Jessica's New Bunny

Hello Everybunny...I mean, Everybody!

Thanks for continuing to watch my blog. I know I don't update as much as I used to, but I guess that's a good thing...since my lack of updating is because I've been keeping busy out here.

I have a lot of exciting stories that I'll be sharing on here over the next few days. The big one today is that Jessica adopted a bunny. We played with her in the hallway tonight and had some fun. (I predict a bunny mini-movie in the near future...) You can see a picture below, and if you click on the link, you can see even more.

Enjoy! More updates to come soon...and there are some good ones comin'!


http://ppshollywood.com/Jessica%20Bunny/

"I'm with Coco" Rally

On Monday, I had the chance to head over to Universal Studios with my roommate Jessica to support Conan O’Brien at a rally that was held in his honor. It was POURING rain at the event, and the wind was incredibly strong. In my time in Los Angeles, I’ve never quite seen it as bad as it was that day.

The rally was very exciting and full of lively spirits. Everybody was so nice and full of energy – it was fun to see and be a part of. It was also fun to read everyone’s creative signs that were at the rally. It’s hard to imagine, but after seeing numerous rallies and protests (writers strike, etc) in Hollywood; this strike, without question, was the most energetic and upbeat crowd of them all.

After being there for an hour or so, we received word (via rumors) that Conan O’Brien himself might be making an appearance. We were all told to gather on ONE side of the street and continue our support protest there. Everyone moved to the other side as we were told, and what happened next was truly unbelievable.

As some of you may have seen on “The Tonight Show”, Conan sent out his band member – LaBamba – in a pope-mobile like vehicle to wave and serenade the crowd with his trombone. It was hilarious and put everyone in a very energetic mood. Everybody was feeling pretty confident that we would be seeing Conan after seeing LaBamba make an appearance.

About 30 minutes after LaBamba came strolling by, something CRAZY happened. Conan O’Brien came out of nowhere from the Universal City entrance hill and started running down the street. As he ran, he greeted fans and supporters with high fives and hugs. He had no security, no camera guys, NOTHING. He was running down Lankershim Blvd all by himself.

As he continued to run down Lankershim Blvd, the crowd began to follow (because Conan encouraged us to). So, imagine this: A crowd of 500 people running frantically down Lankershim Blvd at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Monday following Conan O’Brien. Can you imagine being a car on the other side of the road and seeing this play out before your very eyes? It was pretty cool and it was clear everyone’s adrenaline was rushing. As we ran down the street, almost as if by magic, the rain suddenly stopped and the sun began to shine down on the streets below.

Conan lead his group of supporters to the main gates at Universal Studios, where his interns greeted us with pizzas for EVERYONE. Usually, celebs like to say “we have pizza for everyone”, but in reality, only the first few hungry fans get a slice. For this event, that was NOT the case – EVERYONE got pizza…and lots of it! As we began to munch on the pizza, Conan O’Brein, Andy Richter, Max Weinberg, and the rest of ‘The Tonight Show’ staff went on the roof of their studio complex to wave and drop an “I’m with Coco” banner. It was quite an incredible moment, and everyone could tell Conan was truly touched by the incredible amount of support that came to take on the rain.

While a lot of people wonder why most of these events didn’t air on ‘The Tonight Show’, I think it’s quite classy of Conan that they didn’t. Conan didn’t run down the street and buy pizzas and stand on the rooftops of building for his show or good ratings…he did it because he wanted to thank his fans, and THAT, is something that is rare to find in celebrities in Hollywood.

Check out the video I made from the event:

The Late Night Fiasco

This whole ordeal with NBC and the ‘tug of war’ fight between Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno is getting insane. Let’s look at the facts, people!

History
NBC’s history has shown that ratings and strong support come with time. Jay Leno didn’t walk in with the strongest ratings ever when he started ‘The Tonight Show’, and most shows (not just on NBC) that end up being successful, start off just as slow as all the rest.

Investing Short Term / Long Term for the Future
There’s no question that Conan O’Brien is an investment in NBC’s ‘long term’ future. He’s going to be around in the business for a while, and he is building his fan base with older viewers. Granted, there are quite a few viewers who aren’t the biggest fans of Conan – but Jay didn’t have the biggest fan base when he started ‘The Tonight Show’, either. As he continues to host and make a presence in late night, Conan and NBC will find that those older viewers will be like his younger viewers, and show a ton of loyalty and support to the show; which, in return, will result in stronger ratings, happier affiliates, and proud NBC executives. If NBC decides to move Leno back to 11:35, they are investing in a ‘short term’ future. Leno won’t be along for more than another 5 years or so – if that. Remember, he wanted to RETIRE, but NBC begged him to stay. Leno agreed to stay on, assuming ‘the experiment’ would work. However, the experiment failed.

The Experiment Failed – MOVE ON.
The “Jay Leno Experiment”, which involved putting Jay Leno into primetime, failed for NBC. The idea of putting Leno back in the 11:35 timeslot is silly…if the ratings aren’t doing well at 10:00, then clearly Jay has lost his support. NBC hasn’t realized that Jay DOES NOT have the support he had when he was on ‘The Tonight Show’. Why? Jay’s primetime show was attempting to do the exact opposite thing that Conan’s current version of ‘The Tonight Show’ is doing – become a ‘cool’ and ‘entertaining’ show with the younger audiences. While Leno may found some sketches and bits that younger audiences enjoy, in doing so, he has lost his older and dedicated crowd from ‘The Tonight Show’. Most of the sketches featured on “The Jay Leno Show’ were way over the older crowd’s head, and thus, Leno didn’t have his ‘old spark and charm’ that he had on ‘The Tonight Show’.

Jay isn't keeping his word
When Jay Leno left ‘The Tonight Show’, he talked about leaving a legacy behind. He said he was proud to know that a close-knit family had been created from his 17 years of working on the show. He also asked everyone to give Conan their full support as he took over ‘The Tonight Show’. Furthermore, before ‘The Jay Leno Show’ even began, Leno was asked what would happen if the show ‘received poor reviews and wasn’t funny’. Leno’s response was clear – ‘if the show isn’t funny or successful, I wouldn’t want the show to stay on the air’. Now, in the midst of all this drama and talk, nobody sees Leno stepping down…he isn’t holding his word about maintaining the legacy of ‘The Tonight Show’, and he isn’t showing that he is willing to ‘take one for the team’, so the network can start to rebuild.

This isn’t fair to Conan and his crew
Not that television has ever been concerned with what’s fair, but when you consider that Conan O’Brien and his entire crew put quite a bit on the line for the new ‘Tonight Show’, you can’t help but feel bad. Everybody came with Conan when he moved to L.A. – the crew, the producers, the band, and everyone else in-between. Now, all of these families are likely sitting on pins and needles to hear the result of what could potentially be a huge, life-changing experience for them all.

If the show was doing bad because of ridiculous ratings, families would understand – its part of living and working in the business of television. But for a show to be kicked off the air because NBC wants to try and ‘play it safe’ and attempt to gain ratings with an old dog that can’t pull off any new (or even old!) tricks, that’s just wrong. And yes, people can say, “well, that’s the business of television, too”, and they would be right – but sometimes, people like to see the networks “do the right thing”, even if it isn’t what NBC really wants to do. NBC is hurting as it is…I think the last thing they wish to be viewed as is a company with no integrity, class, brains, or follow-through.

Happy New Year :)

Happy 2010, everybody!

I know it's been a while since I've posted...I've been bad at keeping up with the blog lately, but I am making a push to get back into the swing of posting more often again.

Make sure you continue to check out the 'tweets' I post -- I try and make sure there's at least a few up each day, if possible!

Enjoy some pictures below from my trip back home! I cannot thank everyone back in Wisconsin enough for an incredible time during my visit back to the dairyland. I miss you all!

"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!