RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
My pal Steve Troop, cartoonist, puppet builder and puppeteer, drew this cartoon about three years ago. But I just recently saw it. If you’re a serious Muppet fan, you’ll get the joke.
Not sure why Nickelback gets all the hate, as I actually like a lot of their music, but “How You Remind Me” has been in my mind lately. Maybe it’s because of that commercial that’s running with Christina Ricci and Chris Hemsworth. (Which, by the way, are sporting costumes made by my pals at Alex In Wonderland!)
Monday the 17th – CARPETS…CLEAN! – It was that time of year again. It was time to have all the carpets in my house cleaned by the company that usually comes. The last time I had them cleaned was shortly after my dog Roxy passed away over a year ago! They needed it! While they worked away on the carpets, I sat in the kitchen (where there’s no carpet) and worked on assembling my L.A. photo albums. But I ran out of plastic page protectors and double-stick tape, so I hit the computer to order more on Amazon. I’ll hit Hobby Lobby in the coming days to get the pages and protectors I like, but I doubt they will have the kind of removable double-stick tape that I like. Later I did my nightly auditions, and typed out Wally’s Week. I took my nightly WOG (walk/jog) in the middle of the night, and then I spent some time cooling down in the anti-gravity chair outside, staring at the sky and reflecting. When I got back inside I made a salad and watched the first episode of a new Netflix series I’ll be dubbing soon. This is the second season of a foreign show I dubbed a few years ago as the lead character. The producers were kind enough to send me the first five episodes (all they had to date) of the second season so I could get a feel for this season. This will be a blast! We had so much fun dubbing the first season, and it looks like this season has changed a little bit. It’s less manic…less dense. I can’t wait to start working on this show again, as it will be several weeks of 5-days-a-week work at four hours a day!
Tuesday the 18th – MASTER MENTOR! – Unfortunately I didn’t get much sleep because my cat Spooky woke me up prematurely. Normally I like to shut him out of my room when I go to bed, but somehow that didn’t happen. And I regret it. But when I got on-line I was notified that another run of “Puppet Up!,” the hilarious improv show at the Henson studios, was going on the last week of July and the first week of August! Fantastic! And now that I heard that the Henson company is selling off their historic studios in Hollywood, this may be the last time I’m able to see them perform this show at this amazing location! I drove over to Mendocino Farms, a restaurant in Burbank, to meet up with a few gals who work at Paty’s. They’re young actresses with a lot of questions, who are in need of some solid career advice. I would be providing none of that. However, my pal Dan Roebuck (well-known on-camera actor) would be. When he and I were at Paty’s recently he told them that he would be more than willing to sit down and answer all their questions. He loves giving back, and mentoring young actors. Since their interests lied in on-camera, and not the world of Voice-Over, this was more his department than mine. I also asked my gal Angi if she wanted to attend as well, as she’s also a young actress looking for advice from an experienced legend, such as Dan. We had a great lunch that lasted a few hours, and it was a gorgeous day! But the day was an odd one. It had an odd energy. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. It took forever to get our meals. The drivers on the streets were absolutely terrible, making horrible decisions behind the wheel. Some left too many spaces between cars and didn’t keep up with the flow of traffic, which led to a lot of horn-honking and angry words. People were definitely distracted. Some would just sit there in limbo after the light turned green. There was definitely a “weirdness” in the air. After lunch at Mendocino Farm’s, Angi said she was craving a shake…so we went across the street to Bob’s Big Boy to get a few milkshakes. Then we took off for Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies. I didn’t find the tape I needed, but I picked up some more page protectors for my photo albums, and I found these great translucent white plastic Christmas bulbs which were the exact size I needed for my “Travel Cookie” (a new Cookie Monster puppet I’m making that I can travel with to conventions and appearances). Unlike the first ones I used three years ago, which had a metallic finish and required a ton of sanding, these were already white! So these would paint up nicely with very little sanding needed. I needed some new sweatpants, so we hit the area Big 5. But the slow-motion bug must’ve hit there too. Big 5’s system was down, so the line to buy stuff was really long. But Angi and I just roughed it and stayed in line. It was really slooooooow! I’m tellin’ ya…there was something in the air. Then we hit Milt & Edi’s cleaners so Angi could get an alteration on an outfit of hers. I was beat, so I headed home to get some sleep. I got up later to do some various work around the house. I took my nightly WOG, spent my subsequent time in the anti-grav chair, and then came back inside to hit the hay.
Wednesday the 19th – WORKING ON MY EPISODE! – When I checked my email first thing, I got a note from the staff at ME-TV informing me that they’re busily working on my episode of “Collector’s Call!” They initially told me that it would air sometime in September, so they’re getting an early start on it. I’m very excited. They requested a list of photos from my archive which illustrate a different aspect of my collection. I started assembling a folder for them, and even though they only asked for about a dozen photos, I’m going to end up sending them way more than they need. More is better, right? I drove over to Art’s Deli in Studio City to meet up with Vernon, who would be the Voice Director for the dub of the foreign show on Netflix. He’s new to the show, as we had a different Voice Director for the first season, so he wanted to meet and discuss our approach to the second season. It was a fun lunch and we both saw eye-to-eye on virtually everything. This will be a great project! I had some time before my session for American Airlines started at Voice Trax West, which is right across the street, so I walked over to CVS to get some photos printed for my photo album. While I worked away on that, I got a text from the store that’s making my new set of window blinds for the Tranquility Zone. (The continuous cord on my old set broke – see Wally’s Week from a few weeks ago) Since the store is one floor below Voice Trax West, I just walked in and spoke to them in person to confirm the installation date they requested! I also spoke to him about my upstairs carpet. This store replaced the carpet in the first and second floors of my house, but the upstairs bedrooms posed a very troublesome problem. Both rooms are filled with cases and cabinets that can’t be moved. Well, they COULD be moved, but it would be a HUGE undertaking to clear everything out for new carpets. And the carpet up there came with the house when I bought it 24 years ago! Needless to say, it needs some help! Jack, the owner of the store, suggested we make an area rug for my room that fills the space of the area that’s most-used. I thought that was a great idea. Initially I thought having a rug made out of the same carpet they installed downstairs would be nice, but then I started perusing the carpet samples. I found one called “Starry Night,” which blew me away! It was a dark color (blacks and grays) and it was populated with little shiny fibers that glimmered with light. Jack said that carpet is used for a lot of home theaters, but I thought it would look fantastic in the Tranquility Zone. Given all of the fun lighting and effects I have in the “Zone,” this might be a great carpet. His guy is going to take measurements when they install the blinds next week, and once they have those, I’ll go make the final pick of the carpet and get them going on it. All I’ll have to do is disassemble my mattress, box spring, and frame and move them into another room. That will be relatively easy and definitely worth doing for this project! I went upstairs to Voice Trax West and recorded a ton of new stuff for American Airlines. Hard to believe I’ve had this gig for about 15 years – going back to before American bought the US Airways line. I came back home and worked on the photo folder for ME-TV. I got it all finished and sent it over to them. Angi dropped by so we could go grab dinner. I got back home fairly late and relaxed. I wasn’t feeling a WOG tonight, so I took a night off. However, I did go outside and watch the gorgeous full moon set behind the horizon, and it was simply gorgeous. It’s been a run of several weeks’ worth of overcast skies, it was good to see the moon again, along with the limited amount of stars we’re able to see in Los Angeles. But I had to be up early for a session, so I hit the hay.
Thursday the 20th – MUSIC TO MY EARS! – It’s not often I’ll get up early in the morning for a session, but this was a quick pick-up session for a gig I did about a month ago. So it was totally worth it. When that was over I managed to get another hour’s worth of sleep, and then it was time to hit the dentist for my semi-annual cleaning and check-up. If you’ve been following Wally’s Week for a while, you know that a year and a half ago my dentist flagged an “elevated” blood pressure issue I was having. Then I consulted my doctor, got on some medicine, found out I didn’t like the medicine very much, and decided to beat the problem naturally. I started eating a little better, but more importantly, I started exercising every night. I have been doing a nightly brisk walk to elevate my heart rate and get the blood moving properly. (Those are the WOGs I speak about) I’m out just about every night, seven days a week. I try not to miss a night, but taking a night off here and there is totally OK. I had just taken my blood pressure before I went to the dentist, as I know he’s keeping a keen eye on it. My blood pressure looked good. My dentist’s assistant uses one of those wrist units, which my pharmacist has called “notoriously inaccurate.” So I basically knew what my reading was going into the office. She strapped on the device and got the first reading. The little voice on the unit gave my reading and stated, “Your blood pressure is normal.” MUSIC TO MY EARS! Especially after all I’ve been through with this. It’s proof that the advice really works. Healthier eating and exercise (especially exercise) makes all the difference! After the appointment I went to Paty’s to enjoy a salad on the patio and get some sunshine. Gotta get that UV light and Vitamin D, after all! I hit my box to pick up some packages, and I got in my 5 yards of denim blue, short-pile fur for my new Travel Cookie. The other fur I used three years ago is no longer available. But this stuff looks fairly similar, and should make for a very nice puppet. I got back home to meet up with my pal Isaiah, who I’m hiring to do a short stop-motion demo from one of my Christoween stories! He’s a young, talented animator, cartoonist, and puppeteer. We went over a few ideas, and then drove over to my buddy Jim Ojala’s effects studio to drop off the Christmas balls to have him fortify them for my Traveling Cookie. While the Christmas balls are the perfect size, they’re very thin and fairly fragile. I have Jim fill them with a little resin in order to fortify the inner walls. That way I can drill into them and implant the tiny bolt that the spinning pupils are affixed to. It was great to have Isaiah meet Jim, as Jim was (expectedly) impressed by Isaiah’s body of work. Jim is also vaccu-forming some companion pupils out of black plastic that will be used on the Traveling Cookie eyeballs. If they turn out well, I think I may replace the flat pupils on the first Cookie Monster puppet I made three years ago. An effects guy that Jim knows recently sold off a bunch of stuff, as he was moving his shop to another state. One of the things Jim picked up was a few yards of the now-extinct fabric known as Antron fleece. This fabric is desperately sought after by puppet builders all over the world. But this heavy gauge of Antron fleece is no longer being made. There’s a thinner version you can still get, but it’s not the rich-bodied fabric that the Muppets used all throughout the 1980s. Jim had about a yard and a half left that I happily took off his hands. I was starving, so Isaiah and I stopped by the local Burger King and got some food. But once we ate I was very tired. I had been going solid all day. After a short rest I got up to do my nightly auditions, and do some work around the house. I enjoyed a gorgeous full moon WOG, and spent some time in the anti-grav chair marveling at the wonderfully beautiful night. In fact, I got quite high by the whole experience. I know that sounds odd, but it was so quiet, the temperature was perfect, the sky was stunning, the moon was breathtaking, and everything just felt right. I was bathed in a sense of peace and tranquility, and thankfulness. I went inside to finish up some work, and make a pizza. I watched the second episode of the foreign series I’ll be working on next week. By next Monday, when we start, I’ll be up to speed on all 5 episodes I have in my possession. They’re still waiting on the final 3 episodes from the foreign producer.
Friday the 21st – SUMMER HAS COME! WHEW! – A warm spell hit the L.A. area, and it was a beautiful, hot day outside. My maids arrived to clean Planet Wallywood. When they were done I was craving a pizza, for some reason. I called Domino’s and placed an order for my lunch. When I finished eating I headed back to bed to get some more rest. Later I stopped by my box and got my order of double-stick, temporary tape for my photo albums. I picked up my comforters at the cleaners, and then did some late-night grocery shopping. I came back home and stashed the groceries, and then set out on my nightly WOG and subsequent decompression time in the anti-grav chair. I LOVE these summer nights! When I got back inside I set about doing some things around the house. I lined the shelf compartment where my new Fizzgig puppet is displayed (he’s the funny, fuzzy little dog character from “The Dark Crystal”) with black poster board. Given Fizzgig’s coloring, the darker color on his compartment really made him pop! I replaced all of the warmer incandescent bulbs in my bathroom vanity area with much cooler LED bulbs. It’s nice to have the warmer bulbs in the winter, as it warms the room up a bit, but in the summer I need the cooler LED bulbs to keep the temperature down. I made a salad and watched the third episode of the foreign Netflix series I’ll be dubbing next week. And for the first time this year, I turned on my house AC unit. Summer is here!
Saturday the 22nd – TRAVEL COOKIE PREP! – A visit to my stylist was in order, so I could get a touch-up on my color. It was a nice, hot day out – so I took full advantage and walked over. I LOVE hot, summer days. When I got back home I hit my garage to go through my storage and dig out some materials I’ll need for my Traveling Cookie puppet. I hope to have him done in time to take him to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the Voices Against Cancer event in mid-July! I pulled out a large roll of brown paper to trace my first Cookie Monster puppet to give Alex In Wonderland a pattern to work from. Then I cut out all of the little “fingertip tufts” that give Cookie Monster’s hands that floppy, loppy look. I colored the back of the fur dark gray with a Sharpie, and then labeled each piece with a notation as to which finger they go on. I found my duvetyne fabric, which is the black fabric used for a lot of Muppet mouths. On Monday I’ll take all the pieces over to Alex at Alex In Wonderland and have her start assembling the puppet. Of all the puppets you can make, Cookie Monster is the simplest. But while the body is just a simple bag, the eyes can be tricky. I took my nightly WOG, and enjoyed the very warm night in my anti-grav chair. It was so nice out I was actually nodding off in the chair! As I get deeper into the summer that won’t be possible, as I’ll be fending off pesky mosquitoes on a fairly regular basis. But for now, I’m enjoying the heck out of it! I went back inside to do some more work, and then I made a salad. This was my chance to watch the fourth and fifth episodes of the foreign show I’ll be working on. The producers haven’t gotten the final three episodes in the season yet, but I’m sure they’ll send them onto me when they get them. This will be a fun gig again! But yet, quite different than when we dubbed season one back in 2022.
Sunday the 23rd – 99! DO I HEAR 100?! – Though it was my usual crash day, I did get up long enough in the afternoon to take note of the fact that it was 99 degrees outside. Later in the day I started prepping for a very, VERY busy week ahead. Not only will I be busy all this week, four hours a day, as we begin dubbing this series for Netflix, but I have a ton of other stuff to handle as well. I’ll have to schedule those things either before or after the Netflix sessions. Later I set about making the mouth for my Travel Cookie. But as I was digging through my supplies, I found a perfectly good mouth that had already been made. Apparently when I did my Cookie Monster three years ago, I made a second mouth to have “just in case.” So that was easy. I listened to some music while I fastened the finger loops to the mouth. It was more complicated than adding finger loops to most puppets, because the loops around the middle and ring fingers need to be level, as that’s where the plate that holds Cookie’s eyes will eventually lay. I took my nightly WOG and did my time in the anti-grav chair. Though it was gorgeous out again, it was a bit humid. Big, puffy cotton ball clouds were overhead. And occasionally I would feel little random drops of water on my face and hands. But it was very scant. I went back inside and did some work on my photo albums, and once again (I know I’ve said this before) I have the first photo album completely locked! Finished! Now it’s onto the second album. I hope to have it finished before my buddy Dave Baumeister comes to visit from South Dakota over the 4th of July weekend, as I think he’ll get a real kick out of seeing everything. Back when I first moved to L.A., my buddy Dave had come to visit quite often. So a lot of the experiences featured in the narrative of the photo albums will be ones that he participated in! But I had to hit the hay, as an extremely busy week was ahead. Good thing I got a lot of rest over the weekend! I’m gonna need it!
And how was YOUR week??!!
