RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a picture of my super-cute cat Spooky, so if you’ll indulge me…
On October 4, 2011 I fell in love. Let me explain. During the taping of “The Tonight Show” the Tonight Show Band played a song that I couldn’t identify, but I instantly loved. I took some of the lyrics and popped them into Google and found out that the song in question was called “Cold War” by Rachelle Monae. I bought the song on i-Tunes immediately. Then I got more curious about the song and looked it up on You Tube. I gotta say…Rachelle Monae is one of the most beautiful new singers I’ve ever seen. The video is fabulous! What happens halfway through the video is unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a video before. I won’t spoil it, but needless to say I just wanted to jump into the video and give her a nice, warm hug. She’s amazing!
Monday the 1st – A HOARSE IS A HOARSE! – It’s hard to believe it’s already October! WOW! Time flies! But the weather is still really hot outside. I’m SO over it and ready for crisp, fall weather. It his 105 today in North Hollywood! I got a wake-up call on the hotline telling me to report to NBC at 1:45. I slept for a little while longer, and when I got up I noticed my voice was hoarse in my upper register. Strange. Not sure why. I hadn’t been abusing it (yelling and screaming) and I wasn’t sick with a cold. But scary nonetheless. I walked Roxy then headed to work. I did a bit for one of the writers, then headed to the commissary to get a bite of lunch. A salad and some lemon tea to help my voice. At first I thought I may have a bunch of mucus on my pipes. I have bad allergies and post nasal drip has always been an issue. Well, it got a little better, then it got a little worse again. I called and left a message on my Ear Nose and Throat doctor’s voicemail to try and get into see him Tuesday. My regular MD, Dr. Patt the “Rock and Roll Doc,” had some friends at the taping of “The Tonight Show” today. I met up with them just before the show, and then afterward, I gave them a quick backstage tour. I bid them farewell, then headed over to my chiropractor to get an adjustment. My back had been feeling pretty good lately. The decompression table he puts me on has really been helping to decompress my squished vertebra and pinched nerves. Though I had no more pain in my lower back, my voice was still worrying me. It just wasn’t getting better! I got home and fed Spook and walked Roxy. Then I got all my steamers out. I turned on my humidifier, I turned on my hot steamer and took a nap. My lower voice was ok, but my higher register and falsetto voices were very cracky. My Jon Arbuckle voice is in my higher register, and it wasn’t sounding very good. When I woke up I had some more tea with lemon and honey. But I got very nauseous. That told me it was definitely post nasal drip. When the mucus builds up and gets into your stomach, especially when you haven’t eaten in awhile, it makes you ill. Well, that settled it. Dr. Wally had determined that was the diagnosis. I just wasn’t hungry though because it was so hot. I did choke down some soda crackers though and felt a little better. I set about doing my auditions, and luckily none of them required my upper register. Then I hit the hay, sucked some steam in bed from my little individual steamer, put on my hot steamer and humidifier and went to bed. I ate a sandwich and had some soup before bed. I have an early session on Tuesday morning so I hope my pipes can take it. I’m not sure, but I also think all the nutty weather has affected my voice. Strange weather changes, super hot weather…maybe it’s affecting my allergies. Lots of other people are having allergy problems too. Is it because I’m laying on my back when I sleep? After I had my back injury a few months ago, I took to sleeping on my back with a pillow under my knees to support my legs. Maybe that encourages the mucus drainage. Is all that garbage running past my vocal cords making them creaky?
Tuesday the 2nd – THE L.A. CORONER?! WTF?! – I had the steamer and humidifier on all night, and I seemed to be a little better when I woke up. But I still wasn’t 100%. I drank some tea with lemon and honey, and headed to Voice Trax West to do some spots for a hospital in Iowa. I called the ENT’s office and cancelled the appointment, figuring I was all better. When I got into Voice Trax, I saw my old pal (and childhood hero) Paul Michael Glaser who was there to do some more recording of his audio book. It was fun running into him. I did the 2 spots for Iowa River Landing, and went downstairs to get some spaghetti at Al Dente. It was another hot one outside! Whew! I am D.O.N.E. DONE with this weather! I got a call to record a bit for “TTS” at NBC, so I headed over there. When I finished the bit I had an hour to kill, so Roberta the stage manager let me in to one of the dressing rooms to take a quick nap. The voice was holding on, but it still wasn’t perfect. I did the show open and it was a little gravelly. I get REALLY nervous when I’m not 100% perfect with the open. Clearly my voice wasn’t much better. I called my ENT back and rebooked an appointment with my doctor for Wednesday afternoon. I don’t goof around with problems like this anymore! When we wrapped I went home to walk Roxy and feed Spook. I had some more tea with lemon and honey and took a nap with the steamers again. I have to sing several songs Wednesday for “The Garfield Show” and my pipes were not in any condition to support that sort of use. Fingers crossed! I had a nice nap with my humidifier and steamer, and the animals on the bed. I got up to do my auditions and then I made some dinner. The voice was doing well. Hopefully it’s over. In the middle of the night I walked the neighborhood with Roxy and saw some cops parked out behind one of the units in my complex. Then I saw the County Coroner van. It’s then I saw the police tape stretched across this garage. What the heck happened? As I walked back home I saw a videographer getting out of a car and doing a camera test. What was going on there? Murder? Suicide? A murder/suicide? So goes life in L.A. I guess. I went to bed and got ready to be up early for the Garfield songs.
Wednesday the 3rd – OH NO! YOU’RE JOKING! – My voice was not so great. I got to the Garfield singing session and was missing about 25% of my voice. The lower voice was ok, and the high voice was good, but there was a section in the middle that was “airy.” Wouldn’t you know it, the one song I had to sing as Jon was right in “that” area. It was a real struggle. I laid down a pass to the best of my ability, with the promise that I would do a better version when my voice repaired. However, some of the lower voiced characters I had in other songs seemed to be OK. I struggled through, and then headed out to see my doctor. I got to my ENT’s office, Dr. Grosh, and he inspected me. Now I really, REALLY hate “the scope.” That’s the little thing he threads up your nose and then down your throat so he can get a good look at your vocal cords. When I had the callous on my vocal cords back during Christmas of ’09 I had to be scoped on a regular basis. I wasn’t able to keep it down for long without gagging and choking. But today Dr. Grosh (a really good guy, by the way) said, “Breathe through your nose.” I concentrated and breathed deeply through my nose. In the past I was breathing through my mouth, thinking that was the best way to accommodate “the scope.” But breathing through my nose was working VERY well! A ha! As he’s looking through the scope at my vocal cords, he’s having me say EEEEEEEEEEEEE, and AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. And I’m not gagging yet. He’s getting a very good look. I was praying that my callous hadn’t returned. But the reason I had a callous back in ’09 was because of a bad cough I developed after a cold. But I hadn’t been coughing, so I couldn’t imagine why another callous would have developed. To say I was a little worried was an understatement. But Dr. G said, “Wally, everything looks really good down there.” Thank God! He said my problem was all acidic. Not infected snot or drainage from my sinuses…acid reflux at night when I’m laying horizontal. He said if you eat to close to bedtime the stomach acid will wash up and inflame your vocal cords while you’re laying down sleeping. OF COURSE! I love nothing more than my “TV Time” at the end of a night. That’s when I get ready for bed, put a Coke in a glass bottle in the freezer before my shower, make a little dinner, and get the animals on the bed with me to eat and watch an old TV show on DVD. With my busy schedule every day, it’s really the only relaxing meal I get each day. I’m on the go so much normally, I don’t have time to sit down and enjoy a quiet meal. And then the worst news I’ve gotten in a long time. Doc G said, “You’ve got to stop eating before bed.” EEK! He may as well have told me to stop shooting heroin, or stop smoking, or kill my neighborhood squirrels! THIS WAS HORRIBLE NEWS! One of the ONLY enjoyable things I do, is now my worst enemy! He also said to stop drinking caffeine. There go my little Cokes in glass bottles! Could this news get any worse??!! He gave me a steroid shot to help bring down the inflammation in my vocal cords. He put me on an anti-biotic breathing device for a little while. All the while I was pondering a total lifestyle change. No more “TV Time?” Deee-pressing! He put me on a prescription antacid for 30 days to bring down my acid production. However, I DO think that because I had been laying on my back recently because of my back injury, it exacerbated the condition somewhat. So the first thing I’m going to do is stop laying on my back. Laying on my side will make it harder for the acid to wash up and inflame my vocal cords I think. Laying flat on my back gave the acid reflux an easier path to my pipes. But I WAS thankful and elated that there were no polyps. But would I be OK for today’s “TTS?” I got to NBC and rehearsed and it seemed OK, but during the taping it felt a little creaky. I promised myself to go home and give myself 12 hours of vocal downtime. I was feeling less confident about the second Garfield singing session on Thursday. So I was very careful not to inflame the pipes any worse. I got home and fed Spook and walked Roxy and watched the Presidential debate. You know something? It was the first time I’ve had my TV on downstairs to watch an actual television broadcast in a long time. I use it to watch movies, but I just don’t watch that much TV. After the debate I met Sara and Edi at Panera for dinner. I went next door to pick up my prescription at CVS after dinner. I got home and did some work around the house (quietly), worked on my database (the Universal Monsters Blu Ray set had come in today!), walked Roxy, made her some dinner and took her for a walk. I was really bushed because I had been going since early morning and I didn’t get a nap at all. Plus my left arm was starting to hurt from the steroid shot. But I felt good because I was headed to bed to get a full 8 hours of sleep, and the weather was finally starting to cool off in a pleasant, fall fashion. I was getting excited for my trip to Palm Springs in 2 weeks during the next “TTS” hiatus. I plan on taking Roxy along because Palm Springs is a VERY dog-friendly town. And it seems like the weather there will be very pleasant!
Thursday the 4th – THROATY THURSDAY! – It was back at Sound Chef studios in Hollywood for more Garfield songs. My voice was much better, and the pirate songs we sang seemed to fit into the remaining portions of my vocal range nicely. It was a lot of fun! But then I had to dash off for home to record a bit for “TTS.” I finished up the bit and walked Roxy, then drove over to NBC to tape the show. When I got home I met up with my pal Brittney Powell and we had a nice, cool walk to a restaurant with Roxy. While we were there I called my pal Chuck McCann to come over and see us. I hadn’t seen him in awhile so it was fun catching up. And he LOVES Roxy, and Roxy loves him! I got home and did auditions and got ready for the weekend. There was another big autograph show scheduled in Burbank, and my old friend Sunni from Seattle was coming in Friday morning to enjoy it with me!
Friday the 5th – SUNNI CAME HOME! – Well, not home actually, but back to L.A.! I first met Sunni back in 1997 at a taping of “The Drew Carey Show.” We’ve been friends ever since. She’s BIG into Disney stuff, particularly Tinker Bell. So I picked Sunni up at the airport just before noon. We are set to hang out with Margaret Kerry (the figure model/actress who was the inspiration for Tinker Bell in the old “Peter Pan” movie) at the autograph show on Saturday, and Sunni’s very excited. I had to be into NBC to record a bit at 2, so I took Sunni over to the studio to take her to lunch at the commissary. We finished eating and I went to the stage to record several comedy bits. Then we hung out in a dressing room and chatted, catching up about all the things that have happened since we last saw each other four years ago. I discovered that chomping and sucking on ice cubes was really helping reduce the inflammation in my vocal cords. Doc G said that tea was the worst thing for my vocal cords, so I went the opposite direction. I went cold! When you have an inflamed muscle you put ice on it. When my right sinus was inflamed and causing constant headaches, I put an icepack on my forehead every night when I went to bed. And it went away. So following that logic, I kept throwing the ice cubes down my neck. Taping time neared, and I walked Sunni to the guest area so she could be shown to her seats. I also had some other friends attending. Ray Courts and a group of his friends were there. Ray was the guy who started the autograph show franchise way back in the 90’s. He’s since retired from the business, but he came back in town to go to the one scheduled this weekend. I’ve known him for a long time, and it was nice to be able to host he and his friends as my guests at “TTS.” After the show I gave them all a quick backstage tour, and then Sunni and I went to see my chiropractor for another treatment. I had improved significantly over the past month or so! He was very happy! (No happier than I!) I went home to feed Spook and walk Roxy, and then pack a few things for my evening at the Marriott. Instead of waking up early Saturday morning and driving to the autograph show at the Marriott, I thought it was more logical to just get a hotel room and spend the evening there. That way heading over to the show the next morning would be easy squeezy. We got to the Marriott and checked into the suite, then walked over to Denny’s for a delicious dinner. After the busy week I was really dragging ass. I got back to my room, took a long, hot shower and went to bed. I enjoyed the long rest!
Saturday the 6th – SUNNI SATURDAY! – The weather was beautiful and cool, and it was great to wake up to a knock on my hotel room door. Breakfast was served! I gobbled down my eggs and ham, and Sunni and I headed over to the autograph show. Audrey and Judy Landers looked GORGEOUS! Comedy legend Jonathan Winters is now in a wheelchair, and my pal, Emmy winner June Foray (the greatest living voice actress) was there signing Rocky and Bullwinkle merchandise. My pal Bob from the LAPD was there with a “Talking Tina” doll from “The Twilight Zone.” June provided the voice for the creepy Tina doll in the show. What a great collectible! Two Bond girls were there…Lana “Plenty O’Toole” Wood (and sister of Natalie Wood) from “Diamonds Are Forever,” and Tanya Roberts (from “A View to a Kill”) so I had them sign my new Bond 50 Blu Ray set. It was a great day. Then Sunni and I made contact with Margaret and we went to lunch. Margaret had so many great stories, and it was interesting to hear why Tinker Bell is still such a popular character after all these years. When you think about it, she didn’t have any lines in the movie, and the movie was only out for a short while back in 1953. But when she explained the series of circumstances that made Tink a beloved international character, it all made sense. The story will be in her forthcoming book, so I won’t tell you here and spoil it for you. We got back to the autograph show, had some more fun then headed home to get ready for movie night. We’re starting in on the Bond 50 set, and for the next 22 Saturday nights we’ll be watching every James Bond film in the set…from “Dr. No” to “The Quantum of Solace.” Since it’s almost Halloween, and the Universal Monster set of Blu Ray discs was just released, we followed up James Bond with Dracula from 1932! Fantastic! Another busy day was finished, and I was ready for my Sunday sleep-in day!
Sunday the 7th – MY SUNDAY SLEEP-IN DAY! – Is there an echo in here? I slept in, got up around noon and walked Roxy, and then went back to bed to enjoy some more ZZZZZs. I slept all the way up until it was time to get ready for evening church. Amanda came over and joined Sunni, my assistant Sara and I for evening church. After church, Sunni wanted to go to the Hard Rock Cafe to get some souvenirs for her friends. So we went over to City Walk for some dinner and shopping. I hadn’t been to Universal City Walk in years. It was packed because Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights was totally sold out. I found a Wild Tiger model kit at a store and grabbed it! Then we went to Buca di Beppo for a delicious dinner. We were so full we waddled out of there! Then we went to a giant candy store and bought a lot of stuff! When we got back my pal and contractor Terry came over to look into doing some work this week. And my friend Emily Danyel arrived as well since she hadn’t seen Sunni in a long time. It was fun sitting around catching up. When everybody left I did auditions and hit the hay. I had to get up early Monday to take Sunni to the airport for her flight back to Seattle. I think it’s safe to say she had a SUPER time!
And how was YOUR week??!!
