The Grand Prize from Monica Rial
On July 11 this year, voice actress Monica Rial announced a giveaway on social media, in which the winner was announced on July 18. Who was the grand prize winner? Despite the odds, it was … me.
Here’s the package:
This is what was inside:
A plethora of characters she voices is displayed on various items: a DVD set, a pillow, a Dragon Ball Z shirt, socks, autographed pictures with a personalized message, etc.!
Look! A box of Dragon Ball buttons with the lid signed by three Dragon Ball Super stars: Eric Vale (Future Trunks), Linda Young (Frieza) and Monica Rial (Bulma)!
Ms. Rial is probably best known for her role on Dragon Ball as Bulma, the genius inventor and wife of Vegeta. Over the years she has racked up an impressive array of credits voicing primarily anime characters. Check out her list here, here (with images), and at IMDb.com. Of the hundreds of characters she’s voiced, I’m familiar with Bulma and Oracle Fish from Dragon Ball Super, Kuro from Restaurant to Another World, and Izumi Himuro from Princess Nine–whose fiery personality is very much like Vegeta.
It’s great to receive these gifts from such a talented, prolific actress. To Monica Rial, thank you very much for your generosity. Looking forward to “hearing” more of your work!
Win a Free Copy!
This week on the Neverland podcast, Jeremy Shields and Eric Warren plays the second part of their interview with W.R. Miller about The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook. They’re offering a free copy with a contest.
Jeremy says, “Eric and I want to give you a copy of his book! Share this episode by tweeting, retweeting or posting to Facebook. Mark it #NeverlandGiveaway and tag it back to us @NeverlandPCast. Take a screenshot of it! Write us a review on iTunes and take a screen shot! You’ll receive one entry for each screen shot for a maximum of 2 entries. Email those shots to podcast@neverlandpodcast.com with the subject neverlandgiveaway. We’ll announce a winner next week!
“Before we share the second part of this conversation, make sure you’ve heard part one last week. We’ve also got lots of Disney news and fun plus a look at the new Spider-Man PS4 exclusive game!”
Listen to it here:
Thanks, Eric and Jeremy, for the promotion!
Now Available: The Animated Voice, Volume One!
What is it like to be a voiceover actor?
The Animated Voice, Volume One, is now available, and you can get it at Amazon.com here.
It features my interviews with Keith Scott, Will Ryan, Pete Docter, Mark Evanier, Katie Leigh and the voice of Courage the Cowardly Dog, Marty Grabstein, plus, an ASIFA-Hollywood interview with Dallas McKinnon by Will Ryan and interviews with writer/producer/actor Phil Lollar by Trenton Larkin and J.D. Sutton. David McDonnell, editor of Starlog, provided the Foreword.
If you’re interested in voiceover acting, either as a fan, a scholar or participant, this book is for you. Future volumes will feature interviews with voice director Andrea Romano, Arnold Stang, Carlos Saldanha, Frank Welker, June Foray, Jeff Bergman, Brad Bird and the cast of Dragon Ball Super.
For more details see my Books page.
He Plays Music for You
While surfing on the internet, I came across an image of a colorful bird playing an accordion with a smile on his great big beak. The picture made me smile.
Who was he? Did he have a story?
I found out he’s a character from a videogame, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was released last year. His name is Kass, from a village called Rito. Kass is a minstrel/bard, who pops up in the game to provide clues for our hero, Link, to complete his quest.
Kass plays an accordion, and the music that comes forth is delightful. This is his theme:
Kass’ Theme (Complete Version) – Zelda: Breath of the Wild Soundtrack
Posted on March 14, 2017 by TheEmanos.
Kass’ Final Song – Instrumental Mix Cover can be heard here:
Posted July 2, 2017 by Vetrom.
The following is his entire repertoire for the game:
https://youtu.be/RKOmLb_Ya-g
Every Kass Song Compilation – Zelda Breath of the Wild Music Mix
Posted October 7, 2019 by Vapidbobcat.
In real life, the music is composed by Manaka Kataoka & Yasuaki Iwata. Magnificent.
The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook, International Libraries
To make the Star Wars Historical Sourcebook as comprehensive as possible, I contacted international libraries for their materials, either by personal visits, or by enlisting local researchers, or by inquiries via email. I wish to acknowledge help from the following international libraries. Individual librarians are named in the Sourcebook itself:
Austria
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Wien, Austria
Australia
Information Services, National Library of Australia, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia
State Library of South Australia, Adelaide, S.A., Australia
Australian Film Institute Research Collection, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) Inc., Victoria, Australia
Belgium
Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België – Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, Kranten & Hedendaagse Media – Journaux & Médias Contemporains, Bruxelles/Brussels, Belgium
Canada
Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, Government of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
University of Alberta Libraries – BARD, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Newfoundland & Labrador Collection, Provincial Resource Library, Arts & Culture Centre, St. John’s, NL, Canada
Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Johns, NL, Canada
Direction de la Collection nationale et des collections patrimoniales, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Vancouver Public Library, Central Library, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Denmark
The Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark
Netherlands
Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library of the Netherlands), Division Document-delivery, The Hague
New Zealand
Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington City Libraries, Wellington, New Zealand
United Kingdom / England
Cambridge University Library, Cambridge, UK
Blackpool Central Library, Blackpool, England
Library and Information Service, Leeds City Council, Leeds, England
The British Library, London, England
British National Newspaper Library, Colindale (The British Newspaper Library at Colindale closed November 8, 2013. The contents were moved to remote storage at Boston Spa in West Yorkshire. As of March 2014, papers could be delivered and accessed at St. Pancras in London.)
British Film Institute, BFI Reuben Library, BFI Southbank, South Bank, London
Community Heritage, Harris Library, Market Square, Lancashire, England
Central Library, Centre Square, Middlesbrough, England
United Kingdom / Scotland
Reference Services, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
Skywalking Through Neverland, Online Now!
Now online! Richard and Sarah Woloski interview me on the Skywalking Through Neverland podcast, Episode #220! Click here.
Skywalking Through Neverland, A Preview
Last week I was interviewed by Richard and Sarah Woloski for Episode 220 of their podcast, Skywalking Through Neverland. They are a delightful couple who are really knowledgeable, and enthusiastic, about Star Wars and Disneyana. Tune in tomorrow, August 6, to learn about the making of The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook, some behind-the-scenes Star Wars anecdotes, and an opportunity to win a copy of the book. Check out Skywalking Through Neverland here.
The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook: First Major Review!
First major review!
Dennis Pellegrom has reviewed The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook at his website, starwarsawakens.nl, here.
It is written in Dutch, so those not versed in Dutch may have to use Google’s translator or other means of translation.
Full disclosure: Dennis graciously allowed quotations from his interviews with Anthony Forrest, Paul Huston and Paul Blake in this volume. Thank you, Dennis!
Mark Hamill on The Tonight Show, 1977
The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook includes links to online videos at YouTube and Vimeo, so fans can see for themselves a visual source of information. Here’s a clip of Mark Hamill guesting on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on November 29, 1977, sharing a story in which Sir Alec Guinness plays a prank on Jack Purvis, who played the Chief Jawa in Star Wars:
https://youtu.be/DmyPxqOxOdA
How Not to Train Your Dragon
When dealers and exhibitors come to conventions, they try all kinds of innovative ways to attract potential customers. Here, at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Neopets was promoting their School of Dragons game. On Saturday, July 21, their booth featured a green screen where people could wear Viking attire, have their photograph taken, and the shot would be composited with their How to Train Your Dragon background. Key in your email address, and the image is transmitted to one’s home computer or app. This is the result with me:
Somehow, I don’t think hammering a dragon is a good method of training them.
But Neopets’ promotional strategy worked. Here I am posting about it.
