The Three Musketeers?

My three favorite female voice actors...

Over the past few years or so I have developed parasocial relationships with some talented and beautiful actresses. Way too many to mention but I would like to talk about three in particular who have caught my fancy in varying ways. They are Tara Lyn Charendoff aka Tara Strong, Elizabet(h)¹ Ann Guttman aka EG Daily and Erin Gray Van Oosbree aka Grey DeLisle or Grey Griffin². All three known for their voice work but all are beautiful women, inside and out. Even past the age of 50.

One thing though before the breakdowns: while I admire all three of these women greatly, I also like sports. And what these women collectively know about sports can fit on the head of a pin.

First up:

Tara Strong

(She’s the one on the right)

Tara Strong, the only one of the three not born in California, was born in the Toronto area on February 12, 1973. She worked as a voice actress in some productions as a teen with her lifelong friend Cree Summer until heading to La La Land in time for the Northridge earthquake (and she didn’t head straight back?). She roomed with fellow Canadian eternal babe Neve Campbell. They both tried out for the part of Julia in “Party of Five” with Neve winning out (Tara guested early on). She worked kind of steady in live action and in animation until her big break came with roles in “Rugrats” and as Bubbles in”The Power Puff Girls”. She also inherited Timmy Turner from the late Mary Kay Bergman giving her one of her best roles in “The Fairly OddParents”

In 2000 she married Craig Strong and would later have two sons in 2002 and 2004 and therefore she was Tara Strong (duh). She would get her first big role in adult oriented animation with the dual role of Princess Clara and Toot in the reality show satire “Drawn Together”. Other notable series include “Teen Titans/Go”,”Ben 10” and as Twilight Sparkle in “My Little Pony”, which gave us the phenomenon of Bronies (older male fans of the show; my guess is….LOOK AT THE PICTURE! SHE’S A SMOKESHOW!)³. And she guested on just about all other animated shows (excepting “Simpsons” and “South Park”).

And yes I knew her from as far back as “Drawn Together” and guesting on other shows like “Family Guy” but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I started a tentative parasocial relationship with Tara figuring “eh, she’s married” until I found out she filed for divorce in 2019 (finalized Jan 2022). It was in early September of that year (2022) that I had my first encounter with Tara at SacAnime in Sacramento at her live broadcast of the “Ship It Show” with Greg Cipes.⁴ I asked her about her recent role of Miss Minutes (and she gave award worthy work in Season 2 of that show especially Episode 3) and she rightfully said she couldn’t give out future details. I then half jokingly suggested shipping EG Daily and myself. But that is for the next chapter.

A few days later Tara went public with her new boyfriend a 6-6-6⁵ entreprenuer and fellow vegan by the name of Willie Morris. They hooked up in July 2022 and have been attached at the hip ever since. He started Happy Goat farm near Mariposa, CA (and a restaurant in Sept 2023 which I would like to visit but…) but spends most of their time when not out on comic cons near the surf of Malibu⁶. April 2023 I went to SacAnime in Roseville determined to get the selfie I missed out on last September and after shelling out $100 (which included a signed Miss Minutes poster) I got the above selfie taken on my phone by Tara’s assisstant Willie Morris (who I genuinely found to be a nice guy). Note: I brought up the EG Daily Ship It suggestion and both Tara and Willie remembered (I wasn’t lookng for him then).

Then came the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. I don’t think there was any resident of North America more affected by what happened than Tara was. And I hate to say it but especially on Twitter she let emotion get the better of reason including liking a tweet (which she since rescinded) that stated all Muslims were terrorists. She probabaly got more undeserved hate and proceeded to limit responses to her tweets to those she follows. Now I have been 95% or more supportive of her since but I am getting the feeling I am being locked out that I feel she may head to the Dark Side…which means supporting Trump. I hope I am wrong. I still care for her.⁷

My opinion about the Israel-Gaza crisis: There can be no peace unless Hamas is gone…and Netanyahu is gone.

E.G. Daily

(no selfie with her…yet so this picture from 2018 has to do⁸).

EG Daily is the most apolitical of the three. She also has the most extensive live action resume. And she (by about 12 years) is the oldest. Born on September 11, 1961 as Elizabeth (or Elizabet) Guttman in Los Angeles. She attended Beverly Hills High School and got started in small parts that got bigger including co starring roles in “Valley Girl” and “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”. Gifted with beauty and talent, she alas was not gifted in height at only 5 feet tall⁹. She was the girlfriend of Jon-Erik Hexum, forgotten pretty much today but was the incredibly handsome up and coming actor who had a tragic accident with a prop gun in 1984, leaving him dead at 26. She also launched a singing career with the #1 dance club hit “Say It Say It” which wrongly labeled her as a Madonna wannabe. Her music is much more varied.

Then in the mid 1990s she had two life changing events. First she landed the role of Tommy Pickles in the classic “Rugrats” which she has held ever since. Then she met a smooth charming professional poker player by the name of Rick Salomon¹⁰. After dating for about a month they decided to flip a coin on whether to get married. It landed “yes”. And so they were married in 1995. Shortly after she found out she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter named Hunter¹¹ (a second daughter named Tyson came along a couple years later but Hunter is more important to this story). Then EG found out that Rick had a wandering eye particularly for a young socialite named Paris Hilton. And the marriage couldn’t last. And in 2000 it ended. Rick went on to make an infamous sex tape with Paris Hilton¹² then a marriage that lasted a hot minute to Shannen Doherty and then marrying Pamela Anderson. Twice. EG has not been married since.

“Power Puff Girls” (as Buttercup) followed along with many other voice and live action roles. I first became re-aware of EG thru my parasocial relationship with Tara, particularly their “Impeachable” song about Donald Trump (parody of Christina Aguilera’s best song “Beautiful”) and I began thinking “Damn she is very close to my age but still fine as heck” so I started a parasocial thing with her and decided to wait for the next time she does a comic con local to me¹³. So that brings me back to me bringing up her name at Tara’s “Ship It Show”. After reminding Tara that EG’s birthday was a few days away (she forgot….THAT date?) Tara got Greg Cipes to try to contact EG on the phone and she mentioned something about me being her husband. I thought (and still think)’Whoa! Hold on! You are thinking way ahead!” but Greg could not contact EG. Good thing because that would have been the most awkward first conversation in the history of first conversations.

That exact same day EG’s daughter Hunter Daily released her first song called “Die In LA” and I decided to follow Hunter’s career as a way to get an “in” to EG. But then I found out I genuinely liked Hunter’s music, which is sub Swiftian indie folk semi confessional about growing up a nepo baby in a single mom home.¹⁴ Well 2022 moved into 2023 and I decided to get a Cameo¹⁵ from EG and wanted to get flowers for her but decided to tip her $50 for her Cameo and told her to buy herself some flowers and write her name in the sand (Miley Cyrus’ song was HUGE then). About that time I found out that Hunter was playing with several others at Hotel Ziggy in LA on Feb 28. So I got my free tickets and flew down to LA for a night (from the Bay Area) to see Hunter, hoping her mom would be there. And on a rainy night, I took public transportation to Hotel Ziggy arriving about 20 minutes late fearing I missed Hunter. Fortunately I was wrong but I still did not see EG and when Hunter took the stage about 9 PM I still hadn’t seen her so I was preparing to take a pic to show EG when she showed up in the middle of Hunter’s first song. I got closer to EG but she was recording her daughter’s set so I did not interrupt her so I waited for the set to end. And after EG greeted her daughter and a few others, I had my turn with her and introduced myself. Planning on asking her out to see if there is anything there between us¹⁶, I was expecting a warmer greeting from her when I greeted her. Instead I got a rather cool reception from her and was thrown off and failed to ask her out that night. So I asked my three backup questions I had prepared: “What do your friends call you” (EG) “Are you a vegan?” (yes but I am known to cheat). “How do you feel about your birthday being on Sept 11” (The answer I got basically it happened so what are you gonna do?)¹⁷. Since lighting prevented a selfie at the time,I said my goodbyes and basically left. That has been my only encounter with Ms. Daily.

Later I got her on private message (either IG or Facebook) and asked her out just to see if there is anything there. She politely declined and I said that if you ever decide to change your mind you know where to find me. And while I have maintained a good relationship with EG online ever since, that was that. I decided a few weeks ago to suspend my chasing EG leaving the dorr open for a possible change of mind by her.

I am not holding my breath.

EG put out a one woman show “Listen Closely” taped in 2003-04 which is autobiographical. Available on Amazon. She performs wearing her underwear.

Grey DeLisle/Griffin

(I hate this pic. It makes me look like I weigh 400 lbs)

Grey DeLisle is the youngest of the three, the only one that is (redacted) and the only one not vegan. And the only one I consider a friend. Why her and not Tara or EG? On Sept 13, 2023 Grey played a show with her backing rockabilly trio at GoldDiggers in LA (another one night trip to LA). I was there and when she and the band entered (through the front door!) she noticed me without me prompting her and greeted me warmly with a hug. And that is why I consider her a friend¹⁸¹⁹

Grey was born August 24, 1973 in Fort Ord, CA near Monterey. Her parents divorced early on and her mother had substance abuse issues so Grey lived with her Mexican grandmother²⁰ at Chula Vista near San Diego becoming quite the goth girl until her mom came out of rehab a Pentecostal²¹. After graduating high school (her classmate is Mario Lopez) she married briefly Christopher DeLisle (Van Oosbree is a little long for a stage name) and tried stand up comedy (she still dabbles) which featured her doing many impressions. A scout said “maybe you should try voice acting” and a legendary career was born. She made a couple of live action appearances notably as a teacher that Fez was crushing on in “That 70s Show”²². She voiced various characters on several animated shows like “Johnny Bravo” and “Rugrats” but then came the turn of the century and her first two iconic roles. First she inherited Daphne Blake from Mary Kay Bergman²³ and has voiced her in the Scooby Doo franchise almost ever since. And then there was “Fairly OddParents”, which featured Grey as babysitter from hell Vicky. And Tootie, Vicky’s smitten with Timmy Turner sister. And Principal Waxelplax. And the Tooth Fairy…and so many more.

2002 brought new romance as she married Old 97’s guitarist Murry Hammond, who helped launch her career as an alt country artist. “Billy and Mandy” and “Danny Phantom” followed and then came her favorite part of all. In the second nd third (of three) seasons of the masterwork that was “Avatar: The Last Airbender” Grey voiced Princess Azula in one of the great animated villain performances in TV history. And to me her magnum opus.

January 2007 brought Grey her first child named Jefferson Texas Hammond or Tex for short. He would go on to voice Lincoln Loud opposite her mom in “The Loud House” and become an artist extraordinaire exhibited in London and Paris. (and LA Feb 2024 where I hope to visit and meet him). Alas Grey’s marriage to Murry ended in 2010 though they remain great friends. Jared Griffin came along in 2012 and Grey had two more kids²⁴ but they divorced in 2017.

My parasocial relationship with Grey came about because of four words: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Two more? The pandemic. So I started contacting her on the socials and found out what a beautiful person she was. Inside and out. And before I became interested in EG I was briefly interested in Grey. But I had moved on with my infatuation with Grey when I found out she was attending a comic con in Stockton in August 2022. So at the age of 63 I attended my first comic con (they are a pain in the ass to attend) and stood in line and got the above selfie and of course we talked Azula (and I briefly mentioned the recently deceased Anne Heche²⁵). Next encounter was at SacAnime in Roseville April 2023. I showed her my previous selfie and discussed Azula but failed to mention the recently deceased Lance Reddick (who co starred with Grey in “Farzar” which was not one of Grey’s best series) I also brought up Ms. Chalice, a recent favorite role of hers from the geared for kids “Cuphead Show”.

Before I bring it back home I would like to mention the beautifully animated “Unicorn: Warriors Eternal” a highlight of a surprisingly strong 2023 for new animated series²⁶ of which Grey (being the only American I think) had a sunstantial role. And we are back to September 13.

As of right now of the three Grey is my favorite. But her and me more than friends? I like to say we would be so right for each other if we weren’t so wrong for each other. Where to start:

• A difference of 14 years and 400 miles

• She prefers younger men²⁷

• She also says she’s a game changer of a girl friend “If he is watching the game I will change the channel” She hates sports

• The three failed marriages is also a bit of a red flag

I guess “friends with very occasional benefits”? Who knows.

To summarize

Three extraordiary talented, beautiful and famous in their field women.

While not without virtues, one ordinary man. Certainly not rich or particularly handsome. Just smart, funny and kind (I hope they think that of me).But fortunate to know these women in passing. And for that I am eternally thankful.

If they read this and want to correct me, they have my ear. Most info about them is from online sources such as Wikipedia (FWIW),

1. I read somewhere that her name at birth was Elizabet but that may have been a typo.

2. I believe she has now settled on DeLisle

3. The only My Little Pony episode I have watched featured the voices of Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger (and their daughter) but did not have Tara in that episode.

4. I thought at the time she and Cipes had a thing going. It was a few days later I found out the truth.

5. 6 feet tall, 6 figure income and a six pack. I only qualify height wise.

6. As of December 2023 there has been no marriage proposal. My efforts to be a plus one to a possible wedding is an underlying theme of this essay. The two most likely people to invite me as a plus one are of course EG and Grey.

7. Though as of early December 2023 I feel hopeful.

8. I could have used the photo EG posted on Instagram on her 60th birthday. She looked stunning in a bikini.

9. Tara is 5’2” and Grey is the “giant” of this threesome at 5’ 3”. Maybe THAT’s why they got into voice acting despite world class looks.

10. While Rick is in Wikipedia as “poker player” if I had ever made Wikipedia it would likely be as…”poker player”

11. Hunter Daily’s song “Before It Falls Apart” alludes to this marriage better than I ever could.

12. Interestingly Paris’ younger brother Conrad was briefly linked to Hunter Daily. Yeah I know.

13. As of Dec 2023…still waiting.

14. Her first EP is available on all platforms

15. I have received Cameos from all three of those profiled. However my favorite Cameo has to be from Meredith Salenger (see footnote 3) who did hers in no time and featured a requested but still unexpected cameo by her husband Patton Oswalt and apprecation of all my compliments. My fave celeb couple.

16. That’s all I ever wanted (and still want) from her: a date to see if there was anything there.

17. My birthday is June 23, 1959, On June 24, 2022 Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court so I almost got something infamous on MY birthday.

18. If Tara or EG (or any other celeb for that matter) will do the same they will get the friend label from me. Hug not required.

19. BTW the show was a gas. A great time was had by all.

20. If there is enough indigenous blood in Grey (via her abuela) maybe she can continue to voice Azula.

21. Who hasn’t had issues with their mother?

22. Another teacher was played by Gloria Gaynor, who sang her signature hit “I Will Survive” on that episode.

23. If she had lived Mary Kay would be the current GOAT voice actress. Alas in November 1999 her inner demons caused her to commit suicide leaving the voice acting world devastated.

24. Look Grey I know you love your kids but as of writing they are both under the age of ten so therefore the privacy.

25. Who was in the worthy follow up series Korra which featured Grey briefly as a villain.

26. Tara voiced several roles in “Agent Elvis” and contributed to the surprisingly good “Captain Fall”. Inckludes the anime “Scott Pilgrim” series on Netflix.

27. When I found out Willie was 10 years younger than Tara, I was shocked. Shocked that he wasn’t 15 or 20 years younger. As I write this tomorrow will mark the 43rd anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. EG, 19 on that day, I think prefers men who weren’t born yet when that happened.