RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
This past week I was saddened to hear of the passing of Caroly Wilcox, one of the original Muppet fabricators. Her work and designs will live on forever! Here she is working with Jim Henson, Carroll Spinney, and Frank Oz on a “Sesame Street” sketch.
Actually, I haven’t really been humming anything this week, so I’ll just post this link to a great song by Queen that a very good friend sent me recently – “Old Fashioned Lover Boy.”
Monday the 4th – HERO WORSHIP! – If you remember from last week’s Wally’s Week, you read how I’m excited to help a childhood TV idol of mine with some items they want to auction off. After playing a lot of phone tag over the weekend, we finally got on the phone to discuss the parameters of bundling items for an auction sale. It was fun speaking with them for an extended period of time. It always gives me a thrill when somebody I idolized as a kid is asking me to tap my expertise so I can assist them with a project. I got the same feeling when I helped Adam West create a replica Batman costume in 1995 for a photo shoot, and I also got the same feeling when I helped Paul Michael Glaser with recording/studio advice to record the audible of his children’s book back in 2012. When we were done speaking, I talked to a producer about recording a Voice Over bit for a promo he was producing for the next Blu Ray release of George Pal’s Puppetoon movie. My friend Michelle from Florida was all set to come out to L.A. for another visit next week, but she called to tell me that she tested positive for ‘the ‘Rona’ and wouldn’t be able to make it. While disappointed she’ll have to delay her trip, I’m rather relieved that she got it and will get over it with very little trouble (being so young) and will no longer be able to catch it or spread it. She’s going to call the airline about postponing her trip and see what they say. Perhaps her being honest about being sick will convince them to alter her itinerary with no charge. I hopped in the Gran Torino and went out to fill her up with gas, and then I put it away in my auxiliary garage and put the newly laundered cover on it. I got my Mustang back out and went back home to do some work. I did auditions, and prepped for a session that I’ll need to drive to Santa Monica for on Tuesday morning. I typed out Wally’s Week and hit the hay.
Tuesday the 5th – I GUESS VACATION’S REALLY OVER! – It’s always fun to drive to Santa Monica for a session at Lime Studios. It’s also fun to drive over a little bit early so I can get a delicious lunch at Campo’s Mexican Restaurant. I got my usual order and sat in the Lime parking lot eating it and listening to the radio before my session started at 2. After a nearly 4 hour session for an interactive cartoon, I was beat. I drove home and saw that they delivered my new DirecTV receiver. I could try to put it in myself to see if the new box fixes my “right channel only” audio problem I’ve been having (see previous Wally’s Weeks) but I learned early on to have the experts do it. So I think I’ll call my A/V company and have them come out to see if it fixes the problem. I’m hopeful it will. I fed the pets, checked e-mails, and did some work. Later on I did a ton of auditions, but my voice was a bit fatigued from the long session earlier in the day. I relaxed a bit, worked around the house, and for some odd reason, started reorganizing my bedroom closet. Not sure why, exactly. I just got hit with the bug all of a sudden. I had a lot of custom-made boots that I haven’t worn since the early 2000s, so in order to make more room I removed the boots I no longer wear and transported them downstairs to the Chaney Room costume closet. Once I got down there, I found several pairs of shoes I no longer wear, or old shoes that have hardened over time and are no longer wearable. I threw those out and made room for the new influx of boots from the upstairs closet. It was a lot of work, but darn well worth it. My walk-in bedroom closet has a lot of extra space now that I’ve rearranged the layout. Much nicer. Tired, I made a Tombstone pizza and turned in.
Wednesday the 6th – DISNEY DAYS! – The producer of the promo for the Puppetoon movie I mentioned had heard a sound on my demo that he thought would be right for his new project. Many years ago I did a series of promos for Disney to promote the home video releases of their films. I had just gotten into Voice Over at the time and enjoyed the opportunity. The official voice of Disney at the time was making big money, so while the promo producers were going through rewrites to perfect the spots, in preparation to use the real guy, they’d pay me a fee to come to the studio and do a version of the spot. I tried to sound like him as much as possible. Then once the “spec spot” went through the channels and changes were made, they would pay me a small fee to come back and re-record the spot. Once it met approval from all the necessary departments, they would then have the REAL voice of Disney come in to do the real promo. But I appreciated the opportunity to get some great audio for my demos. Well, it worked. Because an old spot for the home video release of “The Black Cauldron” was the one that caught this producer’s ear. I got on a phone patch with the producer, recorded several takes of each line, and then sent him the files so he could forward them on to his editor. I checked my e-mail and my agent sent me info about the video game session I was booked for on Thursday. Busy busy!
Thursday the 7th – VIDEO GAME GOODNESS! – A little bit before 4:00 I got my home studio all set up and ready to go, to record voice tracks for a new video game. I put up all the necessary sound baffling, got my beverages ready, and dialed into the Source Connect and Zoom links they had for me. The sound would be recorded off of the Source Connect link, while the Zoom link would be how they fed me the script. It worked very well, and luckily it was pretty quiet around my place (with the exception of the occasional airplane or helicopter). But being a video game there was a lot of yelling, so once again my voice was feeling pretty fatigued. But it was a lot of fun! This game was interesting, as it originated in Japan, and then was rewritten for a U.K. audience. So there were a lot of British-isms in the script that we had to change in order for it to relate to an American audience. So there were a lot of rewrites ‘on the fly’ being done. In the Voice Acting industry that stuff will happen from time to time, and you just have to roll with it as changes are made in real time. Later I worked on organizing some photos files. I also spent some time color correcting them, and doing some rescanning where necessary. I cleaned up the place a bit in anticipation of my maids coming on Friday. I also got busy filing some miscellaneous records, because over the weekend it’s my plan to organize and file away all of my business receipts for the year 2020. I need to make room in my file cabinet for my new 2021 receipts!
Friday the 8th – THE ‘RONA ALL AROUND! – One of the things I need to do soon is to update my Voice Over demos with a few new pieces. I sent the raw tracks for the Puppetoon promo to my mixer Evan, so he could put some “sparkle” on them, and have them match the sound of the other pieces on my demo. I also need to put in the Pebbles cereal spot I did as Barney. The maids arrived and spent a few hours cleaning up Planet Wallywood. After they left I took Roxy to the groomer for a good cleaning. I called my accountant Tina about a business matter, and she said that she and her entire family have The ‘Rona. But they’re all dealing with it well, and will be in good health very soon, thankfully. I was due to see my stylist on Saturday for a touch-up on my color, but she called to tell me that she and HER entire family have The ‘Rona too. Good grief! I headed to the bank to make a few deposits before they closed. I went over to CVS to pick up a prescription and a ton of supplements (gotta stay healthy!) and then headed over to the grocery store to pick up some supplies for the weekend. But the oddest thing happened. Inconsideration for others is one of my big pet peeves. I occasionally catch myself being guilty of that, but I try my best to recognize it and make up for it. But there was some jackwad in front of me in the checkout lane who, once he put his items on the checkout counter, just left his cart in the way; with no regard for anyone else who may be coming up behind him to put THEIR stuff down. So I tried to push my cart up to the counter to be next and there’s a cart in the way. Hoping that he just simply “forgot” to move it, I said, “Sir. Don’t forget your cart!” He made some kind of funny comment about my mask and then moved it up. I put my groceries on the counter and went to put them in my cart to transport them to my car, but I couldn’t move up. Even though he moved his cart to the end of the checkout counter, he walked away and left it there – blocking the end of the checkout lane. What a jerk! After asking everyone if the empty cart was theirs, the clerk and I figured it belonged to the knucklehead who just checked out. Being Friday, it was very crowded, so we had to gingerly move his cart out of the way so I could get out and clear the way for the people behind me who were hoping to check out. I was fuming at the arrogance of this mental midget. But as I walked outside I saw him standing there, waiting for his Uber. I said, “Hey brother! Thanks for leaving your cart in my way. You’re a real @$$hole!” He just stared at me as I walked away. Normally I don’t engage in behavior like that, but I had enough. Perhaps my outburst will prevent him from future acts of such arrogance and he’ll be a little more considerate of others in the future. But I doubt it. Some people are just entitled jackwads, and there’s no changing that. I stopped by the house to unload the groceries, and by then it was time to go get Roxy from the groomer’s. I got a Domino’s pizza and relaxed. I did some more photo work on my computer; organizing, editing, color correcting, and rescanning.
Saturday the 9th – VAMPIRE HOURS! – Once I get in the midst of my photo projects on my computer I lose track of time. So it’s not uncommon for me to not go to bed until late morning the next day! Such was the case with today. By the time I woke up it was early evening and the sun was down. So I fed the pets, did a little work around the house, recorded a few auditions, and started up on my photo project again. Later in the evening I got busy and pulled out all of my 2020 business receipts and put them in individual envelopes so I can store them downstairs in the garage for tax purposes. I made my traditional Saturday Night Super Saint Salad and watched a very funny episode of “The Saint!”
Sunday the 10th – SEALING UP THE WEEK! – Just like Saturday, I snoozed until the early evening. I got back at my photo project, recorded my auditions that were due Monday, and even recorded some test tracks for a character that may be included in the 2021 version of my favorite Christmas radio show “Christmas Across the Lands!” The host asked me to record some tracks for a character he wants to include in this year’s show. I’m HONORED! But before I recorded all the tracks I wanted to make sure we were on track with the character. So I recorded a sample and sent it over to him. It’ll be a dream realized to be a part of my favorite Christmas program! I also set up to shoot another Cameo greeting that came in. Those are always fun and challenging to keep them unique. I walked Roxy on our late-night stroll through the neighborhood, and I came back inside to make some good and settle in to watch the final episode of the 4th season of “The Mod Squad.” Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed with the episodes this season. Instead of focusing on the three of them fighting crimes, the stories started leaning toward featuring each individual character and their personal relationships. As with any ‘crime-fighting team’ show, I always prefer the episodes where they work together as a group to investigate crimes. But when the episode leans too heavily on one character, and the other two characters have their roles minimized, they’re not as interesting. The season finale featured Andy Griffith as a witness to a crime who has his life threatened as a result by a mystery individual. It was pretty darn good, and Andy Griffith was a much better actor than a lot of people give him credit for. Just as I was about to turn in early Monday morning, I checked e-mails one last time. A producer from iHeart radio contacted me to cut a quick promo for him. So before bed I got him on the phone, we recorded the piece, I sent him the files, and hit the hay. It was nice to do a little work before settling in.
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
Here’s a brief look at the Planet Wallywood Eatery. This is #6 in my series of Planet Wallywood 2 minute tours. Check out previous Wally’s Weeks to see tours of The Theatre, The Showcase Area, The Aisle of Art, The Puppet Room, and The Chaney Room. Still to come, The Tranquility Zone!
