*Hope*Is

I want to thank all that served before,and all that will protect our country in the future....   Especially those that gave their lives.    My hero- Marine Lance Cpl. Scott E. Dougherty   Died July 6, 2004 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom My nephew, Scott Dougherty, 20 of Bradenton, Fl. was killed July 6,2004, when his Humvee struck a tank mine in Anbar province, Iraq. His Humvee ran over a tank mine, flipped over a ravine and exploded. He was a proud Marine in the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was fun loving kid with a great sense of humor. He always knew how to make everybody smile. He wasn’t a big guy but he made up for with physical training & a great attitude. He joined ROTC in high school and enlisted in the Marines in 2002 after graduating. He was just two days out of combat training when he was deployed to Iraq for five months. He was three months i...

       The first class I went to was Michigan Actors Studio in Ferndale. We worked on theater games and were each given a monologue to work on for the "semester" and we had the same monologue every week. This was Acting 1 (I think, beginners class) and since i've had some experience before this, I wasn't as happy because I was past this point. I do wish we were able to pick our own monologues. The teacher was a great guy and I think they just need to tweek that class alittle bit. I would have loved some feedback. Here, It is all about who teaches your class and they do have great teachers. You just have to find the right one. My friend took the second class at MAS and it was more geared toward commercials and industrial videos. That is great because if we lose the incentive, this is what is going to pay our bills as actors.  My second class that I am currently taking is at The Actors Workshop in Royal Oak and I love it. We do relaxation technique...

Once again i am posting a note from a friend and not an original work. My brain is going to explode so If you don't like it, go jump off a building! This is a very comprehensive list of acting schools in Michigan and a few out of town. If you want to act, you need training. Even the most polished actors continually hone their craft. How else do you think they got so good? By Donavan Darius Many people have asked me how to get into acting. One step is to learn the craft of . . . wait for it . . . acting. Below is a list of acting schools and workshops. I will only leave notes for classes that I have attended and can speak from experience on. My comments are opinions based on my experience there. My personal philosophy is that everyone has something you can learn from. Find the school that is right for you and go with it. There are no favorites here, simply a list of resources. Some of those listed also offer Voice Lessons and childrens acting. Also note: Most Universit...

Courtesy of The Whitney            If you've ever been on set, it's hurry up and wait. That is how the beginning to our evening started. I rushed, he waited and the roads were messy but we made it to the Whitney where the wrap party was being held. Low and behold we find a line of twenty cars or more waiting for the valet. The wind was biting and neither one of us really wanted to get out and walk the block or so to the entrance. So we waited, and waited. I really wanted one of THE GHOST BAR's famous martini's. Courtesy of The Whitney-Ghost Bar          One of the doors opened on the white stretch limo basically "parked" in front of us and who walked out to get to the ATM? Shaun Majumdar. As he picked his way through the snow, we just hoped we weren't going to have to jump out and save him from getting mugged.  Moi and Shaun Majumdar       As he yelled to his buddies in the car,...

         I need to thank everyone at I love Michigan's film production for highlighting me on their page. It is so important for us to help each other out. If we don't, we die. Michigan will die.  I will help anyone I can get their business noticed. Pass it forward. I've had a hard few months and the generosity of my fellow Michigander's is amazing. I love you guys.....           "Today ILMFP is going to highlight Hope Cobb Crenshaw. Her blog we found very informative. She has the task of writing about the wonderful highlights of the Michigan film community so in this regards we have highlighted her. Hope, you have done a very good job with Michigan Movie Magazine and the people that are working so hard to live their dreams, get work and keep the film industry right here in Michigan. Nice!"                         Quote by - I love michigan's...

courtesy of ABC                    I have to say, I am dying to tell you all the juicy details of the wrap party for Detroit 187. First of all you need a little background on how I even was invited. For the last year or so I've been a doing a little "acting". I don't think I can call myself an actress, but I have been paid for lines in a movie so maybe I am.  My significant other is on the show since the first episode and he kept bugging me to become a uniform police woman, which is a recurring role (and pays more). Finally with only 6 episodes to film, I said yes. Of course, everytime we got an availablity check from RealStyle (our extras casting agency), we put in for the same days. It seemed like we were never going to work together.               My first gig on set was hilarious and totally embarrassing (at least to me). First thing I had to do was check in, then go s...

             There are a few acting schools in the Metro Detroit area, The Michigan Actors Studio, The Actors Loft, The Dramatic Arts Studio, and a few more.   Make sure you check them out and, if you can, sit in on a class before you sign up. Most long time actors will continue training through classes, workshops, and private coaching. The first thing casting directors look at is experience, then they look at what training you have.             Another tip is to tape your self doing scenes and monologues. You should also be doing this in your acting class.   Beg, borrow or steal a camcorder and rehearse in front of the camera.   It is nerve racking the first time you see yourself on film, but it is invaluable in learning how your body moves and maybe how you don’t want it to! storyboard sketch of my son in Dark Fields with David Carridine   Next you need a h...

                                                     Still Searchin..... Old Alexandria Photo by Hope  It does seem like my whole trip to Washington was nothing but mojito’s, though I did spend a couple days doing the “tourist” thing. I took the Metro to Alexandria one day, in my “cute” shoes and made it about 5 blocks before I had to sit down and have a refreshment.  The shops were impossibly cute, but definitely not cheap.  Of course as I waited for The Metro, low and behold the Amtrak rolls by. Seriously??? I am forever traumatized. Why did I take The Metro? Because I "thought" it was an underground train. I was wrong, it goes above ground after awhile. Great. Another photo by Hope By the time we left all I wanted to do was kick my shoes off and go to sleep.  The next day I even did the double-decker bus tour around D.C....

For The Metropolitan D'Etroit                         Some people search for the perfect steak but I search for the perfect mojito. If they don’t have mint, I get crabby and might sulk for a good five or ten minutes. Anything more is out of character for me, even over a good mojito. Our first stop after changing out of our traveling clothes was The W Hotel.  The W is a hotel you probably have seen featured in every design magazine around the world, the haunt of the chic and fabulous.  The lobby is not merely for checking into your hotel suite, it is a world class lounge.  The W Hotel lounge, Photos by Hope We weren't having dinner there so we sat our tired butt's at the bar and put Bill to the test. I sat in awe as Bill, our bartender, put ice into a black cloth napkin and proceeded to crush the ice by hitting it with a spoon. It is fair to say that my opinion of a good bartender was forever chang...