Zach Selwyn

Actor. Musician. Host. Writer. Dinner Guest.

  • Song written using REAL headlines! FLORIDA MAN (c)2023 Desert Hobo Music
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  • Artists Creating Entertainment and Jill Benjamin Events brought Zach in to freestyle for multiple offices in the LA area for Valentines Day, 2024…

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  • Song produced by Justin Stanley/Leroy Miller & Zach Selwyn
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  • 5 PLACES YOU MUST SMOKE A J IN LA BEFORE YOU DIE

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  • 18calo3y70z0hjpg  Lakers are For Fakers * 2015 By Zach Selwyn

    The following is an email chain I exchanged with my Hollywood agent, who I have paid 10 percent of my income to these past ten years. In that past decade, he’s brokered a deal or two for me and has also bought me lunch three times. His agency is a big one, but I am a lowly peon in the cable TV hosting game, dwindling way beneath the Seacrests and Trebeks of the world. However, I am undoubtedly the biggest sports fan on the roster. Which is why, as a die hard NBA fan, I began asking him for tickets to the agency “luxury suite” four months ago to watch the Los Angeles Clippers play the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Staples Center on January 16, 2015…

    Oct. 12, 2014.

    From ME: Yo – Looking for Clippers – Cavs tickets on Jan 16 2015. I think the Cavs are gonna be great this year – and their new coach is a mastermind. Clips look strong too. Both teams will be in top playoff mode around January. If possible, might I be able to get into the agency box seats that night? Asking early to make sure… Thx – Z

    From AGENT: Z! Of course buddy. Emailing tickets guy. You need two, right?

    From Me: Yes Thank you so much.

     Nov. 8, 2014.

    From ME: Checking in on Clippers – Cavs tix for January. Has anyone asked about them? Thx – Z.

    From AGENT: You’re #1 on the list. I got you covered big Z.

    From Me: U Rule. Thx.

     

    Dec. 9, 2014.

    From ME: Hey brother – any news on those tickets? It’s getting close and I want to make sure I get in here before the office shuts down for holiday season.

    From AGENT: Thank you for your email. Our offices have closed until January 7, 2015.

    Jan 7. 2015.

    From ME: My dude. Zach here – Hope your holidays were awesome… I was in Seattle with the fam. Checking in on Clippers – Cavs game for January 16. Wanted to see if you could email the tickets to me? Or maybe messenger them? Very excited – thank you sooo much.

    From AGENT: Hey Z. Checking in with tickets guy again today.

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    When the Lakers lose, this is often what the Staples Center looks like…

    Jan 8. 2015.

    From ME: Any news?

    From AGENT: Hang tight.

     

    Jan. 12, 2015.

    From ME: Hey man, sorry to bother you – but game is in 4 days – trying to figure out babysitter and all that stuff… Looking forward to seeing LeBron.

    From AGENT: (No reply).

     

    Jan 16, 2015.

    From AGENT: Hey Z, so sorry bud but we had an overflow of ticket requests for this game… Apparently both teams are playing really well. Matthew Perry snapped up a pair this morning and Giuliana Rancic is top of the list for the other pair. Sorry bud. We’ll get you into a game. I know we have seats for the Lakers – Nuggets on February 10… Chace Crawford just turned them down.

    In the world of celebrity, free stuff is king. Matthew Perry and his 500 million dollars does not need free basketball tickets… Plus, he’s sober, so all the free booze in the luxury box was going to be ignored anyway. Giuliana Rancic? Or DiPandi or whatever her name is? Are you kidding me? She makes fun of celebrity dresses for a living. She probably heard the word “Cavs” and thought it was a leg workout. And Lakers – Nuggets tickets? The Lakers are led by a guy who is famous for being Iggy Azaleia’s boyfriend. Kobe is out for the year. They’re not exactly a hot ticket. The point was, I was not considered successful enough to snag the Clippers tickets. I was looking at some washed up pretty boy from Gossip Girl named Chace Crawford’s rejects… Perry and Rancic were gonna be on their iphones in the suite the entire time and most of the so-called Hollywood celebrities who were going to the game probably think “Chris Paul” is a type of champagne.

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    Although Im a huge Matthew Perry fan, he doesnt party and look like this anymore…

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    WTF is this? Maybe a few hot dogs is exactly what she needs…

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    When I first moved to Los Angeles, the Lakers were all that mattered. They had Del Harris, a young Kobe, Van Exel was being name-checked in Jay-Z songs, Eddie Jones and huge NBA stoner Sam Perkins. (Who looked blazed in 99% of his games). My friends and I would drop $25.00 to sit in the nosebleed section of the Forum just to catch a fading glimpse of what the legendary teams of the 80’s left behind. They were likeable underdogs who fought hard and always battled. Then came Shaq. And Phil Jackson and Kobe became Kobe. Those were the last years I liked the Lakers. Kobe lost his appeal when he shaved his mini afro and faced his legal troubles. Still, going to games was fun because, hey – going to the games are always fun. Still, these last ten years I stopped rooting for them and began just appreciating all professional basketball in general.

    Now, Los Angeles is all about the Clippers. A recent text from a buddy read: Lakers are for Fakers… I’m going to the Clips game. The abundance of Lakers flags that people used to display from outside of their car’s windows are long gone. The sea of purple and gold has been replaced by red, white and blue. And let me tell you, I have never seen anyone play pick-up basketball while wearing a Carlos Boozer jersey.

    Still, the luxury box is indeed, luxurious. I emailed my agent back a few days later and accepted the Lakers – Nuggets tickets. At least I could see Arizona Wildcat-alum Jordan Hill and possibly watch a few Jeremy Lin up–and-unders. Plus, my brother is a huge hoops fan as well and neither of us are Matthew Perry – sober. Watching two out-of-the-playoff race teams loaf up and down the court over free hot dogs and Stella Artois isn’t a bad way to spend a Tuesday night.

    I emailed my agent a week before the game to make sure he could send the tickets over.

    Feb. 3, 2015

    From ME: Hey man – excited for Lakers – Nugs game on Tuesday… Can you messenger the tickets or email them? Thx brother – Z

    From AGENT: Yo, Z – Hey man… looking into this. Looks like Chace Crawford might want the tickets after all… but it depends on if we can get him seats on the floor or not.

    From ME: You’re fired.

    When it was all said and done, Chace Crawford ended up not going, so I snagged the tickets. The game was poorly attended and didn’t even get exciting until the 4th quarter. Jack Nicholson wasn’t there. Neither was Leo. Or any other familiar celebrity face that we have all come to associate with the Lakers. Instead, it was my brother and myself, sitting amongst a bunch of 22-year-old agent assistants in the luxury suite, sipping Stella Artois and filling up the stat sheet with junk food.

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    Bieber texting and missing Kawhi Leonard dominating the 2014 NBA Finals last year.

    I looked long and hard down at the floor as the game wound down. I was having the time of my life. I guess watching LeBron James would have been a lot more entertaining, but this was still a pretty awesome way to see a basketball game. As a sports lover, sometimes it doesn’t even matter who is playing. And after Swaggy P made a three-pointer and did the eye goggles gesture with his hands, I suddenly became a Lakers fan again for the first time in ten years.

    And as I squinted hard at the row of folks seated on the floor, I believe I recognized a celebrity typing away into his iphone three seats down from the Lakers bench.

    It was Chase Crawford.

     

    Buy Zach’s newest album “Skywriting” on itunes NOW!

    Skywriting

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  • Someone get this to Bravo and Andy Cohen… #Ozempic

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Tag: Zach Selwyn

Watch Zach’s NBA Rapdate Week 5 – “Kobe”

  • December 3, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Comedy · Comedy Music News · Homepage · Sketch Comedy

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America’s Top 10 Elementary Party Schools

  • November 23, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Homepage · Short Story · The Writer · Uncategorized

elementary      By Zach Selwyn

Yep. It’s that time of year again where we crown the best K-6 party schools in the country!

10, Little Red Wagon, Marin County, CA. – Nestled north of San Francisco and south of wine country, this K-through-6 party school is known for its tech-savvy parents and their wild weekend ragers. Moms like Tricia Trophee have been known to drink wine at 2:00 in the afternoon following sessions of hot yoga. The yearly “Pumpkin Fund Raiser” has been nicknamed the “Drunken Fun Rager” by parents for years, culminating in three arrests on campus last year alone. Plus, in this MILF-heavy town, tech money goes a long way in keeping up appearances.

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Little Red Wagon Mom Tricia Trophee starts on the Chardonnay at 2 pm

  1. Studio City Elementary – Los Angeles, CA. – Forget Beverly Hills. If you want to send your school with the best looking moms and dads in the country, look no further than this private elementary that runs upwards of $28,000 a year. And it’s worth it for the parties and the parade of failed actresses and ex-models sending their kids here. Wife-swapping rumors have circulated for years, but it’s their “White Christmas” school party that impressed us. Sources say a dad is also a full-time cocaine dealer and the party (Which featured DJ Tiesto) indeed lived up to its “White Christmas” namesake.
  1. Sarah Palin Elementary, Phoenix, Az. – Re-naming this school “Sarah Palin “in 2008 wasn’t the smartest thing Phoenix officials have done, but it certainly upped the hotness factor. Ex Arizona State students who remain in the Tempe area are known to tap kegs at the 5th grade basketball games – which have broughtin many college recruiters. Plus, a 2015 study revealed that 1 in 5 parents have been featured in one way or another on internet porn websites.
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    Ex ASU Student Heather Gillespie with her newborn and a cig and some wine
  1. Denver Charter – Denver CO. – The recent legalization of marijuana in Denver earned the city nearly a billion dollars in its first year. That means parents are partying. Nearly every parent carries a vape pen and makes a nightly stop at local pot shop “The Grass Station.” (Where 15% of proceeds go back to the school). Many parents are tattooed as well can be found all winter long slamming peppermint Schnapps and hot chocolate in rented cabins and chalets across the Rocky Mountains.

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A typical pre-carpool ritual in Denver

  1. Benjamin Button Elementary – Philadelphia, PA. – Named after the dramatic 2013 film starring Brad Pitt, it got its name because every parent there seems to be looking younger as the years go on. Why? Some say it’s the HGH the school administers to parent volunteers who help out as crossing guards and lunch servers. That, coupled with a rising heroin problem, has made this school a perennial top ten on our list. Plus, one dad at the school is rumored to have seven children from 4 different women. Play on playa.
  1. Battle Creek Elementary – Battle Creek, MI. – Yearly parent parties, such as the “Hash Bash,” “Kids and Kegs” and “Pimps Up Hoes Down” have yielded plenty a “hot mom boob flash” on Snapchat. Fake boobs are a thing here, and nearly every mom loves showing off their bolt-ons once the drinks start flowing. Nearly every parent is involved in a micro brew business as well, and local craft beers keep these hard partying Midwesterners drunk and horny all year round.

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Mom Stacy Sher at last years Pimps and Hoes Party

  1. Totem Pole Elementary – Seattle WA. – The Pacific Northwest has it all. Craft beer, wine, legal weed and RAIN which keeps a lot of parents indoors. Here is where the heavy partying parents celebrate each Seahawks game with mugs of Mac and Jack beer and key parties. One Dad, Zachary Wingate, brought a 2 foot beer bong to his 6 year old daughter’s birthday last year. Nearly all the parents got hammered. With the sun going down so early, most of these parents start hitting the bottle around 3:00 – which has led to quite a few divorces and at least 9 suicides in 3 years.

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Mom Kathy Jackson was arrested for cocaine distribution last year

  1. David and Goliath K-5 – Hollywood, CA. – One mom, Rachel Steinbart, went viral last year when a topless dance photo surfaced of her living it up at the annual “Spring Fling” Carnival in April. Known as the internet famous “Best Mom Tits Ever” – she is currently negotiating a reality show about her life, her kids and her impending divorce. She is also rumored to be dating 80’s hearthrob Scott Baio. (Just another day I Hollywood, I guess). Other famous parents at the elementary include Minnie Driver, Ex Pornstar Taylor Canzzz and one of the Baldwin brothers. (Not Alec). With most parents barely caring about their kids education, this school is known for its expense accounts, liquor bills at Mastro’s and overall hungover disposition.

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Mom and ex-pornstar Taylor Canzzz

  1. Deerborn Elementary – Silver Lake, CA. – With the hotness factor skewing younger and younger, this $32,000 a year private K-6 is home to some of the best looking parents we’ve ever seen. (If you can ignore a resting bitch face once in awhile). The hair is perfect and the bodies taut and tight. This leads to a lot of swimming parties including Summer’s “Drool in my Pool” and the “Midsummer Wet Dream” party hosted by former Playboy editor Robert Carlotta at his 9800 square foot home. Deerborn released a popular 12-month calendar last year called “Milfs in Thongs” which sold out and raised $140,000 for the school.
  1. Goodenough Elementary – San Diego CA. Last year’s #1 repeats as the drugs got better and the yearly “School Trip to Burning Man” got saucier. Parents have been known to do molly on weekends during soccer games and smoke weed at the legendary 4:20 statue on campus. Gar Thomas has 3 kids from 3 ex-models. Stacy Brown is a swimsuit and lingerie model with a 3rd grader. Hart Fraulich is rumored to have slept with the (very sexy ) and hard partying 3rd grade teacher Katie Pollen – as well as Christine Cox, a volunteer music teacher. Everyone is beautiful and nearly everyone is high. Pure MDMA can be bought from the janitor and San Diego’s wild, sexy attitude runs rampant through this gorgeous $40,000 a year campus. Look out for the “Halloweenis” party where parents trick or treat drunk and have been known to copulate on lawns of neighborhood homes.
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    3rd Grade Teacher Katie Pollen

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Watch Zach Perform His New Song “Watch The Horses” Live!

  • November 19, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Homepage · Music · Uncategorized · Zachariah & The Lobos Riders

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Seven Celebrities You Didn’t Realize Were Once Children!

  • November 3, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Comedy · Homepage · The Writer

Seven Celebrities You Didn’t Realize Were Once Children! By celebrity blogger Zach Selwyn.

NUMBER 6 is SHOCKING!

Sure, you know them by their famous personas. But, did you know that these seven celebrities grew up as kids once just like you and me? Scroll down to begin slideshow.

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  1. JESSICA BIEL

Yep. Believe it or not, Jessica Biel was not always the stunning late 20’s beauty you have grown accustomed to watching on the screen! She was once a child! She was born and had to be potty trained and then grew up and had dreams. At one point she was in elementary school!

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  1. CHANNING TATUM

Sure we all know Channinug Tatum as the oily bo-hunk stripper from the Magic Mike franchise… and 21 Jump Street. But did you know that he was once a toddler? And then was in kindergarten too? He even has a mom and dad! Yep, he might be in his 30’s now, but he was once a little kid.

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  1. The Weeknd

Pop superstar The Weeknd was actually born Abel Tesfaye and was once a newborn baby, then he was five, ten… and eventually 12! His childhood was full of fun! And toys! He even once went to 3rd grade!

Image: Dwayne

  1. Dwayne The Rock Johnson

Die hard wrestling fans first met The Rock when he was in his early 20’s. But did you know that he had a teenage period and was even a newborn once? He played little league and other things that kids do! Amazingly, he wasn’t always the chiseled action hero you see in the movies. He didn’t even get that tattoo until he was older!

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  1. Frank Sinatra

Hard to grasp, but childhood isn’t exactly a NEW celebrity phenomenon. In fact, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself once peed in a diaper and cried for a bottle. He slept in a crib and had stuffed animals and cried for his parents. Rumor is, back in New Jersey, Sinatra was once unable to walk – and could only crawl. Luck be a Lady indeed.

HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 1: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the game against the Houston Rockets on March 1, 2015 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

  1. LeBron James

The youngest NBA player to ever get to 25,000 points – was once the youngest kid on the playground! Sure he’s an athletic specimen now, but Lebron James was once just a tiny little dude being breast fed and spanked. He was, indeed, a child once. Then he had a growth spurt and SLAM A JAMMA! He became a basketball player.

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  1. Barack Obama

Woah! Yeah, best believe that! Even our US President – Barack Obama was once a kid. He ran around and said goo goo gah gah and probably threw a rattle at the family dog. He even had to learn his ABC’s and how to add and subtract! This little guy went from a crib to the Oval Office! But he was once a little kid!

CLICK FOR NEXT SLIDE SHOW

NINE CELEBRITIES WHO ONCE HAD BABY TEETH (#4 will BLOW YOUR MIND)

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Model GiGi Hadid once had baby teeth!

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Watch Zach’s new People Magazine “Rap Up” for this week’s Issue!

  • October 30, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Comedy · Comedy Music News · Homepage · Sketch Comedy

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Read Zach’s New Short Story “I’ve Been Doing Extra Work… and I Want to Kill Myself.”

  • October 8, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Comedy · Hero · Homepage · Short Story · Television · The Writer

Extras Holding =>

        I am uncomfortably straddling a white folding chair with 40 other people, ages ranging from 21-60 on a 103-degree day in Alta Dena waiting to work as an extra on a network TV show for the day. The pay isn’t terrible – $142.37 – or something like that, plus whatever gargantuan amounts of Craft Service snacks, candy, sodas and mini sandwiches I can shove into my shoulder bag to take home, but the overall feeling is grim. There is some old Greek food suffering beneath a sneeze guard nearby, a lot of discarded banana peels and a large fan blowing cool air towards us to keep us comfortable – like we’re NFL running backs playing a September game in Phoenix.

The scene has a prison-like feel to it. There are the lifers, the newbies and the guys who are only here for a few days trying to get their health insurance. I fall into that last category, but the fear of getting sexually assaulted by one of the older “inmates” is very real. Only problem is I can’t kick anyone’s ass to prove that I’m “tough.” Instead, I choose to bury myself into my iphone and hope the 45% charge lasts another 8 hours.

A year ago I was in New York City promoting my own TV show in Times Square for Tru TV. Now I am listening to a 22-year-old kid talk about how Hot Tub Time Machine is the main reason he dropped out of college to try to make it as an actor. You gotta love this business.

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Typical extras holding area
The majority of chatter amongst these “background players” or “atmosphere” is about the world of extras. Many relay the legendary scene in Ben Hur where an extra forgot to take his watch off during the chariot race. (Look it up – it’s hilarious).  Others talk about how Ricky Gervais ripped off their idea when he did his Extras TV show. However, the subject that keeps coming up time and time again is the “bump up.” A “bump up” is when an extra is promoted from an extra to a principal role. Suddenly, the lucky bloke can go from zero to hero and earn Screen Actors Guild daily rate. However, according to everyone, incidents like that are more rare than finding a piece of sushi that hasn’t been in the sun for six hours beneath the cast and crew food canopy.

I am here today because I need to make $6300 before the end of the year as a way to qualify for Screen Actors Guild health insurance, a plan I have somehow managed to attain for the past twelve years. This year, however, the jobs dried up, a ton of work went non-union and I have finally aged out of the commercial actor category of “young, shaggy haired beer-drinking party guy.”

At this pay rate, it will take me working nearly every day for three months to earn the necessary SAG income to keep my family on the health plan. Alternative options – Obamacare and Cobra – basically guarantee that I will be paying 75% more money for lesser benefits. It has long been noted that SAG has terrific health care. The problem is that you need to earn an outrageous amount of money to qualify for it, and this year has been an ice bath as far as SAG work has been going.

“My dad was Jimmy Smits’ stand-in on LA Law,” a man named Sonny who was dressed as a Native American jewelry salesman bragged to the lot of us huddled beneath the blue pop-up tent. “He told me to find a niche as an extra. When I started out I only played Latino, only roles were for prisoners or a gang members. Now that I play Native American, I work all the time.”

I suddenly found myself wishing I had some Native American cheekbones.

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Snacks all day long at Craft Service. Experienced extras call it “Crafty.”
As the day rolled along, I began to hear everybody’s story. You coop someone up for long enough, they will eventually tell you their life’s narrative. Every extra on set seemed to have a tale about the one legendary time they were “bumped up” to a principal role.  One woman claimed she was bumped on Two and a Half Men because Charlie Sheen fired the original woman who had been cast for her one line of “Suck it, Charlie.” A guy who often plays blue-collar types said he got his bump on Dharma and Greg and had his career-defining moment in a bar fight scene when he raised his fists and said, “Meet my two friends… Mary-Kate and Ashley.”

And then there was Sonny, who said he specifically learned the extinct Native American language Kiowa to nab a line in a Civil War series. His line was “D’on T’ap Piii.” Which translates roughly to “See deer eating.”

I stared at Sonny for a long while. He did look familiar, as that Native American guy you sort of see in films, but I wasn’t sure. Which meant he was a great extra. One who blended in. He bragged of his work on The Alamo, Oz, The Longest Yard, Texas Rising, Hatfields and McCoys. Dances With Wolves and of course, That 70’s Show. The way he saw it, he was an integral part of these films. A guy who went uncredited – but felt he deserved all the success.

“There should be an extras lifetime achievement award,” he offered.

As a young actor, I did some extra work at age 22. At the time, like most young dreamers, I thought I was a small break away from my own series and I treated the other kids in the high school dance scene like castaways and future failures. When I started booking some jobs and enjoying the confines of an air-conditioned trailer with a private bathroom, I swore I’d never go back to the extras holding again. Yet, here I was. A 15-year TV veteran with a decent resume that I was too embarrassed to share with the other inmates. I decided to shut up and do my time and maybe get out of there with a few Clif bars and some coconut water.

Then, there was a call to action.

“Peter, Mike, Donna, Marla, Zach – party scene, now!” An Assistant Director yelled at us, directing us towards the makeup department to get touched up.

I put down my phone and walked over to the area, when Donna, one of the younger extras, mentioned that she often worked on the show. She then proceeded to refer to one of the makeup artists as her “glam squad.”

A short, effeminate man named Ty erupted in her face.

“Don’t call me ‘glam,’ don’t call me ‘glam squad’ or I’ll shove this hairbrush up your ass,” he screamed.

Emily, another makeup artist stopped him before any penetration took place. It was surreal. Never in my life had I seen a fight between an extra and a makeup artist. It was like the Cubs-Pirates bench clearing brawl in the National League Wild Card this season. You couldn’t believe it was happening.

It was a major altercation. Apparently, Ty was sent home and Donna was threatening to sue the show for harassment. It didn’t make sense. In my opinion, being called the “glam squad” wasn’t nearly as bad as being referred to as “background” or “ambience.”

My scene was fairly easy. I had to drink some iced tea and mouth the words “peas and carrots” to another extra. The entire time I was placed in the corner of the party and they shot about 9 angles and we let the main actress do six takes before she was happy. As the director stood merely three feet from me, I tried to convince him that a line would be appropriate for my character. I pitched him ““D’on T’ap Piii.”

He didn’t respond. Apparently he didn’t speak Kiowa.

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Kiowa. A lost language.
Lunch was at 1:00 and the extras were told to not touch or come near any food until the entire cast and crew had eaten. I was actually quite full from snacking – so I didn’t need to rush, but a lot of the extras bitched and moaned about the lack of respect. I turned to a fellow extra named Tony, who was about my age.

“Why can’t everyone just relax?” I asked him.

“Welcome to the Screen Extras Guild,” he responded.

An hour later, following one of those naps when you fall asleep with your chin in your hand, there was a small rumbling about a potential bump up for one of the extras. Apparently, a producer had seen one of us and wanted to add a line. The bit was that the lucky person would confront the female star of the show – who was wearing a fur jacket – with an uncomfortable long hug and then said, “you feel like a plushie.” All the extras began rehearsing their lines as if this was an audition for the next Coen Brothers film and we all got excited. I even took a walk around the tent and worked on my delivery.

Eventually, the female star and the director came to the extras tent and started looking around at all of us as if we were cattle being sold at a livestock auction. The female actress passed the first few folks, skipped the youngsters and then whispered to her director, “I need a middle-aged schlub.”

I am certainly creeping up on middle age, but I don’t feel like I look that way. I’m in great shape and still have hair and my skin has been hiding from the sun throughout the years as I write my life away. However, I was chosen as one of the three finalists to play “middle-aged schlub.”

We all went and had a private audition with the actress and director. I immediately messed up my hair, raised my jeans to mom-jean height and did my best to look like a total Midwestern chump who would give a hot girl a “long hug” and make her uncomfortable.

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The author – doing his best to appear like a middle aged schlub.
“Mmm, you feel like a fluff – wait, what’s the line?” The first guy said, immediately messing up his chances.

“You feel like a plushie,” said the next guy who was 40 pounds heavier and 100% balder than me.

When my turn came, I looked deeply into the actress’ eyes. She stared back at me for about five seconds. I knew this was my job to lose… so I did my best to “eye-bang” her and get the job on the spot. Instead, before I could get my line out, she interrupted me.

“You look like that guy from that Tru TV show,” she said.

“I am that guy!”

“What are you doing in the extras tent?” She replied.

“Trying to get my health insurance,” I said, hoping she would feel my pain and give me the bump up on the spot. I dug deeper into my plea, mentioning that my family had been sick a lot the past year and I was a huge fan of the show.

“You might be too recognizable,” she blurted. “Second guy, you got the job.”
And with that, the fat, bald guy went off to his own folding chair, better food and a holding area behind the video village where the producers and directors hung out.

I returned to my spot in the tent. All the other extras wanted to know what had happened and I told them I relayed the story as best I could. When I mentioned that the female star had said I was “too recognizable” the tent wanted to know why. After all, not one of these folks had any idea who I was. I told them. Nobody had even heard of my show.

“I get recognized all the time,” said Sonny. “People stop me when I walk down the street.”

The rest of the day I watched my phone dwindle down towards the 3% range and eventually die. In a way, I felt like that iphone charge… A year back I was flying high at 100%. Now, I was hanging onto 3.

costner-night-shift
Actor Kevin Costner as a beer-swilling extra in the film “Night Shift” (1982) A legend to extras everywhere.
Before I left, I managed to fill my bag with enough high fructose corn syrup snacks to kill a small village and I hopped into the first awaiting white van that would shuttle us back to the parking lot. Luckily, I ended up in the same row as the female lead actress from earlier.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m sorry about that moment back there… I just recognized you from that other show – I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

“Amazingly, you’re the first person to know me from that like, ever,” I said.

She smiled.

“I’ll tell you what. Give me your manager’s name and I’ll make sure we get you in for a small role this season,” she offered.

I couldn’t believe it. Here she was telling me that she would go out of her way to get me a speaking part on her show. I got her personal email and said I’d be sending my demo reel and headshot over immediately. We exchanged good-byes and I returned my mom jeans to the costume department and signed out for the day.

As I walked to my car, the lead actress shook my hand and said I would be hearing from the production office very soon.

As of today, I’m still waiting for that call…

Watch Zach’s new video, “Nirvana T-Shirt”

 

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Watch a Full Episode of “America’s Secret Slang” below!

  • October 5, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · America's Secret Slang · Comedy · Film/TV · Television · TV Shows

Watch a clip of “America’s Secret Slang” below!!

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Watch Zach’s Freestyle From The Hotel Cafe 9-26-15

  • September 29, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Comedy Music News · Homepage · Music · Zachariah & The Lobos Riders

While were waiting for the direct link – here is a highlight from Zachariah’s show from last Saturday at Hotel Cafe – Enjoy the freestyle!

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153229659801242&id=300562279960504

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Kanye West: A Love Letdown at the Hollywood Bowl

  • September 26, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Homepage · Short Story · The Writer

-4 A lot of people give me a hard time about how much I love Kanye West. Other than the Yeezus album I consider his masterful body of work to be nearly flawless and I really don’t give a shit if he storms Grammy Awards stages to criticize critics and people who spend their lives worshipping pop stars. Kim Kardashian? Cool, the guy fell in love. Good for him.

Which is why when I heard he was going to perform his genre-bending classic record 808’s and Heartbreak at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend, I got excited. Very excited. Like drop some major money for great seats excited.

-6
808’s and Heartbreak. Groundbreaking record.

Kanye West says wants to be in the same conversation as the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Beatles etc. Last night he went on at 9:05 p.m. He took a final bow at 10:07. That’s ONE HOUR, people. My band plays longer than that and we charge $7.00 a show. Kanye played the album, had some impressive choreography, musicianship and pyrotechnics – and then called it a wrap. Sure, the 808’s record is terrific – but it is not perfect – and a lot of Kanye fans have no idea that there is even a song called Pinnocchio Story in his repertoire. So, he could have dug a little deeper.

Here’s the bottom line. Kanye better learn that he needs to add on some other songs to any live performance.

Not sure if it has been reported, but the show was full of technical flaws – which I know he can’t help – (dead air, barking “stop the track” mid song…) but when Young Jeezy showed up in the middle of a blank spot during Amazing it just looked amateurish. As if Jeezy had been getting some brain backstage while smoking a blunt and forgot that he had to be performing on the song Kanye was laying down. James Brown would have crippled someone.

-5
Visually impressive, but technically flawed.

To charge $$$ for a 1 hour performance – when the majority of the crowd left disappointed, feeling ripped off  – is not professional or legendary. About 3/4 of us sat around asking, “Is that IT?” When he took a bow at the end… And his onstage energy at times was lackluster – resembling that lazy stripper who never really does anything but hang on the pole.

The crowd was full of music heads. Nearly every guy wearing a T-shirt with a scoop neck and a long back that resembled a mini skirt – a style nearly invented by Kanye himself – looked like they were underwhelmed. (To be fair, the best part of the show was the people watching – All the guys looked like they were only there because they had to step away from their busy “beat-making for Akon” schedule and every woman seemed as if they took three hours getting ready to channel their “inner Kendall Jenner.”)

Kanye said he wants to be remembered like the Stones or Bob Dylan. Look buddy. Neil Young might play “Greendale” once in awhile, but he also throws on “Old Man” and “Hey Hey My My” at the end. Springsteen will do the entire “Darkness at the Edge of Town” but he will still suffer through “Glory Days” at the end as well… Kanye West needs to study the master performers a little deeper before he can consider himself one. Hopefully tonight’s show will go a little smoother.

Or you can skip it and see my band at the Hotel Café for $7.00…

 

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Watch Zach’s New Video for “Nirvana T-Shirt”

  • September 18, 2015
  • by zachselwyn
  • · Hero · Homepage · Music · Zachariah & The Lobos Riders

Zachariah’s new song explores the corporate logo marketing travesty that all of us 90’s kids endure every time we see a Nirvana or Ramones shirt for sale in Target or Wal-Mart. Back in 1992 I had to go to the concert to buy a $30 shirt. Now the logo is on onesies.

DOWNLOAD SONG HERE! – https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nirvana-t-shirt-single/id1035706248

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