"The Sing Off" & Disney Holidays!

Hey All,

Sorry it's been a little while since my last update again. I've been swamped with numerous projects...from the Red Cross, to industry related things, I've been a busy bee.

On Sunday night, I had the opportunity to be in the audience of a new NBC show called "The Sing Off". I REALLY like this show...I have my fingers crossed that it's 4-night run does well so it can return next year. Tonight was the night that the episode aired in which I was seen in the audience holding a sign. Next Monday is the live finale, and I should be at that as well, so make sure to watch!

Today I enjoyed my time off by traveling to Anaheim to visit the Disneyland Resort. They are celebrating Christmas, so naturally, I had to go and check it all out. Some pictures are below for you to enjoy.


Snow on the mountains in Southern California!

It's December already?

Hi Everybody. Jeez...I haven't updated in a while! Needless to say, things have been busy and on top of it all, I've been sick. Thankfully I have the next two days off to relax, get back up to full speed, and catch up on things.

Thanksgiving was nice and relaxing this year. I went with Jessica to the movie theater to see "Old Dogs" starring Robin Williams and John Travolta. It was good, contrary to all of the critics that bashed it!

The day before Thanksgiving I had the chance to go to the KISS Concert at the Staples Center in Downtown LA. Red Cross was giving out tickets, and I was one of the lucky ones who got one! It was a cool concert -- the special effects were very neat, and the technology they used was impressive. It was fun watching a crowd full of die-hard fans really getting into it.

Hmmm...other than that, not TOO much else has been happening lately. I've been working quite a bit and staying busy with many projects, as always. I've been sick this past week and it really wore me down and got the best of me. Today I am feeling MUCH better and I think I pretty much have this beat (knock on wood).

Last week I finished a slideshow I've been working on for a while for Ashleigh Love. If you haven't seen it yet, it can be viewed by clicking here.

The slideshow was even feature on WISN 12 News with the story that went with the press conference Tammy & Joe had yesterday. We are all crossing our fingers that someone, somewhere can come forward and give some answers!

As we get closer to Christmas time, I am becoming more and more excited for the holiday season AND to go home and visit with family and friends. It won't be too long now!

Keep watching the blog and the twitter. I know the blog isn't updated all the time, but I try and 'tweet' an update at least a few times a day. :)

American Music Awards - Kyle's Review

Here's my review of the American Music Awards:

1. Did anybody else notice that they kept cutting to shots of Reba McEntire the entire evening?! What's with that?

2. Whitney Houston - International Artist of the Year: Cool performance. They made her look good with the 'heavenly white' theme.

3. Taylor Swift - Artist of the Year? Seriously?! I mean, REALLY!?!?

Now, we all know I have some biased opinions against her...but even with those aside, I still think Michael Jackson should have had this in the bag. The statistics for his music and movie sales since his death have been mind-blowing...far bigger and far more of an impact than Taylor Swift.

Ah well...

Updates!!

Ugh, I'm swamped. Things are going crazy lately. I've been working almost every day for 2 weeks straight. This weekend I am working on a music video, and next week, I have some days off, which will be GREAT. I'm looking forward to relaxing over Thanksgiving break.

For those that follow on my Twitter, you know that I recently received tickets from the Red Cross to see KISS in concert next week. I'm pretty excited, and I feel lucky that I got tickets for free! I love some of the benefits of working at the Red Cross!

About a week ago, I had a unique opportunity to check out a preview screening for the movie "Wolfman". It was a fantastic preview, and I am very glad I got the chance to see the movie...even though I'm not usually one for horror / thriller movies. It scared me good at some points, but it was a REALLY well done movie.

In other news, I received an email today from a lady that works over at ABC Studios that I recently met. She was in a class of mine not long ago, and since then, I have been lucky enough to stay in contact with her and she's been really helping me try to get my foot in the door at the wonderful world of Disney. In her email, she included the following line which put a grin on my face...not that I'm really out to be an actor, but it's fun and neat to hear, nonetheless and to me, it says something about my style and such. It's just an overall well rounded compliment considering the many angles at which it alludes to.

"I’d hate to waste your talent on production; you need to be on the screen."

Anyways, that's all for now, folks. I'll be around early next week when I can afford to relax and breath again. For now, I'm off to bed!!!

2012 Screening

Hello, everyone!

Boy, I've been crazy busy this week!! I've been working with Red Cross quite a bit lately -- but I'm happy and thankful, because good hours means good money.

On Thursday, I had the chance to go with my friend Elliot to see an advanced screening of 2012 in Hollywood. We had a good time and enjoyed the screening -- even though we thought the movie was a little different than we had hoped. It was a good time, nonetheless, and we had fun.

Tomorrow I'm off to teach the Burbank Police Department CPR and I'll be hitting another screening tomorrow evening. I'll update again soon!

Glee Screening!

Tonight was a great night, folks!

I had the special opportunity to attend a screening of an upcoming "Glee" episode. I just keep having REALLY good luck with the promotions they are offering!

The next episode of Glee is truly an amazing episode. SO much character development - especially with Jane Lynch's character. There's no doubt she'll be getting an Emmy for her role in the show next year.

Below is a picture or two from the evening. Not much, but it'll help see how AWESOME it was. :)

Birthday Recap

Hello, Everybody! Boy, what a crazy and exciting few days it has been.

Jessica and I celebrated our birthdays yesterday at Disneyland and we had a great time. The park had some interesting things happening -- like a random power outage in Tomorrowland and a lot of the rides having difficulties. But, on the other hand, Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance at the resort and sang a few songs in front of the castle for ABC's Christmas Day parade broadcast. It was a pretty unique day and a different Disney experience than usual. We also did the character dining experience for brunch and had a great time.

Jessica and I made t-shirts to celebrate our birthday...





A special thanks to everyone who called or texted to wish me a Happy Birthday :) It really meant a lot. When I am out here and so away from home celebrating my birthday, it can get rough at times because I am not always surrounded by family and friends, but hearing from people makes it easier :)

Also, a shout out and "thank you" to Auntie Debbie for the fun food basket and flowers. I especially got a kick out of the flowers and the mug they were delivered in! Take a look:

Penn & Teller!

This evening, in celebration of my birthday, I went to see Penn & Teller in Los Angeles. They are in town doing a 'mini tour' celebrating their 35th anniversary in show business together. My roommate Jessica was able to come, too. We didn't sit together, but obviously we saw the same show.

The show was fantastic! So funny and so intelligent. I loved every second of it. My seats were 2nd row and it was just too cool.

Afterwards, we were in for another special treat. We got to actually MEET Penn & Teller. We weren't expecting such excitement, so we only had a camera phone to use...but it worked! I also got my program autographed :)

Hey, Thanks!

Special THANK YOU to the following people for Birthday Cards I received today:

- Mom and Dad
- Grandpa W
- Grandma and Grandpa Olson
- Stephanie LaRue
- Cousin Tab (even though I'm not sure if it was a birthday card or just odd timing on a nice card she happened to send * raises eyebrow*)

Water Main Break!

Hey Everybody,

It's a crazy busy week and by the end of the week, it's only going to get busier...

Quick update: Less than a block away, we had a water main break. It was fun...like having 'Ol Faithful in your backyard. Check out the pictures below.

More updates to come soon. My Birthday is less than a week away...YAY!!!

:)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Wow...Halloween already? That means my birthday is coming up super fast!

And before long...Thanksgiving! And then Christmas! How exciting!!!

Red Cross Halloween Party

Last night we had our Red Cross Halloween Party / Meeting. It was a pretty amusing time. :) Many of us wore simple, yet fun costumes. It was nice to catch up with the group, since we all get along very well.


I dressed up as 'The Great Pumpkin'. People got a kick out of it.


My boss dressed up as an infant manikin. That was pretty funny.


One of the other instructors dressed up as our boss. That was even funnier.


The group shot!

America's Funniest Videos

I had the pleasure of going to the special 20th Anniversary taping of America's Funniest Videos (previously known as America's Funniest HOME Videos). I can't say much about the episode, since I signed a big form saying I wouldn't say anything...but I WILL re-post what Tom Bergeon (the host of AFV) put on his blog.

Tom said...

"Taped special AFV last night with Bob Saget. Airs Nov 29 on ABC. The adults only version will make a great DVD. Or end both our careers!!"

I'll be able to explain more and blog about it once the episode airs :) But, needless to say, it was pretty awesome. Tom also released a picture. If you look in the top left corner of the picture, you can see two guys. I'm sitting next to them just outside of the frame :)

DirecTV Commercial

There's alot of talking going around right now about a new commercial that is out for DirecTV. It includes the late Chris Farley in a fun sketch with David Spade.

I think it's pretty fun, and kinda neat that we have the technology and smarts to pull something like this off. Most people think just the opposite...that it's rude and offensive.

Take a look:

Barry Manilow Concert!

I went to the Barry Manilow concert last night at the Hollywood Bowl!

Quit laughing.

It was a GREAT concert. Barry put on quite the show and really impressed the crowd by performing some rare songs and funny sketches. Enjoy a picture or two I took below!

Special thanks to Mom and Dad for this awesome concert birthday present :)

Toy Story

Today, in just a little while, my friend Elliot and I are going to go to the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood to see Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D. It should be a good time!

Below is the new, official trailer for Toy Story 3, which comes out this summer. Check it out...it looks hilarious!

It's Raining in California!

For those of you that might have heard, it's raining in California.

It doesn't rain often in California, and when it does, people here FREAK OUT. People don't know how to drive, traffic guards are brought in to assist, news stations cut to "BREAKING NEWS: STORM OF THE YEAR" clips, car accidents occur every five minutes, mudslides are taking out roads, and the National Guard is usually called in at some point or another by the Governor. Can you imagine if it SNOWED?!

Anyways, last night and the night before on 'The Tonight Show', Conan O'Brien observed the same reaction that us out-of-towners, (like Jessica and I), noticed to the California rain. When you watch them, you may roll your eyes or wonder why it's so funny...but this is an EXCELLENT, DEAD-ON parody of how Californians react to the rain. The 2nd one is even more accurate than the first. HAHA!

It's Been A While...

Hey Everybody,

Sorry it's been a while since I updated last.

For those of you that did not hear, my good friend Anthony Love's sister, Ashleigh Love, was tragically killed last week Tuesday. After hearing the horrible news, I spent the remainder of the week in shock, and my weekend was spent back in Milwaukee supporting Anthony and the rest of his family.

I am now back in Los Angeles and moving along. I've been putting up a lot of twitter updates lately (more so than blog posts), so be sure to keep checking those out on the blog! I know I've been slow and behind on blog posts, so fear not...I will be updating a lot more in the future, as I have many things to blog about!

Thanks to everyone for your continued support, and keep Anthony's family in your thoughts in prayers for the upcoming weeks...they need it.


A picture of Ashleigh, Mary, and myself singing karaoke at Anthony's grad party.

How Many?

This is fun...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Wall-E Toothbrush

I'll be posting more stuff tomorrow since I have some time off, but for now, here's the big news story in Kyle's life...



I got a Wall-E Toothbrush! :)

Updates

Hey, Everybody! Lots of updates to chat about.

Emmys - The Emmys on Sunday evening were fantastic! SUCH a good show! Congrats to CBS and Niel Patrick Harris for kicking butt. I did my usual Emmy predictions and I was only off on 3 of the awards. They were in the drama category, so they don't count anyways...HAHA! Just Kidding :)

George W. Bush - I don't think I really told anybody about this, but about a month ago, I sent a letter to former President George W. Bush seeing if he would sit down with me for an interview. I figured it'd be cool to interview him about him...not about his presidency...but about George W. Bush as a person. Well, today I got a call from his head secretary. She regrets to inform me that he isn't doing interviews NOW, but when he DOES start doing some, I'm on the list. :) That's pretty cool. No matter what you may think about Bush, he's a president, and that's awesome.

Fires - It's hot. It's dry. More fires are starting. Fire season has only just begun. The BIG, MASSIVE fire that started a few weeks back is finally starting to be contained. Hopefully in a week or so it'll be out.

Disney - I had the chance to be on the Disney lot the other day for their ABC Fall Lineup Fair. It was pretty cool to see how they promo all the shows to the Disney staff. Five for Fighting was there (they are a band, for those that are clueless) and they did a concert in which I was probably one of 50 in attendance for.

I've had a lot of motivations lately to get in the industry, and I feel myself getting farther and closer than ever before. I'm working on a new reel, and I'm pushing myself to really get out there. Life is going well, things are heading in the right direction, and now it's just a matter of pushing harder, bigger, and better to get there.

More to come soon!

I'm Still Alive!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posting....the final D23 updates (and a TON of pictures) will be coming soon.

Make sure to watch The Emmys tonight!

Check back for an update VERY soon!

Disney Convention - Day 3

I am WAY too exhausted to post a big, long, detailed blog tonight. I have to be up VERY early tomorrow for the Pixar Keynote.

Keep following the tweets on this blog (over on the right side of the page!)

One quick, exciting story: We ran into Nicolas Cage (we pretty much scraped shoulders) tonight while walking at the Disney Hotel! :-)

Check back soon for updates and pics!

Disney Convention - Day 2

This was an amazing day and I am EXHAUSTED!!

I'll upload a few pictures below, and make sure to read / follow my twitters on the right hand side of the blog for the next few days. (If you haven't been following, be sure to catch up!)

The highlight of the day was the keynote for Disney Studios. It was FULL of tons of surprises! We got to see some exclusive video clips and see TONS of celebrities visit. Some celebs included Nicholas Cage, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Tim Burton, the Muppets, and Johnny Depp...who came out dressed and acting like Captain Jack Sparrow. Here's some pictures from Disney's site; property of Disney.





There's MANY more details that I'll go into later....but for now, just take my word that it was EPIC. It started with a 20 minute musical orchestrated montage of the wonderful world of Disney; and from there, it only got better! Johnny Depp ended it all with an explosion of applause and excitement.

Enjoy the pictures from the animation event held in the afternoon.

Disney Convention - Day 1

Hello, everyone! Greetings from Anaheim, California at the D23 Disney Convention!

Things are going great here and there is a lot of excitement to catch everyone up on. It's been a long day, so this will not be a very long post...but I am going to try and post as many pictures as I can and give some bullet points that highlighted the day. More details will come later (when I have more time and a better internet connection). It's been quite a tiring day..(Jessica has already been asleep for a while), but these updates are too good to pass up.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW MY TWITTER UPDATES (either here on the right side, or on Twitter) AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. I'll be updating TONS throughout the convention.

- Bob Iger (CEO of Disney) had a great keynote address this morning. The crowd got to see the first 30 minutes of Princess and the Frog; along with some other special Disney videos.

- The Disney Legend Awards were fantastic. Disney Legend Awards are given each year to some of the 'best of the best' in this Disney Corporation. Past recipients include Julie Andrews, Tim Allen, Dave Smith (creator of the achieves), and much more. This year, the Golden Girls, voices of Donald Duck and Goofy, and Robin Williams were among the recipients. Robin Williams was HILARIOUS and had the crowd laughing in tears.

- Security for the “Arena Events” (Bob Iger Keynote, etc) is INSANE. They collect all electronics and cameras before each event and check them. Lines are crazy...not normal of a Disney event at all...has a lot of people confused. Many events we cannot have our cell phones...so if you notice me not sending updates to Twitter for a while...that's why!

- I had the lucky privilege of being front row at the ABC presentation with Tom Bergeron, Kelsey Grammar, Patricia Heaton, and Donny Osmond (just to name a few). We got to see previews for all the upcoming ABC shows; and we also got to see some Dancing with the Stars performances that were out of this world.

- My roommate Jessica is experiencing the Expo with me, and we have hit a lot of great shops at the convention. Things here are CRAZY cheap!!

- Jessica and I also had the unique chance to see the Disney Museum and Auction Lot...which shows some special Disney treasures; some of which are Disney's to keep (original Mickey Mouse Club costumes, etc), and some of which are being sold off (original check signed by Disney himself).

- One of the most special things we have been able to see during our time here is the AMAZING technology that Disney is creating for the future. From Disney Animatronics for rides that are both in existence now (ex: Hall of Presidents) and coming (ex: Cars Land), the technology that we are seeing is CUTTING EDGE and NEVER before seen. Jessica and I were blown away. Among the amazing sights (and believe me, there were a lot!) was a fully functional and responsive robot of Wall-E. It talks, dances, moves, and everything without anybody pushing a button. How cool is that?!?!

- Another technology Disney is working on “Sand Projection”, which is similar to the technique they use for projecting onto the water for things like Fantasia. Basically, imagine going to the beach and the entire sandy area is now a screen for your pleasure and enjoyment.

- While this is just a sample of what we did today, there was a lot more we got to accomplish and see that I cannot even begin to list. Day 1 went very well, and I am looking forward to the next few days. Tomorrow Nicolas Cage and Tim Burton will make an appearance and it should be pretty awesome.

Enjoy the swarm of pictures! And watch for more updates!

Excitement!

Hey Everybody! Lots of excitement recently!

The Disney Convention is REALLY close! I can't wait!

For those of you that haven't seen, my hotel is SUPER close to the Convention Center...it's basically right next to it. Here, you be the judge:


More exciting news -- My new roommate Jessica has arrived! We'll be going around town shopping and stuff today :-)