January 23 – January 29 (2017)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

My pal Christian Malmin went to a KISS expo this past weekend and met up with our good friend Bruce Kulick. This shot makes me smile!

With the passing of my pal Mike Connors this past week, the amazing theme from his show “Mannix” has been rambling through my head. Enjoy the opening credits of this fabulous show!

Monday the 23rd – LYMPH-OMANIAC! – The alarm went off at 10am sharp and I hit the ground running. After getting cleaned up I headed to Voice Trax West to do a radio commercial for a children’s hospital in the eastern part of the country. It went very well and we were in and out in an hour. Then I headed over to CVS and LUCK! They had my cough syrup in finally. Luckily I had the prescription form from my doctor with me. After getting my medicine I headed to my mailbox to pick up my packages. As I was turning left to pull into the parking lot, I saw my old pal Ken Dennis on the corner waiting to cross the street. I motioned for him to follow me. He met me at the place I parked my car and we chatted for a bit. We had been trying to get together for lunch for a few weeks, so there’s no time like the present. I decided to blow off a few of my errands in favor of eating lunch with Ken. I’ve known Ken since 1997 when he was the Supervising Producer on “Family Guy.” Then I headed off to Plastic Depot to pick up the custom piece my buddy Kyle was making me for my Jack Lord display. It was a rectangular piece of plastic with pre-drilled holes in it, which will attach to an angular piece of plastic that mounts to the wall. Then the rectangular piece screws to the back of the frame that holds my original Jack Lord “Hawaii Five-O” badge, calling card and ID card display. Then I went back to see my doctor to have him diagnose the reason my left lower jaw was aching so badly. He looked in my ear and said that my ear drum was “inverted.” He says it happens a lot when people fly. He said as the sinus infection I’ve been “enjoying” for the past month begins to subside, the junky liquid will drain downward and overwhelm the lymph nodes; the glands in your neck that help your immune system. He said there’s nothing to do but wait it out, take Advil and keep taking Sudafed to keep the congestion down. But the good news was, I did NOT have an ear infection (which was my fear). I went to the cleaners to pick up my comforter, and then I went home to install the new Jack Lord piece. It worked PERFECTLY! I checked e-mails, did a few last-minute auditions, and then my pal Brittney Powell came over to help with some work. I grabbed a nap, got up for my nightly auditions later, fed and walked Roxy, finished up Wally’s Week, and then made some buffalo mac (Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese with celery and diced buffalo chicken strips in it). I headed to bed to enjoy my dinner and watch another episode of “Lost in Space.”

Tuesday the 24th – FOAM BURBANK WITH LOVE! – At 2pm I woke up with both pets on the bed wanting pets. It’s the greatest way to wake up. I gave them some treats, got cleaned up and started out on my errands. I hit the post office to mail some things, and then went to Foam Mart in Burbank to pick up a few items and order some custom pieces to be cut. I also grabbed a few bags of Styrofoam beads to fill my bean bag chairs that were getting flaccid. I hit Hobby Lobby and picked up a few things, and then went to Toys ‘R Us. My assistant Sara met me at Lancers so we could grab a hot beef sandwich and, since it was Tuesday, some of their delicious beef barley soup! With a full, satisfied tummy I went home to feed the pets and relax. I took my flaccid bean bag chair upstairs into my bathroom’s vanity area and filled it up with the Styrofoam beads. I do it there because the floor is smooth marble, and if the beads spill, they’re easier to clean up than they would be on carpet. I turn the bean bag chair over, unzip the double zipper, clamp the chair to the towel rack, and pour in the beads. I learned a lot from the last time I filled bean bag chairs (and made a total mess) so I was very careful this time. It went VERY well! But my sinuses were feeling funky so I took a nap on the couch. I got up around midnight for my auditions, did some work around the house, fed and walked Roxy on our late night stroll through the neighborhood, and then came back inside to make a Chef Boy Ar Dee pizza in a box. YUM! I enjoyed the pizza a lot more than I enjoyed the “Lost in Space” episode I watched. The episodes in the third season are really REALLY awful for the most part.

Wednesday the 25th – A MAN OF THE ‘CLOTH’! – Waking up not being able to breathe is the worst! When I got up at 2 my sinuses were totally plugged. I am SO sick of this sinus problem, but from what I hear from others who had sinus infections, it can last over a month. Great. Though my sinus infection is gone, the residual congestion is really making my life hell. I went to my local printer’s and had a sign laminated. Then I drove over to JoAnn’s to shop for some fabrics I needed for a few projects I’m working on. They had a lot of great fabrics, and I also got some fabric for two new bowling shirts and some fleece pajama pants. I went next door to Rite Aid and bought some sinus meds for severe sinus headache and pain. Then I got a few groceries and headed home to rest. When I got home I did some concept sketches for the projects I’m working on with my seamstress, and then napped on the couch. I got up and did a bunch of auditions, worked around the house, changed the sheets on my bed (there’s NOTHING like sleeping in clean sheets!) and I made some soup and a sandwich. I enjoyed eating them while watching a rare, amazing episode of “Lost in Space” called “The Anti-Matter Man.”

Thursday the 26th – R.I.P.M.C. – A noon session for American Airlines was scheduled at Voice Trax West, so when I finished that I headed to Taco Bell for some quick lunch. I stopped by my mailbox to pick up a package I needed, and then I went back to my house to meet with my “hair guy” Sergio Lopez. He came back to finish up the hair-work on my “Shotgun Hutch;” a mannequin that will have a semi-permanent home in my newly restored Gran Torino. This seated male mannequin that vaguely resembles David Soul’s “Hutch” character will sit in the passenger seat for the most part. When necessary I can put him in the backseat or the trunk. The package I picked up earlier at my mailbox was a pair of vintage boots that were very close to the ones David Soul wore in the original “Starsky & Hutch” TV show. But unlike the original boots, which were slip on, I bought boots with a zipper. They’ll go on the mannequin’s un-moving feet much more easily. Even WITH the zipper, Sergio and I had quite a difficult time getting them on his feet. (Glad I didn’t get the slip-ons!) Sergio finished up styling the hair and applying the eyebrows and famous 70’s sideburns. A few friends of Sergio’s came over to watch him work, and one of his friends had a daughter who was a huge Sonic the Hedgehog fan. So I signed a photo for her. I worked on-line while Sergio finished up, and when he left I grabbed a nap. When I got up later in the evening I got a few texts that my pal Mike Connors had passed away. If you remember last week’s Wally’s Week, I told you about some original sport jackets I had bought from Mike a few years ago. These jackets were worn by Mike when he starred in the “Mannix” TV series. For the past several months Mike and I had been trying to get together for lunch. But some health issue always prevented it. He had a stent put in his heart valve, then his wife had fallen and was hospitalized, then he had bronchitis, problems with his legs, etc. So I decided to let him heal over the holidays and I promised myself to call him in the new year to meet for lunch. Strangely enough, I had his name on my day planner this very day to call and see how he was doing. According to reports, he found out a week ago that he had leukemia and passed away a week later at the age of 91. Though it’s very sad, I’m confident that he’s now been reunited with his son. I’m glad I got to spend the time with him that I did. He was one of those actors that you just don’t hear one bad word about. He was truly a great, great guy. I did my auditions, fed and walked Roxy, and enjoyed the cool (but not cold!) evening. We had a great late-night walk together. I made some spaghetti and watched the “Lost in Space” episode “The Anti-Matter Man” again, but this time with the commentary track. It featured four of the original cast-members and was absolutely hilarious!

Friday the 27th – A ONE-EIGHTY WHAMMY! – My maids were due to arrive between noon and 2. I took a chance that they would be at my house shortly after noon, work for an hour and a half, and I could still make my 3pm session in Burbank with time to spare. But they were running late, with an expected arrival time around 1:30, so I had to think fast to figure out how to get my house cleaned AND make my session. Sara was busy working on a film shoot, my back-up Emily was busy housesitting with some dogs who needed medication, so luckily my pal Brittney was able to come over and sit with the maids while I got ready and took off for my session. I left at 2 and even had time to grab lunch at McDonald’s, hit the bank to make a few deposits, and stop by Rocket Fizz to stock up on vintage candy. Then I started my session at Bang Zoom studios. This is the super secret project I’ve been working on for a year and a half. I had figured we had all the material we needed for the project to launch, so I couldn’t imagine why we were rejoining to record more voice tracks. When I walked into the session the director and engineer were there, but they also had a supervisor and programmer on the phone from a different city. I figured something was up. I sat down and the supervisor explained to me that they were completely happy with what we had done so far, but a newly discovered technology has now given them a different slant on our project. So they might be throwing out everything we’ve recorded over the past year and a half, and going with this new direction if it works out well. We worked on crafting the new character for about an hour and a half, and when we hit on exactly what they wanted, we started recording the new scripts. It ended up being a 180 degree change from the character we had been doing. WOW! At first I was confused and a bit taken back that all that work would be discarded. But as we got into it, I was starting to see their point. This character was MUCH better; more closely suited to my personality, and if the test platforms work out well, it could virtually revolutionize this particular industry. As the session went on, I got very excited about the potential prospects. And it was much more fun than the way we had been doing it. Their plan is to record several weeks’ worth of sessions to give them enough to test market. If the tests go well, then we’ll get together for another several weeks’ worth of sessions for the actual product. It’s amazing to be a part of this new vision, and I really do wish I could tell you more about it. But sometimes things like this happen in the Voice-Over industry. You work and work and work on a project, and then it completely changes on you. You just have to go with the flow of it. We worked until 6, and then I went home to feed the pets and relax for a few hours. My pal Pat Evans brought his film crew over to Planet Wallywood to film some interview segments for a documentary he’s working on called “The Beat of the Bat:” an overview of the music of the “Batman” TV show. Because I’m long-winded, the interview went for THREE hours! After the crew left I went upstairs to mount some brackets in my close to attach my iPad to the wall. I have figured out a way to get my iPad to play through my main entertainment system in my room and it’s terrific. But the iPad was in the way. I was afraid of tripping over it or stepping on it. This set of chrome-plated plastic brackets will solve the problem nicely. I mounted them carefully, hung the iPad and now it looks like “Star Trek;” a flat, electronic panel on my wall that controls the musical environment of my Tranquility Zone. Though it had been a very long day, I went to Denny’s to get some food to go, and then came home and ate it while watching “Lost in Space.” I don’t often do 18 hour days like that, but it was well worth it!

Saturday the 28th – PETE, POOL & PEREGRINE! – My pal Pete Tassler (a producer on the new “Hawaii Five-O”) and I were supposed to get together for lunch at noon. But he texted to say he was going to stay home and take care of some family members who were ill. Just as well, as I was exhausted from the previous day. So I walked Roxy, had a bowl of Honeycombs cereal, and took the opportunity to go back to bed and sleep until 3. When I woke up I came out of the craziest dream! I was on stage in the theatre of my old high school. I went on stage with a full band and saw my parents in the audience. My pal and webmaster Scott Sebring was on piano, and he started playing “Evil Woman” by Electric Light Orchestra. The rest of the band kicked in and they sounded great. But in my mind I was thinking, “We didn’t rehearse this. I don’t know the lyrics!” I started singing the first few lines and then forgot the rest of the lyrics. I started making up lyrics as a joke, and then stopped the band. I apologized to the audience that we hadn’t rehearsed that song, and then I woke up. Weird. You get a lot of dreams like that when you’re a performer and actor. Either you’re on stage and you’ve forgotten your lines, or you’re not wearing clothes, or there’s nobody in the audience. I’ve had dreams about being in the old “Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue” show at Universal Studios again, but I’ve completely forgotten the choreography. I also have a lot of “radio” nightmares; where I’m in a radio station on the air and I can’t read any of the format clocks or prompt cards. And of course, my Program Director is usually standing right behind me while this is happening. I also have dreams where there’s dead air and I need to play a commercial, but I can’t seem to find the one I need in the rack. Sheesh. I wonder what kind of nightmares farmers, stockbrokers or grocers have. I got up, opened my windows to a gorgeous day, and got accosted by the sounds of loud, uncontrolled children in the pool. Not my favorite thing. It’s always astounding to me why parents can’t control their kids in a situation like that. They know full well it’s a residential complex and the kids should be considerate of their neighbors and keep the noise to a minimum, but the parents are usually so arrogant the think they and their bratty kids are the only ones on the planet Earth. Maybe I’ll go back to sleep and try to see if I can remember the lyrics to “Evil Woman.” But instead I closed my windows and got ready for movie night. We watched “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” and I was absolutely blown away. Even though I owe a small portion of my career to the genius of Tim Burton (he did create Beetlejuice, after all, a character that I performed for four years at Universal from 1994 to 1998) his movies are hit or miss with me. I’ve found that his original outings (“Ed Wood,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Beetlejuice”) are far more preferable to his remakes (“Dark Shadows,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Planet of the Apes”). But this movie was an absolute home run! I can’t wait to see it again in 3D upstairs in my 3D Viewatorium! I highly recommend it! When my guests left I napped on the couch for a while, got up to feed and walk Roxy, did some work on the computer and around the house, and then made my traditional Saturday night Super Salad and watched another episode of the old BBC show “The New Avengers.” I LOVE my life!

Sunday the 29th – SMOKEHOUSE SUNDAY! – As I awoke at 3pm I was greeted by another gorgeous day. It was about 80 degrees and sunny. I took Roxy out and watched her play peek-a-boo with some squirrels through a hedge in the courtyard. It was REALLY cute! Those devious squirrels really DO love to tease dogs. I love it! As I did some work I realized that I had another mild sinus headache. It was my intent to go back to bed and skip evening church. But my “adopted grandma” Shirley called and said the guest speaker that spoke at the morning service was my old pal the Reverend Dr. Marilyn Fiddmont from Texas. She doesn’t come to town often, but when she does I always like to hear her speak. Her husband “Uncle Norman” is the uncle to my pal Wayne, the former keyboardist of “The Tonight Show Band.” So I made a point to get up, take some meds and go hear Rev. Dr. Marilyn speak. I’m glad I went to the evening service. Even though Rev. Dr. Marilyn didn’t speak, the message was really good. And it was good to talk with Rev. Dr. Marilyn after the service. I gave her a kiss on one cheek for her, and a kiss on her other cheek for Uncle Norman. Roxy and I walked home after the service, and texted Sara and my friend Gina from church to meet Brittney and I at the Smokehouse for steaks. What a great meal! When we finished, I had Sara follow me to the bar area of the Smokehouse so we could stake out the exact spot where Ryan Gosling kissed Emma Stone in “La La Land.” Yup, the bar where Ryan’s character played piano in the film was shot at the Smokehouse. Fun film history! I got home and did some work, grabbed a nap, and then got up for auditions. I made a pizza later on and watched another episode of “Lost in Space.”

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

The Eaglecam that I’m addicted to is totally amazing. On one of the other cameras they have set up, you can see an overview of how the system is set up. Above you see the mother eagle Harriet keeping a sharp eye on her eaglet in the nest below. You can see the camera and audio rig attached to the tree. It’s mind-blowing how they made all this work!