Ha, I totally forgot!

But first... I actually just got home from an awesome holiday party tonight. I can't say the name of the company, since the deal is still being hammered out, but we've finally teamed with someone on our option that was announced a couple months ago. This is a prominently black company, it was their holiday party tonight, and I met Mike Ealy, Jennifer Hudson, and the coolest of all, Andre Holland from The Knick, one of my favorite shows on TV. In fact, Holland was the nicest guy ever, was genuinely impressed with our deal, and congratulated me twice tonight. What's crazy is that I was literally planning on going to this party, grabbing a bite to eat on the way home after, and then watching the penultimate episode of The Knick. Next thing I know I'm rubbing shoulders with one of the stars of the show, and he's congratulating me. So weird. I also saw Hasan Minhaj from The Daily Show, but didn't get a chance to talk to him.

Anyway, nothing too big, but a pretty fun night overall. I'll finally tell the Favre story in the next day or so, when I get a chance. Off to watch The Knick, and then bed...

Does anyone else get super excited when they come to the E board and see that this thread has been bumped?

That's awesome news TC, definitely keep us all informed if you can...

I've been trying not to bug you asking for updates, so glad to hear the news. Can't wait to hear more when you can talk more extensively on it.

So... one of my all-time favorite shoots was for Wrangler with Brett Favre at his home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I was the production manager for this somewhat notable, if not highly overplayed commercial, circa 2008...



During pre-production in LA, Wrangler told us that we could cast the football player extras for the commercial. This was maybe two weeks before the shoot. And everyone in our office knew I was huge football fan, played high school football, and worked for the team at A&M in college. That, and the vast majority of our shoots were high fashion - Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Christian Dior, Banana Republic, etc. - so everyone was excited for me that we were finally getting to do one that this Texas kid could actually relate to.

So much so that our producer asked if I wanted to be IN the commercial.

As long as I executed my production manager duties on set, and didn't neglect that aspect, they were going to pay me even more money to play football. With Brett Favre. In a commercial. I could hardly contain myself, and for the next two or three days, that was my reality.

That is, until Wrangler called us again and said they were just going to handle casting once we got to Hattiesburg. And since they were obviously our client, my producer thought it was unprofessional at that point to essentially try and force me into the commercial/their casting process. So, alas, no starring role for me. Still, I was getting paid to essentially go hang out with Brett Favre for a couple days, at his house, so I couldn't complain. Little did I know that the commercial would air for at least the next four years on ESPN.

Anyway, we get to Hattiesburg, and the day before the shoot my producer and I, along with a Wrangler rep and the director, all make the 10 minute drive or so to Favre's land, just outside of town, in order to figure out where, exactly, to shoot. We pull up to a service gate and Brett's agent / manager / land man / whatever else - this older guy named Bus - meets us there and let us in. I'm driving, and we're following him in his truck down this windy dirt road across Favre's sprawling, absolutely beautiful property - just acres and acres of land. We soon entered a more wooded area, and pass workers here and there hauling logs, trimming trees, etc. Finally, we stop in front of this massive barn surround by what is basically forest on three sides. And I'm genuinely nervous at this point. I'm about to meet one of my heroes, and we're just waiting in the car for a good two minutes or so for him to show.

Well, this whole time we're waiting, there's this guy with his back to us - in tennis shoes, dirty khaki shorts, a white sleeveless t-shirt and goggles - taking a chainsaw to tree stump about 20 feet away. And you know how in every big sports movie in the 80s and 90s - whether it be Rocky IV or For the Love of the Game - the superstar sports veteran has his off-season home out in the boonies where he's chopping wood or whatever? Well, somehow, this was just like that. Because that's when the guy in the sleeveless shirt turns off the chainsaw, lifts his goggles, and turns around - in what was basically a superhero-esque pose, holding a chainsaw in one hand - to reveal himself as Brett freakin' Favre. I was legitimately stunned.

We get out of the car and Brett leads us into his massive barn, where we all exchange hellos. And for the next 20 minutes we just shoot the sh*t, after we tell him what we're looking for, he tells us where he thinks would be the best areas to shoot, etc.

Fast forward to the next day, the day of the shoot, and it was my job to head up all the football player extras, who Wrangler ended up casting from a local fire station, police station, and grocery store. So I line them all up - including Favre - and ask, "Ok, who here has played organized football before." Not a single person raises their hand. And I'm thinking, Great, not only am I NOT in this commercial, but I could have been the only one with any legitimate skill. And that's when, after an awkward silence, Favre raises his hand and says very deadpan, with a dip in his mouth,"I played high school football." The whole crew busts out laughing, and it serves as the perfect ice breaker.

From that point on, save for my on-set duties, my one and only goal that day was to either throw a pass to Brett Favre - or, preferably - catch a pass from Brett Favre. And I cannot tell you how hard I tried. Sometimes, even awkwardly so. So many of the guys were constantly trying to play catch with him, so I quickly ruled out catching a pass from him, and instead focused on throwing one. And so every time a ball was overthrown or missed during the actual filming, I would run and go pick it up, ready to heave it back to Favre. Without fail, though, every time one of those morons would be in between me and Favre and they'd put their hands up and motion like I should throw it to them, so they could through it back to Favre. There were seriously three or four times where I would waive the guy off, hold the ball a beat too long, only for Favre to be talking to someone else, not paying attention,etc. Really, it was super childish how we all acted around this guy, in a hilarious way. And because I had to remain professional, I couldn't ask Favre to play catch or anything like that. That, and I ended up being busy as hell with my real duties.

So, yeah. That's basically the gist; my story of how I went from almost being in that commercial to not even getting to throw the damn ball to Favre. Still, it was a super fun shoot, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Favre could not have been a cooler guy.

Some pics from the shoot as well...

Awesome story. Glad to hear Brett's a cool dude. Such a bummer they wouldn't let you in it though.

Also the really funny thing is how American A-list celebrities won't do endorsements in America because they think it hurts and devalues their brand, but have no problem doing all kinds of cheesy deals in Asia.

My writing partner was on the WB lot yesterday having lunch with his wife.

Before meeting up with her, he was waiting on an elevator.

The doors opened.

Margot Robbie exits.

Said it was like "seeing an angel."

This, coming from a married man. And I could not have been more jealous.

Considering she's what started this whole thread, I figured this was pertinent news.

That, and... I'm getting closer.

[said in the least stalker-ish way possible]

TC, that last story I'm just imagining your friend looking like Squints at the pool when Wendy Peffercorn walks out