So, Let Me...

Wow. Two blog posts from me in one day. How lucky are you?

I'm writing this blog entry because I got a letter from the Better Business Bureau from a mom that is angry that I removed her children from my talent roster. The reason I removed her children is because statements she made about her 13 year old daughter made me extremely uncomfortable. I don't want to deal with someone that makes me uncomfortable. They are, after all, representing my company when they go to auditions.

I have over 85 people on my talent roster. I am posting this so that they can respond to the allegations that Ms. Beer makes against me and my company. Once it is published on the Better Business Bureau website, I will be suing her for libel.

Here is the letter I received from the BBB of Metro NY:

You can click on it to make it bigger. Once it goes live on the BBB website, I will link it. I made my own notes in it.  This is the response that I sent to the BBB:

Ms. Beer made comments to me about her 13 year old daughter, which made me very uncomfortable. She referred to her daughter as an "adult" when I called her a child, insisted that she wear makeup to an audition, and referred to her as being "of child bearing age." I felt as though the child's welfare would be compromised, and Ms. Beer would do anything to get her daughter cast, especially since she bragged how her 13 year old was "constantly mistaken for being at least 16." I have been in this industry a long time, and I know that women are taken advantage of, promised stardom in return for sexual favors. I do not want to be responsible for any situation that Ms. Beer may put her daughter in.

As Ms. Beer stated, I refunded her $50 fee for each child ($100 total) immediately and removed them both from my roster. There never was a signed contract, as neither on of her children earned the minimum $750 required to enter into a one year contract. Ms. Beer continued to email, call and text me. I filed a complaint for aggravated harassment with the 5th precinct of Suffolk County, and they furthered the complaint to the Shrewsbury Police Department. (I am happy to scan copies of this complaint and police report.) 

As for making promises and not delivering, that is completely and totally untrue. People on my talent roster get work all the time, and I have plenty of people that will speak on my behalf. You can view the work that I am casting my talent in at http://www.facebook.com/CainCastingLI.

Ms. Beer threatened me. She threatened to defame my company if I didn't add her children back to my roster. I work with parents that will do anything for their children; not parents who will do anything to get their children famous. I truly feel that Ms. Beer would put the ideas of fame and fortune before the welfare of her children, and I will not work with someone like that.

I do not have any money or personal property from Ms. Beer. I did a lot of work for her two children, yet did not keep any of the money to cover my costs or time. It is my company and my choice not to work with her.

A note to all parents reading this: ALWAYS put your children first. Don't compromise their welfare to make them famous. Putting a 13 year old in makeup and a mini-skirt just spells trouble.

Rather than telling you all about the different projects that I have gotten talent on my roster involved in, I invite them to comment and "testify" for themselves.

Enjoy.

-C

I Want Your Spirits To Climb!

I am taking this blog post to address something very person that happened in my life last year and is finally coming to an end very soon. (At least, I hope it is.) Yes, this blog is about my work in the entertainment industry, but this is something that I feel needs to be shared. 

1/11/13: My husband was hit by a drunk driver.

To the drunk that hit my husband on 1/11/13:

I know who you are. I know your name. I know where you live. I know that it was more important to you on that Friday night in January to drink and have a good time than to be concerned about anyone you might encounter on the road while you were intoxicated. I know that you just don't care.

I don't want this to be some sort of lecture about the dangers of drinking and driving. I hope you learned your lesson when you hit my husband head-on, driving northbound in the southbound lane. You could have killed him. You could have killed yourself-- not that your death would have mattered anything to me. You don't have a family. You don't have a wife. You live with your parents, who paid a high-powered attorney to make this charge "go away." 

My husband walked away with a wrist injury.

I am so disappointed in the New York State Judicial System that you received an ACOD. You got a little
slap on the wrist for driving drunk. If you don't get any other charges in the next 18 months, it is expunged from your record. Excuse my language, but BULLSHIT.

We were fortunate because my husband walked away from the accident with merely a wrist injury. Perhaps if you killed him, something would have happened to you. Instead, you're being released back into society with your drivers license, irresponsible and ready to get behind the wheel of the car, drunk again. Maybe you will kill someone else next time.

I keep thinking about poor Katie Flynn, Stanley Rabinowitz and their families. Why doesn't New York State have stronger laws for DWI offenders? In Ecuador, people that are pulled over as a DWI are shot on the spot. Perhaps that is a little too extreme, but I'm sure that there isn't a problem with DWI in Ecuador the way that there is in the USA.

The drunk walked away with nothing.

You almost tore apart my family. You almost made me a widow and my children fatherless. Our car was totaled out, and we had to buy a new one-- Which caused us a great expense. You were driving daddy's SUV, and you barely had the amount of damage to your car as we did to ours. 

What are the effects of this crash on you? You weren't injured. Your car was not totaled out. You got a slap on your wrist. Your record can be expunged if you behave yourself over the next year. My husband was injured. We lost a car and had to purchase another one. We have been dragged through insurance claim after insurance claim to have medical bills and whatnot paid for. 

The accident shut down the street.

We are the victims here, and we are still being punished for YOUR actions.

But it doesn't matter to you. You still go out to the bar in Smithtown, drinking with your friends, and get behind the wheel to go home, regardless of how much you drank.

I've never wanted to punch someone in the face so badly. If I ever saw you, I genuinely would confront you. I would probably take a swing at you. I would hit your wrist with a baseball bat as hard as I could so that you can feel exactly what my husband is going through. I still have visions of how I walked past you in the back seat of the cruiser as I went to get my camera, and you smiled and nodded at me as if to say, "What's up, pretty lady?" Fortunately, my friend Sally was there to drag me back to the scene of the accident, rather than dragging you from the car and beating the shit out of you.

You almost killed my husband.

You almost killed my husband.

You almost killed my husband.

Perhaps that statement doesn't mean much because the word "almost" was in it. Perhaps next time, it will be:

You killed my husband.

You killed my wife.

You killed my mom.

You killed my father.

You killed my child.

You killed my best friend.

Maybe the accident changed you. I hope it did. I hope that you never, ever, ever put another family through what you put mine through. 

And even if everything did change you, Michael, I have two words I would like to leave you with:

Fuck you.

Sincerely,

  Candice Cain

I'll Make You Feel Good!

Getting my makeup done before filming

As I wrote in my last entry, I love the casting side of the entertainment industry. However, I also mentioned that I really like to be in the center of attention every now and again. I love being on set and working on different television and films-- I'm actually shooting Person of Interest on Monday as Camryn Manheim's photo double. However, there is absolutely nothing like the pull of live performances. Fortunately, I work from home for a fabulous company that has a convention every year. At this convention, there is a fantastic talent show. Last year, my dear friend Sally and I performed a comedy in front of over 7,500 people. Unfortunately, Sally isn't able to come to Convention this year. Regardless, I still submitted a couple of songs for the talent show. 

Now, I'm not used to being on stage all by myself. I work better with a partner or an ensemble-- I like to play off of people. Furthermore, I'm a big girl. I'm nearly 5'10" tall and I'm a size 16/18. AND I work from home. AND I have twin 6 year olds. I genuinely can't remember the last time that I went clothes shopping for myself.

I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Long story short, I'm performing in the talent show. I'm doing a parody (or two) to a Queen song (or two). I

don't want to give any more details than that, as I don't want to spoil it for the people that will be watching live at the convention. Bottom line is this: I am singing one or two of the greatest rock songs of all time, and I need to look like a bad ass rocker chick. 

And I have absolutely no idea how to accomplish that. I mean, look at me. Do I remotely resemble a bad ass rocker chick to you? And the fact that I'm a big girl in her 30s doesn't really help. (Oh, shut up. My twins think that I'm 17.) I need to channel my inner bad ass rocker chick and let her out. The question is... Do I actually have an inner bad ass rocker chick to channel in the first place?

I'm not one to ask for help, but I'm asking for it. I need help. I need help to look like a bad ass rocker chick. As I am typing this, I am sitting in front of my computer, wearing mismatched pajamas and my husband's robe. I'm going to be in front of about 8,000 people on a stage by myself. Singing. Rocking out. Kicking ass.

Can you tell I was bullied?

Another reason that this is so important to me is because I was bullied all throughout school, until I graduated Bellport High School. This year, I was going to plan our 20 year old reunion until some stupid meth addict accused me in a public forum of lying and stealing the money that people paid for the reunion. It was like being thrown back into high school all over again. I washed my hands of it and walked away. 

Right on the heels of that, I got an email from someone that saw my auditions for the talent show, and pretty much told me that I didn't have any "real talent" and that I "shouldn't be expected to be picked." He sent this email to me, and cc'd a few other people on it-- All men. Mind you, I'm not a feminist by any stretch of the imagination, but eff you. (Not YOU, dear reader-- him.) I'm still so irritated that this person sent me such a condescending email, telling me that I haven't got talent and that I wouldn't be picked for the show. 

Jazz hands!

Yet another person trying to make me feel as though I'm not good enough. WTF is that about? People  - artists - should SUPPORT one another, not try to break each other down. That's why I will take anyone on with Cain Casting. I know that everyone that wants to be in front of the camera CAN be in front of the camera.

especially

So, dear reader, I need your help. I need your support. I need your fashion expertise. What do I wear? How do I do my hair? What kind of shoes? What kind of accessories? Help me out!!

And, if you happen to know a stylist, beauty editor, Freddie Mercury impersonator, whatever... PLEASE share this post. Maybe someone will read it and take pity on me. The show is May 16. I leave for Utah on May 14. I need to have everything set by then. I'm all for a makeover or anything of that sort before then. 

And if you DO happen to be one of the people that can help me, feel free to call me at the office. You can get my number on my website. I would be eternally grateful.

And If You're Real Good...

Okay, so I suck at keeping New Year's Resolutions. I said my resolution was to keep up my blogs. Well, that sort of didn't happen. But, I've got a really good reason for it... Lots of reasons, actually. I can just sum it all up by saying that I've been really busy. Not your normal, everyday mom type of busy.. I've been busier than Obama. At least he gets to play gold every now and again. (Not that I even like golf, but you catch my drift.) With working from home, running three companies, keeping up with my kids and getting in front of the camera every now and again, I have barely had time to breathe. I even started an eBay venture, trying to declutter my home and make some money for a Disney vacation. (So far, we bought the plane tickets...) Yeah, I've been inhumanly busy. The only person that I can think of that might be as busy as I am is my best friend Mechelle, but she doesn't have kids. She knows what it's like to be a business owner, though.

Okay, so I digress... This blog is supposed to be about me and the entertainment industry.  Today, I once again worked as the double for Camryn Manheim. I love Camryn Manheim. I think she's a great actress. I hope that I get to meet her some time. I need to get my 76 SAG days (or $18,000 for the year) so that I get my vested credit, which is why I'm doing some on camera stuff.

But, I've got a secret...

I like casting better.

There, I said it. 

I LIKE CASTING BETTER!!!!!!!!!

No, I actually LOVE casting. And I'm actually really, really good at it. For example, I cast eleven kids and one adult to work on Monday. I've got nine of those kids on a movie with Sarah Silverman, and the other three people are on a network TV show. They're thrilled. And seeing them thrilled makes me ridiculously happy.

To me, casting is like a puzzle. I'm given a list of different parts that I have to fill. I go through my roster to see who can fill what, then submit it to the casting director. The casting director sees if they agree with me, then they pass it on to the director. The director selects who the final cast is. I got 11 people cast to work paid jobs on Monday.

Excuse me while I pat myself on the back...

But, that's not just it. I've gotten a LOT of people a LOT of work. I'm teaching people about the industry that I love. I am helping kids build their college funds. I'm having a really good time doing it all, too. Whether it's for TV or film or even print work, I'm having a blast getting people work, giving kids experiences, and watching it all unfold in the final projects. For example, I cast a TON of people on Investigation Discovery's Deadly Sins. It is so cool to watch my talent on screen. And I know how exciting it is for them, too. That just makes it even better for me.

Someone sent me an email tonight saying, "I'm impressed with how much work you are getting your talent." Isn't that what a talent manager is supposed to do? I don't know why people are so surprised when others get cast. It's my JOB to get my talent cast. That's what they pay me for. Why would I take their money and run? That's what a lot of scam companies do, but certainly not me.

So, that's it. My bragging blog post. You can take a look at Cain Casting & Talent Management, if you'd like. And, if you want to work in the entertainment industry, you can also register and give it a shot.

I'm Very Versatile

Me. Fabulous me.

I am sitting in my car on the set of a movie as I write this blog entry. I have been working on the Warner Brothers production Run All Night for the past few days. It is a lot of fun being back on a movie set-- I haven't been on a big budget movie set since for more than one day since I filmed Not Another Teen Movie in 2001. After that, I did TV shows and low budget flicks.

Everyone has been asking me how I booked this job. To be completely honest with you, I am really focused on getting the talent registered with Cain Casting work. In order to do that, I need to register with a variety of websites so that I can access breakdowns and submit people for consideration. Before I fully register my talent, I see if the site is legit and effective by creating a profile for myself and submitting myself for a variety of projects.

One of these websites is Casting Networks, which is owned by Central Casting. I used to do extra work with them in LA, which gave me my start in TV. I did not register with Central Casting before registering on Casting Networks. This website has principal roles as well as background work listed, and everything in between. There are print jobs, commercials, film, etc for pay and no pay. It depends on what you are submitted for.

So, I created a Casting Networks account. I saw a lot of featured extra work, so I submitted myself for a few things. Shockingly, I was snatched up immediately by Kee Casting for a movie called Life Itself for a featured role. Well, I got there and, just like Staten Island Summer, the part was cut. I ended up playing one of the pedestrians walking by Morgan Freeman & Diane Keaton on the street. I don't do anything special-- just walk by. That was last Friday.

I went into NYC for a big audition for an industrial video that shoots for 3 days in San Francisco. I had time, so I went over to Central Casting and registered. (Personally, I think extra work is fun. I like to meet people. Plus, I'm pretty good at networking.) Make no mistake-- I do not want to do a lot of extra work. However, I will certainly do it if the opportunity arises, especially since I found out that any money I earn from extra work counts toward my pension with the Screen Actors Guild AND for health insurance. (I currently have my health insurance through my husband's job, but Obamacare is going to force us into the government system in a few years.) So, yeah, it would be stupid of me to turn my nose up again ANY work if if means security for me and my family in the future.

But, I digress.

Me and my kids.

When I got home, I received a text message asking me if I got the email to work night. I didn't. The text message told me to report to set and bring my blue Mazda to be a picture car. I said okay. Later on, an email arrived in my inbox, telling me where to go and to bring winter clothes. I confirmed everything and headed to the location. Incidentally, this is also the day that my daughter lost her first tooth, so it was a happy day.

I parked my car and went to holding, where I saw Anthony, the adorable PA from Staten Island Summer! We chatted for a few hours, and then I was sent home. They never got to the scene, as it sometimes happens. I was instructed to come back the next night with the Mazda.

I arrived the next night with the Mazda, which is parked next to the main character's house. It has been established on camera, so it MUST be in every shot outside the house. EVERY. SCENE.

Without me, by the way.

I was used briefly in a shot with the second unit, but I personally was not really established on camera. But my

car is. I was wrapped at 6:30am, got home in time to kiss my kids and send them off to school, and went to bed at . I woke up at, took a shower, saw my kids for a little, and headed back to set for a 6:00pm call time.

I got to set, grabbed some dinner, and put my car in its place. I've been sitting in my car for the past 3 hours. They are shooting behind me and can't see me in the car. That's fine-- it is freaking freezing outside.

Me in a cop uniform. Why? Stay tuned.

My hope is that they see what a great sport I've been and keep bringing me back. They are shooting some interiors tonight, so I am pretty sure they won't use me for that. Fortunately, I was given a call sheet for today and can cross off what they have finished. I truly have no idea as to how long I will be here, but I am so okay with that.

I really want to lead by example for the talent I manage. There was a guy on set last night that just complained and moaned... It sucked. I mean, be thankful for the work. Have a good attitude on set-- these crew guys (especially the PAs) have enough stress and don't need to listen to an extra --excuse me, background artist-- gripe. There are 17,000 other people ghost would give their left arm to be in your position. Be grateful. Do what you're told. Have a positive attitude.

That's all you need to get ahead. Oh, and some talent, of course.

Some Old and then Some New Tricks

Back in 1983

When I got involved in the entertainment industry, I was just a kid. I'd be lying to you if I told you that I remembered everything about it-- I really don't. My earliest memory is watching my father playing Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, then jumping up and yelling, "Don't you hurt my daddy!" when someone held a sword to his throat. I was really upset, because the lights went out - the intermission, unbeknownst to a five year old - and then my dad and all of the other people on stage were gone when the lights came back on. 

A man dressed in black with a headset on came up to me, my mom and my sister and said that he would take me to see my dad. We went backstage, and my dad was talking to the guy that had just held a sword to his throat. To this day, I remember everything about that man's face-- Brown hair, brown beard, brown eyes, wearing a blue tunic, thin, tall... You get the idea. He was a scary dude-- At least, he was to five year old me. Anyway, my dad told me how they were really friends and how they were pretending to fight on stage so that they could tell a story.

I was fascinated.

Photo by Molly Garcia

I really think that is the moment in time when I was bitten by the acting bug. I wanted to pretend, too. I believe the way that I believed. I wanted to tell people stories. I wanted people to make people clap, laugh, cry and, most of all, believe that I was the character that I was portraying.

Soon after that, I watched the original Freaky Friday with Jodie Foster. I would only use the name Annabel, and I couldn't understand why people didn't want to play make believe with me. My dad explained to me what actors are.

To be totally honest with you, I never really wanted to be a professional actor. Sure, it looked like fun, but it wasn't my dream. I wanted to have more control than that. I decided that I wanted to be the person that wrote the stories that people were acting out. I wrote my very first play - A Journey to Chocolateland - when I was in third grade. I majored in Dramatic Literature in college, at The George Washington University. Several of my plays were performed, and I even started a production company that was in action until 20011. (Technically, it's still around-- I just haven't done any productions recently.) 

Click the link to purchase my play

Right before I got married in 2005, I was published by Baker's Plays in Boston. I actually received the galleys (author's copies) the day before I got married, which was really cool since I dedicated the play to my soon-to-be husband. Last year, Samuel French bought the rights to my plays, which is wicked cool. All in all, I have four different plays published with Samuel French: The Lovesick Cat, The Woodsmen & The Fairy, The Lion & The Mouse and The Tortoise & The Hare. They are performed all around the world, and I get a nice check once a year. It's really cool.

But I've been blocked lately, and haven't written any plays. I need to get back on it, because I do have some good ideas. I'd really love to write a musical, but I don't know the first thing about writing music.

Anyway, I digress.

When I lived in Los Angeles (Jan 2001 - Jan 2004), I had an agent. My agent was awful. She kept telling me that I needed to lose weight-- Like 30lbs. Thirty pounds is a helluva lot of weight to lose! Why would you sign someone that might not lose that weight? If only I knew now what I knew then... 

Today was a good day.

This agent did NOTHING for me. I think I got one audition from her in 3 years. Well, as a talent manager, I see a lot of breakdowns-- And there are TONS of roles for people my size!!! It's nuts. Tomorrow, I'm shooting a movie called Life Itself in Manhattan. On Monday, I've got an audition for an industrial that films in San Francisco and pays over $2000 plus travel.  And this morning, I was signed by MSF Talent - Print Division to be one of their plus size models. 

So, yeah, today was a good day in the life of Candice.

I've gotta say, I was a little nervous about signing an exclusive agreement with MSF. I've been submitting myself and landing gigs. But, they only wanted me for print work, which I really don't do all that much of. (Yes, working with Steve and Desiree was a print job, which is what I started this entire blog on... But I get more acting parts for myself than not.) So, I signed the agreement and sent it in. I will give it 6 months. If I feel that I can do a better job than they can, I will end my agreement. But, I have never had an agent in NY-- Let alone one that wanted me exclusively. They take 20% of my gross, which is 10% more than what I get from the people I manage. So, we shall see where this takes us over the next 6 months... 

Let Me Do A Few Tricks

People drive me crazy. 

No, let me rephrase that...

Stupid people drive me crazy. I'm talking about people that don't use common sense. People that you have to repeat things to OVER AND OVER to get them to understand. People that don't listen. People that tell you one thing, then do another. Most of all, people that waste my time drive me absolutely BONKERS.

Unfortunately, a lot of those people are the types that you encounter in the entertainment industry. Since I was pretty much born into the entertainment world, I get it. I have a skin as thick as leather. I know that you have to hear "no" 99 times before you get to that "yes."

However, sometimes I get spoiled. Sometimes, jobs start rolling in one after the other, and I just expect that I'm going to be cast in everything that I submit for. Yes, I become a stupid person.

And then something happens to slap me back into reality. 

Attitude?? Moi????

Let's take for instance a new reality show that seemingly fell into my lap. When I'm not an actress, I'm an event and travel planner. A reality show, Wedding Lane with Candy Cain, was in development about me, my family and my business. It never came to fruition, which is what happens with so many projects out there, and I moved on. This week, another reality show came knocking on my door-- Looking for an "event guru with an attitude."

Ahem.

Needless to say, I submitted for it. I got an email back right away, telling me how fabulous I am, and how I fit in with their team, yada yada yada. You know, a bunch of ego-stroking. They asked me for pics, and I sent them. I was told I was amazing-- More ego-stroking. They asked for me to take a video RIGHT NOW, so I did. They thanked me, told me I'm wonderful, etc. In short, they made me feel like I was going to be a part of this production.

CANDYWOOD RULE #1: Never trust anyone until you sign a contract.

While eating dinner with my family last night, I got a one line email:

We decided to go in a different direction.

Hair & Makeup for the show that never came to be

Yep. Shunned. Used and abused. Led on and turned away. Strung along, then the string was cut. You get the idea.

I'm more annoyed at myself for getting so comfortable, than at the production company for making me believe that I had it. That happens all the time. I also run a small casting and talent management company, and that happens to the people that I manage all the time. This time, it was just me that it happened to. I've been carrying that feeling of rejection since yesterday, and it doesn't feel good. I'm in need of a Stuart Smalley moment.