Kings Brooklyn Navy Yards

(from October 20, 2008)


I was on that NBC show KINGS which was an absolute horrible experience. The call time was for 4:30 am bus pickup in Manhattan to go to the Brooklyn Navy Yards. Our holding area was this defunct falling apart warehouse which probably had asbestos and the best part was there was NO HEAT!

It was actually a few degrees warmer outside even though we were technically outside. They did get us on set immediately after wardrobe check to a scene which involved us, the extras,portraying dockworkers who are angry and rallying to the mayor of this fictional town for taxes and losing our homes.

You would think this TV show was a feature film with the "I am Legend" demonstrations of angry people shoving , pushing and screaming in this rally. To make the effect of this rally even more real, they (production) threw not one but two or three smoke bombs into the crowd, which was us, and continued on this rant pushing against these fake police lines and choking on this thick billowing black smoke.

After finding out that the non-union are getting ZERO bump in pay or a waiver, I all of a sudden came down with asthma and me and several other ladies went to go sit away from this smoke. As if this wasn't enough aggravation, they were planning on a "Wet scene" to hose down people to bring on the effect of a rally like they had back in the 60's with the demonstrations.

We wrapped at 6pm and were told to call for 9pm for call times for Day 2 of this travesty. So I call up the GW hot line and they decided to randomly pick numbers off the list and those of us who were promised two days of work were now out of a days pay.

To make matters even worse, my friend Jeff told me that those idiots at GW were calling people desperately at 6:30am b/c a multitude of people that they did keep on the list DID NOT show up for the call time at the bus pickup. My Friend Jeff said if they waiver him he will go. They replied "NO"! Okay than Goodbye and good luck!

In a way I think I lucked out b/c in the message they told people to bring towels as the "wet" scene was to occur that day. Wonder why people didn't show up. Lets see $75.00 to get hosed down with water and another $750.00 for the hospital bill that I would have got for acquiring pneumonia! Amazing. Meanwhile SAG is getting $500.00/hr. They told non-SAG to "be a good sport"! Ya right.I am SO tired of being abused like this. It's sickening how they abuse people like this.

Despite all this, I have to say that I hope this show makes it just b/c of the BIG budget and undertaking of background on such a large scale for a NBC show. Otherwise this will be like many of the garbage shows being produced now and get cancelled within a week of it's release.

Also We really do need some decent programming to STOP the growth of this disease that is widespread named "REALITY SHOWS!"

A.