RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
As I was watching the recently purchased aquarium DVD, I found out it has another fan who enjoys it almost as much as I do! My cat Spooky couldn’t take his eyes off it!
The smooth, gentle nature of “Sweet Butterfly” by Chuck Mangione has permeated my brain many times this week. It’s such a calming presence in a chaotic world. See if you enjoy it too!
Monday the 13th – JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY! – At 1:30 I went to Voice Trax West to do some more voice work for US Airways (now called the New American). I did some narrations for videos that will play in the Philadelphia and Charlotte airports. We finished those up in a couple of takes, so I got the chance to speed off to Taco Bell to get some grub before “The Tonight Show.” I got my tacos, then went to Leet TV to drop off my mini-DV camcorder which wasn’t loading my tapes properly. I had just had it in a month or so ago for the same problem, and I don’t think it got fixed properly. It’s a very old camera, so the time may be close for trashing it for good. As I was pulling the Torino into a parking space along Magnolia Blvd., I noticed that an accident had just occurred minutes before I got there with full airbag deployment. From what I could tell everyone was OK, but the police and fire trucks soon arrived to make sure. I headed to NBC to open the “TS” and I was elated that I was going to be able to see the name of the lead singer of the “TS” band in the opening. Dorian Holley is a terrific vocalist and was Michael Jackson’s vocal coach for many years. He was planning on doing a jazzy version of “Billy Jean,” but at the last minute it was discovered that the show couldn’t get the rights for the song. So they had a comic come in and sub. Rats! Dorian’s a great guy and I really wanted to give his name a special push in the opening announce. Strangely enough, just minutes before we wrapped, word came down that the rights issue was resolved, but it was too late. But since Dorian’s family was in the audience to see him perform, Jay had Dorian perform the song for the audience after the taping was over. (That’s just the kind of guy Jay is!) (UPDATE: I’m happy to report that Dorian WILL perform on the show Thursday the 23rd!) I drove home and caught up with Edi and her daughter Ems. It was Ems’ birthday so they were on their way out to dinner. My assistant Sara came over to pick up some stuff and reminded me that both her and Edi’s birthdays were this coming Wednesday the 15th! I hit the Jacuzzi and then grabbed a nap on the couch for a while. When I got up I did my auditions, then made a soup and sandwich and watched an episode of “Magnum P.I.” before bed. Just before I went to sleep I turned on Boomerang! and watched a few episodes of “The Garfield Show.” I don’t know why, but it still tickles me to hit the GUIDE button on my remote and see information about the show come up…”The Garfield Show” Starring Frank Welker, Gregg Berger, Wally Wingert. Too cool!
Tuesday the 14th – THE SIX DEGREES OF MARK THE COP! – Around 11 I rolled out of bed, did some work around the house and enjoyed the beautiful warm day. But when I took Roxy outside for a walk I realized with horror that the tree trimmers had come through the complex. Gone were the nests of the birds and squirrels that lived in the neighborhood. Poor birdies and squirrelies. I drove to McDonald’s to get some food to take into Studiopolis to do another session for “Bleach.” We’re down to the final few episodes for “Bleach,” as the series will soon go out of production. It’s been a long run though. I told Jamie Simone (director of “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”) about the article my pal Mark the Cop sent me about how the new Ant Man movie will closely follow an episode of “A:EMH” called “To Steal an Ant Man!” Pretty cool that the studio bigwigs enjoyed our little episode so much! It was also announced the Michael Douglas will play the on-screen version of Hank Pym. Not sure about how that will work out exactly, but I’ll give it a chance. I really like Michael Douglas so we’ll see. I went to It’s a Wrap after the session and picked up a few shirts. I called Mark the Cop who was in the area to hang with me at “TTS” later, and he had just had an encounter at a steak house with an assistant to singer John Newman! (See last week’s What’s Wally Humming for full info). He told the assistant that John’s new song “Love Me Again” was my pick of the week on my website, and she said she would tell him when she took the food upstairs to him. Too cool! I’d love to meet that guy, I think he’s fabulous. I had Mark meet me at the studio early so we could hang out and kill time. Good thing too, because I was needed to record two bits. Mark’s a huge Chris Isaak fan and Chris was doing “Wicked Game” on the show that day. Although the tickets were completely gone to sit in the audience, I had Mark sit in the audio booth with me during the show. But just before it came time for Chris’ segment, we went out into the studio and stood by the sound mixer and watched the performance. That’s always been one of my favorite songs, and hearing it live gave me chills. The mix that our sound mixer Charlie Bouis did was fantastic! One of the best! We wrapped the show and I took off for home to feed Spook and walk Roxy. Then I got ready for dinner with my pal Kelli Maroney, who had some questions about a shoot that she’d be doing soon. She’s an actress with a bunch of credits, but she’s now getting into producing and hosting. It was fun chatting at Jerry’s Famous Deli for a while and catching up. When I got home I took a quick nap on the most comfortable couch in the universe, but sprang awake to the sound of Roxy puking on the floor! What?! I cleaned it up quickly then laid down to grab another 45 minutes of hopefully puke-free sleep. I got up at 11:30 and recorded some audio from “TTS” for a demo I’m working on. I’m going to do a “Best Of” audio demo of some “TS” bits I’ve done in the past. And today I had three in the show that I wanted to grab. After I finished recording what I needed, I went back to sleep on the couch until 2am! I was really beat! I got up and fed and walked Roxy, and then I decided to put the Gran Torino back into my auxiliary garage and grab my Mustang. I drove over to Jack In the Box to get some late dinner. I finished up the grub, then hit the sack. I was still really tired and wanted to be fresh for the next day. I didn’t even watch any TV before bed. I’ve got a super busy next couple of days, so I’m getting as much rest as possible in anticipation.
Wednesday the 15th – FAB FOREIGNER! – Just before noon I headed over to Mr. Stitch in Sherman Oaks to drop off my “TTS” jean jacket. I wanted my name and title stitched over the front pockets. That way if somebody ever considers swiping it, the personalization may dissuade them. I also picked up three Tony Clifton patches for future TC bowling shirts. I got into NBC around 1:30 and got to see Foreigner rehearse their medley of hits TWICE! They sounded great! When the sound check was over the entire staff took to the “TS” stage for a group photo. I didn’t want to miss this one! I even wore my bright orange Tony Clifton bowling shirt so I’d be able to find myself in the photo! I recorded two comedy bits then went outside to grab a burger at one of the food trucks. After lunch we taped the show, and I wanted to make sure to watch Foreigner perform live during the taping. So I went out to the studio and enjoyed every minute. I thought to myself, “I don’t care how old I get, I will ALWAYS remember this moment!” To be sure! I had gotten tickets for a lady named Diane and her mom, and had met up with them in the audience. Then I took them backstage for a tour. Diane was the lady I met in the lobby of the Hyatt Palm Springs in December. She said she had always wanted to see a taping, and meeting me was a sign! For sure! After we wrapped I headed over to Firing Line in Burbank to await my friend Alex and her friend Chaya. I was going to teach Chaya how to shoot, though I had taken Alex shooting before. Before they arrived I got the chance to try out my new Sig Sauer model 226 .40 caliber Equinox. It’s great, but I need to work with it some more to really get the hang of it. The gals showed up and we had a fun time. Chaya was actually a pretty good shot for it only being her first time! We shot until 9 then I headed home. Long day! Whew! But I still needed to get through Thursday and Friday! Those were the days I needed to summon up lots of energy for! I made it home and did my auditions, then hopped in the Jacuzzi for a bit. I fed Roxy, walked her, and hit the hay for an early morning!
Thursday the 16th – NAPPING IN MY NACHOS! – Though I hardly ever get to say this, I woke up at 9am! First I hit McDonald’s for some breakfast, then I went to see my old pal Kevin at Mai Tai studios in Burbank to do an hour’s worth of voice work for new Titan Insurance commercials! We finished up at 11 and I headed out the door (but not before getting lots of petting time in with his two Aussie Shepherds Kona and Kilea!) I stopped home and walked Roxy, then sped off to Voice Trax West for some more commercials for the children’s hospital chain I’ve been doing. We recorded four spots, and waited for an hour so they could contact their client for approval. While we waited I went downstairs to get some spaghetti at Café Aldente. I ate my lunch while we waited, and just as I finished we got the word that the client had approved the spots. I was good to go! I went back home to do some work before I was due at “TTS.” I finished that up and sped off to NBC. We taped the show and wrapped up. I went into the studio to find my friend Sara from church and her folks. Sara would be moving to Michigan next Monday and it would be one of the last times I would see her. I took them backstage and they got a chance to say hi to Jay in the hallway. Sara said meeting Jay was on her bucket list! On the way home I called my folks and chatted for a bit. Then I called my buddy Reed Kaplan and we talked about the exciting news that the 1966 “Batman” TV series would be coming out on DVD at long last! Though my day was a long one, I showered up and headed to Ernie’s Taco House to have dinner with my pal Brittney Powell, and Edi and Sara to celebrate their birthdays. But during dinner it hit me. I got super tired. So while the ladies chatted, I sat back in the booth, pulled my cap down over my eyes and “meditated” for a little while. I came out of it when I heard loud off-key singing…”HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” The Ernie’s staff had brought out some desserts and candles. I dragged myself home, did my auditions, fed and walked Roxy and collapsed in bed. I had to be up VERY early the next day for a videogame session at Warner Brothers!
Friday the 17th – 3 DAY WEEKEND!!! – Even though I went to bed at midnight, instinctively I awoke at 4 am. I just can’t seem to sleep more than four hours at a time. Which is why I always sleep in shifts. Four hours here, and four hours there. I took Roxy out to potty and came back in and made myself go to sleep, since I didn’t have to be up until 8am for the videogame session. But just as I had entered the delicious world of sleep at 5:28…BAM! A 2.6 earthquake rattled me awake. The words I said when I woke up can’t be printed here, but I was NOT happy. Strangely enough, it was the 20th anniversary of the infamous Northridge earthquake…almost to the minute! Weird! But at 5:45 I did manage to sleep another couple of hours. The 3 day weekend couldn’t start soon enough for me! I drove to Warner Brothers in Burbank and worked for 3 hours on a videogame. I was booked for four hours, but we managed to finish in 3, thankfully. I met up with my pal James in Post-Production Services and we had lunch in the Warner Commissary. We both talked about how excited we were to see the “Batman” TV series on DVD at long last! After lunch I went over to Mr. Stitch to get my “TS” jacket. It turned out great! For the name and title they matched the color of the thread used on the “TS” logo on the back! Perfect! I went home to walk Roxy and change shirts, then headed over to NBC. Hard to believe we only have 15 shows left. I hope NBC knows what they’re doing by firing their number 1 guy. After we wrapped for the week I stopped by my mailbox to get some packages, and headed home to walk Roxy again and feed Spooky. My pal Brittney came over and we went to a nice, quiet dinner at Barone’s…my favorite place for Italian food. With a tummy full of delicious pizza, I came home to nap on the couch. But again I was jarred awake by the unmistakable sound of Roxy preparing to puke. I sprang awake, grabbed her and pulled her toward an area with hard wood floors. It seemed to only be stomach fluids, so perhaps I hadn’t given her enough to eat during the day to keep her sated. The few snacks I gave her must not have been enough to mitigate her digestive issues. Plus with the two early mornings we had, it may have upset her usual routine. Seeing as how we’re usually up all night, and sleep through the morning. On days “out of routine” I may need to divide up her nightly dinner into two smaller portions given at separate times of the day. But I fed her and she ate very well. I took her for a walk and then came back inside. But I was still tired so I slept on the couch for another hour. Spook was very cuddly, so we nuzzled on the couch for a bit before I got up to do some work. I was also looking forward to making dinner and watching “Magnum P.I.” again tonight, since I couldn’t the two nights’ previous due to the work schedule. I reheated some Barone’s pizza and hit the hay to enjoy “TV Time” with the pets. By the time we got to sleep it was around 9am Saturday morning! NOW we’re back in the groove!
Saturday the 18th – MY OWN DUCK DYNASTY! – Sure enough, after four hours I sprang awake. So I took Roxy out, gave her and Spook some treats, then went back to bed for a few more hours. When I got up I called Sara to go get groceries with me. Then we cleaned up Planet Wallywood in preparation for another movie night. A friend brought over her DVD screener of “American Hustle” so we all enjoyed that thoroughly. After my guests left I cleaned up the place, fed and walked Roxy, and made one of my Super Salads for Saturday Night Saint and Salad night! What fun! I got to bed around 7am, but just before we went to sleep I took Roxy out one more time. My ducks were back in our swimming pool! But this year it’s bittersweet. Unlike other winters, the complex has decided to keep the pool in my area heated so people can swim all year. Normally it’s not heated during the winter. And since it’s ice cold, most everyone doesn’t care if the ducks hang out in the pool for a month or so. Every year around this time, like clockwork, the same two ducks come to visit us. I can tell it’s the same couple, because the female responds to my quacking noises. She’ll actually get out of the pool and walk over to see me! But ducks can be messy. And because residents are now using the pool all the time, I’m afraid the ducks are going to get their eviction notice.
Sunday the 19th – BLACKOUT! – When I got up at 2 I walked Roxy then headed over to my seamstress Karyn’s studio. She had been working on really nice blackout drapes for my bedroom. For years I had sheets of black plastic hanging up in my windows to keep out the sun during my rather, um, odd sleep times. But I bought some official blackout fabric on-line (the kind used on movie sets) and Karyn made up some classy looking curtains. Karyn’s dog Jack (aka Mr. Ribs…because you can see his ribs…which is normal for his breed) is awesome. He brings me his grimy little tennis ball and drops it at my feet. He waits for me to kick it across the length of their shop and he goes wild trying to fetch it. He never gets tired of it! What a cool dog! The curtains came out wonderfully, and I came back home to change and get ready for evening church with Roxy. After church I came home to have a dip in the Jacuzzi (and watch the ducks in the pool, as they kept a very close eye on me) and then went inside to grab a nap on the couch. When I awoke I did a few auditions and worked around the house. I had a ton of paperwork to do, bank work, checkbook reconciliation, etc. – so it kept me busy all night. I made a pizza and hit the hay to watch another “Magnum P.I.” episode and enjoy being in the midst of a 3 day weekend!
Monday the 20th – MLK DAY! – At 2 I was due at Jerry’s Famous Deli to meet up with Ken Dennis, Bob Belenchia and my pal Kevin Castro from “TTS.” With all of the horror-related TV shows on the air right now, I started thinking that it might be a good time to re-pitch “Uncle Davver’s Really Scary Movie Show.” Kevin is a top notch editor at “TS,” and he had some great suggestions for modernizing the pitch reel. We were all happy with the results of the meeting. Once I got home I spoke on the phone with my pal Reed Kaplan about a project we’re going to do together. With “TTS” ending in a few weeks, I want to have lots of stuff to work on. I don’t want a minute wasted! (That’s the Taurus in me talking!) Sara stopped by for a little bit, then I hit the Jacuzzi. I met my pal Edi and her daughter Ems at Denny’s for a delicious dinner. (GOTTA love Denny’s!) I came home and slept for a bit on the couch, then did a bunch of auditions. I did some work and then hit the hay to get ready for a new week.
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
