Mr. Monk and the Odlands...

After working on the hit USA series Monk for the last 3 seasons I was honored to attend the show's final wrap party. Here are a couple pictures of Tony Shalhoub with me and my mother. Yes, I'm a good son, I take my mom to fancy schmancy Hollywood parties.

Universally Friendly

"Universally Friendly" I made this with Photoshop. What do you think?

Haven't blogged in a while. Here's why...

For the past few months things have been very hectic in the life of Kristian Odland. The madness all started at the end of July with Comic-con 2009 in San Diego. As usual the convention was completely enjoyable (as you can see in the photo). My badness brothers, Tim & Kyle, joined me at the convention and we partook in the geeky goodness. Click here to see all the pictures from the madness.

Only days following the magic that was Comic-con, came the Odland family vacation. I packed my bags and flew east to Utah to meet up with the family for our week-long trip to Jackson Hole, WY. There was loads of outdoor fun to be had including canoing, hiking and swimming. But as it is true with all vacations, it went by WAY too fast. The downside of my vacation coming to an abrupt end was the fact that I had huge pile of stuff to deal with on my plate of life. A new job at KTLA and the giant chore of finding a new roommate.

Now, weeks later I'm working 7 days a weeks, have found a new roommate and couldn't be more content with life. Now I just need to get back to blogging. I have neglected you, oh Royal Journal, for too long now. Time to reconcile!

Oh in case you're wondering what I'm doing at KTLA, I'll show you...



Freelance news writer KTLA, Los Angeles
short by Sarah Grooters

District 9 Comic-con Trailer...

I saw this at SDCC 2009, and it completely changed my opinion on what I thought District 9 would be. This has now become the movie I am most looking forward to. See for yourself...

A holiday short that gets us all warm and bloody!

I love Christmas, it is the most special time of year, and apparently the sacred holiday has come early in 2009. Only seven months after I witnessed this miracle at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, horror short Treevenge is FINALLY available for the general public to enjoy. This 15 minute blood bath is sure to please horror fans everywhere. So grab your scarf, your mittens and freshly sharpened chainsaw and spread some holiday smear!

Hollywood might as well spit in the face of Horror...

Now this just angers me. Early this week word came from the blogsphere and other entertainment news outlets that Hollywood is going to remake (or blasphemize) two of my very favorite horror flicks.
First to be pantsed in front of its entire genre is the hugely popular cult classic An American Werewolf in London. The rights of this horror have been sold to Dimension Films and it will be remade. With VERY few exceptions (Dawn of the Dead (2004)) Hollywood hasn't shown that the horror remake fairs well among true fans of the genre. John Landis wrote and directed this 1981 film, which was also the inspiration behind Michael Jackson's Thriller music video. Probably the ONLY ray of light in this abyss of disgust, the fact that Landis is attached to executive produce the refake, and will likely act as a consultant. Trailer

On deck to be "done over" is the 2008 Swedish horror Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). That's right, that's no typo, and you didn't misread anything, some genius has decided to remake a movie that wasn't even released (in the US) a full calendar year ago. Talk about slapping director Tomas Alfredson in the face and proclaiming:

"Sorry buddy, you're breakthrough, beautifully shot and directed film happens to be in Swedish and clearly isn't good enough for American audiences. We'll have to redo the whole thing in English this time."

For any of you who happened to see L.T.R.O.I, you know just as well as I do that remaking this film is indeed an insult of gigantic proportions. This movie is easily one of the best, if not THE BEST, vampire movie I have seen. Its simplicity is what gives the film its charm. Hollywood wants to beef it up with visual effects and CGI, it will surley lose that magical element. When asked about his film being remade, Alfredson expressed unhappiness, saying that "Remakes should be made of movies that aren't very good, that gives you the chance to fix whatever has gone wrong" and expressing concern that the end result would be too mainstream.



Cloverfield director Matt Reeves had signed to write and direct the English language refake. Hammer Films acquired the remake rights at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and Overture films plans to release the film in 2010. BOO! boycott this poop!

I find it quite disturbing that Hollywood is willing to rape and desecrate the films that have built the very foundation to the pedestal that the entertainment industry is on today. If this pattern continues, that foundation will erode and all will come tumbling down.

Dolphin espionage on the Japanese seas...

You want controversy, this Sundance Film Festival favorite documentary is guaranteed to please. The Cove


If you don't know what the secret is they are hiding this short video sums it up. (warning:Graphic content)

This winters must have video games...

Now these are getting me all giddy with excitement. I mean really, who hates being a part of a fictional world war, or better yet, a Cajun-style Zombie outbreak. If these two titles are anything like their predecessors, then they'll seriously give us ALL something to look forward to this winter.

Left 4 Dead 2 (November 17, 2009)

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Party of One

Snatch Wars: The adventures of Brick Vader

This is easily the funniest movie mash up I've EVER seen.

10 minutes of Terminator Salvation..

If you don't want anything to be spoiled DO NOT WATCH THIS! If you do choose to watch, do it quickly before FOX has it taken down.



Terminator Salvation arrives in Theaters May 21

"Stand By Me" around the world...

This is very cool. Various street performers from around the world recorded in their home towns, on the street, and mixed cleverly into ONE track.


Check more songs like this HERE

District 9 Teaser Trialer...

Peter Jackson's latest feat as a Producer, District 9. This teaser trailer should give you chills.

Tis' the season for New BLOOD...

This quickly became one of my new favorite TV shows last year, thanks to being caught at home with an illness and HBO on Demand. Now, its returning for a second season this June. Here is a promo for the highly anticipated season 2 of HBO's True Blood.

First image from Iron Man 2...

Tony Stark hard at work in his laboratory! Check this article in USA Today!

Sly cometh with tattoos and even more guns blazin'...

Stallone is bringing OLD SCHOOL action back to the big screen in 2010 with his latest project, The Expendables. Wearing multiple hats again as Actor/Writer/Director (Rocky Balboa, Rambo), Sly has bulked up and painted some tats on for his latest character, Barney Ross. He has also built a veteran all-star action movie cast to butt heads with and blow up more real estate than Donald Trump owns. In no particular order they are...

Eric Roberts, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Danny Trejo, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is rumored to make a possible cameo. For face value this looks to be the action movie all us 1980s babies hoped to one day see, with a few recent additions, of course. Had you said then that we would get the chance to see Rambo, Captain Ivan Drago and (possibly) the Terminator all in the same movie you would have been called crazy. Obviously, we have to thank steroids for making all of this possible. Thank goodness Hollywood doesn't have an "anti-doping policy" the more muscle-bound the action movie, the better! Check out this little behind the scenes peek at the Expendables:

Rantings of a mad Utah Jazz fan...

I know most of you don't give a damn about the Utah Jazz, or even the NBA for that matter, but it is necessary for my own sanity to rant about the conclusion of this years season.

Going into the playoffs most Jazz fans knew that it was going to be an uphill battle facing Kobe and his Los Angeles Fakers, I'm the first to admit that. In fact, I would have been SHOCKED had Utah come out on top in the end. Yeah the Jazz had their "shiny moments" against the Lakers, but in the end those moments of execution hardly sidetracked the Laker course and Los Angeles closed the series 4 games to 1.

So what now?

I'll tell you what, some changes MUST be made. If I was offered the chance to make aforementioned changes this off season, without any hesitation they would be:

1. TOUGHNESS - With very few player exceptions, the team as a whole is neither mentally or physically tough enough to prosper in an NBA post season. Charles Barkley said it best while referencing the Jazz "Its hard to win in the playoffs when the toughest guy on your team is the coach." Jerry Sloan as a player was notorious for being rough and tough, was even named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team 4 times. Sloan is also the fourth all-time winning coach in NBA history. He's as hard ass as it comes, my hats off to you Jerry, getting ejected in the final Jazz game of the post season says it all(below). If nothing else at all, the Jazz should try to emulate Jerry's intensity ON the court.


2. Loose the Booz - Carlos Boozer is a worthless power forward. While he was out with an injury during the regular season, the Jazz thrived. You would imagine that a player of his size and stature (6'9" 266) would be a force in the post, but Boozer consistently shoots fade-away jumpers and throws up weak lay ups like a terrified middle-schooler. He's done nothing more than prove to Utah that he's a big softie that can't contribute when it matters. He also seems to believe that screaming after his in-game mistakes makes everything better. Seriously, who can argue...Paul Millsap has done more good on the court CONSISTENTLY than Boozer has done all season. I'd give Millsap the starting position (if he decides to stay) or bring in someone else for far less money. Losing Boozer would open up a lot of money for the Jazz, he made $11.6 million this season. Lets hope he opts out of his remaining contract before the start of next season. *fingers crossed.

I could easily keep going, but these were the biggest to chunks I needed to get off my chest. Now that our season is officially over, the Jazz need to spend this off-time recouping and thinking about how to building a better supporting cast for Deron Williams, he deserves it, Utah deserves it, hell, the late Larry H. Miller deserves it. That's my rant and I'm stickin' to it!

Arnold will be a Terminator again...

It's official, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be appearing in this summer's revamp of the Terminator franchise, well sort of. Variety reported this week that the Guvunator revealed recently that his "likeness" will appear in Terminator Salvation, but he himself will not be acting. In other words, a digital recreation of Arnie will be used instead.

"A body-cast mold of Schwarzenegger, created when he first appeared as the muscle-ripped cyborg (in the '80s), provided the basis for a digital-effects version of his famous character. The figure appears in "Terminator Salvation" as a living, breathing actor."

"Schwarzenegger viewed the resulting footage and gave his go-ahead just in time for McG to include the footage before the helmer completes his cut of the movie."

Terminator Salvation opens in theaters May 21st.

Dare I say "BEST SCIFI" movie of 2009...

If you see ONE scifi film in the theaters this summer, this has GOT to be it. Moon pits Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) as a lonely astronaut approaching the end of his 3 year contract working a moon base. Things quickly start to change putting him in a spiral of delusion and confusion, which Director Duncan Jones captures beautifully in the spirit of scifi classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey.



I was fortunate enough to see this film at the Sundance Film Festival 2009, and can confidently add that it was one of my personal favorites this year. Stunning visual effects, a great script and a noteworthy performance by Sam Rockwell, are all golden factors in this cinema treasure. I highly recommend, that given the option, you check this film out. You won't be disappointed.
Moon will be released in New York and Los Angeles on June 12.

The Wii for Shii...

Ignore that this is in a foreign language. Trust me it doesn't matter. What you are about to see is "Hii"larious!

Southwest Rapper...

If only their flights were as smooth as this flight attendants rhymes!

Life experience! I got to see Prince perform...

Everyone has moments in their life that they will never forget. I had one of those said experiences today. As an employee of NBC, there are frequently certain perks I am able to enjoy, one being that I can attend tapings of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Today, I was lucky enough to see Prince perform one of his new songs on the show. This is how it ended...



Let me ask you, what would you do if Prince handed you his guitar with the very strings on them still vibrating? Well it just so happens that the guy who had the guitar passed to him writes for TMZ. Here is his reaction to the epic hand-off. FAIL!

Willy Wonka the Horror!

Christopher Llyod makes a scary Willy Wonka!

Gobstopper Trailer from Paul Scheer

Apple has done it again...an even smaller iPod Shuffle

Killer Robots and Porn....Utah will like!

I learned two things today that quite frankly don't surprise me at all.

First, the revamped Terminator movie, Terminator Salvation, is going to be one helluvan action movie. This new trailer justifies my claim:

If you don't think so, you can suck an egg!

Speaking of "sucking," I also learned today that the little, sheltered, ultra-conservative, Mormon state of Utah, (my home state) apparently has a hefty craving for Porn. Again, this is not very surprising...

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah is number 1 for online pornography consumption. A study by a Harvard Business School professor says Utah out-browses all other conservative states when it comes to the use of the online smut.

Also, the Tribune article mentions an analysis published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, "Online porn subscription rates are higher in states that enacted conservative legislation banning same-sex marriage or civil unions and where surveys show support for conservative positions on religion, gender roles and sexuality."

Funny how people from the very group that is so FIRMLY against the "perversion of the sanctity of marriage" have, at the same time, online subscriptions to juggs.com and MILF.net! Now there's some true morals one can value!

SONY's new stupid piece of crap that doesn't freaking work!

Doesn't this ring true for just about every new and high-tech piece of "technology" that we buy?


Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

Lesbian Vampire Killers aren't that bad...

I mean seriously, what guy wouldn't be interested in a movie that is titled Lesbian Vampire Killers? This UK Horror/Comedy appears to be in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead.



Oh those silly Britts....I'll be seeing this, so should you too!

Transformers 2: Bigger, Better and Darker...

Is Michael Bay going to do it again?

Aliens + Vikings + Norway = BAD ASS?

This is exactly why many say "Life is not fair." I have been long looking forward to the release of a little film called Outlander. But it turns out that certain big wigs in the film industry have managed to sink that hope, yet again, only releasing it in a limited number of cities last month. Looks like I'll have to wait for DVD.

This cross-genre film pits a marooned pilot of an other-world space craft against Vikings in 709 A.D. Norway. James Caviezel (known as Jesus in the Passion of the Christ) plays Kainan, a soldier from a far away planet whose spaceship crash lands on Earth carrying himself and a deadly alien stowaway. Before Kainin has a chance to track down the ferocious alien he is captured by viking warriors and held prisoner. As the alien terrorizes and wreaks havoc on a nearby viking village, Kainin is asked to fight alongside his viking captors. Ron Pearlman (Hellboy) and John Hurt join the cast in this scifi/fantasy/epic that is produced by Lord of the Rings Executive Producer, Barrie Osborne.

Here's a look...



On the surface, Outlander, sounds a bit ridiculous, but some critics and audiences have proven its not complete trash. In fact, many say that Outlander is destined for a cult audience. The film has already been released in Spain and made $3 million only playing on 200 screens. It makes one wonder how well it would have done had it opened wide in the U.S.. OUTLANDER is also set for UK release on April 24 2009. This may not be a science fiction smash hit like Aliens, or Predator, but Outlander has all the makings to be a fun and highly entertaining cult classic. I know I'll be picking this one up on DVD and maybe even BluRay.


iO9 posted a fairly interesting article on the films development process (includes TONS of cool concept art!), take a look HERE!

My next video game purchase will be...

KILL ZONE 2 for the Playstation 3. If this doesn't appeal to you, there's gotta be something wrong with you...

I'm Rantman!

It seems that my favorite actor is up to it again. This time his rantings are captured on tape. Christian Bale, previously known for "assaulting" his mother shortly after the release of The Dark Knight, is at it again. This time his victim: the Director of Photography for Terminator Salvation. Here is the recording, try and count the "F-words."

click here: JUICY EXPLICIT AMAZINGNESS

Gearing Up For Sundance 2009....

Now that a new week is upon us, I find myself trying to mentally and physically prepare for my grand return to the Sundance Film Festival 2009 in Park City, Utah. I have not attended this annual collection of Independent films since I made my Utah exodus in 2006. As you can imagine, I am more than excited to make my return. With two "fest rookie" friends at my side, Matt (NY) and Megan (LA) we are going to conquer a total of 7 screenings in 4 days. Since the festival is already well underway (has been on since Thurs. Jan. 15), we will be a little behind the buzz, which from my experience will be to our benefit.

Our indy film adventure begins on Wednesday, when we fly into Salt Lake City. Matt and I have the exact same layover in Las Vegas, and coincidentally will be on the same flight from Vegas to SLC. We couldn't have planned it better! Once we land we will meet up with Megan, somehow, some way and will head to my parents house in Park City (pictured right). We'll hit the sack and rest up for the next few days, which will be mad busy.

Our plan will be as follows, feel free to meet up with us at the following screenings:

Day 1 Thurs. Jan. 22:

8:30 am Peter & Vandy @ the Raquet Club. (Matt's Choice)3:15 pm Big Fan @ the Eccles Theatre. (Matt's Choice)
Day 2 Fri. Jan. 23:

6:00 pm Black Dynamite @ The Tower Theater, Salt Lake City (Kristian's Choice)



11:59 pm Død Snø (Dead Snow) @ The Egyptian Theater (Kristian's Choice)


Day 3 Sat. Jan. 24:

9:00 am Moon @ The Eccles Theatre (Kristian's Choice)


8:30 pm Shorts Program V @ Prospector Square Theater (Matt's Choice)

11:59 pm The Informers @ The Tower Theater, Salt Lake City (Kristian's Choice)



As you can see we have a lot to look forward to this year. Many of these films are already getting lots of critical acclaim. Some have already been picked up for distribution (Black Dynamite). Although, I must say that my Norwegian bias paired with my love for horror movies has made Dead Snow the must see film of the Festival for me this year. I will do my best to give my take on each of these flicks in blogs to come. Stay tuned and stay warm while we're freezing our asses off in Park City.

Please don't strike SAG, the industry will never be the same.

To visit the SaveTheBiz website, click here!

My brother Timmy makes me proud!

A long time ago I mentioned that my brother Tim got a job for Skullcandy as a designing artist. It's been a trip for me to be shopping at my local Best Buy and spot an entire display of Skullcandy headphones with my brothers art all over them. As you can imagine, I am so very proud of my brother Timmy and all he's accomplished. In fact, it excites me to say that he and I are collaborating on something as we speak. Hopefully it will turn out to be something very special. Below is an add that appears on the Skullcandy home page. Isn't my brother BADNESS?