You've got to be PLAYING with me...

If you think movie remakes and video game adaptations are bad on the big screen this is sure to make you shutter. I know it made me.

You might remember a few months back that board game and toy maker Hasbro signed a six-film development deal with Universal pictures, which will include projects based on properties such as Monopoly, Candy Land, Clue, Battleship, Magic: The Gathering, and Stretch Armstrong. Can you imagine, how the hell does anyone turn a board game into a feature length movie?

I mean we've seen what happens when Producers have tried to make theme park rides into films. Sure they got lucky with Pirates of the Caribbean, but Disney's Haunted Mansion, pure garbage. Anyway, so I read something online, thanks to my friend Aaron, that Transformers Director, Michael Bay will Produce a big screen adaptation of Ouija(/wee-gee/). ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Ouija Board says "No." How can you possibly come up with a story? Knowing Michael Bay's filming techniques I wonder, will it involve a sweeping silhouette sunset shot of a Ouija board?
This is what the Hollywood Reporter had to say about this crap:

Although the specific log line for the film is being kept under wraps, the film will be a supernatural adventure with the Ouija board playing an integral part of the story. The movie is not taking a "Jumanji"-like approach, which involved a game coming to life.

It is a sad day when film makers would rather try making loads of money on a movie based on an existing product than making a film that is purely original. That is the downside of corporate film making.

100 REAL Guitar Heroes...

Find yourself arguing with your friends about the GREATEST rock songs of all time? Well, in the decade of Guitar Hero, the debate is on and the newest issue of Rolling Stone has a listing of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.

I was very impressed with the list, it includes songs from all time periods. The only complaint I have with the ranking is that Van Halen's "Panama" is listed all the way down at #47. I highly recommend you take note, all 100 of these songs would make a great addition to any music library.

Here is a list of Rolling Stone's Top 20 of 100:

1. "Johnny B. Goode" Chuck Berry (1958)
2. "Purple Haze" The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
3. "Crossroads" Cream (1968)
4. "You Really Got Me" The Kinks (1964)
5. "Brown Sugar" The Rolling Stones (1971)
6. "Eruption" Van Halen (1978)
7. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" The Beatles (1968)
8. "Stairway To Heaven" Led Zeppelin (1971)
9. "Statesboro Blues" The Allman Brothers Band (1971)
10. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana (1991)
11. "Whole Lotta Love" Led Zeppelin (1969)
12. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)
13. "Layla" Derek and the Dominos (1970)
14. "Born To Run" Bruce Springsteen (1975)
15. "My Generation" The Who (1965)
16. "Cowgirl in the Sand" Neil Young with Crazy Horse (1969)
17. "Black Sabbath" Black Sabbath (1970)
18. "Blitzkrieg Bop" Ramones (1976)
19. "Purple Rain" Prince and the Revolution (1984)
20. "People Get Ready" The Impressions (1965)

FOR MORE CLICK HERE

Precision with a Power Equipment...

I think most construction workers dream of doing something like this at some point in their professional careers...I know I would! ;)


Woman Stripped by Mechanical Shovel

Now that's what I call EXCELLENT customer service...

This is video taken from a BestBuy security camera.
*For best enjoyment play the track "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake in the background.

Internet Prodigies turned stars in Weezer Video...

Indiana Jones and the "not as good as the others but still fun" movie...

It's taken me a few days to write about it, but I need to get my opinion of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull out in the open. As I wrote a few days ago, I was one of the crazy Indiana Jones fans that braved the crowds and attended a midnight showing on May 22nd 2008.

I will say from the get go I never expected to the movie to be as good as the previous three. All the critics said that "Crystal Skull" was the 4th best Indy film in the series, but an Indy Film nonetheless. Often times I go into a movie expecting the film to be REALLY bad and come out of the theater actually liking the movie more than I would have ever guessed, Transformers. The good thing with this approach is that the flick can only better your expectations if not remain the same. Nothing is worse than when you go into a movie hoping for one thing, and you get something completely different, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. And that is exactly what I didn't want to happen with Indy 4.

I wasn't too disappointed. The fourth installment turned out to be exactly what I expected, the fourth best Indy film. Go see it...it is a lot of fun!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT....

We're only hours away...Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes to theaters tomorrow and I am seriously so stoked. In preparation for this glorious and blessed event, I will be enjoying Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with a group of friends moments before I sit down to see Indy 4 tonight at 12:01 am!

I'm hoping America won't be disappointed...words to come.

PLEASE DON'T DISGRACE THE CREATURE!

There has been some recent online banter that Director, Breck Eisner(Sahara), will be behind a remake of the Universal classic Creature From The Black Lagoon. I have some serious reservations about this. It's one thing to remake crappy 1980's movies, but to take something as "holy" as one of the original horror movies, is nearly sacrilege.

Eisner recently spoke to horror site ShockTilYouDrop about his remake -- specifically about how much CGI will be involved. "The Creature has been designed; we've spent six months designing him," explained Eisner, who also revealed that the beasty is based on a maquette designed by Mark McCreery (Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean). "We went top shelf on it. It's very faithful to the original, but updated." Eisner was also asked about the tone of the film and how sympathetic the creature would be. "We debated tone a thousand times. For me tone is the most interesting thing a filmmaker has and so the creature is a creature, it's not a monster. That's my number one thing about the movie. We're not going to turn him into a monster. He's still going to be empathetic, he's still going to be deadly, he's still going to have a misguided means of expressing his interests in a woman, but it's uniquely the creature. It's empathy for a deadly creature and tone plays a big part of that."

Overall, I must admit that Eisner's words are encouraging, but I still object to the idea of bringing back, or reinventing, if you will, the great Creature from the Black Lagoon. I will be surprised if this new incarnation of the creature will even come close to being as monumental as the original. PLEASE DON'T DISGRACE THE CREATURE!

Indiana Jones vs. The Lego Boulder...

In honor of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull coming to theaters in only a matter of days, I thought you might enjoy this madness...

What a day, what a day, the 17th of May...

The 17th of May has always been a big date in the world of Kristian Odland. All my life I have celebrated the day as the "syttende mai" or Norway's Independence Day. It is also my parents wedding anniversary. This year marks yet another monumental day in the world of Kristian, for today I bought my first brand new car, EVER.

For the last 5 years I have been driving around my trusty little 1997 Toyota Rav4 (above). Donned as The Silver Hornet, it was my very first vehicle. It was able to get me safely up and down the snowy roads of Parley's Canyon during the final 2 years of my tenure as a student at the University of Utah. It also withstood the long trek from Utah to Los Angeles in 2006, and even the everyday wear and tear of that which is Los Angeles traffic. But like every beginning, there has to be an end.

I have been talking about getting a new car for a few months, and have even been saving some extra money during that time as well. I decided to go "look" at cars on Saturday and get a head start on my auto shopping. I arrived at the dealership in North Hollywood, touched base with my contact and went for a little stroll. The test drive was awesome. Everything about the car was a dream. The only exception was that the clutch was a little sensitive, so there were a few unexpected bumps in the ride(normal behavior of a transmission with less than 1,000 miles). When I got out of the car, I was sold. It took a little longer than I would have liked, but I finally cut the deal, signed the contract and pulled my new baby off the lot. For the FIRST time in my life I was officially "in love." With only 5 miles showing on the mileage meter, the sunroof open, and my spirits high, I could have not felt any better about purchasing my 2008 Scion tC.

*A little Knight Rider Nostalgia

Battlestar Lostica?

This is a little Youtuber that took the Battlestar Galactica theme music and stylized opening and meshed it with LOST images and storyline. Well done...

GEEKS RULE!

Wall-E for real?

Although I have little interest in seeing the movie this is pretty cool.


Wall-E Spotted in LA! from Blink on Vimeo.

Suge got knocked the FUG OUT!

This is pretty wild. Suge Knight, take a seat!
Suge Knight Gets Knocked the F@#$ Out! (TMZ Exclusive)

Heroes returning with fresh blood...

This is cool. The first promo for NBC's Heroes, which is one of my favorite shows. Look for it to return this fall!

Artist of the week...The Man No. 9

This week I want to share a single music video/song from the Euro Electronic Punk band The Man No. 9. The group consists of multiple members all from different European nations. I came across this song while reading a blog by one of my favorite musical artists, Erlend Øye. He mentioned that one of his favorite up and coming bands were The Man No. 9. So naturally I checked 'em out and this is what I found. Enjoy...

The Man's Party Program

A tribute to Mama-Dearest....for Mother's Day

Don't send a lame Mother's Day eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Ok, ok, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but in my eyes, my mama-dearest has done many things as equally miraculous as those shown above. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful lady in my life. Mama, you are truly an inspiration. I am eternally grateful for all the patience and guidance you have given me. Thank you for being such a good example in my life and for being the best friend I WILL ever have. I LOVE YOU.

-"Didon"

*"Didon" aka Kristian, man I was a cute little kid! You even dressed me well, mama!

Thinking of getting a motorcycle?

If this doesn't change your mind then I wish you the best of luck...don't forget your helmet.


DO yourself a favor and don't put yourself and/or your family through something like this.

Artist of the week...Röyksopp

You will come to find that I am a little bias when it comes to musicians from Norway. This week, I want to tell you about my favorite electronic music group from the great northern nation.

Röyksopp, from Tromsø, Norway is composed of Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge. They officially formed in 1998 and released their debut album Melody A.M. in 2001. Brundtland and Berge went to school together in Tromsø, it was at that time they first experimented with electronic instruments. However, the duo did not appear as Röyksopp until years later when they met again in the city of Bergen, a vital scene for underground electronic music. The band worked with other Norwegian musicians such as Frost, Kings of Convenience’s guitarist/singer Erlend Øye.

Not only is Röyksopp's music very alluring, their music videos are very innovative and at times a bit psychedelic. See "Poor Leno" from their first album Melody A.M.



I highly recommend you check these guys out. So far they only have three albums, but each one is PACKED with great content. I can listen to all three without having the desire to skip over any tracks. You may actually be VERY familiar with some of their music and not even know it. Currently "Remind Me", one of the two Röyksopp and Erlend Øye collaborations found on Melody A.M., can be heard in a Geico car insurance commercial. The commercial is the fourth of the "It's so easy a caveman could do it" ads, and features a caveman in an airport terminal when he comes across the inflammatory ad campaign.



CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL SONG

*Random fact, the word "Röyksopp" literally means "smoke mushroom" in Norwegian and is also known as a puffball mushroom. This same word can also be used to describe the mushroom clouds that are the result of atomic bombs, so this imagery is also inherent in their name.

You know you're getting old when....

You get the invite to your 10 year High School Reunion. I'll tell you, nothing hits you like a slap in the face more than the realization that high school was a decade ago. That's right folks, I am OLD, class of 1998. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but is mere proof that time really does fly when you're having fun.

A couple of weeks ago I got an email, via my Myspace account, that brought this painful realization to light. I did however find much amusement with the ability to view fellow classmates profiles. To see how fat, bald they had become over the years, in some cases a combination of both. I had always heard that it is a wonder to see just how much people change in those 10 years. Not until now have I truly seen the reality of that statement.

Despite the obvious truth that I am indeed ten years older than those high school memories that seem so "fresh," I will be traveling back to Utah this August to meet and greet my fellow Park City High School class. Stay tuned for pictures and updates...