RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
My folks sent me this picture last week and I thought it was hilarious. They thought it looked like a small version of my cat Spooky. But I was more impressed by the cat hammock! I GOTTA GET ONE!!!
One of the artists featured on Go 96.3 in Minneapolis is MisterWives. I’m not that familiar with them yet, but I do love this song called “Reflections.” It has a very retro feel to it, and sounds like it came right out of the 70’s! It’s one of the few modern-day songs I would actually play in my 1974 Gran Torino! Just listen…
Monday the 2nd – MELLOW MONDAY! – Mid-afternoon I awoke and enjoyed a leisurely day. A little work on the computer, checking some e-mails, writing Wally’s Week, and then it was time to feed the pets. I met my assistant Sara at Jersey Mike’s for dinner. On the way home I grabbed some groceries, and then went home to put them away and take a dip in the Jacuzzi. Then it was time for another quick nap, and then up for my auditions. I finished recording my auditions and e-mailed them to my agents. I watched another episode of “Mannix” from the season eight DVD set and enjoyed the rest of my Jersey Mike’s sub sandwich. It seems like it’s going to be a fairly laid-back week.
Tuesday the 3rd – THE FOGGIEST NOTION! – Shortly after noon I started the day. I had e-mails to reply to, contracts to fill out, scan and send to my agent, and then I got ready to meet my friend Edi and her daughter Emily for lunch at Paty’s. It was a nice day so I took Roxy with me and we all ate on the patio. While I was at lunch I got a text from the “Ellen” show that there was an audition in my e-mail waiting to be recorded. I sped home and did that and other auditions. I grabbed a quick nap on the most comfortable couch in the universe, and then got up to do a few more auditions. I worked well into the night, and around 3am Roxy and I went out for our nightly stroll around the neighborhood. It was relatively clear when we went outside, but very quickly the fog started rolling in. First I noticed a smell in the air; the smell of cool moisture. Then I noticed the street lights were all getting dim. It was a nice, thick fog too. Beautiful in fact. And when it gets overcast or foggy, it gets very quiet outside. It’s almost as if the fog acts as a noise dampener. It’s wonderful to see and smell. I went back inside and made a batch of Buffalo Mac and watched another episode of “Mannix.” I was just going to bed as the sun rose, and that coupled with the fog was gorgeous. I diffused blue-gray ambience…and super quiet! LOVE IT!
Wednesday the 4th – I GOT CLASS! – Right around noon I got out of bed and started prepping for a class I had that evening. It was a voice-over workshop with Disney Casting Director Aaron Drown. I wasn’t that familiar with Aaron, so I wanted to take his workshop and get some direction from him in person. Each of the class members got to read pieces of animation copy twice in the booth. And then get his critique. I was looking forward to it, since I hadn’t taken a class in a long time and I was looking forward to the brush-up. Even though I’ve done thousands of hours of animation, it’s still good to keep learning and developing all the time. I recorded some imaging for Go 96.3 in Minneapolis and sent it over to the Program Director. Edi came by to get a check for some assistant work she did for me in January. I took a brief nap so I could be fresh for the workshop. I got to the studio in Burbank at 6:45 and checked in. There was a sign-in sheet and even though I was the first person to arrive, I let the lady who arrived after me sign in first as a courtesy. Come to find out, the order in which you sign in, is the order in which you go in the booth to read for the Casting Director! So I was second. I’m glad I didn’t’ sign in first! Lesson learned! It was a great class and we all had a great time. I hear that the normal classes are made up of voice actors with various ranges of experiences and abilities. But the class that night seemed to be packed with highly talented professionals. It was a very good group! It went from 7 to 10, and I’m going to do another one next week with a Casting Director from Nickelodeon. During the four years I was at “The Tonight Show” I was a little out of the loop on what was going on in the animation world. Animation sessions are four hours long, and with my “TS” schedule I wasn’t able to take any of those sessions because of the considerable time commitment. So it’s good to get out in that world again. I hit McDonald’s on the way home for some much-needed food, and then went home to record some auditions. I had taken away some really good information from that class. I’m really glad I went! I made an awesome salad and watched another “Mannix” episode before bed!
Thursday the 5th – 84!!! – When I awoke at 1 my contractor Terry and his wife Michelle had just arrived. Terry had been under the weather for quite a while and he was finally well enough to come do some work around my house. I walked Roxy and it was a gorgeous day. People were out in the pool swimming. It was 84 degrees out! IN FEBRUARY! My assistant Sara came over to pick up some mail to take to the post office. An author called me up to do a phone interview for a book she’s writing on “The Green Hornet.” While I gave the interview, I was signing some photos that needed to be mailed out, giving Terry instructions on work projects, and trying to keep everything balanced. It wasn’t easy, and I’m sure the interview sounded strange seeing as how I was so distracted. I apologized to the author profusely, but I think she got what she needed from me. I got in the car and headed to the vitamin store to pick up some more supplements. Then Sara and I met at Togo’s to get some lunch. I got home and met up with Edi who wanted a CD I made for her. Terry was still working away, so I laid down on the couch for a bit. He finished up and headed home and I took a brief nap. I got up and did my auditions, and then did some prep for my two sessions on Friday.
Friday the 6th – IT WAS ONE YEAR AGO TODAY…THAT THE WORLD SAID GOODBYE TO JAY! – Around 8 I climbed out of bed to start the day. The first session of the day was for an ESPN promo. Last year I did a bunch of tracks for “NBA Countdown” sounding like a quasi-Wolfman Jack. They have some new sponsors this year, so I went in to record some new sponsor bumpers in the same character. We recorded at Mai Tai in Burbank. And every time I go there I look forward to hanging out with two gorgeous doggies…Kona and Kilea. They Australian Shepherds and they’re brother and sister. VERY smart and very loving! I had an hour and a half to kill before my next session, which was only a few miles away, so I grabbed some breakfast at the local Burger King. Then I went to Toys ‘R’ Us to do some shopping. Even though my session at Dreamworks wasn’t until 11:30, my agent called while I was shopping and said they were ready for me early. Since I was just killing time until my appointment, I jumped in the car and headed over. I had never been to the Dreamworks’ Glendale campus before, but it was gorgeous. I met Steven and Scott, the two guys producing the project I was on. We had a great time in the recording studio and we were done in a flash. Of course I can’t mention specifically what I was recording, but it was a great time. Steven invited me to stay for lunch afterwards. The thing about the Dreamworks studio is…all the food in the commissary is free! It’s the studio’s way of keeping their creatives fed and happy. Plus, as Steven pointed out, there aren’t really any eating places around the studio, so it’s more convenient. We had some freshly grilled burgers cooked on an outside grill, and Scott, Steven and I sat outside enjoying the sunshine and good conversation. I drove back home to meet the maids so they could clean Planet Wallywood. Then around 6 I drove to a dingy little bar in Burbank called Tin Horn Flats for a “Tonight Show” reunion with some of the former staff. It was a year ago today that we did the final “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” (Has a year gone by already??!) It was great to see everyone. They all seemed healthy and happy, and those who weren’t retired were all working on other projects. Around 8:30 I stopped by Taco Bell to get some food and then headed home to grab a nap on the couch. When I got to sleep at night (or in the early morning) I usually can only sleep around 4 or 5 hours. So I sleep in shifts. I get the rest of my 8 hours on the couch. It’s a weird way to do things, but since I’m not really able to sleep a full 8 hours all in one fell swoop (my mind starts buzzing and wakes me up after about 5 hours) this is what my body likes to do. I got up and walked Roxy and then did some work around the house.
Saturday the 7th – A CYST ON MY WRIST! – Though I got up at 1 for a lunch meeting, I found out it had been postponed after checking my cell phone. Some medical emergency or something. So I just laid around the house and relaxed all day. It was a gloomy, rainy day; perfect for relaxing by the fire. As the rain started to fall, my eyes started to grow heavy. I got up to prepare for movie night with my friends. We’d be screening the Blu Ray of “UHF” starring “Weird Al” Yankovic. I’ve known Al since 1985, so he was kind enough to record a video message for us that I played before the movie. He said he was glad we were watching it in Blu Ray, because some of the jokes in the movie just don’t play well unless they’re seen in 1080p . Ha ha! We enjoyed the movie and played some “Midnight Special” episodes afterwards. But during the evening I was nursing a sore wrist on my right arm. I noticed there was a bump that was causing all the pain. My friend James told me it was some kind of a cyst, and that he had one last year. He said it needed to be drained and it wasn’t anything to worry about. I had been having wrist pain off and on for a few months now, but up ‘til now I hadn’t noticed the bump. It was big and sore. When everyone left I cleaned up around the house and walked Roxy. Having just rained, it was another one of those moist, overcast evenings I enjoy so much. And VERY quiet out. I made a big salad and watched an episode of the old “Avengers” TV show from the U.K. on Blu Ray before bed.
Sunday the 8th – SUN IS BACK ON SUNDAY! – When Roxy and I awoke at 3 for a quick walk, it was another beautiful, sunny day. We kicked around the house for a bit, and then got ready for evening church. It was a great service. We walked back home and got settled, and I grabbed a quick nap on the couch. I got up later in the evening and recorded a TON of auditions! About two hours’ worth! The cyst on my wrist was actually better. Could it have been because of the wet weather??? Hmmm… I’m not sure, but it had gone down considerably and was no longer very painful. I treated myself to a Chef Boy Ar Dee pizza-in-a-box to go with my evening’s “Mannix” episode. If that isn’t the best darn pizza in the world I don’t know what is! I never get sick of “The Chef!” I stayed up all night and went to bed around 8am Monday morning. But just before I turned in, I checked my e-mail and saw some more copy for Go 96.3 in Minneapolis. Since I wanted to turn it around for them expediently, I recorded it then and there and sent it on over. Then I hit the hay.
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
Here are Kilea and Kona respectively. CUTE!
