January 21 – January 26 (2014)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

I love target shooting with handguns, but darn if this pic doesn’t make me want to take up archery too!

The ever-amazing Sheryl Crow was on the show a week ago, and she performed this great new song called “Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely.” I LOVE it! She really knows how to paint a picture and tell a story with her music!

Tuesday the 21st – i-PAD MIA! – When I started my day I realized I couldn’t find my Day Planner or i-Pad anywhere. I looked in my car, I looked all over the house, and nada! I started concentrating on where I was the previous few days. Last Sunday I was at my seamstress’ studio, and I know I had them with me when I left her studio. I know I had them with me at the meeting at Jerry’s Famous Deli when I met with Ken Bob and Kevin. But I don’t recall seeing them after that. I called Jerry’s on a whim and SURE ENOUGH, they were there. Luckily a busboy had snagged them and put them in the manager’s care, who stashed them in the back. Before I went to get them, I did an audition at home for Kalmenson and Kalmenson and e-mailed it in. I got cleaned up and headed to Jerry’s. I grabbed my i-Pad and Day Planner and headed to Paty’s for a nice, enjoyable lunch on the patio. It was a lovely day…overcast but warm. I love days like that! I got in early to “The Tonight Show” and hung out for a bit. With only 13 shows left, I kind of want to spend as much time with the crew as possible. I spoke with several folks about their post-Tonight Show plans. Everyone seems to have embraced it and have dealt with it. I came home after we wrapped the show and walked Roxy. Then I finished up Wally’s Week and sent it over to Scott my webmaster. I took a dip in the Jacuzzi and grabbed a nap on the couch. When I woke up I did a ton of auditions, and did some work around the house. I made some Buffalo Mac and settled down in bed to watch another episode of “Magnum P.I.”

Wednesday the 22nd – PEEKING DUCK! – As usual, I woke up on my own at 11. I did some work around the house, checked e-mails, returned some phone calls and then walked Roxy. One of my agents e-mailed me about an emergency session for US Airways. I told her I could go into Voice Trax West at 2:30 and do it. With the merger happening between American Airlines and US Airways, new copy for their phone system is being issued all the time. So there will probably be a lot more of these types of sessions happening in the near future. But before I left I did a quick comedy bit for “TTS.” The US Airways session was very short (only 3 lines) so it didn’t take long at all. I stopped by McDonald’s to get some food and headed over to NBC. When I got to the studio I did another bit. During the taping The Tonight Show Band they did Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up.” It’s my absolute favorite of all the songs they do. So I went out into the studio and enjoyed it in person for probably the last time. As I stood there enjoying the moment, I made a special point of drinking in the sights and sounds, trying to engrain it in my memory forever. I talked to my dad on the phone on the way home. His 79th birthday is coming up and I was trying to get a handle on what he wanted for his birthday. When I got back I did some auditions, then took a dip in the Jacuzzi. The ducks were back at the pool again. As I sat there enjoying the hot, bubbly water, I kept my eyes trained on them as they sat poolside together…the blue light of the pool reflecting on their feathery ducky chests. It was beautiful watching them peacefully relax…not a care in the world. Eventually they got back into the water, lazily floating around. They started doing their little duck-bobbing-head thing to each other. Eventually they started bobbing to each other in total sync. Is that a mating thing or something? They swam over to the shallow end of the pool and rested, keeping an eye on me the whole time. It’s funny…as I was peeking over the edge of the Jacuzzi to watch them, their little duck heads were peeking over the edge of the pool to make sure I didn’t get too close. I grabbed a nap on the couch. When I awoke I looked outside and it was totally foggy. Neat! I spent the rest of the night working on bank statements, and preparing some deposits. I hit the hay and watched the final “Magnum P.l.” episode from the second season DVD set.

Thursday the 23rd – DISAPPEARING SPOOK! – Automatically, I snapped awake at 11am again. I checked e-mails, walked Roxy and did 3 “TS” bits. I also took the opportunity to do a few auditions, and some more bookwork. I paid some bills and called my assistant Sara to come get my cat Spook to take him to get a manicure. I don’t know how Spook knows, but he does. He seems to know when Sara just comes over to visit, and when she comes to take him out in his travel bag. (He HATES leaving the house, and HATES getting his nails trimmed!) So when she arrived he was way ahead of her. I have to close all the doors in the house so he can’t escape and hide in the closets or under the beds. We could NOT find him anywhere. Sara was getting upset fearing he had somehow gotten outside. But I had just seen him eating a treat a little bit earlier, so I knew he had to be around somewhere. I had an idea. I moved the couch forward a bit, and sure enough! He was squished between the couch riser and the wall. Cats have the unique ability to liquify and squeeze into amazingly small spots. So we grabbed him and Sara took him to Rusty’s for his manicure. I did some more work, and then headed to the bank to make some deposits. After a quick stop by Weinerschnitzel to get some lunch to go, I headed over to “TTS.” Only 10 more shows left after today’s. We wrapped up and I headed back home to do some more work around the house. I walked Roxy, fed Spook and hit the Jacuzzi again. But no ducks! I took a quick nap on the couch. I didn’t want to sleep long because I had to be up early on Friday for a videogame session, so I needed a good night’s sleep. I did some auditions, fed Roxy and walked her, then made a frozen pizza and hit the hay.

Friday the 24th – FRIED DAY! – I hadn’t planned on getting up until 9 for my session, but my lovely dog woke me up at 7:30 to go out. Luckily I was able to get back to bed and get another hour of sleep. I headed over to Studiopolis Burbank for the session, but we waited around for the director to show up, and he never did. Apparently he was sick, so we had to cancel the session. Oh well, it happens I guess. So I headed back home and waited around for my next session at 1:30. After a quick stop by KFC for lunch, I got to Mai Tai and did another promo session for ESPN as the “Wolfman Jack” character I’ve been doing for NBA Countdown. And every time I got to Mai Tai Studio, I get to play with the two beautiful Aussie Shepherds named Kona and Kilea. We finished up the session and I headed to NBC to record a quick comedy bit before we taped the show. During the taping I walked around and saw many people packing up their offices. Sad. I hope NBC knows what they’re doing. But, as the saying goes…”To everything there is a season.” On the way home I stopped at Albertson’s to get some groceries in Burbank. I was happy to see that they still sack up the groceries in the traditional plastic bags. L.A. has implemented a plastic bag ban as of the first of the year, but it doesn’t affect Burbank. It’s too bad too, because when I finished putting my groceries away, I would use those bags for Roxy droppings. Now I’m forced to ration them as much as possible because I’m not sure when I’ll run out. I think I’ll shop at Albertson’s from now on. When I got home I loaded in the groceries, fed Spook and walked Roxy. I put some laundry away, and then prepared for a nice relaxing evening. It started with a dip in the Jacuzzi, as I watched my duck friends cavort in the pool. I made some calls then settled down for a quick snooze on the most comfortable couch in the universe. When I got up I did some work around the house, made some spaghetti and started in on the “Mannix” season 7 DVD set. It was especially exciting because on Saturday, I’d be taking possession of 3 of Mike Connors’ original Mannix sports jackets and one of his shooting scripts!

Saturday the 25th – COOKIE TIME AGAIN! – When I woke up at 1pm I heard my neighbors at my door ringing my bell. They were taking orders for Girl Scout cookies. Normally I buy them from a guy at “TTS” whose daughter sells them, but since we’ll be out of production by the time the cookies arrive, I figured I’d just get them from my neighbor instead. When I walked Roxy she was full of energy. I wish there was an area where I could just turn her loose and let her run and cavort. But there aren’t any good dog parks in the area. Not like the one we love in Palm Springs. I came back inside and got ready for my lunch meeting with David Elkouby, the producer of the Hollywood Collector Shows in L.A. He had three original sport jackets that belonged to “Mannix” star Mike Connors that he was selling. I was very interested in them to go with my ever-growing “Clothes of the TV Detectives” collection. The jackets will join my Jack Lord “Hawaii Five-O” suit, and my David Soul “Hutch” letterman jacket. They were snazzy 70’s prints by Botany 500, the company that supplied Mike’s wardrobe for the show. I also bought one of Mike’s original shooting scripts entitled “A Babe In The Woods.” The script had all of Mike’s markings, notes and comments in it. Cool! A letter came with the jackets on Mike’s personal stationery explaining that the coats were used in the production of “Mannix.” I took my treasures home and got ready for movie night. My pal Scott Sebring was in the area, so when he called to see what I was up to, I told him to come over early. We talked some business and hung out to wait for the other guests. I discovered that, while I was at lunch, Roxy had gone upstairs and peed on my bathmat again. I’m really not sure why she always pees on the bath mat, but it must be something she either likes or doesn’t like about it. I forgot to put the gate up in front of the vanity area, so she had full access. I’ve taken to either removing the mat entirely, or putting up a gate in front of the area so she can’t get to it. She doesn’t pee on anything else in the house. Just this bath mat. Odd. I’m not sure what to do about it, other than continue to deny her access. We watched Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” on Blu Ray. Chaplin never ceases to amaze me. What a genius. The boxing ring choreography alone must’ve taken weeks to do! After we ended I grabbed a quick nap on the couch, then got up to work around the house. I fed and walked Roxy, then stitched some Velcro to the edges of my bath mats to join them together. That way when I roll it up to keep it away from Roxy’s urinary attentions, it’ll be easier to stash it as one long piece, rather than two separate pieces. It was a lot of work, but I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. It’s totally functional! I did some other work, then got ready for Saturday Night Saint and Salad Night! I made a jumbo salad and hit the hay to watch another episode of Roger Moore in “The Saint.” I wasn’t very tired when it finished, so I added a bonus “Mannix” episode. Now that I’m into the final two seasons of “Mannix,” I’m keeping my eye peeled for the three jackets I own. Based on the dates in the jacket pockets, it looks like they were used during the final run of the series. But by the time I hit the hay for good, it was 11am Sunday morning!

Sunday the 26th – SIXTY MINUTES!!! – I got up around 2, walked Roxy, then went back to sleep for about an hour. I got ready for evening church, and then headed home immediately after to watch a story about Jay’s departure on “60 Minutes.” I was surprised that the story used my voice-over intro for not only “TTS,” but also the old “Jay Leno Show!” Too cool! I was on “60 Minutes” for the first time ever…and THREE times! It was a great story and it just reaffirms what a cool guy Jay is, who constantly takes the high road. Not bitter. Not a blamer. Just takes it as it comes and rolls with it. A true gem! My pal Amanda came over for a quick visit, so when the show was over we went to DuPar’s to grab some pancakes. It was Grammy night and I wanted to go to a place that was far, FAR removed from all of that hoo-ha. DuPar’s is like another world anyway, and since they don’t have a TV blaring, it was the perfect place to go for a nice, quiet Sunday evening pancake dinner. When I got home I was ready for a quick nap. Then it was time to attack the auditions, and feed Roxy. But she didn’t eat her dinner. Perhaps I gave her too many hot dog slices at church. In order to keep her calm at church, I bring along a little Ziploc baggy of diced hot dogs to give her a treat from time to time. I think she was still full from those. I made some soup and a sandwich, and I hit the hay to catch another exciting “Mannix” episode. This one starred “Mission Impossible’s” Greg Morris!

And how was YOUR week??

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Roxy’s very at home with her toy on the Puppet Room bed.