Masters of Illusion - Take 2

Last night, another great episode of "Masters of Illusions" aired on the MyNetwork. On this thrilling episode, the act that I was involved in aired. It is TOO funny for words. Check it out, and then be sure to comment on it (via the original youtube page)!



Enjoy!

Hollywood Convention!

Today the Hollywood Convention I went to was very cool. Some stars that were supposed to be there (Shirley Jones, etc) did not show up, and some unexpected ones (Michael J Fox) stopped by. I was next in line for a photo op with Michael J Fox, when sadly, he had to leave. It totally sucks, but that is this industry.

Anywho...I got some awesome autographs and some very special pictures. Take a look:


Charles Fleischer, the voice behind Rodger Rabit.


Carrol Spinney, the man behind OSCAR the Grouch and Big Bird!


Christopher Lloyd, "Doc Brown" from Back to the Future!

And, last, BUT NOT LEAST, Kyle with the delorian!





An attempt to re-create the poster...(more photoshop to come):

ORIGINAL:


KYLE'S:

Don't Forget!!

Don't forget to watch the 2009 TV Land Awards tonight!! Look for me in the audience :) I was sitting on the asile!

Updates

So this week has not been the GREATEST week ever, but it's going okay...

1. I found out that a friend of mine, and fellow filmmaker, John G., recently passed away in a car crash. He was the director / producer of the documentary that was done in the 7 Bridges Area of Grant Park to study the paranormals. The project was going to be pitched to Discovery & Sci Fi. I talked to John's father and told him I'd like to finish the project in John's honor, and it looks like we may be able to work something out. Keep your fingers crossed.... My condolences and sympathies go out to John and his family.

2. My iPod died :( I figured it was coming due, soon...it's pretty old. My iPod was the *FIRST* to have a color screen. Ah, such a long way technology has come since then. Now I want to get an iPod touch that has all the cool apps and such....we'll have to see about that for the near future.

3. The Hollywood Convention is this weekend! A lot of great stars will be passing through. Not as many as before, but some pretty big names...like Shirley Jones and Christopher Lloyd will be making appearances.

4. I picked up a TON of hours next week at the Red Cross filling in for some staff that has left. I'm excited about that. It looks like I'll have some potential for making money the week of Mother's Day, too, over at the flower delivery job.


That's about it, for now. I'm getting more and more excited for this summer...specifically the end of June, entire month of July, and good portion of August. I cannot wait to be home and spend time with friends and family :) The road trip home and back to Cali should also be pretty exciting.

More to come soon!

TV Land Awards - Recap

The TV Land Awards were last night! What an awesome time that was!


Alot of awards were given out to some great TV shows that have had a historical impact on society. TV Shows recognized were...

- MASH
- ER
- Home Improvement
- Married with Children
- Two and a Half Men
- Magnium, PI

Furthermore, Don Rickles and "Earth, Wind, and Fire" recieved honarary awards. "Earth, Wind, and Fire" performed one song for TV, and did another 2 songs for the audience...very entertaining and very cool! Sid and Marty Kroffit had a big tribute number, too.

A ton of celebrites were at the event! Jeff Probst, Will Ferrel, Amy Pohler, Martin Sheen, Reba McEntire, Ricky and the Band (from American Idol), and more.

Overall, an awesome event. Check it out when it airs this coming Sunday!

On a side note, I saw "MONSTERS vs ALIENS" in theatres yesterday, too. I saw it in IMAX 3D. Despite all of the horrible reviews it got, I thought it was very well done and incredibly amusing. It had a ton of good one line jokes, and it was fun.

On another side note, I am teaching an entertainment camp this summer. If you or someone you know (that is in High School) is interested in joining, tell them to contact me. The site is: www.MilwEntCamp.com .

Lastly, 2 shout outs: 1st is to Laura who made it home safely from overseas :) I missed her lots while she was gone. 2nd is to Darin -- who confirmed he is coming to visit me this summer!

Lindsay Lohan's 'Personals Ad'

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

Props to Lohan for making fun of herself. This could actually be the first step to getting a good actor back on the right track in Hollywood...

Life is a Beach

Yesterday was fun at the beach. I enjoyed going swimming, since I haven't done that in a while. Despite putting on sunscreen, the sun still managed to find me...

Easter Weekend Highlights

Hey Everyone! Boy, alot has been going on latley...here's some updates.

1. I'm going to be a VIP member of the audience for the "TV Land Awards", which are filming next Sunday. The show will air the following Sunday, so be sure to look for me!

2. I'm going to Craig Furgeson on Wednesday to see Bob Barker! :)

3. I got a letter today from Ed Harris. He sent me a nice letter about what it takes to get in the industry, and a really cool picture.



4. My grandparents sent me an Easter card :) Included with the card was the ad below. They swear the kid looks like me when I was younger....I dunno.....



5. I'll be going to spend Easter on the beach tomorrow. What a rough life it is...

Pilot was AWESOME!

The Kelsey Grammer pilot was tonight and it was FANTASTIC! It was probably one of the BEST sitcom tapings I've been to. The content was extremley funny and watching Kelsey Grammer was very cool.

Not much more to say about it really, other than I'm SURE ABC is going to pick it up for it's fall run. Fingers crossed...it's a really good show!

Kelsey Grammer Pilot

This evening I am super excited because I will be going to a pilot filming tomorrow of an 'Untitled Kelsey Grammer Pilot'. A pilot is the first show of any TV series, in which the audience is key because the actors and production team know what works, what's funny, and what's not. I'm excited :) It should be a fun time...plus it's Kelsey Grammer...and almost everything he touches turns to gold, so who knows?!

Updates

Wow, I haven't updated in a little while. Here's some updates.

1. I saw Hugh Laurie at the Gas Station the other day when I was filling up. (He's the star of House, for those of you that don't know). We talked for a few minutes while we pumped our gas, and I got an autograph from him for myself and one for my friend Laura who is a die hard Hugh Laurie fan.

2. My new part time gig working at the Flower Shop as a delivery driver is going well so far. I have had some very interesting deliveries that include (but are not limited to) FOX Studios and numerous funeral homes.... I think I am going to have alot of script ideas for TV shows come up while working this job.

Not a whole lot going on beisdes that, really. I've just been swamped latley searching for new jobs and starting new jobs...but it looks like things are finally turning around in a nice direction. Fingers crossed, things will continue to work well :) More to come soon!

Cooking

You would think that after 2 years I would catch on and figure out how to cook some simple foods. Sadly, I'm Kyle Olson and that dosen't happen so easily.

Tonight I was cooking mac and cheese.

Problem: Upon draining the noodles in the sink, I realized I didn't have any milk.

Reaction: "SHIT!"

Logical Thought: "Well, butter is made of part milk....I'll just triple the amount of butter!"

Final Result: Horrible tasting mac and cheese

Time for Connections

Greetings, Everyone.

So, in case you haven't heard latley...the California economy is in the dump. The entertainment industry is in a freeze, more/less, and nobody is quite sure where things are heading. Milk is upwards to $7.00/gallon. Gas is $3.00/gallon. The timing couldn't be worse to be in California OR to find a way into the entertainment industry.

Earlier this week I lost a job that I was pretty excited about and was planning on using to save up some serious money for the next two weeks. (It was a job teaching film to forgein exchange students that I told alot of you about when I was home). Basically, I arrived to work one morning to find the entire place shutdown. They declared bankruptcy.

So, once again I am out and searching for a job. To be honest, it is getting a little old and tiring. Who knows? Everything does happen for a reason and perhaps I will be thrilled later on when I find out some positive news, but for right now...I need to find a job, and I need to find a new plan.

As much as I love California, and as much as I don't want to leave, I am looking at expanding my horizons and exploring other places right now. Since the industry is frozen right now, and the economy in this state is worse than anywhere else in the world...I want to explore other places, gain more experience, and come back when the state, industry, and maybe even my school are back to normal.

This is where I need your help. I know I have tons of people reading my blog.

--If you have any thoughts or ideas of where I should look for jobs (anywhere nationwide!), please let me know.

--If you HAVE a job for me...slideshows, VHS to DVD transfers, you name it....please let me know! I could use the business!

--If you have any connections in the entertainment world...whether in WI, CA, or throughout the country, please let me know!


I am looking at Omaha, Nebraska as a possible area of work for my future. While many of you may laugh, there is a lot of room for growth there. More importantly, there is a huge NEED for people in the entertainment world there. Why? Because nobody wants to work in the 'middle of nowhere' on movies, tv shows, etc. Everyone would rather be in California or New York. Furthermore, Omaha's cost of living is CHEAPPPPP compared to California (and even compared to many other places!).

If you have any thoughts, any bits of help, any connections you may know about....PLEASE let me know. I am tired of California and I am ready to move on. I am looking at the entire nation and seeing where I would be benefit most from moving to. If you have anything, I'd love to hear from you.

Obama visits NBC

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was home for about a week (as most of you know) helping with GREASE at South Milwaukee High School. Since arriving back home, things have been busy to say the least. Here's an exciting update, though!

President Barack Obama made history today becoming the fist sitting President to visit a late night talk show. Later this evening, his appearance on "The Tonight Show" will air for the entire nation to see. I happened to make my way down near NBC today to grab some pictures. Needless to say, I got lucky.










In case you couldn't see in the one picture; here's the same thing blown up...

(Feel free to click on it for a larger view)

Go Michigan...Not!

Woohoo!

My schedule got changed and I get to teach up at the Crystal Cathedrial again tomorrow. You know what that means! Disneyland afterwards! I'll be done teaching by noon, so this will be great!

Good Morning America Video

Usually I embed my YouTube videos right on my blog, but for this one, you should click the link and check it out directly on the YouTube site. I tried a new feature on YouTube called "annotations" and it's pretty cool! Let me know what you think...

The link to the video is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNr5Qdxhfc

Martin Sheen

Many of you know that I like collecting autographs and such. It's a fun hobby of mine. A little over a week ago, I sent a letter (and autograph request) to Martin Sheen (the guy who played the President on The West Wing). In my letter, I asked for advice on getting into the industy, asked for an autograph, and also said my dad was a fan of the show :)

Today I recieved a hand-written card from him:



For those of you that can't read "Martin Sheenish", here's a translation:

Dear Kyle,

Many thanks for your letter received this past week.
I wish I could give you some advice that might be of some help but it sounds to me as if you have things in hand. You came to the right place to do what you love and you are committed -- all the rest will fall into place in time. Just stay focused and be true to your heart and sprit. I'll look forward to working with you some day.
With every good wish 'til then,
Martin Sheen

He also included this: :)

Academy Awards Wrap Up

I LOVED this year's academy awards. I think they were done very well, with a ton of class and style. The idea of having 5 previous winners for Best Actor, Actress, etc...was FANTASTIC! I loved seeing the previous winners welcome the new winner. And as always, seeing the legendary Steven Spielberg give the award for "Best Picture" was pretty awesome, too.

For those of you that may have looked, I only missed 3 of the predictions. All the rest, I got dead on :) I was playing on online Oscar Fantasy game on ABC.com during the show, too, and I ended up in the Top 10. I'll be getting myself an Oscar shirt (another one!) in the next week or so for making it to the top.

This morning I had the chance to be on the "Post-Oscar Special" of Good Morning America on ABC. I had a fantastic seat that was right next to the Executive Producer. It was also the area where Sam Champion and Robin Roberts would hang out before going on air, so I had the chance to really have some serious conversations with Robin Roberts. It was really fantastic.

I have a TON of respect for the professionalism that show always puts out (both on air and behind the scenes) every time I see them film live. Robin is so genuine and cares about the audience. She kept asking the DJ to turn up music on the breaks, she made sure we got fed, and she made sure to thank everyone and give hugs/shake hands.

At one point, before filming began in the morning, Robin looked up and saw this beautiful ceiling at the theatre we were shooting at. The first thing she said was "Wow!" out loud so everyone could here. The second thing she said (that was quiet, reserved, and to herself) was..."I hope the audience at home can really see this". THAT is the type of professionalism that is hard to find in this industry, and there is no doubt she is a rare catch.

At the end of the morning broadcast, they brought in the dancers from Best Picture winner "Slumdog Millionaire" to teach the audience how to dance to the Best Original Song winner "Jai Ho". It was pretty neat dancing the morning after the oscars, on national televsion, 2 feet away from Robin Roberts, WITH the stars of the Best Picture and Best Song. We even got free muffins. Life is good!

Oscars Setup!

They were setting up for the Oscars yesterday in downtown Hollywood. It's a pretty cool sight to see! Below are some pictures. I had some nice random strangers take the ones with me in them. :) Also! Check out my last 2 posts (before this one) that are also Oscar-related!