Fan Effect

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 16, 2025. While Andy had never seen any of the previous "Final Destination" movies before watching "Final Destination: Bloodlines," he did think it was clever and laughable, even if the genre wasn't his forte. But documentaries wond the weekend with Netflix's fascinating look at the internet-famous guy who ate liver (and other animal parts) raw to live an "ancestral lifestyle" in "Untold: The Liver King," and an excellent three-part series called "American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden" that traces the search for the former World's Most Wanted man. Also on streaming, AppleTV+ has a comedic sci-fi series called "Murderbot" that Andy enjoyed watching.

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories, surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier movie entertainment company.

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 9, 2025. A colorful palette and an earnest attempt at modernizing the classic Shakespearean tale just weren't enough to make Andy like "Juliet & Romeo.” But he did like watching season 2 of "Poker Face" on Peacock, with Natasha Lyonne returning in the clever murder-of-the-week series with an incredible lineup of guest stars in this new season.

Also likable is "Nonnas", the new Vince Vaughn movie on Netflix. It's based on the true story of a guy on Long Island who opened a restaurant with grandmothers as chefs, cooking their favorite dishes for customers. And likeable for people other than Andy, "Fight or Flight" is an incredibly violent and bloody action comedy starring Josh Hartnett.  

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier movie entertainment company.

On this "What's Your Favorite Fandom?" episode of Fan Effect, Chris Graham of "Games & Things" returns to talk all things Tolkien. While J.R.R. Tolkien's works "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" always seemed to be a part of Producer KellieAnn's life (even her childhood dog was named after a character), Chris's introduction was more meandering yet meaningful. Together, they discuss the history, impact, and various versions of the beloved fantasy world of Tolkien, as well as how to enter the expansive fandom. 

With a world-building so vast, Chris has some recommended sources to explore all things Tolkien: the fan-created wiki the Tolkien Gateway, the 12-part book series History of Middle-Earth, "Tree and Leaf" which is Tolkien's more philosophical writing, "J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography" by Humphrey Carpenter, Deseret News' article talking to The Rings of Power' showrunner, and of course The Tolkien Professor, Dr. Corey Olsen. (Oh, and we can't forget to include KellieAnn's favorite Lembas Bread recipe to share with her fellow food-loving hobbits.)

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories, surpassing nerdy, with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier entertainment destination. 

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of May 2, 2025. Summer movie season unofficially gets underway this week with the release of "Thunderbolts*" from Marvel/Disney.  If you like the characters or you just like Marvel movies, you'll probably enjoy this. Another movie, this time on Amazon Prime Video, is "Another Simple Favor" from Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and director Paul Feig.  Hint, this sequel to the crime comedy ‘A Simple Favor' is goofy fun. And on Netflix, there is a comedy series called "The Four Seasons" from Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and Colman Domingo that's a remake of an old Alan Alda movie, but highly enjoyable for the more (ahem) mature viewer.

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier movie entertainment company.

May has a lineup of fun fandom holidays, and we are taking advantage of the fun this weekend. Producer KellieAnn is joined again by Jonathan Trujillo King of the Utah Arts Alliance, and new nerdly friend Roger Prows, co-owner of The Nerd Store(s).  Together, they discuss their involvement in the local comic, artistic, and pop culture world. Roger expands on the history of Free Comic Book Day, while Jonathan provides the details of Star Wars Day's impact. 

All three will be seen celebrating both holidays this weekend in downtown Salt Lake City (with the support and displays of our friends at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention): The Urban Arts Gallery will have their local-artist-contributed Star Wars exhibit, Clark Planetarium will have some galactic photo opportunities with cosplayers, Dr.  Volt’s Comic Connection will have comic giveaways and many local comic creators, our FanX Hall of Fame Cosplayer friends will have a cosplay competition, there will be a Star Wars Dance party by the Utah Arts Alliance and much more more! 

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premiere movie entertainment company.

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 25, 2025. Ben Affleck returns as the assassin/accountant on the autism spectrum in “The Accountant 2,” and this follow-up features great chemistry with Jon Bernthal as his brother. Also in theaters is a locally made film about Utah's first Olympic gold medalist, titled “Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story,” by our Movie Show friend, Writer/Director T.C. Christensen. This is a faith-filled family film with a sprinkling of patriotism for extra measure and an all-over good sports story. 

On streaming, there's a new Tom Hardy movie on Netflix called “Havoc” with lots of bullets and lots of mess. And Star Wars fans are rejoicing as the second and final season of “Andor” hits DisneyPlus. Don't miss out on this tie-in to the 2016 movie “Rogue One,” as the lore of that galaxy far, far away is everything fans like Andy could hope for: nuanced, with plenty of intrigue, visually immersive, and even heartbreaking at times.

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premier movie entertainment company.

Local filmmaker T.C. Christensen’s latest family-friendly and faith-forward film, "Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story," hits theaters April 24, 2025, and we are excited to learn all about the film. Producer KellieAnn Halvorsen crashes Andy Farnsworth’s conversation with T.C. for a KSL Movie Show Digital Extra, dissecting the story, the filming, and the power of storytelling with the film’s director and writer. Alma Richards was the first Utahn to win an Olympic gold medal, and in this spoiler-filled deep dive, T.C. shares his personal connection to the story, as his grandmother was Alma’s sister. 

Learn more about the film and the man at RaisingTheBarMovie.com. 

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premiere movie entertainment company.

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 18, 2025. While Andy is not a fan of horror movies, if vampire horror is your thing, "Sinners"  might appeal to you. He has to give credit to director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan for making the deservingly R-rated movie into something pretty creative. Also in theaters, a so-so animated movie called "Sneaks" takes your *shoes* on a "Toy Story"-type adventure. And on streaming, a compelling documentary on Netflix called "Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror" made Andy wish it were a miniseries rather than just a 90-minute film.

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premiere movie entertainment company.

In our first FanX episode of 2025, guest host Heather Kelly from KSL NewsRadio is joined by FanX Salt Lake Comic & Pop Culture Convention founder Dan Farr to preview the September event. Last week, they announced one of the biggest celebrity guests in the universe, with actor David Tennant joining the lineup of out-of-this-world guests, including fellow space traveler William Shatner. #FanX25 is happening on September 25th - 27th, 2025, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Various passes and experiences are available to purchase now at FanXSaltLake.com, but prices tend to increase as we get closer to the event. 

Want to know the latest updates for FanX as they come? Make sure to subscribe to the FanX newsletter. Want to meet others who are interested and going to FanX? Join the private Facebook FanX® Salt Lake Comic Convention™ Group to meet and socialize with fellow attendees and cosplayers (like our Fan Effect Producer KellieAnn Halvorsen). 

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premiere movie entertainment company.

Andy Farnsworth joins KSL-TV to help audiences decipher #WhatToWatch for the weekend of April 11, 2025. With the Easter holiday just around the corner, Angel Studios has an extremely clever and well-done animated film to prepare for the celebration called "The King of Kings." The family-friendly Christian film follows Charles Dickens as he tells his young son the story of Jesus Christ, and the voice cast in this movie is unbelievable! 

For non-religious features, there are a couple of Oscar winners starring in action flicks hitting the screens, led by Rami Malek in "The Amateur" in theaters, and followed by Viola Davis starring in "G20" on Amazon Prime Video. Also dropping into theaters, a preposterous (yet entertaining) thriller called "Drop" about one of the worst first dates EVER. 

The brains behind Fan Effect are connoisseurs of categories surpassing nerdy with a goal to publish a weekly "What to Watch on the Weekend" minisode taken from KSL-TV's Friday segment, and two deep-dives a month on shows, creative works, artists, local events, and other fandom topics. 

Based in the beautiful beehive state, Fan Effect celebrates Utah's unique fan culture as it has been declared The Nerdiest State in America by TIME, and is hosted by KSL Movie Show's Andy Farnsworth and KSL Podcasts' KellieAnn Halvorsen. 

Listen regularly on your favorite platform, at kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSLNewsRadio App. Join the conversation on Facebook @FanEffectShow, or Instagram @FanEffectShow.

Fan Effect is sponsored by Megaplex Theatres, Utah's premiere movie entertainment company.