RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

My assistant Sara sent me this satellite pic from my neighborhood. Gee…recognize anybody’s car here? The Gran Torino is so bright it can be seen from space!

Since meeting “Mr. Christmas” Johnny Mathis this past week, I’ve had all of his Christmas songs in my head. Especially“Sleigh Ride.” Love it!

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Monday the 17th – MONDAY IS FRID-DAY! – I got up for a meeting with my electrician “Electric Bob,” who put a new track lighting strip in the Chaney Room to illuminate the new figures I’ve added. James Tooley also stopped by to select some photos from my Bat Scrapbook. He’s a filmmaker who’s doing a documentary on Adam West (his father-in-law) and his legions of fans. The film will focus on the efforts to get Adam his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Since I’ve known Adam since 1980 (longer than most anyone he’s currently involved with) James thought it would be prudent to dedicate a section of the film to my first meeting with Adam. I’m having the original March 1, 1980 radio interview I did with Adam transferred from reel to reel tape to digital. He’s going to use a small segment of it in the film along with some photos. He selected about 30 shots from my scrapbook, which I’ll scan and e-mail over to his editor. Then I got showered and headed to the KFC drive-thru to grab some fast lunch. Then I headed over to NBC to tape “The Tonight Show.” Singer Colbie Calliat was on the show and WOW! She’s fantastic! I don’t remember her being quite as beautiful as she is, but she’s stunning! I was having a conversation with a fellow “TTS” employee in the hallway when she walked by, and I literally forgot what I was talking about! On the way home I stopped by my mailbox and picked up some very precious cargo! My friend Don Frid in Canada is the nephew of Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas Collins from the “Dark Shadows” gothic soap from the 60’s. Jonathan recently passed away so Don was going through his uncle’s house sorting through things. He found Jonathan’s wolf’s head cane. In the show, Barnabas was rarely seen without his silver wolf’s head walking stick. It became somewhat of a trademark. So when Jonathan started appearing at “Dark Shadows” festivals in the late 70’s, he had a similar cane custom made so he could appear with it in person. This was that very cane! As Jonathan advanced in age, he started to rely on the prop as a functional cane. He used it for that purpose until his death last April. Don knew that I had a lifesize Jonathan Frid “Barnabas” mannequin in my Chaney Room, and figured it would be a good new home for it. We agreed on terms and he sent the cane my way. I couldn’t wait to get it home and get it in the bejeweled hand of my Barnabas figure. I didn’t polish it, clean it, or otherwise alter it. I wanted it just the way Jonathan left it. The cane has its share of dings and dents from over 30 years of use, but that only adds to the authenticity. I also have a great shot of Jonathan holding the cane (seen in last week’s Random Pic of the Week) which is displayed next to the figure. I also posted a new sign with verbiage that reflected the history of the highly collectible piece! Most of the original canes used in the TV show are long gone, destroyed or lost. This may very well be the next best thing to an actual Barnabas cane! I did some more work in the Chaney Room, focusing the new lights on the places where the new figures stand. Sara came over to do some work, and after she left I took some “Christmas Nappies,” where I nap on my more-than-comfortable couch with the fireplace ablaze, and the Christmas music from the satellite quietly playing on the sound system. My pets have become accustomed to the routine, as they settle into their own little places when they see me grabbing my favorite blanket and pillow to prep for my snooze. When I got up I fixed Roxy some dinner, took her for our usual 3am walk, and came back inside to continue working on the final signage for Planet Wallywood. It’s been a long project, but it’s been worth it. All of the new signs look great! But when I went to update my i-Pod it erased all of my songs! I had to restore my i-Pod to try it again. But it was only partially loading my collection of songs. Something was wrong, and it said my i-Pod was corrupted. Egad! What next?! I made some dinner and hit the hay to watch another episode of “Mannix” from the Season 6 DVD set.

Tuesday the 18th – TOO MUCH HUB-BUB! – When I got up to check e-mail I noticed that my mouse was totally frozen. I tried everything…from restarting my computer to putting new batteries in it. But nothing. Then I got wise. I unplugged the mouse receiver from my hub and plugged it directly into my computer. A HA! It worked! I started to realize that my hub may have been my problem with my i-iPod all this time! So I plugged the i-Pod directly into my computer and it loaded perfectly! So the i-Pod wasn’t corrupted, it was my stupid hub! That’s an easily fixable $20 problem! I texted my computer guy Sean to get a recommendation on a new hub. I hurried to NBC to get in on the delicious bar-b-q lunch that was being provided to the cast and crew by our director Liz Plonka. It was fantastic! I went inside to the audio booth to say hi to my pal Patrick Smith, “TTS” audio mixer. I had just watched LeAnn Rimes rehearse her song for the show. It was a beautiful song called “Borrowed.” She walked through the hallway looking very lovely and I couldn’t resist telling her how beautiful the song was. She said a very perky “Thank you!” Like Colbie the day before, LeAnn’s very striking in person! I had a little time before the taping of the show, so I hopped in the car and hit Best Buy to get a new hub. Then I stopped by my buddy Kyle’s gun shop Guns Direct in Burbank. It was packed! You couldn’t move in there! There was a rush on gun sales! There was no need to stick around, so I said hi to Kyle and made my way out the door. Looks like Kyle is going to have a VERY “green” Christmas! I went back to NBC to tape the show, then headed home to do work. I got some more “Christmas Nappies,” then got up for several auditions that I recorded in my home studio and e-mailed to my agents. Then I made some dinner and retired to watch another episode of “Mannix.”

Wednesday the 19th – A COMEDY LEGEND! – I got a hotline call to wake up and record a bit for “TTS” in my home studio and e-mail it into the show. Then I walked Roxy, and just as I had come back inside I got another call to re-do the bit to accommodate a script change. I headed over to Studio Copy to pick up a new print of my Andy Kaufman “Heartbeeps” poster (which shows Andy with a lifesize mock-up of his robot character from the film). The one I’ve had hanging up for some time, next to my own lifesize figure of Andy’s Valcom character, has started to bubble. The adhesive used to adhere the poster to the foamcore backing must’ve had some air trapped in it. So I’m having another one printed so it can be heat pressed onto the foam core. That should prevent any wrinkling or bubbling. I stopped by the hardware store to pick up a few items, then went to Plastic Depot to pick up a few items they were constructing for the Chaney Room. I went to NBC to tape “TTS” and saw the great George Shapiro in the hallway. In addition to managing Andy Kaufman, he also manages Carl Reiner who was a guest on the show. I had met Mr. Shapiro a few times before and had wanted to say hi, but I didn’t get a chance. My buddy Mike Schrimmer, owner of Windy City Novelties in Chicago, had sent a box full of novelty Christmas items, so I had a blast handing them out to staff members. Light up Christmas light necklaces, blinking Christmas elf hats, and inflatable reindeer antlers! We finished up the show and I stopped by the grocery store to get some groceries. Then Sara came by to give me my Christmas present and say goodbye. She was traveling to Arizona to be with her family for the holidays. I worked around the house, putting traction strips on my couch riser (so people in stocking-feet won’t slip), and I put up the pieces I had gotten from Plastic Depot in the Chaney Room. And though it was VERY cold out, I braved it to hit the Jacuzzi. I came back inside and enjoyed some more Christmas Nappies. When I got up I reconciled my checkbook, paid some bills, and scanned those pics from my Bat Scrapbook for James Tooley. Since the industry is winding down quite a bit for the holidays, there weren’t any auditions to do tonight. So I made dinner and went to bed to watch “Mannix.”

Thursday the 20th – MEETING MR. CHRISTMAS! – I got a hotline call to be into NBC at 1:30 for a few comedy bits. I got up and got ready, stopped by my printer to pick up my flash drive, and then went to NBC to enjoy some more delicious food, provided by our Executive Producer Debbie Vickers for Christmas! Those sliders were amazing! I went inside and watched Johnny Mathis rehearse his Christmas songs for the show. Johnny’s one of the few classic Christmas voices remaining. Bing, Dean, Elvis, etc. are gone. But Johnny still sounds amazing. Hearing him sing those Christmas classics really takes me back! He’s just so effortless in his singing. I finished up the comedy bits then went to the kitchen to get a soda. There was Mr. Christmas himself just hanging out! He seemed very approachable, so I figured I may never have this chance again. I introduced myself and shook his hand. He’s a very VERY nice guy! I told him I enjoyed his music, and as I listen to Christmas music on the satellite, I’ve noticed that every third song seems to be a Mathis tune. I joked that there must be some unwritten law somewhere that requires any station playing Christmas music to play a Mathis tune every third song. I told him “Winter Wonderland” and “Marshmallow World” were my favorites of his. He thanked me and I went on my way back to the booth. WOW! Mr. Christmas himself! Fantastic! I redid a bit with a script rewrite, then relaxed a bit more before the taping of the show. I wasn’t the only one excited to see Johnny Mathis there. Jay Leno himself was filled with joy that Johnny was on the show to bless us with his vocal magic! In fact, the entire “TTS” crew was in a very good mood, no doubt looking forward to a nice long holiday break. When we wrapped, I headed to Studiopolis Burbank to do a few lines for an upcoming “Bleach” episode. One of the houses in the neighborhood by Studiopolis had spent oodles of money on superior Christmas decorations. They had a full lighting set up, and the lights were all controlled by a sequencer which made the lights “dance” to music provided on their own low-power FM station. If you tuned your car radio to 107.9, you could listen to their Christmas music, and the lights would sync to it. In addition to lights on the house, the hedges, the trees, the garage, and all around the yard, the house would turn different colors. From red, to green, to blue. Sometimes a snowfall pattern would appear on the house to make it seem like it was snowing. I couldn’t take my eyes off it! I wanted to stay there to watch for another half hour or so, but I had to get home. They must have spent a ton of money on that system, but I appreciated it very much, as I’m sure countless others did as well! When I got home one of the “TS” writers texted me with a script change for a bit that was airing on Friday. So I quickly recorded it in my studio and e-mailed it over. Then my pal Jim Ojala, my special effects guy, showed up with my latest figures…Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was quite a bit of work to finish them, but there they were! And they looked fabulous! (For the full story of their creation,click here!) I told myself I was going to grab a quick nap first, then spend the entire evening dressing them. But I was so excited by their arrival, that I started the dressing process immediately. I couldn’t wait to see them completed! But all that assembling made me hungry. So I called my pal Edi and we went to get some food at DuPar’s. But when we got there DuPar’s was closed for construction. So we went to Denny’s instead. Then I came home and literally collapsed in bed. LONG DAY!

Friday the 21st – LET THEM WEAR CAKE! – I got a hotline call to be into NBC at 12:30 for a comedy bit. We’d be taping an hour early today to accommodate everyone’s holiday travel plans. This would be our last day of taping until January 2nd. I got up and scanned some checks for a bank deposit, walked Roxy, and printed off some Amazon gift cards for some of my co-workers at NBC. I hit the road and got to the “TS” stage to record three bits. I gave out the gift cards and then headed over to the grocery store to order a birthday cake for a couple of the guys who come to Saturday night movie night. Their birthdays were coming up next week and I wanted to surprise them. Then I got home and met up with Edi, who would be hanging out at my house in the afternoon to let my maids in while I was away. I walked Roxy and sped off to NBC again for the final taping of 2012. It was one for the record books! First off, Terry Bradshaw made his 50th appearance on “TTS” and was awarded a beautiful cake to commemorate the occasion. But when you get Jay and Terry together with a cake, trouble is bound to happen. Terry swiped some cake on Jay’s face, and not to be outdone, Jay picked up the entire cake and dumped it on Terry’s head! They both fell down on the floor in a pile of cake, and they continued smearing it on each other’s heads! It was comedy gold. In fact, it was such a shocking sight, that audio mixer Patrick Smith stood up from his chair with his hands in the air and said, “OH MY GOD!” It took the make-up and hair crew about 10 minutes to clean Jay up for his next segment with Elle Fanning. When we returned from the commercial break, the audience was still laughing, not quite sure if they should believe what they just saw! If you missed it, you can catch it on-line athttps://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/ We wrapped the show and said our holiday goodbyes. It’s kinda sad to leave, but I think an 11 day break will do us all some good. And January 2nd will be here before you know it! I went to see my chiropractor for an adjustment, then I headed home to get ready for my pal Randy Carver’s wedding. Edi came by to go to the wedding with me, and it was a blast. It was not only fun and celebratory, but funny as well. Edi had mentioned that her wedding was so somber, as was mine, and it needed a little more fun like Randy and Shelley’s. I wholeheartedly agreed. Too bad weddings have to always be so serious. After the wedding dinner, I went home to do some work, organize a few things, and go to bed. I was really tired, and I had to be up early the next day.

Saturday the 22nd – A UNIVERSALLY FUN TIME! – As a Christmas gift for our movie night crew, my pal Brian got us tickets to Universal. We met in the morning around 10 and got our tickets. Our first stop was the Transformers attraction, which was fabulous! Then we went on the Mummy, Jurassic Park, and then headed upstairs to see my favorite show there…the Animal Actor’s Stage Show! We ate a ton of food, had a blast, and I even bought a pair of Grinch feety pajamas. I had to find a pair in XL, as the Large sized ones didn’t come anywhere near fitting a 6’ 1” guy like me. I slipped off to go pick up the birthday cake at the grocery store. I left just in time as it started to rain late afternoon. I went home to set up for movie night by myself (my assistant Sara was in Arizona) and grabbed a quick nap. We had lotsa folks for movie night, but unfortunately my Grinch pj’s still weren’t big enough for me. I could get them zipped up, but the neckline was down off my shoulders quite a bit. If you ever see a 2XL pair of Grinch feety pajamas, let me know. Those should fit me! After movie night was done I spent the rest of the night doing work around the house. I was craving grilled hot dogs, so at 4am I started my outdoor gas grill and made awesome chili dogs! I watched Mannix in bed with the pets and settled in. Christmas vacation was FINALLY here! Aaaaahhhhhhhhh! Nice!

Sunday the 23rd – CHRISTMAS EVE EVE! – I slept late into the afternoon, then got up to walk Roxy and feed my cat Spook. I talked to my neighbors for awhile outside. It was a beautiful day, but rain was expected later that night. I came back inside and got ready for evening church. I walked Roxy over to church and we enjoyed the service. I came home and napped for awhile, until my pal Amanda stopped by. I got up and we went to Coral Café for dinner. When we came out it had started to rain again, so we drove around for a bit listening to Christmas music and enjoying the wintery weather. Then I spent the rest of the night doing work and getting ready for Christmas week! HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

And how was YOUR week??!!