. Don’t think of a blog as a “diary” of your child’s acting life. That won’t be happening here I assure you! However, the new blog format will allow me personally to upload video clips of Jordan’s film, television and theater work. You don’t need to use a designer to create your child’s website, but I knew that Shanna would take Jordan’s site to a level that I couldn’t achieve on my own and would continue to assist me in making it better as her career progresses; for instance, converting the site to a blog structure was her suggestion.

Website Benefits:

A benefit of a personal web site is that it can showcase more head shots than LA Casting and OS Casting accounts hold – not because they couldn’t in fact hold more, but because it’s simply not an economically sound choice. Each time you upload an individual photo to the casting services it costs about $25.00, whereas with my daughters site, I can in theory upload or remove as many pictures as often as I like or as often as she changes, which at 10 is fairly often. I can also post pictures of her at movie premieres, industry events and behind the scenes – photos that would not make sense to post on the casting sites.

Having a dedicated web site also accommodates a full length bio, recent projects list and personal tidbits like favorite shops, CD’s and books. This section on Jordan’s site is still incomplete and could use some love but I’ll get there eventually. Bigger than all of this, the web site is a “marketable entity” for the present or for the future, which I’ll expound upon in a future post.

Time and Energy

I hardly spend any time updating my daughter’s site, primarily because I’m busy with other ventures, but also because it’s as complete as I need it to be for now. She could use some current head shots and press pictures but that’s “a whole ‘nother Oprah!” as they say.

Financial Investment

I was willing to make a financial investment in Jordan’s site because I wanted it to draw people in and relying on a professional is much more effective than my attempt would have been. I also wanted the site to be something Jordan could be proud of, a site she would feel comfortable sharing with her friends and a site that reflects her personality and age.

Sometimes we can best decide what we want by viewing the options. To give you some ideas of what will and won’t work best for your child actor, I’ve gathered samples of different child performer sites found across the web. Enjoy reading them, and feel free to forward more for the list:

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Momager: Dina Lohan’s Shoe Brand Gets It’s Marching Orders

Posted on10. Feb, 2010 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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UPDATE: In October 2009 former child actress Lindsay Lohan’s momager, Dina Lohan made headlines with the announcement that she was partnering up with Long Island-based shoe company Lovemyshoes.com to launch (and become the national spokesperson for) her very own footwear line called “Shoe-Han” which was slated to be ready by Mother’s Day 2010. According to PopTarts, the deal has fallen through just months before the scheduled debut.

From a rep of Love My Shoes: Love My Shoes regrets to announce we are not moving forward with the Dina Lohan line of shoes at this time due to continued economic sluggishness and the prevalent mood of today’s shoppers. Love My Shoes and its President, Robert Yeganeh, wish Dina continued success in all her projects.”

But according to a rep for Lohan’s shoes, the star mom is still determined to accessorize the country’s feet. “There was a miscommunication over finances, this was too local and we need a larger partner,” said the rep. “We are currently exploring other options, and we will have another announcement soon.”

October 8, 2009 Los Angeles: Dina Lohan, controversial momager of former child actress Lindsay Lohan, held a press conference today at Trump Plaza in New York to announce the launch of her own shoe line, to be called “Shoe-Han.” The momager of 4 will also become the national spokes person for LoveMyShoes.com a chain of Long Island ladies footwear stores. LoveMyShoes.com will stock Dina’s shoes which be available worldwide Mother’s Day (or Momagers Day as we call it here in Hollywood). Dina will make appearances as a shoe aficianado on both TV and radio commercials later this month.

“I’ve always loved shoes,” says Dina. “I think it stems from when I went to private school and had to wear a uniform; the only thing I could feel stylish about were my shoes.”

With all of her namesake shoes costing less than $100, Dina states: “These shoes are affordable, which is really important in this economy. It’s tough for everybody – even us.”

The official press release below:

Date: 2009/10/7 at 17:01
Subject: DINA LOHAN, ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MOTHERS TO ANNOUNCE HER OWN DESIGNER SHOELINE ”SHOE-HAN” AND BECOME NATIONAL SPOKESMODEL AT NEWS CONFERENCE ON THURS OCT 8TH-2pm NYC

DINA LOHAN, ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MOTHERS TO ANNOUNCE HER OWN DESIGNER SHOELINE ”SHOE-HAN” AND BECOME NATIONAL SPOKESMODEL AT NEWS CONFERENCE ON THURS OCT 8TH-2pm NYC

Dina Lohan, diva and star of the hit E! show “Living Lohan,” as well as mother to actress and starlet Lindsay, will be holding a major press conference and media reception on Thursday October, 8th at 2pm at Trump Plaza, 725 5th Avenue, Floor 21, Marc Fisher showroom, to announce a creation of her new own shoe line, “Shoe-han” as well as becoming a national spokesmodel for the popular LoveMyShoes.com retail designer ladies footwear stores.

Other celebrities that have sold millions of shoes include: Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani, Star Jones, Carlos Santana and more.

LoveMyShoes.com hopes to have Dina’s shoes available world-wide from coast to coast by Mother’s Day. She will be appearing as a shoe fashionista later this on month on television and radio commercials. The shoe store chain was founded on Long Island, home of the Lohan family.

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Hollywood Mom

Posted on23. Dec, 2009 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Hollywood Life: Left Coast presents Artist, Vitner & Hollywood Mom: Lisa Semler

Posted on08. Oct, 2009 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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Please join us at the Left Coast Wine Bar & Gallery on Friday, October 9, 2009 from 6-9 p.m. to view the paintings of Malibu artist Lisa Semler accompanied by select samplings of Malibu Family Wine’s own Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and more.

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Spotlight is on ShowBiz Expo® West Oct. 17, 2009 at L.A. Convention Center

Posted on01. Oct, 2009 by Editor Tracy Bobbitt.

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ShowBiz Expo West, a five-star event that brings everyone in show business together under one roof, is set for Saturday, October 17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, in the Concourse Hall, from 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Whether you’re a producer, studio executive, director, musician, filmmaker, performer, Hollywood Mom, designer, writer, stage manager, or anyone else involved in film, stage, fashion, live events, and concerts this event is for you. The Expo presents many networking opportunities including the exhibit hall, workshops/seminars, Designers’ Showcase, focus groups, round-table discussions, Film Festival, head shot displays for casting, live auditions for performers, movie reel showcase, original music showcase and more.

The ShowBiz Expo West Conference offers a variety of informative workshops and panels, which topics include breaking into voice over, getting good press for your production, careers in reality TV, secrets of successful screenwriting, production contracts, post-production – the process, getting your film distributed, how to get an agent in 30 days or less, TV pitch secrets, Q & A sessions with casting directors, film festivals, the world of cinematography and fundraising for productions. A very special Keynote Event will be announced soon.

Throughout the day, the ShowBiz Expo West Film Festival will screen short films from a variety of emerging filmmakers in a fully equipped theater adjacent to the exhibit hall. At ShowBiz Expo East, several films received distribution and funding interest. The exhibit floor opens at 10:00 a.m. and boasts a wide variety of exhibiting companies. Hollywood Production Center and 1010 Wilshire will feature their spacious, state of the art production and post production office spaces and accommodations with full service amenities.
Producing in New York City? eEmerge will offer their flexible, short term workspace solutions.

Education is foremost at ShowBiz Expo. AFI Conservatory, featuring leadership in educating the next generation of filmmakers and Cinema Arts Tech, a leading film school for producers, script supervisors, location managers, costumers and wardrobe supervisors, will have a presence on the floor.

Service companies exhibiting include international chauffeur service, ICS, 1-800-Book-A-Limo; 41 Sets, a full-service set production and dressing company; boutique camera rental house The Camera House; A-List Animals featuring trained animals for production; Baseline Studio Systems, the leading provider of film and TV data; Benay’s Birds and Animal Rental featuring birds and other trained animals for production; CineMagnetics Inc. digital replication and distribution: Premiere Transportation, America’s leading fleet of executive motor coaches featuring executive mobile dressing rooms; Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc., a resource for television show creators and XERO World, an online showcase for new and emerging artists and their fans.

Filming locations represented include Air Hollywood, the leading airplane mock up studio; Fox Studio Production Services, a 50 acre + full-service rental studio and the City of Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming showcasing their seaside city.

Attendees will meet the WhoozaKooza Crew promoting Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA at ShowBiz Expo and have the opportunity to “get into the act” by posing for photos with the WhoozaKooza Crew for your chance to win a pair of tickets to KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil at the Santa Monica Pier. Of particular interest for our Disney fans, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Disney Theatrical Group and Telsey & Company will be holding casting calls for major Broadway musical productions. Audition details can be found on the ShowBiz Expo website.

New York based producer Zachary Lezberg recently acquired the ShowBiz Expo name and trademark. For the past two years, Lezberg has been producing successful twice-annual Film, Stage and ShowBiz Expo events in New York City. Plans are to expand ShowBiz Expo into a two-day event in March/April 2010 for NYC and LA respectively. The last time ShowBiz Expo was presented in Los Angeles was 2002. ShowBiz Expo West sponsors are eEmerge, Greenbear Technologies, Inc., Fox Studios, Variety, Bling Imaging, Printrunner, Hollywood Production Center, 1010 Wilshire, and Internet Video Magazine. For complete information, free ShowBiz Expo West exhibit floor registration or to register for the ShowBiz Expo West Conference, visit them on twitter @TheShowBizExpo or on the website: www.showbizexpo.com

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