Celebrityscraps

It’s Good Friday which means everyone in the UK has a 4 day weekend starting today!

In light of this I thought it reasonable to mark the occasion with a post of equal awesomness.

I’m a regular follower of the Halflife2.net forums and was put on to this little beauty of a game called “Plants VS Zombies”, which is a different level of genius (and was also blatently thought up by a group of stoners).

The idea is to stop the horde of zombies by growing offensive plants.

Looks fun!

You can sign up to play the game before public release AND get a 10% discount by going to Popcap.com

Enjoy!

A few days ago I had the pleasure to quiz my online pal Seth Caskey who’s an actor in LA.

As usual the format was 8 questions designed to tax the mind to the point of breaking while revealing as much of the inner workings of the subjects mind as possible.

Let’s see how Seth got on:

Q1: So what is an average day like in the Seth Caskey Universe?

No two days are alike, and that’s what I love about it. I’m somewhat of a workaholic, so I spend some time everyday working my craft. I love meeting and connecting with interesting people, online and off. I currently work a part-time “survival” job (that’s actor-speak for a non-acting job). I take my dog out for a hike around Runyan Canyon every morning, spend some time with my wife, drink at least six cups of coffee and am currently training for my next marathon. That’s about as typical as it gets.

Q2: Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

I am currently shooting a web series called End Result with the extremely talented writing/directing team of Heath Vinyard and James Calahan. We are almost halfway through the first season with plans to have it ready to come out later this year.

Q3: Was acting always your number one choice of career?

Have I always wanted to be an actor? Yes. Was it always my number one choice of career? No. My wife and I got married straight out of college, and I felt a sense obligation to have a more predictable 9-5 job. I worked for a number of years in the communications field and eventually as a freelance graphic designer - all while pursuing acting part-time. It wasn’t until a few months before my 30th birthday that I stopped running from the one thing that makes me the happiest and approached my wife with the idea of moving to Los Angeles. That was a little more than two years ago, and it’s been the best journey ever.

Q4: If you could act in any tevision series (past or present) which would it be, and why?

Alias. The show redefined television. It introduced a kind of storytelling that wasn’t around in 2001. It was a relationship drama and action-adventure ride all at the same time. It introduced the concept of mythology and elements of science fiction that were completely accessible to the average viewer and totally grounded in the believability of its characters. The caliber of the cast was outstanding, and I believe it opened the door for many of today’s most successful shows. (and it’s JJ Abrams - come on)

Q5: What’s the funniest acting experience you have had during your career?

There have been quite a few, but one one that stands out was being onstage in my first musical, dancing my heart out with my zipper down. I thought the audience was laughing at my outstanding comedic performance. Nope, just the zipper.

Q6: If you were stuck on a desert island and you could bring 2 worldly items/people/things, what would they be?

John Locke and MacGyver.

Q7: You’ve got a very strong online presence with Twitter, Facebook, your personal site, and your blog. Do you think presence in social media is a must for professionals in the world of today?

Without a doubt. As a professional actor I am an entrepreneur and CEO of my own company. It’s impossible for a business to survive in today’s market without a strong web presence. I have been online since the late 90’s, but it has only been within the past few months that I’ve become strategic about social media specifically. Social media is about relationships. And success in any business comes from building strong relationships with your customers (fans), vendors (producers, writers, directors) and colleagues.

Taking a clue from some other actors who are doing this successfully like Brea Grant (@breagrant), Greg Grunberg (@greggrunberg) and Michael Urie (@michaelurie) and with the help some social media experts Laura Roeder (@lkr) and Patrick Redknap (@PatrickRedknap), I’m discovering ways to do this more effectively.

Q8: If you could be an animal for a day. What would it be and why?

HA! Great question. I would have to say my dog Schmiegel (@thedailyschmoo). I would give anything to know what he’s thinking as hs looks at me in certain moments, and what is it about eating someone else’s poop that is so damn appealing.

You can check out more of Seth and his projects at the following locations online:

Seth’s Official Site: http://www.sethcaskey.com

Seth’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/sethcaskey

Seth’s Blog: http://realityofdoing.wordpress.com

I also strongly recommend that you check out the web series End Result.

I just watched the first part and enjoyed it thoroughly….. beware though! Seth is dishing out some torture on one of the bad guys!

I’ve always made sure all my machines have up to date anti-virus software over the years. Most recently I began following the official AVG Twitter account (@officialAVGnews).

The boys and girls at AVG are nice enough to tweet about the various things happening in the world of personal computer security, which I think is a great way to reach consumers.

Anyway… earlier in the week I recieved a letter from London telling me that as I am one of their 100th-150th followers on Twitter I’ve won a license for AVG Internet Security 8.5 for the year………. Whoop!!

AVG are also running other promotions via their Twitter account so start following them now: @officialAVGnews

What is a sandbox game you may ask. Well in this type of game a player may ignore game objectives and go off to “do their own thing”. This can often open up possibilities that were not intended by the game designer.

I tried out the 21 day free trial of “EVE Online” this Sunday and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

One thing I’ve always despised about MMORPGs is that almost all of them require hours upon hours of leveling up skills! EVE Online takes a different approach. You do have to learn skills to be able to do certain things, pilot certain craft etc, however you set up your training and then can log off and your character still continues to train. This makes the game ideal for the casual player like myself. I can log on for as little as 20 mins and get something achieved, whereas in games like World of Warcraft or Warhammer Online it usually takes a minimum of at least an hour to achieve something

I suggest anyone who has had a taste for MMORPGs to check out EVE Online. Another good thing is that you can pay for subscription with ingame cash “apparently”.

One of my online buddies Laura Roeder all the way over in Venice, CA specialises in being the “Tome of Twitter Knowledge”.

She’s made a damn good career out of it so far, and now a huge online following is lobbying to get her on the Ellen Degeneres show to teach her all about Twitter!

So all feel free to tweet @theellenshow and let them know that the people online would like to see Laura (@lkr) on her show!

Last night I attended the BAFTA Video Game awards. I had a thoroughly good time, however my happiness was stained by the actions of local trash keying every panel of my car down to the base paint.

This is a problem that has been going on for a while in the area where I park my car to get the tube to central London. I’m sure the cops know of the problem but simply do not care!

My housemate has suggested that the only logical solution to the problem is to camp out in the bushes with various sharp implements, using the car as bait. Hopefully our local human garbage will come back for seconds and get a good keying themselves.

While I’m an upstanding citizen I can’t help feeling that vigilante justice in this case is justified, as this is the second time this has happened to me.

I guess I’ll see what the cops say first before I begin prepping the blowtorch and chainsaw!

I’m starting to feel the signs of a cold hitting me which is never good. I’ve come to the decision that this is probably due to bad Karma from a previous life. Maybe I was a door to door salesman or a telemarketer, but I’ve definitely done something to piss the Grim Reaper off!

With this in mind I’m going to pre-empt the blighter with a dose of Vitamin C (oranges etc) and a good old fashioned helping of antibiotics! Yes that’s right I’m taking the easy way out and going for drugs.

Now many people say “don’t take antibiotics as it weakens your immune system”…. I disagree however as it will cure me quickly and the only downside is I’ll still be vulnerable to the same strain of cold.

I’d also like to add that if I’m ill in the first place, my immune system must be weakened anyway by either other influences or the illness itself

Last night I was chilling with some friends and we got on to the subject of “funniest YouTube videos”.

I came up with Charlie the Unicorn which is awesome and obviously the winner! But the best one I hadn’t seen (which kicks ass) is The Lonely Island’s video of their song “I’m on a boat”.

Enjoy!

I recently purchased the anniversary Command & Conquer pack, which has all 15 C&C games on one DVD!

There were A LOT of problems with the install, such as certain games just not playing due to corrupt files, and the networking not functioning on VISTA. Most of these I discovered are common problems with the release an managed to find user workarounds online.

I find it amazing that titles such as C&C (the original) and Red Alert 1 are timeless. Sure the graphics are a little dated, but the gameplay elements are still as slick and enjoyable as they were 10 years ago.

Even the C&C Red Alert trailer is still cool!

I think I may have to get round to checking out RA3 soon!

About a week ago I did an article on the webtv show Valley Peaks. After a brief chat with starlet Cathy Baron on Twitter (who plays Shelly Breaker in Valley Peaks) I was given the opportunity to interview her with a few questions across the web.

We decided the Q&A format was best. Below is the “uncensored, full, widescreen version” of the Q&A.

Q1: Are there any huge similarities between you and your character on Valley Peaks?

Yes actually!  Shelly is a very excited person.  She is excited about life, love, and fun.  I am very much this way as well.  In my audition, I was pretty much myself (quirky, and trying to make the producers laugh).  I didn’t get the role I auditioned for because it wasn’t a good fit, but they wrote me in the show.  They said I “seemed like somebody’s little sister” and wanted to have me so they created Shelly.

Q2: What do you think makes Valley Peaks such a unique and interesting production?

Besides being funny and well done, I think people like a lack of predictability in comedy.  For instance, some of the funniest shows, Family Guy, The Simpsons  (although cartoons) have some of the most off the wall situations and reactions.  There’s a sense of surprise that keeps people coming back and wanting to know what will happen next.   It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is this way too.  Valley Peaks has this surprise factor.  One of the most frequent comments on our Youtube page is “What will happen next?”  The creators of the show are comedic geniuses in my opinion.  They deserve big things in their careers!

Q3: Things are getting pretty crazy on the show at the moment. Is it going to get any crazier?

HAHA!  Oh yes!  You have no idea!  I laugh outloud thinking about scenes I have filmed.  I can’t give away any details, though. 

Q4: Is Valley Peaks going to return for a second season?

As of right now, we are still in season 1—there are over 20 episodes, so season 1 is going to last forever!  Ha!  We are all just kind of ‘going with the flow’ — One of the BIGGEST networks in Canada and Europe, Global TV flew to Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago to film behind the scenes with the creators of Valley Peaks.  All we know is that it will be an hour long special on Valley Peaks on a huge network station with millions of viewers.  I will give more details as I know them….but, that’s exciting!

Q5: Have you always wanted to be an actor?

Oh yes…and I did some embarrassing things.  I still have videos of my cousin, Lisa and I making up productions and silly commercials.  When I was 13, I searched the names of casting directors in Los Angeles (im from a small town in Texas)  and I would send them my photos.  Not even an 8×10 or a real headshot…but a regular 4×6 photo!  I didn’t know how the business worked.  I remember sending my 4×6 photo and resume to the casting director for All My Children at least once a month for about a year.  I wonder why I never heard from Judy Blye Wilson.  Ha! I grew up performing dance and theater so I have always been comfortable on a stage…hamming it up

Q6: Is there anything new happening in the Cathy Baron universe you can tell us about?

I have two feature films that I completed this past year that I am very excited about, and can’t wait until they are out.  One is a horror film called Dead Stop and the other is a film called Black and Blue.  I play a teenage runaway druggie in Black and Blue.  I have a couple of other projects in the works, but because nothing is set in stone I cannot tell you about them yet!  You can always go to my website for news though.  www.cathybaron.com

Q7: What’s the funniest acting experience you have had during your career?

For this, I’ll replace funniest with embarrassing.  I was filming a movie called The Lights in Texas.  I had a scene with Derek Lee Nixon where I was sitting in the front passenger seat of a suburban.  The director, John Sjogren, had to sit in the seat with me to get my close up.  We did about 4 takes of my close up, were running out of light for the day, and were about to move on to Dereks close up when John noticed something hanging out of my nose.  Yep, you guessed it…I had a little mini booger.  Just flapping there.  We went back to look at it on the monitor to see if it was noticeable…and sure enough, it was. Imagine all of the crew, actors, and producers analyzing a close-up of my face to see if you can see my booger in all the shots!   We only had time to do one more unboogered take.  I recently found out that they used the booger shot.  Makes me laugh now but at the time I was a bit embarrassed.

Last of-course is the standard “Celebrityscraps Random Question”

Q8: If you could be an animal for a day. What would it be and why?

I put a lot of thought into this and I’m pretty sure I’d be an Eagle.  Why?  Well, because for one, its illegal to shoot Eagles so there wouldn’t be any fear of getting shot in mid flight.  Two, other animals would be scared of me as well since I’d basically be a badass flying machine with red eyes and talons of steel.  And three, I would be able to fly high in the sky—even spy on people if I wanted with my eagle eyes.  Did you know that the Harpy Eagle can grab a monkey and fly away with it?  (but, I wouldn’t do that…I’d be a vegetarian eagle—somehow)

So there you have it. Cathy passes the CScraps Q&A challenge! Whenever I see an eagle with a monkey in it’s talons I’ll remember this!

Be sure to check out Cathy at these locations on the web:

Cathy Baron’s Official Site

Cathy’s Blog - “Coffee and OJ in Hollywood”

Cathy on Twitter

Cathy on IMDB

Valley Peaks Official Site