Friday, January 23, 2004
2:43 AM
Recent Daily Derenger's

[ Wed Jan 21, 04:41:58 AM | Scott Derenger | edit ]

Can I tell you how nice it is to go to comedy clubs and bars and NOT come home smelling like smoke? That's right you smoking machines - NO SMOKING in California bars! That's the way it should be everywhere. There is no need to smell like an ashtray or a chimmney after a night of fun and laughter. So drink excessively and smell like booze and the local bar flies instead.

[ Tue Jan 20, 04:45:29 AM | Scott Derenger | edit ]

"Do you have any TV credits?" the guy who booked last night's open mic asked me.

Being that I didn't have any and wasn't about to lie and had no friends with me, I wasn't allowed to perform. On a Monday night in the basement of a Ramada Inn in Korea Town of Los Angeles.

In order for me to get stage time in the basement of the Ramada Inn, TV credit-less me needs to bring people. What? You mean the people on the bill with TV credits can't draw a crowd but I'm supposed to? Sure the comics were pretty good for the most part, but there was nobody there to see them. Why don't they bring people? They're on TV remember? I, on the other hand, am on my buddy's futon.

Having fun in California and soon to be famous.
-scott

[ Mon Jan 19, 12:35:55 PM | Scott Derenger | edit ]

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I've been reading success principles and talking and chatting with friends about life. I simply want to be successful in life. I don't think that's asking too much. However, success is directly related to the choices I make and the attitude that goes into making the choices. I'm smart enough to predict the outcome of making certain choices or at least the way I'll feeling afterwards. So here I go, off to read more about success, get in a good cardio workout, and then live life with a positive mental attitude.

[ Fri Jan 16, 10:13:20 AM | Scott Derenger | edit ]

Tis a cloudy day in California, thus a perfect opportunity to get some things done: laundry, improtant calls and e-mails, newspaper assignments, and maye even cleaning the Prizm. She's still in shambles from the drive out here.

Many people have a few things or maybe only one thing they do well. But they do it really well and has a hobby, something on the side in their "spare" time. Like speaking/learning a foreign language or two; fixing computers; or perhaps playing a musical instrument.

That got me thinking about the things I do well. I got stumped after listing "doing push-ups" and "parallel parking." Nice. Where are those skills gonna take me - working as a valet at a gym?

I never thought this is how 29 would look or feel.

[ Thu Jan 15, 04:08:44 PM | Scott Derenger | edit ]

So I went to the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn last night. Chad Daniels did a great job of course. I simply stood in the shadows, eating free food and pocketing the green room gum and candy.

On my way to the set, I took the elevator up. Standing beside me were three people I didn't know and one guy I did. It was Sean Astin, the first guest of the show and the millionaire from Lord of the Rings. The celeb thing isn't that big of a deal to me so I introduced myself to him, telling him I liked his work, especially in Rudy.

"I actually went to Joliet Catholic High School," I said to Astin, as he looked up from reading the Rolling Stone article about him.

I don't think I gave him much chance to respond when I then said, "What was up with the Hilltoppers colors? Maroon and white? We were brown, gold and white when Rudy went there."

He seemed a bit puzzled. "Hmmm. Rudy never mentioned anything about that. Good thing someone didn't point that out," said Astin. Or something to that effect and then he went back to reading and talking with his two friends, possibly Kilborn's staff.

Yet another move not found in Dale Carneghie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, but one that will be found in my book, How to Not Make Friends and Negatively Influence Your Career in Hollywood!