RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
Here is probably the most useless cat in the whole world. I guess he didn’t get the memo that cats are supposed to EAT rats, not cuddle with them. It’s still cute though.
When I picked up my “adopted Grandma” Shirley for dinner, I noticed she was wearing her blue jeans. It’s pretty cool when an 89 year old can still pull off jeans! At dinner I started singing her the old David Dundas song from the 70’s called “Jeans On.” Then, of course, I couldn’t get it out of my head. But it’s a fun song, and I remember having the old 45!
Tuesday the 16th – TOTAL REPAINT! – Well it was another hot, summery day in February in Los Angeles. I got up around 12:30 and talked to my doctor’s office. I had an appointment scheduled for later that day, but the scheduler called and said they didn’t allow enough time to do the procedure he needed to do. So we’ll reschedule for another time. I spent the afternoon making calls. First call of the day was to Time Warner. When the cable guy came out last week to hook up my new digital box he forgot to bring a remote. So now I’ve got to figure out a time that they can bring one out and show me how to work the new box. I also spoke with Bodie about my Gran Torino, and even though no work has on it, it was good to get a clear picture from him as to what was going to occur. He said after more careful inspection, it would need to be completely repainted. Initially he thought that it would just require some touch-ups on the driver’s side (the passenger side seemed fine) but now he said it needs to be completely redone. I did some last minute auditions, and my assistant Sara came over to do some work that I needed done. I headed over to my mailbox to get some packages, I stopped by McDonald’s to get some food, and I talked to a guy in Texas who owns one of the original Starsky & Hutch cars. He’s going to work with Bodie on acquiring the proper parts and paint schemes so my Gran Torino will be better than ever! I came home to prep a couple of scripts for an animation session I’d be doing the next morning. I grabbed a quick nap, and then got up to do more auditions. I wrote Wally’s Week and then hit the hay so I could be up for my morning session on Wednesday.
Wednesday the 17th – BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR! – Last week I was bemoaning the fact that it was a slow period in the Voice-Over industry. Today it was busy busy busy…and I LOVED it! First, I headed to Studiopolis in Burbank to do a session for a cartoon at 9am. We were done by noon. I stopped by the cleaners to pick up my comforter, I picked up a package at my mailbox that contained 10 yards of starfield fabric for my bedroom curtains, and then I headed over to Studiopolis in Studio City to do an audition for a new Disney series. It was a lot of fun, it seems like a great show, and it would be awesome to get cast as this regular character. I went home for a bit and napped for a few hours on the couch. It started to rain and it was very pleasant out. I got up around 4:30 and headed over to Warner Brothers in Burbank to do a voice-match audition for a new feature film. Sometimes when the lead actors aren’t available, they’ll cast actors who sound like them to substitute different lines in the soundtrack. It was a great time, and I got the opportunity to show off my new “Star Wars” umbrella, with a light up shaft ala a light saber. You can change it from red, if you’re feeling Vader-y, or blue, if you’re feeling like Obi, or green if you’re feeling like Luke. The sound supervisor I was auditioning for showed me a picture of he and Chewbacca on the set of the Millennium Falcon back in 1980 on the set of “The Empire Strikes Back.” It was awesome! I love this town! When I got outside it was pouring rain and it was wonderful! I got to see my old pal Fred Tatasciore at the audition, and my pal James from Post-Production Services came over to say hi. When I finished up I headed to DuPar’s to have my traditional “rainy day meal” and take a seat by the window so I could eat and watch the rain. My friends Emma Jacobs and her friend Ariauna joined me, as did my assistant Sara. (BTW…my traditional “rainy day meal” consists of a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and chicken noodle soup!) When we finished I took Emma and Ariauna over to Planet Wallywood and gave them a tour of the house. After they left I spent a few hours doing my nightly auditions. I had a bowl of cereal and then hit the Chaney Room closet. I needed to pull some 80’s rocker clothes for an on-camera TV commercial audition the next day. Then I hit the hay!
Thursday the 18th – MY ANNUAL ON-CAMERA AUDITION! – It seems like once a year I get an on-camera audition for a TV commercial. On-camera isn’t really my focus, but occasionally I’ll get called in for something special because of my specific look. This was an audition for an “aging 80’s rocker” and it was right up my alley. I had done my short film “Livin’ On a Prayer” several years ago, and had created an aging 80’s rocker character named Butch Maguire for that. Luckily my clothes still fit. But I had to get up early to get showered and do my hair. It was a lot of mousse, blow drying and hair spray. I threw my costume in the car, sprayed my hair one last time, and headed over the hill to the audition. It was a great audition but sometimes I don’t know how these “on-camera” actors do it. In Voice-Over I’m solely focused on the script and how I sound; the cadence, pitch, volume, etc. But for this audition I had to do high kicks, hold props, and read the lines off the cue card. It was a lot of choreography and prop work, but after a few takes I finally wrapped my head around it. Luckily the casting people were patient with me, and I think they liked the fact that I could actually sing, and didn’t just have costume and the “big hair.” But with only one on-camera audition a year I don’t really get a chance to keep my chops up much in that world. I went to the bathroom and changed out of my 80’s clothes, and put on my 2016 cargo shorts and hoodie. I headed to the local Light Bulbs Unlimited and bought 3 lava lamps that they were closing out. I got some neat LED strip lights called Super Night, which I plan on putting up in my “Tranquility Zone” (my newly redecorated bedroom). Then I hit the road and headed to my seamstress Karyn’s studio to drop off the 10 yards of starfield fabric. She is going to make a few more curtains for my “Tranquility Zone.” The way the lighting is set up in my room now, this fabric looks great. It’s blue and black and is a great print of galaxies and constellations. I hit my box on the way home and picked up something VERY SPECIAL that I had ordered a while ago. But for now I’m keeping it a secret until I figure out the best way to reveal it. It was very expensive, but really worth it! It arrived in good shape via Fed Ex. I got home and waited for the Time Warner guy to bring my remote. All was going well, and at 5:30 I sat down on the couch to watch the Town Hall meetings on CNN. But I fell asleep and slept through the entire thing! I was really beat! Luckily Friday was going to be a little more relaxed. I hadn’t seen my friend Jasmine in a while, so she came over with her friend Mykell. She wanted to show her Planet Wallywood, and Mykell said her little boy would be amazed. It’s always fun to see my friends showing off my house to their friends, and listening to how they give “the tour.” We went to Jerry’s Famous Deli for dinner and met up with Sara. Then I headed home and did a TON of auditions. I scanned some checks for a deposit, paid some bills, and reconciled my bank statements. Then I set up my new lights in the “Tranquility Zone.” They looked amazing once I got them mounted, but they’re a little bright. I’m going to try to find an in-line dimmer to bring down their intensity a little bit. Hopefully it’ll work. All my hard work deserved a special treat, so I went to get some food to go at Denny’s. I came home and watched “Lost In Space” and enjoyed my dinner. What a busy day. Whew!
Friday the 19th – SAD SHIRLEY! – Boy it sure felt good to sleep until 1:45 in the afternoon! But I was up and out the door by 2:30 and headed to Karyn’s to pick up my starfield curtains, and a new starfield bowling shirt she made for me. She has my bowling shirt pattern when she made my Tony Clifton bowling shirts a while back. I like the starfield fabric so much I wanted to get a shirt made. I stopped by Burger King to get one of their new hot dogs, but it was very disappointing. I don’t think Wienerschnitzel has anything to worry about. It was dry and salty. Yuk. Bodie called and said his insurance company saw the Torino and now Bodie is making the final calculations for the estimate and work will begin soon. I can’t WAIT to get her back on the road! I headed to Plastic Depot and showed my pal Kyle Killips my very special new collectible so he could formulate some sort of stand and cover for it. Probably by next week I’ll reveal what it is, but it’s something I’ve wanted since I was 19. I stopped by the bank to make a deposit, get some cash, and then I headed to my mailbox to get my mail. I drove to the hardware store to get some supplies. As I was driving, I was having a discussion with my friend Scott in Sioux Falls. I turned left from the alley to go into the store’s driveway, and a guy who was turning right into the alley slammed on his brakes. He rolled down his window and was talking to me. I stopped, figuring he was asking for directions, and rolled down my window. He said in a VERY thick Scottish brogue, “Wot didja say?!” I said, “What?” He repeated, “Wot didja say?!” I pointed to my headset and said, “I’m on the phone.” He looked sheepish and said, “Oh.” Then he rolled up his window and drove off. Apparently he thought I was griping at him as he drove past me. But I didn’t even really notice him. I was engrossed in my conversation with Scott. Geez, people! Lighten up! I could have been singing to the radio. I could have been rehearsing a monologue for an audition, or I could have been talking to myself. For this idiot to think that I was directing my words toward him is very arrogant. He just assumed it was “all about him.” My friend Scott heard the whole thing and he noted that people are very edgy these days. Boy is he right! I really do think that guy was ready to fight for something he completely misread. I got home and fed Roxy and Spook and then I got a call from my “adopted Grandma” Shirley; a friend of mine from church. She said she was feeling sad because she found out a friend from church had committed suicide on Thursday. So I told her I was taking her out for dinner and we were going to have some laughs. I took her and Sara to Miceli’s so we could have some lasagna and listen to the singing waiters and waitresses. When one singer sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, I watched her singing along to every word. She was having a blast. On the way home Shirley and I stopped at the grocery store to get some groceries. I pulled into Shirley’s garage to help her upstairs with the groceries. But as I was backing my Mustang out of her tiny garage, BAM! My bumper hit a cement support pillar! OH NO! I jumped out to investigate, but luckily the damage was minimal. It will take a talented buffer to touch up the paint loss, but there was no body damage, THANK GOD! Having two damaged cars isn’t my idea of fun. I got home and put the groceries away, and then I grabbed a nap. I slept until 3am, and then got up to work on creating a new temporary stand for my new collectible. I did some more lighting stuff in the “Tranquility Zone,” fed and walked Roxy and then heated up my leftover lasagna so I could watch “Lost In Space” before bed. I didn’t get to sleep until around 10am on Saturday morning.
Saturday the 20th – SWEET SUMMERY SATURDAY! – Roxy woke me up to go out at 2pm. I walked her and then hit the hay again until 5:30. I got up and prepared for movie night by doing some work around the house. We watched “Spectre” on Blu Ray. It was the third time I saw it and it’s amazing. I’m not sure if it’s my sound system, or the difference between mine and the one in the movie theater, or the fact that it was my third time…but I actually understood more of the dialogue this time around. After my guests left I worked all night around the house, then made my giant, traditional Saturday night salad and watched the old BBC show “The Avengers.” It felt good to relax all day!
Sunday the 21st – A BIT BLUE! – What a gorgeous day it was. I got up around 3:30, did a little work and then got ready for evening church. Next Sunday is Shirley’s 89th birthday, so I was planning on something really special for her at church. I was going to get a cake and bring it out at the end of the service. But she happened to mention that she won’t be here next week. OH NO! She’s going to be out of town with relatives celebrating her birthday. That’s awesome for her. Maybe I’ll do it for her the week after. After church I was feeling a bit blue. Something was mentioned in the service about those who are no longer with us. I started thinking about all of the people who I used to see at church and enjoy talking to, but who are no longer with us. Then I started thinking about my old pal Terry, who used to come to church with me from time to time. I had a nice, quiet walk home with Roxy and Shirley. The weather was warm and pleasant. But when I got home I went back to bed for some quiet, meditative relaxation. I got up later and texted Sara, and told her I was craving a BBQ bacon cheeseburger at Bob’s Big Boy. We met there and had a great dinner. I came home and started in on my auditions. I did some work around the house and hit the hay to watch “Lost In Space” from the first season Blu Ray set, and I made some spaghetti.
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
Here’s a shot of me shortly after I styled my hair 80’s style for the first round of auditions. Though my hair was ready, I hadn’t put my 80’s costume on yet.
Here’s a shot of my at the callback audition, with a bit of wind in my face.
