Blankie's conventional wisdom

Blankie has done a few pilots. She's not un-like the chick in Pulp Fiction, who's had her pilot moment. A pilot is like a gilded lottery ticket. You're no longer competing against the millions, you've reduced your odds to the 100s. If you have someone helming the pilot with a great track record, currently hot show, your chances increase. And still, I've had a pal on a pilot made by the dudes who made Cheers that was a dud. They call it "pilot season," and everyone gets all excited, thinking their show could be the next "Everybody Loves Raymond." I've been in Lost Anglos for quite a spell, and I've never even auditioned for a pilot. Of course, I've always played at the game, instead of being serious.

Blankie's been on some good shows, been on some good movies. But still, she has to work it. She does these conventions. Sometimes she'll have a table next to Larry Storch of F-Troop. Other times, the brother's from Scarface. The lower rungs of celebrity, trading on glimmer of recognition.

Blankie is very cute lady, so she's often in her bathing suit, doing bathing suit modeling. Weird scary dudes who rarely venture outside from their interior cyber-space pay money for a picture, or an autograph. One guy brought in a giant cardboard print-out of his room (complete with an Enterprise poster in the background) and asked her to pose in front of it. It was a backdrop essentially, to prove to his buddies that he scores with hot bathing suit budies. Take that cyber-pal, she was in my fucking room!! In her bathing suit!!!

You fly to the conventions ($$$) you need a hotel room ($$), cabs ($$), and of course your registration ($$) and all this is predicated on people wanting pictures with you, or your autograph. Willing to pay you for these favors. Sometimes its good: she made $500(+) many times. Other times, tiz bad: you end up making nothing, meaning you lose, based on all your expenses. Blankie had a decent role in Visionquest, but she's still just slugging it out to stay afloat. Peeps outside of hollywood see someone on TV or in a movie, and assume they're rich. Not so.

During one convention, Blankie bonded with one of the dudes from Stripes. I think it was Francis, the pyscho killer guy ("Anyone touches my stuff, I'll kill them."). Francis had not seen either the gravy or the train in quite a while. But, on a good day, he sez his old lines, arches an eyebrow, and walks with $500.00 ...