RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
At a session this week, the director showed me one of the studio dogs who has a mark on its side that looks like a heart. Too cool!
Last Saturday, a song I used to love came up randomly on my iPad while I was driving back from my friend Troy’s wedding. I’ve loved this song since 1977 when David Soul released it on his self-titled album. “Seem To Miss So Much” has never failed to move me to tears. What a great song. What a great performance!
Monday the 11th – ODD DAY! – Did you ever have one of those days where you just didn’t want to move? You aren’t sick or under the weather, but it just feels good to stay put and not do anything. Today was one of those days. I had slept all through the previous night. I got up at 3 to walk Roxy, then went back inside and laid down on the couch and slept until 9am! When I woke up I heard a truck out my back window and some voices out my side window. I took Roxy out for a walk to find my neighbor Mark being escorted to an ambulance! He had those little heart monitor leads attached to his chest. I asked him if he was alright and he said he was OK now. He’s the picture of health! Come to find out, due purely to genetics, he had to undergo a quadruple bypass surgery! I came back inside and spent the morning doing some work. I’m not usually a morning guy, so it was odd being up with nothing to do at 9am! Later I had my friend D.C. Fontana (original writer from the “Star Trek” series) came over to see my new communicator Blue Tooth device. I had intended to make a Chef Boy Ar Dee pizza-in-a-box the previous evening so I could eat it while I watched my nightly retro TV episode. But since I slept all night, I decided to make the pizza for lunch. Later in the afternoon I went to Guns Direct to pick up my new AR-15. I had bought it the day before our governor signed all sorts of new gun control measures into law, so my timing was impeccable. When I got to the store they didn’t have any AR-15’s left…they were all sold out. Just in the nick of time! I think the gun makers need to send some of our politicians roses, since their lawmaking has created a rush on the market! I came back home to do some work, and then met my assistant Sara at DuPar’s for dinner. Then I got home to do my auditions, and I hit the hay for the night. What a strange day.
Tuesday the 12th – THE FINAL BUILD! – Around 10:30 I woke up, took Roxy to the groomer’s for a bath, grabbed some quick lunch at a drive-thru, then headed to Wild Woods studios to do the voice tracks for the final two episodes of “How to Build Everything” on Discovery Science. It’s a fun series and I hope there’s more to come! When we finished the session I stopped at home to pick up Spook, took him to the groomer’s to get his nails trimmed, grabbed Roxy and headed home. I dropped off the pets and gave them some food, and then I headed to my mailbox to get my packages. I went back home to do some work, and then went to Jerry’s Famous Deli for a dinner date with a gal named Sammy. I came home to grab a nap, and then woke up to do some auditions, feed and walk Roxy, and then I went to bed.
Wednesday the 13th – GOLDFINGERRRRRR! – Once again, I got up around 10:30, checked some e-mails, and then hit the road to Calabasas to visit Profiles in History to pick up my recently-won auction items. I had sold a jacket Ralph Fiennes wore in “Strange Days” at this past auction, and the price it fetched was the exact price I paid for a prop gold bar from “Goldfinger!” So it was like an even-up trade! I also bought a gorgeous animation cel from “Jungle Book.” You can find this scene one hour, twelve minutes and 47 seconds into the movie. It’s right when Mowgli says “Good ol’ papa bear!” It’s my favorite animated film of all time, and most likely the first movie I ever saw in a movie theatre. When my dad and I finished watching the movie, we went to Lewis Drug in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and bought the soundtrack album. I still have the album and it’s framed in my Puppet Room. I believe it did a lot to give me inspiration for my eventual, chosen career. When you open the album up, it folds out to a nice display of photos of the “Jungle Book” voice actors posing next to their animated counterparts. In my little 5 years old brain, I didn’t quite understand the concept of the humans next to the cartoons. But my parents explained that they did their voices, and artists drew the characters. Not only did that make me want to do voices for cartoons, but it also made me want to start cartooning. I credit “Jungle Book” and “The Munsters” with my decision to attempt a career in the entertainment industry; a decision I made at the age of 5 or 6. (I’ll tell you the Munsters story later on) I’ve always wanted a cel that personified the amazing relationship Mowgli had with Baloo in the movie, and this cel does just that. Mowgli is sitting on top of Baloo’s shoulders as they run off to a new adventure. It’s the perfect cel for me. I’m having a background created for it, and when it’s all put together I’ll have an engraved plate put on the piece with the title “GOOD OL’ PAPA BEAR.” It should be awesome when it’s all finished. I got some lunch and hit the road. My next stop was at Pure Imagination studios to do some voices of some DC villains for an upcoming project. Not only did I get to do the voice of the evil Yellow Lantern Sinestro, but I got to do the voice of Scarecrow as well. Boy was it fun! I drove home and walked Roxy, and then headed out to a last-minute dinner date with Lauren. We finished dinner and I headed back home to nap for a little bit. Then I got up to do some auditions. I hit the hay around 6am, but had to be up at 9am for my garage door guys to replace my old, warped, wooden garage door.
Thursday the 14th – SINCE I WAS 13 YEARS OLD!!! – After only 3 hours of sleep, I woke up at 9 to let my garage door guys start replacing my garage door. But instead, I found a message on my voicemail from the garage door company saying that the crew went to get the door at the manufacturer, and it wasn’t ready yet. It won’t be ready until next week! I cleared my day for them, and even got up early ( I don’t like to get up early) only to find out that they weren’t coming. After the rinky dink service I got from my plumber a few months ago, and now this, I’m wondering if anyone takes pride in their work anymore at all. However, my contractor Electric Bob came by to do some work around the house. While he worked I slept on the couch. When he finished I got up to do some work, and then called my neighbor Caroline to see if she wanted to get some lunch. We walked over to the neighborhood Studio Café and sat inside. While we dined I saw our neighbors the Yelchins walk to the patio to be seated. Viktor and Irina Yelchin lost their son Anton in a tragic freak accident a month or so ago. Anton was a terrific actor, and had recently played Chekov in the new “Star Trek” movies. I had spoken with Anton many times when he came over to visit his parents. He was a darn nice guy, and the last conversation we had about six months ago. We talked about how lucky we felt to be able to do what we love and make a living at it. We continued chatting while Roxy and his dog Elvis cavorted about the courtyard. After lunch we went over to say hi to them. I walked up behind Viktor, placed my hands on his shoulders, and he turned around to see who it was. He said, “Hi Wally.” I asked him how he was and that he and Irina had been on my heart and mind lately. Though his mouth was smiling, with perfect white teeth, his crystal blue eyes conveyed a pain unlike anything I have ever seen. He thanked me, and he started to tear up a bit as we continued to talk. I don’t think I’ll ever see pain like that anytime soon, and I’ll never, ever forget it. My heart was breaking. But I tried to crack a few jokes and lighten the mood a bit. I gave him a hug and blew his wife Irina a kiss goodbye. As we left the café Caroline was weeping, but she was glad we went over to offer them our regards. We walked over to Rusty’s to get some cat litter and chat with Terry the owner. We walked by Studiopolis so I could pick up a check, and Caroline was amazed at how wonderful Studiopolis was. I went back home to relax. My new favorite toy is the “Star Trek” original series communicator Blue Tooth device. But since I got it I’ve only been using it as a glorified prop. I didn’t think my old fashioned flip phone had Blue Tooth capabilities. But I got an idea. Maybe it did. So I opened up my phone and started looking around at the device settings. Sure enough, I had Blue Tooth! GREAT! I immediately paired the communicator with my phone and started making calls on my communicator! I’ve waited to converse with someone on a “Star Trek” communicator since I was 13 years old! Later in the evening I drove to Jersey Mike’s to get a sandwich. I drove home and ate part of it, took a dip in the Jacuzzi, and then napped on the couch. I got up later to do an audition. I worked on-line for a bit, fed and walked Roxy on our late-night stroll through the neighborhood. Then I settled down with the other half of my Jersey Mike’s sandwich, and enjoyed the first “TV Time” I had in several nights. I watched the final episode of “Lost in Space’s” second season. The show started out really well in the first season, but now it’s gotten so goofy it’s almost unwatchable. I’m kind of dreading watching the third season, but I’m a completionist so I’ll suffer through.
Friday the 15th – IT’S COUP COUP NUTTY! – My maids arrived just after noon and started cleaning Planet Wallywood. While they cleaned I did some work, read a few comic books and enjoyed the day. I made some hot dogs on the grill, made some calls and did some work on the computer. Around 3pm I started hearing news reports about an attempted coup in Turkey. Wow. The world is really a screwed up place, and it’s getting crazier all the time. I knew I was witnessing history, so I kept listening to the reports. Later my masseuse Emily came over to give me a massage. After the massage I took a dip in the Jacuzzi, and then grabbed a nap. Later on I got up to walk and feed Roxy, organized the house a bit, and by the time I got to bed it was another gorgeous “blue” morning. It’s those rare overcast mornings that are so serene and peaceful, and the world is awash in a beautiful blue-gray hue. Very peaceful. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and it was almost like the breath of God blowing through the leaves to gently wake up the world. I made Tombstone pizza and watched a DVD documentary about the making of “The Munsters.” I also watched a documentary on the life of Fred Gwynne, who played Herman Munster. It was fascinating!
Saturday the 16th – WEDDING DAY! – Nope, not mine. My friend Troy. I got up around 1 and my friend Jasmine stopped by to pick up a check for some work she’d done. I had to hurry and get to Camarillo for my friend Troy Thomas’ wedding. He used to be a writer on “The Tonight Show” and is a good friend. Now he works on the “Ellen” show and has me record voice-over bits from time to time for that show. I got cleaned up and hit the road. I talked to my folks on the 44 mile trip, but when I got to the exit where I needed to turn off, I realized that I had forgotten to get them a gift! OH NO! Luckily there was a liquor store in a shopping plaza where I could buy a nice bottle of wine. I got a bottle from Cakebreak Wineries; vintage 2007. Being a non-drinker, I know nothing about anything alcoholic. But the lady at the store was very helpful. Also very helpful, was the gift store next door where I bought a gift bag, some tissue paper to make it look nice, and a card. Whew! I threw on my nice clothes, and went to the country club and enjoyed the wedding. It was great seeing a lot of the old “Tonight Show” staff that I had missed through the years since the show has been over. My iPad was playing music from collection on the way home and David Soul’s “Seem to Miss So Much” came on. Since this song came out in 1977 it’s never failed to move me to tears. And tonight was no exception. It’s a terrific song and he did a great job with it. I came home to relax and walk Roxy. I napped a bit and got up later to make one of my Saturday night super salads and watch another episode of the old BBC show “The Avengers.” It’s too bad that the show only has 3 episodes left before it ends, and the past several episodes have been the best ever.
Sunday the 17th – SUNDAY IS BUN-DAY! – When I woke up at 3pm I had both Roxy and Spook on the bed vying for my attention. It’s nice waking up with cuddly pets on the bed. I spent some time talking to my neighbors in the courtyard as our dogs played, and then I went inside to get ready for evening church. Roxy and I walked over to attend the service, and after it was over, my “adopted grandma” Shirley and I hopped in the car and headed to Barone’s to get some dinner with my assistant Sara. When I got home I met up with my friend and her doggie Bunny. Edi would be staying with me for a week while she was in town doing a job, so I lugged her suitcase upstairs and got her set up in the Puppet Room. Her Maltese doggie Bunny is always a treat to have around, and while Edi was working I’d be dogsitting Bunny. It’s always fun to watch her interact with Roxy and Spook. Edi and I got caught up on news, I did some auditions, made some cereal and hit the hay. I had to be up early the next day because the garage door guys really WERE coming the next morning to install my new garage door! (Maybe…)
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
This past week I saw a rather sickly looking bird on my chimney. It looked frail and scared, but there wasn’t anything I could do, considering that it was so high up. But when I got home the bird had flown off, so I’m assuming it’s alright.
My new Aero Precision AR-15 painted in camouflage black.
Though it’s seen some damage from the years, this is the prop gold bar from “Goldfinger” that I bought at auction. It’s plaster painted gold. Just think, this was on the set with Sean Connery all those years ago!
