So there have been some serious web-messing-about-things going on. But it's all been a for a good cause. Sorry for the delay. Is anyone reading out there? Hi, cousin Danny. Thank you for checking in.

Here's my acting news;

My agent's dumped me.

No, no, save the sympathy. I mean, better to be out of a bad relationship than stuck in it, and all. The action plan is to use the new headshots (no, they're not online yet), overhaul the entire website (coming soon. I promise. With video. No nudity though), re-do the showreel (also not online but you'll love the skateboard scene when it finally does go up) and generally get my career back on track.

For what it's worth, I've been doing a ton of corporate acting gigs this year. I've played a property managing agent, a valuations agent, a residential agent, a landlord's agent and a corporate tenant. You might be able to spot a theme there. Give me a break already, there's a mortgage to pay.

The biggest job this year (so far) was probably doing stand-up comedy for 3000 people at Wembley Conference Centre. It got a laugh or two and Vanessa Feltz offered me her daughter's hand in marriage. OK! I'LL PUT IT ONLINE SOON.

I've also filmed a Bibliyoga reel - that's another story for another website so I'll leave that to the web detectives amongst you, but the site is out there.

Alright then. It's www.bibliyoga.com. Enjoy. But there's no reel there yet, just a bunch of handstand pics.

Right. Better go and straighten up my CV. And if anyone's looking, there's an actor for hire. Expensive, but incredibly worthwhile...

Rebranding.

That's what.

We're talking more websites, more information, more pictures, videos and general tat for purchase. Just as soon as I figure out how to create flash videos and keep my bank account in the black for more than two days a month.

I've just had some new photographs done for by the lovely Lisa Bowerman, the actors' choice photographer, and my agent - hello Niki! - will be hearing from me soon. There are no fresh Radio 2 pieces in the pipeline yet, but I plan to get old recordings up online, as soon as we sort it out. Other than that, I've been doing lots of corporate acting with recent jaunts to Dublin and Frankfurt. And bending myself into a lot of yoga. But it's all good.

Still reading? Thank you, mother.

(And if you really want something more, take a peek at www.bibliyoga.com)

I don't know if anybody's still tapping into my blog, but if you are, then welcome to what's possibly the quietest party online.

I've just had an article in the Jewish Chronicle about Orthodox blogs, of which this isn't one, and there are some nice strong reactions from Orthomum and Chayei Sarah. Glad to see that somebody's reading. The article itself has been kindly posted at http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1692/991/1600/JCClipping.1.jpg .

Ok. So here's a comment for you. Two big ironies in the world at the moment; Ken Livingstone has been debarred as London Mayor for blatant antisemitism while David Irving is languishing in an Austrian jail for blatant antisemitism. Jews are divided over both of these punishments, questioning whether it is actually better for the cause that these high profile people have such public reprimands.
I don't have a great political opinion on it but when I saw Red Ken's face on the
6 'o clock news, it made me cheer out loud in front of the telly.

There's the voice of mature democracy for you.

2005 is drawing to a close, I've just finished writing a piece on blogs for the Jewish Chronicle and I realised that I've been neglecting my own online journal.

But this is an acting-specific journal. News of what's been going on with my career. And there have been no updates since Feburary.

Telling?

No.

Lazy?

Perhaps. But it's not as if I've been so inundated with acting work that there's no time to update..you know...a guy's got to earn a living.

But here's the 2005 lowdown.

RADIO 2 - the wonderful people at Pause for Thought have been broadcasting my pieces on air. I get to write and record, which is always a satisfying process, and I've had a fair few on the radio this year. The next batch begin on December 26th for the week, at 6.15 am every morning, but you can always play them again via the BBC's 'Listen Again' web link.

ITV1 - erm, I was on a reality programme. Not really sure if I want to publicise it more than that. It's been and gone and is now apparently playing all around the world. Well, friends in Israel and Denmark have seen it recently. No friends in Saudi Arabia have reported seeing it, but then again, I don't have any friends the major Arab states...

IS THAT IT? More or less, yes. I've done some corporate bits and pieces - more details at www.citydrama.com and have been writing a fair bit. But day jobs have changed and bills have flowed in and my lovely agent is working hard but at the moment there's lots more PR to be done.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN 2006? Watch this space. Perhaps I'll finally achieve the flick-flack in my yoga class. Perhaps I'll actually finish decorating the flat. Perhaps I'll get a decent telly audition.

Go on. You've got better things to do.

The song is called Hope for Life and there is a website up at www.ridgewayangels.tk . There are a few CDs left if you'd like to buy one - recommended minimum donation is £3 and all profits go to Save the Children's long term projects in tsunami-affected areas.

To all my brilliant students, WELL DONE!!!

Merry New Year. I haven't updated the blog for a while because things have been in transition; finally climbing onto the house ladder with my new flat and a million trips to B&Q. I'm pleased to say that I'm now fully moved in, the wallbed is up and the salsa floor has been laid in my lounge. That's the only thing to be laid in my lounge.

My acting career? City Drama is looking up, but everything else is sedentary. I'm continuing with my acting training on an ad-hoc basis - private voice lessons and occasional classes in Meisner technique - but the business seems as hard as ever and I am still seeking a top-notch Acting Agent. My Commercials Agent is very good (Linda at Hobsons), but the only way to get decent auditions for acting work is through a good agent (rather than a pants/mediocre one). Needless to say, I am fairly confident that my current acting agent is reading this, or if you are, then stop reading it and get me some bloody auditions! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Ok. Rant over. Life is actually wonderful - new home, new woman, new houseplant holder, new PDA, new cocktail set and new fireplace. City Drama projects are going to be better than ever this year, with lots of new business prospects already in the pipeline, and I'm also due to be recording some more pieces for Radio 2's Pause for Thought slot. It goes out at 6.15am.

Marketing plan 2005
What would I like for the year? Thank you for asking. My wish list is as follows;

1) A new acting agent.
2) Decent TV acting work (for one of the terrestrial channels).
3) Good Theatre work (London if possible; not fringe - paid work only!).
4) Film & commercial work.
5) Radio Drama work (for good measure. The BBC produce sooooooo many radio plays - how hard can it be to get in with them?!).

That's all. If you think you can help my mission in any way, get in touch! .

Have a great 2005.

Acting-wise, things have been slow but somewhat consistent. The ACTIMEL commercial I recorded earlier this year has been playing on mainstream tv - although I always manage to miss it - and it's online at the Actimel/Danone website (the one with the builders and the woman running through cement...I'm a builder). I also recorded a reality-tv programme a while back but I don't know when that's going to be aired.

The day jobs are going well; teaching at Rhodes Farm school where I am blessed with some incredible students. Things are going very well with City Drama, doing lots of corporate training jobs and getting the opportunity to work with lots of interesting actors as a result.

I'm still looking for a new acting agent as it's incredibly hard to get decent auditions without one, but my new commercials agent, Hobsons, are proving to be a great choice.

If you're reading this and have any ideas for new projects, give me a shout! Email is easy and I'm a junky. I want to start work on a film as soon as possible and I'm all geared up to produce it. The issue is now to find or develop the right script. Let the search begin.

Right. Enough rambling. Back to work. Adios.

Lauren looked absolutely fabulous in a gorgeous white dress with its fitted basque-style top, collared jacket and long train. She was every bit the Disney Princess (except being three-dimensional and real), and I mostly behaved myself despite drinking a little too much. All in the name of simcha...

Cousin Danny mentioned that I hadn't updated this blog for a while, so here's the update - hello Cousin Danny! - and here's a link to Cousin Ricky's new website: www.audiojelly.com .

The summer has been quite productive so far. I took off on a two-week surfing trip to Cornwall and the plentiful rainful provided me with the perfect weather to get on with my novel, of which I've now completed Draft one! Subsequent drafts will get written over the next couple of months, then it's off to search for a publisher.

Things have been a little quiet acting-wise so I'm off to Crete later this morning for a week's sunshine before starting the autumn offensive on the Casting Directors. Onwards and upwards.

Wishing you a terrific summer

MJF
xxx

1) I'm on BBC Radio 2 every morning this week on the Pause for Thought slot at 6.15am. Confession: I've only actually been awake to listen to one
of them. Oops. But I've got them on CD...

2) A film I co-wrote with Christopher Nicholson , called ABSOLUTELY BRITISH. It was accepted into the Marche Du Film at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was even shown in the Palais Des Festival. Also, it was recently shown at the National Film Theatre in London, and has just been accepted into Film UK at this year's Edinburgh Film Festival. I'm a vaguely legitimate film scriptwriter! Yippee!!! :-)

3) I've just finished first draft of my novel. Still under wraps from the world of the web.

4) Saw Simon and Garfunkel play in Hyde Park last week. Living legends.

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and have a terrific summer.

1. The Book of Matthew describes how Pontius Pilate is an unwilling executioner (despite the fact that all historical accounts portray him as cruelly bloodthirsty), and the Jewish mob pleads with Pilate to crucify Jesus and shouts, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Matthew 27:25). That single sentence, found in the New Testament only in the Gospel of Matthew, has been used historically to accuse the Jewish people of collective responsibility for the death of Jesus. The Romans killed Jesus! It wasn't us! Gibson's film has now brought this whole shtick back to the forefront, blaming today's Jewish community for events that transpired two millenia ago. I mean, do you see us blaming the Italians because their Romans wrecked the Temple in Jerusalem back in 70 AD?

2. The film's representation of Jews shows the High Priest demanding crucifixion. This is a fiction; there were enough Jewish forms of punishment in the Temple Times and the High Priest certainly wouldn't have chosen a Roman-style crucifixion.

3. Gibson belongs to a branch of Catholicism that still blames Jews for Jesus' death, even though the Vatican II renounced this claim in 1965. Hello? Will someone please explain to me why it's my fault that Jesus is dead? I'm a Jew who was born and bred in Watford, for fuck's sake.

4. Gibson's father is a Holocaust-denier. He's denied that 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis. Mel Gibson has publicly refused to criticise his father. Ergo...

5. The Rome-based Sephardi singer Evelina Meghnagi served as dialogue coach for the Aramaic used in the film. “As I instructed the actors how to speak in Aramaic,” she said, “I began to understand from the screenplay that not only would this be a blood-soaked and violent film, but also that I found myself facing a story in which the director, Mel Gibson, restored the responsibility for the crucifixion of Christ to us Jews.”

One thing I did like about the film was the ending, when Jesus was resurrected. This was a subtle scene and quite clever; at least it has left the director with an option to make a sequel...

If you're also fed up with the current Israel/Jew bashing, here's a website that proves some much-needed comic relief...

The current most-asked question I receive is 'So, Marcus, what are you doing now?'.

Is it too belligerent to say; 'read the weblog'?

Do you have any better suggestions? Answers on a postcard, or just press the 'comment' button and type away!

Mx

Simon is an old friend from university and we used to do those things that students do; nailing fresh fish to doorposts, taking pub signs in the middle of the night from freshly-filled skips, and making kugel. Ok, so things weren't so wild in Birmingham.

Mr K now works in the high-tech world of web design and has designed/built this site along with my other site at www.citydrama.com . Simon is the husband of Emma, father of Hannah and a very talented man. Check out more of Simon's exciting web work at www.simonkisner.com.

Adios.

Jobbing actors have day jobs and one of mine is teaching
English and Drama at a residential unit for teenagers with
eating disorders.

The residents are incredible. Without exception, they are
intelligent and creative, and we continue to go on journies
that are emotionally revealing and positively challenging.
Tonight's drama session was no difference, and I have never
experienced anything like it in all my years of leading
workshops. But I won't bore you now. I'll elucidate in a
few week's time. Watch this space.

We've just completed a run of Battersea Men's Home,
a new comedy by Helen Grace. The play is set in a world where
women are self-sufficient and keep men as pets, if they are
able to domesticate them. A scary existence, but a fun play
and the Soho Theatre was a great venue as ever. And it used
to be a shul!