Hungry Anyone?

The guy in this new movie is. I was able to be on set with Trent, of Trentertainment Films, and got to photograph the making of his newest Student Film "Hungry". It was a lot of fun and a much smaller cast than his last movie "The Smelly Janitor" which I also had a part in. Shooting with my Nikon D80, and watching the action unfold is a great experience for me. Big Thanks to Trent for the opportunity. I also met some cool actors and a wonderful D.P. (That's Director of Photography for those who don't know) Todd Valcourt. Also of note, was Pip Lilly who played a homeless man and got to munch on potato chip crumbs during his scene. Pip, you were great, and I also enjoyed getting to know you, as well as photograph you in action.

The film is going to be done in Black and White (or gray scale as we currently call it) to emulate old silent films - think Charlie Chaplin. It should be fun and I believe Trent will have it finished later this week.

Thanks again for the wonderful opportunity to watch you work and document things with you.

Thanks to all my readers

--Rex Hoss

Thanks and Giving

Since the traditional Holiday Season is now upon us with Tomorrow being Thanksgiving. I thought I'd take a moment to contemplate how thankful I am for all that life has given me this year. I've had an amazing time this year. I've been in two plays, a movie, been on many interesting auditions. I've met some amazing people who I can't begin to list but I'm thankful for meeting everyone I have had the pleasure of working with and/or getting to know in my various endeavors. I've reconnected with some old friends and mad new ones. I've taken some amazing photographs and been fortunate enough to have and add to my photographic equipment. I've had an amazing job which provides me a good lifestyle and opportunity. I've shed over 20 pounds and I'm looking and feeling better than last year. That's only a partial list, but it drives the point home. I have a LOT to be thankful for this year and my readers and supports are definitely part of what I'm thankful for.

Now try this yourself - Make a list of the things you're thankful for in your life. It can be as detailed as you like - it's up to you. But remember as you sit down to that feast tomorrow that you do indeed have much to be thankful for. Also remember to be thankful for the small things - I can afford to pay my bills, I have ability to recognize beauty in this world. It's addictive and fun, but more importantly, it's also life-changing. See as you focus on what you are thankful for, you will actually draw more of that to you. Some call this the "law of attraction", but I know it's true and working in my life.

So go ahead, give thanks, be grateful, enjoy the Holidays, friendship, family, the crazy shopping spree (you know you love shopping). Enjoy it all and rejoice in this wonderful journey we're all on called life!

I love you all,

-- Thankfully, Rex Hoss

Is Your Future Looking Sketchy? Mine Is.

And if you hang out with me on a few select nights in December and January, your future will be sketchy too. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Hot on the heals of my amazing performance in "The Smelly Janitor", I've been asked to be part of a new Sketch Comedy Show. It's being put on by Chris Berubian, of The Berubians theatre Company. The schedule and location is also a little sketchy (pun definitely intended) but I believe we'll start the 2nd week in December for about 6 weeks. The first show will probably be in Anaheim at the 2nd Stage Theatre. The remaining shows will be in LA at The Next Stage Theatre. Shows will be on Friday Nights ONLY. Yep, one show a week. Again, the exact dates aren't clear to me - look for a future blog post for that info.

I hope all of you can make it to see my sketchy debut, and thus make your future a little sketchy as well.

-- Rex Hoss

College Review

I saw "The Little College on a Hill" last night because my friend and fellow actor Leon Cohen was in it. The Play was written by two of Dominguez Hills Alumni and was basically a brief history lesson of the University mixed with insightful and apparently true stories of some of the students and faculty of the school. It was acted well by all. Leon did a great job as President Leo Cain - the schools first President. It was an interesting mix of live acting and many pictures and video from the schools past. There was a little diffcutly understanding some of the video, mostly because of the sound quality, but generally it was minor. The actors were all great - perhaps I'll get to work with some of them one day. There are only two more shows - tonight and Sunday afternoon. If you want to learn about the College, support the arts and be entertained - Go see the show.

Debut of "The Smelly Janitor"

Click on the video below to watch "The Smelly Janitor". A film by my friend and fellow actor Trent. I met Trent several years ago at a school we were both teaching at. Since Trent was an actor and at the time, I was just beginning my journey into acting, and because we're both a little nuts (and computer geeks too), we became fast friends. I always knew Trent had a lot of talent, and working with him on his Second Film School project, I got to witness his talent first hand. I think the film is both funny and well done (for a sophomore film-school effort, heck for any effort) and clearly shows his talent for writing, directing acting, and basically story telling.

I am thrilled to have been a part of it. I was both an actor in it, and also served to document the film by being the 'still photographer' and behind-the-scenes photographer. The cast was all great! A special kudos goes out to my friend Josie Nicholas who was cast (at my suggestion) as the 'lady with the walker'.

You can also check out more about the film, and Trent's other, and upcoming projects at his website.

-- By Rex Hoss

How to Tame Wild Warts

 A couple of months ago I had finally reached critical mass with my computer room/office/photography studio/spare bedroom! Rather I should say I'd finally had enough with the gigantic tangle and MESS of wires, cords, connectors, electric plugs, which has spawned like demon rabbits under my computer desk. Admittedly I'm a tech junkie, so I have just a very few tech gadgets in my office. That is if two computer, two printers, one scanner, three USB drives, mice, tablets, Pocket PCs, speakers, monitors, TV, and...I'm sure I missed a few items, but you get the idea. Anyway, I've been annoyed about the tangle by my feet since I moved a year and a half ago. I have been reading various things online about getting organized and, during my critical mass breakdown mentioned above, I decided to start doing something about it. It started slowly, I got the cords and connects and power strips off the floor (to be covered in another post) and then I had the Epiphany! I have since had my brilliant idea confirmed as brilliant by a couple of other bloggers. There it is: Now to Tame Wild Warts! Of course I'm referring to wall warts, or the bulbous, bulky transformers which accompany nearly EVERY electronic gadget sold in the last 10 years!

The problem is this! You decide to get organized and plug all your devices neatly (with some king of logic hopefully) into a power strip. Then you have a seemingly innocent event...You need to unplug your, oh, say, cable modem because you lost your Internet connection and can't finish reading my blog post. You duck under your desk and look frantically for the ONE PLUG which will need to be temporarily unplugged and then reinserted into the outlet. YIKES! You have at least 14 or more devices all plugged mercilessly into power strips - which one goes to the cable modem??!?!?

The Solution! Label all your warts! It takes only a minute, and using one of those ever so convenient P-Touch labelers which everyone should have right next to their stapler, it's so easy - even fun! Why take the time you think - I have have linksys modem, the plug probably says the manufacture name on it right? Wrong! Most plugs are not labeled and you may have several similar plugs anyway. By labeling the plugs you know instantly what device it's used for.

This may seem trivial, but it has already made a world of difference for me. It's also very handy if, like me, you carry several devices around with you (external hard drive, battery chargers for my phone, IPaq, etc.) I grab into the bag for the phone charger and because it's labeled, I can easily find it!

So go ahead, get your warts under control - label them and see how much nicer they are to you.

-- Rex Hoss

How to Post Pictures Online Instantly

Eye-Fi Inc., has just recently unveiled their lastest WOW product! The Eye-Fi Card – the world's first wireless SD memory card for digital cameras. The Eye-Fi Card uses home Wi-Fi networks to create an effortless and convenient way for users to send photographs from digital cameras to PCs, Macs and online photo and social networking sites.

What you say? How can it be? The great wireless devide has now been crossed. While there are plenty of 2Gig SD cards on the market this product is so much more! It's WOW factor is in the ability to transmit your pictures AS you take them to your wirelessly connected PC or MAC. It can also upload your precious pixels directly to your favorite photo sharing site, Flickr, Picasa, etc.

It works just like a regular SD card and can hold potentially hundreds of pictures on it's own (depending on your camera and settings), but also wirelessly transmits those images to your computer or favorite photo site.

It reatials for $99.00 and is expected by the company to be a big hit for the Holiday season - heck, a friend of mine has already asked me if that's what I want for Christmas! Hmm, can I wait that long to get my hands on one of these beauties?

You can check out more details here: at DPReview

Happy clicking!

--Rex Hoss