RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

Ahhh, memories of Christmases past. Here I am with my prized Gumby and Pokey figures from Christmas of 1967!

Ever hear one of those songs that sticks with you, but you’re still not sure if you like it or not? Well, such is the case with this one. Kay Kyser and His Orchestra did a song back in the 30’s called “Hello Mr. Kringle.” They play it a lot on Sonic Tap, the Christmas channel on DirecTV that I listen to endlessly. It’s stuck in my head, but there’s so many weird things about it. I just don’t know if I like it. But I HAVE been humming it a lot lately. I guess it’s characteristic of the era, but it’s an odd one nonetheless. But any band with a comic named Ish Kabibble can’t be all bad, can they?

Monday the 3rd – COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS! – Hard to believe that Christmas will be here in THREE WEEKS! I got a hotline call in the morning to be at “The Tonight Show” at 2:15 to record some comedy bits. So I hightailed it into the studio, did the bits, grabbed a salad for lunch at the world-famous NBC Commissary, and then taped the show. I went home and grabbed some “Christmas Nappies” (a nap on the couch with Roxy and Spooky, by the fireplace with Christmas music playing lightly on the satellite), and then got up to do some work around the house. I also had a lot of auditions to do in my home studio. Once I got those finished, I headed to bed to get some sleep.

Tuesday the 4th – GARFIELD WINDING DOWN! –I got up early to be at another Garfield recording session. This will be the second to the last session we’ll do for the fourth season. Fingers crossed for a fifth season! When I got to Buzzy’s there was an observer named Suzanne who was interested in getting in to voice-over. She’s currently a flight attendant for US Airways! We had lots to talk about, since it’s my voice she hears on the US Airways phone line every morning. It was great meeting her and I hope she has a lot of luck in the biz. We finished the session early so I headed to Wendy’s to get a bite to eat at the drive-thru. I stopped at Studio Copy to pick up the remaining signs for my Planet Wallywood signage project. They all turned out very well! I got a couple of lightbulbs at the hardware store, then headed home to walk Roxy. I got a little work done, and then headed to NBC to tape “TTS.” I got home and got some Christmas Nappies, then got up for some auditions, worked on my new signs (which look awesome!) and then I watched another episode of “Charlie’s Angels” on the Season 5 DVD set just before bed.

Wednesday the 5th – OLLIE SUIT! – I got another hotline call to be in early to NBC to record some comedy bits. Before work I scanned my checks and got a deposit ready, then headed to NBC and recorded the bits. I had a little time before the show taped, so I swung by the bank and made a deposit. Then I went to It’s a Wrap and bought some awesome black, vintage-looking pants (size 54 waist!) for my Oliver Hardy mannequin. I also found a really cool white terrycloth robe for me, for only 20 bucks! The robe I have been wearing was a gift from my friend Bruce Kulick. When he was with KISS in the 90’s the played the Arsenio Hall Show, and they were all given these plush robes with the logo on the pocket. I’ve been wearing it for years, but I realized the other day that it might not be cool for the announcer for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to be running around in an Arsenio Hall robe! So I’ll make great use of the new white robe! I went across the street to Junk For Joy and picked up a 2XL white dress shirt with arrow collar, and a vintage-looking yellow tie, with white polka dots. The costume for my Oliver Hardy mannequin was officially complete now! I was going to use Chuck McCann’s original costume that he used as Ollie in countess commercials and TV appearances, but it looks like the unique dynamics of the figure will require the costume to be attached permanently to the mannequin. Since I didn’t want to ruin Chuck’s original costume, I figured it would be best to buy a replacement instead. I went back to NBC, but stopped by “my house” on the way. It’s a house I’ve been looking at for some time. It’s still for sale. I love this house, but unfortunately it’s too close to towers and power lines, which can’t be healthy. They’re right behind the backyard. Also, there’s an elementary school that’s behind the house as well, so there would be screaming kids all day on the playground. Not my style. But I sure love the house…the layout, the grounds, everything! We taped the show, then I came home to take a dip in the jacuzzi and grab more Christmas nappies. I got up later to do a bunch of auditions, and record a greeting for my pal Jimmy Falcon’s birthday. Jimmy (aka Ian Boothby) has been a pal and a supporter for a long time, and he has an internet radio show. So I recorded a fun greeting to play on his birthday show. Happy Birthday Jimmy aka Ian! I spent the rest of the night paying bills and doing more paperwork. Then it was another episode of Charlie’s Angels in bed with a salad. Only four more “CA” episodes left in the set! I’ll miss it!

Thursday the 6th – TORINO TROUBLE! – I got another hotline call to be in to NBC early for comedy bits. But I had a little time to cuddle with Roxy on the bed before I got up. (She loves cuddle time and actually knows the word “cuddle!”) Then we took a nice walk, and I came back inside to do some work before it was time to go to “TTS.” I was going to take the Gran Torino, but I started it, it moved about 20 feet and died. Then I couldn’t get it started again. I don’t think I let it warm up enough before I moved it. Then it seemed like it was flooded, but I tried all the tricks and nothing! So Rod the maintenance man and I pushed it back into my parking spot, and I drove the Mustang in. My pal Bodie Stroud from BS Industries was going to pick it up at NBC to see why my satellite radio is no longer being read by my receiver. But we had to postpone it since it wouldn’t start. Now Bodie will have to pick it up at my house instead, and possibly look into a fuel pump issue. I got to NBC, did the comedy bits, then hit the world-famous NBC Commissary to get a sandwich. I headed back to the studio for the taping of “TTS.” I got home and hit the jacuzzi. My assistant Sara stopped by to get some mail for the post office, then I grabbed some more “Christmas Nappies.” When Roxy, Spook and I nap, I leave the screen door closed, but open the main door so the cool evening air can freshen up the living room. But it’s getting cooler now as we get further into December, so when I wake up later in the evening I’m pretty chilly. And even though Roxy has her winter coat and is quite comfortable in cool air, Spook gets chilled and I have been waking up with him snuggled up on my blanket by my feet. I got up and did some auditions , walked Roxy, and packed up some more stuff to be mailed off. I headed to bed to watch another episode of “Charlie’s Angels.”

Friday the 7th – FRIED-DAY! – I got a hotline call to be into NBC at noon for comedy bits. We have been taping early on Fridays so the cast and crew can get some Christmas shopping done before the holiday break. I had gotten only about 3 hours of sleep, so I was going to definitely need a nap later to catch up! It was a VERY busy afternoon! I got to NBC, recorded a few bits, then Bodie’s people came to pick up my keys and garage door opener to get my Torino at my house. They got her started up and took her to the shop. Bodie said the choke was sticking, so he cleaned it out and it’s as good as new! I had a little time before the taping, so I met my pal Edi for lunch at Paty’s in Toluca Lake. I got my mail at my mailbox, dropped off some packages at the post office, and I got a call from one of my agent’s assistants. He said a casting director called and asked how long I’ve been in Los Angeles. I told him I’d been here since 1987. Odd question, but I’m sure they wanted to know for some reason. I got back to NBC and we taped the show. When we finished the taping I went to my chiropractor’s office for an adjustment, then headed home to do some work. My pal Brittney stopped by for a dip in the jacuzzi with me and some dinner. Then I grabbed some much-needed Christmas Nappies. When I woke up, my nutty cat was curled up on my feet again. I stayed up all night doing work, and then retired with another “Charlie’s Angels” episode. Crazy day!

Saturday the 8th – BLONDE! JAMES BLONDE! – I got up at noon so my hair guy Sergio Lopez could come over and put hair on my Sean Connery figure. But the first wig he brought over was too blonde. So he headed over to the wig shop to exchange it for another, darker wig. When he came back he set about giving Connery his much-needed hair. While he worked, Sara and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up some items for my house. And then we went to get some groceries and some lunch. When I got home I put everything away and said goodbye to Sergio, then my seamstress Kathy Pillsbury stopped by with 3 new Batman cowls she just made. I’m giving one away as a gift, and she’s selling the other two. I’m going to do the paint job on them for her. I got a brief nap, and then it was time for movie night. The next James Bond film in our series is “For Your Eyes Only.” Then we watched the Laurel and Hardy version of “Babes in Toyland,” which was recently retitled to “March of the Wooden Soldiers.” Probably so it wouldn’t be confused with the Disney movie from the 60’s. There’s a lot of stuff in that film that looks like it inspired certain elements of “Wizard of Oz,” which would come five years later. When everyone left I did some work around the house, and installed the stuff I bought earlier at Bed Bath and Beyond. I made a huge salad and hit the hay to watch the final episode ever of “Charlie’s Angels.” But the final episode was a dumb clip show, where they showed clips from past shows. Really? That’s the last episode? What a sad ending to a cool show.

Sunday the 9th – TH-TH-THAT’S ALL FOLKS! – Well, I spend the final day of the weekend sleeping all day. Considering I didn’t get to bed until 9am that morning, I slept right up until evening church. Roxy, Spook and I cuddled for awhile, then I got up and fed Spook. Then Roxy and I walked over to church. She loves going to church because she gets lots of hugs, pets and attention. One lady brought 3 doggies to the service, so Roxy had fun meeting them afterwards. Our church Christmas tree lot smelled SO good! But apparently they had a rush on trees that day so there were only about a dozen left. Hopefully the truck with more trees will be there soon to replenish the stock! My friend Amanda joined me for dinner with my pals Edi, her daughter Emily, and my friend Kristy. We had a nice time at the Coral Cafe, and they had the Christmas music cranked. It was very nice! Then I got home, grabbed a nap and got up later to do auditions and get ready for a new week!

And how was YOUR week??!!