Monthly Archives: February 2024

Larry Jezek sent me the following about his Super Bowl prediction…

Pretty much yours, though with much added effort put into the preceding weeks up to game day.

My personal annual goal is to make it to Superbowl Sunday without having a clue as to which two teams are playing.Achieved this goal last year, but it's not that easy.

So thank you Taylor Swift for killing the dream in me this year, but at least I still have some small comfort, having no idea which Kansas City will have a parade if they win.

I think I've got you beat this time, Larry. I know the game is in Las Vegas because I'm tuned into a number of websites and podcasts that cover Las Vegas and they're all talking about what a mess it's going to be and how the price of a hotel room is about the same as the cost of building a hotel these days.

But I have no idea what teams are playing. I know Taylor Swift is involved with some player on some team and you suggest it's one team from each of two Kansas Cities playing…but I couldn't tell you the names for those teams if you covered me in soy sauce and released a pack of rabid badgers.

I'm sure I've heard the team names and all my friends say I have a great memory…but it just refuses to absorb certain kinds of information and that list includes anything having to do with football. The only two football games I've ever watched in my life were the finales of The Longest Yard and a Marx Brothers movie.

Not everything that's legal now was always legal. My favorite YouTube Lawyer (if you don't count George Conway or the two main guys on The Meidas Touch Network) Devin "Legal Eagle" Stone lists some of them for us…

I'm not going to watch.

Do you like watching artists draw? Do you wanna buy some nifty original art? Well, later today you have the chance to do both. Four of the best cartoonist people I know — Sergio Aragonés, Bill Morrison, Scott Shaw! and Stan Sakai — will be online drawing this evening.

You can watch as they draw! You can suggest what you want to see them draw! You can bid on what they draw and maybe claim it for your very own! What could be more fun?  Here's the link and it all starts at 6 PM Pacific Time, 9 PM Eastern Time.

Yesterday in this space, I linked you to the epic bio-doc of Bill "Bullwinkle" Scott produced by Amber Jones. Here's an update she issued recently…

Just listened to some of the oral arguments before the Supreme Court this morning as to whether You-Know-Who (or anyone who's committed insurrection) can be booted off a ballot. I have no idea how the Justices will vote and I've learned from past observations that even experienced SCOTUS-watchers often get it wrong. Heck, I don't even know how I'd vote on this one if, as seems increasingly unlikely, they elevated comic book writers to the High Court.

They oughta consider that, by the way. It's not like anything could lower public confidence in the Supreme Court.

No, on second thought: This decision might.

The late Bill Scott was one of the nicest, cleverest and most talented people it has ever been my good fortune to know. And one of the most modest. In an industry when some people demand to see their name as many times as possible in the credits, Bill took a credit as co-producer of all the Jay Ward cartoons but not as their Head Writer or for his many voice roles. They included Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Fearless Leader, Mr. Peabody, Super Chicken, George of the Jungle and maybe a thousand more.

Did you know that about him? Well, even if you did, you probably need to spend a couple of hours watching this documentary on his life produced, written, directed and narrated by my friend Amber Jones, aka Amber the Fangirl.

Amber — not to be confused with my lady friend Amber — is a British historian of animation and a rising star in the voice acting field herself. She put all this together a few years ago and has recently produced an addendum which I'll link you to tomorrow. Amber had the good sense to follow the first rule of documentary-making: Pick a fascinating subject. Of course, she violated the second rule by including me in it but don't let that stop you. Watch it.

Geez, I got a lot of messages from folks opining on who played who in that Marx Brothers sketch on Fridays. At first, the guesses were all over the place including one person who thought Groucho was David Steinberg and another who thought Phil Hartman was someplace in there.

Eventually, a consensus emerged. Of many e-mails that said the same thing, I picked this one from Dennis Heisler to run here…

I believe the two bombers are Michael Richards and Darrow Igus. The "announcer" is Larry David. John Roarke is Groucho. Brandis Kemp is the Margaret Dumont character. Chico is Bruce Mahler and Harpo is Mark Blankfield.

That's what most said except a sizable percentage think the Dumont-type lady was Maryedith Burrell.

At first, Steve Stoliar and I weren't sure about Roarke as Groucho. We've both met him and the Groucho in the sketch didn't seem like him…but I figure maybe he's a better impressionist than I thought. He did so much of his best work under heavy makeup that he's probably harder to recognize than I thought.

But among those who wrote and said it was him, a lot said they'd come to that conclusion by ruling out all the other male cast members, thereby leaving Mr. Roarke as the only possibility. Still others said something like "It was a great impression and he was the best impressionist in the cast so it had to be him." No one said "I'd recognize John Roarke anywhere!" Still, I've decided it's him.

If you're interested in reading more about Fridays, I came across this article. You might give it a read. Anyway, thanks to all of you for playing Name That Marx Brother.

My pal Bob Bergen is one of the top voiceover artists in the business and it isn't just because he's really good in front of a microphone. Obviously, that has a lot to do with it and none of what he or I have to say in this long, long post should obscure or trivialize that. But in the increasingly-competitive field of voiceover — both for animation and all the other areas — it ain't enough.

And before I go any further, let me add that the core principles that Bob wrote about in this piece he put on Facebook also apply to on-camera or on-stage acting, writing, drawing, singing…just about any creative job/artform. Especially the part about bewaring that which seems too good to be true.

Bob is really sharp at understanding the field he's in and very realistic about where he is in it. Read this piece he wrote and then I'll meet you on the other end of it to add a few more points. Here's Bob…

Hi gang!

So, yesterday I had a conversation with a fellow vo professional whom I have the utmost respect. I'm keeping their identity private as it was a private conversion. But the issue they wanted my input on is rampant and frustrating, and it came up during the business of the business discussion on our recent VO Cruise.

For those of you who are interested in pursuing vo, or actively pursuing vo, I'm sure you have seen an internet trend with ads selling ideas such as, "You don't need acting training/You don't need to invest a lot of money/You don't need a broadcast quality home studio/You will make money," etc. Hogwash! If it looks too good to be true, it is!

These claims go against everything I stand for as a professional actor and coach. And, these claims go against the grain of whom I was chatting with yesterday, as they were just looking for some ideas/suggestions from me to address this and perhaps sway people from being taken advantage of.

NONE of this is new! It's just now. And due to the vastness of the internet, these charlatans reach far more than they did before social media.

When I first started studying vo in the late ‘70s, there were only a handful of workshops out there. And the community was small and tight. It was well understood by even the greenest of beginners, if a coach or acting teacher ever mentioned how to make money at vo, or how much money one can make at vo, shortcuts or how easy the whole thing is, you were to run fast in the opposite direction.

It was considered vulgar and unprofessional for anyone to discuss or guarantee an income upon completing a class. This is 100% true today as well. I myself cannot guarantee my own income, how could I ever guarantee a student's income? And you never, EVER took a class that offered a demo upon completion. You knew to stay away from "package deals." If everyone would be demo ready after a set number of classes, then everyone would be working!

Now, I took a very different slant on this issue than my fellow vo professional yesterday. I do not blame the charlatans. I blame those who seek them out or buy into their snake oil. One byproduct of the internet is the absence of merit, excellence and at times, common sense. People are looking to make money at vo, not to be great actors. Those who are great stand a better chance of working, but even a great actor does not always succeed. Hey, that's show biz!

People, consider the source! Caveat emptor! Wanna get vo career advice? Seek advice from those on a much larger boat than you, not from those on the same or smaller boat. I always had very high goals as a vo actor. I made it a point to only rub elbows with those who had the career I wanted. I studied with those who were the most respected by the top vo agents and casting directors. I invested and reinvested in my career, and still do. I wanted to be ahead of the herd, not amongst them. I pursued professional vo professionally.

Today, everyone at the top of the vo food chain is a mouse click away. There was no social media when I was starting out. So, how I did I rub elbows? I would befriend studio receptionists and ask to sit in lobbies in the event I could strike up a conversation with A-list vo actors, advertising producers/writers, etc. I would hang out in the parking lots of the top vo agents, just for the opportunity to bend the ears of the top actors in the industry.

People, you have no excuse today as everyone is at your fingertips on the machine you are reading this. You can listen to the top vo actor's demos on their agent's websites! Atlas, DPN, SBV, CESD, AVO, VOX, etc. No excuse to not know what makes a great vo demo! No excuse to not reach out to working actors to research who produced their demos.

Why are so many so attracted to the charlatans? Because the charlatans are just giving em what they want and want to hear. This is not just an issue with actors, this is an issue with people. Too many want to feel good, not do good. Too many want life easy. Too many want huge returns on the smallest of investments. Too many do not have the work ethic to strive for excellence, yet they want to be compensated for mediocrity. And then they complain/play the victim when things do not go their way.

Take ownership! Again, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Strive to be a great actor, not a working actor. Wake up every day with the passion and drive to do more than everyone else, and then do even more. Check fast and cheap at the door. (Side note: it is far cheaper to pursue professional vo today than it was when I was starting out!! Gone are the days of snail mailing reel to reel demos, which cost me on average10 grand a year for decades, until the internet made marketing online free!)

Bottom line, as much as I appreciated the frustration from my fellow vo professional yesterday, I didn't have the same sympathy for those being taken advantage of. They/we are all responsible for our own business decisions.

We are responsible for our work ethic, or lack their of. We are responsible for vetting and seeing through the charlatans. If you want to play with the big boys, emulate them. Use commons sense if you are being sold a bill of goods that sound too good to be true. Consider the source and consider the source of those who fell for the BS. And consider the career path taken by THE most successful vo actors working today.

And if ya fell for any of this, check victimhood at the door. Own your choices and own your mistake. Look in the mirror and figure out what it is you did wrong and (or) fell for. Mistakes are only bad if repeated. I worked my ass off to get to where I am in my career, and I work even harder to stay here.

me again. That's one of the problems in the world today: People who are way too quick to believe what they want to hear. And I suppose there will always be those who see profit and/or power in telling that kind of person what they want to believe but the Internet has made it way too easy.

Like I said: What Bob wrote applies in a lot of areas besides voiceover. I think it's important for everyone to remember that if you want to make it in the real world, it's necessary to live in one.

So did anyone really think that panel of three DC Circuit judges was going to rule that once you're President of the United States, you're allowed to break any laws you want? The Supreme Court won't say you are either though they may take their own sweet time about it.

Trump keeps losing and losing and losing and losing and I wonder if/when any of his supporters are going to get antsy backing a guy who doesn't seem like he could win a game of Old Maid with marked cards. Biden should be out there posing the question, "What if he ran the country the way he's running his legal defenses?" Ask them if they were accused of a crime, would they hire Alina Habba to defend them?

In 1980, ABC attempted an undisguised knock-off of Saturday Night Live called Fridays featuring a rep cast that included Mark Blankfield, Maryedith Burrell, Melanie Chartoff, Larry David, Rich Hall, Darrow Igus, Brandis Kemp, Bruce Mahler, Michael Richards and John Roarke.

The show does not seem to be well-remembered…or even remembered at all by some. I always found enough clever material in each episode that I taped (on Beta, I think) and watched each episode…and sometimes on a Friday afternoon would watch a run-through of that evening's telecast live in person. You can do that when you're working on the same lot.

I did though sometimes have a little trouble telling who was who in some sketches. My pal Steve Stoliar, who is wise in all things Marxian, sent me this link to a pretty good Marx Brothers skit. I recall spying on a rehearsal of this but even then, I wasn't sure who was playing who. The Groucho and Harpo are especially good. Can anyone identify the players?

Readers of this site know well of my oft-mentioned loathing of cole slaw. Truth be known, there are a lot of foods I will not eat — some because of my many food allergies; others because I simply don't like them. And on my "Will Not Eat" list, there are some where I'm not sure. I just know they fall into at least one of those categories if not both.

I can though say with some certainty that my body loathes spicy or "hot" (in the sense of being spicy) foods. There are folks, including seemingly-sane people, who love such foods. I do not and my tummy does not.

So you will never find me in a situation like the show Hot Ones where guests are peppered with questions while gnawing on increasingly-lethal hot wings. I don't know why anyone would do such a thing but if John Oliver is going to subject himself to such torturous interrogation, I'm going to watch…

Vanity Fair has an oral history of the early days of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I was an instant fan of the program, mainly because of the surprising quantity of solid and ingenious comedy writing. As the years rolled on, the quantity and ingenuity of the writing declined and it seemed like someone decided that the "gold" of the show was Conan ad-libbing and, often, trying too hard to top his guests. But I sure liked the early years that this piece is about.

Comic book fans and pros alike are mourning the reported passing of José Delbo, the prolific Argentine artist who was probably best known for his long runs on the Wonder Woman comic book. We have no word on a cause of death but he was born in 1933 which would make him 90.

José was a comic artist in Argentina until 1963 when political unrest forced him to flee to Brazil. Two years later, he migrated to the United States where he secured work from Charlton, Dell and Western Publishing's Gold Key line. Among the many comics he illustrated were Billy the Kid, The Monkees, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, The Brady Bunch, Hogan's Heroes, Twilight Zone, The Mod Squad and Gold Key's adaptation of the movie Yellow Submarine. He began drawing for DC in 1969 and his first of many issues of Wonder Woman was in 1976.

He also taught. On Facebook, artist Steve Lieber wrote, "I met him in my first year at the Kubert school. A great teacher- funny, smart, and unwilling to accept any less than our best effort. ‘Mr. Lieber, your horse looks like a dog. Go home and work.' I will, José. Thank you."

José was a charming gentleman and a dedicated craftsman. We could use more like him.

One of the best things I've seen on Broadway was the 1998 revival of the musical 1776. In fact, I saw it twice, once near the beginning of its run and once near the end. The two videos below are from early as indicated by the presence of Brent Spiner as John Adams.

The evening of my first visit, they had a small (but loud) Revolutionary-era marching band outside the theater, celebrating that it had been named some sort of "1776 Week" in New York and there was a pre-show speech by then-Mayor, then-Liked-by-Somebody Rudy Giuliani. Then came the play and it was just perfect. Here's how it opened…

And here's the Press Roll featuring excerpts from the show. See why I liked it?