Pheaturing Loren Lester

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Friday. It's December, can you believe it? This month Cthulhu will probably come out of the ocean and he'll be pissed. Probably one of the industries to get hit hardest by the pandemic is the box office; not only had productions stopped, but movie theaters were all shut down as well. With Wonder Woman 1984 opening in theaters and releasing on HBO Max on the same day, WB has revealed they will be following the release model for the rest of their movies for 2021. So that means that films like The Suicide Squad, Godzilla vs. Kong, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Matrix 4, and Dune will be coming out on HBO Max the same day they release in theaters. WarnerMedia Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff said in a statement (via Heroic Hollywood), “We’re living in unprecedented times that call for creative solutions, including this new initiative for the Warner Bros. Pictures Group. No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021. With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films. We see it as a win-win for film lovers and exhibitors, and we’re extremely grateful to our filmmaking partners for working with us on this innovative response to these circumstances.” With some countries being able to manage the pandemic better than others, this is the kind of approach that would make sense for areas still in lockdown and areas that can already operate theaters. It may be a drastic change in the industry, but it will have to do, seeing that the pandemic is taking a toll on everyone’s lives. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar adds, “After considering all available options and the projected state of moviegoing throughout 2021, we came to the conclusion that this was the best way for WarnerMedia’s motion picture business to navigate the next 12 months. More importantly, we are planning to bring consumers 17 remarkable movies throughout the year, giving them the choice and the power to decide how they want to enjoy these films. Our content is extremely valuable, unless it’s sitting on a shelf not being seen by anyone. We believe this approach serves our fans, supports exhibitors and filmmakers, and enhances the HBO Max experience, creating value for all.” As someone who believes in the movie experience, I hope that this model will only stick for 2021, but we should expect some things to change depending on how things go for Wonder Woman 1984. 

There's a good reason why people are excited about "The Mandalorian" Season 2 Episode 6. The previous episode had already suggested that there will be a new character who will show up and possibly train Grogu in the ways of the Jedi. However, "Chapter 14: The Tragedy" turned out quite differently than what fans expected as a familiar face showed up to become Grogu's savior. WARNING: The following contains spoilers from "The Mandalorian" Season 2 Episode 6. Proceed with caution. In "Chapter 14: The Tragedy," Mando finally brought Grogu to the Jedi Temple on Tython where Grogu immediately began meditating to connect with the Force. Interestingly, it didn't take long before someone responds to the call and it isn't anyone people have been expecting to see in a Jedi Temple. Mando is just as surprised to see Boba Fett, especially since he is with a character who was somehow killed in the first season. Nevertheless, Fennec Shand has joined Boba to take back the armor that Mando confiscated from Cobb Vanth in the premiere episode of Season 2. Sure, Boba isn't there to train Grogu but the whole idea that he traveled all the way from Tatooine to Tython is a huge deal. It gets even more interesting when Grogu is captured by Moff Gideon's Dark Troopers and both Boba and Fennec agree to go on a mission to save the Child. Does this mean Baby Yoda isn't destined to become a great Jedi? Perhaps his fate is indeed tied to Mando's and that Boba is the one person who can ensure that. Needless to say, we can't wait to see how these unlikely heroes will manage to save Grogu in the next chapter.

A 25-year-old woman was arrested after police officers stated she held a child over a balcony ledge that was three stories high. The mom reportedly verbally reprimanded him as he pleaded for help. Desirae Marie Korus was charged with endangerment of a child with the risk of bodily injury. According to Bexar County jail records, an arrest affidavit lays out details of the incident, which took place at the Costa Miranda apartment complex. The affidavit notes that a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency was at the complex at the time of the incident conducting surveillance inside his unmarked vehicle when he heard a woman shouting and a child crying. According to investigators, the child was described as approximately 3 to 4-years-old. The agent had observed the woman drag the child out of the balcony of a third-floor apartment while scolding the child. The affidavit notes that Korus picked the child up, held him over the ledge, and yelled “are you going to touch that again?” That’s when the child was crying and pleading his mom “don’t drop me,” saying “he won’t do it again.” The child was dangling about 35 feet above the ground. The DEA agent who observed the woman threatened to drop him before he pulled him back up and let him go inside the apartment. The agent quickly exited his car and went to the apartment to get the unit number, and reported it to the San Antonio police. SAPD officers arrived 15 minutes later but left after she had refused to answer the door. Lucikluy, police were able to get to the mother and arrest her. She is being held on a $20,000 bond. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, some people are not meant to be parents.

President-elect Joe Biden will likely have to wear a walking boot for several weeks after he suffered a small fracture in his foot. According to his physician, Biden slipped and twisted his ankle while playing with his dog Major during the holiday weekend. The president-elect sprained his right foot, although his initial x-rays didn’t show any obvious fracture. But according to Dr. Kevin O’Connor, a more detailed image revealed hairline fractures in his mid-foot. O’Connor stated, “Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture, but his clinical exam warranted more detailed imaging. A follow-up CT scan confirmed hairline (small) fractures of President-elect Biden’s lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the midfoot.” O’Connor was the one who stated that Biden will likely require a walking boot for several weeks due to the sprain. The 78-year-old be the oldest president ever to hold office in the United States. President Donald Trump wished Biden well on Twitter, tweeting, “get well soon.” Major was adopted from the Delaware Humane Association back in November 2018 by Joe and soon to be first lady Dr. Jill Biden. This was 10 years after the couple had welcomed Champ, a German Shepherd, who will also make history as the first rescue dog to live at the White House. The Bidens also say that they plan on getting a cat. On January 28th, 2021, Biden the set to be sworn in as president after winning the presidential election. Last December, Biden’s physician released a heavy three-page summary of his health history which describes him as “healthy” and “vigorous,” noting all of his previous issues, which include an aneurysm back in 1988. That same month, an editorial board for the New York Times asked Joe Biden, “Are you too old to be running for president?,” Listen to the president said,” Watch me. Watch me. All this stuff about lack of energy... come get in the bus with me, 16 hours a day, 10 days in a row. Come see me.” He added, “I do three things: I bike, treadmill and I lift. … I’m not in bad shape.” 

Well, this is not the gingerbread man I remember from my childhood. 

This gingerbread man is not singing, “Run, run, run as fast as you can. You’ll never catch me, I’m the gingerbread man.” The naughty gingerbread man says funny sayings like, “Wanna lick?” and “I got your North Pole right here.” Santa Claus is not going to like this Christmas ornament. Oh well, I think I like this version of the gingerbread man too! “OH YEAH? WELL, EAT ME.” “WANNA LICK?” “I GOT YOUR NORTH POLE RIGHT HERE.” “HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTER OF THE GINGERBREAD MAN?” Is it strange that I imagine that he sounds just like the gingerbread man from Shrek? Yikes. Gingerbread cookie companies are probably shaking their head at this thing. If you’re a bit concerned about putting it on the tree, just use it as a stocking stuffer or white elephant gift for your favorite sibling or coworker. I love funny Christmas decor and clothing. Only when you become an adult is it okay to wear a funny ugly Christmas sweater to Christmas dinner or place a goofy ornament like this on the tree. The holiday season is all about family and having a good time, kids. This funny naughty gingerbread man ornament will bring lots of laughs to Christmas break with the family. 

Speaking of ornaments... rockin’ around the Christmas tree? More like laughing around the Christmas tree. Sorry kids, your parents love the homemade ornaments you made in kindergarten, but they’re also going to love these funny ornaments. Anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy a funny Christmas ornament this year. This year has been a hell of a year, and I think a goofy Christmas tree ornament could lift our spirits. Like this one...

Okay, Santa. You put me on the naughty list this year, then turn around and do this? Well, this gives “ho, ho, ho” a whole new meaning. Not everyone is F. Scott Fitzgerald when it comes to writing letters to loved ones. If you struggle to craft love letters, birthday cards, or holiday cards, just go ahead and give up. This naughty Christmas card will express the love and passion you can’t put into words for your significant other. 

Your husband is going to love this card. If I had a TARDIS I would go to try and meet Hunter S. Thompson but he'd be too busy sitting with Raoul Duke...

Do you know the Elf on the Shelf? You never know what he's gonna do...

When I get bored sometimes I like to go on Twitter and look up certain words... one of those words is "Foghat" and this is one I found back in March...

Okay then. Some NFL teams are changing their logos this year, like this one...

Hahaha. People can be very ignorant about disability. Kids especially are generally not educated when it comes to their peers with disabilities and as such ask some very outlandish questions. Sometimes, the kids are just asking because they’re genuinely curious. This is what happened to a Phile reader. Confused about whether or not she’d done something wrong, she went to me for clarification... 

"Am I wrong for telling small children who ask about my prosthetic leg that I’m a robot? I have a prosthetic leg. I was in public today when a small girl (maybe 5?) asked me what happened to my leg. I whispered ‘I’m secretly a robot, shhh, don’t tell anyone.’ Her eyes went real wide and she whispered back ‘okay’ and scurried back to her mom. However, a stranger didn’t care for this so much. I always get a kick out of little kids reactions. But then the lady standing behind me told me that I shouldn’t lie to children like that and instead teach them ‘acceptance and body positivity.' I told her its great to teach children that, but I just like to get a laugh when I can. I only do this sometimes when kids ask, it’s really funny to see their reactions. Jason, am I wrong?" No, you have done nothing wrong whatsoever. You gave that little girl a moment of childhood whimsey she’ll remember for a long time. Of course, if the kids are scared out of their minds, that’s another story... but if they’re that young they shouldn’t be familiar with the evil robots like those in the Alien and Terminator series anyway. Modern prosthetics are pretty amazing pieces of technology and if you want to be a robot all the power to you. By the way, you’re a cyborg, not a robot. If you’re going to tell stories, tell the right ones! Hahaha. Does this lady want kids to stop watching movies about mermaids? Fairies? Dinosaurs? Being able to truly believe that people are magic creatures is like, one of the most fun things about being a kid. What are we supposed to rebrand Santa as a kindly body positive man with an affinity for red outfits? Who hurt this lady? You are helping curious kids hold on to their belief in magic and mystery just a little longer. Kids get jaded soon enough. Even momentarily believing in robot people walking around could result in the next engineer or biologist or the next innovator for prosthetic limbs. Twenty years from now that little girl might make your first fully functioning, average appearing leg. So yeah, keep doing what you are doing. Magic and whimsy are important for kids to experience on a daily basis. You provided that for this girl today. One day, she will learn the truth, and hopefully will smile upon her robot guardian. If you have a problem or want some advice in then email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. 

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York here is...

Top Phive Things Said Last Month 

5. Pee after sex so you don't get a HDMI.

4. Girls nudes look like they could be in an art museum and boys nudes look like crime scene photographs.

3. Sorry I left you on read I didn't mean to open it. 

2. But if I can't see my mom and aunts at Thanksgiving, how am I supposed to know how much I weigh this year? And the number one thing said last month was... 

1. If you don't turn the framed photo of your family around, they can see you having sex.

A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was addressed, "Mom." With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands: "Dear mom: It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with dad and you. I've been finding real passion with him and he is so nice-even with all his piercings, tattoos, beard, and his motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion mom, I'm pregnant and he said that we will be very happy. He already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. He taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so he can get better; he sure deserves it!! Don't worry, mom, I'm 15-years-old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grand children. Your daughter, Judith... PS: Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk center drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home!!"

This is really cool. The 141st book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Michael will be on the Phile in a few weeks. I am really excited. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jefferson, shall we?

Looks cold there. Okay, here's a story from this crazy state I live in...

All right, I’ll say it, I am over gender reveals. And this one? This one is a little bit too much, even for you Florida. Let’s just say it took a few chomps from a pet alligator to help a Florida couple find out the gender of their baby. Yes, you read that right, a freaking pet alligator. Because having a dog or a cat is just so overrated. Stacie Childs-Wright and her husband Chad are expecting, and they decided to announce their baby’s gender a rather interesting and over-the-top way. How? By using their pet alligator Amos, to make the big reveal of their 10th child. Which I’m a little surprised that this family has an actual a pet alligator. Is this legal? Luckily for us, it was all captured on video, because it’s Florida we’re talking about here. Here's a screenshot...

The father is seen barefoot dangling a black balloon from a pole, physically urging the gator to puncture it with its teeth. The provocation results in a quick big chunk, and an explosion of pink powder occurs. Amos, who has been a member of the family since 2000, seems unbothered with this whole situation, which makes me believe he is over these gender reveals. What makes this even funnier is that the father, who is a nuisance wildlife trapper, appears to be disappointed that the powder is pink, and just walks away from the whole thing. This man just wanted lucky number 10 to be a baby boy! Sorry dad, maybe 11? This to me seems ridiculous, people. This is how people get hurt, by using animals that can actually harm you. Don’t use alligators for gender reveals! Have we learned nothing? Maybe just stick to normal balloons or firecrackers? Well, at least it was one hell of a video.

Today's guest is an American actor of stage, screen, and voice, best known as the voice of DC Comics superhero Dick Grayson/Robin and Nightwing in the numerous animated series and features in the DC animated universe. Please welcome to the Phile... Loren Lester. 

Me: Hey, Loren, welcome to the Phile. It's so cool to have you here. I had Kevin Conroy who voiced Batman on the Phile a few years ago and I even had Burt Ward on the Phile so its good to have you here.  Anyway, how are you? 

Loren: Those are cool interviews. I am great. How are you? 

Me: I'm doing good. So, how did you get started in the world of voice acting? 

Loren: Well, I had an agent when I was 16-years-old who covered everything. He covered on camera commercials, he covered movies, TV shows, he had print work and of course he had a voice over department. When I signed to him he started sending me out to all those areas. My very job I got happened to be a voice over job. I thought this was fun, it'll be a good career. 

Me: What was the job for? 

Loren: An after school special... a TV movie, They made a TV movie for Hanna-Barbara. From there the rest is history. It was called 5 Weeks in a Balloon. I actually found a copy of it on Amazon on VHS of course. I hadn't seen it in many years. 

Me: So, where did you go from there? You were in a lot of TV shows. 

Loren: Well, fortunately for me I was able to continue auditioning mostly for voice overs. Actually jokingly I said it could be a good career, it turned out to be almost exclusively for about ten years, I did everything in the beginning, I did movies and TV shows, I was on a show called "The Facts of Life." And a couple of little cult movies like Rock 'n' Roll High School. Then suddenly the voice over part of my career suddenly took over and for about ten years exclusively that's pretty much all what I did. I did a lot of cartoon guest appearances and cartoon series. I was a regular on a couple of series and had regular roles on a couple of series. At the end of that ten year period that led up to Batman. 

Me: Your first main show I believe was "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero." You worked on that show with some voice over veterans. Were you intimated? 

Loren: I wasn't imitated. But I knew I really had to be on my game. Also I knew I was very good at comedy and improving and coming up with funny stuff I knew that was not the room to do that. These veteran guys, that would not have gone over well. I kept that to myself. Now I'm the veteran so when I go places I could do that. I knew that was not my place to be doing that. 

Me: So, you were on the New Kids on the Block cartoon? I barely remember they had their own series. You played Jordan... Jordan Knight for those that don't know. They didn't do their own voices? 

Loren: Well, the Beatles had their own series and "Star Trek" had an animated series and they all did their own voices. For "New Kids on the Block" they were these talented singers and dancers but they really were not actors. They would use their singing in the show but we came in and did close approximations on what their voices were but we did it as actors. Their reference tapes we had to listen to just had them talking, just being young guys. We had to come in and do an entire script with all these emotional things were happening and we had to make up how they would sound upset or falling off a building. We had to make it up as we went along. 

Me: Did you ever get to meet NKOTB as the kids called them? 

Loren: No, we never did. It was short lived, it was one season on network unfortunately. It was a good show too but it just didn't go. 

Me: Okay, so, let's talk about the Batman series and Robin. Were you a Batman fan beforehand? I'm a pretty big Batman fan myself. 

Loren: Yeah, I was really excited because I grew up with the Batman on camera show. I wanted to be Batman of course, not Robin. 

Me: So, was Robin who you auditioned for? 

Loren: Yeah, and I think I went to three auditions and two call-backs. Oner day I came home and on my answering machine was my agent saying, "I like to speak to the new voice of Robin." I went through the ceiling I was so excited. 

Me: Did you audition with anybody else or was it just you? 

Loren: No, I was by myself. The audition script had nothing to do with what the character was going to be. They were just trying to get a voice quality. I didn't have to nail any specifics about Batman and the relationship with Robin. They were looking for a particular voice quality and I guess they went with mine.  

Me: Who was more fun to play... Robin, Dick Grayson or Nightwing? 

Loren: Nightwing is my favorite of all the voices I ever done in voice overs. 

Me: Why is that? 

Loren: A couple of reasons. The main reason is when they started writing for Nightwing they let him become his own person. When I was playing Robin he was always looking to Batman. He was always saying things like, "What are we going to do, Batman? What does this mean, Batman?" As opposed to coming with a solution. There's an episode called "If You're So Smart Why Aren't You Rich?" where Robin actually solves the puzzle. I really liked that episode because Robin got to use his brain and became a sort of partner with Batman. But that didn't happen to often in the Batman series until he came Nightwing. Once he became Nightwing he had of course a lower type of sound, more like the Batman he was becoming. I liked playing that cooler character with the cooler head who solved the crime. He was no longer "Doctor Watson," he was also "Sherlock Holmes." 

Me: When you recorded Batman were you guys all together or were you separate? I think Kevin Conroy said you were all together... 

Loren: Yeah, we were all together. I think that's one of the reasons the show was so great because we worked as an assemble. We were pretty much all there in every single session. Even the celebrities, because we had a celebrity or two in every single episode that we did. A lot of them had never done voice overs before and they would look at the rest of us and they would be sharing their heads in awe. We were in awe of them because they were wonderful great actors who were famous? 

Me: No offense, Loren, but why were they looking at you in awe? 

Loren: Because we were doing something they didn't know what to do. They would look to us and the director to help them get through the process. They were really impressed of the fact we could do it with such ease. 

Me: So, how would you describe Kevin Conroy? 

Loren: He was probably one of the nicest most easy going people I have ever known. He is cool under all circumstances. I never once saw him lose his cool or become impatient or have a star attitude or give anybody an attitude. 

Me: Everyone knows Mark Hamill was the Joker. What was it like working with him? 

Loren: It's not like he was a method actor or something. They would roll and he would go right into it. There would be a line fluff or the director, the wonderful Andrea Romano who was the voice director of that series would say something like we need more of this or that and he would immediately fall out of the character and say fine or sure. It was total ease for him. When I knew that Mark Hamill was going to be in the session I knew it would be a long session because I knew he would tell a lot of stories in the sessions about working on Star Wars and being on Broadway. What a fantastic life he had. 

Me: I am so helping to get him on the Phile real soon... I HOPE! Okay, so, in the beginning of the show Robin wasn't in it, right? What happened? 

Loren: In the beginning of the show even though I was cast as Robin they decided they didn't want the Robin character in the series because they were trying to emulate what was going on with the movie franchise which was very dark and Batman was a loner. For whatever reason and I'm not sure what the story is I know once the show started airing on Fox there was a lot of pressure or interest or something like that to bring Robin back into the show. Then it became "The Adventures of Batman and Robin." It was essentially the same show but they changed the name. And then at the end of "The Adventures of Batman and Robin" they introduced a new young Robin and transitioned my character into Nightwing. 

Me: The show was just recently released on Blu-ray. Why do you think it's still popular to this day? 

Loren: I think those two series were the most successful of the animated Batman. They did a load off them afterwards but that one had something really special. The music, the writing, the look of the show. The cast. It had something very special going for it and when people think of a Batman animated series that's the one they always go to and think about. It was an honor to be part of that. 

Me: What was the fan base like back then? 

Loren: At that time the people who were writing fan mail were guys in their late 20s and early 30s. That was our big audience and it still is. 

Me: You also did the movie Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero as Robin, right? How many years between the series and that movie? 

Loren: I'm thinking it was like two years. Maybe less than two years. Something like that. And then the strange thing happened, after all of those year doing animation and voice over commercials for TV and radio for different products suddenly I began to work on camera commercials and TV shows and films. That really took over and void overs which has really become a big part of my life was now a secondary part of my career. 

Me: Loren, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Tell Kevin Conroy he needs to come back on. 

Loren: Thanks, Jason, it was a pleasure. I'll keep reading your blog.

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Loren for a great interview. The Phile will be back on Monday with Phile Alum Harry Shearer. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Kiss your brain. 

I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon