March 16 – March 22 (2015) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

I DIDN’T DO IT! As I was walking Roxy down our block to her groomer’s, I spied some graffiti on the wall at a neighborhood store. Though I didn’t do the tagging personally, I was intrigued by its deep, philosophical message…

Last week my “What’s Wally Humming” featured a song from the 60’s that the Verve’s hit “Bittersweet Symphony” was based upon. Now here’s a unique instrumental version of the Verve’s hit that I really love. Whether it’s the 60’s song called “The Last Time,” or an instrumental of “Bittersweet Symphony,” or the original hit…a good groove is a good groove! Enjoy!

Monday the 16th – AH-CHOOOO!!! – When I woke up I got some emergency scripts in my inbox for four spots. I laid them down quickly and sent them off. Then I grabbed a fast shower and headed to Voice Trax West to do a session for US Airways (now called American Airlines). When we finished up I headed to see my doctor. My allergies have been incredible bad lately because all of the weather changes. He prescribed some medicine for me and I headed home to meet my friends Emily and Secunda for dinner at Panera. Since they have a nice patio I took Roxy along with me to join us. She had been cooped up all day so I figured it would be a real treat for her. I came home and grabbed a nap on the couch, then got up later to do my auditions. I watched another “Batman” TV episode on Blu Ray. The first season is amazing. No WONDER it caused such a craze when it first aired!

Tuesday the 17th – POOR LITTLE KUMQUAT! – As I left my house for an audition in Hollywood around noon, my neighbor was outside and called me over. A little baby squirrel was squeezed up behind a lighting fixture by our garages, and had a petrified look on his face. My neighbor thought he was stuck, but I figured he was small enough he could get out any time he wanted. He was there because he felt protected. I told him if he was still there when I got back from my audition I’d do something to help him. I drove to Elaine Craig Casting in Hollywood to do an audition, grabbed some lunch at Arby’s, and then headed back home. The baby squirrel was still clinging to the wall, but was no longer behind the lighting fixture. I had to rush in to do a directed audition over the phone in my home studio for a Florida agency. Then I did a pick-up line for a previous spot I had recorded, and did some liners for Go 96.3, the radio station in Minneapolis that I do voice-work for. When I finished up I went outside to check on the squirrel and he was gone. GREAT! He must’ve found his mom and they toddled off. I went back inside to do some more work and get ready to meet my pal Brittney Powell for dinner. But when I left my house around 4:30 to go to the restaurant, the squirrel was back…clinging to the wall with a terrified look on its face. Poor little thing. I knew that in a few hours the sun would be down and he would be a hot snack for a passing owl or hawk. I had to do something. On the way to dinner I frantically contacted my assistant Sara and my friend Emily to see if they could dig up info on any squirrel rescues around the area. Many years ago I had contacted a squirrel rescue, but I don’t think they were still around. Luckily Emily found one, and I gave them a call. She said that little baby squirrels are orphaned a lot this time of year. She also said that if the mother hadn’t come to get it by now, she was probably dead. Though she wasn’t able to come to my house to get it, she said if I could bring it to her she would care for it. Though I was at dinner with Brittney, and couldn’t do much, Sara handled it nicely. She went to my house, grabbed the squirrel and put it in a box with some nice warm blankets and t-shirts. She said the squirrel looked a bit shell-shocked, and it had a bloody nose. Apparently during the time the squirrel wasn’t on my wall, he may have tried to go somewhere else and fell. I got home just in time to catch Sara before she left for the squirrel rescue, so I gave her some gas money and a cash donation for the rescue organization. Sara named him Kumquat. I got a few pictures of him before he took off, and though I had been sad through the ordeal, I was starting to feel better about his future. I went inside to relax. It was a cloudy, humid evening. I grabbed a nap and then got up to do my auditions later in the evening. I fed Roxy, we went for our late-night stroll through the neighborhood, and then came back inside to make a salad and watch another “Batman” on Blu Ray!

Wednesday the 18th – WILD WEDNESDAY! – First stop of the day was Voicecasters in Burbank for a Honda audition. Then I went to Bang Zoom to do a quick voice-over session for a super-secret project. As I drove past Little Cesar’s I was starting to crave Crazy Bread. So I stopped in and got a quick pizza and some Crazy Bread with extra Crazy Sauce. I stopped by Enterprise to rent my SUV for my upcoming trip to Palm Springs. Then I headed over to CVS to pick up a prescription. I stopped by Studiopolis to pick up a check, and then rushed home to download some audition scripts for a class I was taking that night. I fed the pets quickly and sped off again. I stopped by my mailbox to get my mail and then went to the studio that was hosting the class. It was a great time and I learned a lot. When I came out of the class everything was wet. It had rained quite a bit. I was craving a Big Mac, so I stopped by McDonald’s to get one to go. I grabbed a quick nap on the couch, and then got up to do a bunch of auditions in my home studio. I paid a few bills, did some bookwork, and got ready for another “Batman” on Blu Ray episode!

Thursday the 19th – TORINO ON THE TOWN! – Around 2pm I woke up and had 2 last-minute auditions waiting for me in my inbox. I hopped in my Gran Torino and sped off to a local jewelry store to get a ring I had resized, and a pocket watch that had just gotten the battery replaced. I drove to JoAnn’s Fabrics to get some supplies for an upcoming project and enjoyed driving around on the beautiful, sunny, breezy and cool day. I stopped by Jersey Mike’s to get a sandwich and met a lady with a gorgeous French Bulldog named Bingo. I drove over to a car wash and had the Torino washed, since it hadn’t had a bath since I got it back from Bodie Stroud’s shop. I ate my lunch while the Torino was washed and enjoyed the afternoon. I grabbed some mail from my box on the way home, and when I got back I parked the Torino in my auxiliary parking spot. While I was walking back to my house I heard somebody playing “Over the Rainbow” on the piano. PERFECT! What a day! It’s that kind of stuff that makes a person really high on life! I got home and took Roxy for a little walk, and ran into my neighbor Anton Yelchin (he played Chekov in the new “Star Trek” movie series). I noticed on a website recently that it was his birthday a few weeks ago, so I wished him a happy birthday. He sure is a nice guy! I visited with my neighbors for a bit, and then went home to feed my pets. My pal Jasmine came over for a quick visit, and then I grabbed a nap on the couch. I got up and did my auditions, tweaked my speech for the upcoming South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame festivities in April, and watched “Batman” on Blu Ray while I enjoyed the rest of my sandwich from Jersey Mike’s!

Friday the 20th – “CANE” YOU DIG IT?! – In the previous day’s mail came a replica Riddler cane, made by an artist to look like the one The Riddler carries in the Batman “Arkham” series of videogames. Since I’ve been the voice of the character in all the games, I just HAD to have one! While it was very well made, it looked too new. I called my pal Scott Zillner, an amazing painter and artist, to “weather” it a little He came over to get it and we sat down on the internet and looked up some reference photos. It looked like the cane had been painted green, and through use and age, the paint was starting to chip off. Scott’s a genius when it comes to stuff like that, so he’s going to give it a full make-over! After he left I showered and headed down to the “Family Guy” offices to do a session for an upcoming episode. What fun! I’ve missed those guys! Hopefully, since I’m no longer tethered to “The Tonight Show” and I have some available time, I can do more episodes in the future. I drove to my seamstress Karyn’s studio to drop off some fabric and pick up my new Robin cape. I had found a satin that more closely resembled the color of the original Robin cape fabric than what I previously had. This one turned out beautifully! I couldn’t wait to get it home and put it on my mannequin. It’s a beautiful, rich gold/yellow color. The previous cape was more of a canary yellow. I drove over to Bodie’s shop to pick up my guns, which I inadvertently left in the trunk of my Torino when I took it in to get repaired. He had been keeping them in his safe, but when he returned my Torino he forgot to bring the guns back. It was good seeing him again and it seems like life is going well for him; although it’s hectic. I stopped by Fast Signs to see how my sign project was coming, but after a week of having the project in their hands, they hadn’t made any movements on completing my order. I’m thinking of going somewhere else. Their customer service and attention to detail hasn’t exactly blown me away. I got back home and put the new cape on the Robin mannequin and it fit perfectly! I checked some e-mails and did other stuff on-line. Then I grabbed a nap on the couch. I got up later to do some work around the house; laundry, dishes, etc. I watched another “Batman” on Blu Ray and made some spaghetti.

Saturday the 21st – SCI-FI SATURDAY! – Mid-afternoon I drove to It’s A Wrap to see what clothes they had I might be interested in. I stopped by the grocery store to get some supplies for that evening’s movie night, and then went home to take a dip in the Jacuzzi. For movie night we watched the Blu Ray version of the 1980 sci-fi shocker “Scanners!” It was amazing! When my guests left I grabbed a quick nap on the couch, then got up to clean up around Planet Wallywood. My Saturday night pre-bed viewing is now “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” on Blu Ray. I used to watch it on TV back in the 80’s whenever I could. But seeing it in crystal clear Blu Ray is amazing. Did you know he has a set of “Flintstones” Wilma and Betty dolls on his shelf? And on his wall he has a picture of Dorothy and Toto? The detail I picked up is amazing. Just like watching the “Batman” TV series on Blu Ray, I’m seeing things I’ve never seen before and it’s like seeing these shows for the first time!

Sunday the 22nd – PALM SPRINGS HERE I COME! – As is usual on Sundays I got up at 3 and took Roxy outside. Then I came back and sat down on the computer to organize my photo files. What a mess! It’s going to take a LOT of work; re-labeling and reorganizing, that kind of thing! Roxy and I walked over for evening church and when I returned home, I started back at the photo files. I met Sara for dinner at DuPar’s, and then came back home to work on my photos again until my eyes glazed over. I took a short nap on the couch, and then got up to tackle my auditions. Then it was time for the final episode of the first season of “Batman” on Blu Ray! Sadly, it only goes downhill from here. The next day I will be concentrating solely on getting my things packed for my upcoming trip to Palm Springs! I really need it!
And how was YOUR week???!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Poor little Kumquat before Sara rescued him.