Happy Mother’s Day commercial shot
With my fabulous TV-daughter Cassidy after the Disney Jr commercial shoot! We had mega-fun on set with a great cast and crew. This one’s for you, Mom ♥♥♥
Verizon Shoot
While I was being escorted to the set of the Verizon shoot we stopped for a picture. I knew I had to get a shot for my folks!
We shot in a defunct hospital in Pasadena, with a great crew that mostly hailed from New York (917, baby!) and I had so much fun! My mom and dad have never been prouder — just call me Dr. Kim, or Tora M.D. Just don’t ask me for any medical advice, or I’ll have to make you sign a waiver!
Flying into the New Year
Hello my friends, sending best wishes from the bottom of my heart.
Here’s to the Great Ride that is 2012. May it bring all that you wish for in Light, Love and Prosperity. And more of it!
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Hallo update
Wow, what a month it’s been! Just to recap, I love my life. Though I haven’t been able to sit down for 2 minutes and write about the wonderful developments that have unfolded, there’s plenty to write home about.
With Marina after the Gala
For one, I got to meet with, audition for, AND work with a childhood hero of mine. Marina Abramovic, performance art legend and the heart and soul of the genre, was handed the task of performing the MOCA annual Gala event where I got to join her and Debbie Harry for an unforgettable performance! (Last year it was Doug Aiken and Lady Gaga.) It was an amazing, history-making night that I was blessed to be a part of — about which I plan to flesh out in journal mode, complete with photos and anecdotes, once I sit down in Miami later this week. The event definitely merits thoughtful documentation.
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Following on the heels of the MOCA show I promptly went south — to San Diego! That’s where I shot a commercial for a new Korean technology product. An excellent gadget, I may add, the commercial for which will air shortly, and I’ll be sure to post that link!!!
Zzzzs on set (with my tv family on downtime)
I liked the hotel I stayed at, which transported me to the 1920s…
A room with a view: San Diego
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The Operation REPO episode aired! THAT, dear Reader, was a Riot. When I arrived on set in the Valley back in August, I had no idea I was to be the main character — as in I was the one whose car was getting repo’d!!!! Hilarity ensued. I must say it was a singular experience filming and watching oneself in the “Reality” mode.
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In addition to going out on auditions, I’ve been in ongoing training mode, doing what I love. Yoga, the shooting range, Second City, even exploring the heights of the trapeze — you can find me lately in all these places working with the best people who absolutely love what they do.
Tora Kim "on air"
With the amazing Dean (left) and the superb Morningstar (right)
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In other news, my li’l besty Jinsori, with the help of our wonderful vet Dr. Sharp, is recovering nicely from his recent operation and seems to be in good spirits again, woofing around with me and Twyla. Thanks for everyone’s concern, we’re all very relieved at the outcome. Thank you!!!
More coming down the pipeline, dear Reader. For now, nitey-nite and Ciao ~ xoxo T
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“New” Music: Xtatika gets remastered
Shiny and New: now available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, etc.
Happy 11.11.11 !
The circumstances surrounding the original EP were hazy. Kinda like living in what you later realized was a powder keg. I was drinking hard on the upper end of “Social”, smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day (for a champ weighing in at a tad over 100lbs, that was what you’d call a commitment), and living in Brooklyn, New York. I used to get into fights in bars if I drank enough. And that was me coming down from a chaotic time. That was me five years ago.
I miss that gal. She was one heck of a lady.
But I sure don’t miss being that gal.
So yeah, before going solo I had this band called Xtatika in New York. It was an ever-transforming project which spanned genres and lineups with which I released a couple of albums over the years and toured internationally. But when the label/distribution company that originally released My Heart Is A Knife went under last year, I hardly batted an eyelash. I had other things on my mind, other songs. The fact that the EP was taken offline and off the shelves was a tad bothersome… It was material I was proud of, but it wasn’t exactly paying my bills. Then interest began sparking up. This led me to wonder whether to re-release the album. After dragging our feet for a bit, we decided sure why not, let’s re-release it, along with a bonus track from that era. Wouldn’t that be cool.
After all, people always requested that song and sang along when we performed it live. In New York, in Europe… Sean Lennon even said his favorite song was “Hydroplaning” when we appeared on the same bill together…
Then there was “All I Wanted”, a song that was recorded in one howling take at 2am, with more attention given to the distilled moment, and less regard to pitch, tone and accuracy. I remember saying to my bandmates, “Guys, don’t touch anything. Don’t fix anything. The mistakes make it what it is.” It’s a statement track that is also the roughest composed track I’ve ever recorded…that I’ve let out to the public, that is….
Of course, “Last Kiss” was the noir-wave fave, and “My Heart Is A Knife” is about as dark as I ever wanted to get… which was my Normal, back then.
Now, forward a few months from the yeah-why-not moment, and we have all newly remastered tracks on our hands, the bonus remastered track, plus shiny new cover art! Which was a photo taken nearly a year ago, soon after I landed in LA, during a somewhat nefarious but fun evening in the Valley.
It turned out that was the only way this collection would ever meet the light of day again: Reincarnated. And I’m quite happy with the result.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-heart-is-a-knife-remastered/id474083006
My Heart Is A Knife Remastered by Xtatika is available on iTunes, Spotify, eMusic, Rhapsody, Amazon mp3, and many, many more outlets online.
