In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

Hello all, With Christmas soon approaching and the end of the year not far off, I figured I let my last blog for 2008 be one of reflection. When I look back at 2008 I realize I've done a lot and in some cases things I didn't expect to be doing (acting in two plays and shooting a short film). These special events were on my radar, but with work and school I wasn't actually sure what I would be able to fit in and have the energy to complete the projects. I continue to surprise myself with the energy I seem to muster up for my artistic endeavors. I'm grateful that I had two opportunities to get back on the stage this year. While I planned for No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs , Anton in Show Business was a complete surprise. Each play was different in its genre and scope. The plays required that I use different skill sets to get solid performances and that was a challenge for the actor in me. I definitely feel like comedy is much harder to do then drama, because timing is ever...

I wanted to have a more upbeat and positive update about After the Headlines for my blog and while it's nice to want things that isn't the case. I think that's why it's taken me so long to write this entry. By now I thought I would be half-way to a rough cut of the film, but the disappointing reality is that I'm currently missing a pivotal scene for my film. Yes....I am missing a scene. It was shot, but it is currently missing in action? How did that happen I really can't say. The DP believes that there is a tape missing, but I disagree because I know every time he gave me a tape I gave it to my production coordinator and at the end of the shoot we counted six tapes not seven. I also think that if there was a missing seventh tape, it would have popped up long before I started logging and capturing footage for the third time. I must say I've gotten really good with organizing and capturing clips. What's next? Well, I have to drop the external hard-drive ...

Today I thought my blog would read, After the Headlines : Logged and Captured. Unfortunately that is not the case, and I'm definitely freaking out about it. Last night I had my nervous breakdown, I'm doing slightly better this morning, but I'm still very somber, but Karim has told me to have faith and that things will work out. I hope he's right. This Saturday I got my DP's camera so I could start logging and capturing the footage into Final Cut Pro (a linear editing software for film and video). During the week I wasn't looking forward to logging at first, I haven't had to log video footage since college and my early days as a production assistant (PA). After some thought I thought it would be good, because I would see the film scene by scene and that would give me a good sense of what I have to work with when I meet with the editor. Since it's been a while since I logged I enlisted Karim's help. He helped me set up my external drive (which is what...

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. I would be remiss if I didn't start this blog by thanking all the people who helped me out on my film shoot this weekend. A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE CAST AND CREW OF AFTER THE HEADLINES (and yes I know each of you deserve so much more) . Although I'm really tired, I'm on my fourth, maybe fifth wind. If I actually shot on film, I would say After the Headlines is in the can, but since it is shot on digital video I'm saying its a wrap. The Martini shot (last shot on set) is done and I still can't believe it. I shot my first short film. I know I've said it before, but I feel the need to say it again, film is a collaborative art form (thank God). There is no way I could have done this on my own. From the cast to the crew, we all came together to tell my vision of a story. Although it was only two and half-days of shooting, it felt so much longer. I guess that's because I probably got a total of 15 hours of sleep this weekend. F...

Hello all, I'm getting down to the wire, three days until "sound rolling....lights, camera,and action." I feel fairly calm with the production around the corner. I thought I'd be more antsy, but I'm not, maybe it's the calm settling before the storm. There is no doubt in my mind that my previous production and current events planning experience has come in handy. I'm trying to be as organized as possible, because when you get on set and are in the midst of production you see real fast where the holes in pre-production were. I'm working hard to try to minimize the holes. I know I can't do it by myself either. Filmmaking is a collaborative process ( some people tend to forget that point), there are no room for egos if you want to have a successful production. Things are rolling along, yesterday I hit some retail stores picking up odds and ends for the set. I'm trying not to think about what this is costing me, if I did, I'd probably would ha...

Hello all, I had planned an Anton in Show Business wrap-up blog, but I didn't get to it. My apologies. The three week run of the show went extremely well but after the run I was spent. It took a lot out of me, but at the end of the day, I can say it was worth the sweat, colds, and tiredness I experienced. Being on stage is one of the best feelings in the world and when you know the audience is on the journey with you, that feeling goes from good to great. The last few days I've spent recuperating in Vegas. I welcomed the warm weather but I think I came back just as tired as when I left....lol. I'm going to miss the cast in Anton in Show Business. I had the pleasure of working with a talented group of women. It was an enriching experience for me. I really pushed myself with the roles in the play and think I'm a better actor having had this experience. It's going to be a while before I'm back on stage. Right now my focus is on After the Headlines. I have a little ...

Anton in Show Business had a stellar opening this past weekend at the OddFellows Playhouse in Middletown, Connecticut. Both nights was almost sold out, which is always a relief for actors, since we crave audience response. The New Haven Independent, http://www.newhavenindependent.org/ , an online New Haven-focused newspaper also published a favorable write-up, New Theatre Breaks Legs, http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/10/new_new_haven_t.php%20 . I probably already sent it to you on Friday, but here it is again just in case. While I was backstage I kept peeking through a crack in the curtain to check out the audience. I was lucky to have friends and family come both nights. I wanted to see where they were sitting so I didn't look directly in their direction when I was on stage. I had a bunch of nervous energy, I worried I would forget a line or maybe flub on the blocking. Earlier in the week I was still finding my bearings in the theatre space. Right up until the...

I'm getting down to the wire. I can't believe Anton in Show Business opens next Friday. It seems like it was just yesterday when I blogged about joining the cast. I'm finally starting to find my characters and that has been a real boost to my confidence. For a while I didn't think I was cut out for it, however, I stuck with it, took in the directors comments, practiced, practiced, practiced, and now I'm starting to see the fruits of my labors. This week I have full run- throughs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. It's going to be tough. My body finally decided to say check mate. Last week I came down with a sinus infection and my voice is just starting to come back. Now I have to pace myself and make sure I take my meds and get the rest I need, which means going to bed by 10 p.m., no exceptions. Otherwise I won't recover like I need to. On Sunday rehearsals will move to the Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown , Connecticut. I'm excited ...

September 1 through 30 marks the holy month of Ramadan, for the non-Muslims of the world, Ramadan, is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Month of Ramadan is also when it is believed the Holy Quran "was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of Salvation". It is during this month that Muslims fast. It is called the Fast of Ramadan and lasts the entire month. Ramadan is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation. During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar . In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast i...

This last week I've been eagerly waiting the results of the American Gem Literary Festival ( http://www.filmmakers.com/contests/short/ ) and the results are finally in. Out of the Box , a script I co-wrote with Lawrence King came in thirteenth place. It was not the stellar finish I hoped for, I really would have liked to finish in the top ten. Oh well, it just reinforces that I've still got a ways to go as a screenwriter. There were 25 finalists in total and this was my first time making it to the finals, so I'm still proud of my effort. Now where to go from here. Right now I'm in the midst of rehearsals for Anton in Show Business , the play will open next month October 10, 2008. The work in this play is definitely challenging me and at times I've felt discouraged, the cast is a group of seasoned thespians, which I'm not and I feel like the little fish in a little pond. But then I tell myself bad rehearsals are part of the learning process and that I can do thi...

Hello all, Outside of my blog, here's my latest writing assignment published online. Scroll about half-way down to find my write-up. http://by143w.bay143.mail.live.com/mail/mail.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0&n=1671660707

Is it just me, or are the nights in Connecticut, and for the Northeast in general, a little cooler than usual. On Monday Morning, I opted to go for a jog in my neighborhood rather than to the gym and boy did I feel the fall chill. The temperature was around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes. I'm so not ready for winter. I know I still have to make it through fall, but something in my gut tells me that if we have an Indian summer, it will be short-lived. Regardless of what the weather brings I will be a busy bee this fall. At work, I'm gearing up for one of the agency's signature events, the 2008 Foster Parent Conference. After that, I'll be working on media publicity for National Adoption Month, which also might mean plans for a local event on National Adoption Day (November 22, 2008). Outside of work, I'm in rehearsals for Anton in Show Business (opens October 10 at the Oddfellows Playhouse, Middletown, Connecticut for the first weekend and then moves to the Little The...

On Saturday, I helped out the Dark Embrace Film team with the production of The Short Con , written and directed by Elvis Diaz, a resident of New London. This weekend marked the second week of production for the cast and crew. Initially, I was suppose to show-up Friday night, but Lawrence, founder and one of the producers of The Short Con , forgot to send me the location information. It worked out in the end, I was physically spent and needed to go home to recouperate. I haven't gotten much sleep this week, I've had rehearsals for a play, a staged reading (which I had to learn an African accent for, I was a refugee from Darfur), and had to set-up a pre-production meeting for the film I plan to shoot in November - all this plus my nine to five. It was a lot. After the staged reading, I called Lawrence to remind him that he forgot to send me the information and that I couldn't make it to the shoot. I told him that I could be there most of the day on Saturday and he was cool w...

I have some good news to share. The American Gem Literary Festival and Wright Brothers have announced their finalists and my short script Out of the Box (co-written with Lawrence King) has finally made the cut. The literary festival accepted submissions in the following categories: short screenplay, short story, story treatment, and logline. I'm a finalist in the short screenplay and logline categories. Last week I was feeling down because I had two rejections from film festivals for my feature, Finding Patience . I realize and accept that rejection is an unfortunate part of the writing process. However, this announcement puts steam back into my engine.I wrote the first draft of this script four years ago and have submitted to this competition in the past, but I have only made it to either the quarter or semi-finalist round. When I received coverage on the script I always reworked it and tried to address my script's flaws. To date, I have done at least 20 revisions. Practice d...

Many blog entries back, I mentioned some of my favorite shows. There are shows that I really enjoy viewing like Weeds , Dexter, Prison Break , Law and Order , October Road (I hope it comes back in the fall), and Ugly Betty . These shows make my top ten. But then there are shows that really knock my socks off, because they go beyond only having entertainment value, these shows seek to look at the past, may offer a perspective on a key figure in history or challenge viewers by addressing social issues that plague society . I'm talking about shows like The Tudors, Mad Men , and my personal favorite The Wire . Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to get up-close and personal with the creator, a couple of it's writers, and a select group of actors from the critically acclaimed HBO series. About two weeks ago I received an email from Film in the City, they send me a bi-weekly e-newsletter with film reviews, entertainment job listings, and film screening or networking events in New...

A great big thanks goes out to all the people who came to see No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs . I really appreciate the support. It's the fuel that keeps my fire burning. Last night was my last performance for the off-off-Broadway production of No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs . I took my final bow and yes I made it through the hectic and challenging 15-show run. Despite the stress from rushing from my job to the city, the road rage, tickets, towing and last week's accident, I can still say with all my heart that this was an enriching experience. Performing in front of an audience five nights a week brought out a different energy in me. It felt great to be back on stage. The support and the feedback I received from friends and family was also really positive, which caught me off-guard. Before I began this endeavor I had moments when I doubted myself or felt like I was getting in over my head, but now I can look back and see that when I really want something all I need to do is trust ...

How time flies. The second week run of the No Niggers, No Jews, No Dog s is done. It's still hard to believe that I'm heading into the final week of performances. The cast and crew had another great run. There was one back stage mishap, but like professionals we pulled it off, because as they say, "The show must go on, " and as a cast we made sure it did. My highlight last week had to be the Saturday night performance, although I also must say that Sunday's audience really embraced the show. Don't think I'm speaking bad about other audiences who have come to see the play- I'm not. I'm greatful for every person who attends, it's just that some audiences feel the performances more than others. I had a lot of people come out to see the play on Saturday, and that made me nervous, more nervous than I usually get. For the most part I just focus on what I need to do as my character, run my lines, and wait for Julia, the stage manager to say, "Pla...

Hello all, I'm proud to say I made it through opening week. I just kept counting down to Friday, because I knew I had the day off and would be able to sleep in late. It made a difference, but I'm still tired and probably will be until the end of the show. I will take the next two days to try and recover before it starts all over again. It didn't hit me until right before I went on that "Oh my God, this is for real. I'm in a play." I tried not to think about it most of the week and even when I was driving to the city for rehearsals, it still didn't seem like a big deal. That feeling changed when I stepped on stage. Theater is a big deal and the ability to hold an audience's attention and tell a story is exhilarating . I was nervous and kept going over my lines off stage, but once I stepped onto the stage I was Joyce Cheeks, in Halifax, North Carolina. The cast has come together nicely and I am proud of all of us. Truth be told we still miss a line ...

I know it's been a while since my last blog. Forgive me, I've been preoccupied. Someone famous (who I can't remember) once said, "There are no good excuses," and normally I would agree with that, but this time I actually think I have one, at least in this case. Rather then comment on news or my random thoughts on life, I've been busting my buns to memorize my lines for the upcoming production of No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs (opens July 9, 2008, 8 p.m. at Nicu Spoon's Theatre located on 38 W 38 th Street between 5 th and 6 th ). For the actors reading this, we all know the real work can't begin until you get your lines down. I've been drudging along in the process for the last two weeks. While I have my lines memorized, there are moments when I just blank on a line or miss a cue. I'm still trying to get past those mishaps with two days to the show opening. I'm not nervous as of yet. I sure my nervous energy will hit me right before the cu...

On Sunday, June 22, 1978 I will be another year older. This year I'm celebrating the big 3-0. I remember being 16 and thinking it was light years away, but alas it's not, it's only 1.5 days away. The years have come and went and I look at myself and say, "Is this where I thought I was going to be." With gas prices pushing $4.50, and a recession looming, I consider myself blessed. I have a job, health benefits, a car to drive, and a roof over my head (even if I still live at home). There are many Americans who don't have these things. When I think about the disasterous rains and tornedos that have hit the mid-west, I realize many individuals from that region of the country have lost some of the things I just mentioned. Life can be so fragile and if we're not careful it can be gone in an instant. I don't know about you, but Tim Russert's death competely caught me off guard. None of us really ever know, do we? Am I where I thought I would be? No,...

Although I am not surprised, I still have to say I'm disgusted by the not-guilty verdict for R. Kelley. I hope that I'm never arrested, but if I am, it better only be for political reasons. If I wind up having to deal with our judicial system like many folks of color, my only hopes of staying free while charged and avoiding years of hard labor in lock up is having a bank account with zeros that seem to never end. It's no secret that money buys justice in the United States. R. Kelly was quoted as saying the following in Jennifer Vineyard's article, "Robert has said all along that he believes in the system, and he believes in God, and when the facts would be presented in court, he would be cleared," Kelly spokesman Allan Mayer said afterward. "He did not expect it to take six years. This has been a terrible ordeal for him and his family. He wants to move forward and put it behind him. He thanks his fans, and he thanks God. He'll have more to say very s...

Hello all, I'm sure most of you are sold on the idea of sex, if not for the enjoyment, probably for the continuation of the human race. However, I'm not talking about the act, at least not directly, I'm talking about the movie, Sex and the City . The film had hype over a year ago when it was announced that the hit HBO series would tie up all the loose ends with a film. I've have to admit I was a disbeliever, yeah, I loved the show, hell I envisioned my life being like the show after college (boy was I naive), but with the gossip of squabbles on the film set and a very long hiatus I didn't think it would hit. And I sure wasn't going to see it. I was wrong on both accounts. Yes, I did see Sex and the City this past opening weekend (with my mom and sister) and boy did it hit big. It hit 55 million dollars big, knocking Indian Jones to second place with a strong finish of 46 million dollars for it's second weekend. But like the industry analysts I under est...

Hey people of the world, I know, I've been on a mad long hiatus. I have to say it's been for a good reason. The last few weeks I've been swamped with meeting deadlines for assignments in my MFA program. I'm proud to report that I've finished the semester, hopefully with good grades. I will know in a couple of weeks. I kept telling myself I need to jump back in and write another blog but I wasn't ready. I needed a break from writing in general. I needed to free my mind, which a week vacation in Germany and Paris, France helped me to do. Yet, I still wasn't inspired to write on a subject. I'm feed up with the Democratic primary, oil companies using supply and demand to legitimize their profits, attacks on Rev. Wright, and Lord knows there are many others I can list. That changed for me tonight. I was inspired again. For the last day and half I've been in Baltimore, Maryland. I came down here for a diversity council meeting with the organization I wo...

Hello All, Today, I found the following story posted on Yahoo. I try to read as much as I can when it comes to screenwriting. This makes me think, finish the damn feature you're writing and get to your next script idea, because opportunities are out there. Enjoy. New York subway worker in Hollywood's fast laneThursday March 27 8:45 AM ET A New York City tollbooth worker in desperate need of a car wrote a crime thriller script titled "Brooklyn's Finest" last year. Now he finds himself rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood's finest, including Richard Gere , Don Cheadle , Ethan Hawke and director Antoine Fuqua . Living in Brooklyn, Michael Martin had just totaled his car in an accident. While in physical therapy, he entered a screenwriting competition, hoping to win the prize money for his new set of wheels. "I had never written a screenplay before," said Martin, who had studied film in college. "I thought, 'How hard can it be?' I was ...

I bet you thought I was going to forget to write about my weekend in Pennsylvania. Well, I didn't. I guess I've been waiting for the right time to reflect. Since Pennsylvania is the next key state in the Democratic primary I thought I tie in some of my observations of the Keystone state. Karim and I visited the Bischwind Bed and Breakfast in Bear Creek, Pennsylvania during Presidents weekend. Many visitors have credited Bischwind as being a jewel in the crown of the Pocono Mountains. It was built by Albert Lewis in 1886 and has been refurbished by the Von Dron /English families for almost four decades. The Bischwind rooms are filled with antiques and collectibles. We stayed in the Autumn room, which came with queen size bed, a private bathroom, bathrobes, T.V., and VCR. There was still ice on the ground from a storm earlier in the week and although it rained most of the weekend, I treasured the silence and sereneness of the environment. Waking up to a breakfast with ...