Thursday, May 1, 2025

Tales of the Macabre...Here's to Reinvention TC & Co.


People have been saying it...we've been saying it, seasonal event venues need to be operating on all four seasons throughout the year. So, reinvention is a popular item on their to-do-list.

Take for instance Spirit Outlets. They're there to fill-in the gaps of brick & mortars while maintaining yearly occupied tenant leases. Speaking of spirits, how do those folks operating Halloween venues stay afloat the rest of the year? Ah, reinventing themselves...that's how.

Which brings us to Tales of the Macabre an hour-long anthology of dark legends and haunting folklore inspired by the mysteries of New Orleans and the surrounding bayou. Explaining further, it's part cocktail event, part theatrical production and part haunted mansion. This exclusive event weaves together storytelling and mixology to bring four chilling tales to life. Talk about re-inventing an event venue...especially now, during the summertime events.

 

The folks at The Mortuary have gone down the line re-inventing path many times. From Escape Rooms to Blood Weddings (which are very popular) to Santa's Holiday Fright Night. Just when you think they've tapped just about every unique idea, new ways to get not just eyeballs and eardrums interested, but a way to motivate actual bodies to get up and go somewhere and have a good time, was to say the least  ~ inspired.

 

The Macabre in Tales of the Macabre, was to be pronounced as it's Anglicized version (Mah-Kaab as per Google), without the Brah at the end. Get a load of the Dark & Mysterious Cocktails served in elegant crystal glassware.

This is one of those stand alone experiences that blends visual theatrics and delicious themed mixology with state-of-the-art lighting and special effects for a cocktail social event unlike any other...and that's just for starters.


Before  you say, "now wait a New York minute", are you tellin' me that you're gonna serve alcoholic drinks during a live performance? The management is completely sensitive to being responsible with a watchful eye on keeping overindulgence at bay. They have a lot of rules to be followed there. Right down to offering Mocktails for under twenty-oners. To say it another way, if you might want a break from the ordinary, head on over to NOLA. The whole city is pretty much operating on all fours these days, so there's tons to do. Place Plug Here. Viva La Louisiana!  

On the technical voice-over front, they wanted a voice that wasn't particularly scary, gooey and all that. But, a voice and character that conveyed story-telling and a bit of creep-i-ness. 

The voice direction was; Think the seedy streets of England. Be good if he had a Cockney-ish voice to go with his conjured looking figure as he emerges from the shadows to let unsuspecting travelers in on a little known eccentric experience they might be findin' curious...just around the corner. Here, step this way guv'nor, I've got your back!


 

 





                           with Stefan Nadelman

Stefan had laid on me some extra special era breaking extrapolation Ai technology that like a QR code, made a photo instead of a squiggly square, come ALIVE!

Check out his re-animating Ai feature - It's Alive! And it's funny. Stefan put this on his IG a week ago and I'm seeing a lot of similar photo still animation developed throughout the internet spectrum. Those moving pictures you see off the link, have been static stills for close to 50 years now. 

With the right Ai pumped in, they not only come alive but predict so-to-speak...like a car passing by or a bloke who for so long only made the shot glass to his lips, now takes a sip and says "Ahhh" afterward. This is leaps and bounds past our initial collaboration voicing Stefan's Terminal Bar characters. Damn, looks like I better start cataloguing these characters to feed into the Head Ai generator and then we'll all be immortalized till the second or third coming. 

Come to think of it, although slightly morbid, if you have a digital or analogue to digital rendering of a person, such as a voice or video recording (a lot would be preferable) you'd be able to have a fresh conversation of a friend or loved one with the right algorithm Ai program. Think of it, being able to sit as we did when alive and have a conversation with the living at breakfast, let's say. Here's that word actually, but if you have enough voice or image data, and with further advancements in Ai, there's a good chance that the Ai conversation at breakfast would be more extrapolated and probably less repetitive, 'cause human's tend to be creatures of habit and repeat themselves. I guess, particularly as we get older. So, there, you can count on being more interesting than you ever were on earth...after you depart as it were, was...And to whomever would want to take the time to listen...that is!

Check out what else Stefan has been up to on his IMDb Page, including the 2025 "Don't Die" Netflix documentary about health advocate Bryan Johnson, where Stefan is director of visual effects and main title animation.

WHAT IF (Who you talking to ma? Oh, it's grt grt grandpa again. Just wanted to hear his voice. You know, he always said boy, I'd love to be able to talk to my great great grandchildren someday. You want to say hello honey? Sure ma. Hi, grt grt gran pa, how's it goin'? Is that little Jamie, how's soccer comin' along? Oh. it's just OK, you know. Sounds like somebody's got some competition on the field, do you have a handicap yet...)


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Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Val Kilmer & Celebrity DeathMatch's Nolte Vs. Murphy

 

All too soon it seems, we heard the passing of another screen icon the "Ice Man" himself, Val Kilmer at age 65. Wish it was an April Fool's joke.

Mister Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. He later recovered, though his public battle with the disease lasted for years. Val's throat cancer was related to other diseases and affected his vocal chords. He said; "When I speak now, I sound like Marlon Brando after a couple of bottles of tequila," Val  recalls, in his candid video memoir.

I'm pictured here with Val Kilmer at his tie-in promotion for the 2008 premiere opening of the movie: Columbus Day 


He's a very cool dude...down to earth and wore the sun glasses 'cause they helped keep the anonymity thing going a bit longer. I'll tell you one thing, for 17 years now, those (f---'g) glasses had me explaining to people that really is Val Kilmer in the picture. When he asked what kinda work I did, I remembered him slipping in & out of character's voices, beginning with his first film: Top Secret. Plus, The@Saint. Even Morrison's band members couldn't tell the difference between Jim & Val. So, I figured I'd give it a shot and say I did voices. He came back with; Would he know anything I did?...ahh, geashh, maybe you've seen a Celeb Death Match or... It was like a switch. He said, which one's. I started bangin' out a few. He stopped me at Nick Nolte vs. Eddie Murphy. So, this one's for you Nick Rivers. From one Nick to another!

We mentioned Val in our July 31st 2021 Blog posting when we shared a link that was titled: Ai gave Val Kilmer his voice back  It spoke to the ill-fated voice of Val Kilmer and how a voice-Ai algorithm has helped him communicate both personally & professionally. Val describes in detail how his voice was restored via Ai after surgery for throat cancer in his new documentary "Val" via Amazon Prime.  

In "Top Gun: Maverick," when Kilmer went to reprise his beloved "Ice Man" character, director Joseph Kosinski told USA TODAY that, despite rumors of Ai, the voice in the film was nearly 100% Kilmer. 

Kilmer’s return to the role was one of the most moving moments in the movie. His character, now an acclaimed Admiral, communicates via a computer due to an unspecified illness. Maverick producer Jerry Bruckheimer told People in 2021: “We all wanted Kilmer, but Tom Cruise was adamant that if he’s going to make another Top Gun, Val had to be in it."

 

It'll be four years ago this July that we not only posted in our Blog about Val Kilmer, but the featured story was that of Ai growing out of it's shell and taking over the whole megillah, figuratively speaking of course. We were covering the advancement of Ai's naturally sounding replication aspect. Industry alarming was Anthony Bourdain's brush with Ai ...actually his Ai'd voice only.

That information came compliments of the director, Morgan Neville about his Anthony Bourdain documentary film called: "Roadrunner" . Mr. Neville revealed it's not all Bourdain's voice the audience was listening too. 

Instead, [click link to hear the difference] Artificial Intelligence (Ai) software was used to replicate (45 sec's) of a few quotes of Bourdain that he never uttered aloud, at least not for this documentary. It materialized in a 2021 New Yorker article by Helen Rosner, where she asked Neville "how on earth he'd found an audio recording of Bourdain reading his own e-mail." Mr. Bourdain's ex-wife Ottavia Busia said - I do believe Morgan thought he had everyone’s blessing to go ahead with Anthony's voice being Ai'd, but, I certainly was NOT the one who said Tony would've been cool with it. WoW, to live-on past one's passing.



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Thursday, February 27, 2025

SAG 31st Awards Show Honoring Jane Fonda...and some Local Features

 

For the second time ever the SAG awards were being aired solely on Netfix this year. We were fortunate to be with our friends across town last year as we hadn't a Netflix subscription at the time. We made it an evening and a half with attending a movie (One Love, biopic of Bob Marley) first, then going back to their house to take in the 30th SAG Award Show.

This year however, well, we'd like to say that our evening of viewing the 31st SAG Awards was...but unfortunately, it wasn't.

Verizon had just upgraded us to a new router and for the life of us, we couldn't get the ID and password to work our Netflix feed. Who woulda thunk that a silly glitch could prevent us from viewing the awards LIVE! Of course, that brings to mind that an actor who's strapped for funds and can't afford a Netflix subscription, is in the same boat. 


Part of the evenings events featured a tribute to honor Jane Fonda. Miss Fonda was awarded the 60th Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
 
Jane is a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, producer, author, activist and fitness guru. Her career has spanned over 50 years, accumulating a body of film work that includes more than 50 films and significant contributions to political causes such as women’s rights, Native Americans' rights and environmental protection. She is a seven-time Golden Globe® winner and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2021. She accepted The Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Most recently, in April of 2024, Fonda accepted the TIME Magazine Earth Award. 

It was a fine evening as I saw the next day online here & there. But, you know, this was the 2nd time the awards were on Netflix solely and regardless of ability to watch...the presentation wasn't half a good as the first viral award showing on Youtube. It was a whole different and exploratory vibe. They took chances, things were absolutely more casual & free, less rehearsed, no commercials (altho, can't say for sure) and you felt as though you were a part of the evening. Check it out with this link to the  29th SAG Awards

On the home front

We were fortunate to be cast in a spot for an 85 year family owned HVAC business in upper New York State. I had been doing their VoIP voicing for years alongside their jingle. They wanted to continue that image with their Podcasts. Click to listen 


We had a bit of good luck as well just a little bit due south of us in Greenville, South Carolina. EISS, a European salon supplier wanted a British accent featured for all their VoIP work. They wanted a more stylish sound when European callers checked in... Giv-a-Call at: 843.552.7600

 

 


It is with great sadness we deliver the news that Gene Hackman, a fellow union member, passed away in New Mexico, yesterday. He was 95 years old. We had featured Mr. Hackman only last month as the voice-over to the “Fly the Friendly Skies of United” commercial some years back. 

 

There is a coincidence and uniqueness part to this, in that it comes with a recent revelation that it was my step dad who coined that inimitable phrase in the United Airlines voice-over ...amongst some other cool phrases. The revelation, keeping in mind that it means; a surprising and previously unknown fact, is that it came with the surprising news that my birth mother was still alive and had married this phrase-maker! The uniqueness is, it all came about as a result of us being reunited recently after all these years! Side-steppin' back to the coincidence part: we're all UNITED now as a family...with new aunts & uncles, cousins and names and words we've never used before or not in quite a while...like grandma, step dad, step sisters, drt'r-in-law, etc.

 

Segueing back to Gene Hackman; there's no better welcoming these days than those four wonderful words of my step dad he spoke; FTFS of United Airlines. Gene made you feel as though he was saying 'Fly the Friendly Skies of the United States'. The fact that it's literally carved (inside info) in stone and sewn together to the tune of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' for me, makes it hard to find a more Amatriotic slice of time. And nobody says: Baggage the way Gene Baby can. We'll miss you and hope that you and Peter are able to have that "espresso"!

 

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Friday, January 31, 2025

The Most Lopsided Superbowl in History...and Humongous G/E Turns Thirty-Five

That is correct. Super Bowl XXIV was and still is the most lopsided point spread difference in game history. That's right, on January 28, 1990 the San Francisco 49ers were pitted against the Denver Broncos for an ultimate 55 to 10 victory...a 45 point spread difference.

San Francisco's 55 points were the most ever scored by one team, and their 45-point margin of victory was the largest ever. The 49ers are also the only team to score at least eight Super Bowl touchdowns and at least two touchdowns in each quarter (only missed the extra point attempt).

But there's another reason that Super Bowl XXIV was more than a lopsided score. For me, it was a dream come true. 'Cause this Super Bowl, we had a Dog-in-the-Race...On Camera no less. Yes, this year marks the 35th anniversary of the "Humongous Gas & Electric" spot for the Oil Heat Institute. I never knew that there was a OHI, but boy am I happy there was and still is. The Humongous spot was super popular...once upon a time. I played an 'on camera' character named: Bob Davis - number 247-27A. 


He was a wimped-out customer type who was calling the big, bad Gas & Electric company 'cause there wasn't any heat. And the Big-Ass Conglomerate could care less, unless he smelled gas and treated Bob as the lowly number he was. They should do a "Where is Bob Now" redux campaign only to find him still roughing it out in the catacombs of Big Brother. Check it out below.

 
 

I had a ball doing the spot and had a chance to work with Bill Bryden, no that's not him as the bald dude in the video, but the star voice of those "Oxy Five" (jejune pimple) spots. We went from cloud nine to cloud ten when we learned later that year the spot had won a Clio, the Ad Industry's Oscar equivalent.

So that's one millennium...not to be outdone we had some luck in this millennia with a spot in  Super Bowl 54 in 2020. 

 

Not as Bob, but Oh'bother - Pooh. We were featured in ad agency - Fantastic Plastic's TV spots or end tags, played on Superbowl LIV, February 2nd, 2020. The VoiceOver was for the Damson Auto Dealerships in the Southeast half of the country. We managed a Winnie-the-Pooh sound-a-like that was in good form. Here's the full Damson Automotive Grp spot with its run a few months earlier.

We blogged about some of this last year. Then, it was more about my new step-dad, who coincidentally also had a Super Bowl dog-in-the-race as well. He was a creative directors creative director. An original Mad Man. It's been more than a bit freaky to be reunited with my birth mom. To learn that she married the coolest dude in advertising was like - Good Gosh. Do you believe my step-daddy came up with the Leggo-My-Eggo slogan or This Bud's for You, Coke is It or my mom's all time fav -  Fly the Friendly Skies of United ? Way...Cool!

 

On the United spot, that's the voice of a tinder Gene Hackman, in the day, paying tribute to the inspirational words my step father coined against the vibes of a Gershwin sound-track, that instilled a campaign at the ad agency Leo Burnett. “ Fly the Friendly Skies of United” was first introduced in 1965.  The tagline was used for over 30 years before it was retired when the airline parted ways with the agency.

 

 

That is the master-adcrafter; Al Lerman. And as a matter of record, he created the greatest ad of its era which debuted on: Superbowl XIII: It featured overtones of hard times that needed a bit of bolstering to accent the positive. 

Check it out at: This Bud's for You


Stefan Nadelman our resident Go-to-Guy for conceptualization in the movie & doc world is on the move this year in what might be considered an APB on his recent work on the docu-series - Don't Die. It's about this perfect protocol advocate / slash, W-a-D centimillionaire - Bryan Johnson. The Late Show's Stephen Colbert, did a number on Bryan Johnson, Monday night, unveiling his sequence of measuring his "Youthful Virility" or overnight - Winky - with an over-night tracking machine...and it included his son. They got metrics too. Stephen explains it all for us on his show entitled: Daddy Issues . Check it out.


Also check out Don't Die. It's being offered as a Sundance contender.

Don't Die is film about centimillionaire Bryan Johnson, a 46-year-old tech entrepreneur, who's obsessed with letting AI determine his health regimen to de-age himself. 

He has spent millions on a team of experts with the goal of making his organs look and act like those of an 18-year-old through a strict diet, which he combines with a one-hour exercise regimen, a rigid bedtime routine, blood transfusions and daily health tests.


Just Completed for Apple-Tv - Stefan had let me know about a docu-series called Con Queen. He did the Main Title Animation, along with graphics & animation - Not a bad feather either, to be picked up by Apple.

Eternal Values is another docu-series Stefan has completed about a new age cult of supermodels in the 90s, run by Frederick Von Meiers. As a cult leader of the group Eternal Values, Frederick Von Mierers, claimed to be an alien from the star Arcturus. Mierers believed in impending doom and that he and his fellow aliens had been sent here to help earthlings.

And Monkey Business (not a remake of the 1952 version with Cary Grant nd Ginger Rogers) is a doc about the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT scandal. Stefan's on the job but aspects are still in development. We'll follow up as soon as we hear further. Or you can always go to Stefan's IMDb page. 



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