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Happy Memorial Day from Hollywood!

We have been enjoying beautiful weather, interesting sights and fine conversation in southern California these past few days. We last left off on Friday with Joseph Weiner, Esq., educating us on the development of television programs and how an agent does their job. On Saturday, we were joined by a former Pingree faculty member, Jeff Stockwell who is now a screenwriter and a Pingree Alum, Todd Grinnell who is an actor out here. The conversation was fascinating and educational. Both Todd and Jeff fondly reminisced about their time at Pingree (Mr. E--Todd sends his best!!) and shared with us their story of how they got into the entertainment world. Both echoed what we have been hearing from everyone; working in Hollywood takes passion and determination! Team #2 (Erin, Tyler, Kyle and Miss Farley) cooked a delectable dinner of artichoke dip for apps, chicken & Steak Kabobs for dinner, followed by Kyle's chocolate pudding pie.

Sunday, we started the day with breakfast at "The 101", an established diner that is well known among the Hollywood crowd. It has been used in several movies, best known for it's shot in the Vince Vaughn/Jonathan Favreau movie: "Swingers". After leaving there we explored Melrose for some LA shopping and then it was onto The Grove and the Farmer's Market. Team three (Molly, Mrs. Taft, Alex and Broc) made an amazing dinner of Bruschetta, chicken cordon bleu, corn on the cob & potatoes followed by homemade baklava....YUMM-O!!

Today we will be joined by a Director, Publicist and Producer, along with an actor and his SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Award and Pingree alum Evan Dec for a Memorial BBQ and more talk about Hollywood. Tomorrow we will be meeting with Megan Wahtera, another Pingree alum who works for Insurge Pictures (a division of Paramount Pictures)....and then it is homeward bound! It has been a truly educational and fun trip!

-MF

More pics from yesterday!

Saturday, May 29, 2010: Yesterday we toured Hollywood and the homes of the celebrities. We saw Justin Timberlake's new home, Humphrey Bogart, Tom Cruise, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Sinatra's houses, along with many, many more. After the tour we explored Hollywood Boulevard, home of Mann's Chinese Theater, Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards & American Idol) and many out of work actors dressed in character suits posing for pictures! We also saw Hollywood High School (hs to many celebrities) and the schwanky Harvard - Westlake School (as profiled in the book "The Gatekeepers") where tuition is a mere $25,000 a SEMESTER to attend!! During the tour we witnessed a car accident where a corvette crunched a motorcycle. Our Pingree students were ready with their witness cams to help if necessary. We ended the day with a visit from Joe Weiner, Esq., an Entertainment Lawyer that spoke with us about television development and what an agent does. It was really interesting and informative! Team #1 (Jena, Danny, Matt and Evan) were on dinner duty and provided us with a yummy spaghetti dinner--good job team!! We had quite a day! This morning we are preparing to meet with Jeff Stockwell, a former Pingree teacher turned screenwriter ("Bridge to Terabithia" and "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys") and Todd Grinnell, Pingree '94, an actor who has been in "Desperate Housewives" and "The Four Kings". Following our time with them, we will head to The Grove, The Farmer's Market and Melrose for some shopping and star sightings! Team #2 (Kyle, Miss Farley, Erin & Tyler) will be preparing tonight's feast. Lot's of laughter and great conversation is being had by all!

-posted by MF

More pictures from Paramount tour & Ameoba records. Great day!

T

Day Three in Hollywood!

Hello everybody!

We have (more or less) gotten over our jet lag fatigue and have gotten into the swing of a Hollywood lifestyle. We arrived at our house late Tuesday evening and quickly went to bed to prepare for the following day's festivities.
Yesterday, we began the day meeting with a creative producer, a literary agent, and a producer from BenderSpink. Most importantly, they stressed the importance of passion and drive. All three of them began as assistants or menial jobs but they all knew that they wanted to work in film. Through networking, they were able to work their way up and realize their dreams.
After a quick break, we went to an acting class with Patrick Gallagher and other working actors. It was fascinating to see these actors still perfecting their craft. They worked on scenes including "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Libertine".