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 :-)

"I wish the California economy was as easy to pump up as these dumbbells"

This picture of Arnold investigating the fires was taken yesterday. (Yes, the fires are still burning). I thought it was an amusing picture...


Cost to take out the Fire: $100 million
State Deficit: $42 Billion
Finding weights for Arnold to play with: Priceless

I'm on FIRE!

Hello, friends!

It's been a while since I updated. I've been swamped this week with work and the wonderful California fires. For those of you that haven't heard, our state is in flames. There's about 11 fires throughout the state; most which are in Southern California. Because the wind if blowing in the direction of our apartment complex, our place is on 'the list' of places deemed 'bad air quality'. While no evacuations are in store as of right now, it's not entirely out of the equation. I'm crossing my fingers everything stays fine.

My new roommate Jessica is on her way out to the great state of California. She should be moving in next week! I'm excited.

I'm also excited for the Disney convention which is now officially less than a week away! I have tons of prepping to do still, but everything will be ready by the time I'm there! :-)

More pictures of the fire are below. You can also see an amazing time lapse if you click here.

Mini NYFA Reunion

Tonight I had a mini NYFA reunion with Elliot and Abby. For those of you not aware, NYFA = New York Film Academy - which was the workshop I attended in Orlando, FL at Disney World for filmmaking.

We went out to eat and then they came back to my place to hang out and chat for a bit. Elliot moved out here just last week, and will now be living here full time...so that's really exciting! I'm looking forward to working on some projects with him in the future. Abby still has a year left of schooling on the East Coast before she comes back out to the West Coast.

We decided we needed to take some pictures together, so we managed to grab a few...

Glee Day!

Hello everybody!

This weekend has been a fabulous chance for me to relax and catch up on tons of things that I've been wanting to catch up on for a while.

For those of you wondering how "Glee Day" went, it was fantastic. We had front of the line VIP access for everything, and it was spectacular. The cast was super nice and friendly, and I had a great time. Below are some pics:

Glee VIP Tickets

So, I was already excited as it was to meet the cast of Glee today, but this morning, I received some REALLY exciting news.

I won VIP tickets to meet the cast today!! I signed up just two days ago on a whim, and to my surprise, I got the tickets!

Much more to come later this evening!!

Fires

There are 4 fires currently happening in Southern California. All within an hour of my house. One I can actually see from my house...it sucks. The air quality sucks, and it's just a sad situation.

Here's some pics:

I'm Getting Excited!!

Hey Everybody!

Sorry for the delay in updates...things, as you can imagine, have been CRAZY lately.

I'm currently getting prepared to attend the D23 Convention in a few weeks. It's a 4-day convention that takes place just across the street from Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. The event is for die-hard Disney fans, as well as people like me that really want to be a part of the Disney family. :-)

The convention lineup is CRAZY! They have so many things planned...tons of people...there's meet and greets (with people like Kelsey Grammer!) and keynotes titled, "So you want to be a Disney Imagineer?" and all KINDS of stuff. It's going to be an amazing 4 days...

Otherwise, not a whole lot has been going on. I'm still getting back to life in California. Today was CRAZY hot with temperatures breaking 3 digits.

Not long ago, I had the chance to teach (with fellow red-crossers) a HUGE class to a few HUNDRED people at Junior Achievement. Below are some fun photos from the event:


Eugene helping to load the Red Cross van with TONS of manikins.


Bianca surrounded by the hundreds of manikins.

CSI: NY, Lasers, and Obama Jokers

Hello Everyone!

Boy, things are a lot quieter and relaxed around here now that the girls have left. It sure was great having them visit, but now I am back and pushing forward 110%.

I have a lot of updates to share with everyone...from both here and from back in Wisconsin during July. I'll be sharing them over the next few weeks, so make sure to stay tuned to the blog for tons of updates.

Today I have a few quick exciting things to talk about!


1. I happened to drive by a location where they are shooting "CSI: NY". I saw Gary Sinise walking by. I was tempted to pull down my window and yell "Lt. Dan!", but I didn't...

2. On Amanda's last day in L.A., we took a trip to the Hollywood Laserium. It's home to an amazing laser show that is done to the music of the Beatles. It was a pretty impressive show! Here's a picture:



3. For those of you wondering, I AM working on making a master album of my road trip with the girls. It should hopefully be up by the end of the weekend...

4. The "Obama Joker" posters are EVERYWHERE in L.A. I'm not sure if this made news in Wisconsin, but there are posters all over around here that feature a interesting photoshop rendition of Barack Obama. It's pretty amusing...and whether you agree with what the poster is saying or not, it IS a pretty good photoshop job.




More updates to come soon! It's bedtime for me now...I have to teach in the morning!

Chicken and Waffles...who knew?

Last night the girls and I had the opportunity to dine at an amazing place called "Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles". You may think it sounds crazy, but believe me, it's not.

Perhaps I am biased because it involves two of my favorite foods ever...but even still, it is, without question, some of the best food I've ever had. I even got a t-shirt with their awesome logo on it :)





Today was also Amanda's birthday. We had a blast checking out Hollywood, the beach, and Roscoe's. We came home to celebrate with cake and presents :).