January 23 – January 29 (2012)

Since the Christmas break, I’ve been busy dubbing to DVD an enormous amount of old VHS tapes that I shot on my camcorder all throughout the 90’s. One of the tapes I dubbed was of one of my many Disneyland visits where I saw the “Fantasmic” show. So obviously the music stuck in my head for days after! Here’s a fabulous You Tube video with that memorable music!

Monday the 23rd – RAINY DAY REST! –The first day of “Tonight Show” hiatus and I was loving it. It was a rainy Monday so I took advantage by sleeping all day. When I got up I started doing things around the house…cleaned my living room, did some data entry into my database, took out the trash from last Saturday’s movie party, etc. Then I met my assistant Sara and my pal Edi for dinner at Panera. Then I picked up my prescription nose spray at the pharmacy, got a few grocery items, and then headed home to work on pulling clips from “Starsky & Hutch” episodes for the upcoming dinner and reception The Hollywood Collector Show is having for Paul Michael Glaser, David Soul and Antonio Fargas on February 12th. I’m lucky enough to be able to emcee the event, and I also offered to provide the 5 minute montage of great moments in the show. As I breezed through the DVDs looking for delicious moments, I started to remember why, as a 14 year old boy, I loved this show so much. It was PURE testosterone! The acting is great! I had intended to only do a few clips tonight and then finish it up the next night, but I got so into it I couldn’t stop. And I completed the whole thing! Then I recorded my auditions in my home studio and e-mailed them to my agent. Sara came over later to watch more episodes of “The Avengers” with me. Speaking of great shows…!!

Tuesday the 24th – TORINO TROUBLES! – Just a few days before the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA, I decided to take my Gran Torino into my pal Bodie’s to have a few things looked at. My “Starsky-ized” Gran Torino would be on display at the show for three days, along with Paul Michael Glaser (who played Starsky) who would be signing and selling his new book “Chrystallia and the Source of Light.” For some reason when I got the car back from the painter the previous week, the alarm wasn’t chirping any longer. It was active, as the light would blink when I would activate it on the key fob, but it wouldn’t chirp. An alarm that doesn’t squeal when it goes off isn’t worth much. The good news is Bodie’s pal Mitchell was able to reset the alarm so it would chirp, but when I left I noticed that my Sirius satellite radio was no longer working. I also got to link up with my friend Alex who would be my “car wrangler” for the weekend in Pomona. I drove over to Voice Trax West to do my US Airways session, then I drove over to Carl’s Jr. to get some food in the drive-thru. (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE driving my Gran Torino through town?) I got home and as I was pulling my car into the garage I saw a few of my squirrel friends in the tree behind my house. I got some peanuts and took them out for them. In the meantime, my neighbor’s dogs (a Boston Terrier and 2 Chihuahuas) saw the squirrels. But unlike most dogs who go nuts and stand at the base of the tree and bark at them, these dogs were more interested in eating the nuts! I didn’t know dogs liked peanuts! The two Chihuahuas were curious about the squirrels, but acted more like they wanted to meet them, as opposed to eat them. Considering the squirrels were about the same size as the Chihuahuas, maybe they just thought they were other dogs. It was hilarious! I went inside to do some work and then took a brief nap. My pal Brittney met me later for dinner, then I went home to do my auditions and e-mail them to my agent.

Wednesday the 25th – DIZZY DAY! – I took the Torino over to Jerry’s Famous Deli in Studio City to meet up with my pal Ken Dennis for lunch. Then I drove to Bodie’s to have them diagnose the Sirius problem. Come to find out there’s a separate fusebox that feeds some of the gear in the car, and a plug had come undone. When you have the amount of equipment that car has, apparently you need several electrical platforms to serve it all. Alex was there again helping to get the car in great shape for the show. We glued down a little piece of the trim on the front bumper so it wouldn’t get caught on something and tear off. I would be leaving the car at Bodie’s so they could put it on a trailer and haul it to the Roadster show the next day. Alex gave me a ride home and I got on the phone with a promo director to do a “phone patch” session. That’s where they listen in on what I’m recording in my home studio via telephone and direct me. When we’re done I send the audio files to them via e-mail. But earlier in the afternoon I was starting to feel a little dizzy, like my equilibrium was slightly off. I’ve had that before and it’s due to congestion in my ears. So I texted my doctor, Dr. Patt: the Rock and Roll Doc, and he said to take Sudafed and it would clear up. It was awfully warm and windy today so I’m not surprised my allergies were acting up! So I took some Sudafed and took a nap. Later that night I woke up and went to see my pal Fred Westbrook at a restaurant called Robano’s in Toluca Lake. Chuck McCann and his wife were there, and Fred’s friends from New York were there visiting as well. But by the time Sara and I got there, Robano’s had stopped serving dinner. So we went to Little Toni’s and got some late supper. Then I went home to record some auditions, and “bumpers” for my pal Bodie Stroud’s new radio show on CRN, cable radio network. His first show (talking about…you guessed it…CARS!) would be debuting this Saturday morning at 9am, and would broadcast from the floor of the Roadster show in Pomona! I was definitely feeling better as the Sudafed was taking effect. Sara came over for more episodes of “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

Thursday the 26th – .357 TAURUS! – I slept in because I didn’t get to bed until about 7am this morning. But when I got up I hit Taco Bell for lunch, got my Mustang washed, and went to Gun World in Burbank to fix the grip on my stainless steel .357 Magnum. The gun came with a rubber grip, but I don’t much care for it. I bought a pearl grip from an on-line supplier to replace the rubber grip. But when I tried to put it on the gun, the screw that went through the two pieces of the grip got stuck and wouldn’t let me back it out. So I took it to my friend Jorge at Gun World to see if he could fix it. Apparently the screw was supposed to go in the OTHER piece. George took the grip back to the office to try and find the right tool, but he accidentally dropped the grip and it shattered. EEK! Jorge, being the swell guy he is, offered to pay me for it since he broke it. I told him he wouldn’t have had the chance to break it if I hadn’t messed up the screw in the first place. But he insisted on paying for it. So I’ll order another one, but take it in to have him attach it. While I was at Gun World I spotted a used .357 Taurus revolver that looked like the closest thing I could find to a vintage .357 Colt Python, like Hutch used to carry in “Starsky & Hutch.” It has a 6″ barrel with vented ribs on the top. Beautiful! So I bought it. After the 10 day waiting period I get to pick it up on February 6th! I went to It’s a Wrap to look around for a bit. Then the flight carrying my parents landed just after 7pm, so I picked them up. My dad’s 77th birthday is Monday the 30th, so I wanted them to come spend his birthday with me. And the weather was amazing! We went to Coral Cafe to have dinner with Edi and my old pal Chris Malmin, who knew my parents when he was growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After dinner I took them home to get ready to take off for Pomona the next day. I did my auditions, then packed up my stuff for Pomona and the Grand National Roadster Show!

Friday the 27th – AMAZING METAL! – We got up early and headed down to Hollywood for a quick session for a promo before we took off for Pomona. Edi was driving her SUV so we wouldn’t all be crammed in my tiny Mustang. While I did the session, Edi and my folks ate breakfast and gassed up the car. I finished up the session around 11, texted Edi that I was done, she dropped by and picked me up and we were on our way to Pomona. We made great time and got to the hotel around noon. Paul Michael Glaser’s appearance manager Bob Belenchia met us at the front desk and said that Paul was upstairs in his room napping. Once Paul came downstairs we all drove over to the fairgrounds. At first it was a bit chaotic getting in, since our parking passes and show badges weren’t ready yet. But we stood around joking with the security staff until Bob came back with the packets. One of the parking guards named Mario, said he learned English by watching “Starsky & Hutch” as he was growing up in Central America! Once we got into the show it was fantastic. Unlike anything I had ever seen. Acres and acres of beautiful cars! I love this car culture thing! My pal Alex had gotten there before me and had the Torino all shined up and ready to go! Paul got his table set up next to the Gran Torino and posted the banner promoting his book. Edi loved all the glam merchandise, as the women in the car culture seem to love vintage fashions and glam stuff. As I was standing by the Torino I saw a young man approach wearing desert camouflage fatigues. Joey had been involved in a situation in Afghanistan in 2007 and was discharged due to injuries. I thanked him for his service to our country, and invited he and his girlfriend Sara to walk around and check out the cars with us. My mom gave him a hug and thanked him as well. He enjoyed meeting Paul, Bodie, and looking at the swell autos. He had a car there that was a customized Camaro painted all in camouflage by West Coast Customs. The car was auctioned for over $333,000 with the proceeds going to the charity that does all of the reconstructive surgeries on vets. Fantastic! Paul was already doing brisk business with his books, and that was great considering that Friday was usually the “slow” day at the show. We continued walking around, saw my friend Kristy, talked with Bodie for awhile, and grabbed lunch. It was an amazing day but by 6pm we were getting tired. Alex helped Paul pack up for the day and they took off. Edi, my folks and I went back to the hotel to rest up before dinner. We ate at the steakhouse next to the hotel later that night. We couldn’t get ahold of Bob, so we figured he crashed out early. But soon he came down to the restaurant and said he ordered Chinese food. But even with the nap I was still exhausted, and I slept VERY well until early the next morning!

Saturday the 28th – TWO HEROES IN ONE DAY! – We got up really early and headed over to the Roadster show again. We had to be there extra early because Bodie was starting his radio show that day at 9am. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel, then got to the fairgrounds. Luckily we already had our parking passes, so we just pulled in, parked and went in! I got to Bodie’s booth just 2 minutes before he signed on. It was exciting, and reminded me of my first time in radio! I was nervous and excited for him. He opened the show, and in the second segment he had me sit in for a little bit. We chatted about stuff he was working on, my Gran Torino and all the help he provided for me, and all of Jay Leno’s cars. Then Bodie’s next guest arrived so I took off with Alex to find Paul and get him over to Bodie’s booth for his interview segment. Paul did a great interview, and when he was finished we got him back to his booth by the Torino to set up his displays. I knew there would be a LOT of people on Saturday, but it was already getting packed! I met LOTS of great people! Joey had something else going on today so I wouldn’t see him, though I had given him my card and invited him to a taping of “TTS.” I met Lou, another Torino owner, who had been trying to meet Paul for a long time! Another Torino owner, originally from Australia, talked with me for a long time about making cars right-hand drivers, his specialty. I looked over and saw a guy with a white cane feeling my car with his hands. I went over to see if I could assist, and his friend asked if it would be alright if he touched the car. I told him it would be perfectly fine, and I helped him over to the rear of the car where he felt the tail lights, and the exhaust pipes. (He particularly wanted to feel the exhaust pipes!) I told him I wish I could turn it on for him and fire it up so he could hear the engine, but starting the cars inside with a crowd wasn’t allowed. My folks, Edi and I continued to look around at the acres and acres of cars, and around 1pm we took off for home. We stopped at a Denny’s on the way home for lunch. We made it back about 3pm and we were bushed! I went to my room to take a quick nap, and around 6 I got up and showered to get ready for the “Evening With Adam West” at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club on the Universal Citywalk. Since Adam is (finally!) getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year, KROQ’s entertainment reporter Ralph Garman put together this function to raise funds for the upkeep of the star. What a night this would be hearing about Adam’s career (in his own words) for almost two hours! We got to the club and met up with Ruben Procopio, and my friends Joe and Zandra Pendleton! I was with my folks, Sara, and Scott Sebring. We all got our seats and ordered our drinks. Before the show I went upstairs to the green room and looked in to say hi to Adam and his family. Fred Westbrook was there as well. Adam’s son-in-law James is making a documentary about Adam, and he’s interviewed me several times for the film. Tonight he had me sit next to Adam and do some improv. It was very fun. The evening was fantastic and everyone was pleased beyond belief! One of the fun things I liked to do during the evening was watch the reactions on the faces of Adam’s wife and kids. That was great! When the show was over we all met at DuPar’s to get some pie, then it was home to put my folks to bed. Then Sara dropped by so we could watch a few more “Avengers” episodes! I commented to her that I was one lucky guy! How many kids get to hang out with not one but TWO of their childhood heroes (Starsky & Batman) in one day!

Sunday the 29th – AWWW SHOOT! – I slept really late. It felt good to finally stop for a bit and rest after being on the go almost non-stop since Thursday night. I took my folks to DuPar’s for a late lunch, then we met up with Edi and her kids Josh and Emily at church. Toward the end of church my friend Amanda walked in. We all decided to go to the shooting range and have some fun. Emily is only 11 and had never shot before, so I had Amanda, a seasoned shooter, help her. I had Josh and Edi on my lane, and my folks were in the lane next to me. Being in the middle lane I could look in on Emily and Amanda’s progress, as well as my parents.’ I showed my dad how the model 1911 worked and he in turn showed my mom. They had fun shooting the 1911. I even had dad shoot the .357 Magnum a few times. My dad’s interested in buying a 1911 for home protection, so I wanted him to get used to mine. In fact, when he gets back to Sioux Falls he’s going to pick one out at the local gun store and I’m going to buy it for him for his birthday present. Josh shot VERY well, and even Emily shot pretty well! We all had a lot of fun. Then we went to Coral Cafe for dinner and to unwind. After dinner I headed home, put the folks to bed and got ready for a new week. And we’d be back at “TTS” again, which is always a pleasure!

And how was YOUR week??!!!

PICS FROM THE WEEK

On the floor of the show, Alex polishes and readies the Torino for inspection!

Paul Michael Glaser approves!

Edi is caught sabotaging the car, and Paul must frisk her for the infraction!

Paul poses with my folks!

Can you spot the Starsky shoes in the back window of the Torino?

Bodie Stroud stops by to pose with the folks!

Bodie and I on his debut radio show “In the Garage with Bodie Stroud.”

Paul plugs his book on Bodie’s show

Paul and I in front of the “striped tomato.”

Another shot of my Gran Torino, just in case you’re not sick of seeing it yet.

Before the show opens to the public, and the masses converge on Paul’s table, my mom gets an opportunity to get a book signed.

The man who sees the cars with his hands. Though I’ve sat inside the car many times and enjoyed the smell, heard the engine roar and enjoyed the sound, and certainly I’ve enjoyed the sight, I’ve never taken time to enjoy the “feel” of the Torino! I learned something that day!