Sara S.

I have tried googling this to no avail.

Basically, when in light, there is a great deal of noticeable "glitter" in my skin. I thought it could have been lotion or body wash. Cut them out completely to investigate, used men's soap products or bar soap, and the result was still the same: There is still glitter in my skin. And it is noticeable.

In bright light, I can fully extend my arm and rotate my hand, and still see it sparkle. Other people have noticed as well.

Any idea what this could be, since I've ruled beauty and hygiene products out?

My best friend is currently in a relationship with the ex-girlfriend of one of my other best friends' exes.

For background, she dating the former for several months, and he dumped her because she wasn't down for hanging with most of his friends and was on pain pills, which he (rightfully) deemed unacceptable.

Now, I didn't know this at the time, because he was vague on the break-up, but she texted me CONSTANTLY. She commented on all of my facebook pics, and we were "talking" for a period of time.

I asked my best friend if this was okay, and he told me no. He said bros before hos and all of that stuff, and that I shouldn't do that because that might upset my other good friend who had dated her previously. I decided he was right, and stopped returning her texts.

Fast forward a month. The best friend who told me not to go for it now texts me, saying that he thinks he's going to date this girl I was talking to, who dated another of our very close friends. Naturally, I was upset.

He made it out to seem like I was a horrible *****, and I eventually backed out of the confrontation, but my other good friend was horribly upset. He was asked for his blessing, his response being, "Yeah, whatever. I don't care." but tinged with total emotional distress.

My best friend still went for it.

Now, he wants to get married to this girl, who is pure white trash and on pills. He is NOT on pills. Even in our crazy days when we were 18 or so, and taking anything that could so much as cause a mood shift, he was pissed off about pills, and lectured us constantly.

He's been my best friend for years, and I've aired my grievances about this girl at least three times, and he's ignored me completely. He wants me to be a female "best man" at his wedding, but I think it's a horrible idea.

This girl doesn't even have a GED and I know for a fact she's committed welfare fraud, so I'm not at all behind this. Eff her.

And he can do so so so much better than this without alienating his friends.

So, yeah.

What the hell am I to do?

I'm almost completely at a loss for insight here. I've watched innumerable promos of varying sorts (Jericho, Dusty Rhodes, Rock, Punk, Austin, etc.) And still have no real clue how to carve my own personal niche.

I've got well over a decade of theatre and public speaking experience...and am probably overthinking this...but does anyone have any ideas for what elements comprise a good promo?

I'm having issues with coming up with good ideas for a wrestling entrance theme. The short list that I'm looking over right now, as in the tracks that may make the cut, are:

Grinspoon - Champion

Monster Magnet - The Right Stuff

Kings of Leon - Four Kicks

Tomoyasu Hotei - Battle Without Honor or Humanity

Buckethead - Jordan

I was also looking at Faith No More's "Epic," but that one is used quite frequently. I'm looking for something upbeat, could be a little fun, but not crazy happy - I'm not a Kofi Kingston sort.

Anything in a similar vein to the last two would be especially good; you know - uptempo, instrumental that is kind of cool. Although if you've got something that would be epic as far as its lyrical message, that'd be awesome.

I'm not interested in anything by Three Days Grace, Nonpoint, Black Veil Brides, Manson, or anything in that vein. That's not fitting for my character at all.

My character tends to be the consummate underdog, but less in the "gets beat up and makes a miraculous recover / earns a chance pinfall" sort of way. It's more like my character goes out there, gets the job done, and keeps working past the point of exhaustion. There's a high level of intensity and aggression in the character, but it's not over-the-top. It's a slightly exaggerated real person. There is certainly some arrogance and running of the mouth going on, but really, I don't buy into outlandish gimmicks; I go for someone that the average fan can cheer for that still comes off as real in their way and backs up anything they say with athleticism.

So, yeah. Anything that captures that, I suppose.

I'm having issues with one aspect of a job application.

My former place of employment from 2008, which is the most relevant to the position I am applying for, closed down last year. I have no contact information for them, and can't find any proof that I worked there as my W2s from that particular job were damaged in a flood.

What do I put for that on a job application?

Last night at a friend's house, he put on a blaxploitation movie. I can't remember for the life of me what it's called, but I feel like it had "Bamboo" in the title.

The basic premise is that some fellow in Asia (this is set in Asia) discovered something he said was evil, must never be discovered, and that its secret would go with him to his grave - because this thing he had discovered had the potential to kill all of mankind.

Naturally, the bad guys wanted this. Not knowing what it was, they began killing people left and right to try to find this mystery thing which would destroy all of mankind.

There is also a prizefighter and his wife, and they are in Asia visiting or something. I wasn't paying that much attention. At one point, he rescues a mute who was drowning, and the mute follows him around because he saved his life, and now he owes his life to the prizefighter.

The end turns out the be that the mystery discovery that could kill all of mankind was gunpowder.

Anyone have any clue what this could be?

I want to actually sit down and watch it.

I was fired from a previous job for really complicated reasons, but ones that definitely do not look good.

Essentially, there were no cameras in the freezer, and employees and managers had been going into the freezer to do drugs, and I anonymously tipped off the general manager. Unfortunately, as I said, one of the managers had been doing drugs in the freezer, but of course I had no solid proof with no cameras.

I tipped off the manager, because I was uncomfortable with people snorting pills in the freezer, and wasn't comfortable with that, as I felt it made for an unsafe work environment. I have no problem with what people do at home, but this was people doing their jobs whilst impaired.

My handwriting was apparently a dead giveaway. In fact, I wish now that I had typed the anonymous tip. I didn't name names, but the company instituted "random drug tests" after the tip. Within three days, one of the managers who figured out I'd tipped them off (the general manager had no idea it was me) accused me of saying I was going to hit someone with my car.

This is ridiculous and something I'd never say. In fact, I don't think I'd really even say that in jest. I seldom ever saw the manager out and about, and just went to work and drove home without really saying or doing much of anything. She told some other crew members who had also been doing drugs in the freezer with her, and one of them gave her an alibi.

I had no alibi, as they lied and made it seem like it was just me and them. My general manager told me he believed me, but would have to terminate me as I had no alibi.

I really have no idea how to explain that on a job application. I mean, no charges were ever brought against me (because the manager knew it wouldn't stand in court, I'd imagine) but that's not an especially good character reference.

What should I put on the application? I really need to get a job, and don't know how to do that.

This has been going on for close to 45 minutes now. It has red and white lights, which I'm pretty sure are typical of pretty much all helicopters. It's also 3:22 in the morning, so I can't get a good look at the actual helicopter itself.

My area's police force does not have helicopters. In fact, the only helicopters I've ever seen around have been those headed to the hospital.

Anyone have any idea what in the world this means?

I've been watching a lot of comedy and sketch shows lately, and really enjoyed the dynamic Portlandia has going on - sketches interspersed throughout a linear storyline that lasts the whole show. I'm looking for something in a similar vein.

I love sketch shows in general, and am not looking for recommendations of SNL, Tim and Eric, The State, Stella, Kids in the Hall, or anything like that. I am looking for a show with a linear storyline, broken up with shorter sketches which may or may not relate to the main theme of the episode.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I'm working on my first independent feature. I've previously done stage productions, and those have received nothing but favorable reviews...which is, granted, alarming, but nonetheless, has led me to ultimately produce one of my concepts as a feature film.

I have, at my disposal, professional sound and lighting engineers who will work for next to nothing. I have, also, the ability to borrow a camera (very high tech) also, for next to nothing.

I have no idea how film works, aside from having performed as an actor in several features. Those who were working on said features are now working in NYC, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, so I've no contact with them at present.

What I was wondering is - does anyone know the cost of acquiring at least on B-C list talent for a feature film? Aside from travel expenses, hotel accommodations, and a weekly stipend to eat/live in the town, what kind of salary should I take into consideration?

I've googled this extensively, and ultimately not found what I'm looking for. I understand the costs, but not for the actual performance itself.

If anyone could shed some light on the matter, it would be greatly appreciated.

I'm currently performing as Hattie in the play "Laundry and Bourbon", and in spite of having experience with accents in the South previously (Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee) I'm running into difficulty working on this particular dialect.

My problem lies in finding quality examples to work with - apparently my dialect was passable for auditioning purposes, but I'm not satisfied with it right now, and keep running into horrible, phony sounding accents.

Aside from watching hours of videos of female Texas representatives and natives of the state, I've been trying to find good examples in film...as there's only so much emotion that politicians and news anchors go into while speaking. Aside from the following, does anyone have any films which display the Texan dialect in such a way that it's believable and good for working with?

Blood Simple (Frances McDormand)

Badlands (Sissy Spacek)

The Last Picture Show (Cloris Leachman)

Places In the Heart (Sally Field)

Additionally, I have used the IDEA archive from Kansas University to get a general feel for the dialect. But any help or suggestions for films or even television would be greatly appreciated.

I'm always looking to find more music that I enjoy, but lately have been having trouble finding anything I've not heard of that fits the bill.

I'm a fan of unique, eclectic, bizarre music at the moment, and really don't want to settle for something typical.

What I am looking for:

- Music with interesting instruments, especially theremin, moog, harp, tannerin, etc.

- Music in bizarre time signatures or music that constantly changes key and time signature within a given piece.

- Music that actually takes some effort to listen to.

- Very innovative and interesting music.

- Music which transcends genres and is its own thing.

- Experimental music.

- Music in varying moods.

- Music with numerous "movements" within a given piece.

What I'm not looking for:

- Novelty bands like Hatebeak.

- Death metal or any metal genres.

- Pop punk music that ultimately sounds like everything else, but uses an instrument or two that other pop punk bands don't.

- Bands that play simplistic chord progressions.

- Bands with instrumentalists who aren't skilled at their instruments.

Things I've been listening to lately that might give you an idea of sort of what I'm looking for:

The Arcade Fire, Neon Indian, CocoRosie, Phish, Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon, Oysterhead, Primus, Boards of Canada, M83, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Shpongle, Medeski Martin & Wood, The Disco Biscuits, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Skip Spence, Moby Grape, Hawkwind, The Electric Prunes, Frank Zappa

Thanks in advance!

Basically, kids between 10 and 14. What would they be interested in seeing in a book? Do kids that age prefer fantasy and interesting situations? What sort of those would they prefer? Do they like superheroes? Pirates? Zombies? Vampires? Rockstars?

Any ideas?

I'm currently performing in a play, and would like to have some music to evoke a very Poe-esque mood as I go over my lines. It seems that my typical approach to finding music has failed me in these regards.

Some themes that could be evoked within the songs, but don't have to be addressed (it'd just be a nice touch):

- Being buried alive

- Claustrophobia

- Sorrow, but in a very melancholy sense

- Melancholy in general

- Lapses in mental health

Just things like that. I'm not particularly big into heavy metal or hip hop, but pretty much anything else is game, including classical. Any suggestions?

Philadelphia has some really odd slang. I heard someone say "taking a flick" and they never clarified what it meant. So, what in the world does a Philly resident mean when they say, "taking a flick"?

When I have nothing to do, I like making mix CDs. Unfortunately, I'm a little uninspired right now, and was hoping the lovely people at Y!A might have some good themes for me to make mixes of.

The last few mixes I've made have been an Alphabet Mix (songs by artists A-Z, omitting a few letters for the CD's sake, but in order nonetheless), Guilty pleasure songs, Seven mixes corresponding to the Seven Deadly Sins, Driving / roadtrip mix...

Anyone know of any I could make?

I would just like to know if extremely vivid, terrible nightmares are commonplace when taking NyQuil. I tend to have dreams that are more on the bad side to begin with, and always remember my dreams. For some reason, though, with NyQuil my dreams become even more vile and traumatic, to the point that hours after I've woken up, I can't shake the feeling that the dream was real. Really messed up.

Is this common at all? It's kind of freaking me out.

With the read-through out of the way and the realization that I do have a really good show on my hands, I have realized that I will be encountering difficulties in the coming weeks.

How am I to truly direct a play I'm acting in? I have an assistant director on-hand to tell me whether or not my personal blocking and whatnot is correct, but I'm still the director and must direct my other two actors.

Would it be totally ridiculous to carry a notebook and pencil onstage with me to take notes on the other two actors during the scenes? As an actor, stopping the scene feels strange to me, but I know that as a director, I have to do that. Would doing so in the first few weeks of blocking specifically be inhibiting to my own personal acting performance? Is it feasible to run a few pieces of a scene and then promptly stop the scene to give notes. Or while in a scene with an actor, would it look completely terrible to stop them in a scene with me and say, "No, that isn't working."

Is there a tactful way to do all of this without damaging character relationships?

At the end of March, I'm directing a play I wrote for a fringe festival, and have to oversee every aspect of its production and technical stuff. What I'm looking for is a mix of songs to fit the overall vibe and tempo of my play. I would like the music to be more on the down-tempo side, but somewhat jarring. Melancholy is a major plus. For examples of the kind of songs I'm looking for, think Imogen Heap, Portishead, Metric...you get the deal. Also, I've considered some songs such as "Something Vague" or "At the Bottom of Everything" by Bright Eyes, and "Hail To Whatever You Found In the Sunlight That Surrounds You" by Rilo Kiley.

The play in and of itself is something of an absurdist tragi-dramedy, quite avant-garde, really, and I want the music to reflect that and really set the tone for the whole production.

General themes in the play that may be helpful:

-Futility.

-Inability to communicate effectively.

-Feeling trapped.

-Being in something of a dream state.

-Deja vu.

-Monotony.

Thank you all very much in advance!

I wrote a 45-minute one act to be performed in a Fringe Festival. As the company I'm working with has a shortage of directors, I also chose to direct this particular piece to ensure that it would go up and help to fill the bill for its particular weekend.

In a three character show, I have two of the most amazingly talented actors in the area performing in my show. I did have a third until scheduling conflicts forced her to walk away from the role. For the festival, all of the other significantly talented actresses are already working in other plays. I've won numerous awards for acting in the area, and the consensus with my existing cast and assistant director was that my playing the part would be a better idea than casting someone inexperienced who would serve to bog the show down.

From an audience standpoint, however, when they're all settled in and reading their programs, will they see my being credited as writer, director, and co-star seem overly self-indulgent?