Happy Holidays Everyone

Just wanted to drop everyone a line and wish you all a safe and happy holidays from M Palma Photography. Thanks for tuning in all year, and watch out for more great photos next year!

All the best,

Mike

Clubbin' at 33!!! (Photo Heavy Post)

"It's a small world after all..."

Yes, for most, if not all of us, the lyrics to that famous song is one that we have all experienced at one time or another in our lives, at the happiest place on earth, Disneyland!

This past Saturday, Helen, Aaron and myself were invited by our good friend Jim, to go to Disneyland's uber-exclusive Club 33, located in New Orleans square. It was my second time there, but each time is such a treat! (Click on the link to find out more about why it is so exclusive!)

There's too much for me to say about the evening, so I'll let the photos themselves do the talking for me.

(Note: all images have been downsized and reduced in quality for internet purposes. I've had some "photo theft" happen to me lately, so I'm not putting up high quality versions - sorry!)

Aaron in the Trophy Room dining area.

Legend has it that the vulture on the right was supposed to be an audio-animatronic version where Walt Disney himself would talk through to entertain his VIP guests. (Located in the Trophy Room)

Entrance into the Trophy Room area

Aaron and Helen in front of Club 33 and Helen doing her best "33" gang signing.

The display cabinet filled with Club 33 goodies you can buy (and sell on e-bay!)

Allastair - our waiter and LEGEND at the Club. If you ever get to go, he's the best! Seriously!

The hallway leading to the main dining room.

Aaron holding our uber-expensive bill. Yikes!

Aaron striking a GQ pose at the fireplace next to our table. Note the "hey ladies, I'm at Club 33" expression on his face.

The Main Dining room area. This is where you want to eat cause it overlooks New Orleans square and the Rivers of America. Hard to get a reservation here, but we did! Thanks Jim!

Helen and I with the Club 33 menu.

Aaron and I contemplating "borrowing" these items for use on e-bay.

After having spent the evening with great friends and food (as we all should do!), we were treated to the rare opportunity of walking back to the entrance of DL with the park empty, save for a few security guards and other late stragglers. I had never experienced this before in all my years at the park, and it was an awesome thing to do. Strolling down main street with no one around you. You bet I took pictures, but I am only posting this one.

When have you ever seen Main street this empty?

I'm still recovering from the great food we had saturday, but in the mean time, I'm in a show! Check out Goldstar.com for "Holiday Fever" in it's 4th year. It's happening at the Secret Rose theater in North Hollywood and we run from Nov. 28 till Dec. 20, 2008, Thursday through Saturday at 8:00pm. It's a fun show, great acting and singing, and you get to see me in a unitard. Yikes.

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday everyone if I don't talk to you till then.

A New World

YEAH BOY!

As you know, today is the day after the US Presidential elections, and thank God Barack Obama won! I'm not one for politics really, nor am I someone who would push my views upon others, but hey, the BEST candidate one, and we can all believe and hope again for a better future! Nuff said! Hopefully, you all had a chance to see the following photo firsthand yesterday, and if you didn't, don't complain if things don't work out the way you figured it should!

Okay, I know it has been a solid month since my last entry (which was one of my favorites BTW, for that one swelled with Filipino pride, as the above swells with USA pride.) Since then I've finished building up my new speed-weapon, the Cervelo P2C (she's a beaut!), attended a photo-workshop (images to come), and witnessed history! That's a pretty good number of things to have done! Oh, not to mention having dressed up as Billy Idol for my buddy's "Rock Band" Halloween party last week, rebel yell baby! I'm behind on all the posts, but I'll try to finish strong for the rest of the year.

Anyway, here's a photo of my new baby (in the most figurative sense possible!)

She's not for rent BTW. Looks fast though doesn't she?

Before I leave, just wanted to let everyone know to check out a few things happening this month.

Thursday, November 6, 2008 - Cold Tofu presents "Edamame Lounge" at the Japanese American National Museum's Democracy center in Little Tokyo (Please check ColdTofu.com for details)

Saturday, November 15, 2008 - Cold Tofu's monthly improv show at the Maryknoll Catholic Center (Please see website)

VOTE AGAIN for Cold Tofu for "Best comedy improv troop" in MYFox LA's on-line survey.

Lastly, the new show I'm in, "Holiday Fever" open November 28th at the Secret Rose theater in North Hollywood. Check out GoldStar events for more info!

That's it for now folks, and here's to a new president!

The Pride of two nations

Okay, first off, I have to apologize for lagging a bit in terms of having some new entries. As we all know, life has a way of getting in the way (as does laziness!). Rest assured though, after a long absence from the blogosphere, you can expect a huge photo post of my recent happenings! And there have been a few.

Let's see, since the last post, I finished another short film with Cold Tofu called "Frothy Sea-Men", which is soon to be released on CTV. I'll leave the explanation to the final product. Good times though, funny stuff.

I "climbed" our local Mt. Wilson, via Angeles Crest on my bicycle. 20 miles one way, uphill ALL THE WAY. Took me two hours to go up, and 45 minutes to go down. Gotta love that gravity!

And then, yesterday, I had the rare opportunity to cover a press conference. Not just any press conference, but for you boxing fans, it was for the big Oscar de la Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao fight happening in Vegas on Dec. 6, 2008. What a cool gig! My good friend Jenni (of Eventworks fame) asked me to cover the event for her company, and what a treat it was. Smack dab in the middle of East L.A., home to Oscar de la Hoya, and the throngs of de la Hoya boxing fans. Needless to say, I definitely was in the minority of those rooting for the Philippines' national hero, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, so much so, that I took a photo of all of us, which I believe could be counted on one hand. The de la Hoya fans were cool about it though, and both countries' flags waved side by side (Mexico and the Philippines, and an American flag too).

Throughout the 2 hour press conference, it was interesting to see the pride that the de la Hoya fans had (or East L.A.'ers), for here was their hometown boy, who literally grew up on their streets, went to their schools, ate at their restaurants, who made a name for himself world-wide as one of the most famous boxers of all time. Oscar was definitely proud of his East L.A. heritage, giving "shout-outs" when he could, and even exclaiming how he would "take East L.A. to [his] grave". Now that's loyalty. And to top it all off, when all was said and done, he treated his old neighborhood to free tacos for two hours at a local taco shop called "Porky's". What a guy!

On the other hand, there was the pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao, who, like de la Hoya, came from ultra-modest means, perhaps even living in squalor in the Philippines, to also become a national and international hero. I couldn't help but feel the pride of having a filipino icon in front of me representing the land of my forefathers. Plus, he too was an all around nice guy! Very respectful of the Oscar (and vice-versa) and to the crowd as well. You gotta give it up to my peeps! Besides, he's going to kick Oscar's @$$ come December 6, so too bad de la Hoya fans! Ha!

Okay, so here are a few photos from the event. I've shot more recently, but I thought that these were cool.

There weren't many of us, but my peeps sure do know how to show their pride, even in "hostile" neighborhoods! (Note the non-smiling East L.A.'ers)


This kinda reminded me of one of the "Rocky" movies, where Rocky was full of himself, and totally underestimated his opponent (I think it was "Clubber Lang" - Mr. T. back then)
Manny was respectful and friendly to Oscar, but by the expression on his face here, he AIN'T having it!

The Golden Boy working his hometown crowd. Ah, how sweet!


Some guy named George Lopez MC'd the event.
Note again how Pacquiao's face is "all business". Yeah boy!

I didn't get this gentleman's name, but after speaking with a few of Pacquiao's fans, it turns out that he's Pacquiao's adopted father. You can see the pride in his face as he watches Manny speak. I like the patriotism in this shot too.

The pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao.


East Los Angeles. 'Nuff said!


I like to use the term "Rock Stars" alot cause it's one of the highest compliments I can give a person, and Jenni (left) and Michelle (right) are definitely that - Rock Stars!!! Thanks Jenni for the opportunity to photograph for you. And hey, all of you who need a BIG time event coordinator, contact Eventworks for the hook up! Aren't these two hot?!


After all was said and done, and I made my way back to my car, I couldn't help but notice this left-over Birthday sign auspiciously greeting me over a concrete wall. Sometimes, you just have to keep your eyes open for the signs that life gives you.


Last but not least, my new piece of speed weaponry, the 2008 Cervelo P2 Carbon - woo hoo!!!
Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me...!

"Great show tonight kid, you really pack in a crowd."

Ah yes, Film Noir. That oh so short lived era of film where deception, deceit, seduction, murder and death were relative topics when combined with some pretty fierce sexual undertones. (Wait a second, wasn't that just on a recent episode of "Gossip Girl" or something?!)

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to work on a sketch written by our own Corinne Chooey for Cold Tofu's "CTV" channel debuting on YouTube right now. (The title of this post is a line from our script). Our sketch, entitled "Forbidden City Rhapsody" is the story of starlet Lorna Tong (skillfully played by our good friend Contrary Mary, Denise), who un-be knowing to her husband, is having an affair with club owner Barkley Lau, played by moi. The short scene takes place in Lorna's dressing room right after her show. It plays out as Barkley's attempt to get Lorna back into his arms despite the fact that she's married and has subsequently moved on (kinda).

I've never done a film noir "film" before, and I have to say that this was fun! Not only was I able to dress up in period costume (a tux, a white scarf AND greased down hair!), I was able to use film noir-ish dialog to convey sexual undertones so prevalent of the era. It was awesome! And to top it all off, my co-star, Denise had the incredible opportunity to kiss ME on screen and on film! How cool is that for her?! Superb I say! Superb!

Great times everyone! I'd like to thank Dom our director for choosing me to play the role of Barkley Lau, Corinne for writing the piece, Johann for shooting it, Aaron for holding up the mic pole for us, Sachiko for helping us out with costumes, Kennedy for being a terrific PA, and Wanru for being our script supervisor. Did I miss anyone? I hope not! If I did, thank you for all your help with the production!

The raw footage is being edited right now, but once it's out, I'll definitely put a post out on where to view it. Actually you'll find it right here. Do check out our other two videos posted up on it already. I have a quick postman cameo in one of them.

And now, on with the photos from the shoot!

Denise, as the "strikingly beautiful" Lorna Tong.

Trust me, it takes muscles to hold up a boom mic like this. Way to go Aaron.

Dom directing the eccentrically hot Wanru for her scene in Forbidden City.

After all that kissing, Denise definitely had to re-apply more lipstick.

Writer Corinne and director Dom (seated) looking at their monitor during filming.

Another shot of Denise prepping for the camera.

My favorite shot of the day, Wanru about to make her entrance into the scene.
I just love her expression and the lighting on her!

Camera man extraordinaire, Johann Diel.

Finally, I'd like to give a HUGE shout out to ONE month old Amelia, who had her 1 month celebration yesterday. I posted about her a month ago and boy has she grown! Thanks for the invite John & Stef :)

Despite the love, adoration and gifts bestowed upon Amelia yesterday, I have a feeling
she was thinking more about getting some good sleep! You rock kiddo!

Thanks for stopping by today gang, and please do leave a comment if you liked the photos or post!

I'll Explain this photo tomorow

The Artist's Life

Whew! What a past couple of weeks it has been! Not only did I shoot two weddings (with one more on the way this upcoming weekend), I've been trying to catch up with a lot of post-production stuff affiliated with all this shooting! Needless to say, I'm busy. Then again, it's better than not being busy.

For those of you who know me, not only am I a photographer, but I've been a professional actor now for a large part of my life, and I attribute that experience and training to the images I capture as a photographer. I believe that in order to be a well rounded person (not the "I ate too much" variety) one should experience as much as possible in this life. I say this cause with my improv group, Cold Tofu, I'm able to explore different beings, scenarios, relationships, etc. and have too much fun in the process! I've blogged about this before, and I blog about it again, cause last night concluded our session with the incomparable Tracy Burns (not to be mistaken with this Tracy Burns, but a hottie nonetheless). Tracy has worked with us in the past, and with this session she worked with our A-Team on some super-secret-government-only improv training that was not only fun, but super hilarious! I could describe what we learned to you right here, but it's better seen than read (plus, I'd have to kill you anyway).

I think I may have posted past sessions with Tracy before, but this time, I wanted to try something different with our last class photo, so I set these shots up. Thanks to Tracy and the guys in class for going along with me. I think it turned out great!

Despite Tracy's expert teaching, some of the guys STILL don't get it.

In the end though, we all love us some T.B.!

A special thanks goes out to Tracy for spending 8 weeks with us! You rock! We'll do "Corn" with you anytime!

That's it for now folks. I'll try to get up some more images from my last two weddings, particularly from Saki & Taka's wedding two weeks ago - I love these two! They're Golf Rock Stars! Plus, I had a great time at their wedding. Thanks again you two!

Till next time! Enjoy!

Kevin and Tina got married :)

Yes folks, it's official - Kevin and Tina got married this past Saturday to the throngs of their many admirers both family and friends alike. And what a terrific day it was to boot!

The day started early for these two (as all weddings do, REGARDLESS of start time). Despite getting only about 3 hours of sleep, Tina and her lovely bridesmaids were ready, getting dolled up for their big day (well, Tina's big day that is).

As for the groomsmen, well, they were nowhere to be found, but I was told that they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, what, I'm not sure. Thankfully though, they all showed up at the church on time, and Kevin was there ready for his big moment as well.

Needless to say, the ceremony, photos and reception were terrific! So much emotion, color, action, etc. more so than what you'll find in the Olympics! (okay, that was a big comparison, but hey, we're in the midst of Beijing 2008 right now, so why not?) Overall, as with all weddings, it was AWESOME!

Before you get down to some of the photos of the day, HUGE shouts out go to Kevin and Tina for allowing me to be part of their day - I am so honored to have been chosen by you guys to document your wedding - thank you thank you thank you!; to the bridal party, for going along with whatever we had in store for you guys- muchas gracias; To Keri, for helping me out all day - Thank you! To Amafel, Jen, and Connie of Signature Event Agency, for making the day go by so smoothly - you guys ROCK, no, seriously, you guys ROCK!!!

And now, on with the photos!

I'm pretty sure Tina is going to hate me for posting this photo, but I thought it was cute.

Tina and her mom, putting on the finishing touches.

One of my favorites from the day. On her way to the church.

"I do."



I love these guys. We went to the Griffith Park Observatory after the ceremony for some
photographs, and decided to get this funny, set up shot of the two "waiting" in line to see the telescope.

I want an iPhone just so I can do this with my photos!

What makes this photo great is the little niece towards the bottom right.
I LOVE her expression.

The Ocampo boys (L-R: Kevin, Keith, and Kiernan) doing their best
"Cheese-zu" pose!

Trust me, the cake looked this delicious!


See, told you so.


Women who ROCK! The wonderful ladies of the Signature Event Agency
(L-R) Connie, Amafel, and Jen.
(Brides, and brides-to-be, trust me, hire these guys, it'll make your big day
go so much smoother!)

Ah, Amore!

Congratulations guys! Thanks for letting me be a part of your day :)