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Sept.26 Hey folks, Thanks to everyone who has been coming out to see us in Speech & Debate (yes, that means you Twi-Hards too)! It was great to see so many family and friends at the previews and opening weekend. Mae, Aaron, and I really appreciate it. Opening Night was a ton of fun -- Ryanne flew in from the Netherlands and Larry Richman from Philadelphia, and he posted these pictures on his sites. Check 'em out! (click the link) -- Michael Sept. 21 Hey guys, I've been involved with Kids With A Cause since 1999. If you want to know more about these cool people, just check out their website: kidswithacause.org Here is a vid I made to help show kids how they can chip in to save the environment! - Michael Sept. 1 My cousin Jon Rosenbloom, a very cool guy, has made up these PoliTickle Teez to put the humor back in politics. He is a great screenwriter who sold an awesome script to DreamWorks. Take my word for it, he is an incredible writer and you will be hearing from him. But for now check Michael 8/22/08 So, I've been doing a bunch of interviews over the past couple of months, and I realized something yesterday. I'm running out of things to say about myself because honestly, there isn't a whole lot to say. I'm simple folk, folks. I don't have a million stories, I don't get involved in drama, or Hollywood, or glamour. I'm really just some guy. If I hadn't grown up in LA, I probably would have ended up doing community theater somewhere in between my part time job, filling the Hawaiian Punch machine at the chuckle cheese factory. So, to talk about myself in great detail is just inherently strange for me and I don't think I'll ever get used to it. There's no need to look up every interview I've done in the past 6 months. You're gonna start to see the same answers over and over again. Here's really all you need to know… -I had fun working on Twilight, Joan of Arcadia, and Stargate. Other than that, there's not a heck of a lot to say about myself. I have tons of things to say on other topics (just ask my girlfriend), like politics, but why would anyone want to hear me talk about that? To quote Jason Bateman, “I'm just a dumb actor who didn't go to college.” So where does this leave me? I'm lost here kids. I just want to act, hang out, and check in with you guys every now and then. Simplicity is the key to happiness. I don't need anything else. And now, with your indulgence, a rant… Celebrity culture has gotten so vapid and arbitrary. It seems that Hollywood has forgotten its role in the world. The priorities have shifted so far into a corporate system of meaningless “fame,” things like quality and substance aren't even in the vernacular of today Hollywood executive. And by the way, there should be a reason for being famous. Good marketing and white teeth don't qualify as talent (sorry LC). Our JOB is to bring you stories that stimulate your emotional sensors in order to keep you thinking, feeling, and dreaming. Art is an important tool in keeping us alive, connected, and always searching for truth… Within that, our role as actors basically consists of dancing like monkeys for your viewing pleasure. This is why I don't approve of actor arrogance and a demeanor of self-importance. You're a monkey! Shut up and dance monkey!! You're not more valuable than anyone else. You should be grateful just to BE a monkey. It's a blessing… Anyway, my point is this, and then we'll move on. There is a place in the world for The Hills, Tila Tequila, TMZ, and all the other forms of empty, escape entertainment. But there HAS to be balance. Emotionally and intellectually, that stuff is the equivalent of fruit roll ups, and who can sustain a long-term diet of fruit roll ups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? It doesn't work. Somewhere along the line, Hollywood has a responsibility to stimulate brain activity and put something out into the public that isn't just a generic, moneymaking machine (i.e. Disaster Movie). It's not just about money Hollywood! We have a monopoly over public entertainment, and with great power comes… well you know. Alright, enough of that… Rehearsals for Speech and Debate are going extremely well. Tickets are on sale now at theblank.com. September 13- October 26. Four shows a week, Thursday- Sunday. Thursday and Sunday: $22. Friday and Saturday: $28. If you call before September 5th, $3.00 off if you use the code “postcard”. I'd love to see some of you there. You can meet the cast and crew after every show. It's going to be a blast, I promise you. A very happy birthday to my brilliant webmaster Holly. And a good day to all of you. TWI-HARDS rule!! -Michael August 18 Hello cyber compadres, First of all, did you see Michael Phelps and the rest of the Men's US Olympic Swim Team beat the trash-talking French in one of the greatest moments in sports history?! It was unbelievable. Now I love my Frenchies out there. When it comes to art, culture, food, healthcare, and clean energy, we all have a lot to learn from the French. But come on, even YOU have to give it up for my boys! Jason Lezak was almost a full body length behind Alain Bernard (the one who DID all the trash-talking) going into the last 50 meters. He pushed himself about as hard as a human being is capable of pushing, and just wouldn't let his team lose. Congratulations fellas! Only two more gold medals and our little 23-year old nice boy from Baltimore becomes the greatest Olympian of all time. I LOVE that stuff! I just finished my first week of rehearsals on the play. It's going to be so freaking amazing, I really hope some of you get to see it. Check out the home page at michaelwelchonline.com for details. It's been very intense and quite an adjustment. I've gotten so used to working a certain way for film, television, and auditions, I forgot the process for theatre. We have a full six weeks of rehearsals to develop our characters and craft a show. It's a better way of working and I'm having a lot of fun. I want to introduce all of you to my old friend Ryanne from Holland. She started my very first fan site. Now she's created a killer new site, michaelwelchmedia.com. She's got all kinds of crazy goodness over there. Check it out - it's one of a kind. I also want to give a well-deserved shout out to Vee, Shadow, Izzie, and Anna or all that they're doing over at michael-welch.com, Shirley at the message board dazzlingstarz.com/michaelwforum, Holly, our webmaster at michaelwelchonline.com, and Larry Richman for his friendship and the help he does behind the scenes. Sheesh. I feel a bit spoiled. Thank you all. That's it for now. I'll check in again when I can. Love to your mothers! Shalom. -Me July 23 Hi friends, It's taken a while, but I've finally reached the pinnacle age in America. Since 1933, we have tied our most celebrated and sacred year, naturally to a person's ability to legally acquire and drink alcohol. Now, why a 19-year old soldier can't enjoy a bruski after a 14-hour battle in Fallujah, while I have the right to drink myself into oblivion seems a bit strange to me, but nonetheless, here I am. Gambling is now acceptable in several states as well. Other than those two dangerous and glorious vices, gift-wrapped to us from Uncle Sam, there are really no particular advantages. But I don't care. I'm still excited as heck! Heck yeah mother pigeons!! I'm 21! I'm happier than a dog in a snausage factory. My mom went all out and got me a trendy pair of Dolce, aviator sunglasses. They're very cool and growing on me by the day, but they're a little more "LA" than I'm used to. They're the kind of glasses you'd see on a billionaire mogul's son, hanging out on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, shopping for a new diamond encrusted air freshener for his Bentley. You can't really smile in them or they cut right into your cheeks. You just have to make that model, nothing expression, and frankly, I like the option to smile. But like I said, they're growing on me. As long as Hollywood doesn't get its' dirty, corrupting claws in me, I can be trendy every now and then. I won't let these glasses steal my soul. Don't worry. I'm going to do a play! I'm so excited. I've only been in two plays and the last one was about eight years ago. It's going to be at the fabtabulous Blank Theatre in Los Angeles starting in September. I'm not gonna give out too much information now. But the most exciting part to me is the cast, which has JUST been confirmed. Aaron Himelstein and Mae Whitman are my co-stars. It's going to be so sick, I can't even tell you (sick means cool/good for all yall squares). This will be the 5th project Aaron and I will have collaborated on together. I just can't get rid of that kid. And Mae, simply put, is one of the best young actors in the world. The last time we worked together was 11 years ago on "Chicago Hope." I'll bring you more information when the time comes. But trust me, if you're gonna be in the LA area around Septemberish- Novemberish, you don't want to miss this. Thank you all so very much for your birthday wishes and continued support. My sister is taking me to Palm Springs, CA for my b-day weekend because she wants me to burn alive. Have a great day. Treat yourself to some candy! You've earned it! -Michael/Mike July 18 Michael is committed to doing this great play in West Hollywood. He is going to be rehearsing the month of August and the play will run for at least 6 weeks in September and October. He is going to update "The Latest" in the next couple of weeks. As soon as we know the specifics, we will get it out to you. If you don't live too far from LA it would be worth coming and seeing him live on stage. Please let me know if you are making a special trip and I will make sure you get to meet him. Jill Donna May 19 Hey friends and allies, mike/mike here. I hope you're having a wonderful day and eating nutritiously… I've been trying to work out more, lately. It's hard! I don't like it at all. I love sports and general activity, and I feel great when I start to get some definition going on, but it's incredibly difficult to maintain any kind of consistency in routine. And if I skip a day, I'm back to my standard 12-year old body. Plus, without a decent protein intake for the day, fagetaboutit! All that painful unpleasantness leaves me with very little reward, and I get discouraged dag-nabbit! Twilight nation, you came through for me for when I was low on socks as if I were an inescapable, obligatory burden to you and your family. So I've decided that you're going to be my new life advisors and maybe even therapists in addition to your current role as friendly acquaintances and loyal compadres. So I ask you… Does anyone have any "getting in shape" advice for someone who immensely dislikes the process of getting in shape? But enough about me. How are you?! Hey, Twilight's coming out pretty soon! How bout that? That's exciting eh? I'm sure these next seven months will just FLY by!... I'm going to be featured on an upcoming MTV Twilight Tuesday. A fella named Larry Carroll did the interview and he was cooler than Billy Dee Williams (let's see if anyone connects the dots on THAT reference). Go easy on me, it was my first interview in a while. I haven't done THAT many interviews in my life. Mainly because no large group of people has ever been interested in what I have to say until recently. It's a little intimidating, I'll be honest. There are a lot of elements of today's "celebrity" culture that make me cringe. It has nothing to do with you guys. But I have to say, being in what appears to be a potentially huge film franchise, hence, putting me in a position to be in the beginning stages of entering this "celebrity" world is scary. I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'm having a blast, but it's scary. Well, I guess I'm not that worried. After all, it's just Mike Newton! J But whatever happens, I think I'll be up for it. I guess we'll see… NOW it's time to do some pushups. I'm not gonna lie, this blog was a procrastination. Checking in with my Twi-hards is a perfectly reasonable excuse for not working out. I'm a really good procrastinator. Probably the best in my family! In fact, the only two things I KNOW I'm good at are acting, and putting off tomorrow what could and should be done today. I'm gonna make a great father. "Don't worry little Johnny, you can do your homework tomorrow! Now play. Be free! Rules are for squares!" That's all for now my fellow humans. Shalom. -Me April 29 Mike asked me to fill you in on 'The Adventures of Mike/Mike'. When he returned back to LA, you would think 'THEY' found a missing person. Thanks to the twi-hards. twilighters and all other Twilight fans and (may I add) the great reputation he has as an actor and collaborator on sets, he had 6 auditions waiting for him. Actually, I quess in retrospect, breaking down in the middle of nowhere, during his trip home, in the late evening turned out to be a good thing. At the time no one thought so. But he got a day off even if it was a little unnerving,. CELLS PHONES CAN BE USED FOR SAFETY AFTER ALL.... He got towed to a hotel, and in the morning (more like afternoon) he was towed to a mechanic. They told him it could be his transmission and it would take days before they would receive a new one, OR, a computer cliche. So off he went to watch movies and left the results to the experts. Good News, just the computer. He got back to LA late that evening. The
day Please don't send any cars. He will update his site as soon as he can catch his breath. He had the opportunity to meet Cocoa and other Twilight Lexicon staff
on Someone told us that MTV was going to interview him. But he never heard You will be hearing from Mike soon. Until then he didn't want to leave
you April 2, 2008 I also have to mention an adorable little lady that goes by the name of NoMoreMarbles over there on the You Tubes. She's a twi-hard, she's funny, and she's put together a couple of videos about the cast of Twilight. She's dedicated about 4 minutes to me, (Official Twilight Cast Part 2 ) showing pictures that have been on my website over the years, and making fun of me for various reasons. It's very sweet and hilarious. Well-done NoMoreMarbles! You have the official Michael Welch seal of approval. Only Sean Penn and Jeremy Irons have received this honor, you should feel very proud. The shoot's going great! Everyone's great! Kristen and Rob are great! Great great great great!! Hurray.. I'm going to Seattle pretty soon. There are two places in time I've always wanted to visit- Italy in the 15th century (The Renaissance), and Seattle in the early 1990s. You could see Alice in Chains on a Wed night, Soundgarden on Thurs, Pearl Jam on Friday, and Nirvana on Saturday. And it probably cost 15 bucks a pop in venues that had a maximum capacity of 300. How crazy is that? That was a mini-renaissance and I JUST missed it! Oh well, at least I was right on time for the Seacrest train!! Oh I kid the Seacrest, he knows I love him. All done bye! Thanks again for the socks you crazy beautiful people! March 13, 2008 - TWI-HARDS!!!! It's your old pal Mike Welch, playing everyone's favorite character, Mike Newton. We have much to discuss. As you may know by now, I took a road trip up to Portland from Los Angeles, making stops at Berkeley, San Francisco, and Sacramento along the way. The highlight of the trip- was it Alcatraz, the legendary Fillmore, the food, the clubs? Absolutely not! It was go kart racing. Have you ever done it? Not the cheese-puff family friendly go kart tracks with the arcade, and bumper boats, and 2nd grade pizza party going on inside. I'm talking hard-core, speed go-kart racing people! It's incredible. If you like a little adrenaline rushing through your blood, but don't want to jump out a plane to get it, this is for you. A few days ago I drove to Portland from Sacramento, and I had my "mini- Into the Wild" experience. I saw the Oregon coast, did a little hiking in the woods, saw some elk, horses, and cows. I have great advice for anyone planning on road tripping, and this comes from my buddy Chris Marquette. Try to make a conscious effort to step OUT of the car when you're in the middle of nowhere. It's one thing to stop for necessities, but stop when you’re miles away from anything industrial. It doesn't have to be a big deal. I stopped every 2-3 hours, usually for about 30 sec- 1 min, just to breath the air, feel the ground under my feet, check out the scenery, and stretch. The trip is greatly enriched. It seems simple and benign, but it makes a HUGE difference, trust me. I got a speeding ticket at the end of the night. At that point it was midnight and I had been on the road for over 12 hours. I was an hour away from the hotel. Officer Sunshine was hiding from me, laser beam in one hand and siren in the other, waiting to get us Cali folk who've been on the road for hundreds of miles. I'm not bitter, the man's got kids to feed, I understand. And I WAS speeding, no question about it. But man, you gotta be careful when driving through these small towns in places like Nevada and Oregon, where one of their main sources of income is tickets for out-of-towners passing through. But I guess the ultimate lesson here is don’t speed, idiot. Enough of my inane ramblings, let’s get to the juicy stuff! I had lunch with the cast today. Twi-hards, I know some of you are probably worried about certain choices. But as far as I can tell, it looks like Catherine and Stephanie have put together a near-perfect cast. The Cullen's, the high school kids, everyone seems exactly right for their character. I know that sounds like self-promoting BS, but I would’t lie my Twi-hards. If I were worried about the cast, I just would’t say anything at all. Plus, we get along well as a group, so hopefully we can have some fun and create something cool together. We’ll see what happens, but I am pumped kids! We start the high school stuff on Monday. Well, I reckon’ I ought to be moseying’ along now. Good talking to you guys, and thanks for all the support! -Mike/Mike Hey gang. Michael here. As many of you know by now, I’ve been cast as “Mike Newton” in the upcoming film, “Twilight, which, based on the on-line response, appears to be the Hannah Montana of vampire books. The film hasn't’t even been fully cast yet, and there are already over 50,000 posts on IMDB. So, for those of you die hard Twilight fans, or as I like to call you, Twi-hards, Hi. I hope I can please you with what I have to bring to the character. So far, your response to me has been very kind, and I appreciate that. Feel free to continue to comment about how you picture the character and I WILL take it into account, I promise you. The satisfaction of the Twi-hards is my first priority. At this point, the only constructive note I can find is to have a “puppy-dog” like quality. If there are any other qualities or traits that you as a Twi-hard see as essential to the character, please let me know. Now, as for the rest of you, the gate-heads, the joan-cores, HELLO! I have been working hard on projects you will probably never see. Ha.. Since late 2005 (the end of Joan), I’ve worked on 10 movies, and I’m hopeful that we’ll finally get to see SOME of them soon. It looks like “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” will be coming out in May, that’s exciting. “Day of the Dead” is coming out to DVD in April, which is better than nothing. “An American Crime,” and “The Beautiful Ordinary” should be coming out sometime in 2008. And I have a recurring role on “The Riches,” on FX. Now it’s off to Portland for the next few months to work on “Twilight.” I’m taking a road trip, making a few stops along the way. I’ve never been to San Francisco so that should be fun. I’m gonna try to make it up to Seattle too.. Alright guys, thanks for all your support, and I’ll talk to you soon. P.S. I hope I didn’t insult anyone with the “Hannah Montana” reference. I was just referring to its cult-like popularity. I’m not making comparisons in any other way. That is all. February 11, 2008 Michael loves the part of Mike Newton. He is looking forward to having fun with his character. He is very excited about being part of "Twilight." He actually was very involved in basketball before acting. He played point guard and was really fast and a great shot. He felt it was not fair to his team mates to miss practice for auditions and jobs (with a nudge from the coach.) So he decided not to play team sports competively anymore. He loves to play tennis when he can. Michael is going to update this section within the week when time permits. He just asked me to let you know how much he appreciates your feedback and interest in him. January 1st, 2008. Happy New Year!!! We hope that their will be a resolution to the writer's strike that will be fair to all parties involved. There is a lot of residual hardship associated with the strike, and a lot of people are in crisis. Michael has been filming "The Thacker Case", during the month of December. He plays the role of Kevin Thacker, a 21 year old repeat drunk driver offender. The story centers on his mysterious death in 1983. He was found in an alley, behind the Marshall Town Iowa Police Department. Michael and I had the opportunity to view this young man's interview with the police approximately five minutes, before his death. Kevin Thacker seemed extremely drunk, but cooperative at the time. No one ever was convicted of this crime. Michael booked a recurring role on "The Riches." He shot 4 episodes. His character (Ike) is involved with Di DI Malloy (Shannon Marie Woodward). He had a great time working with her and really enjoyed the cast and crew. This role could continue, but we don't know right now. Michael now has a myspace account: officialmichaelwelch Exciting news this month check back to see. 10-2007 There is so much to report to you since the last update. First, Michael just got back from England where he was a celebrity guest at Gatecon UK, a Stargate convention. Michael’s appearance was a big hit. As one fan said, the highlight of the event was Michael’s rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" during an impromptu karaoke session. Meanwhile, Michael has been heating up the small screen as usual. His appearance on the popular CBS show Numb3rs aired several weeks ago and was well received. But the big news is that Michael will be seen on CSI: Miami, one of the highest rated shows on television, Monday, November 12th at 10:00 pm on CBS. In the cinema we are happy to report that An American Crime is on the verge on completing a deal which would put the film in theaters in June 2008. Watch for the DVD to follow in October. 9-2007 Michael Welch is back and running, at least his web-site is. Michael only runs when he is playing tennis. By the way, Michael is a great tennis player. His web-master took a little holiday. So Michael has a new webmaster that takes her web-mastery very seriously. Since his last update, he has turned 20, has continued to be in a relationship with his adorable girlfriend, Marissa for a year and half now, and his sister just recently graduated Optometry college so it's free eye exams! Oh you're interested in his work? OK! "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" and "Day of the Dead", should be released beginning of 2008. He recently shot "American Son" and starred in "Lost Dream" with Sean Sipos. "Lost Dream" is an amazing script written and directed by Asif Ahmed. You can read more under Reelenergy.com. He also did episodes of "Law And Order SVU" and "Numb3rs". Michael's goal right now is to work, enjoy life, stay involved in politics and learn how to live in this world. Not easy but definitely worth it. Stay tuned for updates and Michael's comments when he is available. 9-2006 Freakin Bulgaria. Where do I start?.... It was fun! Good people. It's got the BEST yogurt and feta cheese you'll ever have. Unbelievable! It's a very interesting country. It was under communist rule for about 40 years and has been a democracy for a little over a decade. However, out of this new free market society, the mafia formed and basically ran the country for a while. That's rapidly changing though and Bulgaria is finally in it's beginning stages of transition into a true democracy. It's a very exciting time. I love the lack of concern about safety over there. There are HUGE holes in the ground with absolutely no warning, people drive like they're being chased by a title wave, and not all cars necessarily have seat belts. One night, I was getting a ride back to the hotel in a taxi and we were on a mountain road. The taxi was about to go a around a bend, completely blind. There was a car in front of us that was only going 10 MPH too fast, and that was WAY too slow for this driver. So, he went on the wrong side of the road to pass this guy around a blind bend. As soon as we came around and could see down the road again, a bus was headed right for us, no more than 100 yards away. The driver didn't even flinch, dramatically swerved out of the way, and continued as if nothing happened. I thought it was funny and laughed with the driver, but the ladies in the car weren't quite as entertained. The cast was GREAT. Mena, Anna Lynne, Stark, Nick, Ving... all amazing. Don't listen to those IMDB message board snobs. If you like modern day zombie movies (Dawn of the Dead remake, 28 Days Later..), you will be entertained from start to finish, I promise you. It'll be out by next spring. I also have fantastic news about All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. First of all, I saw it. And I'm not gonna say a thing. Well, I will say this... if you are a fan of horror, on ANY level, check it out and let me know what you think. Or if you had any kind of high school experience, see the movie. Some people have written the following things about the film: "A raw, grizzly look at a young, hedonistic America,""Closer to Larry Clark than The O.C." "Could do to the horror genre what 'Brick' did to film Noir," "The characters are obnoxious and pathetic. The director must have a lot of charm or friends to get this film made because it's a true stinker." The last one is from IMDB. :) I have nothing against IMDB btw, but some of those people are just ruthless. Anyway, the really good news is that it was bought by the Weinstein company and will have a wide release in theaters next year! I can't wait! For some reason my computer is being a jerk and not letting me send pictures to my wonderful webmaster. However, I'm getting a MacBook Pro on Thursday and should be able to send them shortly after that. (Apple is the way of the future. I'm telling you people, PCs are dead. The world will run on Macs in 20 years or less. Not that I know anything about technology, but that's just my uninformed opinion). I have a few pics from An American Crime and some great stuff from Day of the Dead. That's all for now. Don't forget to register to vote, <http://www.rockthevote.org/> and remember to laugh! -Mike :) 8-17-06 Great News! The Toronto Film Festival (Sept. 7-16) announced that All the Boys Love Mandy Lane will be included in their "Midnight Madness" screening. More news... Season 2 of Joan of Arcadia will be released for sale on November 28th. 8-16-06 Update from Bulgaria: Michael is working his rear end (ass) off in the old world there are zombies everywhere! I can't remember him being any more excited about a project, he says "the cast and director are the absolute best". Michael is flying home from Bulgaria on September 5th, then heading straight away to attend the Toronto Film Festival (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) 8-01-06 Click HERE to view Michael's hot new demo reel....it is fantastic! 7-24-06 A note from Michael's Webmaster: Hey Everyone. Welcome to "The Latest," my most recent attempt at
keeping all of you up to date on what's going on in my
life. Previous failures to do this include my blog, Q |