As a new feature, each week we’ll be featuring a song that’s on Wally’s mind that we call ‘WHAT’S WALLY HUMMING?’ Hopefully it may broaden your musical horizons and help you discover a song you’ve never heard, or maybe it’s the exact same favorite you’ve been humming too! Enjoy!
This week, it’s Tom Jones! “Help Yourself!”
Monday the 11th – EARLY EBAY MORNING! – I got up early in the morning to check out an eBay auction I wanted to win. It was for a Roger Moore Premium Format Figure from Sideshow. I have had the Sean Connery figure for quite awhile, and didn’t’ buy the Roger Moore initially when it was released because I didn’t think it looked enough like him. But now that I have had the Connery in my one of my display rooms for quite awhile, it really needed the Moore as a companion piece. And since only 400 were made originally, this was a rarity. It was worth getting up in the morning for. I can’t wait to get the piece in my collection! I’ve looked for one of those for years! When I finished I got over to Voice Trax West to do another session for HH Gregg. Over the holidays when I had laryngitis my voice for HH was one of the first voices to be affected. It sure was great to have my old HH voice back again, and I think nobody was happier than the guys in Florida who create all the spots. It was great to be back. Later that afternoon I went to a Chiropractor I know in Burbank. I had seen Dr. David Carletta about a year ago for a pinched nerve. Once I was better I stopped going. But now I’m feeling a little “out of whack” so I have decided to go visit him again. He’s a great guy and you know what? After I left I felt SO MUCH BETTER! I’m going to see him on a regular basis again for awhile. When I was finished with Dr. C I went over to “The Jay Leno Show” to do my announcing gig. The Late Night Wars was really heating up, but I wasn’t privy to any information. So I was getting all my news from the internet like everyone else. But it sure was getting crazy! That night I took my friend Sara to The Counter in Studio City for some delicious hamburgers. That night I did some auditions in my home studio and e-mailed them to my agents.
Tuesday the 12th – ANOTHER GARFIELD DAY! – I so look forward to the days we spend recording voice tracks for “The Garfield Show!” It’s a great group of highly talented folks. It’s always an extreme pleasure to watch the legendary Frank Welker work. He always cracks me up, and is a darn nice guy! I’m proud to be his “owner!” We did the voice tracks for four new cartoons, and our guest performers that day included David L. Lander and Stan Freberg. I got home in the afternoon just in time to walk Sassie and then get to the Leno show. Everyone was abuzz with the news that Conan O’Brien had refused to go along with a midnight start time for “Tonight.” So? What happens now? Stay tuned. That night I grabbed a quick nap, and then got up to do some stuff around the house at night. I went over to DuPar’s in Studio City to get some chicken breasts for Sassie, and there was an odd lady sitting there reading the Sinatra biography. She was well dressed, but was wearing not one but TWO caps on her head. As I was waiting for my order, she kept staring at me. She started barking like a dog while I wasn’t looking. I looked around to see what was going on. I knew it wasn’t a real dog, because I know voices well enough to know when a human is doing a dog sound. Once you’ve heard Frank Welker imitate a dog, nobody else comes close. So I knew it was her, but she was somehow thinking I was fooled. She said to herself, in a loud voice, “Where’s the dog? I don’t see a dog!” Ahhhhh…Los Angeles. Where do these people come from?
Wednesday the 13th – SASSIE GOES MOBILE! – I went to Voice Trax West in the morning to do four more commercials for HH Gregg electronics stores, a chain in the eastern part of the U.S. When I got back home I met up Caroline from Wag My Tail mobile grooming. Since Sassie has gotten older, her ability to stay in a groomer’s all day has become limited. I think it was too much standing for her, as she would come home and be really stiff. So it was time to start hiring a mobile groomer. It was going to cost more, but it’s worth it. Sassie could be groomed right outside my house while I was inside doing work. In fact, one of the spots for HH Gregg I needed to do involved my character singing along to a famous disco song. They didn’t have the song available at the session, so I dug it out of my collection at home, and recorded the voice tracks at home. That way I could e-mail them over and they could marry them to the track. Though Sassie was a little nervous at first, it ended up being really great. In fact, after I was done with my recording, I went out to check on her again and saw this!
She was getting blow dried and looked darn happy! Caroline did a great job and Sassie was soft and fluffy again! That night Georgette and I went to evening church. She really enjoyed the meditational service. Afterwards Pastor Louise taught a “Healing Hands” class, and we stayed for that. Georgette had already taken many classes on Reikki, so she was well aware. But we did the coolest thing! Pastor Louise gave us all lifesavers on a string. Did you know if you put a lifesaver on a string, you can check a person’s energy? It even works on pets! Try this…take your lifesaver-on-a-string, and sit a friend down in a chair. Hold the string over their head, their shoulder, their chest…anywhere. Leave it there for awhile. Sooner or later, the lifesaver will start spinning either clockwise or counter clockwise. If their energy is good, it’s clockwise. If their energy is off, it will be counter clockwise. I’ve also seen this done with a pencil on a string when it’s held over the wrist of a pregnant woman. It’s an old pregnancy test that will tell you if the woman is carrying a boy or a girl. But this was amazing! What a great class!
Thursday the 14th – FINALLY! A DAY OFF! – It had been a very busy week and I was looking to take a day off and relax for awhile. So I slept in really late. I headed over to the Leno show mid-afternoon and did my announcer thing. That night I met my friends Sara and Cher at Jerry’s Famous Deli for dinner. While were there a guy at the counter started making these loud, “quacking” noises. He stood up and the server asked him if he was alright. He shook his head no. A large man, who was waiting in the lobby for his takeout order, leaped over and started giving the guy the Heimlich maneuver. The guy stopped choking and the restaurant erupted in applause. Later, Chuck McCann showed up and joined us for some conversation.
Friday the 15th – URGENT CARE! – In the morning I went to Studiopolis Burbank to do another “Gormiti” episode. I was getting uncomfortable though while sitting there. It felt like I was getting a UTI. I kept drinking water (which I do at a session normally anyway) but I was going to the bathroom a lot. When I left I was getting concerned that it might get worse. I stopped at the local Ikea store to buy some lighting for the house and for work, and it was there I decided to go to the Urgent Care center. I told them I may be getting a UTI so they tested me and put me on some anti-biotics which will hopefully knock it out. I went over to the vet’s to get Sassie some more food, and then went home to chill for awhile. I was running so late because of the Urgent Care stop, I totally missed my appointment with my Chiropractor Dr. C! So I rescheduled for Monday. I got to the Leno show and was feeling a little better, but still wasn’t out of the woods. I was just going to chill all weekend and see how I progressed. But I could tell that something was definitely wrong. That night I just relaxed and did some stuff around the house. And kept drinking water!! I moved my “Heartbeeps” mannequin to the north wall, and moved my Spiderman figure to the Chaney room for a good cleaning and redesign. I got a new mannequin form shipped to me, and I set it up to display my coat from the movie “Strange Days.” I’m still waiting to get some “Strange Days” lobby cards to display with it, as well as an engraved plaque to explain what the coat is.
Saturday the 16th – NEW TOYS! – My contractor Terry came over in the afternoon and started putting some new fixtures in Planet Wallywood. He put up some panels behind my couch so I could hang frames of lobby cards. It helps make the living room look more “movie theatre-ish.” He also put up a frame on my video cabinet that holds standard movie sized posters. I went out to get some groceries and a birthday cake for my friend Sara’s birthday. We’d be having a little birthday shindig for her that night during Blu Ray Trek night. I also got her a rose centerpiece at the local florist with a Happy Birthday sign on it. I also stopped by Staples and bought a ton of supplies for the home office. When I got back Terry was having troubles. The frames he made for the lobby cards and movie posters were too thick. I only wanted frames about an inch and a half thick, including the cover and backing. But the cover alone was that thick, as was the backing. It ended up being 3 inches thick which looked too bulky. So we took the doors off the backing, and just screwed the doors directly to the doors of the cabinet. It looked really great! But time was running out. Guests were showing up at 7:30 and it was 7:10 and we were still working! Luckily Georgette showed up and helped me clean up a little and we made it just in time. It was a fun evening watching original “Star Trek” episodes on Blu Ray. I was still feeling off-kilter though, and was hoping that some rest would make me feel better. I would be glad when this was over!
Sunday the 17th – SLEEPY, RAINY DAY! – It’s supposed to rain all week in Los Angeles and that’s FINE with me! Like the song says, I love a rainy night. But I also love a rainy day, afternoon, morning and evening! So it was great sleeping-in weather. Which I did. But I got up in time for evening church. I saw my new friend Nicole there. I had met her last Wednesday at evening church, and it was good to see her again. We went to grab a bite to eat later where she told me all about her, and I told her all about the church. I think she’s going to fit in fine there! I took her by my house to give her the tour, and then dropped her back at her car at the church. I got home and it was raining a little harder. So I took the opportunity to grab a nap. I was feeling a little better, but I wanted to rest and make sure my recovery continued. All the while I was e-mailing and texting my doctor, Dr. Stephen Patt, one of the greatest M.D.S in the L.A. area! He said to give it time, because these things take “days” to heal, not “day,” as he put it. So, I’m going to rest and give it time. Luckily I have most of Monday off, so I’m going to relax and recuperate.
And how was YOUR week?!?!
