Spirited Spring Break News, Observations & Thoughts ...

[tissandtully]

We differ entirely here… I think it's one of the worst shows on television.

What? The show is full of great one-liners and meta humor, it's fantastic! We have to talk Dave!

 

[Darth Sidious]

People have different tastes. It is, obviously, hugely popular with audiences as well as critics and TV Academy membership. I love it. ... But I have tried Mad Men on five occasions and never gotten into it. I also don't watch shows like NCIS and Criminal Minds that are very popular.

Like I said, it's all taste ...

I think Mad Men is well done but I just can't binge watch it like I did Breaking Bad. I binge watched the first season and a half and was then burnt out.

 

[stlphil]

There's quite a difference between vacationing in a place and living there. That's what I keep bringing out when Lifestylers move to O-Town to be 'closer to the MAGIC'.

It isn't the same thing.

I loved Tokyo. Can't wait to return. But live there? ... Um ... I don't eat seafood, don't like earthquakes, don't speak any of the language, don't like being crowded, don't really think much of the climate ... oh, and since I have friends there, I know how suicide is a huge problem. It's not all Duffy, Hello Kitty and TDR.

And I have lived in Asia. Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou ... albeit for months at a time on work contracts. I loved all three places. And I probably would have been happy staying a year in each ... but moving? I really don't think so.



That is so true. ... It just isn't a problem there. But it hasn't been an issue for me in ANY/EVERY major world city I have visited in Europe, Asia, South America etc ...

Hell, how many folks in O-Town can't speak English? How many WDW CMs can't or can barely?

It's just a poor excuse for being afraid of a different culture.

I know this is way, way off topic, but I had to ask about the bolded part above. I, too, don't eat seafood, and that was a BIG issue for me in my trips to Japan (the only issue really).

Were you generally able to find food you could eat? A couple of times I had four course meals where every course for me was just rice, because I couldn't eat anything else that was served.

As an aside for any of you contemplating an Asia tour, this was not an issue at all in China. Not only didn't I have trouble finding food I could eat, but it was almost universally incredibly good. I'd love to be there for the opening of the Shanghai park.

 

[WDW1974]

I often think the same thing when the new season orders air. ABC seems to have a terrible track record lately with anything outside "their genre" which is drama with a largely female demographic. Shows like UOAT (Gay Lost as you call it) and Scandal are popular and I heard some positive things about Ressurection, though I haven't watched it. I know you hate SHIELD but the last two episodes were good, especially for the Marvel fanboys like myself (hey, I'll own up to that one).

Then you have Modern Family, a great show... The rest sorta barely cuts it or is awful. Conceptually someone should have realized that some of these shows were going to stink. If not after the pitch than after the pilot.

ABC takes admirable chances on shows (or has the last decade), which is why you get shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and, now, Once Upon a Time and Scandal and Modern Family. Resurrection, which I enjoy quite a bit, would be another.

They aren't shows you could picture on CBS (the Tiffany Network has become corpses on ME tables and bodily function and sexuality jokes in the 8 p.m. 'family hour') or NBC. They more resemble FOX.

That said, they have a nasty habit of not giving shows with possibility a chance to develop (part of the industry as a whole) ... shows that had promise (but the jury was out to be fair) like Life on Mars, V, Flash Forward, Happy Endings, The B in Apartment 23 were canceled (often leaving viewers hanging) or have gone elsewhere ,like the very underrated Cougartown.

 

[jlsHouston]

I often think the same thing when the new season orders air. ABC seems to have a terrible track record lately with anything outside "their genre" which is drama with a largely female demographic. Shows like UOAT (Gay Lost as you call it) and Scandal are popular and I heard some positive things about Ressurection, though I haven't watched it. I know you hate SHIELD but the last two episodes were good, especially for the Marvel fanboys like myself (hey, I'll own up to that one).

Then you have Modern Family, a great show... The rest sorta barely cuts it or is awful. Conceptually someone should have realized that some of these shows were going to stink. If not after the pitch than after the pilot.

Are you kidding me? I LOVE Once Upon A Time. Do you think that is a show for female demographics? Well maybe. But it is still my favorite series next to Justified and Criminal Minds

 

[WDW1974]

I think Mad Men is well done but I just can't binge watch it like I did Breaking Bad. I binge watched the first season and a half and was then burnt out.

Yeah, and I have had to talk to the showrunner/creator numerous times when all I can muster is a 'great work' and then turn the subject to anything else (including the weather, which always seems extremely hot when I am at industry functions with Matt).

I have tried. But it leaves me with the same feeling I got from ABC's Pan Am -- looks great, characters aren't compelling.

Binge watching is terrible. I did four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad in one month last summer before the final eight episodes because I had never watched and I KNEW how good it was. I also did the Netflix reboot of Arrested Development, which I hated. Couldn't believe it was the same show I loved for three seasons on FOX. I tried with House of Cards but the start of this season (and figuring out where it would end) just soured me on it and I gave up.

I know binging is popular now, but I really hope to never do it again.

BTW, I have to say I am thrilled 24 is coming back (even if I'll see it delayed since I'll be on holiday) and hope it more closely resembles its first few seasons of greatness and not the cartoony depths in ended in.

 

[WDW1974]

I know this is way, way off topic, but I had to ask about the bolded part above. I, too, don't eat seafood, and that was a BIG issue for me in my trips to Japan (the only issue really).

Were you generally able to find food you could eat? A couple of times I had four course meals where every course for me was just rice, because I couldn't eat anything else that was served.

As an aside for any of you contemplating an Asia tour, this was not an issue at all in China. Not only didn't I have trouble finding food I could eat, but it was almost universally incredibly good. I'd love to be there for the opening of the Shanghai park.

Never had a problem. But we were in Tokyo. I haven't been beyond the city yet. I did have one meal at Starbucks, one at McDonald's and one at Yoshinoya in 12 days there. ... i do know that vegans suffer a lot at both TDR and in Tokyo largely because everything seems to have seafood or meat in it.

 

[stlphil]

Never had a problem. But we were in Tokyo. I haven't been beyond the city yet. I did have one meal at Starbucks, one at McDonald's and one at Yoshinoya in 12 days there. ... i do know that vegans suffer a lot at both TDR and in Tokyo largely because everything seems to have seafood or meat in it.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Good point about "beyond" Tokyo. Thinking back on it now, it was in Nagoya and environs where I had the biggest issues.

 

[TalkingHead]

Yeah, and I have had to talk to the showrunner/creator numerous times when all I can muster is a 'great work' and then turn the subject to anything else (including the weather, which always seems extremely hot when I am at industry functions with Matt).

I have tried. But it leaves me with the same feeling I got from ABC's Pan Am -- looks great, characters aren't compelling.

Binge watching is terrible. I did four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad in one month last summer before the final eight episodes because I had never watched and I KNEW how good it was. I also did the Netflix reboot of Arrested Development, which I hated. Couldn't believe it was the same show I loved for three seasons on FOX. I tried with House of Cards but the start of this season (and figuring out where it would end) just soured me on it and I gave up.

I know binging is popular now, but I really hope to never do it again.

BTW, I have to say I am thrilled 24 is coming back (even if I'll see it delayed since I'll be on holiday) and hope it more closely resembles its first few seasons of greatness and not the cartoony depths in ended in.

I'm not sure why anyone would binge Mad Men. I binged a few seasons of Breaking Bad, but that show was much fonder of using cliffhangers at the ends of episodes.

Mad Men almost never ends episodes with a cliff to hang on. I love the show -- and the first two eps of this season have been better than almost anything from last season (the finale with Don's Hershey's pitch excepted).

Breaking Bad was a great show, even if I didn't care for the finale. But it was wonderful pulp entertainment. With a few exceptions, the characters weren't terribly deep. I'd say the story was more compelling than the characters.

I find the characters on Mad Men very compelling, but I can also understand why viewers would get fed up with Don and company. It's the slow burniest of slow burns. Good thing it looks like eye candy, because it would never have lasted this long otherwise.

 

[StageFrenzy]

Yeah, and I have had to talk to the showrunner/creator numerous times when all I can muster is a 'great work' and then turn the subject to anything else (including the weather, which always seems extremely hot when I am at industry functions with Matt).

I have tried. But it leaves me with the same feeling I got from ABC's Pan Am -- looks great, characters aren't compelling.

Binge watching is terrible. I did four and a half seasons of Breaking Bad in one month last summer before the final eight episodes because I had never watched and I KNEW how good it was. I also did the Netflix reboot of Arrested Development, which I hated. Couldn't believe it was the same show I loved for three seasons on FOX. I tried with House of Cards but the start of this season (and figuring out where it would end) just soured me on it and I gave up.

I know binging is popular now, but I really hope to never do it again.

BTW, I have to say I am thrilled 24 is coming back (even if I'll see it delayed since I'll be on holiday) and hope it more closely resembles its first few seasons of greatness and not the cartoony depths in ended in.

Orphan Black? Orphan Black!

 

[WDW1974]

Are you kidding me? I LOVE Once Upon A Time. Do you think that is a show for female demographics? Well maybe. But it is still my favorite series next to Justified and Criminal Minds

Once definitely skews toward women, children and ... fanbois ... hence my calling it 'the Gay Lost' ... which actually isn't my creation. A friend calls it that and she isn't the only one.

I just like the different takes on fairy tale characters. Who could see Peter Pan being Rumple's dad? Or that the evil queen from Snow White is actually sister with the Wicked Witch from Oz? ... It's just a lot of fun and has heart. I view it as much less serious Lost in a fairy tale realm.

 

[truecoat]

I often think the same thing when the new season orders air. ABC seems to have a terrible track record lately with anything outside "their genre" which is drama with a largely female demographic. Shows like UOAT (Gay Lost as you call it) and Scandal are popular and I heard some positive things about Ressurection, though I haven't watched it. I know you hate SHIELD but the last two episodes were good

Hate the Shield? Vic Mackey was a bad asss.

 

[WDW1974]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Good point about "beyond" Tokyo. Thinking back on it now, it was in Nagoya and environs where I had the biggest issues.

Yep ... and we almost went into an Outback Steakhouse in Tokyo one night with an American friend (who lives in the city) and his daughter. ... But even at traditional Japanese places, I never had a problem finding numerous things I would eat. And while I think I have a much more sophisticated palate than the average WDW visitor, that isn't saying much. And there are many, many things I won't even try.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I've been wondering on the whole 'too big to fail MM+' issue, is there an alternate market use for the MagicBands if this whole MM+ does indeed get pulled? They've put them in the stores with significant 'real estate' devoted to them. Its not like they were only given to one select group at one select resort. So if most of the 'pluses' that were supposed to come with the bands are never put into use and if the rest of it slowly fades away...what else can they do with all these things? Chop them up into pins? Bedazzle them with hot glue guns and sell them as jewelry? Sell them to nervous parents so they have a gps on their kids?

My worries are that they will insist on a instant ROI rather than just seeing what happens. Merchandise wise? I dont see a sucessful market in they crap to go on the magic bands BUT the real money will in the behind the scene analytics.

They're going to be playing real-world rollercoaster tycoon and seeing exactly what a crowd does in a theme park using actual data rather than surveys and people counters. They will know exactly who did what and when, how big was their group, etc. All sorts of data to help streamline labor hours and mazimize profits..... which I'll accept as long as its anonymous. Thats where I think the costs will be a benefit, but not enough for $1-2B to be recouped in under 10 years. Lets say its $2B. Then we need to somehow have MM+ save $200M a year in labor costs just to break even over 10 years, not even including operational costs or its own labor. Even $1B would be $100M over 10 and thats still unheard of.

(That being said, if we had dropped $1B on a Star Wars makeover of DHS, i think you can increase revenues there to make it back within 3-5 years..... but what do I know?)

What I fear? That data of what I do, how I shop, where I eat being turned into targeted advertising and marketing. I fear that data being sold. Disney has been insanely less that transparent about the behind the scenes part of this. Selling people's personal information in an effort to recoup that $1-2B in a faster timeframe.

Selling the magic band merch might break even. Might. It certainly wont put a dent in the negatives in the balance sheet.

IMO of course.

 

[PhotoDave219]

People have different tastes. It is, obviously, hugely popular with audiences as well as critics and TV Academy membership. I love it. ... But I have tried Mad Men on five occasions and never gotten into it. I also don't watch shows like NCIS and Criminal Minds that are very popular.

Like I said, it's all taste ...

Agreed. At least you didnt mention Big Bang Theory which seems to be nothing but making fun of a guy who seems to be "On The Spectrum" ... so to speak.

 

[Bolna]

Do I think all of that will happen? No. It never does.

Again, though, this is all the 'what if?/down the road' stuff and that is when things get very iffy ... I think you'll see some of this, but certainly not all and likely not most.

The one thing I am most interested in: is there truly a chance for De La Terre a La Lune to come back? I always thought that was only wishful thinking by fans, but now, if they truly retheme the coaster, there is a real chance?

I know someone in my family who would book a trip for the opening weekend!

 

[PhotoDave219]

Yes, and I think that's why he's been incognito at WDW so much of late ... he was promised so much ($$$) and MM+ just hasn't delivered.

And as a friend pointed out when I was up there, the MAGIC Maker stuff (all the interactive elements ... from store windows to queues to stuff that has been installed in the park infrastructure -- like say those new Fantasyland castle walls!) hasn't been implemented and may well not ever be (look at it like special effects in attractions that are installed, don't work right from the start and are simply shut off forever more despite the money invested in them). This thing IS like a ''too big to fail'' government project -- and that's leaving out all the defense contractors who are working for Disney in areas like those pesky facial recognition sensors under the MK entrance (wonder if they have a terrorist watch list to match up?)

But those Magic Maker stuff was the whole point of this project when It was originally pitched years ago.

Such is my understanding, of course.

 

[tirian]

I've been wondering on the whole 'too big to fail MM+' issue, is there an alternate market use for the MagicBands if this whole MM+ does indeed get pulled? They've put them in the stores with significant 'real estate' devoted to them. Its not like they were only given to one select group at one select resort. So if most of the 'pluses' that were supposed to come with the bands are never put into use and if the rest of it slowly fades away...what else can they do with all these things? Chop them up into pins? Bedazzle them with hot glue guns and sell them as jewelry? Sell them to nervous parents so they have a gps on their kids?

Imagine that talking Mickey knew your name when you entered his backstage dressing room. Imagine your Test Track photo automatically uploaded itself to your PhotoPass account as you pulled into the unload station. Pretend you had a stress-free day knowing that you had reserved times for every single thing you wanted to do, but you also had the flexibility to change plans at a whim. Your Dole whip float will be ready at 3:48 pm.

Yes, that window in Fantasyland just recognized your presence and reacted as you walked by. Yep, the bartender at Epcot already knows your favorite cocktail from your last trip. Your phone is receiving personalized suggestions and tips throughout the day.

And all this convenience encourages you to buy more t-shirts and plastic wands.

That's a sliver of the original plan.

 

[bcalltimandanna]

Spirit....which do you prefer, Resurrection or Believe?

 

[ctxak98]

People have different tastes. It is, obviously, hugely popular with audiences as well as critics and TV Academy membership. I love it. ... But I have tried Mad Men on five occasions and never gotten into it. I also don't watch shows like NCIS and Criminal Minds that are very popular.

Like I said, it's all taste ...

I completely agree with this! Every one has a different taste in shows! Personally I find Modern Family to be the funniest show to come in years! I love it and I would say it's my favorite show as of lately! The writing is seriously too notch!