Hungry for a “Book”ing…

About two months ago, Emma auditioned for the part of a lead character in The Hunger Games. I can’t say which role because we were asked to keep it confidential.

The movie is based on a very popular book trilogy by author Suzanne Collins–a post-apocalyptic “Survivor” meets “Lord of the Flies” meets “Gladiator” ish.

Casting for the film was still in stealth mode when we were sent her sides–they arrived watermarked to make sure we didn’t plan on sharing the script with the public at large;  there had been reports of a manuscript being leaked to the press.

We hadn’t yet heard of the books, so when all this hubbub arose about keeping her audition and her lines under wraps, we just sort of shrugged, and said, “Sure.”

Problem was, Emma was away at a science camp when we got the call.  And when I mean away, I mean somewhere in the mountains of Malibu studying insect populations among the flora and fauna.  Since we really had no idea how we would possibly be able to get her to the designated audition, we said, sorry, no can do on this one.

Apparently, that didn’t fly.

They wanted to see her so much, they scheduled a special audition time for the day she returned from the wild.  In fact she had two hours from the time she disembarked the bus to when she had to be front-and-center reading lines for the camera.

Actually, this is a good thing. You’ll see, if you read up on the books, the characters look as if they’ve had long-standing exposure to the elements. Thus, we made sure her hair remained the stringy mess it was when she re-entered civilization clutching a cricket.

Emma’s take on her audition was that she and the casting director clicked, and they even shared a good laugh after a prop became stuck in Emma’s chair mid-scene.

But naturally, we all know how this ends since Emma isn’t being heralded around Hollywood as the ingenue in the film. Alas, we can only find comfort in that the young star who was in fact cast, is years older than Emma.

Hollywood will just have to wait to get a glimpse of Emma’s wild side.

Right on Target

A couple of things. First an apology for the long blogging dry spell. I have somewhat of a decent excuse.  I broke my arm after toppling off of an Indo Board trying to show off my extraordinary balance from years of ballet training. I had a clean break at the wrist so it was difficult to type.

Also, I switched jobs. I’m working now for a public media company and it’s been a fast-paced adjustment.

Enough about me.  After all, you’re not here to read about my cast-toting adventures in public television. And I actually have news–good news in fact–on the starlet front.

Emma was called in for a Target ad not too long ago.  The audition was really crowded.  But she was the exact height that they wanted, so instead of zipping through the line of Ford models and leaving, they asked her to stay awhile and try on a few outfits.

Per usual, disappointment prevailed, and she was passed over.

A week later, however, we got a notice that Emma was on “immediate avail” for another Target ad. On Thursday we found out she booked it!   The shoot happened the next day at an ocean-front mansion in Santa Monica. It was beautiful. We tried to snap a few pics, but our camera was confiscated and the pictures were deleted! There was some sensitivity that the clothing line hadn’t been unveiled yet. Apparently.

We managed to keep a couple of her before she changed into the clothes for the shoot. See below.

Emma had a blast. She was catered to like a fashion diva and pampered like a princess.  She was ultimately paired with another boy her age, who had an impressive track record for a 10 year old model. He had a great attitude, which I really think has a lot to do with anyone’s success at that age.

At the end of the shoot, they both jumped into the pool fully clothed!

The ad comes out in late June and  will be in newspaper circulars as well as online. And to think, she even got paid.  Since I manage to spend half my paycheck at the store anyway on a monthly basis, I’m kind of figuring it’s a wash.

Stay tuned (I can say that now that I work in television) for more exploits in entertainment.   I promise to write soon.

Emma, pre-shoot for Target in her street clothes.