Category Archives: News

Wakey, Wakey! Dump On Breaky! Two!

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Wakey, Wakey! Dump On Breaky! Two!

After eleventy quadmillion weekly posts, I’m gonna take a vacation!
(wheeeee!)

I’ll be back soon with more Songs, Comedy, Animation and Business advice.
(though, you might get a visit from Henderson while I’m out…)

You can also search our archives to find rubber chickens, future tales, and tons of other nonsense!

Or, click here for something completely Random 😉

So, behave yourselves while I’m away…

And I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season!

Yakatchasoon,
Joe

image

P.S. Don’t start with me… You know how I get.

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

WordPress: One Week to a New Website

Posted on by
2
Share

WordPress: One Week to a New Website

My old website had been neglected for a while. I needed a new, fresh look. And I needed the content to be easier to update. Maybe even have it automatically update!
JoeActor.com New and Old
One week ago I installed WordPress onto a sub-domain of my JoeActor site. This allowed me to work on the new site without disturbing the old one. Installation of WordPress was a breeze.

If you’re thinking “But, Joe, WordPress is only for blogging!” Well, yes and no. It has two types of content: Posts (used for blog entries) and Pages (static web pages). When you build a site using only Pages, it’s just another website. The advantages are it’s easier to maintain and updates automatically. Plus if you’d like to add a blog later on, it’s already built in.

Choosing a theme for my new site was next. For those of you new to WordPress, the theme is the look and feel of the site. Fonts, menus, etc. I selected the “OceanWP” theme. Very flexible, clean look, and adaptable to all devices (computers, tablets and phones).

The old site was a bit too complicated and required frequent content updates to stay relevant. To get around that, I decided to eliminate the “News” page. I also changed my “Resume” page to automatically display my IMDb information instead (there’s a plug-in for that!). This means that my new site will always be up-to-date on the resume and news, and it’s less complicated for visitors.

My final and most difficult task was to rewrite the home page. This is the first thing that visitors will see, so it’s very important. I worked with my wife and some friends for the “About” text. I also included my contact information and main demos. One new element is a rotating slide-show at the bottom. This shows companies I’ve worked with, projects, and major roles. New slides can be easily added as I land more work.

So, that’s it! The new site is up and can be viewed at JoeActor.com – take a peek and feel free to comment if you’d like.

And if you’re considering WordPress for your site, let me know in the comments as well. I’ll try to answer any questions here.

Cheers,
Joe J Thomas
JoeActor.com

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

The IMDb 100 Club

Posted on by
4
Share

The IMDb 100 Club

My IMDb listing stands at 99 credits.

Joe J Thomas - IMDB 99 - JoeActor
Joe’s IMDb Listing (click here to see)

I may pass 100 this year.

Now, those of you who know me might recall that I’m not very hot on awards.
So let’s call this a Milestone instead.

Rituals and Milestones. Rites of Passage.

Although it doesn’t change how I pursue my career, it is nice to see some measure of real-world progress.

What are your personal Milestones?

What things in your career help you to appreciate the strides and progress you’ve made?

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Music Monday!

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Music Monday!

Here at Joe’s Dump, we’ve got a lot of music going on…

So, to help keep it all organized and handy, we’ve added a new Music Menu Item (at the top of every page)

A few of the articles you’ll find there include:

… Plus: Personal Profiles, Politics, Parodies, and plenty more!!!

Music Trivia Two-fer

This week, I’ve also got two trivia stories about some surprising back-stories to popular songs.

First up: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (duet by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand)

Did you know that this famous duet came from a radio program director’s divorce?

Neil Diamond recorded the song first in 1977 as a solo, followed by Barbra Streisand’s solo version in 1978. This is where WAKY-AM/Louisville KY program director, Gary Guthrie, comes in. He spliced together a duet version as a parting present to his wife after their divorce. His version became so popular that the record label got Diamond and Streisand to record an official version that was released in the fall of 1978!

(Click here to read the full story on Wikipedia)

… and here’s Gary Guthrie’s mixed version on American Top 40:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmjKMiBShVk

And second: Mike Sammes – the backup singer for Olivia Newton John’s “Let Me Be There”

The bass part in “Let Me Be There” by Olivia Newton John is so prominent, I’d almost classify the song as a duet. Out of curiosity, I checked into who the bass singer was. His name was Mike Sammes, and his credits are amazing. He also sang backup on The Beatles “I Am The Walrus”, and for the TV show “Supercar”.

(Click here to read Mike Sammes full bio on Wikipedia)

… and here’s “Let Me Be There” for your listening pleasure:

Enjoy!
Joe

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Pebble and Palm

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Pebble and Palm

What happens when companies disappear?
Pebble and Palm
On Dec 7, Pebble (trailblazer in smartwatches) made the announcement that they were closing shop and had been bought out by Fitbit (maker of fitness bands).

It seems they were leaving their loyal KickStarter supporters and customers out in the cold. No more Pebble watches would be sold, and all support and warranties were null and void.

Quite a slap in the face.

Don’t get me wrong – I own a Pebble Time and a Fitbit Charge. Wearing one on each wrist has always been kind of a pain. I was secretly hoping that the technologies would merge, but really didn’t expect it to happen like this. At this point it’s completely up in the air as to what Fitbit will do with the intellectual property they’ve purchased.

Although I hope for the best, it’s also good to learn from experience.

Palm was another company that I had been a loyal customer to since nearly their start. I owned their innovative PDA products, and even bought the phones when they seemed to be evolving. The last phone they made was truly an elegant thing of beauty. Small, stylish, functional.

Then Palm was bought out by HP. HP proceeded to fumble the ball for a few months before scrapping everything that was Palm. Hardware, Software – Everything. Another disappointing end to a very promising start-up.

I’m not really sure what the lesson is here, if any. But it is interesting to note that innovation by itself is not always rewarded with success. For that matter, hard work isn’t any guarantee either.

Perhaps the key is in The Round Table Club‘s motto: “Adapt, Adopt, Improve”

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

What I Did On Winter Break

Posted on by
Reply
Share

What I Did On Winter Break


… and … We’re Back!

Ah! It’s good to take some time away to make you appreciate things.

So, what’s been up on the break?

Glad you asked!

Here’s a short list:

  • Ate, Drank, Was Merry
  • Reconnected with friends and family
  • Started writing a novel
  • Got new acoustic panels for my recording space
  • Collaborated on some new projects with other artists
  • Planned out my show reel for Live! from E.V.I.L.
  • Began singing lessons with a new teacher

Whew! Glad I’m back at the grindstone, huh?

Anywho, I’ll once again be posting regular Dumps every Monday morning…

See you all in a week 😉
Joe

Share

Wakey, Wakey! Dump On Breaky!

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Wakey, Wakey! Dump On Breaky!

After 3 years and 160 weekly posts, I’m gonna take a vacation!
(wheeeee!)

I’ll be back in early 2016 with more Songs, Comedy, Animation and Business advice.
(though, you might get a visit from Henderson while I’m out…)

You can also search our archives to find rubber chickens, future tales, and tons of other nonsense!

Or, click here for something completely Random 😉

So, behave yourselves while I’m away…

And I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season!

Yakatchasoon,
Joe

image

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Graphic JoeActor!

Gallery

Posted on by

This gallery contains 8 photos.

Share

Graphic JoeActor! Part of the job of being self-employed is letting people know what you’ve accomplished. Since I normally eschew traditional marketing methods, I decided to get a bit graphic instead. Below are some iconic graphics featuring characters that I’ve … Continue reading →

Share

Solarix

Gallery

Posted on by

This gallery contains 9 photos.

Share

Solarix: Video Game in Development Genetic experiments. Infected crew mates. Trapped in deep space, you are the sole survivor. Just a “loose end” for the corporation to tie up. Hiding… running… searching for a way out. I am watching you. … Continue reading →

Share

Voice Mime

Posted on by
2
Share

Voice Mime

Voice Mime

“If I’m paid to voice a job and it’s never used, does it make a sound?”

Well I’m here to answer “YES!”, and show you some Voice Mime gigs from my own personal forest.

The following are all jobs that I auditioned for, got cast, recorded, and got paid for – that have never been heard until now!

Celebrity Voices
These projects involve celebrity voice matching. Sometimes it is to replace a celebrity voice in a movie or trailer, other times they’re used as scratch tracks until the celebrity has time to record the final version.
Continue reading →

Share