Working Tomorrow

Tomorrow I am working on Monk doubling a guest star. I worked on this show about a year and half ago so it will be fun to work on it again. I was supposed to work at the motion capture studio but it is just doing demonstration of how their technology works so I am having Chris, Jon's brother take my place. Chris is staying with us and helping us fix up our house, so giving him a day of paid work makes me feel like it is worth his time to be here. He worked with me last week filling in for Jon doing the same thing because Jon was working on Avatar, a James Cameron movie.

The house work is coming along well. We finished the wood floors today and they look really good. Now we have to paint and do the molding and the living room will be done. My mom is flying in Wednesday to help do some work around here like taking down the ugly wallpaper, painting and working outside. It will be great to have her here.

Online at last!

Sorry I have been MIA but life has been crazy and finding an Internet connection has not been easy. We have spent the past three weeks working non stop and traveling all over the country (NY, Rhode Island, LA, New Jersey and Utah) and the few seconds we had at home we were dealing with paper work for the new house and packing. When I was in Utah last weekend Jon with the help of some great guys moved us into our new house. I was so sad I wasn't here for the move HA! I was working hard on a TV pilot which I hope gets picked up because the girl I was doubling will have tons of action, I am a great double for her (her mom took pictures and called us twins), she is the nicest sweetest actress I have worked with so I would love to work with her again.

We love our new house! It weird being a home owner I really do feel like a grown up, not sure if that is a good thing. Jon is installing wood floors down stairs and I have been busy attempting to take off the awful wall paper. I am so not good at stuff like that. You want me to get hit by cars, play football no problem but working on and decorating a house I am terrible. Thank goodness for a great mom and mother in law who have been helping via the phone. I am begging them to come visit aka help me. I don't think I will have to beg to hard.

So busy!

Jon and I have been crazy lately working all over the country and trying to do all the paper work and finish things up so we can close on our new house. Early last week we were in NY then midweek we flew to Seattle to attend my cousins wedding, Sunday night we flew back to LA. We are home for two days before we head off to Rhode Island to work on another movie. From RI we drive to NJ on Friday night so we can attend my sister-in-laws bridal show on Saturday, then on Sunday we fly back to LA. I am home for two days before I fly to Utah to work on yet another movie for a few days. Jon is not going to Utah so he will be home moving out of our current apartment into our new house. Crazy Crazy!

Watch CSI:NY

Remember when my friend Bryan Anderson was in town filming CSI:NY well the episode he worked on is airing tomorrow night. He is a guest star in the show and it is his acting debut, so make sure you watch Wednesday night at 10pm on CBS.

We love to Work!

Since the strike has ended with the writers Jon and I have been busy working which is great since we took the plunge and bought a house. I have been working on the TV show Moonlight on CBS and Jon has worked on the TV show Numbers and a moved called Avatar. We fly out the end of this week to work in NY on a movie called The Taking of Pelham 123. We have a few other things in the pipe line so hopefully they will work out.

Work and a House

It is crazy just how busy my world is and I don't have a regular job. This week Jon worked on the show Numbers and I worked doing some motion capture which was really cool. They actually did facial capture. They put the little dots all over my face and the computer can captures all my facial movement. It is pretty cool.

We put an offer on a townhouse that was a forclosure and it was accepted yesterday! It is a GREAT deal and we are so excited. It is 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, two stories, two car garage, 9 foot vaulded cealings both downstairs and up, 1700 sq feet not including the garage, speakers in the ceiling for music all over the house, a giant master bath with a huge tub and seperate shower and a seprate room for the toilet, a huge walk in closet, it backs up to the pool, it is an end unit, we have great friends who live on the other side of the pool, a nice patio where we can actually plant some flowers, did I mention it was a great deal! So hopefully all will work out and we will close on April 25. I am not excited about the next month because I hate contracts and all that. I feel like such a grown up.

So Much to Catch Up On

Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. I have honestly meant to write but have been soooo busy that I have barely have time to sleep. Where to start...Jon has been working on a cool project called Tintin which is directed by both Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Talk about a very cool project to work on. Two of the biggest directors ever and he is work with them both.

My friend Brian Anderson was in town last week (my friend who is the triple amputee from Iraq) because he was working on CSY:NY as a guest start. We hung out a bit and were able to grab dinner one night. It was great to see him. He really is a great guy. Make sure you look for him on CSI:NY it is his acting debut.

I worked on a commercial today. It was fun because it was a period piece and I was actually a princess. I had the royal robe, crown and drag queen make up. It really was a fun shoot. The commercial is European so it won't air in the US so you won't get to see it.



We have been shopping for a house which has really been taking up most of my time. Between dealing with shady mortgage brokers, looking at houses and trying to figure out what will be a good investment I have little time for anything else. It seems to be a pretty good time to buy in California and we aren't trying to sell anything so we figured we would begin the journey. Not so much fun, I will be honest.

The Acadamy Awards

Did you all watch the Oscars last night? I always enjoy watching the fun show, however I couldn't help but wonder why stunts are still not part of the awards. When you watch the clips they use for the movies when they are announced often times they use the stunts even if the movie is a drama.

It was great they included stunts for the first time at the SAG awards so perhaps the Oscars will be next. I know we have been fighting for it for years but in Hollywood stunts are sort of like the red headed step child (aunt marry this is nothing against red heads it is just a saying :). By giving us an award they blow the whistle that the actors don't do their own stunts and I do understand keeping the allure there. The least they should do is give an award for 2-unit director (they are often ex-stuntmen who direct all the action i.e. car chases, fights, ratchets...). They give it to the guy who directs the actors who say lines but on some movies that is only part of the story the action can be equally important. I will get off my soapbox now :)

Didn't Win but got a Certification

Even though Lost didn't win the SAG Award for Outstanding performance by a Stunt Ensambel for a TV show I got a certificate in the mail that congratulates me for being nominated. That is pretty cool. Being nominated for a SAG award was cool enough but to get an actual certificate for my nomination is also very cool. Anyway here is a picture taken from my cell phone of my certificate.

My New Hero

This past weekend Jon and I worked in Philadelphia on a movie called The Wrestler . This was one of the best movies I have ever worked on because we had the honor to work with the most unorthodox stuntman, Bryan Anderson. Bryan is an ex-gymnast, ex-soldier, winner of the Purple Heart and a triple amputee. He lost both his legs and part of his left arm in a roadside bomb. The only reason he still has his right hand is because he was taking a drag from his cigarette when the bomb went off.

Last January Bryan was on the cover of Esquire magazine and inside the cover story he said he would like to become a stuntman, “I could be on prosthetics, and they could blow my legs off.” Doug Crosby, the stunt coordinator for The Wrestler, read that article and began thinking of a way to make Bryan's dream a reality. He thought of a cleaver way to incorporate Bryan into the movie and hired him for his first job as a stuntman. (You will have to see the movie to see how they used him.) I had the privilege to work with Bryan on his first day of work as a stuntman.

Bryan is my same age, full of life, so funny and looks at life as if there is nothing stopping him from following his dreams. He is the spokesman for a wheelchair company, he travels around the country giving talks but he is still a 26 year old guy.

To me this sums up Bryan's way of looking at life: When he first noticed his legs and hand where gone he looked at his buddy and said "Do you think I’ll ever get laid again?" I love this guy. My new Hero, stuntman Bryan Anderson.

Going to the East Coast

Tomorrow Jon and I are headed to NY to work. We are working on a movie called The Wrestler for a few days. We get back to LA early next week.

The rain has finally stopped here and I have been able to enjoy the outdoors again. I love that you can be outside all year around here and I definitely take full advantage of it. At least 5 days a week I am outside working out either hiking, running or just recently roller blading (I know that is so 1990's of me but I love it, it is a great workout and my dog loves it too). I honestly don't think I could live anywhere cold again.

New Lost Tonight

I am on tonights season premier of Lost so be sure to watch.

Hawaii and Work

Well on Tuesday I flew to Hawaii for my family reunion. There are 16 of us here enjoying all Hawaii has to offer (snorkeling, scuba diving, body boarding...). Unfortunately and fortunately on Monday afternoon when we were getting everything ready to leave Jon got a job to coordinate an indi movie so last minute he canceled his trip to Hawaii to stay home to work. Like they say you want to work just plan a vacation. The movie is called Weather Girl.

I also thought I would mention that Jon and I both worked on the new movie Cloverfield that comes our this week. So if you see it stay till the end and you will our name in the credits. I haven't seen it yet because the screening is this week and I am in Hawaii.

Pictures from Work

Here is a picture from when I worked on CSI:NY and a short video of the ratchet I did. Enjoy!

Upcoming work I did

I am pretty sure I am on CSI:NY tonight. I am doubling the girl who dies. I will post pictures tomorrow from when I worked.

This Sunday the new show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiers on Fox. I worked on it quite a bit this fall. It was really fun to work on and I got to do some fun stunts. I was the second unit stunt double for the girl Terminator, Summer Glau (her character's name is Cameron) (her main double is a great stunt girl). I also did some other general stunts. It should be a good show, especially if you like the Terminator series.

Catching Up

We flew home from NJ on Monday however we have been sick since last Friday so I have been stuck at home since then. I hate being sick. I am finally getting around to putting up some pictures from our Christmas trip to NJ and our annual cookie decorating party we had before we left (here is the link to last year's party)



We went to Mama Mia at the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway. It was so beautiful inside but you are not allowed to take pictures inside.

Here is the Jersey clan in front of the best Italian restaurant in all of little Italy. I think it was the best meal I have ever had, seriously.

Since I have been sick I have been on the couch watching Sex and the City non stop (except when Jon wanted to watch football I would watch it on my laptop in my bedroom). Last Christmas my dad, step mom and sister bought me all 6 seasons. I love it! I can't wait for the movie to come out. It is nice to be home. Unfortunately there isn't a lot going on here in LA due to the writers strike.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from NJ! I hope everyone is enjoying family, food and wine!

I just talked to my dad and he just told me Lost was nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for season 3. My dad was the stunt coordinator for about half of the season and both Jon and I worked on it, so that is very exciting that we have all been nominated!

I still haven't seen National Treasure 2 but I am told that my name is in the end credits so look for it at the end of the movie under stunts. I am credited as Heather Vendrell Arthur. I am not really sure why sometimes they put your name in the credits and other times they don't. I worked more on Transformers and didn't get screen credit but on this movie I did get credit. Very strange but I am super happy.

National Treasure 2

Go see it. I worked on it last summer. I haven't seen it yet becuase when they had the cast and crew screaning Jon was sick. If you see it let me know if is any good. I will post some pics of when I worked on it when I get a chance. I hope to see it this week.

Mama Mia!!!

We arrived in NJ last night to spend Christmas with my in laws. After we landed we went home changed our cloths and was then picked up in a stretch limo and taken to the Winter Garden theater in Manhattan to see Mama Mia. It was such a great show! My sister in law was friends with on of the main guys in the show so we went back stage. It was pretty cool. 

Then we went to little Italy to get some dinner. I think it was the best dinner I have ever had, seriously. It was a really fun night. New York City is such a great place to be during Christmas time. I will post some pictures when I get a chance.

On CSY:NY...updated

I am on CSI:NY tomorrow night (10pm on CBS). I am the doubling the girl who gets killed (I am the one who gets killed). I will post pictures after the show airs. Enjoy!

Update: They ended up not airing the show I was in last week. TV Guide said it was the episode but it wasn't. Sorry guys. I will let you know when they actually do air it, but I am not sure when that will be.