GKN Weekly Update 11/23/09

And hello on this Pre-Thanksgiving, Holy Crap Did I Buy Enough Cranberry Sauce Monday! I hope everyone is looking forward to a short work week, lots of great food & family, and of course FOOTBALL! BTW whose idea was it to put my Giants on the NFL Network this Thursday? Shenanigans, I say!

So I had a great audition last Thursday to narrate some audio books. I read excerpts from three stores and I think I did very well. The auditioners were really cool and they were a pleasure to read for.

I did make one gaff, though. The guy who auditioned just before me was a middle-aged, very talented man with a deep, resonant voice. As I was settling into the booth, I said to the auditioners, "I bet it'll be a bit of a shock going from him to me." I was referring to them going from listening to a guy who sounds like James Earl Jones to a guy who sounds like Matthew Broderick. You know, very different voices with a different approach to reading copy. They said he's a great talent and so am I so what's the problem? It came off like I said the last guy is great and I suck, a lame attempt at self-deprecating humor. I explained my "joke" and everything was fine. After the audition they said I'm a great actor and they were very pleased. WHEW!!!

TIP OF THE WEEK: When you make a joke at an interview or audition make sure:

A) It's appropriate, and
B) It doesn't make you or them look like an ass.

Obviously you should avoid jokes involving profanity, politics, sex, race, and religion. Also, you don't want the joke to raise or lower your status/position in relation to your audience. I will always you encourage to break the ice and make things fun. Just be careful where you try to find the funny!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Stand up to bullies. You'll only have to do it once. from “Rules for my Unborn Son” by Walker Lamond

DISCUSS!: Have you ever told a joke at an audition or interview that fell flat? How did you recover?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!