April 07 – April 13 (2025) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

This shot came up on my social media this week, and it made me laugh. Batman rockin’ to Bat Music, apparently!

As I was driving around in the Gray Ghost, “If You Go” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor came up on my device. It sent me back to the day I bought this album. I was at the Virgin Megastore looking for videos and music back in 2007. Back then they had a live DJ playing selections for the customers. VERY classy! He played something that caught my ear, and I asked him what it was. He said it was from Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s album “Trip The Light Fantastic.” I bought it immediately, and I’m glad I did! Virtually EVERY song on there is a winner!

Monday the 7th – BREAKING BREAD WITH BOB! – As I was leaving the Cartoon Voice Actor panel at WonderCon a few weeks ago, I spotted a few familiar faces in the exiting crowd. It was Marla Boden and her daughter Rachel. They had been at the panel, and it was exciting to see them again. I literally hadn’t seen them in over 10 years. Marla said her husband Bob was at the panel too but I couldn’t find him. Luckily he texted me a few days later and invited me to go to lunch. Today was the day I drove over to a deli in Encino called “Uncle Bernie’s” and it was delicious. It was great catching up with Bob and his family. Rachel is now in school studying all the aspects of animation. Apparently she’s also a fan, as she brought along some “Invader Zim” and “Garfield Show” comics for me to sign. We chatted for a good two hours, but they had to get going. So did I, as I wanted to hit the bank before they closed at 4 so I could make a deposit. A ton of residual checks came in a week ago, and it was time to put them in the bank. My bank has this bizarre policy of only allowing 10 checks per deposit, so if you have more than that you have to make multiple deposits – as opposed to one, single, convenient deposit. OF COURSE the banks would make it more difficult for their customers to do business. It’s frankly a real hassle, as actors in Hollywood get residual checks all the time, and sometimes they’re quite plentiful (although they’re seldom worth a great deal of money individually). So I knew with the amount of residual checks I had it would take a while for them to scan them and do 14 separate deposits. The poor teller understood the issue, as he has actors coming in all the time with the same issue. The bank manager has said it’s almost exclusively an “L.A. problem,” as they don’t have this issue in Idaho. Granted, but still one would think the bank would give an exemption to L.A. customers under these circumstances. Plus, it’s not like the checks are coming from companies that are likely to bounce checks and have accounts with insufficient funds! These checks are coming from major studios and major payroll companies! I came about a half hour before closing time as the banks seem to heavily populate their windows with tellers at this time to ensure that every customer is taken care of before closing. Plus, it would be less likely that there would be a line of angry people behind me who are pissed that I’m taking so long. The teller said the multiple deposits would take a long, and asked if he could do it after hours and email me the receipts. I told him that was fine. Honestly, there HAS to be an easier way! After the bank business was done I gassed up the Gray Ghost, and then picked up some packages at my box. I stopped at Paty’s to get some grilled chicken breasts to go for my salads at home. When I got home I did some auditions, and then relaxed for a bit. Later I did my nightly WOG (walk/jog), typed out Wally’s Week, made some lasagna and watched another two episodes of “Have Gun – Will Travel” before bed.

Tuesday the 8th – PARTS IS PARTS! – It was very nice sleeping late, and when I arose I saw that I had a voicemail from my mechanic. She said that the issue with my 2003 Mustang was due to a part that’s now obsolete. As a safety measure, there’s a little part called a “brake sensor” that tells the gear shifter that the brake has been pressed, and it’s safe to go into gear. At first I thought that might be the problem with my car, as I’ve had to have it replaced before. If you’re pressing the brake and the sensor isn’t working, then you’re unable to shift into gear and you’re stuck. But this time the part in question was called a “brake switch actuated by pedal,” and the part was no longer being made by Ford officially. However, with classic cars like mine, there are plenty of “aftermarket” options that are made by various companies like Motorcraft. She called Motorcraft and they said that part was on backorder, and they had no idea how long it was going to take to get it in. Could be weeks. Could be months. She said used options aren’t usually very good, and they would prefer to put in a new one. But the car isn’t really very reliable to drive until the part gets replaced. I could get stranded somewhere and not be able to get to where I’m going. So it’s iffy. But I guess it’s to be expected with a 22 year old classic car. I told her I’d come by on Wednesday to take it back to my storage garage. I made some phone calls, and some auditions, and relaxed. Later I did my WOG, and even spent some time in the anti-gravity chair afterwards outside, staring up at the sky and relaxing with an iced tea. It’s not quite warm spring weather yet, but it was very pleasant out…and relaxing. I did some work around the house and hit the hay.

Wednesday the 9th – CARPETS CLEAN! – Since my cat Spooky has been having his health issues, my carpets have suffered a bit. So today I had the carpet cleaners over to clean and sanitize everything. I’ve moved Spook’s favorite bean bag chair and his carrier (which he likes sitting in, oddly enough) into the kitchen. He’s going to probably live there for the rest of his days, as I’m nervous about letting him back on the carpeted area to live. He actually likes being in the kitchen because he’s close to his food, and his bathroom is just around the corner. It’s probably going to be easier for him anyway, considering he won’t need to climb any stairs now. The carpets looked fantastic and smelled so clean! I’m going to try and keep them nice for as long as I can. I took off in the Gray Ghost to go get some cat fud at the vet’s office, pick up some packages at my box, and hit the patio at Paty’s to get some sun and enjoy a salad. It was a really gorgeous day out! I drove over to my mechanics and talked to them about my Mustang. I ordered a used part on eBay, and we agreed that we would give Motorcraft 3 weeks to come up with a new version of the part. If they hadn’t acquired any by then, we would put the used part in temporarily while we waited for them to get some in. The owner of the shop said his guy was out driving the Mustang around to test it, and he didn’t come back to the shop for a long time. When he finally got back the owner asked where he had been. The mechanic got stuck when the brake switch in question malfunctioned, and the car wouldn’t go into gear. So I’m sorry that happened to him, but I’m glad he got to see what the problem was so it could be diagnosed. So now we wait to see which option we take. I drove the Mustang to my auxiliary garage and put her to bed. I got a ride back to the shop to hop in the Gray Ghost again and head home. The carpets had begun to dry out and they looked fantastic. I relaxed for a bit, and later I did my nightly auditions and my WOG. The weather was still pretty warm at 3am, so I spent some more time in the anti-grav chair looking at a nearly-full moon.

Thursday the 10th – COMMANDER BOND! – The gang at Blok 4 in Canoga Park let me know that they had finished the paint job on my Roger M00re James Bond head, and I needed to come get it so my hair guy Sergio Lopez could attach the wig. The head and hands looked fantastic! This figure is going to be one of the best! It was mentioned that Heath (the painter and partner in the company) was having a birthday, so I treated the entire crew to lunch. Then I stopped at JoAnn’s on the way home to see what they had left in stock. Though they’re going out of business soon, it seemed like the store was still fairly well stocked with stuff. I wanted to find a nice suiting material to use on the pants for my forthcoming Guy Smiley replica Muppet. Being a puppet he doesn’t really have pants, but rather a chute made of fabric that would be used for pants on a suit. Though I didn’t find quite what I was looking for, I did find the final 2 yards of some tweed fabric that would do the job. Nice! I also bought some small gold buttons for his double-breasted suit jacket, and some new fabric shears. It’s a sad situation about JoAnn’s, but it happens. We’ll miss them when they go. I hadn’t seen my gal Angi in a while, because she’s been so busy with a lot of different things, but she said she had the night free so we could get together. We drove to the Coral Café and had dinner, and then we drove the Gray Ghost over to my auxiliary parking garage so I could swap it out with the Gran Torino. I got home and recorded some auditions and then took my nightly WOG. Since the night weather was still lovely I spent some more time in the anti-grav chair relaxing and decompressing. When I was done I got some microfiber cloths and cleaned all the dust off the Torino. Even though it has a car cover on it while it’s stored, dust still manages to get underneath. I would be showing it to some friends the next day and I wanted to make sure it looked spiffy!

Friday the 11th – GREAT END TO A GREAT WEEK! – A while back I was contacted by a guy named Dave who knew my pal Nate from Star Cars. Dave said his buddy Barry was interested in acquiring a Starsky & Hutch Gran Torino, and he wanted to know if Nate knew anyone who was selling one. Nate remembered me saying at one point that I might be willing to sell the Torino to the right buyer. It took several months for our schedules to finally align, but today was the day that Dave and Barry drove down from up north to check out the car. First I gave them a tour of Planet Wallywood so they could see the collection before seeing the car. I was expecting my maids to arrive at any time, so I was unable to join them for lunch at Bob’s Big Boy. But we were having so much fun, that when the maids finally arrived, I called my pal Sara to see if she could come over to hang with the maids until they finished up. I wanted to get showered and grab lunch with the guys and talk cars some more. Sara got there fairly quickly, I showered up and drove the Torino to Bob’s Big Boy. Though Friday is traditionally “hot rod” day at Bob’s, the classic cars hadn’t arrived yet for the event. Dave and Barry had fun taking pictures of the Torino while we were there. On the way home, behind the wheel of the Gran Torino, I noted how much fun driving that car was, and that it would be sad to let it go. But honestly, I’ve had it for about 15 years and it’s been a good run. I’m not paying as much attention to it these days as I should, and perhaps it should be “rehomed” to someone who will get more enjoyment out of it. I’m not saying that “the thrill is gone,” but it’s not the same as it used to be. I got home and relaxed for a bit, and then later I drove over to Alex In Wonderland to check out the progress she made with the head for Guy Smiley. As I pulled up in the Gran Torino to park, my 70’s tunes were blasting. The song “Moonlight Feels Right” by Starbuck came on, just as I looked to my left to see a huge, beautiful full moon rising in the sky. Moonlight feels right, indeed! Magical! As I always say, “God is my D.J.!” What a moment! It looks like the head she made will do the trick. And although it seemed small to me at first, she reminded me that when the fleece covering and the hair is added, he’ll “plump up.” That was always my problem in building puppets. I would always start the understructure using the finished measurements for the puppet; not taking into consideration that when you add all the fabrics they get somewhat bigger. So I think she’s on the right track. After all, she’s the professional at this – and I’m still an amateur. I got a little gas in the Torino before heading home, and noted how cool it felt to drive the Starsky Torino through the gritty streets of L.A. at night! When you’re in that moment, it almost feels like you’re in a movie! Amazing! I got home and relaxed a bit, and took my WOG on another gorgeous, summer-like night. I made a Paladin Saladin and watched a few more episodes of “Have Gun – Will Travel” before bed.

Saturday the 12th – TIRE TROUBLE! – It was time again to head to my stylist’s Andi’s shop to get a touch-up on my color. I walked back home on a beautiful day and relaxed for a little while. Unfortunately I had to jump out of the upcoming Nostalgia Con in Denver, which was going on in a few weeks. It was becoming increasingly necessary that I be here in L.A. for some professional duties scheduled for around that time. I hate to do that to any fans who were expecting to see me, but while cons are fun, my main profession is as a Voice Actor. And I need to stay conscious of that. Later I hopped in the Gran Torino and hit the McDonald’s drive-thru for some dinner. Then I took it back to my auxiliary garage to swap it out for Rav. When Angi and I parked the Gray Ghost the other night we noted that my right rear tire seemed a bit low. When I pulled into the garage to put the Torino to bed I could tell that it had lost some more air. Anticipating this, I brought my air compressor to try and fill the tire back up. But it wasn’t doing much good, as the pressure in my compressor was insufficient to do the job. Luckily I found a gas station down the road that had an air machine, and I filled the tire back up with 36 psi. It’s about 5 pounds more than that tire needs, but it would give me some wiggle room until I could get it to a tire place on Monday to have it looked at. I got back home and relaxed. Then it was up and at ‘em to do my nightly WOG. I got back inside to do some work, futz around with more plans for my Guy Smiley Muppet replica, and do some work around the house. I went down to my garage to check my tire, and sure enough the 36 psi was now down to 34. I had a slow leak in my right rear tire. Hopefully it’ll be fine until I can get it to my local tire store on Monday. I made a salad and watched an episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.” It was funny because the actor playing the physician in this episode was the same actor who played a saloon owner in the “Have Gun – Will Travel” episode I watched the night before! I love how those old character actors would go from show to show to show. They never stopped working!

Sunday the 13th – KITCHEN KAT! – Spook seems to be enjoying his new home in the kitchen. While his health issues have improved, I think this will be a good place for him to live out the rest of his days. His bean bag chair is close to his food, and is on the same floor as his bathroom. So he doesn’t have far to go for either need. As usual it was a pretty lazy day. Later I did some video editing, but as I was working the program froze, and I had to force the computer to restart. Luckily, when the computer came back up and I restarted the editing program, it asked me if I wanted to restore my project. WHEW! That could have been a lot of work lost! I took my WOG under cloudy skies. Not only had it turned cooler, but it was a bit “spritzy” out as well. There was definitely water in the air!

And how was YOUR week?!?!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Roger M00re gets his wig. Though he needs a cut and style, this wig will be perfect for my new James Bond life size figure! This figure will be featured in the upcoming museum at Monsterpalooza in late May!

I love this tweed fabric that we’ll use for Guy Smiley’s “pants” when the puppet is finished!

This old Realistic Radio Shack microphone will be the perfect prop for Guy Smiley. Mike at Alex in Wonderland will gut it completely so he can rig it with a metal rod in the cord. That way when the puppets left hand is wrapped around the microphone shaft, his arm can be manipulated by the microphone cord instead of a wrist rod.

While looking around for vintage Muppet stuff on eBay, I found this alternate shot of the early 70’s “Sesame Street” Muppets that would be sent out to fans in response to fan letters. I LOVE THIS!