RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
And now here’s…JOHNNY MANTIS! Don’t “lose your head,” Johnny! Don’t fall in love!
Since I’ve been delving into the first season of “The Munsters” during my nightly vintage TV viewing, I can’t get the theme song out of my head. Though I remember liking this second season version of the theme better (more punch). What a great show!
Monday the 24rd – WALLY WRIGHT? – When I got up at 2 I headed over to my local AAA office to transfer the title of my first Gran Torino to my sister in South Dakota. My brother-in-law had done great work on it since I shipped it to him, and has it running pretty well. They enjoy taking it out for a ride, but in order to do it legally, and get it licensed, they needed the title transferred. I filled out the necessary paperwork at AAA and they submitted it to the DMV. I took the papers over to Fed Ex and overnighted it to my sister. Then I stopped by my mailbox to get my packages. I got the badge wallets I ordered, and they look pretty good. I’ve been obsessed with making screen accurate replicas of the Starsky & Hutch prop badges from the TV show. It’ll be fun to keep them in the Torino in case it’s ever on display. I can spread the badges and ID cards out on the dashboard to add to the effect. I grabbed some food at the McDonald’s drive thru and then headed home to print up some mock Starsky & Hutch ID cards to put them in the badge wallets. They looked great! I got a fan letter from a group of drama students at a school who asked for a signed photo. The letter and envelope were addressed to Wally Wright. In the letter they went on to tell me what a big fan they all were of my work and could I please send them a signed photo. Clearly they weren’t fans of my work, because they didn’t even know my name. So instead of tossing it away, I used it as a “teachable” moment. I wrote the following…”Dear kids. Thanks so much for your nice letter, but my name isn’t Wright. So therefore I’m not sending you a signed photo. But I think you’ve all learned an important lesson about checking your details before you commit to something. Very important in any class, especially drama class. Once you’ve double-checked the facts and details, then commit to what it is you want to do. Regards.” I wrote that on the index card they enclosed for me to sign. The note to them was not signed. I laughed to myself and wished I could be there to see their faces when they opened it and read the letter. I figured it was an important lesson that needed to be taught. Not sure what the teacher of the class was thinking. I typed up Wally’s Week for a bit, and then went over to Jerry’s Famous Deli to meet up with my pal Zak Throne; son of the late, great actor (and my buddy) Malachi Throne. It was fun chatting and catching up. Then I came home to do some auditions and finish Wally’s Week. Then I settled in to watch a few more episodes of “The Munsters” from the Season One DVD set. Fun show!
Tuesday the 25th – TIME FOR A TOUCH-UP! – Once again I rolled out of bed around 2 and did some work around the house. I called the badge company to order my replica Starsky & Hutch badges. Once the prototypes arrive, I’ll inspect them for quality and accuracy and then let the other Gran Torino owners know where they can order them. I’m not finding the appropriate leather badge holders that I need though. The old style ones they used in the TV show were just badge holders. But now they’re all fancy. They have a slot for cash, more slots for credit cards, and then an ID slot and a place for the badge. Overkill. So I may need to have a set actually made up by a leathersmith in order to achieve the screen accuracy I’m looking for. After all this work, why cheap out? I headed off to Bang Zoom studios in Burbank for more work on Project X. This project is very similar to the US Airways job I do, but yet different. Most of the sessions have been simply reading random sentences and phrases to give the computer something to sample from. But today we did riddles, jokes, and even songs! It was a blast! I sped off to Floyd’s Barbershop to get a touch up on my color. I was scheduled for an on-camera shoot the following morning at Warner Brothers and I wanted my hair color to be solid. I came home and did about 15 auditions! I walked Roxy and then hit the hay to be up early for a VERY long Wednesday!
Wednesday the 26th – A VERY LONG WEDNESDAY! – The first order of the day was to be at Studiopolis in Studio City to record on the “Sonic Boom” cartoon for about an hour. The episode heavily featured one of my characters with Sonic himself. So for the beginning of the session it was only Roger Craig Smith and I having fun on the mics. It was very funny! We finished at 10 and I headed over to Warner Brothers in Burbank to get changed for my on-camera interview about my work as The Riddler in the Arkham games. I went into the bathroom and changed, and sprayed my hair in place. But then the make-up artist gal put some make-up on me, and totally redid my hair! She was ripping through my sprayed hair, and by golly it hurt! I was glad I only do these on-camera things about once or twice a year. I don’t know how these on-camera folks do it. Voice-Over is MUCH better! Then I went into the studio and did some Riddler lines while they rolled cameras for some B-roll. Then it was off to a side studio to do the interview. We finished up, I changed back into my shorts and tank top, and went to find my friend James; who works in Post Production Services. My pal Troy from the “Ellen” show texted me to see if I could audition a piece of copy for him. Since I was on the Warner lot, and that’s where they shoot the “Ellen” show, I had James grab a gold cart and run me over to the stage. I did the interview in their sound booth, and then James and I headed to the commissary to grab lunch. When lunch was finished, I went back inside to the recording studio to do another game session! This was for Marvel! I got to voice Crimson Dynamo and Dr. Strange. I laughed and told James, “Only in Voice-Over can you play a DC Comics villain in the morning, and a Marvel villain AND super-hero in the afternoon! I love it!” I finished up the session and headed to the post office to mail some stuff. Then I headed home to walk Roxy and relax on the couch for a bit. The day’s activities had really worn on my vocal cords. My voice had been stressed lately anyway, and this didn’t help. So I needed some voice rest. In the evening I played host in Planet Wallywood to a guy named Tyler, who has a podcast about showbiz and Christianity. He had seen my panel at the San Diego Comic Con and asked for an interview, which I was happy to give. But my voice was so creaky I hope it turns out alright. When we finished up around 10 I did a bunch of auditions. The ones my voice couldn’t handle I just deleted. I grabbed a quick snooze on the couch, and then got up to feed and walk Roxy. I’ll continue to rest my voice in hopes that it will be fine for the American Airlines session the following day.
Thursday the 27th – FINE, FINE FOLLICLES! – By 1pm I was on the freeway and headed for Marina Del Rey. I was scheduled to voice a couple more safety videos for American Airlines at Global Eagle. Luckily the voice held up pretty well, but it was in a range that wasn’t affected much by my recent stressful vocal work. After the session I had a nice, leisurely lunch at Campo’s in Culver City (my favorite Mexican restaurant I used to frequent in the “old” days) and then hit It’s a Wrap in Beverly Hills. I found a really cool green leather sport jacket. It’s almost a little “Riddler-y” so I snagged it! But it wasn’t cheap. But I think I’ll wear it next weekend in Sacramento for my appearance at SacAnime. I headed over to Regenix to get my follicles looked at, and they’re in great shape! On the drive home my niece Julia called to ask about Olympian Gabby Douglas. She knew she had been on “The Tonight Show” several years back, and she wanted to know if I had met her. Though I saw her in the hallway, I didn’t physically meet her. Julia was also interested in some of my Voice-Over work, so I pointed her to my imdb page. I chatted with my pal Grigg in Detroit about the S&H badges. Grigg is with Detroit PD, and is very interested in getting a set of replica badges. I also spoke to my folks for a bit, and then got home to walk Roxy. I did a quick audition for my agent and e-mailed it in, recorded some voice tracks for Go 96.3 in Minneapolis, and then relaxed. What a busy day! I took a quick nap before my pal Brittney Powell stopped by so we could go get dinner at Jerry’s Famous Deli. I came back home and did some more auditions, and then hit the hay to watch more “Munsters” episodes.
Friday the 28th – LADIES & GENTLEMEN…JOHNNY MANTIS! – At 11:15 I was at Voicecasters in Burbank doing an audition for Burger King. It was a very VERY hot day, as is usual for the final week of August. I went to the Plastic Depot to have my pal Kyle cut my a few little pieces of clear plastic that I can mount on my Magical Lunchbox for my new webseries. I needed something that would block open the lid for a special effect. I hit my mailbox and picked up a “Wizard of Oz” hardcover book I ordered, and then I went to Voice Trax West to get ready to spend a few hours recording the new narration for Multi-Media Assemblies’ new presentation. I’ve been narrating their shows for about 15 years now. They play at schools all over the country, and use TV, music video, and movie clips to teach kids about how to live a positive, productive life. They’re great shows and I’m proud to have been associated with them all these years. The ol’ voice was a little tired, but we made it through the session. But that was the final session for the week, so I could rest it all weekend now. I got to my house, dumped my stuff, and then went to my neighbor’s house to walk and feed their greyhound Abby. I came back to my house to walk and feed my OWN beasts. I grabbed a quick nap, and then got up and grabbed a shower. My friend Kylie was in town from Florida so I wanted to get dinner with her. She was in town to dance with Miley Cyrus on the MTV VMA’s. We grabbed a sumptuous dinner at Outback and caught up on all the news and happenings in our lives. When I got home I napped a bit, and then got up to do some computer work. I’m SURE glad it’s the weekend! Before bed and “Munsters,” I made some hot dogs on the grill. When I got out to my patio I noticed another Praying Mantis (it’s the third one I had seen around in a week). This one, whom I named “Johnny Mantis,” was hanging upside down on the ceiling over my patio. He seemed sound asleep, so I didn’t want to bother him. But I sure love those things! I had taken some photographs of another Praying Mantis on one of our light globes in the complex a few days earlier. I wonder if that was him?
Saturday the 29th – HAPPY PNEUMONIAVERSARY! – One year ago today, my assistant Sara took me to my Dr. because I was near death with bronchitis. It’s the day he diagnosed me with pneumonia. Since that day, my perspective on life and how to live it has changed considerably. So I’m probably always going to observe this date as a day of personal significance. Let’s just say I’m really glad to be alive. I got up at noon for my maids, and I let them in to do their work. My pal Brittney came by again to do some work. Both Brittney and the maids finished up about the same time, so after they left I grabbed a nap. It had been a VERY crazy, wacky week. But since it was a hot day, there were unending shifts of screaming kids in the pool, so I tried to get some little bits of nap time in between annoying children. I’m not sure why their parents don’t tell them to pipe down; seeing as how this is a complex where people live and relax…not a public pool. I’m not sure what it is about kids, but why do they have to SCRRREEAM bloody murder when they get into a swimming pool? Strange. When I got up I did some work around the house to prep for movie night. We had a good one! We watched the “Magnum, p.i.” parody episode of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Then we watched a screener of the new “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” movie. It was a ton of fun! After everyone left I grabbed an hour nap on the couch. I’m not able to sleep 8 hours continuously (my mind keeps buzzing) so I sleep in shifts. 6 hours here…1 hour here…1 hour there. It works for me. If I ever want to sleep a full 8 hours there has to be some sort of medication involved. I was up all night scanning through “Starsky & Hutch” episodes looking for screenshots where they show their badges. This research is fun! I got what I needed, compiled the info and e-mailed all of the guys to let them know their options. Then I made my usual Saturday night salad and went to bed to watch “The Persuaders.” When it was over I hit the computer to do some more work on the badges. I didn’t get to bed until around 10am Sunday morning!
Sunday the 30th – HEAT BREAK! – Mid-afternoon I woke up and hung out around the house. I did some work on the badge artwork, and then got cleaned up for evening church. By the time it Roxy and I needed to walk over to church, the weather had gotten somewhat cooler. It seems like the heat wave was breaking (at last!). When church was over the clouds had moved in and it was decidedly cooler out. It was a nice walk home in the cool, evening air. I did a little work around the house, grabbed a quick nap, and then worked on my auditions. I did some organizational work, made some spaghetti and hit the hay to watch more “Munsters” on DVD from the Season One DVD set. I’m hoping this coming week will be a bit mellower than the previous week. Whew!
And how was YOUR week??!!
