November 18 -November 24 (2013)

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK

Here’s a sweet pic I call “At Your Service.”

The Kopecky Family Band was on “The Tonight Show” a few months ago and blew me away with this song called “Heartbeat.” I’ve been humming it all week!

Monday the 18th – WHAT DO BATMAN, SUPERMAN AND WONDER WOMAN ALL HAVE IN COMMON? – The answer is…Barry Dennen! He’s a well-known character actor who has played everything from Pontius Pilate to Hitler! VERY versatile, and one of the greats! My pal Scott Sebring and I met Barry for lunch at Paty’s. Scott had pulled some images off some DVDs for Barry to use at his appearances, and Barry wanted to say thanks. Barry was in the ’66 “Batman” TV series, as well as “Superman 3,” and an episode of the “Wonder Woman” TV series. He’s really done it all! But I met him through his work as Pilate in the “Jesus Christ Superstar” movie and “brown album.” If that wasn’t cool enough, he also voiced Chamberlain in “The Dark Crystal.” I got called in early to “The Tonight Show” to do a bit, so after lunch I sped off to NBC. I did the bit, and waited around for the show to start. Cirque Du Soleil was on the show and they were amazing as always. I just don’t get how they can do some of that stuff. Years and years of practice I guess. On the drive home I developed a sinus headache, so I hit the Jacuzzi when I got home and grabbed a nap on the couch. When I got up later I did some work around the house, finished Wally’s Week, fed and walked Roxy, and made a salad and watched another episode of “Magnum P.l.” from the Season One DVD set. By the time I got to sleep it was around 6am.

Tuesday the 19th – INTRODUCING A PRESIDENT! (AGAIN!) – After only a few hours of sleep, Roxy woke me up by barking wildly at 8:30am! I called her up into my room and got her quieted down. I got another half hour of sleep, but got awakened by the hotline ringing at 9:30 with instructions to be in at 12:30 for a “TS” bit. I figured I’d better get up and start the day, and that’s when I noticed that Roxy had peed on my bath mat again. I’m not sure why, but I was starting to think that her pee pee problems wasn’t the result of any infection. She had been on two separate regimens of anti-biotics (the final pill was just given to her a few hours earlier) so I’m thinking this is something else. I took her out for a walk, but of course she had nothing left to offer. She had left it all on my bath mat. When I came back inside I had copy for a Jaywalk segment for that night’s show. I recorded it and sent it in. Then I got ready and headed into NBC. But the bit I needed to record at the studio was doing the voice of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. I wasn’t really nailing it, as his voice isn’t in my wheelhouse, so I asked the writer why my pal Jim Wise wasn’t doing Rob Ford’s voice. After all, Jim had already well established himself on the show as doing the character of Rob Ford, appearing in several really funny on-camera bits as Canada’s infamous crack-smoking Mayor. So they called Jim down from his office and he nailed it. As a performer I get uneasy when I’m asked to replace another actor who has already established a character. The only time I really like to do it is when the original actor has turned down the job already. But it all worked out! While I was there I recorded an opening for another hilarious Cat Theater bit. I got lunch at the commissary and then headed back to the studio. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura were guests on the show today, so after I opened the show I went out into the audience to watch the taping. It’s only the second President I’ve ever seen in person. Pretty cool stuff. As the President did the interview, I looked down over the audience, the set, the producers and writers, cue card guys, tech guys, the President and his wife and I thought to myself, “Wally. You’re a loooong way from South Dakota!” In the intro I did the script included the name of a stand-up comic. But because the interview with the President was going so well the comic had to be bumped. So when the show was over I had to go back into the booth and re-record the opening announcement without the name of the comic. I guess if you’re going to be bumped from “The Tonight Show,” being bumped by a former President was pretty cool. After the show was over I went upstairs and got my friend Edi two tickets to the second-to-the-last taping of “TTS.” I also got my assistant Sara two tickets to the very last taping on February 6th. Because of the limited amount of sleep I had gotten that morning, I was really dragging. So when I got home I was looking forward to grabbing a nap. But I noticed that Roxy had peed on the OTHER bath mat. OK, something was up and I don’t think it’s medical. I e-mailed Carol, the lady I had gotten Roxy from originally, and talked to her about it. I laid down some potty pads in the area where she kept peeing, hoping that would do the trick. I started to think that I would need to limit her water intake somewhat. I got into bed and slept for several hours. When I got up I did my auditions, worked on my autograph binders, cleaned up around the house, did dishes and laundry, balanced my checkbooks, paid bills, went through my bank statements to reconcile them all, and then made a pizza and settled down to watch “Magnum P.I.” again. Whew! What a day!

Wednesday the 20th – “FIVE-O, BABY!” – I got to sleep around 6, but got up at 10 to check on Roxy. No pee pee on the bathroom floor, which was good. I did limit her water intake the night before and it seemed to help. I took her outside to potty, and then we went back inside to rest. I’ve been keeping her in my room at night so I can keep an ear peeled for her activities. I’m afraid if I leave her downstairs while I sleep she’ll pee on the carpet. We went back to bed and I slept for another 2 hours. A hotline call came in telling me to be at NBC at 2 for a comedy bit. So I got up and got ready, and checked e-mails. Last week I did several takes of an old newsreel announcer for a “Hawaii Five-O” audition. My pal Pete Tassler is the Post-Production Supervisor on the show and he’s called me before to voice bits for the show. This time they needed an old-school announcer for a flashback bit. I found out this morning that there’s no need for me to come to the studio to re-record it, they loved my audition. And they’re going to use the bit I recorded at home in the show! How cool is that?! I walked Roxy, scanned some checks and got showered. I got to NBC and recorded the bit, then sped off to the bank to make a deposit. I stopped into It’s a Wrap to buy a light-colored hoodie for bike riding to work. Since it’s dark by the time I get out of “TTS” now I wanted something brighter colored to wear so I didn’t get hit by a car. All the other hoodies I have are black or dark blue. I went back to NBC, taped the show, and when we wrapped I went over to Fast Frame. The legendary Roger Moore is doing a private autograph signing in Switzerland in early December, so I’ll be sending over some things to have him sign. He’ll never appear at a show in America, so this is my only chance to get my posters signed by my favorite 007. But my “Live and Let Die” and “The Man With the Golden Gun” posters have already been mounted on foam core board. I had Mike at Fast Frame check to see if they could be removed from the board at all, but no luck. So I would have to send them to Switzerland packaged up very carefully so they wouldn’t bend during shipment. I also checked in on my framed Brooks Robinson jersey, but Mike made it a few inches too wide. It wasn’t going to fit into the space that I had cleared for it. I told him initially it couldn’t be any larger than 31”, but for some reason he went ahead and made it 33”. Unfortunately I told him he’d have to re-do it. I get frustrated when people don’t listen to instructions, and I was very clear about my space limitations when I brought the piece into be framed originally. Once Mike removed the Bond posters from their frames, I immediately took them to the neighborhood UPS store for packing. It took about 45 minutes for the guy behind the desk to fabricate a large enough box, but it worked out great. Since they’re mounted one-sheet movie posters, they’re literally over 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. But, it’s my only chance to have them signed by Roger Moore, and the posters have already been signed by several other castmembers from those films. Now that they’re securely packaged, I can ship them off once I get the address to the location in Switzerland. When I left UPS it had started raining out. It would be a nice evening for a nap. I walked Roxy when I got home, and then slipped into the Jacuzzi. It’s really fun to soak in the hot water, while the cool rain falls on my head. I went inside to grab a nap on the couch by the fire while listening to it rain outside. I slept VERY well! I got up later in the evening to do auditions, work around the house, and make some Buffalo Mac with buffalo chicken strips I had gotten from Burger King. They sufficed, but they’re not as tangy as the ones I get from Denny’s.

Thursday the 21st – SONIC, SUN AND SUBWAY! – At 10am I sprang awake and hit the shower. I needed to be at another session for the new Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon at 11 at Studiopolis. Though it was still a little misty out, I walked down to Studiopolis and enjoyed the morning. It was a fun session! Of course, it’s always fun when I get to whip out my Ted Knight impression for a character! By the time we finished at 1pm it was sunny outside. I stopped by Subway to get a footlong, and then walked home to devour it. Two bits for “TTS” were waiting for me in my inbox, so between bites I recorded them and e-mailed them in to NBC. I had a little time before I had to be in to tape the show, so I figured I’d lay down for an hour or two. No luck. The animals wouldn’t let me sleep. They were happy to have me home so they laid on the bed with me and kept bugging me to pet them. Oh well. I made it to the show on time, taped the episode, and then headed back home to nap after a refreshing dip in the Jacuzzi. When I got up later that night my pal Edi brought her doggie Bunny over and we chatted and watched Roxy and Buns chase each other around the house. I walked and fed Roxy, then made myself a salad and some chicken soup and retired to bed to watch another “Magnum P.I.” episode. Another week gone by really quickly!

Friday the 22nd – A ‘MOORE’ DELIGHTFUL EVENING! – When I got up at noon I did some work around the house and recorded a bit for “TTS.” My pal Dave Hettrick at the show who calls me with all of my call-times asked if I would record a fake movie trailer to promote their upcoming “Ugly Sweater Christmas Party” at the Moose Lodge. I told him I would be delighted and recorded it right away. The guys from Chem Dry came over to clean up a vomit spot on my carpet that I wanted to have gone before my guests for Thanksgiving weekend arrived. When Roxy was on the anti-biotics they were a little hard on her stomach. But they removed the evidence nicely and I walked Roxy and got ready for work. I got into NBC about 10 minutes late, but still made it in time to rehearse the opening with our director Liz. I found out it was Liz’s birthday that Sunday, so I got my assistant Sara on the phone right away. A few weeks ago I got Liz’s Christmas gift in the mail. So I kept it downstairs in a box in my garage until the holidays rolled around. But since her birthday was in two days, I had Sara put it in a gift bag and bring it to the studio. I would get her something else later for Christmas. She absolutely loves “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and through Think Geek I found a terrific “ST:TNG” bathrobe that looks like the command uniform. Too funny! I met up with Sara at the stage and took the gift bag upstairs and left it on Liz’s desk. After the show was over I met up with my friends Carolyn and Flo who were at the taping. Carolyn was one of the ladies who put together the amazing “Starsky & Hutch” tribute last April. We went over to Paty’s to have dinner, but since I had a dinner meeting already scheduled at 7pm I only had a bowl of soup. While I was at Paty’s I got a call from Liz thanking me for the robe. She said, strangely enough, she was just commenting to her husband a week earlier that she needed to buy a new robe! PERFECT! I hope she uses it in good health. I went over to my mailbox and picked up some packages, including another boy mannequin for one of my vintage Halloween costumes. This one would be wearing the classic Laurel and Hardy costume from Ben Cooper. This one has both characters’ faces on the mask. It’s clever, cool and creepy all at the same time! I had the mask as a kid, but not the full costume. I found one recently on ebay for a reasonable price, in reasonably good condition, so I bought it. I’m going to display the little Laurel and Hardy Halloween boy next to the full-size Laurel and Hardy figures in The Chaney Room. I sped home and showered up for my dinner meeting. I picked up my friend Brittney and went over to Jerry’s Famous Deli. We met my pal Elliot Lurie (former lead singer of the group Looking Glass), my assistant Sara and my pal Edi. What a fun dinner! When I got home I turned on an all-night radio show about the 50th anniversary of the assassination of JFK. I laid on the couch listening to it, while darting in and out of sleep. When I got up later I did some work around the house, and organized all of the Roger Moore collectibles that I wanted to have signed. I think the final count will be five items…1) “The Man With the Golden Gun” movie poster, 2) the “Live and Let Die” movie poster, 3) “Roger Moore’s James Bond Diary,” a book I’ve had since I was a kid (I loved reading all about the process of making a movie!), 4) The Bond 50 Blu Ray booklet, which already has 17 other signatures in it including Bond villains, Bond girls, and even a James Bond (George Lazenby)! And 5) the album cover to my “The Man With the Golden Gun” soundtrack, already signed by Britt Ekland and Maud Adams. I used to love that album as a kid, and I literally wore the grooves out of it. Having Roger Moore’s autograph on it will increase its framability, collectability, and displayability! I put the Laurel and Hardy Halloween boy mannequin together and I think it’s going to look quite awesome. I’ve posed them all together so the kid becomes an integral part of the display. By the time I settled down enough to head to bed it was 6am. But I was hungry and wanted to watch some TV. So there I was, outside my house at 6am, firing up my grill to make chili dogs. I enjoyed some chili cheese dogs with sauerkraut and an episode of “The Saint” at 7am. By the time I got to sleep it was 9am. Sometimes it’s tough being a nocturnal, but other times it’s great!

Saturday the 23rd – ZZZZZZZZZZZATURDAY! – Even though I had just taken her out for a potty break before we went to bed at 7, Roxy woke me up at 9:30 to go out again. I took her out and we came back inside to go back to bed. I ended up sleeping until 5pm, and it was much needed! But when I got up, I REALLY got up! I was energized and full of spit and vinegar! I cleaned the Chaney bathroom, cleaned the kitchen, put away all the clean dishes, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, straightened up the living room…I was rockin’ it! Then Sara came over just before movie night started and vacuumed the floors, put all the chairs and bean bags out and prepared for the guests. I headed upstairs to grab a shower, and then start movie night. We watched “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” on Blu Ray, and everyone really enjoyed it. When the guests left I slept on the couch for a short while, then got up to feed Roxy and take her out for a walk. Since I was limiting her water intake she was doing much better. I did some work around the house and made a salad for my traditional “Saturday Night Saint and Salad” night. I headed to bed with the animals and we watched an episode of “The Saint” as I enjoyed the heck out of my killer salad!

Sunday the 24th – THE KING OF THE KARS! – At 1:30 I sprang from my bed and walked Roxy. It was an absolutely stunning day! I gave Spook and Roxy some treats then showered up. I hopped in the Gran Torino and headed over to the shop of George Barris, the King of the Car Customizers! George has built thousands of cars in his career, including the Batmobile, The Munster Koach, and others. I was invited to his 88th birthday party, and I didn’t want to miss it. I pulled up alongside his shop on Riverside Drive in North Hollywood and marveled at all the cars that were on display outside. I hadn’t seen George in a long time so it was good to see him again. After an hour or so I drove back home to get ready for evening church. My friend Bonnie had driven in from Riverside to meet me for church so we grabbed Roxy and walked over for the evening service. After church we walked Roxy back home and then headed over to the Coral Café for dinner. Bonnie headed back home and I took the opportunity to lay down on the couch for a quick nap by the fireplace. I got up later and did a ton of auditions. I fed and walked Roxy and hit the hay. No TV for me tonight. I needed several hours of sound sleep!

And how was YOUR week??!!

PIX FROM THE WEEK

Marilyn helps George Barris celebrate his 88th birthday!