Well, it has been a while since I last updated everyone – but let me say it has been an INSANELY busy time for me!
I returned briefly to LA to organise the business side of things in a whirlwind tour over 3 weeks in August… and thankfully it was a very fruitful trip! Bek and I dashed from meeting to meeting – although we were able to slot some time in for shopping and catching up with everyone! I will update everyone further in my next blog – I should have tied up all the loose ends by then……
Unfortunately, our masterclass with Jason Alexander was cancelled at the last minute, but we had some very fruitful workshops with Casting Directors including Caroline Liem and Lauren Bass at AIA Studios. Also, we had some amazing new headshots taken with Mary Grace Mckernan in LA, with gorgeous makeup by Lisa Marie Deroma. They are very natural and really communicate my essence. I’ll be uploading the new shots on here very soon. In the meantime, check out the amazing work by Mary Grace and Lisa Marie via my links page. I highly recommend that anyone wanting to get new shots done in LA contact Mary Grace as she is amazing to work with and really gets results!
In other fantastic news, my O1 Visa Application was finalised last month and has now been lodged! Many thanks to my hardworking immigration attorney, Gil Brito at Beltran Brito for many tireless hours slaving away at the finer details of my case. Now, it is just a case of waiting for the outcome of my application. Yay!
Of course, I have returned home to more madness, as usual! When I arrived home, there was a lovely fat parcel awaiting me – almost half the films up for contention in the AFI awards for 2009. Phew! I almost forgot that we are swinging around to awards season once more…. Luckily, as a professional member, the kind people at the AFI have sent the majority of the films direct to me for judging in the comfort of my own home! For the ones they were not able to send to me, I have a fistful of film passes that arrive almost every other day, so I am taking my excited little self off to the cinema for an Australian cinematic extravaganza! I have made a very small dent in the collection so far and am looking forward to a bit of a filmfest this week, now that I have cleared some space in my diary……. I am very excited, as the calibre of Aussie films this year seems exceptional as always. I’m especially excited to check out Lynda-Maree and Bek in ‘Beautiful’. Otherwise, I’m not going to give too much away – my votes are secret! At least for now…… 
In other film news, I saw Judd Apatow’s latest effort ‘Funny People’ last night in Gold Class…. it lived up to it’s title and was a very funny film. I was especially impressed with Apatow’s ability to nail the Australian persona on the head, with Eric Bana cast in the role of “Clarke”. It was great to see Bana return to his comedic roots in a way that an international audience have probably never seen. Think of Bana in ‘The Castle’ and as the Comedy Company clashic – “Poida”. I have to say it was an extremely funny yet accurate portrayal of the Aussie character, and was very well written. Two thumbs up from me!
I also have managed to sneak in last week an audition for a small role in the upcoming feature “Oranges and Sunshine” with Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, shooting in Adelaide in 2010. It is a very well written script, and I cried my way through a majority of it – need I say anymore?
Whilst on the subject, I am currently reading “Women Who Run With The Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. It is an inspirational read – highlighting the culture of storytelling to tell tales of the ‘Wild Woman’ who lives in the female psyche. A great read I can highly recommend to anyone wanting to unleash their inner wild side!
In other news, I am heading off on more world travels in two weeks today – I’m going to India! I am travelling with acting and life coach, Candace Silvers from LA and a whole bunch of other actors. This will be a bit of a down time for me, with yoga and meditations and treks aplenty! I’m looking forward to some relaxation, as 2010 is shaping up to be a monster of a year with plenty on the go already!
So – that is my world in brief for now…… I have many other things on the burner that I am trying to slot into the next few months, and I’ll update you all on my return from India. Refreshed and revived and ready to Go!!!!
Smiles and Sunshine,
Leash