Throne

Yesterday saw the release of the debut single, THRONE, from singer/songwriter/actor/model CJ HAMMOND.

CJ is truly a talented and compassionate soul, so I'm wishing him the very best!

The song is meaningful, relatable and hella catchy! Its video depicts a young man fleeing his hometown to move to Hollywood to pursue his dream of acting. CJ pretty much did just that himself. Heck, many of us have. In the video, the young man realizes his dreams.

CJ and I and a host of others aren't leaving this dang town 'til we do the same!!!!

CJ, again, I wish you phenomenal success with this song! You're a go-getter and deserve all the success one man can handle.

Places To Be

Next week, I've got somewhere to be every, single day! And you know what? I like that!

As it stands, none of those places-to-be will pay me anything for being there, but I'll be happy to be there nonetheless.

By week's end, I hope to have attended a Q&A with a commercial casting director, an audition, a birthday bash, a meeting with a talent agent, and seen the good ol' orthodontist!

But this is showbiz! By 8pm tonight I could possibly book a gig (or three) that compel me to cancel outta dang near all next week's scheduled appointments.

Truth be told, I'd LOVE that to be the case! I haven't booked a gig since...well...since...I don't even remember when!

But MOOLAH is a-comin'!

And LOTS of it!

I wish a HAPPY WEEKEND to one and all!

With Friends Like This...

Yesterday, I went to the Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab to record an audition. While there, I also played around with a couple of other impromptu recordings.

I actually came up with the copy for that recording right on the spot. I wanted to record something provocative for consideration for my voice reel.

Based upon the responses to the recording on my IG and Facebook pages, I'd say it is indeed provocative. I even received a message from a woman who inquired where I got the copy from. I told her I wrote it myself, then she told me her ex-husband spoke those exact words to her during their marriage. She thought for sure I had gotten the copy from a film or something, because he always cut her down by quoting from films and books. Wow!

You can never know how your art will affect others.

I told the woman I wish her the very best. Especially since I actually know her ex-husband. Or, should I say, THOUGHT I knew him.

I'm gonna keep doing this voice-over thing until it makes me a multi-multi-millionaire! Haaaa!

Banner Health - I Got A Name aka Physical Therapist Extraordinaire

Well, the commercial I shot in Scottsdale, AZ has finally been released!

Yippy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And it's sooooo dang heartfelt!

I portrayed a physical therapist in the spot, and I must admit, I look pretty dang authentic! Haaa! A real physical therapist from the hospital was standing nearby, to make sure my moves were realistic. He even allowed me to borrow his Apple watch! And yes, I gave it back to him when filming wrapped!

The commercial is a regional spot, so that means it'll run in the Arizona region only. Luckily for me, though, my friend, Gregor, is vacationing in AZ this week, so he saw it and texted me about it!

Booking that commercial was the first time I had ever been flown somewhere to shoot. I tell ya, I loved every single moment of that experience.

I highly recommend staying at Hotel Adeline when in the Scottsdale area. My room was comfy, and the front desk guy offered me a free spin on one of those dang scooters that you see all over cities these days. I didn't use it, though, because the last thing I wanted was to hurt myself before filming! That would have been awful!

Yeah, I'm telling the Universe right now that I know this was the first of many great bookings to come!! And that I'm immeasurably THANKFUL for each and every one!

Conversations With CAM

"Conversations With CAM"

Last Wednesday, I attended a terrific Q&A with Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear, moderated by Anthony Anderson.

I have to admit, throughout the entire Q&A, I imagined moderating the event my dang self! Anthony was fine, but CAM Jr would have chatted up Jimmy and Mr. Lear like we were old pals.

Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes - The Jeffersons

Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei - All In The Family

Jimmy and Mr. Lear talked about producing the live, staged performances of Mr. Lear's The Jeffersons and All In The Family.

I haven't seen the broadcast yet, but I'm gonna watch it as soon as I finish this post!

After the Q&A, guests were treated to a fabulous poolside barbeque. The sumptuous buffets and open bars made us guests feel like a million bucks!

Gorgeous synchronized swimmers came out and performed a beautiful routine in the sparkling blue pool. I'd post a video clip of their performance, but I don't have music clearances for the songs used, so my word will have to do!

The first image on this post is a photo op guests were allowed. I jumped at the chance to sit at that desk as if I was hosting my own show. I've fantasized about my own talk show for decades. And, yes, the name of it would be CONVERSATIONS WITH CAM. And my guests and I would simply talk about any and everything.

Being at this event lit a fire under my butt to work on a tv idea I've been kicking around in my head of late. This morning, I awakened and wrote character breakdowns for my main characters. I'll flesh out my pilot episode before too long.

Yes, I'm 55 years blessed, but I'm still not too old to become the PROFESSIONALLY FULFILLED man I was born to be!

So, I'll keep on keepin' on.

And what will be, will be.

The Friend From Tel Aviv

I've been on a kick lately, surfing YouTube for a few hours at a time, watching all the LGBTQ-themed short films that pop up. Yesterday, I stumbled across one that truly blew me away.

The Friend From Tel Aviv.

Wow! By the end of the film, I thought, now THAT'S how you write and produce a short film.

If the viewer pays attention, the narrative unfolds like a soft, warm bath towel, just pulled from the dryer. I mean, truly, this little film has so much going for it:

The PROVOCATIVE STORY!

The REALISTIC PERFORMANCES!

The "I WONDER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT" appeal.

I cared about all the main characters. And that's no easy feat in screenwriting.

I'll say no more.  Simply see the film below for yourself.

And remember, Love is Love.

The Friend From Tel Aviv
Director: Federica Gianni
Writers: Federica Gianni, Nitzan Krimsky
Starring: Yuval Boim, Karen Giordano, Nitzan Krimsky

I Said What I Said

Since I was 18 years blessed, I've been keeping a journal, chronicling the ups and downs and all arounds of my life.

Lately, I've been re-reading some of those journals.

I have filled FOURTEEN notebooks with the trials and tribulations of a young CAM Jr. They span from 18-31 years old.

By my 32nd birthday, I had stopped writing in notebooks and began typing my journal entries onto a computer, storing them onto a diskette. Unfortunately, that diskette was compromised, and I lost all my entries from 32-44 years old or so.

I began this blog in 2009 to pick up where I left off.

In many ways, re-reading these journals is a hoot!

And it's also sobering.

Some might even say, "sorta sad."

I spent a LOTTTTTTTTTTTT of time fretting over no romance.

And even MORE TIME lamenting my lack of meaningful work in showbiz.

Um...I'm 55 years blessed now, and I can't say that much has changed on the romance and showbiz fronts. The only difference is: I don't complain about either any longer.

I just LIVE.

I find myself reading about people I can't recall, so I Google them to see if that will jog my memory. And in some cases, when their image pops across the screen, it certainly has.

I've even read an obituary of one of the guys I looked up. Anthony was a co-worker at Macy*s. He was 21 or so at that time. Everybody loved him. Especially the gay guys. His super friendly personality, and incredible body made him the cat's meow. I remember laughin' it up with the kid while hitting dance club after dance club in Manhattan. He was always good for great energy!

His obituary doesn't reveal his cause of death, but like most nosy curious folks, I sure would like to know it. Well, whatever his cause of death, may his soul rest in eternal peace.

One of my nieces used to visit me quite a bit while I lived in NYC, and she'd go through my journals when I was at work. She was searching to see if I talked openly about my sexuality. Well, because I just KNEW folks like HER might one day stumble across my journals, I talked in code. Haaaaa!

So, SPECULATION was all she got outta her snooping. Never CONFIRMATION! Haaaaa!

It's re-reading my college years that intrigues me most. Wow! Those four years were somethin'!

The FRATERNITY!

The STUDYING!

The SEXUAL ANXIETY!

It was all soooooo dang IMPORTANT to me back then!!!

And truth be told, if it wasn't for these journals, I wouldn't remember HALF of what I wrote about!

Actually, MORE than half!

I'm happy I wrote down my thoughts back then, 'cause re-reading about 'em now is bringing a huuuuuuuuuuuge SMILE to my face.

Okay, a few CRINGES too, but I'll take 'em!!!!!!