Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

The great thing about being in the modeling industry for so long is that I can usually spot a scam a mile away. But the scammers are slowly starting to learn from their mistakes. So I just wanted to tell you about a recent scam I avoided and am hoping to exploit. This particular scam has actually been around for a while but it's been some time since I've seen it, which means it must be back in season or something haha. While I can spot the signs, sadly, not all people can or will and I really want to save as many people as I can from falling prey. As you may well know, I'm pretty easy to find on the Internet. I have profiles on a lot of online modeling community sites in order to expand my exposure as well as my networking opportunities. This has led to clients finding my photos and information and offering opportunities for me to work with them. While this works out most of the time, there are those that will try to scam me. I recently received a message via one of ...

The past weekend has been such a journey and quite an experience for me. I definitely went there to win but not getting the crown or placing in the top 15 has not discouraged me in the slightest. If anything, it's invigorated me and makes me want to enter another pageant! Well, not right away but I will be taking some time soon to research other pageants. I think it's about finding the right kind that suits your strengths so that will be my strategy for next year. Regardless of what I decide to do, you will all be in the loop every step of the way! =) While I didn't make the top 15, I was surprised to receive a call from my pageant coach (who is away at school in Hawaii, which is why he couldn't be there), telling me that while reading over the pageant forums online, he found that I had made the list of many people's picks for the pageant. There is a whole world of pageant followers out there and they devote a lot of time into blogs, forums, websites, etc. where the...

Here are some flicks from the competition weekend... Me & Miss Palos Verdes, Nicole Chiu, she stayed across the hall from me: Miss North Bay Area...yeah, I'm representing! Getting beautiful in the dressing rooms is no easy task: Former Miss Venezuela teaches us the right stuff: This was pretty much what 95% of the pageant was...hurrying up to...wait around...LOL: You try spending 4-6 hours dancing and walking in heels...you'd be a corpse, too! A behind-the-scenes look at rehearsal. We were introducing ourselves: Good times: That's how we roll on the dance floor: Behind-the-scenes at the crowning ceremony: The non-finalists rushing to the stage for the final evening gown walk: Her face pretty much says it all..."Help, we want to go home now and our feet hurt!!!" Leading the pack offstage:

So Day 3 finally came! It was the finals show and all of the contestants had a lot on our minds. We all realized that by this time, the top 15 had already been chosen and now all we could do was cross our fingers and hope for the best. We started our morning super early (5am!) in order to pack our bags, and check out of our rooms. My boyfriend picked up my luggage and then I headed to breakfast with my roommate and the other girls. Afterwards, we headed to rehearsal, where all the teen and miss contestants did a full run-through of the finals show from the opening number to the mock crowning. We all learned where to stand, enter, and exit, as well as what the routine would be if we won. This was also the night were we got to introduce ourselves to the audience. Because the show was scheduled for 3pm, we rehearsed all morning, took a break for lunch, and then immediately went to our dressing rooms, where we had to wear our swimsuits again for the final show. I didn't make the top 15...

Some pictures from Saturday night: Miss North Bay Area & Miss USA Crystle Stewart:

The great thing about the pageant is that they allowed us some time to be with our loved ones. The Beauty of California Dinner took place on Saturday night, after our interviews earlier that day. By the time the preliminary and interview portions were over, there was only the finals show on Sunday night so the competition was pretty much over. Our reward was a special dinner and a night of dancing away our stress and all those freaking hours of dancing and walking in heels! The coolest thing next to having our family and friends there to be with us, was having the current Miss USA Krystle Stewart as our guest of honor! I got to meet her and take pictures...she is so humble, sweet, and genuine. I love how even though she is Miss USA, she still acts as if she's not a big deal. She truly cared about everyone that came to greet her and take pictures with her. Definitely worthy of the crown in my opinion. After taking pictures with her, I went back to my table with my boyfriend, who was...

Day 2 was all about our interviews with the pageant judges. This is a huge section to score points in for the competition. My interview time was 10:20am so luckily I got to sleep in for a bit. I got up, did my hair and makeup, and put on my interview outfit. This time around, they changed the rules for attire. In the past it was mandatory to wear business wardrobe, but I guess this year they wanted to see more of the contestants' personalities so the attire for the interview portion was completely up to us. I personally love wearing business clothes so I choose a happy medium: black, capri slacks, black, strappy peep-toe heels, and a maroon, sleeveless top with a chinese neckline. I kept it dressy casual. I wore my hair down and had my makeup more natural, since I wasn't required to be onstage. I checked into the Grand Ballroom and waited my turn. Then I was escorted into one of the conference rooms of the building, where I stood in front of the panel of the six Miss judges. Th...

Here are some of my favorite flicks from the first day of the preliminary competition... SWIMWEAR: EVENING GOWN: Hanging out with my sweetie after preliminaries:

Hello, my beloved readers! I had hoped to do a post each night of the pageant but it all proved to be pretty exhausting so by the time I got to my room, I just wanted to sleep! LOL. So I'll recap each day of the competition in its own post. Let's get started! Day 1 of the Preliminary Competition took place on Friday, November 21 in Palm Springs, CA. It was our first time on stage in front of both the audience and the judges and we did swimwear and evening gown. There was no opening number or dancing so it was straight to business. The Preliminary Competition for Friday was for Swimwear and Evening Gown. I started my morning early, grabbed some light lunch and then had my boyfriend drop me and my bags off at the Riviera Resort and Spa, where the festivities were taking palce. All the contestants checked in, picked up our sashes (which we are required to wear anytime we're out and about in the hotel), and got settled into our rooms. My roommate is a sweetheart (Jan Humphrey -...

Hey, all! I got some copies from one of my most recent shoots for a new innovative company called ELV Motors. In the effort to "go green," ELV Motors has come out with a collection of new scooters and electric bicycles. These aren't your ordinary scooters or bikes, either. To charge a scooter, it costs 10 cents. I believe it's about $1 a day to fully charge the scooter but get this: for each full charge, the scooter can run for 400 miles! Unfortunately, because it can only go between 20-30 mph, it is not intended for use on freeways but is great for getting around town and can be used on some highways. The electric bicycles have a built in motor and you can actually throttle the bike in order to get up steep climbs without pedaling. Pretty amazing stuff! The shoot was on a Sunday and lasted all day. There were four other models in addition to myself and we started in the city of San Jose and then drove about 15 minutes to a town called Los Gatos and shot there fo...

I received an email on behalf of Paul Fisher, who has represented the likes of Naomi Campbell, Janice Dickinson, Monica Bellucci, Stephanie Seymour, Carre Otis, Brooke Burke, Kimora Lee Simmons, Nicky Hilton and many others. I read over his bio and what he's accomplished in his 20 years in the industry and he is taking a radical approach to the modeling industry and the role that agencies themselves play when it comes to the types of models they recruit. I thought it was a very interesting idea and felt that some of my readers could appreciate what Paul is trying to do. Check it out: Paul is using his knowledge gained over the past 20 years in the modeling and fashion industries in order help transform how modeling agents interface with their talent. Paul is really trying to do something special for the way young women are treated in the tough world of the modeling industry… By educating many young agents to have the “right” consciousness he feels he can accomplish this goal. ...

Here are a few images I managed to snag off the Miss California USA site, which were taken from our recent trip to Inta Gems & Diamonds in Los Angeles, where the contestants were promoting the pageant to the local media. We also went to another store but I think they're still in the middle of uploading those pictures. Soon as they're up, I'll post them. Here you go! Shot from inside as we were looking at the gems and diamonds: Group shot in front of the store (I'm on the left): The place was nothing but mirrors--of course I had to check my hair! LOL:

Anonymous Wrote: What kind of modeling can I do at 5'6. A few agencies in NY have shown interest in me, but usually tell me I'm simply too short to be represented by them. With all the competition out there what agencies to you recommend going to that may consider me despite the fact that I am two inches below average. You are the ideal height for commercial/print, so unfortunately, no runways, however this type of modeling books very high paying gigs and can lead to a good career if you do well. Because the height and weight requirements are more flexible than fashion, commercial/print models tend to lead longer careers than other fields. So my best advice to you would be to look up NY agencies that have commercial/print divisions. They are out there, at least half a dozen you can look into. If you would like a list of these agencies, shoot me an email (check my contact info on here), and I can get that to you.

Ladies, wearing high heels is one thing but learning how to walk in them is an entirely different story! It never fails--each time I go to a major casting, I see young girls and even young women in heels and based on their body posture, it is extremely obvious that they are not comfortable in the heels they are wearing. And it looks really bad. I can't tell you how important it is to make sure that you know how to walk in high heels. Even us shorter models should still learn how to master 3-4 inch heels, regardless of whether you think you'll be required to be on a catwalk or not...it will come in handy one day, trust me. Here are my essential tips for being successful at wearing high heels: 1. Wear shoes that fit! If the heels are painful when you try them on in the store, chances are even breaking them in afterwards won't help. 2. Choose your heels accordingly when it comes to castings and shoots. For some reason, I see young models wearing bright red high heels ...