Tara Bopp

Posted by Tara Bopp on July 18, 2012 in recommendation

Who needs a gym in LA?

Living in LA definitely has its advantages when you are on a tight budget.

For one thing, this city LOVES being fit, but more so LA LOVES showing off their fit bodies.

This being said, despite the perpetual Summer and beautiful outdoor exercise arena, most people belong to a gym.
In my opinion, people at the gym are working out their eyes more than their bodies. When I belonged to a fitness club, there were wandering eyes and more half naked women standing around then focusing on why they are there to begin with; but that’s a whole other blog post.

I quit my gym last year and started taking advantage of running outside. It’s a wonderfully freeing experience!

I was on my morning run this morning when it hit me how easy it is to stay healthy without paying $40 to even $150 to go to a designated workout club. I thought more people were aware, but just in case:

There are countless trails for hiking, running, walking and biking; there are hundreds of free workout regimes online and you can easily find 30 minutes to do in your tiny studio. There is free yoga at Runyon Canyon and Lululemons and other places that want to promote a healthy lifestyle.

There is no excuse to spend so much for what you can get in your own backyard, literally. Hit the trails with a buddy, your dog or by your self ( let someone know before venturing into the wilderness. I don’t want anyone Making 127 Hours part two).

If you belong to a gym and are offended by my post, I apologize. I am posting this for people who use the gym for cardio and light circuit. Take advantage of what is outside and given freely to the community! If anything, its just a change of environment when you’re tired of staring at the blank wall or TV at the gym.
Now, hit the trail!

Runyon Canyon: http://runyoncanyon-losangeles.com/?page_id=14

Lululemons: http://www.lululemon.com/giftofyoga/

Hiking in Los Angeles: http://discoverlosangeles.com/play/activities-and-recreation/outdoors-and-sports/hiking-in-los-angeles-la-s-best-hiking-trails.html

Bike Paths: http://www.labikepaths.com/bike-paths/

Circuit Training at-home: http://www.livestrong.com/article/115989-circuit-training-exercises-equipment/

Map My Run: http://www.mapmyrun.com/

Map My Ride: http://www.mapmyride.com/

Posted by Tara Bopp on July 17, 2012 in personal

WHAM BAM SCAMMING MAN!

SCAM ARTIST-a sleaze-ball of a man seeking women looking for acting work. They lure these women into their web of lies until the sneaky man has wasted the harmless victims time, money and hope only to reveal his only job he could offer her is of his sexual desires!
UGH!

I think there are more scam artists in the entertainment industry than any other career choice. The entertainment industry targets young, attractive women into a field where their talents are more about the emotional and physical. It’s also about networking with people in power, and when these collide, it can easily be exploited and taken advantage of. I have been called, emailed, face-booked and tracked down to do an, “audition” for a new feature, TV show, pilot, web series, etc I have enough intuition to dig a little deeper into what their true intentions are to discover it is yet ANOTHER puny child-boy living out his fantasy by staging auditions where the women come in with sides of a sex scene that must be done over and over again until the mysterious Director/Producer is satisfied. I usually read the sides, assess the human child that has sent me these “sides” and politely decline when the red flags are flying.

RED FLAGS ( “they” is referred to the ominous man/boy trying to scam you)

*They found you on Facebook; no mutual friends….

*They want to Skype the audition live, at night, and talk you through the scene for hours….

*They aren’t on IMdB They insist on meeting first to see if you both, “click”….say what???

*They will be holding auditions in an empty warehouse; and, “it’ll just be you and me” he says….

*They describe the outfit you should wear more than what you should come prepared with…

*They want you to be, “on call”, and to hang out for any future “meetings”.

*They ask you how comfortable you are with girl on girl kissing for the audition…

*They are the lead of the feature, and YOU will be their love interest; yes there will be kissing….

*They don’t send a contract to you or your agent even after continually reminding him you have representation.

*They ask you to use your time for their benefit ( more auditions, writing ANYTHING, helping them with ANYTHING)

And many more-if anything seems a bit off, it is-RUN! BEWARE-they come and go and before you know it you have been used or put in a situation YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE IN. Use discernment before giving your information to strangers proclaiming they can help you in your career.

Be careful before going to an audition without letting someone know, it could be your last. Stay safe, and PLEASE don’t be that actress who uses her body to get ahead. It only makes you look like trash.

Posted by Tara Bopp on July 9, 2012 in recommendation

Moonwalking with Einstein

I just recently finished reading a book by Joshua Foer about memory. The book, “Moonwalking with Einstein” takes you on a ride that stimulates your mind and makes one want to learn the ancient techniques of memorization.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes learning about how the brain works; I am moved by Joshua’s intensity to understand how our brain can both hold immense memory or lose it with brain damage.
Also, this book is interesting in the perspective of the actor. We need to memorize, and the techniques the ancients use as well as memory champions ( yes, there is a Championship for memorizing) are very similar to marrying the emotions an actor has to the lines we must recite.

Check the book out at your local library or buy it on your kindle etc. I’d love to hear how people respond to this wonderful book.

Posted by Tara Bopp on July 5, 2012 in personal

Secret Spots

Here is a delicious Thai restaurant in Westchester; Ayara is not in the best place for passerby’s to discover their wonderful meals, but if you happen upon this Thai place, you will be very satisfied.
The meals are great in portion and flavor. I have never tasted a more palatable Pad Thai or Red Curry than at Ayara. I did not get a chance to try their special sauces, but I hear they are a wonderful kick to any meal. Check it out and savor the flavor!

Ayara Thai is located at 6245 West 87th st.

Posted by Tara Bopp on July 5, 2012 in personal

Secret Treats continued

Another awesome place that I had the pleasure of trying is a dessert shop called, Saffron and Rose.
This hole in the wall is known for their Persian treats. Some of their flavors are misleading, but very tasty! My friend who introduced me to this place highly recommends their fresh strawberry ice cream, Pistachio, Rose and Lavender flavors. I, personally, recommend the Cappuccino and Mint Chocolate Chip.
This lovely Persian delicacy is located in the heart of Westwood at 1387 Westwood Blvd.

Posted by Tara Bopp on July 5, 2012 in Uncategorized

LA secret spots

While staying with my sister and her husband in Santa Monica this week, it has come to my attention that I do not know all the great secret places to eat in LA. Despite my five-year stay in the vast city, the places I was introduced to recently were worth mentioning. Here are a few.

FUNNEL MILL-I was introduced to this coffee and tea shop back in January. Lately, the frequent trips to this delightful place reminds me that there are many, “mom and pop” places throughout the city just as cool as this. The drinks are refreshing and baked goods satisfying! Mmmm delish! This coffee spot is at 930 Broadway in Santa Monica! More to follow throughout the day…

Posted by Tara Bopp on June 24, 2012 in personal

Going western!

I had never hit a moving target let alone pick up a fully loaded weapon before. I think a BB gun was the most hardcore I had gone before going to the Oaktree Gun Club with some dear friends to finally learn how to learn defense this weekend.

I had taken a lot of stage combat and weaponry courses before, but all those were stage weapons. The weight of the gun far outweighed any stage defense tools, and there were actual bullets in these too; that changes things exponentially.
The guns we fired today were as follows: a Berreta 92, 9 mm Smith & Wesson M&P ( military and police) and the rifles were both 22’s (one a cowboy lever action and the other a Rugar).

Now I was new to flying casings. That was something to get used to as well as the noise.

We each took a turn doing handguns and rifles. I took to the rifles myself. It was easy loading the cartridge, cocking the lever and shooting. The handguns had a bit of a kickback. I hit many of my targets with both weapons which made for a successful day! My best weapon was the Rugar; he and I got along so swimmingly I pumped out a whole round hitting a moving target!

The lessons learned were two:
1: If you get hit with a bullet casing, don’t freak out even if a burning casing falls into your bra.
2: if a burning casing DOES fall into your bra, LET GO OF THE GUN! If you do not, some guy will come running at you to make sure you don’t shoot yourself or other people.

It was quite hilarious, and I got an interesting blister on my chest.

All in all the shooting range was awesome. I shall return again soon thanks to my friend Ali and her father who generously provided weapons and ammunition.

Posted by Tara Bopp on June 19, 2012 in personal

Tradition!

My birthday was this past weekend, and I decided to go back home to be with my family. They live in St. Louis where I was born. They also live in the same home where I was born, obviously they like change.

Our family has had a fair share of strange traditions, but today I thought I would let you in on our birthday tradition.

Every family member has grown accustomed to my Mother’s desire to continue on a birthday tradition that began with my oldest sister on her 1st birthday.

Back in the day, my Mother thought it would be precious to use, not a normal cake mold like normal families, but one in the shape of an animal, the most innocent and gentle animal; the lamb. Her lamb mold brought on a new and slightly morbid tradition that the birthday person was required to cut off the head of the lamb and eat it. We also had to decorate it anyway the birthday person wanted It; this usually ended up in a sugary mess. This tradition has grown to raise a few eyebrows with boyfriends and friends throughout the years. All the same, it’s not normal; I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Posted by Tara Bopp on May 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

A Day in the Life

Since being in LA, it has been quite difficult explaining to my friends and family what it is that I am doing since they haven’t seen me as a lead in a film or TV show yet. It is hard for some people to understand that there are a million things going on behind the scenes. I thought I would share a bit of what a day can consist of as an actor pursuing their craft.

*Wake at 6 AM -workout ( gym or DVD such as P90x) to keep up with the tiniest people in the world
*8 AM Try to eat something before going to work and/or get to “work” online with:
-Emails to keep in touch with network connections
-Reading up on new projects on Backstage, IMDBPro, Casting About and 15 other sites that find their way into your email
-Submitting to projects in the hopes of auditions from Actors Access, LACasting and Casting Frontier etc.
-Call agent to see how they like your new pictures you spent $350 on for two pictures.
-going to an actual audition, be it from your own submission, your agent or a friend whose doing a short short film and they need your help, and they can’t pay you but you do it anyway.
* 7 PM Go to Evening activities after scarfing your face with a quick healthy flaxseed gluten free vegan, raw supplement to keep you going without the calories.
-Acting class (4 hour class)
-Improv class/ performance nights ( way fun!)
-Showcase ($75) where you get to act for up to one minute with 30 other people and scurry out before being too annoying to the casting director/agent you paid to see.
-seeing/performing in a show…the latter being much more fun. It’s important to see plays and movies coming out, and it’s the closest thing to a social life we actors have next to…
-industry events. This is where we schmooze and walk around pretending to be , “known” in the entertainment world. The, ” fake it ’til you make it mentality” is dripping at these networking shenanigans.
11 PM some people go home and recharge by going on Facebook to tell the world what they have done. Others pass out for the night. personally, I try to read something that has nothing to do with the industry like the Bible. This reminds me that the crazy world I live in is not for nothing. I have a purpose in this industry and the chaos that the day brings is no longer a bother, but I embrace it. I love acting and the crap that I have to crawl through in order to get it is a breeze when put into perspective.

Bring it on!

Posted by Tara Bopp on May 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

My brother, boy genius!

I am knowledgeable in many topics, however science and engineering are not one of them. Jonathan Bopp, my brother is extremely nerdy in these areas…and here’s a peek into his genius!

I was very excited to see him this past week at a convention I had no clue existed. It was the FIRST robotics competition (FRC) where High schoolers from across the world compete with actual robots they constructed to complete a particular task. This year, robots had to play basketball as well as balance on a see-saw type bridge with other robots.

Now, I would have no idea how to even start a project like this. My brother does this on a regular basis.

On top of the competition, companies were also represented including NASA, Siemens, and the CIA. They are there mainly to scope out future controllers of the world and the next Steve Jobs.

My brothers team, Cyborgs from Westminster Academy in St. Louis, MO. were up against 400 teams with years of experience. This was Jonathan’s first year. They made 57th place in their division. That is AMAZING!

So amazing in fact, that it caught the eye of Siemens, and they decided to interview my little brother. Here it is:

Look out world for my brother, BOY GENIUS!