Posts filed under 'Friends & Family'
Untraceable in Portland
source: Lakeshore EntertainmentEven actors who have moved from Portland to LA to break into the film industry know Portland is a great city for movie making.
Wil Olandria is driving from LA to Portland next week to begin six days’ work on a new Diane Lane movie, Untraceable, starring Colin Hanks, Billy Burke, and Joseph Cross.
The actor is happy to be headed to his home town for a few days, especially since his brother, Warren Olandria, a resident of the Washington DC area, will be in Portland. It will be the first time Wil, Warren, and their parents have been together since they attended a family gathering in Las Vegas almost a year ago.
Some measure of Wil’s enthusiasm is directed at the Gypsy, which some call a frat boy dive and others a hip Karaoke bar. Wil quips, “Look out Gypsy! I’m coming home!” A big fan of Karaoke, he used to work at the 9 Ball as a Karaoke DJ.
What’s Wil Watching?
Poker After Dark
Says Wil, “My Vegas itch is comin’ back!”
Add comment April 4, 2007
What’s Wil Watching?
Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers as Dr. StrangeloveWil Olandria, as we at Wil Fan already know, is a huge movie buff. Sometimes he lets his fans know what he’s watching; today it’s The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
Knowing that Wil hadn’t seen the movie, Big Paul (Paul Panganiban) gave it to Wil, urging him to buff up on his Peter Sellers trivia, since Wil hadn’t seen much of his work. “I saw some of the Pink Panther Series as a kid,” Wil noted, “but that was so long ago. I do remember watching Being There…” He showed that movie to his United Methodist Youth group sometime in the mid-90s, when he was a youth pastor at Montavilla United Methodist in Portland, Oregon.
His opinion on The Life and Death of Peter Sellers? “Geoffrey Rush is Amazing.”
Add comment January 16, 2007
Lurking on the Lot
photo source: www.sonypicturesstudios.comWil Olandria was recently seen lurking on the lot of Sony Picture Studios after a special screening of Casino Royal. He and his Japanese roommate, known only as Ryu, got lost returning to their car.
Wil realized he was walking through what used to be the MGM lot. “I couldn’t believe that I was in the studio lot that once filmed all the studio greats of the 40’s and 50’s. This was old Hollywood.” He came across the sound stage for Close to Home, a CBS legal drama exposing the dark criminal secrets of suburbia, and sneaked inside to see if the sets looked familiar. He said Ryu was “sure someone would pop out to throw us out.” No one did.
While still living in Portland, Oregon, Wil frequently attended screenings with longtime friend, Paul Panganiban. Paul’s brother, Brian Panganiban, furnished free passes courtesy of the paper he works for, the Willamette Week. You may recognize the names of the Panganiban brothers as two-thirds of PDX 503, the VH1 World Series of Pop Culture team rounded out by Wil.
What’s Wil Watching?
Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky
Add comment November 17, 2006
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.Wil Olandria has made friends with the Craps table, where he reportedly won enough money this weekend to treat his entourage to New York, New York’s most expensive steak and buy himself a new iPod. In all, Wil is said to have won over a thousand dollars.
After a whirlwind of gaming at New York, New York, Harrah’s Rio Casino, and the Stardust, as well as revelry at Tommy Rocker’s, the Excalibur, Coyote Ugly, and an Irish Pub, Wil headed toward the Grand Canyon with his friend and roommate, David Carstons, a cinematographer. They apparently misjudged the distance, the weather, and the availability of accommodations, and were forced to turn around and drive all night, returning to Los Angeles in the early morning.
Add comment September 25, 2006
PDX 503 in Willamette Week
photo source: VH1L-R: Paul Panganiban, Brian Panganiban, and Wil Olandria
Yesterday, the Willamette Week reported on Wil and his PDX 503 team mates…
WW already knew that our resident computer wrangler, Brian Panganiban, was the master of all things technical, but the NATION shall witness his mastery of all things trivial on VH1’s new World Series of Pop Culture, which premieres at 10 pm Monday, July 10. According to Smarty Pants Panganiban, his team, PDX 503 (which included his brother Paul and P-town native Wil Olandria), beat out “oh, a few thousand people” at the World Series tourney in New York City this past April to be featured on the show.
Add comment July 6, 2006
