DAY 9: Friday, July 9, 2010

Crew call is 5:30 am at Paddy Coyne’s Bar and Grill, but the place is locked up. We’re on a strict shooting schedule and struggles to reach someone who can open it are in vain, so the locations manager, Stacia, begins looking around for another place to shoot the scene. The director and assistant directors debate whether they can make this an outdoor scene. Stacia announces that the crew can move to the Southlake Bar and Grill, when the owner shows up just in time to save the day. He overslept.

The scene at Paddy Coyne’s wraps on time despite everything, and we’re off to the Re-Bar at 9:30. Phew. We’re back to dealing with our familiar struggle against a lack of air conditioning. But now we’re armed with the weapon of huge fans that we only have to turn off during takes.

The Re-Bar scene is a huge one where elections results are rolling in, so the heat amps up the sense of pressure. Todd Stashwick plays the man who fires Jason Biggs’ character and arrived on set today. Jason tells him “We’re going to have fun,” and I’m excited to see this friendship turn to rivalry when the cameras start rolling.

The real Phil Campbell has a long session discussing various aspects of the film with Jason Biggs. Phil says his friends commented on a picture of Jason in his Facebook profile, saying Jason looks just like the 2001 version of Phil. Campbell’s acknowledgment that Biggs can successfully mimic his mannerisms shows a refreshing amount of self-confidence that the Phil of 2001 may not have had, as he’s reflected in the script.

I stop Phil on his way out just in time to get his number before he flies back home to New York. No, I’m not going to hit on him; I’m just going to interview him tomorrow. I want to hear more about the reading of his new novel at the Sorrento last night, and his thoughts on seeing his story, Zioncheck for President, retold through film.