Grabbing the bull by the horns, Stone did not wait for Hollywood to open its doors, he opened them himself. Having begun his career by working on several of his own short films, stand-up routines, and various other forms of entertainment, Stone eventually landed a nationwide Blockbuster commercial promoting "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." From there, the aspiring Hollywooder continued to push forward with his own projects. Refusing to wait for a job to fall into his lap, he worked diligently on his own. One of his many self-created projects included pulling pranks on folks living in Los Angeles. With a videotape in hand, Stone and his entourage cruise the streets looking for the next big con to pull on big businesses.
With great footage, sharp concepts, and gutsy stunts, Stone was able to sell his concept to Comedy Central. Thus, his career officially took off with a show called "Con." Tossing boundaries out the window, Stone was hired to continue being his goofy self, pranking people and having fun. Hence, the birth of Comedy Central's biggest lawsuit-provoking series ever.
Five years ago, before his career skyrocketed, I first met Stone whe n he moved into my apartment building. One day as I sat outside on the balcony, this vibrant, highly enthusiastic guy walks by with his hair in wild, funky braids. He was wearing a yellow "mad-scientist-looking" jumpsuit. Talk about a recreation of a young Albert Einstein... this kid was definitely outrageous. When he noticed me staring at him, he smiled and waved.
"Hey there!" said Stone. "Like my outfit? I'm dressed to go to Sundance."
Since our first encounter, I watched Stone succeed in the most bizarre ways. If you have never seen "Con," Stone pulls stunts on some big corporations including Subway and a major league baseball team, which actually did not make the show due to threats of multi-million dollar lawsuits.
What did make it on "Con" was an episode where Stone pretends to be homeless and gets a free makeover at a ritzy hair salon. He also gets his buddy's apartment clean by Maxim models who think they are posing for a photo shoot. No joke - they cleaned the entire pad! In his cheesiest outfit, Stone snaps shots with an unloaded camera as a beautiful woman he personally cast, scrubbed floors and washed windows. And need I remind you of the "porn episode" where Stone poses as an adult entertainment director. During the shoot, Stone proceeds to tell his "actors" to keep their clothes on for this "family-friendly" porn movie. In celebration of his dirty directorial debut, he invites real porn pros including famous adult filmmakers to view his latest piece of " art."
When asked how he came up with the television show "Con," Stone replied, "I have been doing it all my life to get by.
"Whenever I wanted something that society deemed I could not have, I would turn around and disagree by showing them that I can indeed have it."
Following the show "Con," Stone continued doing what he does best, creating his own material. With the help of writers/actors Zach Johnson, Matt Moore, Greg Studley, Matt Peek, and Alanna Ubach ("The Fockers"), Stone made a sketch show called "Velcro." Hilariously wacky, Stone and crew act in short skits that poke fun of Hollywood's top players such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise and many more, (which are airing on "Acted By").
Along with his long list of credentials, such as his performances in a comedic film called "Accepted," "Waiting," "For Your Consideration," and having landed the lead role, Quinn, a twenty-something year old slacker still living with his pop (Danny DeVito) in a soon-to-be released film called "House Broken," Stone continues to reach higher plateaus in Hollywood.
Although Stone's outlook on life can be a tad outrageous, he is one dreamer who is actually living out his dream and will continue to do so, indefinitely. Stone does what every parent tells you not to do. He has proven that you can be yourself and still get what you want.
"Life is short," says Stone, "and no one has a right to dictate how we live, feel, think and act."
Brick And Stone House
You will need at least one good chisel, a quarter inch steel splitter will do the job. A steel club hammer, as small as possible, a straight edge or square and a scriber, a sharpened masonry nail will do, and a Riffle file would also be very handy.
A riffle file is a small metal rasp with two shaped heads. If you don’t have a riffle, use a small fine rasp.
Tips:
Search in your local street market for second hand tools, it may save you money.
If you find a small club hammer with a short handle and a hollow worn into the side of the head, rejoice, you have found an original stone carvers hammer!
Cut down the handle of an ordinary club hammer to about six inches, this will make it much easier to handle and control.
When using the hammer with a chisel, strike with the side of the head, this will help you keep greater control of the both the hammer and the chisel, use the thumb pressed against the head or handle to help keep the hammer steady.
To hold the chisel correctly first lay the chisel across the bottom joints of the fingers and fold the fingers over to grip the chisel, do not clench your fist, the thumb rests on the shaft of the chisel to help with control.
Keep both your elbows tight into your side and not waiving around in space, this will help with control, and also prevent shoulder ache. If you find this difficult, try to hold a pencil under your armpit while working!
To make a small scriber or point try using a sharpened Oboe masonry nail.
I suggest trying to carve out a sign in relief, that is where the carving stands proud of the background, rather like a cameo. Leave a raised border around the edge to reduce the amount of work.
Choose a style of font that suits your house or design of house sign. However, I suggest not to use a font with thin or narrow sections, as these can be fragile when carving. You could include a motif , for instance a flower or leaf pattern but do keep it simple for your first effort.
Mark out the layout of your house sign or number in pencil. When you are happy about the design use the scriber and straight edge to scribe in deeply all of the straight lines in the design, even the straight lines on the lettering or numbers, then pencil in the scribed lines. When you are carving you will find the edge of the chisel can be lodged into the scribed lines for greater accuracy.
One of the most difficult problems to overcome is how to hold the piece of work steady while carving. To solve this problem fix the sign to a larger slab of stone or paving slab with plaster of Paris. When the job is done simply tap a chisel into joint between the sign and the backing, it will just pop off!
The first task with all stone work is to remove the waste material. Keep away from the lettering or border, remove as much of the waste as possible before tackling the important bits. Approach the edges of the letters gradually, don’t try to do too much too quickly. Carving stone is really a process of shaving off layers until the required shape is achieved.
To finish off, sand down with a coarse grit wet and dry abrasive paper, used dry not wet.
Good luck, and please let me know how you get on, you can contact me through my website.
Both Megan Rellahan & Steve Walker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Megan Rellahan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Humour, Interview Questions. Megan Rellahan is the publisher of , a fun, inspiring online/print publication dedicated to artists at all levels.. Megan Rellahan's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.
Steve Walker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Humour, Crafts and Home Improvement. Steve Walker has been a craftsman in stone and marble for 40 years. In his long career has practised as a stone mason, letter cutter, restoration carver, marble mason, and fireplace designer/manufacturer.He now specialises in engraved stone, granite. Steve Walker's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.
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