1/22/10

It's been a difficult week... The world we know lost a beautiful woman, and a beautiful soul. I like to think that the reason such good people are taken from their loved ones so young is because they've gleaned all they could from this life. She is most certainly an angel now, and perhaps her new role is to pass her enormous strength and courage on to others in a way that only an angel can...

You have a light that could never fade. Shine on, Jenn.

Jennifer Lyon
1972- 2010

12/27/09

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! It seems like every time I update the news there's a holiday, so I'm either updating too infrequently, or there are an awful lot of holidays...!

We wrapped up "Eight" on Saturday, December 19th to a full house! We ran all eight one-acts and it seemed like everybody felt good about their piece. I thought our performance of The Last Judgment was our best...possibly because of the heightened emotion of it being our last performance...? My co-stars Javier and Bryan were fantastic, and they made it very easy for me to be in the moment. It was a pleasure working with them, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I participated in a staged reading of Neil Simon's Chapter Two a couple weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. I loved the character of Jennie, and it felt good to do some different material. Apparently it went well enough that we're planning on running it for four Sundays. I will be sure to disclose the details as I get them.

I've made some updates to my website (had to cancel plans to go back to the midwest for Christmas because of a crazy winter storm, so I finally had time to do so!), and created a whole new photo gallery, with pics from my modeling days, photos from various films I've worked on, and a slew of Survivor photos. Those are not...um...the most flattering photos of me, but it is what it is. It was rough out there! CBS is hosting a big red carpet event in a couple of weeks for all the casts of the past TEN years of Survivor (ten years??!! crazy!), so I'm looking forward to seeing my former tribemates again.

I also changed my video page, so my commercial reel is a little easier to access...I'm still working on getting the footage I need to complete my theatrical reel, but it is in the works!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah (or both, like me!) and my very best wishes for a Happy New Year!!!

11/28/09

Review!! Our first review for the Bassett portion of "Eight"....and I can't say I'm not pleased! Our one-act (The Last Judgment) was her favorite!! To read the whole review, click here. Here is a photo of our play from her article:

“The Last Judgment”—Bryan Kopta, Javier Ronceros and Leann Slaby

11/27/09

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Lots happening lately, and it is that time of year when everything seems to be in fast-forward.  “Eight” has been going very well!  We’re at the halfway point right now, having performed 6 shows and having 6 more remaining.  We’re off this weekend for the holiday, but back at it next weekend.  I’ve been having a blast doing it.   There is still time to see the show..check the website! www.alliancerepertory.org.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw some footage of The Missing Link, and was very, very happy with what I saw.  It was just a rough edit of a few scenes, but extremely promising.  I’m (...unusually) optimistic about the prospects of this one…it was shot beautifully, directed very well, and is being edited by someone who has plenty of experience.  That last factor being so, so, so important.  It probably won’t be finished until early next year, but oddly enough, I’m ok with waiting!

The DVDs for the thickness of delirium have been completed, and I believe they are currently being sent out to everyone who had a hand in the making of the film…   If you are interested in buying a copy of the DVD, you can do so at http://www.thethicknessofdelirium.com/buy.html

11/10/09


I haven't watched it yet, but I'm very excited to see a documentary called D-Tour on PBS.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/d-tour/film.html

Check this link to find out when it airs near you...

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html

And sign up to be an organ donor!!

http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/registry.shtm

Moving. Ugh. On one hand it's a major pain, even when you hire movers...the packing, the unpacking, the cleaning the old place, blah blah blah. It blows, really. But on the other hand, it's exciting, too. A new place, a new neighborhood, only MINUTES from your day job, and just...new beginnings. So, although I've been physically and mentally exhausted for the past couple of weeks, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as they say. Now it's time to settle in and make it "home". I wasn't thinking too clearly on my choice of dates for moving, though. We've been smack in the middle of rehearsals all month. Plus, in my recent brainlessness, I offered to be the "webmaster" for the theatre company. I have to say...as much as I just really don't have the time to do it, I do enjoy it when I do it. Please check it out and tell me what you think. It's pretty basic, but hopefully you find it well-organized and user-friendly. www.alliancerepertory.org is the website. And as long as you're there, and should you happen to be in Los Angeles in the next couple of months, you should buy tickets to see me perform! I am part of the cast of "EIGHT" (details on the Upcoming page of the Alliance website), and will be performing in the Bassett one-act called "The Last Judgment". I've really enjoyed working on this, and can't wait to perform it. Our opening night is November 7, so get your tickets now! You can do it right on the site, through PayPal. The Bassett pieces are running in rep with the Kraar pieces through mid-December, so just check the drop-down button for the dates, and come see me! I would love to see some familiar faces in the audience.

In other news, last weekend I attended the premiere of Unwelcome Strangers! It was so crazy to see the cast and crew again, most of which I haven't seen since we wrapped -- three years ago! Everybody looked great and I had a blast. Watching the film was very bizarre. When you see your face all huge on a screen....well, a person tends to cringe a little. Ok, if you're me, a lot. All-in-all, I was really just happy that the movie got finished at all. We had such an extraordinary experience together, it would have been a shame not to have the product from it. Two weeks in the middle of nowhere in Northern California with a bunch of, well, strangers!

In my opinion, the movie has its good points and its bad. I think much of the acting was pretty solid; I believe we'll all be able to use parts of it for our reels. There are some great moments with some of the locals that are hilariously priceless. The cinematographer, Pierre, was very very good. Where it fell apart, I think, was the editing. I would love for a very experienced editor to get all of the raw footage and start over from scratch. If we had that, I think we'd have a pretty good movie! But...I really don't want to complain because the experience was fantastic and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I heard from The Missing Link's producer this week, and what a wonderful call to receive. It truly made my day. He was very appreciative of the work I did in the film, and just called to express that to me. Warm fuzzies! I'm hoping to see some edited footage in the next week or so. Exciting! I'm actually going to have some good material for my reel!

Well, that's my update for now. Keep checking back and don't forget to come to my show!