Hello strangers.  As hard as I put in effort to journal in a timely fashion it seems like high school to me.  I wait and wait to turn in the paper and time just flies by. Bare with me, it’s not for lack of caring that I share so sparingly it’s lack of focus more than likely.
Out of the Box
Trying new things can be a challenge and a gamble, but it can sometimes move you in a new direction – down a path you may otherwise never have gone.  And so, I’m taking a break from the big budget family films and am doing a David Mamet film this summer called “Redbelt”.
The set-up.
Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry, (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-jitsu master whose purity is compromised when he is drawn into the movie business and manipulated into brawling in ultimate fighting matches.  I play a troubled action star with marital problems who meets the master while getting pummeled in a street fight.  Funny huh?  Hey -- I told you I’m moving a bit out of the box. Did I mention it’s an action-adventure drama?    
I’m pretty excited to work with writer-director, and Pulitzer Prize winning David Mamet.  (Won for Glengary Glen Ross.)  He is highly respected among his peers and is well known for his cadence and the rhythmic nature of his dialogue.
I am one of many in a cog, in this dramatic wheel, so the results are not on my back per se. Nice to be under less pressure and certainly out of my comfort range which is good for me.

In Recent Weeks
A few weeks back I traveled with my daughter to look at colleges.  Although a rather common parental activity, it does send your head into a bit of a spin.  Yesterday, she was just a baby.  How could she be deciding on a University – way far away from home.  She has grown into a very funny woman.  As we emerged from a soon to be vacated dorm, which was a total catastrophe, Kate looks ahead as we walked and then turned to me and said “ I think I just picked up cholera in there.”

We finished the trip with a quick stop in DC. I feel strongly every American should visit DC and soak up the icons that make us the kind of people we strive to be.  Take a stop at the National Archives and spend the time to ingest the reality of the real documents written by real people – they’re just sitting in plain sight under the protective glass.  (Ends up, Nick Cage never stole it so it’s there for all to read.)
Next, walk up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial and read the words chiseled on the walls. Amazing how a block of cement can stir the emotions.  Love this country when it doesn’t try so hard.

My wife, Jane, and I spent a great weekend in the Bahamas to attend an opening of a new resort with the band, Earth, Wind & Fire as the key entertainment.  They’ve always been one of my favorites and the opportunity to see them live was too much of a temptation.  Stevie Wonder, who was celebrating his birthday, added a highlight performance to the evening. His daughters sang for him and brought tears to the eyes. Or was it I rubbing them after eating sushi with wasabi.  Up close to the stage we saw a bevy of performers salute Stevie.  Several standouts for me were Joss Stone and BeBe Winans. Before EW&F performed, the Village People took to the stage and brought the audience to the floor with whatever it is they do.. big memories for this lad. I was standing with Kelsey Grammer and we both kept saying stupid stuff like, “that’s not the right Indian” or the fireman looks thin…meanwhile everyone danced and danced and danced.

Last Week
The Speed Channel has a great show called Payback which features a celebrity on camera, surprising and thanking a person from their past who has played a meaningful role in their life.  Last week, I got the opportunity to thank a friend whom I have known since childhood.  It was so much fun and was truly a terrific experience.  It is suppose to air in June or July so look for it and we’ll keep you posted as well.

And now for….

Your Questions – My Answers

Question:  Tim, you have a wonderful voice.  Have you ever thought about narrating an audiobook?  If so, what book would you like to do?

Answer:    I love the art of the voice-over, Toy Story aside, it is very difficult and a different animal.  I dreamed of being a voice-over talent since my days in college radio. My most recent work has been a dramatic series of voice-overs for the Michigan tourism industry.  Great words over great scenic shots.  Lots of fun to do.

Question:    Do you think we will ever see you on Dancing With the Stars?  I enjoy that show and I think you would be great. Which dancer would you like to be paired up with?  I particularly would enjoy watching you do a rumba and a paso dobles. Ooops, I'm fantasizing again ... hahaha

Answer:    I would do it. I take direction well and like watching dance.  But lets be honest, those female dancers look as though they might hurt me.

Question:    Just wondering if you’ve ever thought about resurrecting Home Improvement?  If so, what would you do with the Wilson character?

Answer:    My buddy Earl passed away so Wilson would have to be a ghost of some sort. I miss everything associated with that show but feel you just can’t go back…

Question:    In Home Improvement, who is that funny bloke who laughs in the Tool Time audience.  He’s in seasons 1,2,3 and used to laugh nearly every episode over everyone else and slow...sort of a...ha ha.............ha ha ha...with
pausing...who was that guy?

Answer:    Billy Riback, one of the punch-up writers --very warm and funny guy who loved to watch the show and laugh, with or without the audience.

Question:    Do you still grunt?  I just have to ask.  When you work on a
movie, doesn’t matter which one it is, do you "just for the heck of it" grunt?

Answer:    The answer is yes!  I still grunt every single day.  Every time I get up out of a chair.  Only now, it’s involuntary.

Question:    Do you know what kind of jacket you, John, Martin and William wore in Wild Hogs? I know, that they are from "Harley Davidson", but I have no idea what type they are. Can you help me, cause I love this jacket...

Answer:    All Harley stuff, but don’t know the specific style name.   

Question:    I posed this question to others in your forum and was curious what your answer would be.  How would you describe color to a blind person who has never seen color?  Let’s say, the color blue?  How about yellow or red?

Answer:
I’ve actually wondered about that all my life, since my first experience with a blind person, (it was the singer, Judy Collins’ father who lived nearby and walk himself up to the corner store on occasion in Denver, Colorado.  I still wonder how to describe color.  How would you describe color to a sighted person for that matter?

Question:    What are your thoughts on life after death.  Do we live and die?  Or do we go some where after?  Or do you believe in reincarnation?

Answer:    This answer requires more time and space, that said, I feel this is boot camp for me. I am to be prepared for the next level of reality.  But only if I can master elements of this level.   

Question:      Atheism has always claimed to be against religion, but these days it’s taken on all the main characteristics of an organized religion.  Atheists are becoming increasingly hostile to any beliefs other than their own.  (i.e. Schools teaching about Creationism alongside Darwinism.)  Should Atheism be classed as a religion?

Answer:    I am not sure that makes any sense at all. A philosophy and teaching a discipline perhaps, but not a religion.