Encourage Yourself

Since the last time I posted to my blog, I've been on NBC's, "Today Show" as a part of the recurring segment "Guys Tell All" and my T-Mobile commercial has started running. I've also auditioned for a TV Pilot as well as more commercial auditions and TV auditions.

As usual I've been observing the world and people as I navigate the terrain of showbiz and artistry. We live in a culture where everyone feels like they have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to be an artist and the inner workings of show business. It's similar to being a Doctor, Lawyer, or Cop because there are so many shows about "The business", that everyone feels like an insider. But just like shows about Doctors, Lawyers and Cops, the shows about "The business" only scratch the surface and only share the most exciting parts and not the day-to-day of the showbiz grind.

I find that most people know just enough about what it takes to pursue a career in the arts to be very insensitive towards people in the arts without even knowing it. The other bad thing about this "just enough" knowledge is that many people pursuing the arts are victims of this insensitivity and actually look to insensitive people for the encouragement they need to keep on pursuing their goals and living their dreams. I've found that in order to keep moving forward as an artist it takes an irrational belief that no one else knows what they're talking about. It's tricky because whether you're good at what you do or not, you have to have that belief to be succesful. That should also help you to understand why you see people who are awful at something but never quit. And why should they if they're happy? Who says that everyone has to be the best at what they do in order to do it? If that were the case there would only be one person doing any given thing in life.

Having said all of that, it's important for people who have a goal, dream or vision for their life to realize that it's no one else's responsibility to keep you moving forward but yourself. You have to encourage yourself. Whatever it takes to encourage yourself, figure it out and do it. Sometimes you have to tell yourself, "those people are crazy, they don't know good singing when they hear it, even Luther Vandross got booed at the Apollo. I should've warmed up before I went for those high notes". Or you have to say,"these people don't know what funny is, I determine what's funny not them"! Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. See yourself as what you aspire to be. Speak it and act it. Make it happen!!!

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

You Can't Please Everybody

So the Life and Times of this Renaissance Man has consisted mostly of taking care of the Youngest Younger. This week I'll be telling jokes at the NY Comedy Club on the 8PM Show(The Clayton Fletcher Show) and I'll be returning to NBC's, "Today Show" on Thursday, November 12th as a part of the recurring segment, "Guys Tell All".

One of the challenges of writing this blog is making myself sit down and get to work. Sometimes I'm hoping that the sky will open up and I will be hand delivered a wonderful topic complete with all of the perfect words to say. Then I also tend to put pressure on myself if the previous post was an inspiration to someone. Then I feel like I have to continue to be an inspiration.

Life never fails to give me things to write about it seems. I'm constantly learning lessons and I try to keep myself open to learning something everyday. One point that was driven home to me recently is that you're never gonna be loved by everyone. Even when it seems like you're on a roll, you're always gonna have your detractors. That's just the way it is. Even Jesus had "haters". I bet there were people who witnessed his first miracle who had something bad to say, "look at Jesus showing off turning water into wine, he thinks he's all that! I tasted the wine it wasn't even that good, you'd think if he was gonna go through all the effort to change water into wine he at least would have made it good wine".

I've seen it so often with me and my fellow stand-up comics. We have some type of instinct that makes us focus on the one person in the crowd that's not laughing. That's something I've worked hard at trying not to do, but so many time human nature takes over and I'm focusing on the stone faced dude who just won't laugh. We all do it, even if we're not stand-up comedians. I guess I'm just saying all of that to say, you can't please everybody. Something I say a lot is, "there's only one person you have to go to bed with every night and that's yourself. Try to make that person happy. Anyone else you make happy along the way is just a bonus".

Realizing Your Greatness

Since my last post I've been spending quite a bit of time with my son Rory, The Youngest Younger. He just celebrated his first birthday and I'm so glad that I've been able to spend a great deal of time with him during that first year. Not having a day job has it's privileges and contrary to the popular image of being a comedian, he doesn't allow me to sit on the couch and spend the day watching daytime television in search of new comedy material. He has however become my hero. There's so much to admire about him that inspires my art. As an actor I'm inspired to be in the moment because he's totally capable of doing just that and displays it when he starts to cry abruptly when he drops his favorite toy but becomes the happiest baby on the face of the earth when I pick it up and put it back in his hand. I also like his spirit. The spirit that allows him to fall down, hurt himself, cry with all the passion he can muster but get back up and go try to do the same thing that made him fall in the first place.

Tonight I came so close to not writing this post. I think one of the main reasons that I almost walked away from completing this entry tonight is that I usually open each post with an update on what I've done in my career since the last post and I really didn't think I had much to report, but I realized that was not a good excuse. It made me think about all of the things I say to myself when I'm in between gigs or I'm waiting for the next great thing to happen in my life. One thing I've realized in this journey of artistic pursuits is, there is always preparation involved with creating. Some of that preparation is us getting ready and some of it is in the hands of outside forces. One thing I like to say is, "before you book that gig, there are some people in a room talking about you when you don't even realize". While you think no one is thinking about you, there are people speaking highly of you who are about to give you your next job.

Another form of preparation for the next great thing is the inner preparation that we must do. I've found that great things tend to not happen for us until we realize our greatness. That's a hard thing for most of us to swallow because we spend all of our life trying to not let people feel that we think we're "all that". We're told that we have to be humble, but eventually to achieve a great thing we have to tap into our greatness. We all have greatness within us. We're great creations even if we never achieve anything great. Just living is a manifestation of greatness.

Most "great" people can tell a story of knowing very vividly that they were meant to do something great. It's just a knowledge they have. Most can remember the first inkling of it in their childhood. One thing for certain is that they were able to achieve greatness because they realized their greatness. I say all that to say, stop holding yourself back. Most of the time when we play humble it's only for the benefit of someone else, so they don't feel so bad or so that we don't look like we think we're better than anyone else. That's the thing, you have to realize that you are great. You are good and you're worthy to be the person who achieves the "great thing".

Keep At It

Since my last blog post, I shot a commercial for T-Mobile, attended the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival for the screening of my film "Whistle and Snap" and made another appearance on the "Today Show" on the recurring segment, "Guys Tell All".

I've been sitting in front of the computer for quite some time trying to do this post that you're reading. Yes, you are reading this, even if you're the only one. I made the mistake of opening other windows as I attempted to start blogging. I've chatted and checked e-mails, stopped to eat, poured myself a glass of wine all to finally decide to get started. I guess that's also makes up the Life and Times of a Renaissance Man, the starting and stopping and the journey one has to take to create. It can be a circuitous route that one takes to the final product but it's a great journey with every inch of it necessary to get to the final destination.

I recently attended a writing workshop where the instructor discussed how most creative people spend a large percentage of their time tearing down their own efforts. I have to admit that I've definitely witnessed it amongst my artistic colleagues. We allow our inner critic to shoot down whatever we attempt before we dare unveil it before the world. Another thing that she shared with us is that anyone who still has artistic aspirations after the age of 12 is truly extraordinary because we're presented with so many obstacles that make us feel that we'll never be successful. I guess I'm sharing that info to pass on some encouraging words. Don't let your inner critic or any outer critics stop you from doing what you want to do. The visions and aspirations in your mind are messages from God telling you what you can achieve if you don't give up. Following your dreams can be a lonely road. There are times when you have to go alone, but that's a part of the journey. It's your dream and with that said, you have to do it for yourself. Just keep at it, just like I did tonight to finally complete this blog post!

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What's Next?

I've been away for a couple of weeks, but I haven't been idle. I went to 2 film festivals with the film, "Souled Out Comedy" , found out that "Whistle & Snap" has been selected to the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival, shot an episode of the F/X series "Damages", and booked a T-Mobile commercial. In addition to all of that, "Souled Out Comedy" won the Audience Choice Award at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival.

I have to say it's been an exciting time. It feels nice to see your efforts rewarded and to feel like you're making progress as you live your dreams. I also have to admit that it makes me think. I spend a lot of time thinking and observing in general anyway. I'm always observing to find deeper meaning in life's everyday occurrences. One of the things about being a comedian is that I'm always observing life and human behavior. I've come up with a conclusion(not based on any real facts, just strictly my observation and conclusion), that most human beings are looking for an opportunity to stop working. We work hard hoping for some type of recognition so that we can continue to do what we love at a higher level with greater compensation and with less effort. We want to get a promotion so we can get more money and do the job that's a little higher up the totem pole and allows us to tell someone else what to do. Even as an entertainer, we're hoping to book the gig that pays more money, gives us a personal assistant and allows us to just show up, hit our mark and go home.

It's the "Human Nature Trap"(I totally created that name for it)! Feel free to sing Michael Jackson's, "Human Nature" in your head as you continue to read. It's a trap I struggle everyday to fight. I realize as I achieve more things in life and in my career, that it's a result of hard work. Hard work that I have to continue to put in if I want to continue to rise. I can't help but believe that many people who don't realize their full potential are probably guilty of not continuing to work because they reached a comfortable place.

Maybe it's easy to just relax after you reach a certain point. It's a lot of pressure to keep producing. What if what you do next isn't as good or well received as what you've already done. There's also a lot of pressure once people start realizing that you exist. Before you get recognized for being good at something you have the luxury of being good quietly without judgment and expectation, not to mention all of the critics that come out of the woodwork once you have a more public platform. Then of course there's the ultimate "no pressure" question, "What's Next"? That's the question that really works on your mind. "What's Next?, does that mean that what I've already done isn't enough? What if I'm totally satisfied with what I've already done and want to quit right here and now?"!

I just said all of that to say, I'm not gonna put pressure on myself. I'm just gonna trust that the gifts that God has given me will continue to produce more good stuff. So I don't know what's next. I'm just excited to keep working and let what's gonna happen, happen. Trust me, I'll probably be just as surprised as you are, at what comes next. But here's a little hint, THINK BIG!!!

What Do He Don't Do?

In keeping with the theme of letting you know of the Life and Times of a Renaissance Man I guess I should let you know what's been going on since last I posted to my blog. This past weekend(Sept. 11-12) was a whirlwind of performance. I went to Kansas City, MO with Comedy Cures. I love working with them because it's an opportunity to use my comedy for good, not evil(pronounced eeee-vil). Working for Comedy Cures also challenges me as a comedian because we do shows in places that you wouldn't expect to see stand-up comedy and for diverse groups that are usually a mix of ages and ethnicities that makes one have to really think hard about what will work on such a diverse crowd. I did 3 shows in Kansas City. The first 2 were on Friday morning at 2 different elementary schools. That was a challenge. Although I don't curse in my act, it doesn't necessarily mean that my content is something that an elementary school student will understand. I had to sift through my material to find what I thought might work. I figured it out, and just in case you find yourself in a situation where you have to entertain elementary school kids, here's what you should include in your act; music, funny faces and falling down. I channeled my inner zaniness and was able to pull it off. Later that evening, I told jokes to a group of alumni from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. A very different group than the morning group. I chose to cut out a large percentage of the funny faces and falling down(didn't cut out all of it, because who doesn't love funny faces and watching people fall down). I pulled that one off too, although they were a more cerebral crowd and chose to applaud some of the humor in lieu of full belly laughter.

When I got back to NY on Saturday I had very little time to relax before I had to go to the Bronx and perform at a show hosted by Rev. Run's daughters, Vanessa and Angela Simmons. This audience was not only ethnically and culturally diverse, it also had an age range from little kids to grandparents. I actually had moments on stage this weekend where I was very conscious of the fact that I'm pretty good to be able to make such a broad range of people laugh. Someone told me this week that I have a God-given gift. I know that's right!!! I'm glad to use it to touch people and make people happy.

After I finished with that show, I jumped in my car and drove to Connecticut to sing at a wedding reception. I know what you're saying, "What do he don't do"? I know!!! A Renaissance Man indeed.

In addition to all of that excitement, I was also notified that "Souled Out Comedy", Younger Child Productions' documentary feature has been chosen to screen at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival. The screening date is Friday, September 25th at 8:30PM at The Paley Center for Media. If you find yourself in NYC on that day, I hope to see you there.

Something Great Is Coming

Since my last post, life has been pretty nice. Not because of anything extraordinary or new, but simply because I just have a feeling that some very exciting things are coming my way. Have you ever had that feeling? If you haven't you should just try to imagine that some of your wildest dreams are coming true. Feel that excitement. That's the feeling that I get sometime and have been getting all of my life. Whenever I feel that way, great things happen. So the next time your feeling optimistic, don't suppress it or write it off. Go with it!

Since my last post I've returned to NBC's, "Today Show" on the recurring segment "Guys Tell All". I also appeared on the weekend edition of "Today" in a segment called, "He Said, She Said". We talked about guilty pleasures. I had to admit that my guilty pleasure is KFC Original Recipe chicken. I didn't want to come across as some type of stereotype, but if loving KFC Original Recipe is wrong, I don't wanna be right! Whoever came up with that recipe of 11 herbs and spices was a culinary genius(whether it's Colonel Sanders or his black maid who he stole the recipe from and went on to die penniless). There's something about that secret combination and a true KFC impressario can always tell when any of those herbs and/or spices are missing. Sometimes you'll go to some bootleg KFC that never seems to have the combination right. But I digress.

You can also see me on HBO.com on the webseries, "Got No Game with Paul Mecurio". I'm one of the Black Guys(that's my character name, Black Guy#2) in the comedic short, "Race In Sports".

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Count Your Blessings

I'm back and it only took a couple of days. It seems like whenever I post to my blog another good thing happens for me to blog about. That should be incentive for me to increase my blogging frequency. The latest good thing is that I just received notice that my film, "Souled Out Comedy" has been chosen to screen at the Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival. "Souled Out Comedy" is the documentary about the show that I produced and performed on with some of my favorite comedian/friends. It stars Marc Theobald, Dean Edwards, Leighann Lord, Wali Collins, Mike Yard and Rick Younger(yeah that's me, I love to take every opportunity I can to speak of myself in the 3rd person).

It seems lately that things are going pretty well for me. Although that may seem like something that a person should be able to clearly see and acknowledge, I find myself having to remind myself about how blessed I am. I'm sure I'm not the only person who sometimes has a hard time enjoying the ride. My ambition often has me so busy looking forward to the next accomplishment that I totally miss what is right before my very eyes. I guess I'm just saying this to remind myself that I'm living the dream and I have to wake up and keep my eyes open to see how great the dream is. It's like when an artist is working on his masterpiece, he periodically has to step back and take a look at the big picture and take it all in. That's an important thing to do because if you can't be happy along the journey to your ultimate goals, you'll find yourself unhappy once you reach your goals. I definitely don't want to be the guy who's making $20 million plus a film and driving people crazy because I'm still not satisfied(that's right I'm gonna make $20 million plus a film, remember you heard it here first). Right now as I write this I'm singing a song to myself that we used to sing in church when I was a kid, "Count Your Blessings". After you finish counting your blessings you always seem to see that you're way more blessed than you realized.

Taking Things Into My Own Hands

It's been a few weeks since I blogged. A lot has been going on, mostly moving into a new apartment. Moving as an adult with a small child is hard work. In this day of cyber-friends and social networking, it really drives home the difference between cyber-friends and real friends. A real friend is someone who helps carry a dresser or a sofa, or anything that's so bulky that it might impale you. Not to say that I only have 4 real friends, but the other real friends who didn't help carry heavy stuff probably have been there for other "heavy" situations that maybe kept me out of jail or helped greatly reduce a fine. My point is that after a while, you find out that real friends are few and far between and they're there for you when you really need them.

Since my last blog entry some other exciting things have happened too. My film "Whistle & Snap" screened at the Roxbury Film Festival and was well received. I was so nervous as I watched and listened to the audience watch our film. It's really different when you have written, produced and star in your own project. When I do someone elses material as an actor, I can always seperate myself from people's reaction and reception of the material. I can always say, "hey, I just do what they put on the paper, I did the best I could with what they gave me". Also, unlike when I do stand-up, I can improvise and adjust according to the audience I'm in front of, but with a completed film all I could do is see how what we produced came across to the audience at hand. The ice was broken when I heard the first laugh from the audience. It was actually quite exhilirating. I was both encouraged and inspired to continue creating and producing. It made me feel empowered and let me know I'm doing the right thing by taking my fate in my own hands and becoming a producer and writer. I'm looking forward to Younger Child Productions' next project(s). I have a feeling that directing is in my future!

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On the Road Again

The last few days I've been on the road. It wasn't all show business but it's reminded me of my early years in stand-up comedy when I spent a great amount of time on the road driving from town to town. Looking back on it now I realize that those adventures were something that was perfect for that time in my life, but I guess I've turned into a relative homebody. It's not that I don't like to leave home, but I can't go away for as long as I used to. I like to go away and get back to the family ASAP.

This week has been full of fun and excitement. Monday I had a callback for a commercial, Tuesday was my final shoot day on the film, "Morning Glory" and Wednesday I performed on a comedy fundraiser at the Palace Theater in Hamilton, NY with Jake Johannsen. The fundraiser was organized by one of my castmates from "Morning Glory", Matt Malloy. Go ahead click on both of them so you'll be able to visualize who I'm talking about.

The comedy show was lots of fun. I got to perform for a very appreciative crowd and I got a chance to work on some of my new material. There was even more excitement offstage after the show in the small town of Hamilton, NY. Hamilton is a small town with a population of about 2,500 and is also the city which houses the campus of Colgate University. So in other words it's very small and everyone knows each other. When I arrived I think I doubled the black population. That can be quite a daunting responsibility for a black man, but I handled my responsibility with poise and class. I wasn't in town for 5 minutes before someone mistook me for the other black guy in town, JoeBaker. Joe is a Hamilton native and a coach in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and just happened to be visiting his hometown at the very same time that I was there. I heard about Joe as soon as I got to town and was looking forward to meeting him. As luck would have it, Joe was in the first row at the comedy show. We connected immediately in that "you're the only other black dude in town" way, that only another brother can understand. It was like we were long lost brothers. We had more in common than just being the "Lone Negroes" we also both have white wives and drive the Volvo S60. No wonder people mistook us for the same guy!

The other point of excitement while in Hamilton, NY is that I received a ticket for running a stop sign. The kind of stop sign that only a Hamilton native would have seen. Needless to say I was a little nervous when I was pulled over by the towns most notorious cop(the other 3 are very nice I hear). He made me step out of my car and do various sobriety tests. Since I was determined to not be too far over the legal drinking limit, the officer let me off with just a ticket for running a stop sign and gave me the option to come back and fight the ticket in court. I figured I should cut my losses and just take the ticket and get out of Hamilton. So much goes through your mind when you're pulled over in a small town and asked to step out of your car by a police officer. I thought of all of the bad things that could happen but most of all I thought of how my behavior could reflect negatively on the remainder of Joe Baker's stay in town. I'm sure that by now Joe has had to explain to all of the town's people how it wasn't him who was pulled over for running a stop sign. So I shared all of that to say, Joe I'm sorry for misbehaving in your hometown and bringing you shame. If there's anything to gain from this experience I think it's this, always be on your best behavior because what you do doesn't only reflect on you it could also affect the other black guy in town!

A Change Is Gonna Come

I'm sitting here in front of the computer as I just put my son down to bed and I'm keeping my promise to blog more. As I begin this I really don't know what I should be sharing but I'm assuming as I type the words will come to me. I guess I should just start by saying what's going on, give an idea of "The Life and Times of a Renaissance Man". Tomorrow is my final shoot date on "Morning Glory". It's been a lot of fun and I'm trusting that another project will present itself very soon. That's one of the things I love about what I do, things can change so quickly and one day you can be sitting around with nothing on the horizon and before the week is out you have several things going on.

Here lately I have been spending a lot of time contemplating new directions in my stand-up comedy. I've just started getting onstage more often to work on material that touches on topics I'm passionate about. I've been encouraged by many people in my life because they keep saying that when I talk passionately about the things that matter to me when I'm amongst my family, friends and the people closest to me I'm at my funniest. For some reason I've always made people laugh without trying and it usually comes when I'm just being honest and saying how I really feel. I look forward to going to higher heights once I just let go and truly become the me that I am with friends when I'm onstage. A major factor in achieving that is abandoning the desire to be loved by everyone (I know kind of a tall order for someone who's decided to get into entertainment). I have to not care about the judgement of strangers and just be true to me. One thing I do know is that you're never gonna be loved by everyone and one of my biggest comedy heroes Bill Cosby has even said, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone". I've even said myself, "there's only one person you have to go to bed with every night and that's yourself, so you gotta do what's gonna make you happy". So watch out. I may say some things that people aren't expecting from me in the near future and if I ruffle a few feathers maybe I'm doing something right.

A lot of people know me as a "clean" or non-cursing comedian. This doesn't mean I'm gonna do a full turn and become Rick "Raw Dawg" Younger, but you never know. Just kidding, a little bit, but maybe not. But if you're thinking about judging me if I say something you don't like, ask yourself, What Would Jesus Do? I think he would forgive me!!!

I Will Persist

So many times people ask me, "Rick is it hard to be a Renaissance Man"? To tell you the truth I don't think about it, I just do all the things that I do. Like right now as I type this I'm also playing the role of Producer. My production company has produced 2 films that we're submitting to film festivals, "Souled Out Comedy" and "Whistle & Snap". "Whistle & Snap" has been selected to screen at the Roxbury Film Festival in Boston, on August 2, 2009. You know what, just go check out the website for Younger Child Productions!

I love the excitement of doing many things. I guess I'm just not one to put limits on myself. I've found that the main reason most people don't live their dreams is that they talk themselves out of pursuing what they really want. There are enough people in life telling you no, so why contribute to the negativity by telling yourself no. As a person who functions in the creative and artistic world, I've found that the most successful people aren't always the most talented. The successful ones are usually the people who won't quit. The ones who keep coming back when they're told no or when doors are closed in their faces. Talented people oftentimes are very sensitive, it kinda goes hand in hand with their ability to create. That can also be a bad thing because, I've witnessed firsthand when talented people have given up just because they can't take the rejection anymore. I've decided to employ this philosophy, "If you're talented and don't quit as the other talented people give up, eventually you'll be the most talented person still standing"! The way I figure it, eventually it'll be me(with my abundance of talent and persistence) and a group of untalented people left to choose from. Then my talent will be even more apparent. I will persist until I succeed!!!

Living the Dream

I told you I was gonna have a greater commitment to blogging. I'm back after only 2 days away. In the last 2 days I've had a few commercial auditions and today I shot another scene for the film, "Morning Glory". I was in a scene with Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams today and I do have to see it was pretty damn cool. That's the thing, you gotta be cool about it and act like, "we're all just actors doing our job", but it's pretty awesone to say I just did a scene today with the guy who played Han Solo and Indiana Jones!!!

You also have to fight the urge to just tell everyone you see. Imagine if I just walked up to someone and said, "hey homeless dude, I'm in a movie". He'd probably say, "man I don't care about your movie, I just went to the bathroom in my pants". Thinking about that scenario just helped me to put everything in perspective. It's a pleasure to do what you love for a living and to be clothed in your right mind and probably most important of all, it's great to not go to the bathroom in your pants. So if there's any wisdom I can leave with you, it's this, if you have a place to live with functioning indoor plumbing then you're truly blessed!

What's Going On with Rick Younger?

I bet you're wondering what's been going on with me. How dare I call my blog "The Life and Times of a Renaissance Man" and not keep everyone informed about my life and times. What kind of Renaissance Man has nothing going on??? You're right, I have been sleeping at the controls. Plenty has been going on, maybe too much. That could explain why I haven't taken time to blog. Well I will no longer use that as an excuse. I've decided to make a new commitment to more frequent blogging even if each entry is short and uneventful.

I'm currently shooting a film entitled, "Morning Glory". It stars Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, et.al. It's directed by Roger Michell(Notting Hill, Changing Lanes) and produced by JJ Abrams. I'm really excited to be a part of such a major film with so many amazing people involved. I'm not one of the major stars in the film but I'm in the room people!!! Today I'm "Producer #4" and tomorrow I'll be Academy Award winner Rick Younger(I'm contemplating going by my full name Roderick after I win the Oscar).

I'm sure there's much more excitement to come. Trust me I have a lot of things brewing that I'm not telling you about right now so that I'll have more to report on a later blog entry. I promise I won't let 3 months pass before I blog again!!!

I've included a video of my most recent appearance on NBC's, "Today Show" as a part of my recurring segment "Guys Tell All". We'll be back on Thursday, July 30th. make sure you check us out:

Making the Cut

Last week was quite a hectic and exciting week. I shot a commercial in my hometown of Baltimore for the Maryland Lottery, I found out I was nominated for a MAC Award, and I appeared on an episode of "Law & Order: SVU". I really felt like a working entertainer and a Renaissance Man.

All of the things going on really made me think about how much the life of an entertainer is about making the cut. So many auditions, so much rejection. Seeking the approval of others all while trying to maintain your sanity and put your best foot forward. I learned a long time ago it's not just about talent. As a matter of fact, many of the most talented people quit working much earlier than the non-talented. The next time you see someone extremely successful and you can't figure out what their talent is, it's probably persistence.

I was extremely happy to make the cut and appear on "Law & Order: SVU" last week because it was a long journey. As most people who haven't been buried under a rock are aware of, the "Law & Order" franchise has 3 shows. I've been fortunate to be cast in all 3 but unfortunately, up until April 7, 2009 all of my "L & O" appearances ended up on the cutting room floor. It was actually starting to get comical and I'm sure I would be laughing heartily while rolling on the ground holding my belly if it wasn't me getting cut out of every episode of "Law & Order" I ever taped. It was actually starting to make me think I was a ghost or a vampire.

The first time I got cut, I saw it coming. I had one line in a scene with Chris Noth on "Criminal Intent". The director didn't even bother to give me any direction and my dressing room was a trailer on the side of the road that didn't even have a window. I watched the episode I was supposed to be in with my family and actually told them when and where I was supposed to be, "see right there, I was supposed to be right there. Chris Noth was actually talking to me right there, but I guess they figured they could tell the story without having my one line input".

The second time I got cut was a little bit more of a surprise. I was on original "Law & Order" and I played a Crime Scene Investigator who was on the witness stand being questioned by one of the leads, Sam Waterston. I even got cross examined by the defendant's lawyer. I was like, "no way I'm getting cut this time, I'm in a scene with the lead character and I got cross examined. I even think I'm giving some vital information to help solve the case". Obviously my info wasn't that important, because they told the story without my input.

When I got cast on "Law & Order: SVU", I was prepared to get cut again. I figured it would make for one of those great stories for people to pass on when I'm so famous that it wouldn't matter to me anymore. People would say, "did you know that Rick Younger was cut from episodes of all 3 Law & Orders? Yeah, come to find out he used to be a vampire, but he got the antidote and went on to compile an impressive body of work and go on to win 3 Academy Awards. So don't give up". Yes, I went on to become one of the greats!!!

This time I figured I was gonna not be afraid. If I got cut, then that was just the way it was meant to be. I went all out and posted on all of my Facebook pages, sent out e-mails and Twittered about the upcoming episode. I had lots of people watching, TIVO'ing and DVR'ing the blessed occasion. I was even prepared to tell people how things go sometimes in showbiz if I did get cut. I watched at home with baited breath and sweaty palms as the hour seemed to go by and finally 40 minutes into the episode I appeared onscreen. What a relief!!! I didn't have to prepare a written statement or regretful Facebook status. I made the cut!!!

I'm glad it all worked out. Not making the cut would not have made me less of a Renaissance Man but it is kinda good to not have to say a bunch of reassuring affirmations. One thing i can say is that I'm Living My Dream. I enjoy what I do and I try to enjoy the process that leads to the work and not just rejoice in getting the job.

The Joy of Fatherhood

Here I am, finally posting to my blog once again. Since it's called the Life and Times of a Renaissance Man I guess I should tell you about my life and times. I'll try to be as open as possible but you know I think we all have things we don't share. Let's make a deal, if ever I post and I leave out any details that need more clarification, just leave a comment asking the question(s) that you need answered.

First let me give you a little bit of explanation as to why I call myself a Renaissance Man. Like many of the people who made the Renaissance Period famous, I too do many things. I'm a comedian, singer, actor, writer, producer, etc. I add etc. because the list seems to keep growing.

So many things have been happening lately. Right now I have 3 national commercials running for Starburst, Hotels.com and ESPN. I'm also appearing on "Law & Order: SVU" on April 7th. In addition to that, Younger Child Productions has moved into the area of film producing with the completion of our full length documentary, "Souled Out Comedy" as well as our Mockumentary short, "Whistle & Snap" going into post production.

The latest addition to the renaissance list is Father. That's actually jumped to #1 on my list. It's my greatest joy and I'm not even surprised by it. I always said I wanted to be a father and I delayed the experience because I didn't want to become a father until I was at a place in my life where I could be present and able to provide and support my child(ren). So it took me 40 years. Yep, I'm one of those dudes who's gonna have to stay in the gym so that he can be in shape to chase after his son. I've actually already joined Weight Watchers and I've lost 25.4 pounds so far.

As I type this I'm looking at my son make funny noises as he sits in his "Jump & Go". He's saying something and I have no clue what it is. It's probably, "Hey man, get me out of this 'Jump & Go' and do something enriching with me instead of typing on that computer", or maybe he's saying, "Why don't you go outside and beat up those guys who're hammering beneath the window closest to my crib?". Everyday there's something new. I'm just glad to see that he's actually showing signs that he likes me. The first few months I wasn't so sure about the little dude. Don't get me wrong, I was crazy about him but it really didn't seem like I was meeting his discriminating standards. I was trying to tell him, "Hey I make strangers laugh all the time and they act like they like me and I don't even provide them with food and lodging", but that didn't impress him. It was like he was the cool kid in high school. I spent all of my time smiling at him trying to meet his approval and he just looked at me with a deadpan expression. I know he was laughing on the inside and I even think he was communicating with other babies and telling them, "My father thinks he's funny, I mean he's alright but I can't let him know I think he's cool and that he's got good material"(in that way I think he's a lot like the industry professionals who haven't given me my own TV Show yet).

Then one day he smiled! That was all I needed. I was like, "You love me, YOU REALLY LOVE ME!!!". I'm glad he does because I love him oh so much. He's changed me, just like all the cliches you ever heard about what having kids can do. One of my biggest change is my sensitivity. I cry a lot now. I've cried while watching "Real Sports on HBO", in the middle of conversations that have to do with family, when leaving my parent's house, whenever my son, father and I are in the same room together... I think you get what I'm saying.

I guess I said all of this to say. I just want to be the best man that I can be so that I'm a good example for my son. I'm also striving to be like him. He's forgiving, honest, and he gets everything he wants. It's a pretty sweet set-up and on top of all of that he has a better blog than his "old man". Yes the "Youngest Younger" has a blog(that's what happens when you're mother is an actor and a writer).

Let the Blogging Begin!!!

I decided to become a blogger. I tried doing it before but I fell off the blogging wagon. I'm gonna try to be more disciplined this time. I guess it was hard for me to keep blogging because I felt that having a blog was an arrogant act, like I felt like what I have to say is so important I have to blast it to the world. On the other hand I've seen blogs that make me feel like, "if that person can blog then I definitely should not be afraid to just go ahead and get my blog on!!!!"

My previous blog was on MySpace, where I attempted to do "The Life and Times of a Renaissance Man". I looked back at those blogs recently and they weren't so bad. Feel free to click and view them:

Old MySpace Blog

My plan is to not let too much time pass between entries and to post about what is going on in my life as well as just giving my two cents about anything that crosses my mind. It should be fun. Let the Blogging Begin!!!!!