RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
I’d LOVE to know more about what’s going on here!!! What show is this from???
When I heard this song as bumper music I knew I had to have it. However I did my own little “remix,” so this isn’t the version you’ll get if you buy the song on iTunes. It’s “Feels Like Summer” by Weezer…the Wingert remix!
Monday the 19th – MONDAY MOTORIN’! – I was up bright and early to head to Jerry’s Famous Deli for a meeting. My old pal Joe Garner and I met with my friends Edi and Elliot Lurie about some show ideas we had. It’ll be interesting to see how it all comes together! Then I stopped by GNC to pick up some vitamins, and then I went next door to the cigar store to pick up a Monte Cristo for later in the week. I stopped by my local craft store called Kit Kraft to buy several packages of Silly Putty. The plastic blister that contain the Silly Putty eggs are perfect half ovals. I needed them for molds for the puppet nose I was working on. I also picked up something called Hydrocal; which is basically fancy plaster. I stopped by the cleaners to pick up my comforter, dropped into my mailbox to get my mail, and then stopped over at my accountant’s office to drop off a tax document. When I got home my contractor Handy Don stopped by to do some patching on my walls around the area where we installed the new Andy Kaufman lighting a few weeks back. He also rewired a light switch so it would return to working properly. I mixed up some Hydrocal and poured them into the half oval molds of the Silly Putty blisters. Then I took a nap on the couch for a bit. When I got up later l checked out the molds to see how the plaster set up, and they worked perfectly. For an hour or so I typed up Wally’s Week, and then did my nightly auditions. I made some spaghetti and watched “Barnaby Jones” before bed.
Tuesday the 20th – GROOVY GROOMIN’! – Just after noon I got up and took Roxy over to the groomer for a much-needed bath. Then I went to Voice Trax West to do a 3 hour session for American Airlines. I was starving, so I went by Jack in the Box to get some lunch. Then I went home to corner my cat Spooky and put him in his traveling case. He kept getting hung up on blankets, bedding and even the screen door because his nails were too long. The groomer trimmed Spook’s nails and got Roxy ready to home. I took the pets back home and gave them some food. I checked some e-mails, did a little work around the house and relaxed. After a short nap on the couch I got up to record my auditions. A little later I spent some quality time working on my puppet nose and eye pieces. I had some cereal and went to bed.
Wednesday the 21st – THE WRATH OF THE RAIN! – My alarm went off at 11 so I could have lunch with Pastor Bob from my church, but when I checked my e-mail I had a few urgent last-minute e-mails that needed immediate attention. So I had to call Pastor Bob and postpone our lunch until a later date. Besides, it was pouring rain out and I don’t think either one of us really wanted to be out driving around in it. I recorded the auditions and then headed back to bed for a few more hours. I got up at 2 and headed over to Bang Zoom studios for another 3 hour session for that super-secret project we’ve been working on for several years. I think it’s OK to tell you a little bit more about what we’ve been doing for so long. I can’t tell you which company it’s for, but I’m going to voice a text-to-speech digital assistant. So someday soon it’ll be my voice telling you where to go to get pizza or your shoes shined! It’s a lot of work, but I think when the final product hits it’ll be very worth all the intense labor. Before the session I stopped at Del Taco to get a little lunch. The session went from 3 to 6. When I finished I was craving KFC, so I drove by the local store to get some dinner. I stopped by my box to get my mail, and then headed home to down load a song called “Feels Like Summer” by Weezer. I heard it on the radio being used as bumper music. Since it was pouring rain out, it was kind of neat hearing somebody singing about summer. I read a few e-mails, and then started whittling, carving and sanding my puppet nose. It’s been a lot of work to get it right, but I’m very happy with the results so far. I went on eBay to look up DVD audio. For a short time in the 2000s, record companies were remixing famous albums in 5.1 surround. It was like hearing some of these albums for the first time. I could stand in the middle of my living room and listen to “Frampton Comes Alive” and it sounded like I was at the concert! I loved it! At the time I also bought Crowded House’s self-titled album at the same time. But on eBay I discovered that they also did 5.1 mixes of Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Band on the Run” album; one of my all-time favorite albums. They also did “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac, both of which I snapped up immediately! It’ll be like hearing those albums for the first time! I grabbed a short nap, and then got up later to do more work on the puppet nose. I fed the pets and made some dinner and watched another episode of “Barnaby Jones.” I needed to get up early for some errands, and two big sessions on Thursday!
Thursday the 22nd – TO LIQUIDATE OR NOT TO LIQUIDATE! – My first errand of the day was to slide by Wizard Printing to get some transfers ironed on to some baseball tees I had. The transfers were sent to me by my pal Matt, but I needed them professionally adhered to my shirts. After that I went over to KFC for lunch (still craving KFC for some reason!), and then I drove through the rain to Igloo Sound to do some voicing for a Disney videogame. While I was there I ran into my old pal Wes Gleason; Voice Director for the recent 1966 Batman animated films, and Dave Foley! I had worked with Dave a few years ago on “Hot In Cleveland” and I wanted a chance to chat with him again. Nice guy! I drove by the local Toys ‘R’ Us, since I heard that the liquidation sale was beginning that day, but they had a sign up stating that no liquidation was happening at that store. I was confused, since I had heard on the radio that other stores had begun their liquidation. Oh well. I bought a gift bag for use at the upcoming Wondercon, and several hangers for baby clothes. The hangers are perfectly sized for hanging up puppet clothes! I had some time to kill before my session at Bang Zoom, so I stopped by It’s a Wrap, but they didn’t have anything that tweaked me. I spent 3 hours voicing the digital assistant job at Bang Zoom, and then went home to feed and walk Roxy. I got back in my car and went over to my seamstress Shelley’s house to pick up two new bowling shirts I had made; one of which I’d be wearing at the weekend’s Wondercon festivities in Anaheim. I had arranged to meet my pal Brittney Powell at Barone’s for dinner, since Shelley’s house is close by, but when I stopped by the restaurant they were closed for filming. So I just dropped by the Jack in the Box drive thru and got a quick dinner to go. I got home and did a little work, and then grabbed a short nap. I got up later for my nightly auditions. It was still raining a little bit, so Roxy and I kept our late night stroll through the neighborhood very brief. I drove over to Denny’s to get some food and then headed home to do some more work on the puppet nose. I ate my dinner and watched “Barnaby Jones.” I probably shouldn’t be eating large meals like this before bed, because the resulting acid reflux that occurs when sleeping damages my vocal cords, but I just couldn’t resist!
Friday the 23rd – VOCAL FRY! – Now that the rain had stopped, the wind had kicked up, and all the plants (freshly watered from the rain) were shooting their pollen everywhere. My allergies were going nuts, and I just couldn’t stop coughing! By the time I got to Bang Zoom at 2, I knew there was going to be trouble. I got in front of the microphone but was struggling. My voice was fried from all the coughing. After about an hour, Kevin the director decided to call the session off because I wasn’t sounding enough like myself. The damage was done. I could still talk alright, but the slight added “texture” in my voice was causing a vocal mismatch with previously recorded tracks. He said we were far enough ahead in our schedule that we could take the rest of the day off and pick up on Monday. I felt really bad, but what could I do? I love the rain, but the days after are murder on my hay fever. But, in the three years I’ve been working on this project, we’ve only had to call a session off early one other time. So we have a pretty good record going! I drove home, checked e-mails, worked on the internet for a bit, and then grabbed a nap. I got up later to prep for Wondercon. I took the bag I bought at Toys ‘R’ Us and trimmed it back quite a bit to make a convenient puppet carrier. I’d be taking my Mahna Mahna puppet with me and I needed something to carry him in comfortably. A hard-sided case would have been too heavy and cumbersome. I ironed my new Muppet bowling shirt and did a few other miscellaneous things. I fed Roxy and walked her, and then got to bed around 4am. It was going to be an awesome weekend!
Saturday the 24th – WONDERCON WALLY! – At 10 I got out of bed, cleaned up and ready for my day with friends at Wondercon in Anaheim. Brittney came by just before 11 to housesit with the pets all day. Then my pal James arrived just after 11 to pick me up for the drive to Anaheim. My assistant Sara arrived soon after and we were on our way! The traffic was understandably bad, but we made it to Santa Ana around 1. James left his car at our friend Connie’s parent’s house, and Connie drove us all to the convention and dropped us off. Her boyfriend Officer Mark decided it would be better to do that than hassle with parking at the convention. He was right! We walked around the convention from 1:30 to 3:30, and then we went next door to the Mariott to have lunch. Then it was back to the convention from 4:30 to 5:15. The Cartoon Voices panel that I’d be participating in was scheduled for 5:30, so we went to find the room where it would be held. The crowd waiting to get in was sizeable and it made me extremely happy! The panel was lots of fun, as it always is under the guidance of Mark Evanier, and my main joyous moment came when I showed off my Mahna Mahna puppet to the capacity crowd of 1200 people. I had them all singing along! It was marvelous!! After the panel was over I talked to some folks, signed some autographs and posed for some pictures, and then we went downstairs to wait for Connie to come pick us up again. While we were waiting, a gal named Mandolin saw me standing there, pulled her car over and ran up to me to get a picture. What fun! We all went to Polly’s Pies to have a delicious meal of comfort food, and then we drove back to our area in Los Angeles. I didn’t get back until about 10:30, but it was worth it. What a fantastic day! I was exhausted, so I napped from 11 until 2am. I fed and walked Roxy, did some work around the house, ate some cereal (still kind of full from the meal at Polly’s!) and hit the hay!
Sunday the 25th – SEE ‘EM AT THE MUSEUM! – My pal Pat Evans and I drove over to the Universal Studios subway station and caught the train into Hollywood to go check out the Batman exhibit again. While on the train we were entertained by two young guys who were doing acrobatics and physical stunts as part of their “performance on a moving train.” I thought it was really cool and it was fun to watch them, though some of the other people in the train car completely ignored them. Some people just don’t know how to have fun. I tipped them few bucks and we got off at the Hollywood and Highland station to head to the museum. Pat and I made some notes about some fix-its and possible upgrades for the exhibit. Then my friends the Pendletons arrived with their grandkids to see the exhibit. I hadn’t seen them in a long time, so it was a good reason to get together. The kids dressed up in their Batman-themed costumes and got a lot of great shots. Unfortunately they ran into horrible traffic on their way over to Hollywood, so they didn’t have time to see much of the rest of the museum before closing. Time was slipping away, and though we were going to try and hit evening church, the kids were hungry. So we all met over at Jerry’s Famous Deli for dinner. I had them drop Pat and I off at the Universal train station so I could get my car and take Pat back to my house to get his car. I fed the pets and then headed to Jerry’s. But the busy weekend was starting to wear on me and I was getting tired. We all met at my house for a bit so they could see the new additions to Planet Wallywood, and after they left I grabbed a nap on the couch. Later I awoke and did an audition, worked around the house, made my Saturday Night Super Salad (even though it was Sunday night) and watched an episode of “SNL” from the first season DVD set. It was pretty funny! It was the one that featured the famous “Star Trek” cancellation sketch. I hit the hay around 6am.
And how was YOUR week???!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
Ready for Wondercon with my special friend Mahna Mahna!
What a treat meeting Nichelle Nichols again. Always great seeing this lovely lady!
My pal Joey Torino surprises me with a very odd looking t-shirt print!
In fact, he gifted my entire group with odd-looking t-shirts!
Always fun hanging out with my pal Mark Evanier!
I wasn’t quite sure which character this gal was cosplaying, but I liked her fashion sense!
Just couldn’t resist getting a pic with the crowd waiting to get inside for the Cartoon Voices Panel!
Of course there’s ALWAYS time for a quick selfie with a pal!
I loved seeing “Sonic Boom” Producer Bill Frieberger in the audience at the panel!
Voice actress Julie Nathanson played Rapunzel in our on-stage radio play, so I couldn’t help resist climbing her hair!
Townsend Coleman, voice acting legend, graced our panel with his always-sparkling presence!
This kid’s make-up looked so real from where I was at on-stage, I was starting to wonder if we should call a doctor!
Mandolin drove past and saw me standing on the street outside the convention center. She screeched to a halt and pulled her car over to the side, parking illegally all the while. She said she just had to meet me and risked a parking ticket to do so. I was so touched I would have paid her ticket if she had got one. Luckily, she didn’t! Here I am “playing a Mandolin!” (Get it?)
Our post-convention dinner was at the legendary Polly’s Pies in Santa Ana. Great food, but VERY filling!
My pal Jewel Sheppard gets Mahna Mahnaughty on the convention floor!!
Unveiling Mahna Mahna at the Cartoon Voices Panel at Wondercon last Saturday.
One of the most joyous moments I’ve had in all my life…getting to puppeteer my Mahna Mahna puppet on stage while 1200 conventioneers sang along! Thanks MARK EVANIER!!
But this cropped version makes me even happier…it’s not often you see Mr. Evanier with this much of a gleeful expression!
And here’s a peek at the “Mahna Mahna” portion of the Cartoon Voices panel. What fun!
At Wondercon, I told a great story about my dad and how he explains the field of Voice-Over to his South Dakota friends.
During the introductions at Wondercon, each of the Voice Actors describe some of their famous roles, and some of their not-so-famous ones too.
While I had my Magic Sculpt modeling compound out, I took the opportunity to make my Little Tony Clifton marionette his very own tiki medallion. If you’ve ever seen the Andy Kaufman Live at Carnegie Hall video, you’ll get the joke.
The two terrific new bowling shirts made by Shelley Johnson; Jungle Book (complete with little pineapple-shaped buttons) and the fabulous Muppet shirt!
The Pendleton grandkids in full costume, pose in front of the Batman villain exhibit at the Hollywood Museum!
These are the DVD audio discs I have so far. I LOVE this concept! Too bad it didn’t last long. I would have loved it if Gerry Rafferty’s “City to City” album had been remixed to 5.1!
