A Night at The Annie Awards

       What a night at the Annies!!! I had such an amazing time and got to hob knob with all the celebs and industry best! And I felt spectacular in my purple, sequins, cocktail dress with purple Paolo stilettos.  As my mom put it, “the ensemble says, ‘Hello’!”

       The show opened with a video of William Shatner and Spongbob-Tom Kenney dueling it out for the hosting position in true “Star Trek” fashion…complete with pop up bubbles reminding the audience which episodes they were thinking of while grappling and hurtling boulders at each other.  Later in the show Big Bill introduced a video clip of Spongbob Square Pants with his voice as Spongebob. Very funny and only to be topped by the subsequent clip of Star Trek with Spongbob’s voice dubbed for Captain Kirk. In a word, fricken’ hilarious!!!!

          Seth Green was our first presenter. I run into him often at Emmy events and such and it was great to see he and the guys at Robot Chicken win an Annie for Best Animated Short Subject, congrats!

          Some of the other fun and fabulous people I got to hang out with back stage were, John Leguizamo, Jen Cody –Congrats Jen on your Annie win for Charlotte in The Princess and the Frog, Clancy Brown, Russi Taylor and I bonded over Minnie Mouse, everyone’s favorite Oompah Lumpah- Deep Roy, sweet man, and fun guys to post party with, Futurama’s Bender-John Dimaggio, Madagascar’s King Julien-Danny Jacobs & Skipper-Tom McGrath.

          Gosh, and these are only the beginning. The ASIFA guys ran a great show and are such a pleasure to work with. I really appreciated being brought on stage for all my years as the “voice” of the Annies. It was fun being recognized at the after party and my 15 minutes of fame. Now people know I’m live and not pre-recorded. (I feel like a commercial  for Memorex!)

          Oh! I also chatted with the guys who directed DreamWorks, How to Train Your Dragon (Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois) www.moviefone.com/movie/how-to-train-your-dragon and they are very excited for it’s release. They say it looks great and has a wonderful message as well as being a fun family movie. My kids and I are looking forward to going!

          Last but not least, I want to give a shout out to Tom Kenny for his win in the Voice Over for TV category, my friend Ivy-hope you enjoyed your birthday and my fabulous agent Wes–great Tux story!

          If I think of anything/anyone else I’ll blog more. ~Dina

Word’s out!

I’ll be announcing the Annie Awards with host ….William Shatner!!!

Here is the link if you want to find out more or even buy a ticket!!! http://www.annieawards.org/

My year dedicated to Alzheimer’s Disease

My year dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease was an amazing journey and success. From Memory Walk 2008 to Memory Walk 2009, I participated in numerous events, chaired 2, co-chaired another and met some amazing people. Some of whom I shall keep as friends for a long time to come.

In total I raised $15,835 for the year and was also written up in at least 4 newspapers and on-line magazines, made guest appearances and spoke on a half hour radio talk show. I only wish I could have raised more money. It was a tough year and donating 50% of each paycheck was a mixed blessing. Who knows, maybe as our economy improves I’ll be able to do it again.

I don’t plan to stop helping. I know my participation has made a difference. I may be one small voice, but whether it’s putting my money where my mouth is or walking the walk, I will continue to help find a way to a creating world without Alzheimer’s Disease.

Annie Awards

I was invited again to announce for the 37th Annual Annie Awards. This is my 5th year as the official announcer and our host this year will be …wait for it….W…(oooh I better make sure I can mention his name here. I’ll get back to you.) This looks to be a great show with many fabulous animated movies, TV shows, games, etc. up for awards!

For those of you who have never heard of the Annie Awards, well they are the Academy or Golden Globe awards for all animation. Here is the link to learn more: http://www.annieawards.org/

It will be a night filled with stars, famous and infamous, producers, artists, actors all vying for the coveted Annie!

Monday

Today I read to my son’s kindergarten class and handed out mini donuts to help celebrate his birthday. Got home and recorded an audition for a cat talking about how it died and a sweet, adorable little girl who believes in Santa Claus…and it’s not even noon!!!

My reading at Barnes and Noble last week went great. Although it was vocally challenging because I had to compete with another school’s cheerleading squad- the store double booked fundraisers. Still, the kids loved the stories, books were purchased, money was raised and all had a good time! (I just felt like swallowing a gallon of ice cream to cool my throat. Whew I could have used a mic!!!) ~Dina

Barnes & Noble

Just found out I’ll be a guest reader at the Barnes & Noble in the Calabasas Commons this Thursday from 5:00-5:30. It is to help support and raise money for my kid’s school. What fun and a great way to find those last-minute or gift-exchange gifts and help the school at the same time! Feel free to stop on by!

Busy?!?!

It’s funny, I either have so many auditions in one day, my head is spinning and I have no time to blog, or there is nothing and I have nothing to blog about. Feast or famine as they say. Well, it’s all been good. Several great auditions and fingers crossed. Some voice work on spec and keeping up with the craziness of the holidays. I had a fabulous lunch with my promo agent a week ago and he shared some really great helpful tips.  Positive thoughts  for landing some promo jobs here in the near future!

I’m off to a lunch to discuss some possible producing ideas for next year.

Hope you are staying healthy, warm and enjoying this holiday season. ~Dina

You want what?!?!?!

Here’s a first. In my audition the other day, the client asked me to voice match a young boy. No problem. They played the Spanish version of the kid and then asked me to match him, in English but with out the Spanish accent.  Okay, I can do that…but wait. They wanted the same sound,  pace and cadence, of Spanish, but with no accent, as a hispanic boy.  All righty then. My first attempt they thought was to close to the Texas border. ….Ya gotta laugh.

Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

Yesterday I participated in the Los Angeles Alzheimer’ Memory Walk. It was a fabulous day!!! So many people were there walking for loved ones and supporting friends affected by this devastating disease. There were even a few people walking with the assistance of family as they journey through what they can still accomplish, such strength of spirit and love. Also, downtown LA never looked so good. Guess it helps to block off the streets and let us walk down the middle. Pretty cool!

My walk was incredibly fun because I got to enjoy it with some of my dearest friends and our daughters! It was so special being a part of this meaningful event and walking a 5k with my daughter by my side.

Team Sherman Tanks also put in a fantastic showing. We are a small team, but MIGHTY!!!! We raised over $7,000 with more checks still coming in! We are one of the top 10 teams. Pretty Awesome!

Now I’m off to record an audition and an anime cartoon! May your day be filled with what makes you happy! ~Dina

Memory Walk

Sorry for not keeping you up to date. I’ve actually been busy working and then was on vacation. Tell ya all about it later.

This week is the big countdown to the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in Los Angeles.  Sunday is the big day and Team Sherman Tanks is working hard to reach it’s fundraising goal.  A few days ago we were one of the 10  teams. However everyone is giving the big push. I hope we can too.

If you would like to support me as I walk for this cause, please click on the Memory Walk link on the right and just follow the prompts. Every dollar counts and makes a difference in maintaining outreach programs for families supporting loved ones and research for a cure.

Check out my two grandmas and the reason I want to put an end to this devastating disease. May we all grow old remembering the good and the bad and all the people we treasure!

Help us reach our goal! ~Dina