So, we went. Ta-da. We were asked to be there by 9:30 to 9:45 for our 10am appointment. Turns out, everyone was told the same thing -- all 200 people. Fortunately for us, we were concerned about traffic going in to the City, so we left at 8:10 for what should typically be a 45 minute drive to downtown City. We did have a little delay on the interstate -- one lane of two was blocked for inmates picking up litter, and traffic was backed up about 1 mile, but we got through that and arrived at the location at 9am. We were the 5th family there. The poor folks who did arrive and the recommended time had to stand in the back of the room -- we were seated by arrival time, so LO and I were on the 2nd row.
She wore her fave outfit and I straightened her hair from 7:30 to 8:00. She looked great and definitely had the enthusiasm thing going on.
The facility was a lovely restored old building, with the inside being all brick, wood floors, wood rafters, large windows. Very high ceilings. Extremely thin models in extremely high heels seated us and made sure we knew where the restrooms were.
We were given an application and a booklet. LO had to complete the application, including a 100-word essay on why she thinks she would succeed in Hollywood. I had to read the booklet, including the price list for Development classes, averaging about $100 a week for 20 to 150-week commitments. (Fortunately on the drive down, LO and I had had a chat. I had explained to her that this might be the case, that they would tell her how great she is, she is almost ready for Hollywood, that she just needs a little schooling for so many thousand dollars. We had a good discussion about and she understood that if that were the case, we would laugh and say no thanks, but we had a great time.)
Finally, at 10, The Show began. Extremely attractive people spoke in extremely loud voices (there was quite a crowd, about 200 families) to talk about how much determination and commitment it takes to work in Hollywood. They only accept students with a 3.0 gpa or above, as your grades are a good indicator of how hard you work. They asked questions and had the crowd yell answers, mob-mentality-style. (I do not respond to this tactic. I sit quietly.) Finally, we lined up, in the order in which we arrived (thank goodness) and waited to go into the office of producer #1 for a brief, make that, extremely brief, interview. Mr. Extremely Friendly asked her some questions and made glowing remarks about her self-confidence and maturity. He asked me why they should accept her and I made appropriately glowing remarks about her.
Next we lined up for an on-camera audition where she had to slate (state her name and age) and read a 10-second commercial. The four little girls before her were quite young and barely whispered their lines. Then LO strode to her mark on the stage, gave her lines with expression, a radiant smile, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and strode off. The crowd smiled and laughed. The producer was chuckling as he made his remarks on her paper.
We were to call back at 9am today to see if she had "made" callbacks. I called at 8 and asked if we could find out early so as to not have to step out of church to call at 9. We were put on hold for a few minutes and then connected directly to Mr. Extremely Friendly. "She made the cut! Congratulations!" I asked what the next step might be. "You just need to stop in today and sign up for the 20-week class." "Well, thanks, but our family is not prepared to make such an investment at this time. We had..." I was trying to say, "We had a great time," but Mr. E.F. had already said, "All right, Goodbye," and hung up the phone.
We really did have fun.
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