Saturday, my lovely wife and I celebrated our 11th year of wedded bliss. This would be in our 14th year of togetherness. Awww, I know, its so sweet it'll make ya sick. Last year I pulled out all the stops and took her off to Orlando for a showing of the phenomenal Blue Man Group, dinner at Emeril's Tchoup Chop and a lavish hotel suite. That was entirely stupid, because how could I beat that this year? I couldnt. As you know, I am not a rich man....in fact I have very few earthly possesions because the concept of feeding children, and keeping a roof over the head and all that crap comes first. This year has been especially tough financially, and to spend the money on a one of a kind get away like that is just not a good idea. So, instead of looking like the chivalristic hero of last year, I asked her what she would like. Of course the first thing to come up was Tchoup Chop. It's just exquisite.
So I bandied together a few bucks and a few ideas, and decided on Blue Man Group tickets, a decent hotel, and dinner at the Tchoup Chop should pay the Mrs. a fitting tribute for putting up with me for yet another year. So, a sitter for the kids, and off to Orlando we went.
This aint Mouse Magic.
We had a few hours to kill before our Blue Man Show at 3, and decided to take in a few rides at Universal. Normally when going to a park, especially this time of year, we arrive early, ungodly so....I mean like an hour before the gate is supposed to open. Doing this of course gives us a few hours of walk on rides, and half the parks done before things get busy. Seeing this was a special occasion, there was no need to rush. We've been to Universal time and time again, and this was just to have fun. So we strolled in through the side gate, and was immediately hit with huge lines for Shrek and Jimmy Neutron....even Twister had a 25 minute wait, so it wasnt looking very good. The one thing I absolutely love about the busy times is that Universal rolls out heavily with the Streetmosphere...that is, tons of characters just wandering around talking to people randomly. First person we saw was Marilyn Monroe smoozing it up for countless cameras and being flirty as could be. Around the Shrek way we say literally tons of storybook characters including a stiltwalking Rapunzel, and a rather cute Little Miss Muffett....this was wrong on so many levels, but works for the family scene....nevermind us dirty old perverts who fantasize about curds and weigh.
Onto Mummy, which of course had a huge wait, but never fear single riders are here. Ten minutes later, we're off to MIB...everything else has huge lines and no single riders. One turn on MIB, and after some convincing to my wife, we were going on again. The guy at the front stopped us however and said "I need you to wait right here". We were kind of thrown off, what ever could be wrong? Did he recognize me from In The Loop, or worse one of the other podcasts I've done and now was going to boot me out of the park? I mean, they're not the greatest shows, but come on....
"Just two of you? Come with me, we'll get you to the front of the line."
We walked in through the side doors, and not only got to get in front but the guy, Daniel was his name, rode with us, giving hints and tips to max out our score the whole way. Come to find out, Universal does this all the time, and he just chose me randomly to go above and beyond with. Daniel chatted us the whole way through MIB and got me closer than ever to maxing out my score, and even asked us if we would like to ride again without him. Of course we thank him but moved on, shaking his hands and stopping off to speak with a manager about how great we had been treated. THIS is why I love Universal. Nothing like that has ever happened to me at Disney.
Simpsons was over an hour, and I wasnt about to wait that long for it....Daniel did say if there was anything he could do just let him know....nah, asking to skip the line at Simpsons would be too much. Off to lunch at Monsters Cafe, and Blue Man Group, taking more pictures along the way. Sure we didnt ride much, but dammit we had fun. And thats what the weekend of Love was all about. On the way to BMG, we stopped in the Boneyard where they've cleared everything out to replace it with some random benches, trees and a random patch of astroturf. I mean,I'm not about taking pictures of big plots of dirt where a coaster will go later, but this was too good to pass up. What the hell purpose does this random piece of fake grass serve? Nothing, but it sure had a lot of dorks taking pictures of it..I really think Universal gets it. It knows people love them, and knows that people are looking for anything they can get a hold of, and I think they also fuck with people because they know it.
Blue Man's Balls
This was going to be my fifth time seeing BMG. I cant help it, I get a need every few months and I have to see it. So here we were again. Now I tried to get the best seats I could, only to be pushed just a few rows back, but hey we were here. Now before every show they have a series of messages out to the audience, singling people out in the audience and making them feel special by giving them achievements that they of course had never done. These "random" acts are of course all prechosen, and you can request this at time of your ticket purchase. So there we are sitting reading all of the preshow announcements, and low and behold "Would Bridgette Yates please stand up." You want to talk estatic. The girl almost wet herself. "That was so cool they chose me randomly!" Yeah, they sure did kiddo...they sure did.
There was a young tyke sitting behind us, and she was just as terrified as she could be. "Is it scary, are they mean, etc. etc."
Mom and dad werent cutting it for her, so of course being the mommy and daddy we are in real life, we decided to lean back and tell her "This is the coolest thing EVER. You're going to be scared at first, but I guarantee you that you'll love it so much you'll be dancing by the end of the show." This seemed to do some good, but also scare her....not only was it dark, and there were blue guys, but here is a fat guy in front of her that could possibly eat her! Well, I have been dieting...and I do get cravings.....
The show was absolutely fantastic as normal, though only half way filled. Hopefully the later shows would be more to capacity, as this is a show you MUST see. The finale of the show is just a huge techno type euphoric party, and just as I predicted my little friend was dancing behind me giggling and smiling as wide as she could. Dad gave a thumbs up, and proceeded to drown his little princess in tons of paper. Awesomeness could get no better. Now, off to feast.
I Want a Bean Feast.
Yeah, so I cheated on my diet. I cheated, and did it, dirty raw and nasty. I smacked it up flipped it rubbed it down...OH NO! I was good all week and lost a total of 21 lbs. That was all gained back on Saturday as I walked into the elegant and superb Tchoup Chop. We first did this last year and had such a great time that we decided to do it again and try a better table. A better table we got, right next to the neverending lilly pond, and in perfect view of the kitchen. We were seated immediately and paid close attention to by our 3 servers, Bill, Jr. and Jodie(I hope I got the names right). All three were amazing and took care of us greatly. Turns out we missed Chef Emeril by about 20 minutes as he left through the back door...probably hearing that I was coming to eat him. But I digress...
Tchoup Chop is a polynesian themed resturaunt at Universal's Royal Pacific hotel, designed by Chef extrordinaire Emeril Lagasse. They have everything from steak, to sushi, all with a pacific island flair. I called ahead and had reservations, and when asked if it was something special..."yeah our 11th wedding anniversary." We were greeted with a warm Happy Anniversary and special appetizers. After that we had the pork eggrolls, which were exquisite, and melted in my mouth. The alcohol flowed in the huge Volcano type drink which mixed a buttload of rum and any citrus juices and came a flame. Literally, the shit was on fire...which you blew out and sucked the 151 down that was on top. MMMMMmmmmm good. I wont bore you with the rest of the details, except that my wife got the chef's sampler which was basically a 4 course meal and was very satisified with everything that came out. Mine was delectable. When the floor manager came by and asked how it was I had to act all pissed for a split second and tell him just how great his staff was and how special they had made us feel.
You could see the pleased smile come across his face. The general manager came out later with dessert, a special Happy Anniversary muffin with "Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate and a raspberry glaze. Incredible to say the least. The Floor manager came with the final course of the Chef's sampler....the house special........Banana Cream Pie. Now my wife isnt much on Banana pudding or pie...but she said the same thing I did. This stuff was the closest thing you could get to an orgasm with your clothes on. It was the stuff that civilizations were built upon and could easily take down a third world country's regime. Fantastical fantasy filled with caramel and flightly fudge. Amazing. As we left every single person who waited on us shook hands with me and hugged my wife. It was as if we were a part of the family and they genuinely wanted us back. They got me again, we're going to make this an annual tradition.
After that it was off to the hotel. I will stop right there...you dont need to know what else happened. But I will say that the Clarion hotel on 192.....the Clarion "waterpark" SUCKED. They lost our reservations, tried to charge way too much, and just overly sucked. They were bad. I did not like it, and I doubt I will go again. The concept was cool....a waterpark in the hotel..which looked nice, but they closed at 7p.m. so I dont know how it was. Also the jacuzzi in the room didnt work. Again I say, Clarion...you suck. Out loud, balls out, and through a straw.
Celebrities. Yeah, we dont know them. We arent them, and its really kind of silly that we obsess over them. I try not to, but what can I say? I watch so much TV and pay attention to movies so closely that its really hard to not get attached, you know like that skunk that followed you home when you were a kid and your mom told you could'nt keep it, even though you had it trained to spray Jehova Witnesses on command. Hey, your dad loved it. But seriously, when something good happens we are all a twitter about it, then again when something bad happens, we mourn as if we lost a sister, brother or long lost cousin. And who can blame us? There have been so many celebs that have touched our lives. The last time I can remember really feeling so upset was when Jim Varney died. I mean this was Slinky Dog man! And I remember countless nights wasted watching the stupid Ernest movies. They were a cornerstone of any good childhood. But this past week when George Carlin passed, it was a shock. Yeah, I know that people dont live forever, and he was 71, but George was the guy that you expected to outlive all of us because he knew the secret to life, but wouldnt share it because he didnt want all the stupid people to live forever too. I'm not going to go in a drawn out detail about his life, and I'm not going to ask you for a moment of silence, thats your business, none of mine. But I will go onto Stan Winston, who passed away last week at the age of 62. Thats pretty young, especially for an effects wizard. Those guys dont typically die until they're old and forgotten anyway, as they shuffle out onto the stage to accept the lifetime achievement award. Again, I didnt know Stan, but I felt like I did through his work. That means that he did it right. But its amazing how things kind of blindside you. I lost my last Grandfather last year. He was 84, and not in good health, so it was expected....though its never really expected. There is nothing that can prepare you for death, or the flurry of activity that it brings. But though I was affected by his passing, as would be expected, it didnt bother me. He was old, it was his time, after all Grandpas die. Just like when one of my idols goes, B.B. King. I know its just a matter of time,the man is 82 years old. I know its going to happen, sooner rather than later, and it will be sad, but it will be more of a celebration of his life than a mourning of his death. No, the real tragedies, the ones that fuck me up are the ones that you dont see coming at all. The ones that make you have to sit down. Yeah, Heath Ledger was one of those. Just a talented individual gone. Then not too long after that, my friend Robert Taff, who was 35, passed away out of the blue. Dear god, the man was just 4 years older than I am now! A heart attack made short work of it. And it crippled me. It seriously knocked me for a loop. I sat there and thought and thought about his passing, and things we did together. He was the first one to get me interested in Islands of Adventure, ranting and raving about it all the time. He bought my son his first lightsaber. I'd known him since I was 17 years old. But I've known my grandpa since I could remember...so why was this passing of a simple friend so hard to deal with? "Its like sitting ontop of a roof during a lightning storm" my good friend Bsquare told me "you sit there and watch it strike closer and closer to home every time, and you know its only a matter of time before you get hit.....but someone took the goddamn ladder and you cant get off the roof." Bsquare always had some hillbilly logic that honestly makes sense, and he had recently lost his father.....if that wasnt experience talking I dont know what was. But, that was it. I was afraid of my own death, and the fact that my grandfather died at 82 didnt bother me, it was the fact that my friend died at 35. Nothing is certain. And thats why the celebrities passing have such a profound effect on us all I think. They remind us that nothing is certain, even those who seem so much bigger than the rest of us are only mortal like the rest of us. Wow, I guess I've had a lot to say this week. One more update will happen on Friday, then its back to normal....well, you know what I mean. Til next time, keep your pants on....tommyknockers.
This week I'm going to change things up. I'm actually going to talk about parks and coasters....yeah, well, as much as I can talk about them. If you've read this blog for the past couple of weeks you'll know that I'm not much about giving you news that you've already heard, but more about whats on my mind. Its a character flaw at times, but always me. So with that in mind, I'm going to start up "SHOWDOWN". From time to time I'm going to take things that people argue about pit them against each other just to see who wins. However, this is MY opinion piece, so chances are its going to piss you off, because lets face it, the ones that are going to win are the ones that will win.
THE CHAMP
So this is COASTERcrew.com afterall, the champ will be Thrills. Yeah, I'll give you that. Thrills are what started this whole wave of love that we have with theme and amusement parks. Coasters give you that adrenaline rush, they take you to limits unlike any you've ever seen before. They test the stretches of our bodie and make us overcome our fears, sometimes enforcing our fears as we hurtle through the loops and drops of our own inescapable insanity. For those who love coasters nothing is better than strapping in, and holding on as we are shot at 128 mph over 400 feet into the air only to come soaring back down again, not even sex.
The Challenger
Themeing is that little strand that holds a park together, it gives everything a common goal, a place to go. It takes us to another plain, and transports us to another time, if done right. Thanks to themeing we've run with Dinosaurs, fought man eating sharks, and have been a princess...yes you know you all have. Thanks to themeing we can leave our humdrum lives behind and battle the forces of evil six minutes at a time, or take a break from the hell that is living through the week and be a kid again.
The Battle
Coasters breathe life into a park, they draw visitors in. The screams that they generate can be heard throughout the park, and make people eager in anticipation, but at the end of the day they are just steaming piles of metal. Themeing adds elements to a coaster, and takes a coaster from being good to being FUCKING AWESOME. Case in point? Rock N Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood studios. Its set to a music studio with Aerosmith as the star. You are then whisked away to a concert in super stretch limos at lightning speed. The music surrounds you and pushes you into the ride further and further. It adds to the thrill. Take away the themeing and what would you have? A mediocre coaster in the dark...ya know, like Flight of Fear.
On the other hand, if you have themeing and no thrills you're stuck with just a bunch of stuff to look at. People come to your park for the one or two signature rides and then leave. Attention spans of most park goers are limited, especially if you are a season pass holder or Annual Passholder. They dont care that there are 50 million hidden mickeys in the Haunted Mansion. They dont care that if you call the phone number on the theater in Spider Man at IOA that its an actual working number, or that if you look over at Mythos from the Incredible Hulk Coaster you can see a giant Dick on top of the building. No they want instant gratification, and a lot of the things that make parks great are lost. After all, great themeing isnt exactly helping Hard Rock Parks numbers this summer. Themeing doesnt take you to the most intense ride of your life as you scream like a little sissy all the way up the side of Kingda Ka.
Last Man Standing
So who wins? Well, honestly they both compliment each other. If you have a great coaster its made legendary by immersive themeing, and vice versa. But honestly, I choose themeing. Why? Well besides the fact that its my article? Coasters are great, other rides are too, but for the most part my favorite rides are those that do both. I love the thrill of a coaster, or thrill ride but again its only made great if you are immersed into it. What makes Dr. Doom so great? Nothing...its a suck ride, yet people flock to it day after day. People wait an hour for a 20 second ride, why? Because you're not getting on a drop tower, you're being experimented on by Dr. Doom in the Latvarian Embassy, and being sized up by Doombots. Kali River Rapids is the worst rapids ride out there, but people rave because its so well themed. Same with Misson:Space, its nothing but a Gravitron....but man its unlike any I've seen at any fairs. Fact of the matter is that you can make a coaster good, even great, but put themeing to it, and you make it legendary. This Showdown is over. Two walked in, one walked out, the other dies a humilating death all alone while people poke it with a stick. Our mighty champion has fallen and another rises from his ashes. Any dare to take on this force? Didnt think so.
Til next time, keep your pants on...coaster whores.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Thank you for stopping by my little sliver of the internet. Don’t be shy, just step right up and gather round. The tale I’m going to weave for you today is one for the ages, and not to be missed. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Erik, keeper of the kept, and master of the inept.
Jumping Jesus on a Stick. How does Clint Novak and Will Holder do it? I live an hour and a half away from Orlando. Its an easy hour and a half, as the highway dumps out right by my house and I can pretty much take back roads to Universal and Sea World. Its not that rough a ride. But the damn gas situation is getting out of control. Gas around me popped over $4.00 a gallon, which if I drove my good ole blue dakota V-8 would cost me just about $90 bucks just to get there and back. My wife has a Chevy Impala, and that does slightly better at just $60 dollars to fill up, and only half a tank to get to Orlando and back. Now I dont expect you to take pity. You're in pretty much the same situation, maybe even worse, you have to wait a full year to go on your annual pilgrimage to your favorite park. The point is that it really sucks, and there is no end in sight to the inveritable rape of our wallets. The high cost of fuel has already taken its toll on everything from food to electricity, so logically speaking its only a matter of time before theme parks feel the pinch. Lets look at it like this. I have annual passes to Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, and Cypress Gardens. I'm not trying to brag, when you're a coaster addict, well.....I dont have to tell you guys. We get passes for birthdays and Christmas from the four sets of parents we have....so no, I'm not rolling in it like Novak and Holder. We would spend every weekend in the Orlando area at one of the many parks. Now, we're lucky to get up once a month. To make matters even worse, we have a statewide budget crunch here in Florida. You see, people from up North decided to sell their houses and move here where houses were cheaper, and drove up the market...this in turn drove up taxes. When people got all up in arms, the good governor Crist decided to pass a bill that would essentially lower our taxes $30 dollars a year while threatening to take away a huge tax exemption, which naturally cuts the budgets of all the municipalities including the one that I work for. So, of course we are trying to save money in the likely event that I'm laid off. I know that I'm not the only one that is being effected in this way, and I suspect that the smaller parks are going to be the first to feel the pinch.
Parks like Universal have already felt the strain at the pump and have cut fire effects on rides like JAWS, Jurassic Park and even Spider Man. Budget cuts are one thing, but whats going to happen when the visitors stop coming in as much as they did? Disney is pretty immune to this for now, lets face it, its Disney and its always busy....thats the blessing and the curse of the Evil Empire. And they have the huge over seas crowd to help out. After all, our dollar is in the toilet as well, and the Europeans are coming over and living like kings on a paupers budget. Good for them, that may be the only thing that saves our asses in a while....
But lets look at the smaller parks...the regionals. Sure they have a lot of Season Pass holders, but how many are from righ around the corner? The majority of people who have a season pass to say a Six Flags park lives a good two or three hours away. Slowly those pass dollars are going to slow down. Then, when this happens, parks naturally raise prices on things like food, and do things like institute mandatory locker rentals. It becomes less and less affordable. Sooner or later, the park is faced with a decision. Stay open at a loss, and open a really huge ride in the hopes that it will bring in people all summer long, or limit the hours, or worse, close. If ticket sales dont improve thats what happens to a lot of smaller parks like your Holiday Worlds and Cypress Gardens, they are left as hollow shells of their former selves, empty and without guests. The higher prices on gas also mean that the parks that do have a big draw normally, start to feel a pinch so they do even more to draw in the little bit of tourist dollars that they can. Do what? I dont know, they do things like dump a billion dollars into a park that is regarded as the weakest in the chain. They turn to boy wizards that have over a billion dollars in profit worldwide. This sucks the life out of any and all of the smaller guys. Want proof? Look at 192 in Kissimmee and to a lesser extent International Drive in Orlando. These are all pathways to major parks, but as the parks increase their prices it gives less money to spend on things like Magical Midway, Terror in Orlando and yes even Old Town.
Point is that gas is killing us in many ways. I know its too much to ask for us all to band together and not use gas for a day....if you dont buy it on Tuesday it wont make a difference because you probably filled up on Friday. But do little things like carpool, stop at the store on your way home from work, and dammit fart in a jar! Okay that may not help, but we've got to try something. Thats how we can change the world, one fart jar at a time. Til next time keep your pants on......gas mashers.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Thank you for stopping by my little sliver of the internet. Don’t be shy, just step right up and gather round. The tale I’m going to weave for you today is one for the ages, and not to be missed. Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Erik, keeper of the kept, and master of the inept.
Okay, so I just had a messy nerdgasm all over myself. Two big bits of information regarding my favorite park chain has just been leaked. One was confirmed, one wasnt.
First the one that wasnt. Now its kind of a secret, so dont tell anyone. But allegedly I have a full list of all the haunted houses for this year's Halloween Horror Nights. How'd I get it? Well it was listed on HHNVault.com the premiere site for all things Halloween Horror Nights which will be now known from here on out as HHN. You see HHN is a yearly festival of Horror that features a bevy of new haunted houses every year, loads of scare zones (that is areas that are not houses that you still get scared in) and outrageous shows. This is not a kid friendly event, and it is seriously recommended that kids under 13 do not attend. For one they're not usually mature enough to handle being out in the dark all alone, and the other...This shit is scary.
Last year most of the houses had movie themes. Universal teamed up with New Line Cinemas to bring Freddy Jason and Leatherface to "Jacks' Carnival of Carnage" which was pretty cool. It linked every house together as a sideshow to the carnival, and put you into each film by creating sets and scenes. Unbelievably well done, though not well recieved, mostly because of crowds. This thing gets bigger and bigger every year.
So every year us dorks who love this crap eagerly await any bit of information we can get. Rumors, theme ideas...anything. So imagine my joy when I logged onto the Vault to find this list waiting for me. Now, again this hasnt been confirmed, and a central theme hasnt been told...but I'll toss some ideas. And again, only rumors...but these are pretty detailed rumors, and kind of what we've heard. Now I'll give you an idea of what I think the houses will be about, but again, only rumors...I stress only rumors. Did I mention none of this is confirmed, and we didnt break the story? We're just commenting on the rumors.
Creatures: This is said to be a Soundstage house. That means it has lots of room, will be huge and will employ lots of special effects. I think you'll see lots of horrible disfigured creatures and even puppets.
The Hallow: This is said to be in one of the Tent Houses...seriously a giant Tent keeps this house. Tough to tell, last year Thing was in a tent house and it was a swift kick in the balls with a razor blade high heel. It was so great. This idea? I dont know. Maybe a Sleepy Hollow type deal? Maybe a mystical place where everything has gone wrong...who knows.
Dead Exposure: Allegedly going to be in the other tent house. Zombies, and cameras. Expect it to be pretty damn good. This kind of ties in with the George Romero 40th Anniversary of Night of the Living Dead.
Scary Tales 3: This house is legend. It has seen two incarnations that have been fan favorites. Imagine your favorite fairy tales gone horribly horribly wrong. Lots of great costumes and wonderous set pieces.
Body Collectors: Another Legendary house, and in a soundstage!. This was one of the best houses of HHN 15 and was part of the Terra Cruentas....of which the Storyteller was the Icon. Not really an imaginative house, but very scary and lots of good set pieces.
Interstellar Terror: One last Soundstage house. Now the thing that makes Soundstage houses so special is that these houses are able to house huge set pieces. Last year they housed a whole neighborhood at Christmastime, complete with houses that you walked in and out of and snow! It was so immersive. This one screams to me....The THING part 2. That house was so visionary last year, I'm not surprised if this comes to be.
Doomsday House: Two possibilites. 1. Based on the crappy movie of the same name that was all about people who survived a disease and created their own hellish civilization. 2. Heaven Vs. Hell. Demons vs. Angels....scary shit jumping out at you from all directions, hellfire and brimstone...angels with their wings ripped off. My god it will be gorgeous.
Bloody Mary House: Based on the superstitious story we all heard when we wer kids about the lady you saw if you stood in a dark room in front of a mirror and said her name three times. I dont know...could be fun.
Now for theme. Nothing really comes to mind.We've head stories about Stephen King houses and a StoryTeller theme. Maybe we'll see the Storyteller back, but who knows. Only creative, thats who. I'm pretty excited for this line up as it seems that its pretty original ideas save the two definate repeats and the one movie house. Some good news for us horror fans. Of course you'll hear loads and loads more as things get closer, and hopefully Novak will let me bring a little horror to you on In The Loop.....please Clint? Purdy Please? I'll be your friend you beanie wearin diet soda drinking stud you.
Get Me Another Drink Chico
Universal has also announced for their other park, that they will be closing Fear Factor Live to open an all new musical. Its so stellar that I can hardly contain myself...Ready?
Creature From the Black Lagoon: LIVE! Dear lord am I so excited about this. Pat Mc Cabe has been arguing with me about how dumb this is going to be, but I say BULLSHIT! This will be one of the best damn shows ever. How can I be so sure? Its Universal for one, and for an idea this crazy to work it has to be good, it really does. Otherwise it will just get Universal laughed right out of the business. I mean it really does take a lot of balls to take a movie that was one of your starting horror films, from the 50's and turn it not only into a theme park attraction, but a comedic theme park musical. Its risky, but it just might work. It could end up being SpiderMan Rocks...or it could end up being "The Lord of The Rings".
I really hope this tests well. I would love to see a version of it at my Orlando park. The Gilman has some sentimental attachments for me. It was the first horror film that my son was able to watch, and loved. It was the first horror film that introduced me to the world of horror, and most of all I had the chance to speak with the man behind the mask Ben "The Reel Gillman" Chapman. It was amazing hearing Ben talk about his experiences and how movies were back then. It seemed to be a better time. Though movies now are amazing with effects and budgets, they dont seem to have the story, suspense and heart that the old films do. So yeah, I say bring on the singing Gillman. I bet most people dont realize that deep down the film was a love story, beauty and the beast, Kong and Faye Raye, Novak and Holder. Besides that it just sounds like a blast. An indoor Amazon Rain Forest, high tech sets and effects and a foot stompin soundtrack. Look out Disney, your singing fish wont stand a chance.
If you'd like to take a listen to my interview not only with Ben Chapman, but Julie Adams...the lady in the white bathing suit check out archived episodes of IOACentral Radio.
So just embrace the terror. Its coming very soon....and so is HHN. Til Next time keep your pants on....Creature Beaters.
Dropped and Exposed is a candid weekly article about the theme park world, and everything in it. I'm an avid park lover, coaster enthusiast and fat guy.
We had a few hours to kill before our Blue Man Show at 3, and decided to take in a few rides at Universal. Normally when going to a park, especially this time of year, we arrive early, ungodly so....I mean like an hour before the gate is supposed to open. Doing this of course gives us a few hours of walk on rides, and half the parks done before things get busy. Seeing this was a special occasion, there was no need to rush. We've been to Universal time and time again, and this was just to have fun. So we strolled in through the side gate, and was immediately hit with huge lines for Shrek and Jimmy Neutron....even Twister had a 25 minute wait, so it wasnt looking very good. The one thing I absolutely love about the busy times is that Universal rolls out heavily with the Streetmosphere...that is, tons of characters just wandering around talking to people randomly. First person we saw was Marilyn Monroe smoozing it up for countless cameras and being flirty as could be. Around the Shrek way we say literally tons of storybook characters including a stiltwalking Rapunzel, and a rather cute Little Miss Muffett....this was wrong on so many levels, but works for the family scene....nevermind us dirty old perverts who fantasize about curds and weigh.
This was going to be my fifth time seeing BMG. I cant help it, I get a need every few months and I have to see it. So here we were again. Now I tried to get the best seats I could, only to be pushed just a few rows back, but hey we were here. Now before every show they have a series of messages out to the audience, singling people out in the audience and making them feel special by giving them achievements that they of course had never done. These "random" acts are of course all prechosen, and you can request this at time of your ticket purchase. So there we are sitting reading all of the preshow announcements, and low and behold "Would Bridgette Yates please stand up." You want to talk estatic. The girl almost wet herself. "That was so cool they chose me randomly!" Yeah, they sure did kiddo...they sure did.
made us feel. 
