April 29 – May 05 (2024) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

When I was in grade school I made little hand-drawn magazines for my friend Kent called “Yes! Magazine.” The content was childish and bizarre, but it mostly dealt with music of the time that we loved, as well as cartoons of teachers we had in school. Luckily Kent still has these and scanned them all as PDFs! When I got back in touch with him several years ago he sent me all of the PDFs and these things sure brought back some memories! But the one page that caught my eye was my list of favorite songs of that time. My eye was drawn to the song at #9…”Brandy.” It’s funny that I had no idea at the time that the writer and singer of that song would someday be a person that I consider a good friend – Elliot Lurie! Ain’t life funny?

I’ve always loved the way James Taylor beautifully twists and crafts his lyrics. And “Never Die Young” is a gorgeous song.

Monday the 29th – WHEN TWO TITANS MEET! – My maids arrived in the early afternoon to clean Planet Wallywood. Normally they come every other Friday, but since the entire area was without power all day last Friday, I had to schedule them to come on Monday. It was a gorgeous day, so after they left I decided to head to Paty’s to have a salad on the patio. I went to my box to get my packages, and then headed home to do some work around the house. Later my pal Amanda stopped by since she was passing through. She loves to eat at Bob’s Big Boy, so we headed over there to get some dinner. Later I came back home to write Wally’s Week and do my nightly WOG (walk/jog). After the workout I enjoyed some quiet time on my anti-gravity chair – just sitting outside in the peaceful, heavenly night. I heard a few night birds singing in the distance. It was very relaxing. I came inside to do some more work, and then I made a salad and watched an amazing episode of “The High Chaparral.” The guest star was Jack Lord, most famous for his portrayal of Steve McGarrett on the original “Hawaii Five-O!” Jack was just as adept at playing villains and playing heroes. And a scene that featured Jack and series star Cameron Mitchell was riveting! Two acting titans exercising their gifts. Wonderful!

Tuesday the 30th – WHAT?! HUH?! – All day I stayed in to do some work. Later I had a ton of auditions to record, and when I was finished I went outside for a nice late-night WOG. Again, I sat in the anti-grav chair to meditate and relax after the workout. It was a cloudy night, but gorgeous nonetheless. I enjoyed looking at various cloud formations overhead and chilling out. When I came back inside I drew out the plans for my Frogenstein mash-up for the upcoming Monsterpalooza. It’s a combination of Kermit the Frog and Frankenstein. I’m planning on putting Kermit in a Frankenstein cosplay and taking him to the convention for a day later this month. I sketched out the concept, scanned it and colored it. This will help those who are helping me construct it get a better idea of what I’m going for. My right ear has gotten progressively plugged over the past few days. Not sure why, but it may have something to do with all of the pressure changes I’ve been through because I’ve been flying so much. Maybe not. I called my Ear, Nose & Throat doctor’s office and left a message to see about coming in to have them take a look at it.

Wednesday the 1st – A VERY ‘MOVING’ DAY! – Wow! This year is really flying by! As I was doing some work around the house my pal Emily called to let me know she got her a medical license she had been trying so hard to get over the past several years. I was very happy for her, so I offered to take her to dinner at the Coral Café in Burbank. As we were driving to dinner my pal Drew called to see what I was doing. He and his girlfriend Nikki were in the process of moving to a new apartment and he needed some help. I told him after dinner I’d drive over and assist. After dinner I dropped Emily off and then called Drew to get directions to his apartment. The Gray Ghost was empty and ready to haul stuff as needed. But when I got there I found out that Drew had a huge U-Haul moving truck and it just needed to be loaded up with stuff and taken over to his new apartment. So for several hours we loaded up boxes and items into the truck. As we were taking a rest Nikki told me that it was Drew’s birthday that day! Though there was very little left in their apartment, we made do with some delicious Bundt cake and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” for Drew’s special day! It was fun. We got to the new apartment, but by then it was rather late in the evening. We had to move in very quietly! I was surprised at how easy the entire process was for me. I actually enjoyed working my muscles out, and realized that all of the “WOGGING” I had been doing over the past year had really helped my endurance. And the occasional weightlifting I do has made me a little stronger. Lifting heavy boxes wasn’t really much of a problem, luckily. For an old feller, I was doing alright! By the time I bid adieu to Drew and Nikki I had been at it about 5.5 hours…and I was feeling pretty good! I had a ton of auditions to do later that night, and then I hit the hay to be up early for my appointment at the ENT on Thursday. I wanted to see what was going on in my right ear!

Thursday the 2nd – PACKED! – Before I went to my ENT appointment I stopped by my box to get my packages. One of the things that arrived was a pair of big, round glasses that I’m turning into a new monocle for my Count Von Count Muppet replica. The regular monocle that I bought is a bit too small and doesn’t match the look of the original. So in addition to changing his nose to a sharper, sleeker design, I’m also improving the monocle and the eyebrows. All three of those components sort of work together on that character. The wires for the eyebrows are mounted on the puppet’s face behind the nose, as is the monocle. When those are fastened down, then the nose is stitched on over them. I got to the ENT’s office and the office was bare! No patients! Both doctors were off doing surgeries, but the Physician’s Assistant was there to look me over. He said I had a slight fungal infection on my eardrum, and he shot some powder into it with the instruction that I was to keep my right ear very dry until my follow-up visit next week. That means I’ll have to wear a rubber ear plug in my ear when I shower. But I’ll just be glad to be able to hear in stereo again! I drove over to the studios of Alex In Wonderland to show my buddy Mike the new, big, round glasses. He’s going to get some silver to make a frame for the new monocle. He’ll also customize it with a special shaft so it’s easily attachable to the face of The Count. Then I gassed up the Gray Ghost and headed back to my box. I was notified that another package arrived. It was a box of prints of my characters that I had sold out of during my visits to Dallas and Huntsville. Since I was in the area I stopped at Paty’s for lunch on the patio and to enjoy a little time in the sun. Then it was time to head over to Atlas Studios in Burbank to do 3 hours on a video game project. This was the follow-up session to one I had done about a month ago. It’s a great game and a pretty good role! But by the time I finished and got home I was exhausted. My right ear being plugged was affecting my equilibrium quite a bit anyway. All of the activity of the past few days had worn me out a bit, so I napped for a bit. I got up later to do some work around the house, and then I took my nightly WOG. It felt good to be out. I sat in the anti-grav chair in the middle of the night enjoying the environment. I heard a night bird singing away, I heard some coyotes in the distance, a few owls, and I even saw a flying bug! Summer is coming! And since I could hear these things very well that must mean my ear is clearing up nicely! I came back inside to work around the house for a bit. I made a salad and watched another episode of “The High Chaparral.” It was a very funny episode about a 4th of July celebration in the old west. I’m totally digging this show! So far, of all the episodes, there’s been only one clunker.

Friday the 3rd – MY ‘EYE’ ON THE WEEKEND! – It was the time of year again for my annual eye exam with Dr. Dodge in Sherman Oaks! He looked everything over and everything is PERFECT! I ordered a new pair of glasses for reading, and even ordered a slick new pair of sunglasses for the summer! The fact that they just happened to resemble the ones Jeff Lynne wears is purely coincidental! I went to the store to get some groceries, CVS to get some supplies, and then headed home to relax. Later I recorded a very important audition and took a nightly WOG. The time afterwards in the anti-grav chair was again, very peaceful and relaxing. I made a salad and watched another episode of “The High Chaparral.” It was a very dramatic episode about the HC gang trying to rescue two young Caucasian girls from the Apaches. Terrific episode!

Saturday the 4th – PRE-BDAY FEED! – It was time once again for a touch-up on my color, so I walked over to my stylist Andie’s shop later in the afternoon. I overheard a lady named Wendy talking about her birthday celebration, and I asked when it was. Come to find out, it was TODAY! I told her mine was Monday, and before she left we’d be sure to all sing “Happy Birthday” to her. She was a fun little elderly lady who kept telling everyone about her anticipated birthday meal – chicken, baked potato, peas and birthday cake with TWO scoops of vanilla ice cream. She was VERY excited! I was all finished up and ready to go, but I waited around until Wendy came out of the back bathroom so we could start singing. During our time in the stylist’s chair her caregiver had gone out to a local store and grabbed a cupcake and candles. We set the cupcake up on the front desk and when Wendy started coming to the front we all chimed in on the song and her caregiver lit the candle. It really made Wendy’s day! I walked home and did a little work, and then got cleaned up and headed to the Smoke House. My pal Officer Mark suggested we get together for a little pre-birthday meal, and I suggested the Smoke House, since I hadn’t been there in a while. When I got there my pals Scott & Vickie Sebring were already there, and Officer Mark and Miss Connie were at the bar. We got seated at our table and I got a text from Angi saying she was there, but she was on the other side of the restaurant. Eventually she found us and we all started our festivities. It was great fun! After we finished the meal Angi followed me back to my house so we could get caught up. I hadn’t seen her in several weeks as she was out of town. She also gave me my birthday gift, which was a canvas print of Kermit as Mona Lisa! THAT’S going in the Puppet Room for sure! A light dusting of rain came out of nowhere, so I delayed my WOG until it blew over a bit. When I got outside it was still misting, but by the time I hit the anti-grav chair the clouds had all dissipated and it was a very nice night. But it was getting a bit chilly and breezy so I came back inside. Apparently we’re setting records for the low temperatures in L.A. these days. It’s not usually this chilly at night in Los Angeles. COME ON, SUMMER! I did some work around the house which included ordering new sheets and a comforter on Amazon. When I was in the process of changing sheets on my bed I realized that several of the sheet sets I had were pretty worn out. Out with the old…in with the new! I also ordered some supplies for my Frogenstein project; magnets, fake fur, a baby t-shirt, and a small quantity of silver lame. Since it was the first Saturday of the month it was time again for Laurel & Hardy Theatre! I made my traditional Chef Boyardee pizza-in-a-box, popped popcorn, dug out a banana Twinkie, and had my vintage 1973 Stan Laurel mug filled to the brim with ice and Diet Pepsi. Last month I finished up the fantastic Blu-ray of “Laurel & Hardy: Year One” – all of the restored silent films (the ones that still exist, anyway) from the first year they were a team. Although Flicker Alley is hard at work restoring their films from their second year as a team, it will be a while before the Blu-ray is released. I had my pal Scott Sebring rip all 40 of Laurel & Hardy’s sound shorts onto a drive. That way I could do a “lottery” system and watch their films based on a game of chance. I printed out the titles of all 40 of their short films, cut them into little strips, and put them in one of my Sons of the Desert fezzes. The idea is that on the first Saturday of the month, I would draw out a few titles randomly – and those would be the films that I would watch that night. Sometimes I may do two films (generally they’re only 22 minutes each), but sometimes I may do three. As far as I can remember when I was a kid, the local TV station in Aberdeen, South Dakota would run one feature, or three shorts. The features were generally 70 minutes, while three shorts were 66 minutes. Add to that commercials and public service announcements, and you had the full 90 minute “Laurel & Hardy Theatre” presentation for another Saturday night from 10:30 to midnight. I got my food tray ready, hopped into bed and drew out the first film from the fez…”Tit For Tat!” Now, before I settled on this lottery system I reminded myself that the films “Tit For Tat” and “Them Thar Hills” should be serialized as a two-film set…with the latter film coming first. In “Them Thar Hills,” Ollie’s gout has the doctor ordering him to take some time off relaxing in the mountains. But the boys take up in a vacant cabin in the woods that had previously been headquarters for a bunch of moonshiners. The “revenue boys” captured them all and took the moonshiners away, but not before the hillbillies dumped the hooch down the well to hide it. Needless to say the boys really took to that “refreshing mountain well water.” A couple whose car had run out of gas came upon the boys to borrow some fuel. While the husband was away walking back to the car to gas it up, the wife stayed with the boys in their trailer and enjoyed some of that refreshing well water. When the husband returned all hilarious hell broke loose! After this film was released the boys did a film called “The Live Ghost,” but after that they released the short called “Tit For Tat.” It has the boys opening up an appliance store next to a grocery store run by…you guessed…the angry husband and flirty wife from “Them Thar Hills.” Absolute hilarity! Since I had drawn “TFT” from the fez, I obviously had to start with “TTH.” When those two ended I was up for a third. The one I picked was “Beau Hunks,” which is about twice the length of the normal short, but not quite as long as a feature. But it’s always been a favorite of mine, and their dialogue from the first 5 minutes really brought back memories. When I was a kid I would record the soundtrack of the films off of the TV on my cassette recorder. I’d listen to it back and study the dialogue, learn the routines, and learn to do impressions of their voices. Occasionally I would be called upon to recreate those routines in a live setting, going back and forth between both voices. Good times – and most likely this might have been somewhat responsible for my eventual chosen profession. After that I hit the hay to enjoy the final 24 hours of being 62 years old!

Sunday the 5th – KUSTOM KERMIE! – For me, most every Sunday is a crash day. So when I finally got up late in the day I decided to contact a puppet builder I follow on Instagram. As I’m plotting out the design for my Frogenstein, I’m getting less and less comfortable with the idea of using my highly-prized and collectible Kermit the Frog 1:1 replica that I bought from a legendary builder several years ago. It was expensive (but worth it!) and he’s no longer building. So I don’t really want to take this puppet out of the house again. I had bought a “stunt” Kermit from this new builder a while back, but it was much smaller than the 1:1 replica I already own. I had to send it back. But this new builder’s work is so good, I asked him if he would consider expanding his patterns and building a custom Kermit based on the measurements from my current puppet. He said he would, so I set about doing a detailed set of photos and measurements of the Kermit I have. Once he compares these measurements against his patterns, he’ll be able to adjust accordingly. I’d really like to have a “stunt” Kermit I can take out to conventions and shows, without worrying a lot about damaging my valuable 1:1 replica. As I was taking my nightly WOG through the complex I heard a CLANG CLANG! I looked around but I didn’t see anything. Again – CLANG CLANG CLANG! I turned on the light that I wear on my head and saw a vandal using his folded up scooter to vandalize one of our lighting fixtures. He saw my light come on and started walking away. I said, “Can I help you?” He mumbled something and walked away. People are nuts. There was absolutely no reason for him to be knocking the head mount off of the base of the lighting fixture. Bizarre. I got back home and spent a little time in the anti-grav chair, but I was driven to get back inside and get those photos and measurements taken of my Kermit. On Monday I’ll send the builder the measurements, see if he agrees, and then send over the money. By the time I finished everything up, I had officially turned 63 years old! WILD!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK