Oh, Owen Wilson

Maybe it’s that I started the day at 4 am –– and then went back to sleep until 5 am –– in order to teach my 6 am yoga client.
And then returning home at 7:15 am, found MIRACLE parking given that the entire hill has sawhorses with dire parking warnings re: filming of THE INTERNSHIP (starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughan, Will Farrell, Rose Bryne (from my fave DAMAGES), and John Goodman and EVERYONE ELSE.
But I was really thrown out of alignment when the production company totally broke its promises to have the location fee checks as promised BEFORE granting them access … and wasn’t really dealing with it at all other than a “trust us, everything will be fine,” even when I reminded them that they were in breech of their own contract.   [It pushed a lot of buttons about giving them access and them not delivering.]
Anyway, trying to re-align, I took a long walk with Belle to Trader Joe’s for pizza and evening wine, and, more or less giving up on two of the major work projects –– although I did have two AWESOME client calls –– parked myself in Acre on the sofa and decided to let the filming begin and focus on my Inner Peace.
And, of course, the entire film crew kept coming in for coffees (literally like batches of 12  hand-brewed specialty blends) ––  and an unusual number of accessory purchases –– when one woman in particular fell in love with Belle as we sat on the sofa.
I asked her role in the production –– somehow just knowing –– and it turns out she was the Producer.  And when I launched into, “Well, here’s my complaint,” she picked up her cell and made the check happen in the next 20 minutes.
I returned inside to fetch a copy of UPWARD DOG for her, giving it to the production accountant (who was less than in love with me since I’d gone to the head of the production to complain), but later when Belle and I went out again, we reunited.
I actually find the Producer’s whole story fascinating in that she’s the goddaughter of John Wayne and her father directed more episodes of GUNSMOKE than anyone else.  Her grandfather got the whole Hollywood thing started by traveling to America, becoming a prizefighter –– in like 1907 –– and then won an Oscar in the 30s for THE INFORMER, playing a lovable Irish rogue in a score of John Ford films.
And yet I digress ….
As I reported on the Face Place, none of this really shocks me, particularly that Belle merely needed to sprawl out on the coach and attract the Producer and voila, there are our checks.
What’s shocking is that she (and I) are only in the background of the movie;  it’s just so weird that an entire film crew was present and didn’t reconstruct Owen Wilson and Rose Bryne’s make-out moment around her.
Really weird, right?