RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
Roxy was sound asleep on the bed and almost seemed like she was smiling!
This is the song Lisa Marie Presley performed on the “Tonight Show” this past week. It’s called “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.” Nicely done! Great song!
Monday the 21st – WATCHING A PRINCESS! –I got a hotline call to be in early to “The Tonight Show” for a comedy bit. I was planning on heading in early anyway to watch the guest band’s rehearsal and sound check so this worked out great. Before I went in, I was walking Roxy and this little angry pug tore after her with his teeth bared. His owner had accidentally dropped his leash. She was struggling with another dog and lost control of the angriest pug in the world. The pug was biting at her, and Roxy just looked down at him with a puzzled look. I tried to pull her away to get her away from the pug, but the pug had situated himself under Roxy. He was so small he fit right under her! I was furious! Roxy could have easily chomped him in one bite, but she’s not like that. I pulled Roxy away and the pug came after her again. I nudged him “strongly” with my foot and told the owner to grab him or I would kick him down the street. I don’t like the thought of being mean to animals, but the safety of my own dog was in question. She was very apologetic, but if she can’t handle two dogs she should walk them separately. Luckily, after a quick once-over I determined that Roxy was fine. I got back home and was about to get ready to head to NBC, and the Chem Dry guys came for their appointment early. I let them in and they spot cleaned the few spots I had for them. By the time they finished I was all ready for work. Perfect timing! I got to the “TS” stage to see Lisa Marie Presley’s sound check. I had seen her father perform live back in 1977, so to make it full circle, I wanted to see her act too. But just as she started her sound check, they called me into the editing bay to voice some bits. After I finished the bits, I walked into the audio booth and there was Lisa Marie’s husband Michael. Nice guy! We talked at length about all sorts of things. We had a lot in common since he’s about 2 weeks younger than me. He was getting ready to celebrate his birthday on the 22nd. I went to the commissary to get a salad, then I headed back to do the show. I actually went on to the stage to watch LMP’s set. It was a great song, and I immediately downloaded it from i-Tunes! I happened to walk by her in the hallway and she looked stunning! She looks so much like her dad, but also a lot like her mom as well. I got home to walk Roxy and I discovered that she had been busy rummaging through the trash all afternoon! She ate wrappers and napkins. Oh boy. I changed clothes and then headed to Chin Chin to meet with my friend Brittany for dinner. After dinner I went next door to Voice Trax West to do a few hours for US Airways. Because I was so busy during the afternoon we had to do a night session. But it was pretty pleasant. It certainly was quiet around the studio and we had the place to ourselves. When I returned home I found two places where Roxy barfed on the carpet. Ugh. I just had the upstairs carpet cleaned, but she barfed downstairs. Now I have to call the cleaners back again. I guess I need to put a lock on the garbage can in the kitchen! I cleaned up what I could and then relaxed a bit and took a quick nap. I was awakened by Roxy walking around on my bed. She sounded like she was going to barf again. Luckily I sprang into action. I grabbed a potty pad that was handy and held it under her. Just in time! No harm, no foul! I HAVE to get a locking trash can so she’ll stay out of the trash! I got up and walked and fed her a little dinner, and then my assistant Sara came over to watch “Man From Atlantis” on DVD. I have a DVD set I ordered from Warner Brothers that contains the four made-for-TV movies from 1977. I remember liking the show a bit as a kid, and I really recall wanting to swim like Patrick Duffy did in the show. I would attempt to copy his unique swimming style…with my arms to my side thrusting my hips back and forth and trying to sail through the water. I don’t think I was very successful at it. Basically, he swam like a dolphin. It must’ve been difficult. The first TV movie was pretty good, made all that much better by the presence of Victor Buono as Guest Star!
Tuesday the 22nd – ANDY’S SNEER! – As I took Roxy on her morning walk, I noticed a dead possum on the property. Somebody had put a dish of water next to him, so apparently he was alive at some point, but very ill or injured. Sad to see. I always like to see all sorts of life carouse around the property…squirrels, birds, snails, even possums. It looked like he had a painful, slow death. I went to Carroll Casting to do an audition, and then I hit my mailbox to get packages. I also went over to Fast Frame to pick up my framed birthday sketch done by Ruben Procopio. I grabbed some spaghetti to go at Café Al Dente, and then went upstairs to Voice Trax West to do some more work for US Airways. While I was there I did four bits for “TTS” and e-mailed them in. We finished the session and then I went home to walk Roxy. I drove by Studiopolis to drop off a gift for Jamie Simone. This new anime show we’re working on has been a lot of fun, and I’ve started looking around on eBay for show-related merchandise. I found a hilarious mouse pad featuring my character, but in a very…ahem…suggestive pose. I bought it for him even though he uses a laptop and doesn’t use a mouse. It was too funny to pass up! I headed to NBC and taped the show, and then went to my pal Ruben Procopio’s house to see the sneer he sculpted on to my Andy Kaufman lifecast. (Read the full story of Andy Kaufman/Elvishere). I was craving Taco Bell’s Doritos tacos, so I sped through the drive-thru and picked some up. I got home and did some work, then grabbed a nap. I got up and did some auditions in my home studio and e-mailed them to my agents. Just before bed I watched the second “Man From Atlantis” TV movie.
Wednesday the 23rd – D&D FROM PS! – I got up to walk Roxy and then hit the hay again. There wasn’t any reason to get up early today and it felt good to relax. Later in the afternoon I headed over to NBC for “TTS” and met up with my pal Dan from Palm Springs. He’s the manager of the hotel I love to stay at when I’m there. I extended the invitation to him last time I was in PS, so he brought his friend Debbie to a taping. I gave them the tour afterwards, and then headed home to feed Spook, walk Roxy and show them around Planet Wallywood. We met up with Edi at Jerry’s Famous Deli for a fun dinner. I bid them farewell and then headed back home for a nap. I got up to take Roxy for a midnight stroll, did my auditions, and then spent the rest of the night watching the third “Man From Atlantis” TV movie until dawn.
Thursday the 24th – HEADING TO THE THREE-DAY WEEKEND! – I got up and received an e-mail from my agent regarding a session for Friday. I had spoken with the director earlier in the week and he said the studio was in Hollywood, so I agreed to do it. But the studio listed on the e-mail was all the way down in West L.A.! Strange! Under normal circumstances I don’t like to stray too much outside of the Studio City/Burbank area because I may need to be at “TTS” at a moment’s notice to record a bit. A trip down to West L.A. is an hour down in traffic, and an hour back in traffic. And given that Friday will be the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend, it could take even longer. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to make the session after all, because I just didn’t want to risk it. But they decided to move the session up an hour which will give me more leeway to making it back to NBC in time. I went over to Voice Trax West to do some more US Airways stuff to finish out the week. While I was there I received 2 bits from “TTS” to record and e-mail in. We finished up and I grabbed a sandwich from Café Al Dente and headed home. I walked Roxy quick and sped off to “TTS.” When I got there I did another bit, and then we taped the show. My pal James from Playboy was there as my guest with some relatives of his from New York. They enjoyed the taping, and then I took them backstage for a quick tour. I got home, fed Spook and walked Roxy, and then got a quick nap before my pal Terry came over to fix some stuff around Planet Wallywood. Unlike my late collie Sassie, Roxy loves to sit outside. So I’m having Terry line my patio with Astro-Turf so she can sit out there in comfort and watch the birds and squirrels. Sara, Edi, Terry and I went to The Counter and enjoyed some delicious burgers. Then Terry and I went back to my house to continue working. But it was getting late so Terry set some stuff up for more work on Friday. I did my auditions and hit the hay. It didn’t look like I was going to get a lot of sleep before my early session in West L.A., but the weekend was coming and I could catch up on sleep then.
Friday the 25th – BACK ON THE WESTSIDE! –I only slept a few hours, but since I normally sleep in short shifts anyway, it seemed to be alright. I headed to Sound Delux Studios in West L.A. for a “Family Guy” videogame session. It was something called a “scratch” session. Which means they hire other guys to come in and record lines that the animators can use temporarily until the actual voice actors who perform the characters can come into the studio and record them for real. They had me do Seamus the pirate, Herbert, and Joe Swanson. The session didn’t take very long and I was back out the door, hoping that the traffic on the freeway hadn’t started stacking up for the holiday weekend. But luckily I got into the studio early enough that it wasn’t bad at all. It was good to be back on the Westside. I hadn’t lived there in about 12 years and it’s always fun to get back and see how the landscape has changed. I got lunch at Wendy’s, then went to Albertson’s to get some groceries, CVS to get some more salt packets for my Neti pot (HIGHLY recommended, by the way!), and stopped by It’s a Wrap’s Memorial Day sale. I didn’t find anything there I liked so headed home. When I got there Terry was just pulling up to start his work. I got ready to head off to NBC to do the last show of the week, and the last show until June. We are taking Memorial Day week off for a hiatus. Sara came by to get Spook to get his nails trimmed at the groomer’s (he was starting to get his paws stuck on blankets and the carpet). We taped the final show, and then I headed back home to start the weekend. I got home and grabbed a shower, then headed to meet my friend Kristy for dinner at Paty’s. She had been in Montana with her family for two months, so it was good to catch up. After dinner I came back home to rest up for a bit, and then I got up to do stuff around the house. My maids would be coming on Saturday so I had to basically “clean up for the maids.” I know that sounds odd, but I had to put some stuff away so they get to certain stuff to clean it. I did other stuff around the house and kept busy until dawn, when I hit the hay.
Saturday the 27th – “MAID” ME LATE! – I got up at 11 to let the maids in, but they didn’t end up arriving until about 1:30! Of course that made me late for stuff the rest of the day. I had intended to take Roxy to the groomers, but I didn’t have the time now. My pal David and his son Max came over so I could give Max a navy blue windbreaker I had found at It’s a Wrap. Max has been looking for a “Starsky” blue windbreaker, and I just happened to find one in his size! Edi came over and we loaded up Roxy in the car and hit the KFC drive-thru. Then we went to my friend Fred’s to hang out by his pool all afternoon. It was delightful! Roxy sure likes running around his yard! I got back home and started preparing for movie night. We’d be watching “Cannonball Run” and “Hollywood Knights.” FUNNY movies! When my guests left I worked on my computer all night organizing files and photos. Then it was off to bed!
Sunday the 27th – REMEMBERING! – I got up to attend the memorial service for my friend Avalon at my church. She and her husband Joe had been regulars at the evening church service for years. Last December she suffered a heart attack, and was in the hospital in the ICU for months. But just before my birthday in May Avalon succumbed to her physical issues and passed away. She was a very nice lady with a terrific smile and attitude. It was sad, but also happy as well because I know she’s in a better place and out of pain. Edi met Roxy and I for dinner at the Studio Café, and though we tried to make it back to evening church, time got away from us. It felt so good to sit there on the patio and relax and talk to some of the other patrons while we ate. I got back home and took a short nap. Then Edi came over to watch the fourth and final “Man From Atlantis” TV movie. It was by far the strangest of the four films, but Edi and I found it very funny in an odd way. But the strangest thing happened just before I hit the hay! I turned on my i-Pod dock to listen to some music just before bed. I gasped when the song that randomly popped up was Roxy Music’s “Avalon.” WILD!
Monday the 28th – HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! – It was a very enjoyable Memorial Day as I got to sleep in. When I finally did get up I headed over to Fred’s to hang out by the pool again. Edi, Sara, and Chuck McCann were there. It was fun to catch up and relax. I headed home and showered and then met a bunch of friends at Ernie’s Taco House for dinner. But I got VERY tired because of all the sun exposure during the day. So I went home, got ready for the new week and went to bed early to be at a “Garfield” session the first thing Tuesday morning. Though we’re on hiatus from “TTS,” there’s still a ton of work to do on other shows.
And how was YOUR week??!!
