Do NOT believe everything you read!

Seeing is believing - and so is hearing in many cases. I was reading my Buffalo buddy Peter O'Connell's blog today and the article “if only i could take back what i said.” I clicked on the link, Sue Simmons’
f-bomb on a live newscast promo, and was glad there was no audio link - just a visual link from the New York Times. While reading the latter, I noticed the New York Times' link to their Fashion and Style section and the article Where Ralph Buys Blouses.

Please rest assured that article has nothing to do with yours truly...I have never even worn a kilt:) But I bet Peter O'Connell has. He has Irish blood...and a real f sense...that stands for fashion...and friend...

Skater figures out dancing!

Last night, Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic figure skating champion, won the crown on "Dancing With The Stars." I predicted on March 18 she would win. I shared this news on Vox Daily today while following in the footsteps of Stephanie's tough tongue twister:)

Last month, Karen Commins' blog, A Voice Above The Crowd, tied in "Dancing With the Stars" with 12 valuable lessons that can be applied to a voiceover career. Read the post here and be inspired to new heights in your voiceover career!

Today at Vox Daily, Stephanie reviewed "Word of Mouth: A Guide to Commercial Voice-over Excellence, 3rd Edition." First published in 1987, it was the first-ever book written that focused on voiceovers. The edition printed in 2006 (the edition Stephanie reviewed) addresses technological changes that have developed since the initial printing. It was authored by Susan Blu in collaboration with colleagues Molly Ann Mullin and Cynthia Songé. This excerpt from Stephanie's review hit close to home (and my heart):
Want to Be a Working Voice-Over Actor?
You'll need:
1. Talent and passion
2. Perseverance
3. A belief in oneself that can't be shaken, rocked or questioned
There is always room for excellent new performers who will risk and take the chances to allow their creativity to come through.

By the way, I predict "Dancing With The Stars" runner-up, Jason Taylor, will have a great voiceover career as a football analyst once his playing days are done.

Stepping (skating?) up to Mike's mic

Pittsburgh can wrap up a sweep against Philadelphia in a couple hours. Then they will be in their first Final since 1992. The game will be on CBC TV here in Canada. Last night, TSN ran a great Top 10 list: Top 10 Mike Lange Calls. Since 1975, Mike has been a vital part of the Pittsburgh hockey scene and the voice of the Penguins, having never missed a broadcast. If you don't have time to click on the link above, I've transcribed them here:
10. Scratch my back with a hacksaw
9. Smoke ‘em like a bad cigar
8. Get that dog off my lawnmower
7. Michael, Michael Motorcycle
6. Cry or wind his watch
5. Get in the fast lane Grandma, the bingo game is ready to roll
4. Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too
3. Ladies and Gentleman, Elvis has just left the building
2. Beat him (goalie) like a rented mule
1. Lord Stanley, get me the brandy

No doubt, there were plenty more in the running. In fact, the Mike Lange Tournament of Quotes recently took place. Mike also grabbed the top spot on a recent list of the 5 Best Announcers In Sports.

For us Buffalo Sabre fans, enjoy these Top 10 Rick Jeanneret Calls.

PPPreDDDicting the Cup Final

D and P WILL meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Western Conference Finals have Detroit and Dallas battling it out. Game 3 goes shortly with Detroit up 2 games to nothing. Dallas has won four of their last five home games and hopefully for them that streak continues. The Eastern Conference Finals have the battle of Pennsylvania with Pittsburgh up 2-0 in games against Philadelphia. Philly has problems on "D" right now: missing 2 key defensemen, Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn.

Last week at the Dallas Zoo, an animal considered to be the world's oldest living gorilla in captivity celebrated her 55th birthday. Jenny the gorilla enjoyed a frozen fruit cake and banana leaf-wrapped treats at her wooded home in the complex. Her caretakers say that Jenny, about 210 pounds, has a few joint issues and her eyesight isn't what it used to be, but she still looks good for an old ape. In the wild, gorillas normally would live to about 35.

4 different Moms had a chance to enjoy this lovely chocolate cake at our home yesterday on Mother's Day. My Mom was here a couple of days earlier on Friday, when our youngest son, Jordan Michael, returned from his school trip to Vancouver. He was born on March 29, 1995. That night the legendary Michael Jordan scored 55 points against the New York Knicks in his second comeback. It was just days earlier (March 18) that Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release:
"I'm back."

In today's new Sports Illustrated it says: Michael Jordan has a nickname for Larry Brown, his new Bobcats coach: Seabiscuit. Brown and Jordan were playing golf with Roy Williams and Jerry West, and Jordan saw brown's peculiar gait as he walked down the fairway - Brown, 67, has had multiple hip surgeries - and rechristened him after the famed horse.

Saluting BEER and The BEE!

I voiced this TV commercial today for the first Kelowna Beer Festival at the end of the month. It isn't the best quality video but it will be bigger and better on the big screen beginning Monday...

I had a couple of great new clients come aboard in April:

B-103 - Kelowna's Best Country. They were my #1 client last month in terms of revenue! My next "sessions" there will be tomorrow (and every Saturday from 1 - 5 on the air) and Sunday (9 am to 1 pm).

Independent Comedy Network imaging. This is the series I have done five intros for. One of my contacts there sent through this testimonial today: "Ralph was the first voiceover artist our company worked with, and he made the first-time experience seamless and smooth. His speediness and attention to detail was top notch! His vocal range was impressive, and most importantly he was a true professional, a genuinely nice person, and took our project seriously. We’ll definitely be using his services again soon. There’s no denying that Ralph HAS The Voice!"

- Jamie Flam, Independent Comedy Network, VP Content Development

Westside Eclectic, Creative Director

Thanks Jamie!

I really have some amazing clients. One, Greg Krantz, of Pro Voice Greetings, headed out on vacation today to France and Ireland. But he still had time to email me:
Hi Ralph,
Just a note to let you know I am heading out on vacation and will be out next week. If Kari needs that order while I am gone I am pretty sure I can work something out. I put your check in the mail this afternoon so you should have it next week. Have a great week!!

33 + 66 = 99

99 - Wayne Gretzky's old number. On April 18, 1999 it was retired league wide in the NHL. There is a new book out called "The 33-Year-Old Rookie." Chris Coste is a baseball catcher with the Philadelphia Phillies. His road to the big leagues was not as easy as Gretzky's. I love stories like this about perseverance and pursuing a dream! I am hoping Philadelphia's hockey team loses tonight in the opening round of the playoffs. Game 7 against the Washington Capitals. I have 2 Caps in the radio station playoff pool! The other game 7 tonight sees Calgary against San Jose. I'm hoping for the Sharks over the Canadian team as I have 3 "Sharks in the pool" - including their best player, Joe Thornton.

The last time I was in radio (until this month at B-103) I was 33 - 11 years ago. Earlier this month my friend, Stu Gray, turned 33 and he made a list of the first 33 things that came to his mind dealing with things that he has been learning, some quotes that he likes, and just random thoughts. One for every year of Stu's life so far. The list starts off with legendary basketball coach, John Wooden. Last month I referenced Coach Wooden's inspiring website too. I learned a lot by reading Stu's list. Check it out:)

According to government estimates, the world's population will hit 6, 666, 666, 666 on May 10. For what it's worth, that's also the day President Bush's daughter, Jenna, is scheduled to be married in Crawford, Texas. Husband Appreciation Day was yesterday (April 21) so Jenna is off the hook this year...

CNN: Caveman Neanderthal Network?

Here's the story I saw this morning on CNN. A link to the earliest voiceover artist? Here is his demo. More creativity from "Cavemen" by clicking here.

In other news, CBS has put an end to rumors that Katie Couric might be exiting from her CBS Evening News post before her $15-million-a-year contract expires in 2011. A week ago, CBS said in a statement, "We are very proud of the CBS Evening News, particularly our political coverage, and we have no plans for any changes regarding Katie or the broadcast."

I continue my news career by introducing the crazy antics on W4 News. Episode 2 was released ten days ago and currently has almost 9, 500 views on YouTube. Episode 3 was released this week. Stay tuned for Episode 4...maybe Elvis will do the weather?

Elvis' team lost - and I have entered the building AGAIN!

Kansas beat Memphis Monday night, 75-68 in OT, to win the NCAA basketball title. I predicted that! You can ask my teenage son, Jordan.
He picked Memphis. I also exchanged emails with Joe Pinter, one of the producers for the MSG-TV Buffalo Sabre broadcasts. My Kansas prediction was in my email while Joe wrote earlier: Your voiceovers have really added a nice element to our broadcasts, and I'm very happy that you have been in "our mix" the last 2 seasons.

Unfortunately, it is Sayonara to the Sabres for this season as we just missed making the playoffs. But I am doing playoff reads for Shaw TV as we are now into round two for the Western Hockey League. I also just finished my third e-learning project in the last ten days for NogginLabs. Later today I will start on a banking tutorial for the Edcomm Group that should involve an estimated 11-hours of recording time. I have over a week to do that one - but the last weekend of March saw me put in long hours on one that had 221 pages to record.

This past weekend saw me bring on a fantastic new client,
B-103 - Kelowna's Best Country. They want me to be me Saturdays from
1 - 5 pm and Sunday mornings from 9 am to 1 pm. The last time I worked in the radio building was in 1997 with a rock format. I went through training last Thursday and Friday with Dave Pears on the midday show and it brought back memories of 1981, when Dave did the same thing when I was a young and impressionable grade 12 student.
...oh, how things change...and stay the same:)
I had fun aligning country music and timing things out for the news at the top of the hour. Did three breaks an hour and didn't do anything shocking - unless you count the movie passes I gave away to "The Ruins."

I didn't strut either. I also didn't sit. I stood the whole time...hopefully offering a better vocal performance...

Elvis – and the Sabres - have left the building!

How was your April Fools' Day?

My son, Jordan, and I went to a concert in Buffalo...

My opener on MSG-TV tonight said: THE SABRES SURVIVED OVERTIME ON SUNDAY TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY. THREE GAMES LEFT...ALL “MUST WINS”...ALL ON THE ROAD. FIRST STOP...THE A-C-C. THE LEAFS ARE OUT...AND WILL TRY TO DISMISS THE SABRES FROM THE RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS.

Buffalo scored with just over five minutes left (#33 for Thomas Vanek!) to tie it up (3-3) and then in the sixth round of the shootout, Maxim Afinogenov, faked right and shot left against Toronto goalie Andrew Raycroft to give us the victory! A-R is a former Bruin and we beat Boston in overtime on Sunday, 2-1. Needed those two points as well! The Sabres' slim playoff hopes remain "on their last breath" (that was in my script Sunday) with two games left: Montreal on Thursday and Boston this Saturday.

Last Saturday, my son Jordan became a teenager! On March 19, Billy Pinter did too. His dad, Joe Pinter, is one of the producers for the MSG-TV Sabre broadcasts. Unfortunately, Joe has had to work on his son's birthday for six straight years!

Last week, another Voices.com lead came through for me. It was imaging for the Independent Comedy Network for a faux internet newscast. This afternoon the first episode of W4 News was released and that's me "getting the ball rolling" with my voice. Look and listen at that link and you will laugh! Four more episodes to come...

Standing Tall?

I haven't shared any Sabres' scores with you since March 12, when Pittsburgh overpowered us. Buffalo followed that up with three key wins in convincing fashion: 7-1 over Carolina, 6-2 against Toronto and an incredible comeback versus Tampa Bay with 6 goals in the third period resulting in a 7-4 win. Unfortunately, the tables were reversed tonight when Ottawa paid a visit to Buffalo. They scored five straight in the third to pretty well eliminate us from the playoff picture.
Final score: Senators 6, Sabres 3. We have stalled in the standings and sit five points behind Boston in the eighth and final playoff spot with six games left. The Bruins beat Toronto tonight 6-2. Buffalo does meet Boston twice more before the season wraps up but it is not looking good for us.

Montreal is the number one seed in the Eastern Conference right now and we also play them twice more before this season is done - including this Friday, March 28. If you can't beat 'em , join 'em.
Here is the link to my YouTube site and 4 openings on MSG-TV featuring the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

Here is a local newspaper article from two days ago promoting a Kelowna kid who is contributing to Montreal's success.

St. Patrick's Day f/up & amazing Minnesota!

Just two games in the NHL on St. Paddy's Day. Minnesota, with quite a bit o' green on their uniforms, beat Colorado
3-1. Joe Sakic scored the Avalanche's only goal - number 621 in his illustrious career and his 8th on St. Patrick's Day. His next assist will give him an even 1, 000 as he's stuck on 999 right now....Number 99, "The Great One," and his Phoenix Coyotes lost 3-1 yesterday to the Vancouver Canucks, who are 12-5-1 all-time on St. Paddy's Day. Famous hockey nicknames was an article on NHL.com yesterday so besides Gretzky, you can read about who is known as Grease, Grumpy (he's on Minnesota), Gronk and Gator.

Who is the NHL's best skater? Marian Gaborik of Minnesota finished first at 32%. Scott Niedermayer in Anaheim was second at 21% while Sidney Crosby of Pittsburgh Penguins checked in at 11%. It was a recent Sports Illustrated NHL players poll. Bret Hedican of the Carolina Hurricanes was 6th on the list. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

I will root for Bret's wife, Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic champion figure skater, on the new season of "Dancing With The Stars." The ladies get their first turn tonight! Hopefully this prediction of mine works out as well as the one I did for "The Amazing Race."

Which team has the best fans in the NHL? This player's poll was in last week's Sports Illustrated. Montreal was on top at 35% and Minnesota came in second at 13%. A bunch more Canadian teams followed.

Over the weekend my blog was included on this extensive list from the crew at Voices.com. They have a LOT of fans (like myself!) in the voiceover world and those numbers will
increase based on excellent resources like this one.

California or bust?

My kids' school ended up on top at the Provincial basketball tournament recently! Way to go guys! The senior girls also had a strong showing. My daughter, Ashley, is the sign changer at school. At our house today we got our new basketball hoop up and running! But Ashley was not around to enjoy it. She is part of the team of 70+ youth who headed off to Los Angeles on Friday for 10 days at spring break. The ministry Willow Park Church youth are partnering with is called "The Dreamcenter." Details here: http://www.dreamcenter.org/
It will be a life changing experience for her!

Going to California and the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline on February 26 has worked out well for former Sabre, Brian Campbell. He had an assist in his first game against Columbus, which San Jose won 4-2. The Sharks won their next 8 before finally losing tonight in a shootout to Edmonton, 2-1. Campbell had a chance to win it late in overtime but the goalie gloved it and Campbell flipped his stick away in disgust.

Couple of California basketball coaching legends shared page 20 in the March 10 Sports Illustrated. The news was positive for UCLA's John Wooden after breaking his left wrist and collarbone in a fall at home. He is 97. Amazing guy! He also received two blood transfusions at the hospital because doctors discovered that he was anemic. John Wooden's website is filled with many inspiring quotes. Check 'em out! Pat Riley guided the LA Lakers to NBA championships in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. Two years ago he led the Miami Heat to the title but this year they are a miserable 11-54 - prompting this quote: "I feel like a mosquito in a nudist colony. I know what to do; I just don't know where to start."

Happy 63rd birthday coming up on March 20 Pat!

Yesterday, "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe had a big 80th birthday bash thrown in Vancouver. His actual birthday is March 31.

Nearly St. Patrick's Day

Tonight's Sabres opener went like this on MSG-TV:
IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR...
ONE EYE ON YOUR OPPONENT...AND THE OTHER EYE ON THE OUT-OF-TOWN SCOREBOARD. JUST AN EVEN DOZEN GAMES LEFT FOR THE SABRES TO MAKE THEIR MOVE. AND TONIGHT THE ROAD DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER.
A DEPLETED DEFENSE FACES ONE OF THE MOST POTENT OFFENSES IN THE LEAGUE.
CAN BUFFALO DIG DEEP TO STAY IN THE RACE?
(RYAN MILLER interview clip: "Stage is set...I guess we'll find out")
PENGUINS...SABRES...NEXT ON MSG!
I'm sorry to report Pittsburgh prevailed 7-3. Not much has changed in the playoff hunt since I last blogged ten days ago: The Sabres are in ninth place right now, 3 points back of Philadelphia, who hold down the eighth and final playoff spot. As of right now, Buffalo is 4 points behind Philly and the final playoff spot. Sabres fans can give a BIG thank you to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat Philadelphia tonight, 3-2. Even bigger was yesterday's comeback for the Leafs against the Flyers, winning 4-3 in overtime. Toronto was down 3-0 before their "miracle on ice."

As St. Patrick's Day approaches in five days, here are some more Pats that have left a mark in the NHL:
Pat Hughes (50 games with the Sabres in '85/'86 among his 573 career games)
Pat Falloon (575 NHL games)
Pat Verbeek (1, 424 NHL games)
Pat Boutette (a former Maple Leaf and Penguin)
Pat Hickey (another former Maple Leaf and New York Ranger)
Pat Conacher
Pat Flatley

The following 3 all played for the Washington Capitals at some point.
Pat Peake
Pat Elynuik
Pat Riggin
My voiceover friend, Gary Kriebel, is known as Gustafsson at the On Frozen Blog site. It is focused on the Washington Capitals, who are just one point behind the Sabres and also shooting for the playoffs. Any other Pats you can think of Gary? Or YOU reading this blog? The Sabres will try to help both our playoff dreams by beating Carolina Friday night - and I'm confident the Caps can beat Atlanta too:)

Early St. Patrick's Day?

Today's Sabres opener went like this on MSG-TV:
The red-hot Canadiens poured on the power Friday night sending a chill through HSBC Arena. Cold is the only way to describe Detroit in February...And we're not talking weather. The Red Wings enter March in a slump as the rest of the West closes the gap. Will the Sabres keep 'em cool...and keep pace in the race for a playoff spot?
Find out...next on MSG!
Unfortunately, Detroit beat us 4-2. They remain the top team overall in the NHL with 92 points. The top gun in the East now is Montreal, who also beat us on home ice on Friday, 6-2. The Canadiens have 81 points after 66 games. Pittsburgh has 81 points after 67 games while New Jersey and Ottawa have 80 points after 66 games apiece.

The Sabres are in ninth place right now, 3 points back of Philadelphia, who hold down the eighth and final playoff spot. In two days we tangle with them again...deja vu? Just a week ago I blogged: The Sabres hold down the eighth and final playoff spot with 68 points. Tomorrow we tango with the ninth place team, Philadelphia, who are only one point behind us. Buffalo lost that one in a shootout, 4-3. We NEED both points in Philly Tuesday so, YES, it is the biggest game of the year!

Buffalo-born Patrick Kaleta got his second goal of the season today and was the third star of the game for the Sabres. Another Buffalo-born Patrick who had an even better day was Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. He scored two against Vancouver giving him 16 for the season and assisted on his 39th. It was Chicago 4, Vancouver 1. Other Patricks powering up for the Hawks were Patrick Sharp with his 32nd goal of the season and Patrick Lalime in net. Besides Patrick Kane, there is one other Chicago player who should be in Buffalo. Not so much because of his skill like Kane, but his name is a perfect fit: Dustin Byfuglien (pronounced "Bufflin"). Check out this article on NHL.com called: A buffer Byfuglien is a better Byfuglien.

Other Patricks that have left a mark in the NHL include these former Sabres:
Pat LaFontaine (Hall of Famer)
James Patrick (currently an Assistant Coach for Buffalo)
Plus:
Patrick Roy (another Hall of Famer)
Pat Quinn
Pat Price (Big Bry, that one is for you in Saskatoon!)
Lester Patrick
Patrik Elias
Patrick Marleau (born in Aneroid, Saskatchewan.
Bryan, Is that near Steroid, Saskatchewan?)
Patrick Rissmiller (a San Jose Shark - just like Marleau)
Patrick Eaves
Patrick O'Sullivan
Patrik Stefan
Patrick Thoresen
Glenn Patrick
Craig Patrick
Patrick Poulin
Patrick Leahy

Shaq and Kobe together again?

Those two have quite a history! They patched up their differences in January, 2006. Shaq's first game with Phoenix was four days ago against Kobe and the Lakers, who won 130-124. My kids' school's Senior Boys basketball team features a "Schack and Colby" tandem. Lenny Schack is a grade 12 leader and power forward on the team while Colby Maier is a young grade 10 who can "do it all." Last night, our Knights beat the rival Mustangs 69-64 in a barnburner for the Valley Championship! Both teams advance to the Provincial Tournament.

The 80th Annual Academy Awards went tonight and here is the Oscar website. "No Country For Old Men" won a couple of the big awards: Best Picture and Best Director.

My last post mentioned how the Buffalo Sabres are going green.
Well, the Academy Awards did that too!

Yesterday's Sabres opener on MSG-TV had an Oscar feel to it:
We’re a day away from Oscar Sunday...
But the Sabres enter Saturday with enough drama to fill any Hollywood feature.
Injuries...A playmaker returns while the captain is shelved.
Intrigue...A former captain returns for his first visit in Broadway Blue.
Suspense...The clock ticks as trade deadline day approaches.
But the biggest part of this plot is the payoff at the end of the night.
Watch the story reveal itself live....NEXT on MSG!
Unfortunately, the New York Rangers beat the Sabres yesterday, 4-3.

The Rangers rolled past Florida today, 5-0. They are 4 points up on us but have played two more games. The Sabres hold down the eighth and final playoff spot with 68 points. Tomorrow we tango with the ninth place team, Philadelphia, who are only one point behind us.

The 2nd Annual Voicey Awards took place last Thursday.
Congrats to all the winners!

Finally, here is the article from last Wednesday's paper plugging yours truly. Thought I would share the layout below. The PDF opens at the above link.

Vanek Attack! Bosh rocks the rim!

Scripts are not written any better than this one tonight...Sabres losing
3-1 with 2:21 left in the game. Thomas Vanek scores to pull us within one. Then 36 seconds later, he ties it up! In overtime, Vanek scores AGAIN (a natural hat trick!) on home ice to WIN it 4-3! Buffalo is now in a three-way tie with Boston and Philadelphia for seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Fifteen months ago Steve MacNaull wrote a really nice newspaper article about my voiceover business. He did a follow-up today in the daily newspaper's Business section paying special attention to the Beverly Hills real estate project I mentioned a week ago. I will post a link very soon to Steve's article.

Here is a TV commercial featuring the Sabres' Paul Gaustad reading a newspaper - and doing a fine job encouraging viewers to do their part in
saving the environment. I do the announcer lines towards the end.
Here is another one in the series - again rated PG...for Paul Gaustad.

Let's go from posh Beverly Hills to Bosh in Toronto. Chris Bosh had 40 points tonight as the Raptors rolled past "Superman" Dwight Howard and his 37 points for Orlando. The final: Raptors 127, Magic 110.
Chris Bosh gives back to his community. Here is the link for the Chris Bosh Foundation - a non-profit organization promoting social enrichment, education and physical fitness among youth.

Chris Bosh and Will Ferrell rock!

"CB4" was a 1993 comedy film (don't let the kids see it!) about a fictional rap group named CB4, named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed (Cell Block 4). Chris Rock was the main star. The movie featured a short segment with celebrities Halle Berry, Ice-T, Ice Cube and Shaquille O'Neal. We touched on his movie career in an earlier blog this month. Did you know Shaq had 14 straight All-Star selections before he was left off the team this year?

But CB4 (aka Chris Bosh) of the Toronto Raptors picked up the slack for Shaq as he helped the East beat the West yesterday in the NBA All-Star Game, 134-128. If you are keeping score, Bosh had 14 points AND there were 3 more CB's at the game: former Raptor Chauncey Billups, Washington's Caron Butler (part of the trade that saw Shaq go from LA to Miami) and over on the West: Carlos Boozer. Besides CB players, there are CB teams in the NBA: the Charlotte Bobcats and Chicago Bulls.
In the NHL, there are the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. But the NFL wins this "sporting" competition with 3 CB teams. Yes, there is another Chicago team - the Bears. And, following in the footsteps of Columbus, two more Ohio teams:
the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

Moon madness! The full moon takes place in three nights. Two nights ago, Chris Bosh had a teammate named Jamario Moon leave his mark at the Slam Dunk competition. This link will show you how he did along with "Superman" Dwight Howard.

Jackie Moon (aka Will Ferrell) did this hilarious basketball beer commercial for the Super Bowl. He has another sports spoof movie set for release February 29. "Semi-Pro" is the title. It is NOT set in Chicago or Ohio - but Flint, Michigan.

Where there is a Will (Ferrell), there is a barrel of laughs.

Ralph goes RITZY...REAL estate

I just voiced a project for a real estate company in Beverly Hills.
The property used to be owned by Howard Hughes. The link is:
http://www.telesproperties.com/app/webroot/cahuengapeak
Once there, please click on:
- Movie: Property History
Lights, camera...action!

The writers strike is now over too!

BRI(Y)AN Power!

The Buffalo Sabres have turned a major corner and moved into the playoff picture after shellacking the Senators tonight, 5-1. There were 8 other games today and they were all pretty tight: three 4-2 scores, two 4-3 scores, two 3-2 scores and a 2-1 final. Brian Campbell assisted on Thomas Vanek's first two goals tonight. T-V scored with 4 minutes left to get his first ever hat trick and 20 goals on the season! Brian Campbell had three assists in the previous game - a 5-3 win over Florida. He is now tied for fourth in NHL scoring for defensemen and we NEED to get him signed to a long-term contract before the trading deadline on February 26!

Bryan Trottier is a Hockey Hall of Famer and a class act on and off the ice. Read the local newspaper article here.

Bryan Cox also hails from the province of Saskatchewan - like Bryan Trottier. He is a talented voiceover artist who is a finalist in the 2nd Annual Voicey Awards and the category of Lifetime Achievement. Bryan Cox started blogging last month and I like his style a lot. His most recent post plugs all the different Voicey Awards nominees but his humble nature neglects to toot his own horn - so I'm doing it here Bryan...you NFL Football lovin', NASCAR drivin', Saskatoon "Blades Of Glory" guy...

Last but not least is Brian Hart. The voiceover community appreciates his time and effort in moderating different discussions and offering encouragement at the one-of-a-kind Voiceover Bulletin Board. Brian also jumped on board with his blog last week. I'm looking forward to checking it out regularly. Keep up the good work Brian! That includes providing imaging for an ESPN affiliate, the Inside Carolina Radio Network and numerous sports podcasts and webcasts.

This morning I had some major technical difficulties with my router and modem and spent a lot of time on the phone with some customer service people getting it resolved. Who do I blame? I'm going to say my neighbour two houses over...maybe the fact he's got Christmas lights still on here on February 12 did something?!? Three trees below believe it or not...

Nash & Shaq & my basketball play-by-play!

Steve Nash has got to be smiling with the arrival of his new big target from Miami, Shaquille O'Neal. After seeing the interview with Shaq this morning, I believe he can lead the Phoenix Suns to the promised land: an NBA championship. He is very elephant...I mean, eloquent. Seven-foot-one and 325-pounds, Shaq already has four titles. I know he would like to reach the six Michael Jordan has!

When it comes to Hollywood though, Shaq has a better resume than Michael as far as I am concerned...My agent just had me audition as a basketball announcer for an industrial video. The project could end up on
the Internet as well. Have a listen here to my little tribute to Michael Jordan.

I hope I can be as eloquent as Shaq tomorrow (Friday) morning on CBC Radio Daybreak South with Marion Barschel. I am dropping by the studio at about 6:45 am (PST) for some hockey fun as the legendary "Hockey Day In Canada" happens Saturday on CBC-TV! Click on Kelowna Friday morning here if you want to listen in:)

What's in a Name? Part 2

This is a sequel to a recent post. If your name is Manning, you will have won the Super Bowl the last two years. We covered Peyton on this blog almost exactly a year ago. His brother, Eli, orchestrated the New York Giants' upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in last weekend's Super Bowl, 17-14. Tom wins! Coach Coughlin - NOT Tom Brady, who was sacked five times and hurried a dozen more by a bruising defense.

Beyond the Boards is a blog written by the Buffalo Sabres Website Manager, Brian Wheeler. He joined the Sabres prior to the 2003-04 season and has a recent post here about his early days on the job.
It's a funny read with a great punchline - pun intended:)

Another Brian Wheeler enters his tenth season as the radio play-by-play voice of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Here is a recent article he wrote: In Honor of Brandon Roy, 7 Reasons Why the Trail Blazers Will Make the Playoffs. Derek Roy of the Sabres will be leading us into the playoffs it seems. He has 12 points in seven games since returning on January 18 from a shoulder injury. Tonight the Sabres beat Boston, 4-2, to move within 4 points of the Bruins and the eighth and final playoff spot. We meet them again Friday while tomorrow sees the Sabres at home against New Jersey (tied for fifth) - our first home game after seven straight on the road.

Thank you Doctor!

My doctor says he doesn't want to see me for a couple of years. I am happy with that scenario because I checked out well during my physical this week! Our health is something we cannot take for granted...my cholesterol level went down by 4.37% and my cholesterol/HDL risk ratio improved by 21.56% over the last year-and-a-half.

But, my blogging level is way up:) I had zero posts the last time I saw my doctor and hit 52 posts last month. 8 posts in January topped my previous highs of 6 in both December and November '07. Buffalo Sabres hockey in February is brought to you by Upstate New York Transplant Services reminding you that “You've been given the Gift of Life. Give it back." That is an actual sponsor read this month on MSG-TV.
Click here if you don't believe me. Good advice, don't you think?

I am also pleased to report my January voiceover income topped my November Number$$ by 9.1%! Thank you to my great clients - including new ones like Guelph Hyundai and Gridstone Research. For the latter I did a 5-minute tutorial (click here) and the former was a 60-second commercial (click here).

I want to beat January's totals! And I hope YOU do too:)
And because it is a Leap Year we have an extra day in February!
So I hope there is no slowdown...Enjoy the Sabres' "Old West Showdown" below against the New Jersey Devils from January 12!

What's in a Name?

My last two blog posts started off with Steve Nash. Nash is in the news again. 14 points and 7 assists as Phoenix beat Chicago 88-77. But the better Nash on this day was Rick Nash. He had a hat trick in the NHL All-Star Game game. It was 8-7 for the East over the West. Rick Nash was on the West representing Columbus. The Sabres' Brian Campbell was a shining star as well with one goal and two assists for the East. Last year the Sabres' Daniel Briere was the MVP of the hockey game with five points. Some of the unique names playing in the game this year included:
Zdeno, Anze, Kimmo and Ilya. Those are all first names. Best funny last name: Getzlaf - or "Gets Laughs." Ryan is flyin' for the Anaheim Ducks! He has career-high point streak at 15 games and his next point will give him a career-best 59 points. He's got 29 games left to do it...

One of the best names in basketball is Hedo Turkoglu. He hails from Turkey and nailed a 3-pointer with time expiring to lift the Orlando Magic to a 96-93 victory over the Celtics today.

Spindrift sounds like something your washing machine or snowmobile would do...but that is actually the first name of this week's Sports Illustrated "Faces in the Crowd" high school video face. Swimming is Spindrift's sport and her favorite TV show is "Lost." My daughter and I cannot wait for the 2-hour season premiere this Thursday night at 8:00 pm! Evangeline Lilly plays Kate and it is so cool that her bio on the ABC website actually mentions our city of Kelowna, BC.

No one creates quite as much hype (see previous post) as Oprah! Interesting to note we share four of five letters in our first names...so I think it is safe to say Oprah and I are on a first name basis:)

Living Up To The HYPE!

Just like last time, I am going to start off with Steve Nash. He is the best passer in the NBA and had 16 assists last night against Minnesota. But the league's worst team beat the Suns, who have the third-best winning percentage in the NBA, 117-107. The league's best team, Boston, lost to Toronto, 114-112. Jose Calderon completed a game-winning three-point play with 10.5 seconds left and finished with 24 points and 13 assists. He is the #6 ranked player when it comes to assists for the season.