Friday, October 2, 2009

Bob Bergen Takes His Act On The Road, Again!

Bob Bergen is taking his one-pig, er . . . his one-MAN-show, "So, Here's The Deal" to Chicago where he'll be performing at "IO Theaters Del Close Theater" on October 2nd. It's the tender story of how a nice Jewish kid from Cincinnati moves to Hollywood and becomes the worlds most famous stuttering pig (among other characters.)

I now seen three versions of Bob's show and found it hilarious. He's honed and expanded the show each time. Ask him how the captain of the Norwegian Pearl became part of his show on Deb Munro's VoiceLympic Cruise. For a taste of Bob as Porky Pig, Tweety Pie, Sylvester Jr. and others, watch the trailer:

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Spongebob Squarepants Does The Classics!

What happens when the cast of "Spongebob Squarepants" dubs their voices to classic films like "Casablanca," "Singing in the Rain," and "The Godfather?" Watch and find out.

The Cast of SpongeBob SquarePants dubs "The Godfather"

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Pat Fraley- Triple Coaching Lesson

Here are three lessons from the actors actor and the voice coaches coach: the Legendary, Pat Fraley. Enjoy as you learn. You can't fail to do both when Pat is the teacher.


Pat Fraley: Character Voice, Accents, and Acting



Pat Fraley: Improv for Voice Over Actors



Pat Fraley: Producing a Character Voice Demo

Debbie Munro: Being Believeable While Understand Your Client's Needs

Voice Coach/Actor, Debbie Munro, talks about "Understanding Your Client's Needs and Being Believable". In this podcast, Deb shows why you should care about your clients as if their projects were your own. She conveys acting methods to be believable, and how your passion can come through in your read. Deb want voice actors to connect to their characters and their copy effectively and achieve success for themselves and their clients.


Deb Munro

Marc Cashman: Practice Makes Perfect

In this example, voice coach Marc Cashman addresses the importance and value of practicing the craft of voice acting. He talks about developing an enjoyable practice regime. His gives examples of how artists, Joshua Bell and Wynton Marsalis, pushed themselves to practice regularly and how you can make use of their procedures.


Marc Cashman

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Ed Cunningham on making a Voice-Over Demo

You've decided it's time. You've honed your craft, studied other voice actors, and you're ready to have your demo produced. Here are some tips from voice-over actor and demo reel producer, Ed Cunningham, as he talks about how an actor should prep for a voice-over demo recording session.This is a 3-part BackStage "Short Cuts" video series.


Ed Cunningham, Part 1



Ed Cunningham, Part 2



Ed Cunningham, Part 3

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Oddity from Disney - "A Symposium on Popular Songs"

Professor Ludwig von Drake (voiced by Paul Frees) gives a concert of songs he "wrote" from Rag Time, through the Roaring '20's, and ending in the early '60's. While von Drake's segments are cel animation, the songs are portrayed in stop-motion paper cut-out animation, unusual for Disney. The singers are Skip Farrell, Paul Frees, Billy Storm, and Gloria Wood. Words and music by Richard M. & Robert B. Sherman, arranged and conducted by Camarata.


Part 1



Part 2


At 4min 23sec, the Professor introduces "Puppy Love Is Here to Stay" performed by Jackie Babylon and his Babylonians.

In reality, the song was performed by Billy Storm,originally released as Buena Vista 403, circa September 1962 seen and heard here from the Walt Disney Production, "Symposium on Popular Songs", released 19 December 1962. Bill Justice did the stop-motion animation. Enjoy!

Dig That Crazy Stephen Foster ala Stan Freberg




In the wake of Stan Freberg's appearance at Comic-Con International in San Diego, here's an oldie, but a goodie: Rock Around Stephen Foster!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Voice Actor/ Writer Craig Crumpton Speaks Out on "Futurama" Pay Dispute


In his blog, Voice Actors in the News, Craig Crumpton has "An Open Letter to ‘Variety’ and ‘The Hollywood Reporter’" concerning the discrepancies between what the voice actors of "Futurama" were asking and what Fox was offering.

For an enlightening read, go here.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Interviews with June Foray & Paul Winchell on the passing of Hal J. Smith


Actor, Hal J. Smith, died on January 28, 1994, and while he was best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show,Smith was also a voice actor.



He voiced Goofy after Pinto Colvig died and provided the voices of Owl and Winnie-the-Pooh in many of the shorts and feature films. He provided the voices for many characters in Davey and Goliath,he did voices for The Flintstones, and he was the voice of Elmer Fudd after Arthur Q. Bryan died. He reprised his role as Owl and voiced Winnie The Pooh in the Disney Channel's Welcome to Pooh Corner television series to replace longtime actor Sterling Holloway. In 1988's, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh TV series, Smith again played Owl and sometimes he alternated voicing Winnie the Pooh with fellow voice actor, Jim Cummings. In 1991, Smith provided the voice of Philippe the horse in Disney's Beauty and the Beast movie.

What follows are interviews with June Foray and Paul Winchell concerning Smith.