RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
Awhile back I was gifted with several personal snapshots from the collection of “Dark Shadows'” Jonathan Frid. Mr. Frid passed away in May of 2012, and his nephew sent me several photographs of Jonathan enjoying all aspects of life. With his kind permission, he allowed me to share then with Jonathan’s fans through my website. Here is Jonathan getting in some quality parasailing time! I’m not sure of the year in which this photo was taken.
This song came up on my Palm Springs playlist while I was stargazing from my sixth floor hotel balcony. It provided an amazing soundtrack for celestial ponderings! It’s called “Alpha Centauri” by Israel Medina and David Felton.
Monday the 21st – CHER AND SHARE ALIKE! – When I got up at 11, I did some work around the house to prepare for my folks’ arrival later that afternoon. I got a call from my agent that the people producing Cher’s new concert tour had some copy changes for the Ringleader character I voiced a few weeks ago. I got in touch with the director and she played the music for me over the phone while I recorded the new lines in my home studio. It was an odd way to do it, but it worked out great! I edited the files, sent them over to her, and went about my business. My maids came in the middle of the session, so they had to wait outside until I was finished. My assistant Sara was there to stay with them while they cleaned, so I showered up and headed out to begin the day. I’m getting parts of my 2003 Mustang convertible repainted, and the rest buffed and polished. Over the 10 years I’ve been using it as my daily driver, life on the L.A. streets hasn’t been kind to the paint. Scratches on the front bumper, nicks and chips on the front right fender, and all around general wear. But Eric came highly recommended from my local Ford dealer, so while I would be away in Palm Springs, I wanted Eric to spruce the ol’ girl up. I got to Eric’s body shop, but he was out giving a client a ride home. The time ticked away, and I noticed it was getting close to the time I had to meet my folks at the Burbank airport. So I decided to stop by Guns Direct and pick up my new CZ Rami sub-compact. The California-mandated 10 day waiting period was up and it was time to go claim my new purchase. It’s a beaut! I picked it up and headed to the airport. For the past few weeks my mom has been feeling listless and weak. In fact, my dad called on Sunday with doubts they would even make the flight. But they did and here they were. I took them home so they could rest, while I walked to the local Enterprise location to pick up my SUV rental for our trip to Palm Springs. I picked up some food for Roxy, then headed home to pick up the folks for dinner at Jerry’s Famous Deli. My assistant Sara joined us. Then I stopped by the local CVS to get a new round of meds for my sinus infection, which felt like it was still hanging on. In addition to another round of anti-biotics, my doctor also put me on some steroids to reduce the inflammation. But before I took the first dose I was feeling a bit better. So even though my back tooth was still sensitive, it wasn’t so bad that I felt the need to start more medication. So I decided to wait and see. We got some groceries and then headed back to Planet Wallywood so I could make up The Puppet Room for my folks. I walked Roxy, loaded in the groceries and did my auditions. Whew! What a day! I can’t wait to relax in Palm Springs for a few days! I had to hit the hay early to be up early the next morning for another “Sonic Boom!” session!
Tuesday the 22nd – PALM SPRINGS IN DOUBT?! – I had to be up bright and early at 8:30 for another session for the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon “Sonic Boom!” They shot video at the session (what they call in the industry “B roll”) to release on upcoming DVDs and documentaries. The session started at 9:15 and they put me right into make-up and hair. It was a fun session and the interview segments were great. But when I got home my mom was just not feeling very well. Our exodus to Palm Springs at noon was now in doubt. I already had the rooms pre-paid for, so I wasn’t sure what to do. Mom’s flu bug from a few weeks ago hadn’t gone completely, which left mom feeling blah. I decided to let mom sleep the afternoon away, while dad and I ran errands. We didn’t have any specific reason to leave for Palm Springs at noon, so we could drive over later in the evening. I drove the Gran Torino to Eric’s Body Shop while dad followed in the Mustang. We dropped off the car and I took dad to lunch at Paty’s. We sat on the patio eating lunch, enjoying the day. It was good to get some father/son time in, which we hadn’t had the opportunity to do in a long time. We drove back home in the Torino and started packing up. Mom was feeling a bit better, and my plan was to get her to Palm Springs so she could relax in the room all she wanted. But the two hour road trip to Palm Springs would be the worst part of it. Mom said she thought she could make it. We drove the SUV to Palm Springs around 9pm and got there at 10:30. On the road, the digital readout on the instrument panel said I had low pressure in the left front tire. So when we stopped at Denny’s to get food to go I checked it out. It looked a bit low, but I wasn’t sure why. I knew a reputable company like Enterprise would have surely checked the tire pressure before they rented the vehicle. Thankfully we made it to Palm Springs alright and we checked into the rooms. It was good to be back at the Hyatt, but unfortunately my star watching time was hampered by two bright lights that had been installed at the construction site next door to the hotel. The lights were meant to illuminate the construction site, but were so bright it flooded my side of the hotel with super bright light. So trying to watch stars with that glaring light in my face was like trying to watch a movie with a spotlight shining in your eyes. I was really bummed out. The lights completely washed out the view of the stars and the mountains behind the hotel. I hit the hay around 5 and set my alarm to be up at 9 to meet my old pal Adam West for breakfast at 10.
Wednesday the 23rd – 34 YEARS AND COUNTING! – It’s hard to believe I’ve known the iconic Adam West since 1980, but it’s true. We met at Ruby’s Diner in downtown Palm Springs at 10 and Adam was looking as dapper as ever. I brought Roxy along and she rested on the patio with us as we dined. Adam’s wife Marcelle came by a little later to say hi with a friend. It sure was fun chatting and catching up. For being almost 86, he’s in remarkable shape! My pal Pete (co-producer of “Hawaii Five-O”) had a birthday the day before. I purposely didn’t text him any happy birthday wishes, because I wanted to get Adam on the phone as a gift. I texted Pete to call me, and he did. I put Adam on the phone and Pete acted like he was 5 years old again. It was fun! Pete even put Adam on the phone with “Hawaii Five-O” Executive Producer Peter M. Lenkov! After breakfast Roxy and I walked back to the hotel and connected with my folks. My pal Amanda drove in to hang out with us, and we drove over to Panera for lunch. Mom was still not feeling great, and when she said she hadn’t eaten in about 12 hours I started thinking that she may have low blood sugar. So we stopped at Walmart to get protein bars that she could munch on throughout the day. I also stopped at American Tire to see why my air pressure in my left front tire was so low. When I pulled up, the SUV was in the perfect position to see what the problem was…two nails in the tire about ½” apart! Rats! American Tire didn’t have a repair agreement with Enterprise, so I drove the folks back to the hotel and called Enterprise Roadside Assistance. They came and towed the SUV to Firestone, and after putting on a new tire we were good to go! I was ready for dinner. We drove out to Rancho Mirage and had a sumptuous dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Then on the way back we stopped at the ice cream place on Palm Canyon Drive and got a Dole Whip! I’m addicted! We got back to the room and I walked Roxy. It was a beautiful evening! Perfect weather this time of year. As my pal Officer Mark says, “It’s weatherless.” It really is the best way to describe it. When I come back to the hotel in a week I may get a room that’s a few doors down from my normal room, in order to avoid the glaring lights of the construction site. Star watching was fun, and it was totally quiet for about a half hour. Heavenly! But then it got noisy again. Some workmen parked their van on the street below and started clanging around. I saw some stars, a few shooting stars, and even watched the planet Mars set behind the mountain! I had a friend hanging out with me…a medium sized cockroach must’ve crawled down from the roof to see what crumbs of food he could find on my balcony. I didn’t want his company, however, so I scooped him up in a cup and threw him over the side. I’m sure he would spread his wings and float safely to the ground. (Cockroaches DO have wings, right?) I got to bed around 4:30am.
Thursday the 24th – BACK TO THE HOUSE OF ELVIS! – I got up at noon and we headed over to the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway to give the folks the tour. I took Roxy along so she could see Darlene the tour guide and Leonard the owner of the house. While my folks and Amanda took the tour, I sat outside in front with Roxy enjoying the day. I got a chance to chat with Leonard for a little bit, and he talked about the big event next weekend. I can’t wait! After the tour we had planned on taking Roxy to the dog park, but mom was tired and wanted to get back to the room. I got the folks tucked away in their suite, while Amanda and I donned our swimsuits and headed for the pool. We had tacos poolside and eventually took a dip in the Jacuzzi. Time really flew, and before we knew it, it was time to go back inside and get ready for the regular Thursday night street fair. We saw our ol’ pal Harpo the Clown, and Roxy got to meet a lot of other dogs on the street. Time flew the entire day! We finished up our purchases and headed back to the hotel to get packed up for our exit on Friday. I went across the street to NYPD pizza and got a large pepperoni to go. I spent the rest of the night on my balcony watching the stars and I saw another great shooting star. As well as Mars setting behind the mountain again. What a sight! Sitting on that balcony all night eating popcorn and drinking cold Cokes in a glass bottle is one of my all-time favorite things to do!
Friday the 25th – BACK HOME AGAIN! – At 10am sharp I finished packing up, loaded up the SUV and hit the road for home. We stopped at A&W on the way home for some burgers to go. It was a real nice drive home, and the traffic was terrific. We got back to my house around 2. I dropped my mom off, then my dad and I went to Eric’s Body Shop to pick up the Mustang. WOW! It looked fabulous! Almost like new again! My dad followed me to Enterprise and I returned the SUV. Then we drove the Mustang back to my house. But I was worn out, so I grabbed a nap. Having the responsibility for two elderly parents is a huge job, and I was feeling it. The folks were tired too. When we got up around 10pm it had rained a bit. We hopped in my freshly polished Mustang and hit DuPar’s for some late dinner. Then we headed back home to continue unpacking and turn in for the night!
Saturday the 26th – REAGAN DAY! – Our friend Michael Reagan had set us up with tickets to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley for today, so we drove over and checked in. We hadn’t been there in years and it’s really changed quite a bit! My pal Officer Mark and his girlfriend Connie met us there and we had a great time! Air Force One was amazing, and Marine One was stunning. It was on the deck of Marine One where President Reagan stood waving goodbye after his term in office was over. I remember that shot like it was yesterday. But on the drive home I was still really sleepy. I was glad to make it home and grab a nap. When I got up we ordered Pizza Hut and watched an old movie on DVD called “The Next Voice You Hear” which starred Nancy Davis…Nancy Reagan’s name before she married Ronnie. When the movie was over I cleaned out the Chaney Room to get ready for a video crew who would be visiting Planet Wallywood on Sunday to get some footage of my Andy Kaufman collectibles. I did some more work around the house and hit the hay!
Sunday the 27th – “FAN”-DY KAUFMAN! – During the Hollywood Collector Show a few weeks ago, Tony Clifton introduced me to a filmmaker named Kevin Michaels who is doing a new documentary on Andy Kaufman. He asked if he could interview me for his film and I of course said yes. But as a bonus, my folks got interviewed as well! They talked about my early aspirations to do Andy’s act at high school talent shows and functions. My mom used to darken my sideburns with her mascara, while my dad took 35mm slides of my various characterizations. We were quite the team! When all was said and done we drove over to the Coral Café for some lunch. We came home, fed the animals and got ready for evening church. After church we walked home and the evening weather was stunning. My parents had just made it through a horrible South Dakota winter and were really enjoying the great weather, both here in L.A. and in Palm Springs. I took a quick nap then got up around 11 to take the folks to Jerry’s Famous Deli for a late dinner. They wanted one last bowl of Jerry’s famous soup before they went back to South Dakota. We got some groceries on the way home, and then I put the folks to bed and I did my auditions. What an action packed week! The folks leave first thing Tuesday morning.
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
After a long, tiring (but fun) day in Palm Springs, Amanda and Roxy settle in for a nap.
At the street fair, something catches my eye!
Our old pal Harpo the Clown was making the rounds!
Here’s video of Roxy at the Elvis House in Palm Springs
At the Reagan Library and Museum Dad takes the podium to give a speech.
Then it’s time for the comedy relief. But the audience looks virtually the same! Strange!
Officer Mark gets a great panoramic view of Air Force One!
Here’s a replica of how the Oval Office looked during President Reagan’s term in office.
Mom, Dad and I in front of Air Force One.
He’s got the whole world in his hands! Well, at least Air Force One anyway!
Mom stands by an actual piece of the fallen Berlin Wall.
Slowly but surely the “Oz” busts are coming together! Jim Ojala just mounted and painted the Cowardly Lion bust, and he’s ready to be haired and have his costume sewn. My contractor Terry is making the Tin Man’s costume out of thin copper sheeting. These will look amazing!!
