The Bobby Rock Newsletter #117 (4-21-25) - Emmy Madness in LA!

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Hey Gang -

Welcome, and thanks as always for being here.

In the 117 issues of this Newsletter, I've always tried to walk that delicate line when writing about personal life experiences: to offer up stories and observations that might be of interest to you guys, without blathering on too much about those deeply sentimental aspects of the story that involve, for example, my partner, kid, or cats. Let's hope this line doesn't get crossed today!

In This Issue:

2025 Emmy Madness in LA: Sorting through a few takeaways from this once-in-a-lifetime experience
A Sharp Left Turn Into a Black Hole of Hell (This will be self-explanatory)
Tour Dates: Update on some Lita Ford shows ahead...

One of many festivals on the horizon....

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Emmy Madness in LA:
Blown-aways and Take-aways!

My partner, Kari Wahlgren, won an Emmy last month. It was unreal!

Here's what I said about it on social:

My girl just won an Emmy! I am absolutely elated for her, and just to be in the orbit of such a one-of-a-kind life experience was beyond surreal and extremely emotional. After well over two decades and more than 700 voices in the biz, this was Kari's first nomination. Personally, I always felt like this was unjust... given how insanely skilled and prolific she is at her unique art form. And it turns out, her peers agreed! All they needed was the chance to vote for her, and this year they got it. Our little family is thrilled and, yes, my friends, there have been lots of tears. (And maybe even a few from Kari!) We can't wait to show our little man what momma won this weekend...

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As always, I can't help but pull some observations and reflections out of significant life events like this, so here goes a few about honoring your work and craft, showing up with real intention, and playing the long game.

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Most would agree that competition between performers and creators within an artistic platform can be a little tricky. I mean, who's to say, definitively, that one nominee's performance or contribution is "better" than another's? It's all so subjective. And yet, as an artist, if you should find yourself in such a mix, it's a phenomenal thing... especially when we're talking about a universally-revered "gold standard" award like an Emmy, Oscar, Tony, or Grammy. It represents a singular level of assurance that, yes, you are doing well in your work and, no, all those years of grinding have not been a waste of time! It's way beyond mere validation. It's a rare experience of arrival—and that's just to be among the nominees.

This is why receiving an Emmy nomination is an extremely rare and elusive thing. Most accomplished actors will never get such a nod, and it's not always a reflection of their work. It's just that there are only five spots in a playing field of thousands, with a small but mighty aristocracy of submitters doing the submitting—while hundreds more industry notables, each with their own set of biases and opinions, do the voting. The math is wildly unfavorable... especially if you happen to be female. (I wasn't aware that the voice-acting world was so male-dominant by the numbers. It's crazy!) So, in a real way, a nomination is a win.

But how should a nominee broach the prospects of actually winning? Should you think about it? Talk about it? Dream about it? I mean, there's nothing you can do about it since the outcome has already been determined long before the trophies are handed out. So with this in mind, how are you, as a nominee, supposed to show up to the event in terms of mindset?

When it comes to the concept of winning, I've always favored the advice and protocol of John Wooden, the winningest college basketball coach of all time. He famously never talked to his players about winning. It was always about preparation and process, minus the typical, "Let's win this thing!" pep talks. It was the classic "process over outcome" approach: you did everything possible to show up to win... without ever getting caught up in the distractive nature of winning, via trying to "beat the opponent."

And this is precisely the mindset I believe my partner, Kari, assumed on this magical occasion in LA last month. Knowing that the winner had already been decided, she still showed up to win. Why? Because her years of hard work—as well as the sanctity of the Emmy platform—demanded that she did. And I started seeing evidence of this weeks in advance, which meant she had a mindful awareness of what it meant to "show up" for such a platform. And in the Micro-Universe of award shows in the entertainment world, it begins with the gown, followed by the accessories, hair, make-up, etc.

Personally, I never understood why everyone always carried on so much about what clothing or jewelry motherfuckers wore to these events. But now I get it. Hell, I've even come to understand that there's an art to it all, with creative, masterful craftspeople, behind the scenes, exerting extraordinary attention to detail with these matters. Yes, it's "just clothing and adornment." But when in human history did this ever not matter for any kind of ritualistic affair, especially one of great celebration?

Going back to a sports reference for a moment, I remember reading about how Michael Jordan prepared for all home games in Chicago. He was incredibly intentional about everything he wore, from his suit and tie, to his socks and shoes, to his cufflinks and jewelry. And he always arranged for whichever sports car he was going to drive that day to be freshly washed just before he left home. Why all of this bother? Because he knew he might encounter some fans behind the arena near the player's entrance, and that many of these folks would have saved their money for weeks or months to get tickets, or even traveled a great distance to catch the game. And since this might be their only shot at seeing Jordan "behind the scenes and in the flesh," even for a fleeting moment, he wanted it to be memorable for them.

I saw this as a commendable part of his overall professionalism: an extension of his regard for the game and respect for his craft, as well as the acknowledgment of the coveted fan/athlete dynamic. It was how he, as a world champion, chose to show up: prepared... even if such an encounter didn't transpire on a given night.

Likewise, my girl showed up prepared, even if, given the formidable metrics, she privately may have seen herself as a long-shot to win. (I actually don't know how she perceived herself in the running, honestly. We never talked about her "winning or losing.") I'm sure I'm biased, but during the entire Emmy event that day, I'm telling you, she stood out from the throngs, without any apparent effort, lit up by a rare beauty and confidence—as if she were living through some destined moment that had long been determined. It was a remarkable thing to observe.

The Moment

Kari, her publicity/social media guy, Justin Baker, and I walked into the auditorium and found our seats in a section near the stage, but in the very last row. There was literally a thick black staging curtain behind us. I remember thinking, but not saying aloud, "Okay... we get it. The expectation of Kari winning is possibly on the lower side, given the sizable walk she would have to take to the stage if she wins. But whatever." (Actually, I have no idea how seats are assigned. This was probably just a naive impression.) But hey... we were in good spirits as the ceremony kicked off on time.

With Justin... in the back!

The show went down as you might imagine: presenters are brought on stage, and categories are announced via a prerecorded video clip of nominee names, show titles, and images. When the winner's name is called, they walk to the stage as a full video clip from their show plays, then they are led to the mic to say a few words. All was clicking along smoothly.

At around the halfway point of the two-hour presentation, Kari's category was announced. I had a rush of nerves, but just tried to breathe into the moment and digest the magnitude of it all. And then...

"And the Emmy goes to..."

My mind went blank in overwhelm.

"Kari Wahlgren."

"Holy fuck!"

I think that was my actual quote! Kari, Justin and I instinctively stood. It was a bolt of electric shock I will never forget. Kari turned to walk down our row and make the long trek to the stage. There was applause erupting around the room: a familiar and respected colleague had just won the Emmy! And from my vantage point, I watched my girl just sort of glide to the stage... owning the moment like it had, in fact, been destined through the decades. At the same time, she brought a lot of authentic emotion, excitement, and surprise with her.

I got choked up (what else is new?) as she started talking. She spoke eloquently about her journey, her parents, her co-workers, collaborators, and fellow nominees (all of whom have been long-time friends/colleagues). Her words spilled out spontaneously and effortlessly. She even mentioned me and our kid. It was moving and heartfelt. Everyone cheered. I wept like a schoolboy. It was a moment of unparalleled elation! I could only imagine how she was feeling up there, with that hefty Emmy statue in hand. But after her beautiful speech, she was led off the stage and directly back to the red carpet area for a series of interviews and photos. About 20 minutes later, she rejoined Justin and I in that last row, Emmy in hand. We were all blown the fuck away!

Patience is the Virtue

Once the show wrapped and we made our way to the aftershow party, which was held on sight, I was reminded of yet another workplace/life purpose virtue: patience. I believe I initially mentioned Kari's "well over two decades" career. But given all the people she knows in the biz, and all the various projects she's done, I was reminded throughout her many interactions that day that it's really been closer to three decades! And I say that to underscore just how long it can sometimes take to hit certain career benchmarks.

At the aftershow...

The Secret?

In addition to being immensely talented at her craft, I think Kari's success in her field is more about what she doesn't have, that most people do: an "off" button! She never stops. It's been year after year, job after job, show after show, project after project. It's a tremendous amount of work—the likes of which most people couldn't imagine—in a congested and competitive environment, where accolades and acknowledgments can be thin and fleeting. But it just goes to show that if you keep moving, and keep at it, there's always a shot at that elusive benchmark. Just don't hit that off button!

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The Radical Polarities of Life on Earth

My friends... we live in a world of clearly-defined polarities: there's good and bad, sunshine and rain, love and hate, extreme joy and great pain—all coexisting in this thing we call life. Sometimes we can experience these polarities simultaneously, and occasionally, they are extreme. With this in mind, I now have to take a sharp left turn and mention a poorly-timed addendum to our story that I wish I didn't have to. But in the spirit of life lessons, or reminders, or whatever you want to call something in the category of "life's gonna do what life's gonna do," here goes:

Kari and I basked in the thrill of the Emmy experience clear into the next day. Shortly after checking out of our hotel, we got word from home that our cat, Ruby, appeared to have suffered some kind of stroke. She had just been found in the living room, unable to move her hind legs, with some poop and vomit nearby. So she was being taken to an animal hospital for further examination. And this is when things began to unravel.

By the time we got back home and over to the hospital, we found out that Ruby's prognosis was not good: She had suffered from a blood clot to both rear legs in a syndrome that was usually fatal. I won't put you guys through all of the painful details of the night ahead, but just know that roughly 12 hours after our return home, Ruby passed away. It was unreal. There was no warning, no health issues, no indication that this could've happened. And yet, our sweet Ruby was off to her next adventure. We could barely process what had happened and are still in disbelief.

Our beloved Ruby,
wreaking havoc on the kitchen counter!

Ruby was a huge presence in our home... a confident, bold, and affectionate purr-machine, who loved to be pampered and pet. She was also a strong-willed being who had clear ideas about how (and when) things should be done around the house—particularly as it pertained to feeding time—and who was unrelenting in her urgings, should things not unfold to her liking! And while this could be a bit obnoxious at times, it was also endearing, because it was part of her unique and complex "sugar and spice" persona. She was adored by so many of our guests through the years, exhibiting plenty of "sugar" in the laps of all.

In the world of cat dynamics (might have to be a cat guardian to fully get this one), Ruby served as the stabilizing, energetic medium between our other two babies, Juju and Jackson, which is yet another reason why her absence in physical form has now created a huge whole in the energy of our home. We are still trying to come to terms with this loss and know it's gonna take awhile. Kari and I (and Juju and especially Jackson, her sibling) miss her terribly every day.

We had been needing to get a new doormat...
and thought this little gift from Kari's mom was lovely.

In all my years, I don't believe I have ever experienced such a radical shift of emotion in such a short period of time: literally, from the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows, virtually from one moment to the next. Why even mention this part of the story here? As a poignant reminder (to me, as well) that life will continue to unfold in ways that we cannot control. So it is ultimately up to us to define how we will interpret and navigate these twists and turns. They are coming. They are unavoidable. They are often nonsensical and unfair. But they are all part of this crazy matrix of polarity that we (apparently) signed up for.

So let's be prepared for those inevitable days when this kind of shit goes down... but relish every day when it doesn't!

That is all.

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Upcoming Lita Ford Shows

Pic by Teddy Allison

May 1st

Hard Rock Hotel And Casino

Catoosa, OK

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May 2nd

Cherokee Hotel & Casino

West Siloam Springs, OK

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May 4th

Columbia, MD

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May 10th

Riviera Theatre

North Tonawanda, NY

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May 30th

Four Winds Casinos

New Buffalo, MI

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May 31st

Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre

Youngstown, OH

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Jun 6th

Timber Rock Amphitheater

Farmington, PA

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Jun 7th

The Bobby Rock Newsletter #117 (4-21-25) - Emmy Madness in LA!

The Bobby Rock Newsletter #117 (4-21-25) - Emmy Madness in LA!

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