July 6 – July 12 (2015) – Wally On The Web

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

At a Voice-Over session last week, Voice Director Amanda Wyatt enjoys her Wonderful Wally Water! YUMMY!

When this song came on my iPod both Sara and Andrea said, “I love this song!” Yes, there’s nothing like the haunting sounds of Alex Parks and “Mad World.” I have about 6 different versions of this on my iPod, but this is the one they liked best.

Monday the 6th – REVEREND TORINO?! – Today was the day I would be meeting the Senior Pastor at my church for a fun lunch. We had a lot to talk about, especially since I picked him up at the church in the Gran Torino. We had a nice, long leisurely lunch and then headed back to the church so I could drop him off. I got home and received an e-mail that my promotional postcards for my upcoming web series were finished and ready for pick-up. I did a little work and then I drove over to pick them up. I’d be passing them out after my two upcoming panels at the San Diego Comic Con this coming weekend. When I got back home my pal David Elkouby, producer of the Hollywood Shows, dropped by with my signed “Live and Let Die” movie poster. He had Roger Moore sign it recently in Monte Carlo, and I needed it back in time for the Comic Con so Gloria Hendry (Rosie Carver in “Live and Let Die”) could sign it too. I grabbed a nap on the couch, and then got up to scan some bank deposits, go through my tax deduction receipts to organize them into categories, and reconciled my bank statements. I decided to bike to Taco Bell for some food. It’s about a mile away so it was a nice 2 mile ride at night. I wrote Wally’s Week, did my Voice Over auditions, got some mail ready to go, and made some food to eat while I watched another episode of “Hawaii Five-O” from the 12th season DVD set before bed.

Tuesday the 7th – YOU GOTTA DOUBLE CHECK EVERYBODY! – The best advice I’ve ever gotten from my dad was “You’ve got to double check EVERYBODY! And then double check them again! Boy was he right! I don’t know what it is these days. If it’s the time of year, or maybe everybody has their minds focused elsewhere. Perhaps it’s like Mr. Hand in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” when he said…”What are you people? On dope?!” I got up around 2 so I could head out to do some errands. It was my mom’s 75th birthday so I gave her a call to wish her a happy birthday. I made a few other phone calls and headed to the Plastic Depot to pick up a custom-made plastic stand for my new Psycho Ranger helmet. But since I hadn’t included a drawing with the description of what I wanted, the measurements didn’t translate to what was made. So my pal Kyle at the Plastic Depot said he’d redo it first thing Wednesday morning. I headed off to the post office to mail some stuff, and then went over to Fast Signs to pick up my new signs for Planet Wallywood. If you’ve been reading Wally’s Week for the past few months you know the craziness I’ve been going through trying to get some suitable new signage made for my collection. Since we’re starting a new webseries soon called “Wacky Wally’s Vintage Toys” I wanted all the descriptive signage to look consistent. But it seems like every time I go there something gets screwed up. Well, sure enough the stickers on my lunchbox got applied wrong; which is weird since I left an example of exactly what I wanted, but somebody wasn’t paying attention. Sheesh! But it all got fixed (after an hour of waiting around) and I headed out to hit the hardware store. I went home to feed the kids, and started working on installing some of the other plexiglass items I had picked up earlier in the day from Plastic Depot. I have a new stand for the Batphone in my 1966 Batman display, as well as a Robin mask holder that I needed to attach to the wall. I also installed a new knob in the shower in the Puppet Room. I drove over to see my stylist Andi at Floyd’s so I could get a touch up on my color before Comic Con. When we finished up I headed to Jerry’s Famous Deli to meet with Kevin, my producer for the web series. We threw around some ideas and I think we’re going to start filming as soon as I’m back from Comic Con. I got back home and did my auditions, and settled in to watch another episode of “Hawaii Five-O.” Though the 12th season started out slow, they’re getting into some really great episodes now. It’s all helped by the presence of the great Ross Martin playing a Hawaiian bad guy!

Wednesday the 8th – TAKE TWO! – Shortly after 1 I woke up and checked e-mails. Then I went off to Plastic Depot to pick up the corrected version of my Psycho Ranger helmet stand. It was perfect! I sped over to Paty’s to have lunch with my assistant Sara so we could coordinate the details of our exodus to Comic Con on Thursday. I went over to Fast Signs only to find that 3 of the 6 signs I needed had come in. They had no record of the other 3 I ordered. Oh brother! I came back home to meet up with my pal Brittney Powell who would be house/petsitting while I was at Comic Con. I went over the feeding routine and gave her all the codes and keys she’d need for the house. I put up my new signage, installed my Psycho Ranger helmet stand (which looks perfect!) did some work, and then settled down for a quick nap. I got up later to do auditions and pack for Comic Con. And “Hawaii Five-O” is definitely getting better!

Thursday the 9th – SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2015! – It was a nice cool day when I got up around 1. A nice break in the weather we’d been having. I did an audition and e-mailed it to my agent. Then I hopped in my car and headed to Warner for a Voice Over session. When we finished up I drove home to park my car, and walk over to the car rental place to pick up the SUV I’d be renting for our trip to Comic Con. I threw all my luggage in to the SUV, but I got a last-minute text from my buddy Mark Fullerton who would be moderating the Voice Over Workshop panel I’d be doing on Saturday evening. He wanted me to bring a copy of the sizzle reel we had created on my iPad. So before I could leave I stopped what I was doing and downloaded it. With the slight delay, I didn’t get out of the house until about 9pm. First stop was to get Sara. She had been wanting to go to Comic Con for about 10 years and this was finally her chance. All the other years she was watching the house and petsitting, but Brittney agreed to do it this year. We headed down the road a little ways, and then picked up our friend Andrea. My normal Comic Con tradition is to stop at the Dairy Queen in Mission Viejo (about halfway to San Diego) and have a banana split. But with the delay in getting out of town I was worried that wouldn’t happen. As luck would have it, we pulled into the DQ drive-thru just as they were closing at 10:30! When we pulled into the parking lot the sign said OPEN, but by the time we wheeled around the building and got up to the window they had switched it to CLOSED. But they served us anyway. Talk about cutting it close! Traffic was pretty good, since it was so late at night, but we did hit a snag of road construction just outside of La Jolla, where we’d be staying. We pulled into the Hyatt around midnight. We were starving. Unfortunately everything in the hotel was closed, and the only thing on the room service menu was cold sandwiches. There’s not much around the hotel, since it’s in an industrial area, so we hopped back in the SUV and found the nearest Denny’s. Good ol’ Denny’s! Once I got back to the room I realized how much I hated it. The design was horrible. They sacrificed practicality for aesthetics, which I always hate. There weren’t any drawers to put my clothes in, and there was hardly anything around where I could lay my luggage, or other items. The door to the bathroom was a huge, frosted glass barn door that provided for very little privacy. And the shower door was only half there. I realized why they only needed half a shower door. The shower head was one of those rainshower heads with no pressure at all. I called a few local hotels to see about going there instead, but everything was sold out. I guess I was stuck. It’s too bad because I expected a Hyatt to be similar to my beloved Hyatt in Palm Springs. I hope they’re not planning on changing to this lame design! YUK! I’m afraid the trip wasn’t starting out very well.

Friday the 10th – DAY ONE! – Instead of taking a taxi or uber the 11 miles to the San Diego Convention Center, the hotel suggested using a towncar service that offered a flat rate for back and forth trips to the downtown San Diego area. Perfect! We got there about noon, got our badges, and shopped the first three aisles. Then we got hungry. I texted my pals Mark Fullerton and James Braddock (the producers of my Voice Over Workshop panel) and we met for lunch at the Marriott next door. (I’ll bet THEY have full shower doors in their rooms!) We were joined by Scott Sebring and his wife Vickie, my pal Alex Zsolt and Beaker. We finished up our lunch and headed back to shop. I picked up a neat Hasbro Ant Man exclusive action figure set, a gorgeous Mr. Bean figure, a fabulous Christopher Reeve Superman figure, and a 1966 Batman Batarang bottle opener. Perfect for opening my Cokes in a glass bottle. When the convention closed I stashed my goodies in Scott’s car so we could walk over to Seaport Village for dinner. Our towncar came to get us around 9 and took us back to the hotel. It was only the first day and I was already beat! WOW!

Saturday the 11th – DAY TWO! – The towncar picked us up at 11 and shuttled us into the convention. It was the busiest day of the con, so we were prepared for skads of people! Sara wanted to get in a little cosplay time as Slave Leia, so she ran off with my friend James who was dressed as Sgt. Fury. Andrea and I went to the “Return of Invader Zim” panel, and it was really great to see Jhonen, Rikki, Eric and Aaron again! It was really hilarious. I miss the days of working on that show! I found Bond Girl Gloria Hendry and had her sign my “Live and Let Die” poster, and then we met Mark and James for lunch at the Marriott again. Then it was back to the convention for more shopping. Around 5:30 we met at the room where my Voice Over Workshop would be held. It was fun chatting with some of the people who were waiting to go in, especially Comic Con Ukulele Guy! Not only was one of my animation agents there, but the head of my agency was there too! I think they all had fun. It was a full house. I got everybody to stand up and move around, and ran them through some vocal exercises so they could discover areas of their voice that they have never used before. We made creature voices, dog pants, raspy voices and gurgles. Basically the stuff I used to do as a kid that drove my folks nuts. After the panel I posed for pics with people and signed a few autographs. It was a great time! Then we went outside to sit a spell and enjoy the evening ocean breeze that was blowing in. We had a post-game review of the panel and waited around for the convention center to open back up for free food and the Masquerade competition. Once it did we went inside for nachos, potato chips, cupcakes; basic “con” food. We walked downtown amidst the mass of people and I ran into my old friend Christine and her sister Sabrina. Of all the thousands of people who were downtown, what were the chances I’d run into them. It was good to see them again and we walked around downtown and chatted. But all of the eating places had long waits, so we decided to take the towncar back to the hotel and eat there. But we didn’t get back to the room until around midnight. Boy was I bushed!

Sunday the 12th – DAY THREE! – When I travel, I seem to always wake up way too early on the final day of my stay. I guess it’s my subconscious telling me it’s time to go and prep for the trip home. I woke up at 7:30am, WAY earlier than I wanted to. So Sara and I went downstairs to have a breakfast buffet. I had one more panel to do with the great Mark Evanier, and that was at 11:30. I got cleaned up and headed out to the convention around 10:30. I had time to get a little shopping in before the panel, but a few of the things I had my eye on had already been sold out. Con rule #1 – you snooze, you lose. Buy any items you want the first day you see them! The Cartoon Voice Actors’ Panel was a blast. I was joined by Fred Tatasciore, Julie Nathanson, Chris Edgerly, Bob Bergen and Misty Lee! We had a terrific time and I think the audience liked it too! After the panel it was time for more pics and autographs, and then it was time to head out. I wanted to do a bit more shopping on the convention floor before we left, and I found an animation cel booth run by my pal John Alcantar. I bought a gorgeous “pan” cel from the “Lassie” animated series. We happened to run into Scott and Vickie at the same booth, and he bought a groovy Lone Ranger “pan” cel. I don’t have any pan cels in my collection, so this would be a first. The towncar picked us up at 2 and took us to the hotel so we could check out. Luckily the hotel gave us a late check-out time of 3:00, so we had plenty of time to get our bags together and clear out. The 5 freeway is always backed up on Comic Con’s last day, with everyone trying to get out of town, so we took an alternate route. I’m not sure if it was much faster, but it certainly was more scenic. It took us through an area of Southern California that I had never seen before. We stopped at the Dairy Queen in Escondido before we hit the road and had lunch. ANOTHER banana split and we were on our way home! The alternate chain of freeways we took had some slow spots, but it was fun seeing new sights. I got home by 6:30 and I unpacked a bit and grabbed a nap. I got up at 9:30, did some auditions, and unpacked some more. I had a session bright an early the next morning, so I hit the hay so I’d be ready.

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

On the first day of the convention, I found a great Hasbro exclusive Ant Man set! The box is Ant Man’s head, and I thought it might be a fun optical illusion to hold it up in front of my own head!

After lunch we head back out to the floor for more shopping! But who’s that crazy looking guy with orange hair behind me?

I’ve never wanted to be a sticker so badly in my life!

On the floor I run into my friend Tara, who’s normally in her Harley Quinn costume. But seeing her out of her costume befuddles me quite a bit!

From the parking structure of the Hilton Bayfront, we serenade the con-goers with “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” just because.

Nothing like taking a load off after a long day. Here I am chilling by the ocean with my pal James…

…soon to be joined by the whole gang just before dinner.

Day Two! At lunch, it’s a Batman V. Superman smackdown…with the cutest baby I’ve ever seen!

After 10 years of longing to go to Comic Con, my assistant Sara finally gets to walk the floor in her Slave Leia costume. Where she had a rendezvous with Nick Fury himself…our pal James from Warner Brothers!

Jhonen Vasquez at the amazing “Return of Invader Zim” comic book panel!

Snuggling a Bond Girl!! The lovely Gloria Hendry from “Live and Let Die,” one of my favorite James Bond films of all time!

Before my Voice-Over Workshop panel, I run into an old, familiar friend!

While walking down the hall, I see someone else who looks VERY familiar!

As we wait for the room to open for the panel, Comic Con Ukulele Guy entertains the participants.

Here’s the CCUG in action! He’s not bad at all!

Outside the hall…MY NAME IN PRINT!

Workshop Panel moderator Mark Fullerton takes the podium to begin.

The audience is shown a short “sizzle” reel of some of the Voice-Over stuff I’ve done before the panel begins.

Here’s the sizzle reel, brilliantly edited by Scott Sebring.

The panel starts…

…and I get the audience of aspiring Voice Actors up on their feet to run through some vocal exercise!

And they seemed to like it!

On Day Three, Cartoon Voice Actor Panel Moderator Mark Evanier gets the table set up for action! I’m joined by Chris Edgerly, Misty Lee and Bob Bergen.

It’s another legendary afternoon of fun and vocal frolic!

At the Cartoon Voice Actor’s panel, I demonstrate how to do a “blood gurgle death” for videogames with the help of a few teaspoons of water

These panels are always so much fun!

Here’s some footage of our reading for “The Wizard of Oz.”

My pal Andrea has TWO dreams come true! She got to watch the “Sailor Moon” panel, as well as meet my old pal Rikki Simons. He even signed her GIR purse!