{"id":2463,"date":"2015-08-31T05:52:38","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T12:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/wallysweek\/?p=2463"},"modified":"2019-04-26T18:36:14","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T18:36:14","slug":"august-31-september-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/august-31-september-7\/","title":{"rendered":"August 31 – September 7 (2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"

RANDOM PIC OF THE WEEK<\/h3>\n

If you’re a fan of the late Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas Collins, you’ll appreciate this candid shot of him back in the 60’s at a family function.  I acquired a collection of personal, candid snapshots of Mr. Frid from his family when he passed away a few years ago.  And it is with their kind permission that I am allowed to show these never-before-seen photos with the public and his fans.<\/p>\n

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While waiting around at Michael’s Crafts to get something framed, “Perfect World”<\/span> by Huey Lewis and the News came on the overhead music system.  Boy it sure sounded good!  And I couldn’t get it out of my head for the remainder of the week!<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/wallysweek\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/perfect_world.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Monday the 31st \u2013 MARVELOUS MONDAY! \u2013<\/span> The day started off very strangely.  Last Thursday I was notified by my agent that I may be doing a radio commercial for a fast food entity on Monday the 31st.  So I was holding the time on my calendar.  But Friday rolled around and I didn\u2019t hear anything further.  I figured the idea went bye-bye.  On Saturday I e-mailed my agent and asked if the \u201cavail\u201d (as it\u2019s called) went away or was still active.  She e-mailed the producer on the weekend and he replied with, \u201cWe still want Wally to hold the time.  I\u2019ll get back to your shortly.\u201d  And then that was the last I heard.  So by Sunday I figured it had gone away for good.  But when I awoke this morning, I had several messages on every voicemail I have, and every e-mail address I have.  They wanted me to head to the studio at 11am for the session.  Well, I had stayed up very late the night before doing bookkeeping work (figuring that the session wasn\u2019t happening) so I slept late.  By the time I got up it was way after the session time, but it wasn\u2019t my fault.  The producers are supposed to give you at least 24 hours\u2019 notice for things like this.  But 3 hours\u2019 notice?  Wow!  My agent told me that it was the producer\u2019s screw-up; they booked the studio but FORGOT TO BOOK ME!  My agent tried to arrange for a time later this afternoon or on Tuesday, but they had already gone with their back-up talent.  Oh well\u2026it wasn\u2019t meant to be, I guess.  It happens sometimes in this business.  But it\u2019s still odd that the production staff wouldn\u2019t be a little more diligent in their jobs and be aware of who they booked for the job and who they didn’t book.  My first stop of the day was Mr. Stitch in Sherman Oaks.  I had engaged them to do a fair amount of complex embroidery projects in the past, but this time it was very simple.  I received a Riddler cap from my friend Kevin after Comic Con, but it seemed to be missing something. It was just a masked, laughing face; and it needed something more.  So I had the Mr. Stitch gang embroider on some random green question marks to drive home the point that the face on my cap was The Riddler.  It looked MUCH improved!  Then I went to Studio Copy to pick up a poster print of an Iron Man graphic my pal Scott Sebring did.  I\u2019ll be using it in my upcoming web series \u201cWacky Wally\u2019s Vintage Toys.\u201d  Then I dropped by Studiopolis to pick up a few checks that were waiting for me there.  I stopped by Prints Charm\u2019n to grab about 500 postcards I had printed up to promote \u201cWacky Wally\u2019s Vintage Toys\u201d at this weekend\u2019s upcoming SacAnime convention in Sacramento, where I\u2019d be appearing to sign autographs and meet fans.  My old pal Ken Dennis stopped by my house to drop off an old typewriter he had gotten from his mom\u2019s house.  I needed an actual typewriter for a project I was doing.  I\u2019m doing replica Starsky and Hutch ID cards to go along with my replica badge set-ups.  And in the 70\u2019s their names and serial numbers wouldn\u2019t have been computer printed, but rather typed…on an old-fashioned typewriter. I was really going for authenticity in these repro cards.  I headed off to Bang Zoom to spend 3 hours recording on Project X, a new on-going project I\u2019m voicing that\u2019s very similar to the US Airways sessions I\u2019ve been doing for the past several years (but I can’t give you specifics yet).  It was another fun session\u2026with songs, riddles, jokes and random comments.  On my way home after the session I stopped at Jersey Mike\u2019s to grab a delicious sandwich…the #13.  If you don\u2019t have a Jersey Mike\u2019s location near you, you have my sympathy.  I ate half of my sandwich and then grabbed a quick nap.  I got up later in the evening and did my auditions.  When I finished I had great fun lining up my ID cards in the old typewriter and typing on David Starsky\u2019s and Ken Hutchinson\u2019s names and serial numbers.  They came out great! I settled down for the night with the remainder of my Jersey Mike\u2019s #13 and a few episodes of \u201cThe Munsters\u201d from the Season One DVD set.<\/p>\n

Tuesday the 1st –  TORINO TIRED! \u2013<\/span> I had a 12:30 lunch scheduled with my old pal Barbera; who used to book the musical guests on \u201cThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.\u201d  It was a nice enough day, so I walked Roxy over to the restaurant to meet her for lunch.  But I noticed that the neighborhood mailbox on our street had a bunch of sticky stuff on the inside of the mailbox door. This is done by identity thieves who want to trap personal mail so they can retrieve it later for illicit purposes.  If the person who\u2019s dropping their bills in the mailbox isn\u2019t paying close attention, their mail gets stuck on the door and never makes it down into the box.  Most people just jam their mail in and run off.  But the glue the thieves put on the door ensures that the mail never makes it to the bottom.  Then the thieves can retrieve the envelopes and open them to get bank numbers, Social Security numbers, cash, checks\u2026whatever.  I\u2019ve had a few payments not show up to their intended recipients before and I figured out that where I was mailing them may have been the problem.  So now I either give them directly to the carrier or mail them at the Post Office.  I saw my carrier and alerted her to the problem.  She was aware of it, but she couldn\u2019t do anything about it.  She said I had to call the Postmaster in my area to alert them.  Bureaucracy.  Who needs it?! Anyone who\u2019s ever tried to call their local Post Office knows that sometimes it\u2019s an utter act of futility.  So I just walked on to my lunch meeting.  Roxy and I had a great time at lunch with Barbera, and then we walked back home.  I wanted to test a theory I had with my Gran Torino, which hadn\u2019t been starting lately.  I thought it may be a starter issue, but I also wanted to rule out a battery issue.  Sometimes in the heat of summer, I don\u2019t drive the car as much as I should to keep the battery charged.  I called AAA to have them come jump it.  The battery was completely drained, so it needed to be double-jumped.  The car started right up.  But he suggested that if it\u2019s an alternator issue, I shouldn\u2019t drive it anywhere and shut it off.; because it may not start again and I\u2019d be stranded.  So, at least it ruled out a starter problem.  Next week I\u2019m going to have Bodie bring over a freshly charged batter, install it, and drive it to his shop to have the alternator looked at.  The AAA driver did a diagnostic and said the alternator wasn\u2019t bad, but wasn\u2019t completely operating at 100% either.  So I hopped in my Mustang and headed over to Paty\u2019s to have dinner with my friend Genta.  She brought her two dogs Brutus and Ruby, and I brought Roxy.  What a fun time!  I came home to take a dip in the Jacuzzi and then grab a nap.  When I woke up I did my auditions, printed my packing list for my Sacramento trip, and watched some \u201cMunsters\u201d before bed.<\/p>\n

Wednesday the 2nd \u2013 WONDERFUL WARNER WACKINESS! \u2013<\/span> Around 1 I met up with my pal James at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank.  We grabbed lunch at the commissary, and went to see our pal Ruben Procopio at the Warner Animation Studios (at the nearby Warner Ranch) so he could show us a few things he\u2019s been working on.  A few months ago I did a super fun “dream-come-true” session for an upcoming direct-to-video animated feature.  As luck would have it, my pal Ruben got the job of storyboarding it.  In fact, it was Ruben who helped me book the Voice-Over job on the film by getting my demo to the producers.  We got to see the work Ruben had done on it so far.  He showed us the \u201canimatics;\u201d edited still images that Ruben has created that will give the animators an idea of the pacing and action of the scene.  It was great fun and wonderful to see!  Too bad it\u2019s going to take a full year for it to be completed!  I also got to meet a lot of the great folks around the Warner Animation offices.  Most of the executives’ offices are loaded with shelves of toys and collectibles; just like my house!  It was very fun to see what everyone is into!  When we finished I drove to my printer\u2019s to get the freshly laminated Starsky & Hutch ID cards.  After I typed on their names and serial numbers, I replicated their signatures in ink.  Now they look like official 70’s prop replica ID cards.  Once I get my custom badges in, I\u2019ll be golden!  But finding the matching vintage leather badge holders has proved to be difficult.  My only option will probably be to have them custom made.  When I got home there was some copy in my inbox from Go 96.3 in Minneapolis, and KABD 107.7 in Aberdeen, South Dakota; two radio stations for which I’m the image voice.  I sat down and recorded the tracks and sent them over right away.  Then Sara and I met at Little Toni\u2019s to grab some Italian food.  I came back home and did my auditions and started to pack for Sac.  Just before bed I watched some more \u201cMunsters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thursday the 3rd \u2013 SACANIME 2015! \u2013<\/span> There were a few errands I needed to do before leaving town that night for the big anime convention in Sacramento.  I had never been to Sacramento before (our state\u2019s Capitol) nor had I ever done this convention. I was really looking forward to it.  My first errand was stopping by my mailbox to get my mail.  Then I went to Staples to get some Sharpies for autographs.  I wasn\u2019t sure if they supplied them or not, but I wanted to be prepared.  I stopped by the bank to get some \u201coperating capital\u201d for my trip, and then got some groceries.  Once I got home I started in on my auditions.  I wanted to have them recorded and sent before I left because there was no way to record them in Sacramento.  My assistant Sara came over to start her housesitting job while I was away.  I threw my bags into my Mustang and headed to the Burbank airport.  The flight to Sacramento is only an hour so it should be easy squeezy.  Once at the airport I valet parked, and hauled my bags inside to check in.  My pal Brittney Powell was there already to meet me.  She would be coming along to assist me for the weekend.  I wasn\u2019t sure if the convention would have someone there to help out or not, so I covered my bases and brought my own assistant.  You can\u2019t be too careful, ya know!   We got to Sacramento alright and were picked up by a convention staff member who took us to the hotel to check in.  I was elated to find out that I would be staying at the Hyatt.  From all my getaways to Palm Springs and staying at the Hyatt there, I had garnered up enough juice to become a Platinum Card member.  That meant all sorts of perks, not the least of which was late checkout\u2026if needed.  But once we got to the Hyatt my name wasn\u2019t on the reservations list.  I made a call to my pal Scott Zillner (who had booked me at this convention) and asked for help.  I liked being at the Hyatt and asked them if I could just book my own room. They said I could, but they were completely full on Saturday so I could only stay on Thursday night and Friday night.  I would have to find another hotel on Saturday night.  EEK!   Come to find out I was dropped at the wrong hotel.  I was actually booked at The Citizen further away in downtown.  When the convention assistant said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to take you to a FANCY hotel!\u201d I got worried.  I like the Hyatt a lot.  I like the d\u00e9cor, the vibe, and the location; being right across the street from the Convention Center.  And I thought the Hyatt already WAS fancy.  My \u201clittle voice\u201d was going crazy.  So they pulled us away from the Hyatt and drove us several blocks away.  When we were dropped off in front of The Citizen I knew right away I wouldn\u2019t like it.  It was a New York-style hotel in a very old building.  The d\u00e9cor was gorgeous, but it was a very small, cramped and claustrophobic.  I checked in, but once I got to the room I realized it wasn\u2019t going to work.  I wanted to go back to the Hyatt.    I\u2019ve been in a lot of hotel rooms in my life, and this was by far the weirdest layout of a hotel room I\u2019d ever seen.  When you walk into the room, there\u2019s a short hallway with nothing in it for about 10 paces. Then you turn left and there\u2019s a little tiny room with the bed and nightstand. Then you walk up 3 marble stairs into an enormous bathroom.  The bathroom was over half of the room!  There wasn\u2019t any closet in the room to hang your clothes, but there was a closet in the bathroom to hang your clothes. Odd.  Underneath the closet rod was a coffee maker.  Coffee splashing on my clothes?  Uh oh!  Right away I phoned Janice at Hyatt and told her to make me a reservation asap.  I reminded her that Platinum status at the Hyatt meant that they had to get me a room any time; on demand.  So they HAD to accommodate me for Saturday night as well.  She agreed and put her manager Kevin on.  He made the reservation and we were good to go. With apologies to the Citizen, we cabbed it to 7-11 to get supplies and food (including the biggest Rice Krispy treat I had ever seen in my life!) and then we got to the Hyatt.  I felt bad changing hotels like that, but I knew I\u2019d be much happier at the Hyatt in the long run.  Plus now, I was directly across the street from the convention center. It would be a short 3 minute walk to the con the next day.  I don\u2019t like being so far removed from the buzz and activity of the con and its attendees.  But apparently some actors prefer to be far away from the madding crowd in order to maintain a modicum of peace and quiet.  I\u2019m not one of them. I love the activity!  The convention staff was worried about con guests staying in the same hotel as the attendees, but I told them I wasn\u2019t worried in the least bit.  I checked into the room and it was MUCH better.  I felt at home!  It had a great balcony view of downtown Sacramento.  There was a glittering neon sign over the top of a building, but all I could see was \u201cCRE.\u201d  The rest of the sign was covered up.  But it looked like a movie theatre.  I vowed to check it out.  I was a bit confused and concerned by the convention\u2019s lack of preparedness and apparent disorganization.  I didn\u2019t have any badges for entry to the convention yet.  I hadn\u2019t seen my schedule of events yet, and didn\u2019t know what I was supposed to be doing.  I\u2019m the type of guy who wants all the i\u2019s dotted and the t\u2019s crossed.  I like to be prepared. It’s the Boy Scout in me I guess.  But I settled in to get some sleep before my first busy day at SacAnime 2015!<\/p>\n

Friday the 4th \u2013 MEMORABLE DAY AT SAC! –<\/span> At noon Brittney and I met Topher, who\u2019s on staff with the convention\u2019s guest relations department, and he gave us our badges.  He also had my schedule of events, which I had been itching to see!  They were surprised I didn’t have it yet.  Everything looked good, except they wanted me to be on a panel Saturday night. I wouldn\u2019t be able to make that because I was looking very forward to meeting up with my old pal Dale Schornack for dinner that night.  I hadn\u2019t seen Dale in about 33 years and it was one of the reasons for my wanting to go to Sacramento in the first place.  We got to the convention center at 12:15, even though my signing didn\u2019t start until 1:30.  I wasn\u2019t quite sure why I had been walked over so early, so Brittney and I just walked around the convention floor and shopped. At 1:30 we were shown our way to the signing table and we started the signing.  Everything was going well, and the attendees were wonderful and fun.  But in the middle of the signing, a gust of wind from an open door caught the curtains behind us (and the metal support poles they were attached to) and the whole thing started to fall over on the signers.  Down a ways from me were the legendary Billy West and Maurice LaMarche.  Luckily some fast thinking attendees caught the poles before they beaned us.  I guess sandbags to weight the curtain\u2019s support poles might be in order next time.  That could have been a REAL headache!  Since I don\u2019t charge for autographs I was signing anything and everything for free, but I had a box there for donations for my church\u2019s food pantry.  The North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry has been going for over 30 years, and is a consortium of 12 churches and synagogues who have come together to fight the hunger problem in our neighborhood. It\u2019s a great organization, and I was happy to see people happily donating.  Brittney was helping to promote my upcoming web series \u201cWacky Wally\u2019s Vintage Toys\u201d by handing out promotional postcards. The signing went until 3:30, and when I finished I was famished!   Steve, the assistant that the convention assigned to me, took Brittney and I across the street to Uppercrust Pizza; a pizza buffet restaurant!  It had salad, pizza and pasta; all served buffet style.  YUM!   What WASN\u2019T there to like about that?!  I was due back at  5:30 for a Wally Wingert Q & A panel, so I shopped a bit more and then headed up to the meeting room. It was a lot of fun chatting with the attendees and answering all sorts of questions.  I enjoyed seeing pictures of people\u2019s dogs and cats that they showed me.  And a cute little purple fairy baby named Skye was there with her mom.  When baby Skye was getting restless and making noise I could tell that her mother was getting frustrated.  She wanted to stay in the panel and hear the questions, but Skye wanted attention.  So I had her mom bring the purple fairy up to the table so I could introduce her to the audience.   I picked her up and sat her on my lap while I continued to answer questions, and the little purple fairy was completely content playing with the microphones while I chatted with the attendees.  I even gave Skye a few swigs of water from one of the water bottles that were provided for the guests.  She seemed very thirsty, and that might have been why she had gotten fussy in the first place.  It was a panel of extreme cuteness; what with all of the sweet doggie and cat pics, and the purple fairy\u2019s excessive cuteness on top of it.  What fun!  When the panel was over I liberally gave out hugs and autographs to those who wanted them, and then headed back to the room to grab a nap.  When I got up a few hours later Brittney and I walked down the street to see the sights.  But by that time most everything had been closed up.  I did get to see the CREST Theatre, though.  (The letters I couldn\u2019t see from my room was ST).  The Crest is a 100 year old theatre that\u2019s simply gorgeous!  I just had to walk in and look around.  The staff was cleaning up the concession stand  and getting ready to close. There was a guy sitting there reading a magazine.  I asked him about the theatre and he said they have a lot of different functions there.  I heard explosions coming from the theatre and I asked what was going on.  He said they were showing \u201cThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly.\u201d  AW RATS!  I would have loved to have seen that!  The gal behind the concession stand asked if I\u2019d like to look in the theatre.  Boy would I!  I looked inside and it was simply stunning.  It was a heavily raked theatre, mostly full of people, watching a high definition print of \u201cTGTB&TU.\u201d  It was the scene at the end where everyone\u2019s dead and a young Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach walk up to survey the casualties.  I was instantly sad.  I really would have liked to have experienced this\u2026an HD print of a movie classic, in a gorgeous 100 year old theatre!  Oh well, next time.  You snooze you lose\u2026.literally.  We went back to the Hyatt and had a late dinner, and then I checked e-mail and hit the hay! I was ready for another fun day at SacAnime with some of the best attendees I\u2019ve ever had the pleasure to meet!<\/p>\n

Saturday the 5th \u2013 33  YEARS IN THE MAKING! –<\/span> Steve met us in the lobby at 11:15 for an 11:30 panel with some of the other actors from the \u201cBleach\u201d TV series.  I joined Johnny Yong Bosch (voice of Ichigo), Travis Willingham and Laura Bailey.  We had a blast talking about the show and answering all sorts of questions.  The panel ended at 12:30 and my next autograph signing was scheduled from 1:30 to 3:30.  As I was busy signing, my old buddy Dale Schornack came to see me with his friend Diana.  He shot some video of the interactions I had with the attendees for a news story on Channel 10’s website.  I\u2019ve known Dale since the old radio days in 1977 at KABR in Aberdeen.  We both started there, but I went off into acting, and Dale went into TV news as an on-camera anchor.  (He\u2019s currently the hottest news anchor at Channel 10 in Sacramento!)  We also worked together at KELO back in the early 80\u2019s. He was a new up and coming anchor on the TV side, and I was a DJ on the radio side.  Then he moved to another job in a bigger market, and in 1987 I moved to L.A.  But we\u2019ve always kept in touch via e-mail.  One of the reasons I really wanted to go to SacAnime was to see Dale again.  His friend Diana shot some more video for an internet story about our reunion, and we had a great time chatting.  But I had to finish the autograph session, so we agreed to meet for a light lunch at the Hyatt later and catch up.  Boy did we have fun catching up and telling tales!  We were scheduled to have dinner later, but this was our PRE-catching up catch up session.  Dale went home to attend to his doggie and grab a nap, and I went upstairs to grab a nap for a bit too.  Then around 8 I got up and threw on my fancy duds and met Brittney, Dale and Diana for dinner at the steakhouse downstairs in the Hyatt called Dawson\u2019s.  What fun it was spinning yarns about all those years ago.  I hope Dale will come to L.A. soon to visit, but I\u2019m sure we\u2019re going to see each other again soon regardless.  I’ve just got to get back up there to enjoy a movie at the Crest!  Dawson\u2019s stopped serving at 10, and we left about 11.  But then we went to the hotel bar and sat outside under the stars, by the fire, and continued to chat.  We talked for another 3 hours!  But then we all started getting tired so I headed back to the room.  I also started some of my packing process before bed so I could get the jump on the next morning when we had to be checked out.  I hit the computer and checked in to our flight, and printed the boarding passes.  WOW! What a day I\u2019ll never forget!<\/p>\n

Sunday the 6th \u2013 INVISIBLE WALL? WHAT INVISIBLE WALL? \u2013<\/span> Steve met us in the Hyatt lobby at 11:15 again.  We checked our luggage in the hotel storage for pick-up later and got checked out of our rooms.  There was a Legends of Videogame panel at 11:30 that would feature a lot of Voice Actors from different videogames.  When I got there none of the other actors had arrived yet, but the room was full of attendees waiting for the panel to start.  I wasn\u2019t that interested in just sitting at the table alone waiting for them, so I grabbed a wireless mic and played \u201cDonahue.\u201d  I walked into the audience and started asking them questions and goofing around with them.  We were having a great time. But it all came to an end when the other actors arrived.  What a buzzkill!  Seriously though, it was a fun panel and we had a lot of laughs!  After the panel we had about an hour before the next autograph signing, so I took Steve and Brittney, along with my new friends C.C. and Sandy over to Upper Crust for one last pizza buffet before I had to leave.  I loved that place! But it was right during lunch time so it was fairly crowded; with most of the crowd being convention attendees.  Some of them were surprised to see me there.  As I was walking to my table with a plate full of delicious pizza a gal with wide eyes said, \u201cYou\u2019re Wally Wingert. What are you doing here?  You\u2019re eating here like a regular person!\u201d  I thought that was funny.  I told her I was a regular person and I really liked the lunch buffet.  Throughout the weekend I was struck by the idea of the \u201cinvisible wall\u201d that seems to exist between the attendees and the celebrity guests.  I guess they weren\u2019t used to seeing the convention guests in any other setting other than an autograph signing or a panel.  Not being a fan of said \u201cinvisible walls,\u201d I quite enjoyed hanging with the attendees whenever possible.  Even when I would walk the convention floor to shop people would comment that I was walking around like a \u201cregular person.\u201d  When one vendor yelled out, \u201cHey Wally Wingert\u2019s walking the floor like a regular person!\u201d I replied, \u201cDon\u2019t forget\u2026I\u2019m a nerd too!\u201d  While some of the guests may like their privacy and solitude, I like to enjoy the many aspects of the convention; looking at the amazing costumes, talking to the attendees, buying stuff from the vendors.  I started thinking it was something they weren\u2019t really used to seeing much.  But for four years I worked for Jay Leno; a guy who was warm and welcoming to anyone and everyone who wanted to talk to him, or get a picture, or an autograph.  No “invisible walls” for Jay!  So I guess I just learned by observing him that \u201cinvisible walls\u201d aren\u2019t really my thing either.   The last thing I wanted to do was to dash in and do a panel, then dash back to my room and hide.  Then dash back to do an autograph signing, and then dash back to my solitude.  I like meeting people, so I\u2019m going to hang around and have some fun,  meet some cool folks and hear some great stories.  Like working the crowd earlier, I was having fun hanging out with the attendees as much as possible.  Like I told the attendees at one of the panels, I can hang out with these guys any time I want  (indicating my fellow Voice Actors).  But I don\u2019t get to see you guys that often so I\u2019m going to hang out with you guys. At the 1:30 autograph signing they had several tables lined up. In order it was me, Liam O\u2019Brien,  and then Travis Willingham and Laura Bailey.  I had done two signings already, so most everybody who wanted my signature on their collectibles already got it. So I was sitting there with nothing to do while the line was clogging up with those waiting for Liam, Travis and Laura.  I got bored fast.  So I got up and went into the line of attendees (which was significant!) and just started shaking hands and talking to them.  My convention assistant Steve and I now had a term for it.  He called it \u201cLeno-ing.\u201d  Periodically I would get bored and stand up from behind my table.  Steve would say,  \u201cGonna Leno it?\u201d  I said, \u201cYup!  Gonna Leno it.\u201d  So I\u2019d go out in the line and chat with people, sign autographs, pose for pictures and ask questions about their costumes.  I even got some great shots of the fans in their costumes!  It was touching when people would bring up hand-drawn artwork for me to sign.  It was all very good!  They would also bring by gifts; mostly figures or collectibles featuring my characters.  One young man told me the story about how he was bullied as a kid and had considered committing suicide at one point. But Sonic the Hedgehog helped him through it all.  I was blown away.  I told him that I too was bullied; being a fat kid who was interested in sissy cartoons and puppets; dressing up as vampires and play acting all the time.  But I told him to keep the faith, stay the course and hang tough.  Because things DO get better!  I said, \u201cHey! Look at me now!\u201d  We had a laugh and he went on his way.  It\u2019s amazing to me how this profession can touch people in a variety of ways.  I pray that he takes our conversation to heart and uses it as inspiration to realize his own dreams and aspirations.  It\u2019s one of the reasons I wanted to get into this biz in the first place, I guess.  One young artist brought up a pencil sketch she had done and it was amazing.  She even drew Spooky the cat!  I thought it was so amazing, I asked her if I could take a picture of it.  She was aghast that I thought enough of her art to want to immortalize it on my digital camera.  But sit was VERY good!  Some of these people really are VERY talented!  When a lull hit in the line again, I would get back up and \u201cLeno\u201d it some more.   What fun!  Some of the attendees actually thanked me for coming out into the line to talk to them.  It helped to pass the time while they waited to get the autographs they sought.  The donations to the North Hollywood Interfaith Food Pantry were piling up, and when we finished we had almost $300 in donations.  That will buy a lot of corn flakes and pasta for the hungry and homeless in North Hollywood!  My Sunday schedule was pretty tight, and we also had to be concerned about getting to the airport on time so we didn\u2019t miss our flight.  Our VIP autograph signing was scheduled from 4:30 to 6:30, but since my plane was leaving at 8, and I wanted to be there by 6:45.  I asked if we could split around 6:15 to make it on time. That meant having to leave the VIP signing a little early.  Steve was kind enough to go to the Hyatt to claim our baggage and put it in his car so it was ready for us to depart.  That would save us a lot of time!  He did the same for Travis and Laura.  That way when the VIP signing was over, we could split right from the convention center.  Brittney and I did a little shopping on the floor before the VIP signing, and then headed over to the meeting room to start the session at 4:30. Some of the VIP attendees had been waiting in line since noon!!  The line was very long, but as luck would have it, we finished up every autograph for every person in line easily by 6:00!  Perfect timing!  We got to the airport and got checked in expeditiously.  In fact, Brittney and I even had time to grab dinner with Liam, who was also on our flight.  We got to the gate and not only was Liam there, but also Travis and Laura, John DiMaggio, Billy West, and Maurice LaMarche.  Some of the young up-and-coming Voice Actors in the business were there too; Max, Erika and Erica.  It was fun watching them sit around with Maurice listening to his stories and advice; the seasoned master dispensing his wisdom to the next generation.   It was great to see. The flight was a wonderfully short flight.  We got back on the ground in good time, got my car and headed back home. It was a very fun weekend, but it was also great to be home and see Roxy and Spook again.  I napped for a bit, and then got up to unpack, do some work around the house, make a salad and hit the hay to watch another episode of \u201cThe Persuaders.\u201d It\u2019s something I normally do on Saturday night, but since I missed it I made sure to make it up a night later.  What a great weekend, but now I need some deep sleep!<\/p>\n

Monday the 7th \u2013 HAPPY LABOR DAY! \u2013<\/span> By the time I rolled out of bed it was around 3pm.  I walked Roxy and then started in on writing Wally\u2019s Week; compiling it from pages and pages of hand scrawled notes I penned in my hotel room and on the convention floor.  My new friend Sandy, whom I met in Sacramento, lives in L.A. and is studying to be a Voice Actress.  I texted her to see if she wanted to meet for dinner at Jerry\u2019s Famous Deli.  So we met at 6 and had a fun dinner, doing a post-op study of the weekend\u2019s activities.  Then I came back home, grabbed a quick nap on the couch, and got up to do my auditions.  I finished up Wally\u2019s Week, walked Roxy, and then headed to bed with some sloppy joe\u2019s to watch another \u201cMunsters\u201d episode.  My voice was a little creaky from all of the weekend\u2019s activities, so I was bound and determined to rest it as much as possibly so it\u2019s ready for this week\u2019s Voice-Over sessions.<\/p>\n

And how was YOUR week??!!<\/p>\n

PIX FROM THE WEEK<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>

I found these pics of my friend Edi\u2019s dog Bunny that I took during a recent stay at my house. Bunny was so relaxed at my place!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"ww_083115_02\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Here's<\/a>

Here’s a shot of Roxy lounging on the bed. She’s SO spoiled!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The gorgeous skyline of Sacramento!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Quite<\/a>

Quite possibly the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my entire life!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"At<\/a>

At SacAnime, a “Tiger and Bunny” fan comes dressed as a spot on Kotetsu Kaburagi!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Here's<\/a>

Here’s a gorgeous pencil sketch from an amateur artist that she asked me to sign. She even drew Spook!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"They<\/a>

They said this dog was half Husky and half Wolf…but we just called her “Coyote Dog” because she looked so much like a coyote. 2 years old and as friendly as could be!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"At<\/a>

At autograph signings, people bring up the most random things. Here’s an old “Throut and Neck” ad from 1999! WOW!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Once<\/a>

Once I spotted this Labradoodle puppy in the Hyatt lobby, I couldn’t keep my hands off him!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A reunion 33 years in the making! My old pal Dale Schornack from Channel 10 in Sacramento and I!<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Dale posted a story about our reunion on his Facebook page. Check it out! https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/220040731420460\/videos\/vb.220040731420460\/848657528558774\/?type=2&theater<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Knights Who Say Nee!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>

A couple of great Dr. Who girls!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Lupin<\/a>

Lupin III was one of the first Voice-Over roles I ever got! And I thought his costume was bang-on!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"ww_083115_15\"<\/a>

From the Final Fantasy movie, I pose with a fan dressed as Rufus Shinra, a character I voiced in the film. WOW!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Here's<\/a>

Here’s the only shot I have (so far) of the Purple Fairy and I at the panel.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Here's<\/a>

Here’s a wonderful compilation of some of my animated characters as done by Christopher Bohl. thanks Chris!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Thanks<\/a>

Thanks to Tylesha Robledo for this great piece of hand-drawn Riddler art!<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2470,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wallysweek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallyontheweb.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}