October 15 – October 21 (2012)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

Though I’ve been in Palm Springs in the same hotel room that faces a beautiful mountain many times before, it wasn’t until last week that I first discovered “Lincoln Hill.” (Not the official name, mind you) As the sun set behind the hill, I noticed the silhouette of a reclining Abe Lincoln. Can you see it too?

I heard this song being used as bumper music on one of my favorite radio talk shows last week. I had forgotten how great this song was. Music, lyrics, message, everything. The video is good too (if you can keep from laughing at all of the horrible 80’s fashions!). Billy Joel and “Second Wind (You’re Only Human)” from 1985! I’m going on i-Tunes right now to buy it!

Monday the 15th – THE WANING HEAT! – I got up early for another Garfield session. My voice was doing much better. I packed some popsicles in an cooler bag (popsicles helped to keep the inflammation in my vocal cords down) and headed over to Buzzy’s Recording Studio in Hollywood. We did parts 1, 2 and 3 of another 5 part episode. We’ll finish up the final two parts on Tuesday. I spent some time talking with the great Laraine Newman about the Universal Monster movies, which were recently released on Blu Ray. She said Wolf Man was her favorite film. After the session was over I headed to Wendy’s for lunch. It was another hot day, but the forecast said we only have a few days of heat left before the fall weather settled in permanently. I went over to Enterprise to cancel the SUV I had reserved. My upcoming trip to Palm Springs was going to include my dog Roxy, which is why I rented the SUV, but the forecast said the average daily temp in PS was going to be near 100. So I decided to leave her home this trip and just take my Mustang. It’s too bad. I was really looking forward to taking her out there. It’s a very dog-friendly town. But in addition to the heat, you have to watch the hot sidewalks too. It can burn the pads on their paws. I went over to Studio Copy to approve the printing of the new signage for Planet Wallywood. Over the course of the years I’ve had the displays in my house, I’ve had different sign makers create the descriptions that accompany them. I started thinking a few months ago about re-doing all of the signs so they have a more consistent look. I’ve hit on a design that I like, so now I have to experiment with a few methods for fabricating them. I headed home and walked over to Rusty’s Discount Pets to pick up Roxy. My assistant Sara had taken her in for a bath earlier. She also took several of my guns into Guns Direct to get them cleaned. I got a call that those were ready too. This was the first day of a week-long hiatus from “The Tonight Show,” so I took the opportunity to do some errands. Since I hadn’t driven the Torino in awhile I wanted to get it out and drive it around. But I ended up taking the Mustang because I was running short on time. Plus, I had to gas up the Mustang for Palm Springs anyway. I headed over to Guns Direct and talked guns with the guys there for awhile. One of the customers there had just purchased his first gun and was asking about other models. I remember when that was me. Wide-eyed and ready to learn. I told him I had just bought my 20th handgun, and I warned him that handgun collecting was pretty addictive. I headed over to It’s a Wrap and bought two great new shirts, some great high-top shoes (that zip apart so you can have low-top shoes too!), and I saw my friend Edi’s son Josh there shopping for sweaters. I drove over to UPS and picked up my mail, then I headed home. My pal Brittney Powell came over and we walked over to Studio Cafe with Roxy to get dinner. Sara joined us too. I walked back home and got busy around the house, doing laundry, preparing for my trip, packing, and doing other stuff around the house.

Tuesday the 16th – SLEEP? WHAT’S THAT?! – After getting only four hours of sleep, I was up and at ’em for another day at Buzzy’s for Garfield. Though I didn’t get much sleep, I felt pretty good. It was a beautiful morning. I put the top down and headed into Buzzy’s in Hollywood. I had mentioned to the great Frank Welker (the greatest living voice actor) about my voice problems and acid reflux. He said he had the exact same problem and elevated the front of his bed so gravity would work against the reflux. I had already discussed doing this with my contractor, so apparently I’m on the right track. I should have known Frank’s had experience with it, as he’s been in the business so long he’s pretty much had to deal with all the obstacles this business has to offer. We finished up the session and the rest of the cast was released. But Frank and I stayed so he could sing a few songs as Garfield. Good stuffs. Frank’s such an amazing performer, he’s a blast to watch work. When we finished up, director/producer/writer Mark Evanier and I drove over to Sound Chef to finish up the songs I couldn’t do a few weeks ago because of my voice issues. Like me, Mark had only gotten a few hours of sleep the previous night. I could tell Mark was running on fumes, but I was still feeling pretty lively. We got the songs finished and I headed home to watch the debate. Or at least listen to it. I turned it on while I packed for Palm Springs. I would be leaving that evening, and still had some packing to do. Just as the debate finished, I finished packing. Since I didn’t expect to leave until 9:30 or so, I got to grab a quick hour-long nap. I knew that once I got on the freeway, the effects of the measly four hours of sleep I had gotten the night before would start to color my driving. So a nap seemed wise. I hit the road and had a nice night drive to Palm Springs. I got there just before midnight, grabbed some food to go at Denny’s, and checked into my room. My pal Dan Putnam, the manager of the Hyatt, really took care of me. Since I stay up all night listening to music and star gazing off the balcony of my hotel room, he put me all the way at the end and on the highest floor. That way I was less likely to disturb any of the other guests with my nocturnal goings-on. I ate my food, then took a walk around the hotel premises. I returned to my room, made popcorn and lounged on the patio watching the stars and thinking about life. Just basically relaxing and enjoying the wonderful night-time weather. By the time I went to bed it was 6am!

Wednesday the 17th – CAUGHT UP ON ZZZZs! – I woke up around noon and assessed the situation. My room was cool and dark, and I had no particular place to be. It was a good feeling. So I promptly went right back to sleep. In fact, I didn’t wake up until 6pm, when my friend Edi and her dog Bunny showed up. I had slept a full 12 hours and it felt great! I opened up my deck door and noticed the mountain outside my room and the sunset behind it. I was seeing ABE LINCOLN! I had been there several times and never noticed Abe in the hills. Edi, Bunny and I went to Ruby’s Diner for dinner, and then we did some shopping. Bunny always gets lots of attention and she’s quickly becoming the unofficial goodwill ambassador of Palm Springs! We got some ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s, and then we stopped by the cigar and wine store just down the street to get some gifts for friends. We got back to the hotel just in time to take a quick dip in the jacuzzi before they closed it for the night. We sat at the bar and had drinks and eats, and even met a beautiful blue merl Australian Shepherd puppy. There seemed to be more dogs at the hotel than in previous trips. It was great seeing all the cool doggies! I can’t wait to bring Roxy when it cools off. Edi went to turn in, while I got ready to make some popcorn and watch the stars again. I couldn’t stay out too late because I had to be up early the next day for a lunch meeting.

Thursday the 18th – WORK AMIDST PLAY! – I got up at 11 and headed to Rancho Mirage to meet up with my friend Ron Chaney and his daughters Jennifer and Jacklynn for lunch. Ron’s the great grandson of Lon Chaney Sr, and it’s always fun to catch up with them. Then I had a session at 2pm to do for Old Navy from a studio in Rancho Mirage. But when I found the address my agent had given me, I realized it was just a mailbox place. So I had to call and get the physical address of the studio. Leon, who owns the studio, is a really great guy. He said Adam West records there quite frequently. I finished the 2.5 hour session for Old Navy radio, and headed off to the Palm Springs doggie park. I had heard it’s a great park, and I wanted to check it so I would be familiar with the layout when I bring Roxy. Bunny had a great time running around in the small dog area. She was rather stand-offish with the other dogs who were trying to meet her. But she was very funny and seemed to enjoy herself. I was dying for another ice cream cone, so I dropped Edi and Bunny off at the hotel and I walked over to Ben and Jerry’s. The street outside the hotel was already closed off for the Thursday night street fair. I got back to the hotel and Edi and I went to the smoking deck by the pool and smoked cigars as the sun set. We got cleaned up and met Dan the Hyatt manager for dinner downstairs. Then we hit the street fair and did some shopping. As always, Bunny was a big hit. We got back just in time to hit the jacuzzi again before they closed. Dan had mentioned at dinner that I could keep my room for another night if I wanted it. When I booked my room initially, the hotel was sold out all weekend because of the motorcycle rally. But an availability opened up last-minute. But Thursday night the bikers had started to populate Palm Springs, and the collective sound of their bikes roaring up and down the streets made me think that I wouldn’t get much rest if I did stay for an additional day. But I figured I’d sleep on it and let them know if I was keeping the room on Friday morning. I spent a wonderful night on the patio relaxing. As usual, eating popcorn, drinking Cokes from little glass bottles, listening to great music on my i-Pad, watching the stars, and occasionally nodding off here and there in a really comfortable chair. And the weather was amazing!

Friday the 19th – HIATUS OVER! – I got up around 1 and opened the patio door. An unending stream of bikers poured down the street behind the hotel. The rumble of the bikes was deafening. I figured I’d most likely not have a very quiet and restful experience if I stayed, so I checked out of my room. I gassed up the car, got some Burger King drive-thru and hit the road. It was a beautiful day, but there were a TON of Highway Patrol and cops all around. As I left town many of them had people pulled over and they were giving out tickets right and left. I think they wanted to make a strong showing with all of the bikers riding into town. There were a ton on the freeway too. I kept my cruise control set at a few miles over the speed limit and eased on home. I spent some of the trip learning the song “That’s Why I Pray” by Big & Rich. I’m singing it at church on the 28th. The harmonies are interesting, and their delivery is so tight it’s tough to pick one voice out from the other. I must’ve listened to it about 20 times in the car. It was a great Friday afternoon drive, and I made it home in just under two hours. It was good to see the animals again. I did some work around the house and then grabbed a nap. While I was gone my contractor Terry raised the head of my bed several inches to deal with my reflux issue. It took a little getting used to, but I think it’ll be alright. When I got up I unpacked, and patched a crack in my bathtub. My folks are coming next week and I have a lot of work to do to get ready. I stayed up late and caught another episode of “Kojak” on the second season DVD set. It was good to enjoy TV Time again with the animals. I was still having trouble figuring out my part in “That’s Why I Pray,” so I bought a karaoke version of it on i-Tunes and listened to what they did. It really helped! My harmony part is below the melody, but I’m used to singing harmonies above the melody. So this was a new experience for me.

Saturday the 20th – THESE NEGATIVES ARE POSITIVES! – I think I made the right decision about not staying in Palm Springs. It was good to be home. I went to the hardware store to buy some supplies, then I hit the craft store to look at striping tape for my new Planet Wallywood signage. I got home and prepared for movie night, and then entertained a guest who brought over six rolls of black and white negatives taken back in 1978 at Andy Kaufman’s concert at The Huntington Hartford. It was Andy’s rehearsal show for his legendary Carnegie Hall appearance. The photographer and I had been trying to strike the right deal for awhile, and now the timing was right. I was elated to be assuming custody of such a wonderful piece of comedy history. My pal and webmaster Scott Sebring came over for movie night, and I asked him to set about delicately scanning each negative in high resolution and doing any retouching necessary. I can’t wait to see the results! All told, there are about 180 images in this collection! That night we watched “Goldfinger” on Blu Ray, followed by “The Wolf Man,” also on Blu Ray. When my movie night guests left I did some work around Planet Wallywood, sewed a few things that needed repair, washed some clothes, loaded the dishwasher, and worked on some of the new signage.

Sunday the 21st – PREP TIME! – I didn’t get to bed until 8:30am, and I slept virtually all day. The only bad thing about hiatus, is that my hours get completely mixed up. I revert to my nocturnal hours again and it’s tough to switch back. My pal James had left his wallet at my house the night before, so he came by to get it. Then I went back to bed. I was really feeling lazy. I had fun lounging on the bed with Roxy and Spook, giving them pets and attention. Even though I was up in time for evening church, I decided to stay in with the pets. My friend Amanda came by and we were craving hamburgers, so we visited a local restaurant called The Counter. The past few times I’ve been there I’ve noticed that the service has slacked off somewhat. It was the same tonight. I had to stand up with my glass and get my own refill, I had to get up and go get the Dijon mustard myself, and the cheese fries we ordered came really late. It’s too bad because I really like The Counter. I hope they can get their service issues in order. When I got home I spent the evening cleaning off my messy desk. I reconciled my checkbook with my statements, did some auditions and e-mailed them to my agents, and completed a few tasks around the house. I got prepared for a new week, and we’re back at “The Tonight Show” this coming week as well!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PICS FROM THE WEEK

At Ruby’s Diner, Bunny gives her order to the nice lady.

Bunny orders her usual

In the morning, Bunny casts her vote in her own way. But is that a “FOR” vote, or “AGAINST?” Knowing that dogs only wee wee in their favorite places…???