RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK
See! WOGing is good for you!
Everytime I see Jeff Lynne’s ELO in concert I end up humming his music for weeks after. My head is filled with ELO songs, but the one that I keep singing is “Turn To Stone.” I feel that Jeff Lynne may be the “Mozart” of our generation!
Monday the 6th – ME-TV MEETING! – As we prepare for the “Collector’s Call” shoot in early December at Planet Wallywood, the staff at ME-TV in Chicago wanted to do another Zoom tour of my house with Diana the coordinator and Rob the director of the episode. My assistant Sara came over with her laptop and worked the “camera” while I explained to the ME-TV staff some of the changes I was going to make during the conversion process to turn the Planet Wallywood theatre into a collector’s room/TV studio. They loved the fact that I’m going to consolidate all 8 of the items they’re highlighting into one room. It’ll take some work, but Rob the director LOVED the fact that we won’t need to take extra time for switching set-ups during the shoot. I’d love to tell you the 8 items they’re featuring, but I’ll let it be a surprise. One of the things I’ll be adding to the set-up will be two 4 foot tall cutouts of Popeye and Mr. Magoo, similar to the ones that were on the set of the “Captain 11” TV show I watched when I was a kid. I drove over to the Alex in Wonderland studio to make the final approval of the colors Alex will use when she paints the final images. Much like the original “Captain 11” TV show, I wanted these figures to look more “vintage,” so we’re staying away from bright, rich colors, and we’re going with more muted, “vintage-y” colors. These have been in the works for a few years now, but since I want to have them on the set when we shoot “Collector’s Call” I asked Alex to please move them up to the front burner. They should be finished next week. While I was there I also dropped off the drive with the Voice Over segments I performed for Alex’s husband Mike’s fairy tale film. I’ll play the voice of an enchanted talking tree. I stopped at KFC for some quick lunch, and then stopped over to my physical therapy appointment. Then I headed back home to do some work and record a ton of auditions. I also recorded some pick-up lines for a regular client, and then typed out Wally’s Week.
Tuesday the 7th – POST-HALLOWEEN CREEPINESS! – First thing in the morning I was on my Source Connect set-up in my home studio and speaking with an ad agency. For the next few hours I did a creepy voice for a TV commercial about a sketchy customer service help-line. I gave them about three different choices and they liked them all, but it was going to be all about what the client wanted in the end. The producers liked the super creepy voice, but they felt that the client was going to go the “safe” route and go with the “mildly creepy” character. It was a boatload of fun! And it was fun to still have a little bit of creepiness after Halloween. During the session my cat Spooky meowed loudly. The producer and the engineer laughed at the thought that my cat wanted to get involved too. The producer, a cat lover, asked what his name was. When I told them his name was Spooky they thought I was joking. I told them, “Nope. The Halloween spirit lives all year ‘round in my house.” Great fun! After the session I drove the Gran Torino over to Plastic Depot to drop off the plans for the new Super Grover suspension sled. The first one had a small design flaw, so it’s worth it to me to have a second one made that’s perfect. I hit Wendy’s for some lunch, and then Krispy Kreme for some donuts. I went over to Foam Mart to buy a 4’ by 4’ piece they made up for my home studio. It’s a large piece of acoustic foam rubber attached to a thick piece of foam core. I’ll attach some decorative silver panels to the opposite side since it’s a multi-purpose piece. The side with the silver panels will be behind some of my display pieces, and the foam side will be right near where I record my voice tracks. But I barely got the piece in the trunk of the Gran Torino! In fact, I had to leave the trunk lid open slightly and tie it down so it wouldn’t slip out while I drove. With the Rav it wouldn’t have been a problem, but that was parked in my auxiliary parking. Then I stopped by the cleaners to pick up my car cover for the Gran Torino, I stopped by my box to get my packages, and then I got home to sweep out the garage. I laid down some cardboard on my garage floor and spray glued the silver panels onto the acoustic foam piece. I got out my air compressor and filled up the Gran Torino tires with air, and luckily, I even filled the spare tire with air. The spare tire was COMPLETELY empty! I took the acoustic panel inside and I’m going to do some work with the overhead beam directly above where the panel will sit, in order to keep it secured and upright. Later I recorded a ton of auditions, and then drove the Gran Torino to my auxiliary parking to put her to bed. I took off the connector to the negative terminal of the battery to keep it from draining during the times it sits idle for long periods. I got the Gray Ghost out and drove home. I saw a light-colored cat trying to cross the street from the right to the left and I slowed down. I honked my horn and he scurried back to where he came. Good thing, too. Because a little while down the road I saw two coyotes patrolling the neighborhood off to the left, looking for lunch. Good thing the cat didn’t cross the street…he might have become a hot lunch! When I got home I scanned some checks for a few deposits, made my list of errands for the next day, and started doing some packing for my upcoming vacation to San Diego. After a nice WOG (walk/jog) and some time in the anti-grav chair staring at the night sky, I came in and made a salad and watched another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”
Wednesday the 8th – COUNTDOWN TO FUN! – When I awoke I had a message from the physical therapy place asking if I could come to my appointment earlier. I told them it wasn’t possible as I had a very full day ahead of me. I was rather relieved, as I had lots to do and really didn’t have time for the appointment anyway. I drove to the bank to make some deposits, hit Staples to buy a new day planner for 2024, hit GNC for some supplements, picked up some tuna for Spook at Trader Joe’s, dropped off a signed photo at the post office, and then went to Harry’s Camera to pick up the prints I had made from some old negatives. For my “Creative Christmas” project this year, I’m going to start assembling photo albums of my L.A. years. I completed all of the South Dakota photo albums a while back, and now it’s time to compile the L.A. ones. I had taken lots of pictures when I first moved here, but for some reason I was missing a lot of the photos. So I’m having all of the early negatives reprinted so I have plenty of photos for the albums. I got some metal eyes at the hardware store to secure my acoustic panel, and drove to Paty’s for lunch. But their patio was all masked off as they were doing some sort of construction. So I kept driving to Weinerschnitzel to get a couple of chili cheese dogs. I picked up my packages at my box, and then went to Michael’s to get a frame for some original artwork my buddy (and Nickelodeon animator) Jeff Sornig did for me during his recent visit to L.A. It’s a great pic of Tallest Red from “Invader Zim!” I came home and mounted the artwork and it looks perfect. On top of the action figure cabinet in my theatre I have several pieces on display. But for the ME-TV shoot I’m going to clear those off temporarily and put some of my Muppet replicas up there. I needed to place them on top of the cabinet to see which ones I’d have room to display. I need to have some custom risers made for the Muppets that will be in the back row, so I contacted my pal Joe Pendleton to see if he would whip them up for me. They don’t need to be anything fancy, just risers to lift the Muppet replicas a little bit higher. Once I got the measurements I needed I drew up some plans and emailed them to Joe. I took my nightly WOG and spent some more time in the anti-grav chair outside. I packed some more stuff for San Diego, made a salad and watched another episode of “Boris Karloff’s Thriller.”
Thursday the 9th – VACATION IS ON! – I was now officially in “vacation mode.” I slept late, and got up to do some last minute packing. My buddy Officer Mark was dropped off at my place, and my house sitter Emily arrived at 7pm. We hit the road at 7:30, stopped for some snacks on the way, but still made it to San Diego in pretty good time. We arrived at the Kona Kai resort to check into our rooms. Because they ran out of rooms, Officer Mark got a junior suite, but they gave me just a regular, ground floor room. It didn’t matter much as I was just happy to be on vacation. My room faced the bay and I could hear the sounds of seagulls and sea lions all night. It was terrific!
Friday the 10th – BAD STEAK AND FREE DONUTS! – First thing in the morning Officer Mark and I climbed into the Gray Ghost and went to Balboa Park to visit the Comic Con Museum. It’s a great facility and we had a great deal of fun. They had a large canvas on the wall in one of the interactive rooms, and they invited people to draw a picture on the canvas and contribute to the piece. I drew a Popeye (even though it was challenging with thick-tipped markers) so it was fun to be able to be a part of the museum. On the way back to the hotel we needed to pick up my friends Scott and Katy at the airport. But their flight wouldn’t land until 1:00, so we had about an hour to kill. Officer Mark and I hit a little café to get some lunch. Scott texted me that they had landed, so we hopped in the Gray Ghost and headed to the airport. We found them with no problem and took them to the Kona Kai, where they too would be staying. They got checked in and settled, and when we visited their room we noticed that they had a great little beach outside their room, complete with fire pits and relaxing chairs. It was still daylight so the fire pits weren’t lit yet, but it was fun sitting there chatting and watching all of the cool boats and cool dogs that went by. I took a short nap in my room and then we headed to dinner. We went to a place that had a nice atmosphere, but I made the mistake of ordering a mis-STEAK. I ordered a filet mignon, but it was chewy and not very good. I sent it back and got a tuna melt instead. I dropped Scott and Katy back at the hotel, and Officer Mark and I headed to a local grocery store to get some snacks and supplies. When we came out of the store we saw the guy in the Krispy Kreme truck. I said, “Awesome! The Krispy Kreme guy is here!” He said, “Hey. You guys want some donuts?” HUH? He gave us two dozen free donuts that he said were “go-backs.” Apparently they hadn’t sold that day, and they can’t keep them on the shelf longer than that, so they were just going back to the plant to be thrown away. Awesome! Free, PERFECTLY GOOD donuts! A guy was coming out of the store and he saw our good fortune and cheered. So we gave him one of the dozen of donuts for his family. Between Officer Mark and I, I figured we’d never make it through ONE dozen, let alone two. So it was nice to share our winnings. I got back to the hotel and relaxed, and looked up “Sesame Place” on my tablet. That’s where we were headed on Saturday morning!
Saturday the 11th – “CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO GET…?” – …To “Sesame Place!” There’s a waterpark in Chula Vista called “Sesame Place” that’s “Sesame Street-themed.” The water park attractions were shut down for the season, but the rest of the park was open for rides and fun. Personally, I just wanted to go there to shop, but there were plenty of other things to do as well! Plus, the park is right next to where we’d be on Sunday night for the Vet’s Aid concert, so it allowed Officer Mark and I a chance to do a little “recon” to prepare. I loved seeing the costumed characters and I noticed The Count was part of Elmo’s Dance Party. I didn’t want to elbow my way past the many children that were surrounding him during the show, so I asked a few management-types if there was any way to get a shot with him after the show. They accommodated me and I was thrilled! Then we got lunch and kept looking around. I met Cookie Claus (Cookie Monster dressed in a Santa outfit) and did a cool photo op with Grover. Personally I feel it’s a little too soon for Christmas stuff, but listening to the Muppets singing Christmas songs on the overhead speakers didn’t bother me a bit. The parade down the main street was great, and I did a HUGE amount of shopping afterwards. I won’t tell you how much I spent, but I carried out two large sacks of souvenirs. The only bad thing was, the park is completely cashless. Normally I like to spend cash and places like this, but it was all on the card. Bizarre, since I know the merchant takes a hit with fees for credit card purchases, but cash is king. We got back to the hotel and found Scott and Katy at the beach by the fire pit. They had just had a 13 mile bike ride around San Diego and Scott was relaxing with a nice cigar. I thought that sounded like a good idea for later, so we went to dinner at Pizza Nova (TERRIFIC!) and then went to the local cigar shop to do some shopping for a nice cigar for the night. I brought out my Bluetooth speaker and we listened to some tunes while the fire pit blazed away, and Scott, Katy and I enjoyed our cigars. Honestly, that moment was probably my favorite part of the entire weekend. Hanging out with good friends, enjoying the boats, the ocean, cigars, tunes and fire. It was a gorgeous night! One that I will never, ever forget.
Sunday the 12th – JOE WALSH’S VETS’ AID CONCERT! – When my eyes snapped awake on Sunday morning I was craving breakfast. So Scott, Officer Mark and I drove to Denny’s to have some Lumberjack Slams! Then, knowing full-well that we had a busy night ahead of us, I took a pre-concert nap. But even though I had the Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob, the maid knocked and woke me up. Weird. I answered the door in my pajamas, half-asleep, and told her I didn’t need my room serviced. Scott had gotten busy and called the venue and got the exact times each of the six bands were going to be onstage. The bands we were most excited to see, of course, were Joe Walsh and Stephen Stills, and Jeff Lynne’s ELO. We drove to the amphitheater in Chula Vista around 5 and made it there by 6:15. Once again, it was annoyingly all cashless. What a drag. It was made even more inconvenient because all of our tickets were on Officer Mark’s phone. I don’t have a smart phone (I refuse) so I didn’t have any way to prove I actually had a seat there. So I wanted to go into the theatre with the entire group. I saw plenty of people flashing paper tickets, so if I ever go to a concert again, I need to remind myself to get the ticket printed. The first band we caught was the Flaming Lips. Unfortunately, the mix was muddy and it was difficult to hear them. Plus they had a lot of inflatables and confetti and glitter that they were shooting out into the audience. Some people were into them, but I simply did not “get” them at all. Maybe if the mix would have been better. Then the band War On Drugs came onstage and they were pleasantly surprising. I had never heard of them before, but I’ll be looking up their music on-lien for SURE now! I really loved their vibe, and their musicianship was top notch! VERY impressive! Drew Carey was the emcee for the evening and he got to introduce Jeff Lynne’s ELO. They were as amazing as always, but because they were only part of a “festival” their set was only 45 minutes. But it was still great seeing them. Considering they haven’t played since 2019, and there’s no indication if they’ll ever go out on tour again. Joe Walsh came onstage and he was outrageously fun. He was joined by Stephen Stills and it was historical to see those two onstage together. Joe really does a wonderful thing each year with this fundraiser for veteran’s services. Whatever the amount we paid to be there, it was all very much worth it. We left the venue and headed back to the hotel. Scott and Katy wanted to turn in (they were still on South Dakota time) but Officer Mark and I wanted to eat. So we said our goodbyes to Scott and Katy, and we hit the ever-reliable Denny’s for some late-night fare. When I got back to my room I did a little packing up.
Monday the 13th – VACATION’S END – After some final packing up, Officer Mark and I hit the road at 11am. It was a great drive and we made it to L.A. by 1pm! It was a brisk 2 hour drive! There’s always a sweet spot in the traffic flow; right after morning drive and just before afternoon drive. We ended up hitting it perfectly! When we got back to town I picked up my packages at my box, and then we hit Paty’s for some lunch. Since I’m doing TV in a few weeks, my vacation filled with Denny’s and donuts is officially over. It’s back to salading for a while. We got back to my house and Mark caught an Uber back to his house. I paid Emily and headed out to my physical therapy appointment. When I got home I did some work around the house, and later I recorded a ton of auditions. I got unpacked and took my WOG, and then took my blood pressure reading. Even though I had taken four nights off from my workout routine, the readings were VERY satisfactory! It was much too cold to do any anti-grav time outside, so I wrote Wally’s Week, made a salad, and watched an episode of “The Saint” before bed. What a week!
And how was YOUR week??!!
PIX FROM THE WEEK
Drawing Popeye on the wall at the Comic Con Museum!
It was tough to do it perpendicular, and with a thick tipped marker!
One of the ladies working there suggested I add a can of spinach too!
Nice to see our old pal Adam West represented at the Comic Con Museum!
And what’s this? A “Bleach” energy drink? Who knew?
I highly recommend visiting the Comic Con Museum! Gorgeous!
My buddy Scott agrees…nothing like a little bit of the ol’ sea air!
Just some South Dakota folks livin’ large by the sea!
We’re here!
Count Von Count cuts a rug at Elmo’s Dance Party.
The Count grants me an audience!
Everyone’s all dressed for the holidays at Sesame Place!
Later, even Cookie Claus made an appearance!
An awesome photo op with Grover!
Officer Mark and I bid farewell to Sesame Place. I’ll be back!
Back at my room, we inspect all of the great souvenirs I bought!
At dinner, I make a new friend who was passing by!
A wonderful time at Pizza Nova!
Vets’ Aid emcee Drew Carey consults with a stage manager.
Jeff Lynne was in fine form!
Drew checks his messages!
Joe Walsh is always amazing!
The legendary Stephen Stills joined in!
Joe and Stephen jam!
Probably the closest I’ll ever get to getting a picture with the great Jeff Lynne!
Vacation’s over. Back to salads again.
But I can still dream of FREE DONUTS!
Here’s a video overview of the fantastic weekend in San Diego. Apologies for some of the wobbly concert video, but it’s hard to hold a camera steady when everyone around you is dancing around. But at least it’ll give you an idea of the amazing time!
