Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
My Favorite Bunny
Donna & me at Corey Feldman's house
Our Valentine's Day party
Hey World,
Check out my gorgeous Auntie Bunny:
Donna Spangler is both genuine and gorgeous. I love her because she is so much fun to be around! Donna maintains her perfect 10 Playmate model body. She's a great role model. Check out her website.
Auntie Bunny lives in a pretty colonial style house in Beverly Hills. She is adorable and super sweet.
XO,
Alexandra
Our Valentine's Day party
Hey World,
Check out my gorgeous Auntie Bunny:
Donna Spangler is both genuine and gorgeous. I love her because she is so much fun to be around! Donna maintains her perfect 10 Playmate model body. She's a great role model. Check out her website.
Auntie Bunny lives in a pretty colonial style house in Beverly Hills. She is adorable and super sweet.
XO,
Alexandra
Sunday, March 4, 2012
LOVE & Engagement Talk by My Pool
Alex Dinovi Audition from Jonathan Tanzman on Vimeo.
Hey World,
This is from the MTV show "Connected" I was on hold for over Thanksgiving. Joseph was definitely sitting by the pool while the casting director taped this...lolz
Love,
Alex
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
My Method & When I Sobbed in Meisner Class
Hey World,
This entry was inspired by a question from a reader:
"If u want to be an actress do u have to show your natural self?" -Jamie A.
My response:
Jamie, this is a complex issue since each actor has their own methods that work for them. I like to use parts of myself in each role but I utilize many other inspirations for roles, such as images, playing with physical changes, vocal changes, posture, journaling thoughts of the character, clothing, hair style, makeup, and all kinds of unique forms of inspirational experiences. Usually when I read a story, I get a sense of what I feel moves me most about the character and I want to discover as much as I can about their background (whether I create this from my own imagination or not.)
As far as acting is concerned, Second City gave me my first break in allowing me true freedom of expression, pushed me to truly be present, and develop good listening skills with other actors. When I studied Meisner in 2008-09, (another form of acting) I had a major breakthrough experience in my work. I learned a lot about parts of acting that actually scared me. I had studied Method before, but Meisner was different and dangerous for me. It required mass amounts of hours of imaginative work. I remember, in one Meisner class, I sobbed so hard. It was the most dangerous risk I had taken in my work outside of improv. It was real. I was in the moment and I was combining my past Method work with a Meisner exercise that became a life changing experience. I utilized myself and I took that with me in my next film role. (This happened at Act One Studios, Chicago, and I can thank my upbeat, eccentric, wonderful teacher, Laura Sturm.)
I remember, I told my acting coach, Gretchen Sonstroem, at the time all about the experience in class. "I know what I need to do. I get where I need to go and I know how to tap into it." It felt dangerous because there are many other methodologies out there that say, it's not a good idea to use real life experiences, especially in stage work, since this can emotionally damage an actor offstage. However, in film, I feel there are less takes, for the most part, in comparison to a six or nine week run with multitudinous rehearsals. Other teachers have inspired me to do whatever it takes to serve up the story.
So, on my next set, I will delve into this in another blog, but I took my new discovery to my role. It was such a great experience. However, I left set highly melancholy. I personalized the entire situation and allowed myself to live in the moment. It was painful in real life. It was surreal and mind-blowing. I played a lead in an independent feature and I remember this one scene on the balcony, I left set holding my cinematographer's hand, wiping my face full of tears. "You were great babe." He held my hand and hugged me so hard. He knew in his heart that I utilized my entire being in order to tell this story.
***
I strongly prefer my own combination of Method and Meisner. In fact, at this point, in my own craft, I would like to consider it "method-less." I would like to give myself creative license to say, "Hey, I know what works, I don't need to label it. Depending on the character, story, and specific situation, the tactics I will use are going to change." I can't say, "Oh, Method will work in every acting situation. Or, oh, Improv will always work. There are NO absolute rules in acting, as far as I am concerned. That's what moves me so much.
Acting is unpredictable. The stories we tell change based upon delivery and the choices we make shape it. I'm a firm believer in making STRONG choices when it comes to any work whether in acting, writing, or direction. "Today is the day." Actors need to decide what their opinions are and they should be extremely strong ones.
At the end of the day, my main priorities are: 1.) Listening 2.) Knowing exactly what my specific intentions are 3.) Being present in the moment
I hope this answers your question!
Warmly,
Alex DiNovi
This entry was inspired by a question from a reader:
"If u want to be an actress do u have to show your natural self?" -Jamie A.
My response:
Jamie, this is a complex issue since each actor has their own methods that work for them. I like to use parts of myself in each role but I utilize many other inspirations for roles, such as images, playing with physical changes, vocal changes, posture, journaling thoughts of the character, clothing, hair style, makeup, and all kinds of unique forms of inspirational experiences. Usually when I read a story, I get a sense of what I feel moves me most about the character and I want to discover as much as I can about their background (whether I create this from my own imagination or not.)
As far as acting is concerned, Second City gave me my first break in allowing me true freedom of expression, pushed me to truly be present, and develop good listening skills with other actors. When I studied Meisner in 2008-09, (another form of acting) I had a major breakthrough experience in my work. I learned a lot about parts of acting that actually scared me. I had studied Method before, but Meisner was different and dangerous for me. It required mass amounts of hours of imaginative work. I remember, in one Meisner class, I sobbed so hard. It was the most dangerous risk I had taken in my work outside of improv. It was real. I was in the moment and I was combining my past Method work with a Meisner exercise that became a life changing experience. I utilized myself and I took that with me in my next film role. (This happened at Act One Studios, Chicago, and I can thank my upbeat, eccentric, wonderful teacher, Laura Sturm.)
I remember, I told my acting coach, Gretchen Sonstroem, at the time all about the experience in class. "I know what I need to do. I get where I need to go and I know how to tap into it." It felt dangerous because there are many other methodologies out there that say, it's not a good idea to use real life experiences, especially in stage work, since this can emotionally damage an actor offstage. However, in film, I feel there are less takes, for the most part, in comparison to a six or nine week run with multitudinous rehearsals. Other teachers have inspired me to do whatever it takes to serve up the story.
So, on my next set, I will delve into this in another blog, but I took my new discovery to my role. It was such a great experience. However, I left set highly melancholy. I personalized the entire situation and allowed myself to live in the moment. It was painful in real life. It was surreal and mind-blowing. I played a lead in an independent feature and I remember this one scene on the balcony, I left set holding my cinematographer's hand, wiping my face full of tears. "You were great babe." He held my hand and hugged me so hard. He knew in his heart that I utilized my entire being in order to tell this story.
***
I strongly prefer my own combination of Method and Meisner. In fact, at this point, in my own craft, I would like to consider it "method-less." I would like to give myself creative license to say, "Hey, I know what works, I don't need to label it. Depending on the character, story, and specific situation, the tactics I will use are going to change." I can't say, "Oh, Method will work in every acting situation. Or, oh, Improv will always work. There are NO absolute rules in acting, as far as I am concerned. That's what moves me so much.
Acting is unpredictable. The stories we tell change based upon delivery and the choices we make shape it. I'm a firm believer in making STRONG choices when it comes to any work whether in acting, writing, or direction. "Today is the day." Actors need to decide what their opinions are and they should be extremely strong ones.
At the end of the day, my main priorities are: 1.) Listening 2.) Knowing exactly what my specific intentions are 3.) Being present in the moment
I hope this answers your question!
Warmly,
Alex DiNovi
Monday, December 19, 2011
WOULD YOU LIKE A 2013 FORD ESCAPE? We're giving one away.
EVERYONE! @talonreid & I WILL BE GIVING AWAY a 2013 FORD ESCAPE WORTH $55,000 on FORD'S #escaperoutes FOLLOW US ON TWITTER to WIN! @alexdinovi
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
"A Beautiful Mess"
You've got the best of both worlds
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
And lift him back up again
You are strong but you're needy,
Humble but you're greedy
And based on your body language,
And shoddy cursive I've been reading
Your style is quite selective,
though your mind is rather reckless
Well I guess it just suggests
that this is just what happiness is
Hey, what a beautiful mess this is
It's like picking up trash in dresses
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write
Kind of turn themselves into knives
And don't mind my nerve you could call it fiction
But I like being submerged in your contradictions, dear
'Cause here we are, here we are
Although you were biased I love your advice
Your comebacks ‒ they're quick
And probably have to do with your insecurities
There's no shame in being crazy,
Depending on how you take these
Words that paraphrasing this relationship we're staging
And what a beautiful mess, yes it is
It's like picking up trash in dresses
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say
Kind of turn themselves into blades
And the kind and courteous is a life I've heard
But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt
'Cause here, here we are, here we are
Here we are [x7]
We're still here
What a beautiful mess this is
It's like taking a guess when the only answer is "Yes"
Through timeless words and priceless pictures
We'll fly like birds not of this earth
And tides ‒ they turn ‒ and hearts disfigure
But that's no concern when we're wounded together
And we tore our dresses and stained our shirts
But it's nice today. Oh, the wait was so worth it.
-Jason Mraz
Monday, October 31, 2011
I LOVE HALLOWEEN
Hey World,
OMG I LOVE Halloween. It's great because it's a time of year when it's okay to be dark, eerie, and into like cruising by the Hollywood Cemetery. (Honestly, I enjoy being edgy, mysterious, and chilling at the cemetery throughout the year, but Halloween just makes everything better.) I recently checked out this AMAZING Halloween special written by Mr. Sawyer Hartman. I like it a lot because the story is totally eerie. Check it:
"A Haunting In Hollywood (Halloween Special)"
We went to a really dope Halloween party at my friend from Hinsdale's house out here in the Hollywood Hills. It's so crazy how a handful of wonderful Hinsdale people have ended up out in the Hollywood Hills :) and that makes me incredibly happy. I'm so happy to be able to connect with great people in the City of Angels. So the party was rad. The Schude brothers went all out. They have an awesome house and jammed out with a live band, stilt walkers, fire-eaters, and much more dark Halloween mayhem. In the meantime, I've been rockin' "BITTEN" by Wet Paint, the new Hollywood hip nail polish brand, unlike any other, which includes bases and glazes to create multitudinous colors.
A few weeks ago, I attended The Pool Boys movie premiere with Talon Reid, one of my favorite Young Hollywood best buddies. We had SUCH a fun night! Talon knows everyone and I know a lot of people, so it was great to run into so many fun different kinds of people. We sat with Tom Arnold and he is a riot. He not only was fun to be around, but he MADE the movie. Matthew Lillard looks so sharp. Wow, what a great-looking guy, who really takes care of himself. mmmmm SCREAM :) :)
Not long ago, Talon hosted a really nice charity event at his uncle's house in the hills, for a solid charity called The Dream Again Campaign. Talon and I are both philanthropists for Dream Again and please check it ;) Through this campaign, we are working to end human trafficking.
Anyway, I've been super busy lately with lots of fun events and work. I'm trying to lay low and become more underground because going to all of the events can become super overwhelming and time consuming. It often steals my focus from creative work. On the other hand, many of the events I attend are interesting and inspiring. Moreover, I enjoy supporting good work. For example, I recently attended my friend, Illeana's premiere for her hilarious show, "Easy to Assemble." It was great to support her and meet a lot of her friends. Illeana Douglas is sharp, sweet, and extremely zealous. In addition, I attended the "Dirty Girl" movie premiere in Hollywood a few weeks ago. That was a really special night because the director, Abe Sylvia and some of the cast shared some intimate moments and it was quite moving. Furthermore, Jeremy Dozier is a bright new talent and I adore Juno Temple!
On a side note, I want to share with you my secret training ground. BHP aka Beverly Hills Playhouse It's wonderful because it's a safe place where I can grow and learn as an artist. I love the vibe at the BHP.
Love,
Lexi
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