The Little Details

The Complete Dungeon Bastard

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:47:00 -0500

Just a quick post here: the musings of Bill Cavalier, ADVENTURE COACH! continue to drop from the mystic confines of his vaunted Adventure Corner every week. Admittedly, that can be a lot to keep up with. So, to help you stay on top, we've put together this handy YouTube playlist that compiles all the episodes. Of course, you can also find the videos posted over on dungeonbastard.com. Share with your friends and become a fan on Facebook! We're at ~200,000 views for the series, I appreciate your support. -Tom

Return of The Dungeon Bastard

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:15:00 -0500

At this point the original video has over 21,000 views so I got together with my friends at Epic Level Entertainment and put together a series of videos for follow-up.

In "ASK THE BASTARD" Bill Cavalier takes questions from regular gamers and dispenses his unique brand of wisdom. It's Dungeons & Dragons meets Chuck Norris meets Richard Simmons.

Yeah, try to get your head around THAT.

More coming soon. (VERY soon!)

ADVENTURE COACH!

Thu, 12 May 2011 07:58:00 -0500

A month ago, my friend Cindi called me. She was looking to get familiar with her new HD camera and wanted to know if I had anything I wanted to shoot. As I learned from Ghostbusters, the answer to that is YES. And therefore I'm proud to unveil my latest project: Bill Cavalier, ADVENTURE COACH. Check it out, share it, favorite it, rate it. Do all those quick but significant social media things if you are so inclined. And there's more geeky deliciousness waiting for you over at the official website: DungeonBastard.com. I want to give a big thanks to Cindi, Dave, John Frank, Blake, TC, Jane, Evan, Sarah, and Kevin for all their hard work. I had more fun than I had a right to. And a special tip of the fedora to one Indy Cavalier for his good-natured sense of humor -- but more importantly: all the good times we've had gaming together. -Tom, also known as Nan The Slink.

Take Control of Your Life

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:20:00 -0500

Just a quick update on the career front: my episode of Eagleheart is now available online. It's a small -- but super fun -- costar part. I won't ruin it for you by posting a screenshot. You can catch the relevant clip right here. This show definitely has a dry, twisted sense of humor and I hope Adult Swim brings it back for another season. It was a blast to work on. -Tom, who probably should have warned you.

Nerd Exsanguination

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:21:00 -0500

or, "How Zack Snyder Drained The Enjoyment Out of Every Geeky Thing I Love."

You know how we all have that voice in the back of our head that tells us when we're about to do something stupid, like take up freerunning or order the chicken alfredo or go to that keg party down in the granite quarry? Well that voice was screaming at me, "DON'T GO SEE SUCKER PUNCH." I didn't listen, even after I read some less-than-enthusiastic reviews and despite the fact that, unlike 90% of my nerd brethren, I hated "300". I kept coming back to that trailer: Hot chicks with guns kick ass against clockwork soldiers and red dragons fighting B-52 bombers! How badly could you screw THAT up?? Bad enough to make me blog about it a week later. Let's break it down, element by element. [More]

The Insider's Secret to BOOKING THE JOB!

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:52:00 -0500

Hello, adoring public. I apologize for the long hiatus, but Tom Lommel has been busy, busy busy! It's called PILOT SEASON people! And last week I auditioned for a NATIONAL COMMERCIAL. (Keep your fingers crossed! KA-CHING!) Nonetheless, people on the Twitter have been NAGGING me for acting advice, saying TOM LOMMEL, HOW DO YOU DO IT? So, I said to myself, TOM, how *do* you do it? And I sat down. And I thought for a moment. And I had two fingers of Knob Creek. And I wrote it down. FOR YOU. FOR FREE. Yes, people, I have a seven step process that I GUARANTEE will get you that BIG HOLLYWOOD GIG and help you tickle your toes up the DIAMOND-ENCRUSTED LADDER to FAME! The SECRET to BOOKING the job is B.O.O.K.I.N.G. THE JOB! [More]

Perfect Job

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:22:00 -0500

Last night NBC aired the episode I shot of Perfect Couples. As I mentioned back in the fall, it was a real treat to work on this, and I had a great time on set. You can catch the episode here on Hulu. (I appear late in the show, but you really can't appreciate the context if you fast forward.) I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed working on it. -Tom, who thinking of changing his name to Prince Awkward.

Chapter Three: The Secret

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:13:00 -0500

She wasn't some unearthly Valkyrie, descended from the heavens to snatch my heart from the battlefield and deliver it to an Asgardian hall filled with other geeks readying themselves for the coming Nerdpocalypse. But she was willing to go on a date with me. In fact, she wanted to go on a second date. The Amanda Story, Chapter Three. [More]

Chapter Two: The List

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:15:00 -0500

We met online. Her name was Amanda. Only her name wasn't Amanda, and we hadn't actually met yet. This is the day that changes. The Amanda Story, Chapter Two. [More]

The Amanda Story

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:14:00 -0500

Six months ago I signed up for online dating. Today is Valentine's Day. Let me tell you how that worked out. ...A story in three chapters. [More]

Real With Character

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:35:00 -0500

This week marks my fifth year in LA. I've had my successes and my disappointments, but overall it's been an interesting journey -- partly because I don't know what I'll be doing from day-to-day, or for that matter, hour-to-hour. To give you an example, here are some actual breakdowns from the past five years for various roles I've auditioned for. [More]

The New Zodiac

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:32:00 -0500

I don't know if you're aware, but ancient people were really terrible at a lot of things. (Earth? Flat? Helllllooo, have you hiked Fryman Canyon?) But one of the things they were especially terrible at was calendars. The Mayans goofed it up so bad that next year we have to have an Apocalypse. But more importantly, Time.com recently reported that the Zodiac calendar is off. And not just by a couple minutes so you can fool your sleepy brain into getting out of bed a little bit earlier, like up to a MONTH off. Apparently the ancient astrozoologicagraphers failed to account for wobbles in the rotation of the earth, and now, a couple hundred years later, the Zodialogical calendar is way off. Fortunately, thanks to SCIENCE, we can correct for this miscalculation. Following is a list of the NEW dates for the Zodiax signs, along with a reading for the New Year. (FYI, according to these new calculations, the New Year doesn't start for three more weeks, so you still have time to get your nieces and nephews something nice for the holidays.) [More]

Silent Movies: Eat Pray Love

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:56:00 -0500

New Year's Eve, 2010. My flight's been delayed 40 minutes, the air is thick with the grumbles of holiday impatience, and as we taxi up to the de-icing station the captain tells us the tanker trucks are low on fluid and they might just drive off and leave us there for 20 minutes. By the time we get airborne, I resign myself to the inescapable clutches of Delta Airlines. Really, what more can they do to me, their tired, beaten-down captive on this, the last night of 2010?

Well, they can run Eat Pray Love as the in-flight movie, that's what. I watch it with the sound off. What follows is a reconstruction of what happens when "a married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction" -- with the sound off. [More]

Object Lessons In Improvised Failure

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:53:00 -0500

Today I went on a commercial audition that required "strong improv." My scene partner totally bombed. Let's talk about why. [More]

The Gate Is Good

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 09:34:00 -0500

"The gate is good" is old-school phrase used when wrapping a shot and last night I had the pleasure to shoot a scene for Perfect Couples. It's a new show in development for NBC and as such it hasn't been dropped into the schedule yet. It might be a mid-season replacement, it might be a winter lead-in -- that's for the Scheduling Barons to decide. So I can't tell you when to watch, but rest assured, I will. You'll have to put your Patience Hat on, because this scene was for episode 10. It was a great experience. The whole process was smooth, from the audition with Susie Farris (who cast my favorite comedy of the year) to getting on set and working with Kyle Bornheimer who was cool, approachable, and professional. The crew, from the director on down, made it a easy, welcoming environment to work in. It always feels like that comes off as a bit of trite and shameless kowtowing, but for one: it's all true, and second: I know it's not always like that. And there's nothing tougher to do than to try to create comedy when people are uptight, don't get along, or are dealing with a hostile set. So, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity. Hopefully there are more to follow. -Tom, who has a Patience Hat that's a little snug, but it's better than wearing my Impatience Sweater, which is really itchy.