Monique's Blog

Unique Ideas

Stuff I Love and Recommend To My Friends

I have strong opinions, am terribly frugal, and have been around the block a few times. Here are a few of my favorite things. Blenders. Face creams. Makeup. Hair. Decorating. Cats. It’s all here. The favorites list. I’m literally walking around my apartment and listing all the things I would recommend to my friends.
The chandelier seen in many of my videos is acrylic and four feet long. Super dramatic and gives me a punch of glam, that simply hangs on a hook for less than $100. Buy them in a two pack and put on either side of the bed for a sexy, Hollywood Regency bedroom. Self-Adhesive Removable Wallpaper is a life changer for stylish apartment dwellers – no more Navaho White!

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Actor’s Tricks of the Trade – Wigs!

ilmasita pelitActor’s Tricks of the Trade – Wigs! I’ve worn wigs, extensions and hairpieces in many of my movies. I was a dark brunette  – almost black (bad color for me, too extreme for everyday) in 1994 and the director of Sunset After Dark wanted me to be a platinum blonde. There was no way I could do that and keep hair on my head so we wigged me up. We bleached the section of hair that went over the wig to camouflage the edge and the bangs took care of the rest. (Wigs with bangs always “sell” the look the best. But simply combing over the seam with some natural hair can really help sell it.) I was shooting The Perfect Gift simultaneously and sporting an odd look of black hair with a bleached out stripe that I would just do so much better now and it haunts me to this day. Now you know why.

Here are a few of my favorite wigs:

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My First Day as a Model for Keranique Hair

-My First Day as a Model for Keranique Hair. I’ve worked as an actress for 25 years but I’ve never really worked as a model. Oh sure, I have gotten together with friends and cameras and played dress-up for years, it’s one of my favorite ways to keep creative in between gigs. I didn’t start booking professional modeling jobs until after I turned 50 and allowed my hair to go gray!

Yesterday, I got to work as a hair model for Keranique Hair. Specifically, the senior model… Gulp. Still getting used to that. I was lucky enough to get someone to shoot behind-the-scenes footage on my cell phone (The autofocus went too little crazy, sorry about that).  You can definitely tell I’m a little uncomfortable right at the beginning of the shoot but eventually I found my rhythm! I’m accustomed, as an actor, to having a script in advance to memorize, rehearse, create – when I walk onto a movie set, I usually know what I am doing that day! Models are not hired for their brains and are told what they need to do on a “need to know” basis 😉
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Crimson Vixen to Silver Fox: Going Gray

Crimson Vixen to Silver Fox: Going Gray

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a post for you and I apologize for that. Life has been full of a lot of interesting changes! I just turned 50 which is (yikes!) a huge milestone. I made the decision to move back to California and follow my dream of being an actress. Hollywood is not known for being kind to 50-year-old women and I moved back to LA to pursue an acting career at an age when most women run screaming from it. Along that vein, I decided to embrace my age and not fight it. Most of the women that I know who are 50 years old are trying very hard to look 35. But if a movie or a TV commercial wants a 35-year-old there are plenty of real 35-year-olds so I decided to stop trying to look younger and to embrace my age. There is a shortage of 50 year old women who look 50 years old. Crimson Vixen to Silver Fox. Going gray is a business decision. I think it will lead to more work and that’s what I made the move for. To do the work that I love!

Photo by Jeffrey Byron

Photo by Jeffrey Byron

Society takes it’s cues from what is seen on our TV screens and movie screens. When the only gray hair seen on TV is on senior citizens, we automatically view gray hair as “old”. The only way to change that is to get people on TV and into movies that are young and vibrant with gray hair. That’s what I am here to do. I’m here to represent. Hopefully, to implement a change in how society views those of us with sexy, silver locks!
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I’m back in LA at last!

It’s good to be home! In the ten days since I moved into my Studio City apartment, I’ve had one audition (Yay! I got my first NO!), I managed to work on a film (Vigilante Diaries) and a TV show (non-airing pitch/pilot), attended a friend’s hilarious premiere (Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves)  and landed a gig as a spokesperson for Soyracha Hot Chili Sauce. I was invited to be a guest on a fun radio show called The Milf Code – here is the link… http://tradiov.com/la/videos/9-24-2015-milf-code/ and even snuck a few dates in there.

Bonita 2

It’s good to be back! Wonder what the next ten days will bring?

Monique

Moving Numbers: Episodes 7, 8 & 9

Moving Numbers will let you follow a U.S. Senate campaign, in this 12 episode fictional dramedy about the often dysfunctional but never boring Sanders for U.S. Senate campaign. The series, set in Pennsylvania, will give viewers a real-world behind the scenes view of the struggles, challenges, and comedy that’s often associated with a high profile campaign for office.

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Moving Numbers: Episodes 4, 5 & 6

Moving Numbers is an eight episode long political drama comedy series. It follows the hilariously dysfunctional campaign of Republican Congressman Robert Sanders (John Colton) for a senate seat for Pennsylvania. Congressman Sanders receives aid in his quest from characters including his Campaign Manager, Jason Mahoney (Peter McCain) and his loving wife, Beth (Monique Parent). The show’s title refers to a campaign’s goal – moving the poll numbers in their favor. The supporting cast includes everyone you’d expect to see in a political campaign, from campaign staffers and communications directors to pollsters and opposition researchers (the men and women who dig up the dirt on your political enemies) to advertising producers. The show, while fully scripted, has the feel of a zany reality show with ridiculous plotlines. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review described the show as “Primary Colors on steroids.” If you can’t get enough political excitement during the electoral off-season, Moving Numbers can help you get your political fix.

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Moving Numbers: Episodes 1, 2 & 3

One of my favorite projects was a web series that I did called Moving Numbers about the behind the scenes of running a political campaign. Created by folks who run political campaigns. So it’s pretty darn entertaining! John Brabender (of BrabenderCox) created and wrote the series based on events and characters that he’s observed (and worked for) in dozens of real political campaigns.

The series follows the up-and-down campaign of Republican Congressman Bob Sanders and the characters who color campaign life.The first episode went online in late 2009 and focuses on a 60 day special election for U.S. Senate, from the ad-making process to the election night war room. It features tons of cameos from Pa. politicos.

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Secret Games

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book Nudity on Film: The Ultimate Guide to Working with Naked People. While my book focuses on teaching actors and directors, there are a few anecdotes here and there…..

My very first ever film was an erotic thriller entitled “Secret Games”. This may come as a shock, but the role involved… nudity visit

IBE BET.




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