I am a natural.

TRUE STORY.

So yesterday, I was in my audition technique class (because I'm Hollywood Wong now, don't you know?) and the class takes place at one of those casting studios which during the day is used for auditions and at night used for classes. And the teacher has us go into the lobby and work on our sides ("sides" are parts of the scrīpts used for the audition).

And I'm just sitting there marking up my sides and these two casting directors suddenly appear in front of me. They start to whisper "Yea! She'd be perfect!"

Here's how it played out.

CASTING DIRECTOR: Excuse me?

ME: Who? Me?

CASTING DIRECTOR: You in the blue sweatshirt. Are you around tomorrow to audition for a commercial?

ME: Uh, yeah. Of course! I guess.

CASTING DIRECTOR: Great! You' d be perfect! Wouldn't she?

(The other casting director nods in furious agreement.)

(My two classmates are shocked and jealous at my luck.)

CASTING DIRECTOR: Good, let me give you the details. You are perfect!

ME: Wow, thanks! I can't believe I'm being scouted like this (I laugh.)

(She begins to write auditions details on a piece of paper for me.)

CASTING DIRECTOR: Ok, so you are going to go to our casting place on Melrose tomorrow, don't wear any make up. You you are going in for the part of a frumpy Chinese waitress with lots of pimples. See you tomorrow!

(End Hollywood Story.)

Finally, my calling. My home in Hollywood has arrived. I so badly wanted to ask, "Are you sure you don't have any roles available for halfway decent looking sweatshop workers?"

And then, part II of my strange Hollywood yesterday.

I'm outside of my audition technique class talking to my classmates about another audition I have at SONY tomorrow, one of my classmates is like, "Hey! That's Yehya! He's on TMZ.com. He's a celebrity photographer who runs alongside the paparazzi. There must be celebrities nearby."

This is Yehya.

Basically, he's a handyman by day and takes photos with celebrities at night for fun. And now he's like a counter-culture celebrity. He's so sweet. He was waiting outside not for me, but for Eva Mendez who was eating at the Madeo Restaurant which is next door to our class. He gave us a slide show of all the Oscar Night celebrity pictures in his camera.

So he was a good sport and took pictures with us. And it's funny that he really sometimes cannot remember the names of the celebrities in his pictures and yet has spent the last 20 years just trying to take pictures with them. It's so odd to meet someone so good spirited with no jaded Hollywood roughness around the edges.

Wish me luck on all my big auditions today. I also have a meeting at UNIVERSAL. It's going to be one of those camping out in Hollywood days where will have eight changes of clothes in the car and will eat along the way.

Yay! I'm happening!