#2 – Happy Pants

Feb. 2, 2008

See PS below for upcoming event…

Last weekend and this one right now, I’m acting in a short film by Northwestern film student, Kunal Savkur, who won a College Television Award last year for a different project. He’s gotten grant money from Northwestern to shoot the present one. The good thing about that is that he has a bit of budget, which means I can have M&M’s (but only the red ones, because I’ll vomit if I see a green or a brown one, aahhhh! That’s a joke… keep up).

In the film, I play Frederick, High Counselor to the King. Hank Hilbert, the talented Chicago stage actor and distant relative of Francis Scott Key, plays King Randy, a very depressed monarch who can’t find satisfaction anywhere. Frederick tries to make Randy happy by throwing him a huge birthday party. A nutty wizard (playing himself, no joke, the guy’s a nut job) casts a spell on Randy, telling him that he must spend one night wearing a “Happy Man’s Pants” if he ever wants to be happy again, hence, the title. A quest ensues, to find a happy man in the kingdom and steal his pants. Throw a couple cute sisters into the mix and, voila, you've got a great short film.

My first day on set, last Saturday, rocked! The crew is fantastic and we, mostly Hank, actually, got a ton of laughs. Today we experienced a little drama shooting a Fado, the Irish restaurant downtown, when the event lady there freaked out about her event schedule or something. She started crying and a crazy chef came in and kicked us out, making sure to drop a few f-bombs and such. Fortunately, we had what we needed, shot-wise before the meltdown. Kunal and the crew were exceptional in handling the turn of events and evacuating the premises. Ah, the joy of independent film making!

Last week after I sent my first email, two things happened. Well, one thing. One big thing. Heath Ledger was found dead in New York. What a frickin’ bummer. I absolutely love his work and was totally bummed when I heard the news. All I can say is damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn…

The other day, I had an look-see for a print ad in which I had to bare a small part of my bum, playing the part of the big, sheepish guy who doesn’t quite fit into his hospital johnny. I call it the ass audition. I didn’t get the gig, but it is a funny example of how strange this business is. People make a living with nothing but their hands if they look good enough. Guess I should have listened to my mother and stopped cracking my knuckles as a kid.

I wanted to attach a small bit I did before the holiday, but can’t figure out how to make it work. You should be able to find it on the NPCA website – that’s National Parks Conservation Association. It’s a mock presidential campaign commercial for a big bear called Teddy Mather, a fictional candidate running on the platform of national parks conservation. It’s a fun little bit and for a cause I can get behind.

Most of you saw my lovely lottery commercial last week, so I thought I would take a little time and tell how that happened. Unfortunately, I’m nearly out of space, so I’ll figure it out next time. Be prepared for Seventeen Seconds of Glory.

Best, Jake

PS - There is a Guitar Hero fund raiser on the 21st at The Spot (Broadway north of Montrose) to benefit “Covenant Coffee” a web-series a friend of mine, Bryan Cohen, is producing. The event is a tournament, so bring your best Guitar Hero chops and win a prize! When we raise the money and begin production on the series I’ll be playing a very cool role. So… bring your friends, bring your enemies and bring $20 – open bar from 8 to 9. It’s for a great cause – my acting career.