Wednesday, January 29, 2014

JEOPARDY!!!

The Jeopardy watch party was awesome last night. More people than I knew I knew came to see me at our tiny house in Broadview Heights -- enough to overflow our living room -- and I'm still reeling from the deafening cheers at my come-from-behind victory to snap up $37,200 and come back to be tonight's returning champion!

And it's not just my friends: I've somehow been able to make a splash on the Twitterverse, thanks to my wife Eliza's obsessive retweeting of all the most... colorful of the reactions to my victory on Twitter and my self-conscious responses to them. I even got reblogged here:

http://nyc.barstoolsports.com/random-thoughts/meet-arthur-your-next-jeopardy-sensation/

Anyway, while there's no formal watch party tonight I hope you all get in front of your TV sets to see if I can continue the trend! If nothing else, hopefully this exposes more people to my dulcet vocal stylings (one Twitterer already expressed the opinion that I must be a closet phone sex operator, so I must be doing something right...)

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

MORE BLASTS FROM THE PAST: Monologue battle!

The Cleveland Monologue Battle is one of my favorite events -- it's short, sweet and simple, and it's a great way to strut your stuff in front of an audience and get no-holds-barred critique on where your strengths and weaknesses are as an actor.

It's an opportunity more of us should take advantage of more often, considering how much time we as actors spend pointlessly analyzing why a casting director did or didn't cast us for a particular role and complaining about how we don't get feedback for our auditions.

And, of course, the cash prize if you succeed in bringing it is always nice.

You can sign up for the Battle yourself here:

http://clevelandmonologuebattle.com/

But of course you're not here for that, you're here to see the awesome videos of me taking second place (twice!) at recent battles.

Well, here's a video taken by my wife of my most recent one -- an EXTREMELY NSFW and extremely disturbing monologue first memorably delivered by Jason Patric in Neil LaBute's film Your Friends and Neighbors:


And here's a very different monologue from September, taken from Danny Pudi as Abed Nadir in the classic episode of Community, "Critical Film Studies":


Unfortunately the above is cut off at the beginning and end because the camera guy was just shooting footage for a promo video for the Monologue Battle, but as a tradeoff the picture quality is much higher.

Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for monologues I can take into future battles!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Come see me in PHOTOGRAPH 51 at ACTORS' SUMMIT!

ATTENTION NORTHEAST OHIOANS!

See me in the role of brilliant scientist and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, Francis Crick, of Watson and Crick, who for some reason always gets listed second, and learn the too-often untold story of Rosalind Franklin, the woman whose research was critical to their discovery and whose contribution was buried by history.

You'll come for the penetrating insights about sexism, science and human relationships. You'll stay to see what I look like with 1950s slicked-back hair.

Photograph 51, opening this Friday night at 8:00 pm and playing Thu/Fri/Sat for the next three weekends at 8:00 pm, and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.

All at Actors' Summit in beautiful downtown Akron. See link for details.

http://www.actorssummit.org/#!on-stage/c1mjw

P.S.: I have two extra COMP TICKETS that I need to give away for opening weekend. If you have ever wondered whether you were close enough friends with me that I'd give you a comp ticket, this is your opportunity to find out.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

JEOPARDY online test is today!

Hey friends! I've been so busy with all kinds of excitement in 2014 that I forgot to remind you all about the Jeopardy online test!

It's not too late, though -- today's the first day of the test, and you still have time to register today. The test will be at 7:00 PM Eastern time, or if you can't take it today you can do it tomorrow or Thursday.

I can say from experience that the test is a lot easier than I thought it'd be and nothing to stress out over. It only takes a few minutes -- what do you have to lose? Worst that happens, they don't call you and you take the test again in a couple years. Best that happens, you end up on NATIONAL TELEVISION like I did and have a story to tell for the rest of your life.

Trust me, the experience of being on Jeopardy is worth it, no matter what happens to you. I strongly encourage anyone out there who's as much of a smartass as I am (which honestly probably includes most of my friends) to give it a shot.

And remember, mark your calendars for January 28th to catch my own Jeopardy saga and see me embarrass myself in front of millions.

Register for the Jeopardy online test here:

http://www.jeopardy.com/onlinetests/adult/


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Last Erfworld Book 2 Epilogue update

The final Erfworld epilogue update featuring my voice. I'm all choked up, sigh. Extra special video effects in this one -- and expect to see more from me in the Erfworld universe soon! 

http://www.erfworld.com/2013/12/epilogue-25-parson-and-charlie/

My episode of Jeopardy!

BREAKING NEWS (okay, not really, just been too lazy/busy to post till now):

My episode of JEOPARDY! airs on Tuesday, Jan. 28th, at 7:00 or 7:30 depending on your local syndication time. (Here in Cleveland it's on channel 19, WOIO CBS, 7:30 pm.)

Mark your calendars! Prepare to thrill at the game's daring twists and turns! Either root for Arthur to attain the spoils of victory or sadistically revel in the humiliation of his defeat! C'mon, it's only a half-hour, and I'll be on national TV. Please watch. You can find your local Jeopardy station and air time here:

http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide/whentowatch/

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving

Sorry for the lack of updates, to all two of you who read this blog. I've been waiting vainly for life to "calm down" as people keep assuring me it eventually will -- maybe 2015 will be a better year for finding moments for calm reflection amid the chaos, assuming I can use the rest of 2014 to get a head start on said chaos by pulling one long continuous all-nighter from now until December 31.

But it's good to remember that there's a ton to be thankful for, most of all that my sister is in town and about to join my wife and my in-laws and me for an incredible meal of way too much food. Also that none of us is in prison or homeless and that we're privileged enough to join in the big victory party of white Europeans vs. everyone they stole their land from without having to be white Europeans ourselves. (Huzzah!)

As far as the Arthur's Awesome Attempt to Kickstart His Media Career side goes, there's plenty to be thankful for there too. First there's the awesome indie film Cleanland that I was honored enough to have a small part in, for which there's a new trailer:


I have always wanted to be in a movie trailer where one of the beats is my horrified face staring directly into the camera, and now I can die happy.

We're also close to wrapping up the Erfworld.com epilogue videos that I've been voicing the narration for, and despite the many late nights I can't be happier with the experience it's been narrating such a weird, offbeat, creative Web series. I know it's almost impossible to follow if you haven't been reading it from the beginning -- but that's just a reason to go back to the beginning and binge-read it now, before things get Really Serious in the climactic chapter to come.

Here's me channeling two of Erfworld's most badassly eloquent characters in the second-to-last of these Erfworld videos:

http://www.erfworld.com/2013/11/epilogue-24-tramennis-and-charlie/

And finally, any Clevelanders who aren't still in a food coma or trampled to death in a Wal-Mart should make Black Friday plans to see me once again go for the gold at the Cleveland Monologue Battle. It's their one-year anniversary, it's an awesome event and I hope to still be performing there at their two-year anniversary. Happy Turkey Day, and see you at Epic Lounge tomorrow!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1418731305011304/