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I’m not one to find a problem or an issue with something without trying to also come up with a solution. “Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution” is how I try to look at it.

With that in mind, I recently wrote about how much I disliked Michael Douglas’ read for the open of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. As an actor, director and producer, Douglas is a tremendous talent. But for this particular read, he was awful. There are many people who share my opinion.

So it is with a solution in mind that I request your help, your participation in casting a voice talent to replace Michael Douglas (and fast!).

–> HERE is the NBC Nightly News theme for you to use in your audition (not for commercial purposes).

–> HERE is the script:

“From NBC News World Headquarters in New York, this is NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.”

(As of 12/27/07 the nominations/auditions are now closed. Thank you!)

This is open to men AND women BUT only serious takes, not your dog or your mother or your two year old (although my daughter COULD do a better job than the current announcer).

I’ll post all entries here on audio’connell Voice Over Talent’s voxmarketising blog and notify NBC that they are here for their review. I’m not promising anyone a job but if you get it, you’ll owe me a very expensive dinner.

As an example for you, here is my audition:

[audio:http://www.audioconnell.com/clientuploads/mp3/NBC_Nightly_News_Auditions/Peter_OConnell_NBC_Nightly_Open.mp3]

–> P.S. Now you can listen to ALL the auditions here

And below is the NBC Nightly News theme (again).

Tags: announcers, commentary, fauxdition, NBC Nightly News, tv, unofficial audition, voice actors, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice, voiceover blog by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Monday evening NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams debuted its new announcer for the show’s open.

They teased in blogs how they were going to debut the new voice (a voice well known to many) to replace the recorded voice of Howard Reig who had retired two years ago.

I watched with eager anticipation the Nightly News open, remembering with fondness how blown away I was by the use of Walter Cronkite’s voice when Katie Couric took over the CBS Evening News…that was so brilliant and subtle, it was perfect.

NBC News’ choice – Michael Douglas.

My response – What the…?

I have no idea, not one clue as to why somebody at NBC News would think Michael Douglas would be considered the perfect voice to introduce the network’s flagship broadcast. He sounded dull, lacking authority, bad. I didn’t immediately recognize the voice when I heard it so where’s the celebrity value in that?

Mind you, as an actor, producer and director Michael Douglas is an impressive professional. And as a voice over in some commercials, he has sounded great. He is very talented!

But for the open of NBC Nightly News, he sounds terrible. I’m not the only one who didn’t like the choice either.

Listen….

Is that “New York” he tried to say? Nooz?! Didn’t anybody ask for a re-take? Who directed the session?

Make no mistake, I am not gunning for the job, I’m not bitter that Steve Capus over at NBC News didn’t call me for the recording. But this news operation has had so few mis-steps amongst anchors changes, budget cuts, merging of its cable new operations, new sets etc., that this stupid choice (in my opinion) for an announcer sticks out like a sore thumb.

So let me take a quick vote…don’t vote for yourself and don’t vote for me but tell me who you think would have made a tremendous choice for the announce job at Nightly. I can think of three or four voices right off the bat. But let’s discuss this (oh and you can tell me how wrong I am to not like the Douglas choice too).

P.S. Wow, look at the comments on the NBC Nightly News blog. The Douglas choice is a bomb…and this is the guy Brian Williams wanted as his announcer?! Ooops!!!!

P.P.S. Oh man! The digs continue with competitors making some hay at NBC’s expense…

Tags: announcers, commentary, media, NBC Nightly News, tv, voice actors, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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The world of voice over is full of unique, creative people.

As I have often said, voice talents do not compete against each other, we compete for the subjective ear of the producer. That’s why I enjoy my friendships with so many voice talents around the globe.

Talent is one thing, heart is another and most of the VO’s I know have large amounts of both, like Philip Banks.

He initiated a project Monday on the VO-BB which was akin to a festive audio chain letter among board members. Requesting we alternate between male and female voice talents on the board, he wrote out the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and asked us to read two lines each. Philip started us off and chose DB Cooper to read the next line. DB read her lines and sent it to me, I did my lines and sent it to Kara Edwards and on it went until Philip had the entire production beautifully completed within 24 hours.

That was his gift to us. My gift to all the voice talents who participated is some “link love” so that you may know even more about these talented voice actors with whom I am so proud to be professionally associated.

LISTEN HERE TO: Twas the Night Before Christmas presented by the voice over talents of VO-BB.com

Merry Christmas to all –
1. Philip Banks
2. DB Cooper
3. Peter O’Connell
4. Kara Edwards
5. Bob Souer
6. Diane Maggipinto
7. Todd Ellis
8. Connie Terwilliger
9. Brian Hart
10. Moe Egan
11. Greg Littlefield
12. Mary McKitrick
13. Michael Rhys
14. Liz de Nesnera
15. Frank Frederick
16. Tammy McDaniel
17. Greg Phelps
18. Caryn Clark
19. Greg Allen
20. Marcy Worthington
21. Frank Frederick
22. Liz de Nesnera
23. Michael Rhys
24. Mary McKitrick
25. Todd Ellis
26. Liz de Nesnera
27. David Monteath
28. Mary McKitrick
29. Philip Banks
30. Kara Edwards

Tags: announcers, audio production, character voices, commentary, voice actors, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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I have been remiss in the crunch of work and holidays and kidney stones (don’t ask) to thank fellow voice professional Todd Ellisfor joining me for dinner last week when I traveled to St. Louis.

Todd has enjoyed a successful voice over career part time and now (for the past five years) full time. He has a wonderfully humorous disposition which meshes well with mine.

At the complex that housed the restaurant where we ate, Todd stopped by KTRS-AM, meeting with an old radio colleague of Todd’s, Shawn Balint, who is a news anchor at the station. (The picture features Shawn, me and Todd)

Together, we all shared many funny radio and announcing stories and proved yet again, when you are in voice over, you’ve got a friend in almost every city.

Tags: announcers, commentary, peter o'connell, radio, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Here’s the thing – I know some Adult Contemporary (AC) radio stations start their “All Christmas – All The Time” formats about a week before Thanksgiving in most US radio markets. They do this because their listenership increases and those listeners usually stay around after the holiday is over and into the next ratings book which boosts their ratings and allows the station to get a leg up on ad revs. A perfectly fine business practice.

Those stations are banished from my car radio pre-sets one only for the Christmas period and one entirely. Now I am a 43 male, not the demo these stations are looking for…certainly not the sex they are aiming their programming for (women do the buying) but I can’t stand this further yet commercialization of Christmas. So pulling them off my pre-sets is my silent protest and no one from either station has called me personally to ask me to come back to them (imagine that)!

But as we are ten days out from Christmas Eve, I will now allow you to begin playing Christmas music occasionally on your stations.

I know that this is the correct time because the local Album Oriented Rock (AOR) station in town has evidently been running a Bruce concert ticket giveaway in which if you hear one of his Christmas songs, you can win a pair of tickets to his concert (which I don’t think is here until Q3 ’08). I hadn’t heard about this promotion but because I ardently avoid Christmas music, I hadn’t heard Bruce’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” yet.

I did this morning on that station (which is always judicious in it’s playing of Christmas music) and as is my tradition, once I hear it, Christmas can begin. I know you were waiting for my signal so – there it is.

And so there’s no confusion, here’s my Christmas music contribution that features some great animation and cute voice talent performances.

Tags: advertising, commentary, radio, voice actors, voice talent by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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There are more times than I care to count in recent years where I realize I have become my parents.

That’s not a bad thing as my parents were wonderful people to whom I owe everything. But “parents” often make references that to a younger generation seem “historical”. Like “oh Dad, that happened so long ago!” even though it was only 20 years ago.

For some of you, even in the voice over or on-camera talent business, the “so long ago” comment may apply to my observation here.

Recently, actor Dick Wilson died at the age of 91. Many people knew Dick Wilson (I did not) but many millions more (myself included) knew his character Mr. Whipple, the grocery store manager who implored the ladies in the toilet tissue aisle “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.”

Mr. Whipple sold a lot of toilet tissue.

As many commercial performers know, a good run for a spot may last 6 months to a year. Dick performed as Mr. Whipple for Proctor and Gamble for decades.

P&G created a product, Dick Wilson created an icon.

P&G gets my vote for getting it “right” with the commercial now running for Charmin.

May we all perform so well that our employers recognize us thusly:

Tags: advertising, commentary, commercials, marketing, tv, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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