Author: Sarah

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AMC Gala

First Ever AMC Gala

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I’m so excited. I just got back from my European Vacation, and now I’m planning my trip to LA to attend the A Minor Consideration First Ever Guiding Star Gala.

AMC is very near and dear to my heart. These guys were there for me during all my stuff going on, and now, I want to pay it back.

They’re holding a big event on August 30th, at the famed Hollywood Lucky Strike Bowl. A bunch of other Former Child Stars are going to be there, and there will be a silent auction, as well as a whole bunch of memorabilia up on eBay. We’re trying to raise money so we can be more effective when it comes to helping out other former and current child stars. AMC has done to so much already to help change laws and make the industry a safer place for kids, but it’s not cheap to change legislation.

If you can make it out to the big event in LA, please come along, enjoy an evening bowling and socializing with your favourite childhood actors. If you can’t be in LA, keep an eye out for details of the auctions. There’s going to be a bunch of amazing stuff put up. Click on the poster above, and it will take you to the AMC Gala Page where you can buy tickets to the event.

I hope to see you guys there!

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Anatomie Style

Have clothes will travel.

I just wanted to give a shout out to the folks at Anatomie Style.

I travel a lot these days, and thanks to Travel Fashion Girl and her awesome website, I’m learning to pack even smaller bags than I used to. I’ve always liked the concept of a capsule wardrobe, and living full time in an RV, culling my closet is kind of essential. I also hate lugging my clothes to the laundromat, and I actually enjoy hand washing my clothes in my Laundry Pod. It’s good exercise.

So lots of the travel guru’s raved about Anatomie pants. They can be hand washed, and air dry super quick. They’re ultra light weight, but still look like dress pants. I found a deal on line at Neiman Marcus Last Call, and I ordered a couple pair, to see if they were worth the price.

They arrived, and I loved them. So much so, that I knew I needed more. Matt and I were headed to Miami, where Anatomie has their head office. So on my last day in Miami, Matt drove me over to their 4th St location, which is listed on their website and FB page. As we pulled up, Matt wasn’t sure we had the right location. It looked like a warehouse. It was their warehouse, and they had just moved in. When I opened the door, they looked a little confused, but when I said I was looking for clothes, they jumped right in.They were setting up an area to be a showroom, and even had a changing area. They introduced me to Alesia, who asked about the clothes I liked, and who then sorted through the racks, and searched out the back, and I think she had me try on every pair of pants they made, in an effort to find me some that I loved. The couple pair I already had were way too long, but Alesia assured me they had a tailor on site, and could alter my pants right there if need be. Thankfully, we found a couple pair that made my ass look great, and that were short enough they didn’t even need hemming! I could have gone crazy, and I wanted to buy a tonne of stuff, but that would kinda defeat the purpose of downsizing my wardrobe. I did however indulge in two pairs of pants, the Andrea and the Kate, both in navy. I got three tops, all in white. The Trina, a Bailey Jacket and a blossom top, which they don’t even have on their website yet. Matt was very patient, and sat there while I tried everything on, giving a yay or nay on each item. I’ve never seen him give so many yays before. Everything was super soft to the touch, and I’ve already washed the pants, and can attest to how quick they dry. I’m super excited about my new stuff, and I packed today for our trip to Italy and Greece next week, and thanks to Anatomie, I crammed everything into one small backpack. So be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for lots of Instagram pics of me in Italy wearing Anatomie stuff. Go follow me now. You know you want to.

Andrea Leggings and Bailey Jacket
Andrea Leggings and Bailey Jacket

Oh, and I didn’t even notice till later when I got back to the hotel and was playing with the clothes, but the tags on the pants were actually luggage tags. Super cute idea.

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So Thank You to Alesia and everyone at Anatomie for making stylish travel clothes, and more so for letting me run free and try on everything you make at your warehouse.anatomietraveltag2 I think even Matt had fun. He didn’t even cry when I handed over my credit card. 😉

Oh, and word to the wise, you might find the clothes cheaper on Last Call, but Alesia said they’re factory seconds… If you’re in Miami, go check out their headquarters. I got to see stuff that wasn’t in stores yet, because it was either a sample or next seasons stuff. Plus, if you need anything altered, they can do it right there. So worth the trip.

 

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Kids on reality TV

 

The Child Labor Reality

I’ve gotten into heated discussions with people over whether kids working in the entertainment industry is comparable to child labour. The way I see it, if you’re working, you’re considered labour, so any kid working is child labour. Others try to say I’m insulting the child labourers of third world countries, because their PC definition of child labour is restricted to kids working in factories in places like Bangladesh or Honduras. Sure, kids working in third world countries have it rough, but if you think that kids working on TV are all living a life of luxury, and making a huge amount of cash for later in life, you’re sadly mistaken.

Some places like California have laws set up for kids, many places don’t. So while your ten year old can’t go work at a store, or even on the family farm, you can send them off to work on a movie set, where contrary to popular perception, the work is much less than glamorous. Filming can be long, hard, and tedious, and sometimes even dangerous. You might be working outside in snow in winter, or in the heat of summer, with no AC, or even shade. You might end up working with a sex offender, and good luck getting anyone to do anything about that. Animals normally have a handler, and laws to protect them, making sure they get breaks for water, and to rest. Kids in most states do not even have that.

Now, there’s a huge crop of reality shows based around kids. These ones have even less protections. Most reality shows are scripted, and it’s not just cameras following kids around. Jon from Jon & Kate talked about how they would do retakes if the shot wasn’t right, and they might have the kids up at 2am, outside in the snow, trying to film. He got tired of it, and wanted to protect the kids. Kate didn’t care, she was making money, and getting famous. Even better, the kids were exempt from their own contracts in the beginning, so all the money was going to the adults.

imageI could argue the child labour issue of kids in the media till I’m blue in the face, but it’s probably just easier to let Paul Petersen do it. He’s my personal hero, and he’s been fighting for kids in the industry for years. Paul started A Minor Consideration, and here he is on CBC radio, discussing the laws. It’s about 12 minutes long, but very worth your time.

Listen here: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/ID/2671225973/

 

A Minor Consideration is there for all current and former kids in the industry. If you’re a product of the industry and need help, contact AMC. If you want to help out, you can make a tax deductible donation, or attend our first ever Gala event in August. All money raised goes to helping fight for the rights of the innocents of the industry.

www.aminorconsideration.org

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Love Wins!

Gay Marriage now legal in all 50 States

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Congratulations America. I had woken up this morning to news of three separate terrorists attacks, and as I looked at the yellow countries affected on the map, which were all fairly close to Italy, where I’m about to head on vacation, I was starting to feel nervous. The online news showed me uncertainty in Greece, also on our travel list.

As I was watching the news, fearing more doom and gloom, as they talked about Obama heading to speak at the church in South Carolina that was attacked, the TV popped up with BREAKING NEWS, and finally, something good in the world.

The Supreme Court of the United States had finally reached a decision on Same Sex marriage. A country that claims to separate church and state, but usually doesn’t, finally had an epiphany, and listened to the majority of its constituents. They finally made Same Sex marriage legal in all 50 states. Congratulations America. I am very proud of you. You have joined other forward thinking countries in recognizing the rights of all people to love and marry.

Ok Australia, it’s your turn. Do me proud.

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Wild Horses Movie Review

Wild Horses
wild-horses-movie-poster

Have you ever seen a movie so horrifically bad, you feel compelled to warn others not to waste two hours of their lives?

This movie, Wild Horses, stars Robert Duvall. He’s an American legend. Usually, his stuff is amazing. Somehow though, in between writing, directing, and starring in this movie, he completely failed. His biggest fail was casting his wife as one of the main characters. Luciana Pedraza, aka Luciana Duvall, plays a Texas Ranger so wooden, Pinocchio looks real by comparison. The only other movie she has been in was another Robert Duvall movie. Look Robert, I get you love your wife, but that doesn’t mean she can, or should, act in your movie.

I wanted to turn the movie off after the first 10 minutes, but I held out for James Franco and Josh Harnett.  (Also, there’s a Tropical Storm happening, so I can’t go play outside) Even these two couldn’t save the film. The scenes involving them were slightly better, but I just felt sorry for them being in this movie, and trying to act off the rest of the cast. Franco acted his ass off 127 Hours, and he didn’t have anyone to act with in the majority of that movie. I guess that’s easier than trying to act off people who are just terrible actors. The casting director of this film should be thrown out of the Casting Directors association. Did he even have these people read their lines before giving them their jobs? The other “Rangers” and cast members seems to have taking acting lessons from William Shatner, but forgot to use facial expressions.

The movie wasn’t helped along by my other pet peeve in movies; filming locations that aren’t remotely like the place that they’re set. I know the Texas Film Commission fucked up a few years ago by taking away film incentives, so now all these movies that are set in Texas go film somewhere else, but seriously, how do you make a movie that is supposed to be set on the Rio Grande in Texas, in Utah? Sure, Texas and Utah might both have some rocky regions, but I can assure you that nowhere along the Mexican border does it look like the Mountains of Utah. There’s no mormon tabernacles, and I laughed my ass off when the fictional LaBelle County Sheriff car was parked, and they forgot to take the Utah license plate off of it.  Also, why do people think that every movie set in Texas needs to be all about cowboys wearing wranglers and Stetsons. I was so confused when I moved to Texas and there wasn’t cowboys everywhere. Every Hollywood movie made me think there was nothing but horses and oil rigs in this huge state. Sure, there are cowboys, but that’s not all there is. It’s such a cliche.

So, save yourself the time, and the frustration, and probably your voice as you start screaming at the screen. Find something else to watch. Pretty much anything that Duvall, Franco or Harnett are in. Anything would be better than this. I guess at least Matt was amused, but I think he was watching me watch the film…. Let’s just say, I got more animated than anyone paid to be in this film.

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Royal Commission looking at the Entertainment Industry

Royal Commission turning the spotlight on the Entertainment Industry

When the Royal Commission was announced a few years ago, we wondered if they would also be looking at the Entertainment Industry. Some people indicated it would only be looking at “institutions” but if the industry isn’t an institution, then I don’t know what is.

After my own ordeal, and of course following all the cases in the UK with Operation Yewtree, as well as hearing about the plethora of cases in the US, it’s fairly obvious, at least to me, that the entertainment industry needs a spotlight to look into some of the darker corners. It would be very naive to think that I was the only case in the Australian entertainment industry. When I went public, I received many messages of support from others who understood, because they too had been through a similar ordeal on a set.

I am thrilled that the Royal Commission has announced that they are seeking others who may have been abused within the industry, and are calling for them to come forward to talk. Even if you weren’t a victim yourself, if you have information on abuses within the industry, please contact the commission, and let them know. Your evidence could help others. It’s not just for television. Here’s their scope: “Institutions within the Royal Commission’s scope may include television networks, film and television production companies, theatrical production companies, dance, drama and performing arts schools or colleges, casting agencies or any other company, agency or organisation, public or private involved in the entertainment industry.”

Here’s the link to the official announcement, which contains the contact details for the commission. I encourage anyone who can help the commission to come forward.

You can contact the Royal Commission via: Phone: 1800 099 340, Email:solicitor@childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au, or Mail: GPO Box 5283, Sydney NSW 2001.

For more information on the Royal Commission please visit our websitewww.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au

 

 

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Residuals

Can actors live off residuals forever?

There seems to be a perception that an actor can live off residual cheques forever. It’s a common misperception. Yes, there are a few actors who do live quite well with the added residual income cheques, but there are very few who can live off just that income. Especially if you’re from an older show that had a contract written before new technology.

Another child actor friend of mine had started a discussion today within our group asking about residuals. I always love hearing from my US counterparts, because the laws are set up so differently here. Or at least I thought. Seems a lot of them with older contracts also got screwed out of money. Sometimes they post up pics of the cheques they do get, so we can all have a laugh and commiserate together. Some people get an actual cheque for $0.10 or less. It’s not even worth the paper it was written on.

After seeing the discussion today, it got me thinking about the last time the Hey Dad cast got a cheque. It was before I turned 21, and I bought a watch with it, which I still have. It was a Tag Heuer, and it was on a crazy sale for under $500. I had been eyeing it for months, and when I got that cheque, I cashed it, and got me that watch. I think that cheque was for $800, so I spent the rest on something responsible like rent and groceries.

Our contracts were from the 1970’s. There was no electronic media back then. Nobody knew what a DVD was. Cable wasn’t in Australia yet. They had it written in that we would get a few rounds of residuals from overseas sales, and repeats. A lot of older US contracts were updated to reflect that shows are now run constantly on cable, and are also being put into box sets. Some even reflect digital usage.

Somehow, that never happened in Australia. We thought maybe since it had been shown on Comedy Classics channel on cable, there might be something owed there, but apparently, we were all shit out of luck.  Nothing from all the local channels that played it for years either. All the foreign residuals were also out of contract it seemed. I wasn’t even really aware that we had a box DVD set until Gary Reilly sent me an email, asking for a current address, as there may have been money owed to us. My next trip to Australia, I took my brother to the store with me to show him, because he didn’t believe me, and Matt bought a set, so I know they sold at least one DVD set. 

Then, I didn’t hear anything for a long time, so I contacted Gary again, making sure things didn’t get lost in the international post. Gary said there had “been an error” and that even though there was now two box sets in Australia, and Germany released four different box sets, we wouldn’t be getting any money.  When we got together for that episode of Where Are They Know, we had a discussion at dinner, to see if anybody have ever received anything. None of us had. Worse than that, Chris Truswell got excited because he had money sent to from the union, and then they said there had been an error, and it belonged to someone else. We wondered how it was that even with old contracts, the show could be sold over and over again, and us actors were getting nothing for it. I’m glad to know it’s way more common than just Australian shows getting fucked. (I had heard the cast of Prisoner also kicked up a stink about not getting anything when they were sold off on DVD)

Of course, nobody is going to buy these DVD sets now. (I think I sealed that deal 😉 ) Although there are a couple of sets available on Amazon in the US and the UK.  (Do they even know what the show was?) I’m not bitter about it, because it was probably only pennies we would have gotten anyway. It’s just an observation that I made today that actors make a lot less money than people think they do. Shit, I made more in the military per week than I ever did on Hey Dad..! I’m guessing Gary made a pretty penny as the producer though. If I ever go back to the industry, I’m going to be a producer. They’ve got the money and the power.

So next time you see an actor out and about, especially if they’re working a second job, be nice to them. Understand that they probably don’t just blow through all their money on booze and drugs. Some of them just never got that money in the first place to start the party with. Not everyone makes Charlie Sheen money.

Of course, if anyone from the media union in Oz is reading this, I’m sure the rest of the cast would appreciate it if you looked into where their residual money is.

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Look Up

Look UP

I saw this video quite a while ago, and I just saw in again in my FB timeline.

The first time I saw it, it made an impact on me. I’m not as obsessed by my phone as a lot of people I know are, but I knew I looked at it too much. This made me realize even the small amount I used it was too much. So I stopped looking at it so much. The problem was, I became like the girl in the bus stop. I might not have my phone in my hand, but everyone else does….

These days, I try even harder to only pull my phone out to answer a call, or check it when it beeps. If the moment calls for it, I might use it to snap a shot. I don’t spend 20 minutes trying to get the perfect selfie, it’s a one, maybe two shot deal. If it takes longer than that, then it wasn’t worth taking. I have Instagram set up to push out to FB & Twitter, so I just upload it, and then put my phone away again.

Life has been much more enjoyable since I’ve given up staring at my phone. It is kind of lonely though, when you’re the only one who isn’t. So go ahead, watch the video. Let the message sink in. Use your screen to meet up with your friends in real life, and then put the phones down to just enjoy real life time together.

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A Minor Consideration Gala

AMC is having a fundraiser!

As some of you know, I’m involved with a group in the US called A Minor Consideration. It was started by Paul Peterson back in 1991, to help current and former child actors. When I was going through all the shit with the investigation and court case in Australia, I found Paul, and he welcomed me into the fold. AMC has the most amazing group of people, who truly understand what it is to be a child actor, and the stuff that we go through. They’re not just a support group, they actively work to change laws, and make the industry a safer place for kids to work in. It’s not just about actors either, AMC helps to create child labour laws for kids in reality TV, who are often not covered at all in some states. A lot of people don’t know that each state has its own laws regarding child labour. Some States simply contract the parents, and all the kids work for free. They’re not covered by any kind of child protection laws, and can be worked all kinds of crazy hours, in any kind of weather, and don’t even have any right to the money their supposedly making.

A Minor Consideration is actively working with the government to protect child performers, but they can’t do it for free. It’s expensive to travel to DC to meet with the legislators. It costs money to help former child actors who need help. So for the first time ever, A Minor Consideration is having a fundraising event, and it’s going to be awesome.

GSG

If you’re in the LA area, or need a good excuse to go there, the Gala in going to be on August 30, 2015 at the Hollywood Lucky Strike.

There’s going to be a tonne of celebrities, a huge auction of memorabilia, and most importantly, a good time while we help raise money for AMC.

So spread the word, but your tickets, or just make a donation. I plan on being there, and I hope to see y’all there too.

Click the picture above, and it will take you to the AMC Gala page where you can buy tickets to the event, or just make a donation to this worthy cause.

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Celebrity Sex Offenders

The Who’s Who of Celebrity Sex Offenders.

When I first talked about being molested by someone on set, people acted like nobody in the industry was capable of being a sex offender. Which is just silly. Just because celebrity sex offenders get away with it in crazy numbers, doesn’t mean they’re not capable of doing it. It’s not like it’s unprecedented either. Plenty of celebrities were accused before me, and with the flood of people being outed lately, hopefully, more and more of them will have to face their crimes.

So lets have a little recap of who all these creepers are. Not everyone here has been charged with a crime. The Americans, besides having a statute of limitations which prevents charges being laid, are in particular very good at having cases thrown out, or settling out of court.

Since Josh Duggar is all over the news today, lets start with

 The “Reality Star” creepers.

 

The Directors

The Actors

 

The Singers

The UK Sex Offenders

The Australians

 

I’m not even going to try to do sports people, there’s just too many of them. Jerry Sandusky and Mike Tyson probably being the two most famous to actually serve prison time, both for rape.

Who have I missed on here?

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