Spirited Spring Break News, Observations & Thoughts ...

[WDW1974]

Six weeks?!?!! I think we need to take up a collection and get you an iPhone. Don't worry, you won't have to FaceTime with any of your fanbois, just check in on us every now and then

Well, I do know that others online (not gonna name names) in the fan community have whined about needing laptops and smartphones and such and I am sure they did, indeed, get money to pay for all or some of their toys.

I don't believe in such tactics, myself. ... I only myself out for free meals and booze!

 

[Cesar R M]

Brady Bunch in Hawaii was actually a three episode arc...but yes, why just 23 minutes of Australia?

Perhaps the crew was Scared of spiders and pretty much everything that can kill you in mere minutes In australia?

 

[WDW1974]

I think Paris management would need to see concrete proof of direct revenue increases before investing in a project of that size, or something similar. Especially when the money could be put towards any number of other things.

I don't think there will be any choice. It will be force fed down their throats. Disney holds the cards. And I am sure there are many financial benefits that WDP&R can reap by tossing some NGE costs over to Euro Disney.

Disney has decided it has to clean up the Paris mess. The French government is going to expect American dollars coming in that don't require direct payback, one would think. Disney can say, 'we're going to put XXX billion dollars into Euro Disney over a decade BUT ... we also expect that our new MAGIC Band tech will be integrated into the DLP Resort' ... I would count on that!

As would I, especially since I'm paying extra to stay on the Admiral's Floor. Here's hoping they also make a new/refurbished lounge for those guests like they did with Sequoia, not that I'm expecting it.

Yes, we stayed at the Golden Forest Club and it honestly was quite nice (especially for the tiny upcharge we paid). It did surprise me in a good way.

 

[Cesar R M]

I wouldn't be too envious, Mike. ... I had a good friend that was hoping (and with his talent he likely would have been) to be part of the Busch team when they were planning their massive four-park Dubai complex and all I could think was with his western 'tude and liberal feelings about everything that he wouldn't make it out of the airport there without being arrested.

I hope your friend is straight, doesn't look at of any kind, doesn't drink or use any drugs (even legal stuff here that doc's prescribe), would never think of even kissing a girlfriend in public, never talks politics or religion etc ... otherwise, unless he is connected to the royals or his folks do business with them, the smallest thing could result in the type of nightmare that movies are made about. Seriously.

I call Dubai the Mirage in the Desert. I'd love to know what they'll do when their oil runs out (which is happening between 15-25 years from now depending on who you use for a source) ...

isnt that why they're building as fast as they can? they want to set Dubai as a megacity/economic stronghold before the "black blood" finally runs out.

 

[WDW1974]

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?

Not gonna happen.

They will be around for years ... even if they don't ever do more than they do now, which is not all they are capable of doing or all they were planned to do.

 

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Question: ''How does one industry creative feel when he finds out his colleague just brought one of his former twink conquests to an orgy?''

I'm thinking of a well-known industry professional whose eventual departure from the planet will open up the floodgates of tell-all interviews and biographies. No doubt this particular scenario will be retold by several former twinks over and over again.

 

[WDW1974]

There seems to be at least some people willing to spend $12.95 for them right now.

A friend actually told me that Disney was doing quite well in selling them, but I have some doubts about his numbers, which is why I haven't posted them. ... I think said friend extrapolated a bit more than the data indicated and came up with a large sales number daily.

 

[WDW1974]

Is there a tanker truck on the backlot tour? Is there an earthquake scene? Is there a tanker truck as a prop at any of the parks?

Catastrophe Canyon is part of the Backlot Tours in both O-Town and Paris.

 

[StageFrenzy]

On the @HTF situation, Universal doesn’t seem to know what to do with social media, OU and all that entails. HTF and the folks at OU were able to acquire a great deal of information on various Universal projects and one can see how that would make Uni nervous. Uni’s answer to information getting out was to clamp down and bring out the big guns. Universal while doing tremendous work in the parks still sucks at PR and guest communication. The OU crew while slightly roguish has a passion for their parks and Uni was focused on deconstructing their update pipeline. But then maybe they don’t like social media and already has some sort of relationship with Robert Niles and TPI.

 

[WDW1974]

isnt that why they're building as fast as they can? they want to set Dubai as a megacity/economic stronghold before the "black blood" finally runs out.

I believe so ... I just recall all the HUGE projects that were announced for Dubai in the 2005-2007 timeframe and the only one that opened before the economic meltdown was Atlantis.

Disney never had any intention of building there and was sorta caught in a situation with the Marvel deal that was signed before Disney bought the company, although unlike their lucrative Marvel gambling contracts they had no problem saying 'we aren't going through with this, contracts or not''

UNI absolutely was going to build there. But I don't see that ever happening.

Busch wanted to and seemed quite serious about it (the man made island shaped like Shamu was even built.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm thinking of a well-known industry professional whose eventual departure from the planet will open up the floodgates of tell-all interviews and biographies. No doubt this particular scenario will be retold by several former twinks over and over again.

I'm thinking of several, myself!

 

[jlsHouston]

Catastrophe Canyon is part of the Backlot Tours in both O-Town and Paris.

And where did Disney get this tanker truck???? Because a driver that is picking my steel up tomorrow told me that he sold it to WDW. He was fixing to junk it for $ 500 and Disney paid him $ 5500 for it. So he says.

 

[StageFrenzy]

I believe so ... I just recall all the HUGE projects that were announced for Dubai in the 2005-2007 timeframe and the only one that opened before the economic meltdown was Atlantis.

Disney never had any intention of building there and was sorta caught in a situation with the Marvel deal (although unlike their lucrative Marvel gambling contracts, they had no problem saying 'we aren't going through with this, contracts or not''

UNI absolutely was going to build there. But I don't see that ever happening.

Busch wanted to and seemed quite serious about it (the man made island shaped like Shamu was even built), but they pulled out so quickly (no crude joke there, see I can do it!)

I’ve heard some fun things about that Atlantis and the land it is built on. Mostly heresy and rumor, but I love hearing stories about poor construction, critters and land settling.

I guess the crude oil money was too slick?

 

[jlsHouston]

Don't underestimate the appeal of Pennywise from It.

After all, this at the Boardwalk:

View attachment 51854

Is eerily reminiscent of this:

"They all float down here."

I love that slide....

 

[lazyboy97o]

isnt that why they're building as fast as they can? they want to set Dubai as a megacity/economic stronghold before the "black blood" finally runs out.

Just because you built it, does not mean they will come. They're trying to make the huge jump from a single commodity export economy, complete with all of the associated developmental issues, to a post-industrial economy. They're going to have to import that economy from somewhere because building it locally means developing, and developing is not easy without empowering women.

 

[PhotoDave219]

OK, I love Modern Family. Have since it premiered. Great writing, acting, directing. The whole shebang and much more real than Big Bang Theory, which would be my second favorite network sitcom.

But sometimes I think ABC wastes the talent. Tonight's episode, which sent the whole gang (except for baby Joe) down under to Australia (with a healthy sponsorship fee tossed in by Qantas) was quite an enjoyable outing ... BUT ... why spend the time and effort to go to Australia and open up some interesting story arcs for the characters all to be done in 23 minutes. Honestly, if the Brady Bunch got two episodes in Hawaii and even King's Island in the 70s I don't see why the whole episode was rushed. It sure wasn't to get to ratings juggernaut Mixology (the worst of ABC's attempts to find a partner for MF in the 9 p.m. hour) .

They should have done an hour. Possibly even an hour tonight with a mini-cliffhanger and another 30 minutes (23 actually) next week.

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

 

[StageFrenzy]

Just because you built it, does not mean they will come. They're trying to make the huge jump from a single commodity export economy, complete with all of the associated developmental issues, to a post-industrial economy. They're going to have to import that economy from somewhere because building it locally means developing, and developing is not easy without empowering women.

Or even most of the population not women.

 

[WDW1974]

And where did Disney get this tanker truck???? Because a driver that is picking my steel up tomorrow told me that he sold it to WDW. He was fixing to junk it for $ 500 and Disney paid him $ 5500 for it. So he says.

Two. One for O-Town for an attraction that opened in 1989. One for Paris for an attraction that opened in 2002.

Not saying the guy is full of it, but there's a story going round about a guy selling a fountain to Walt that became the fountain for the Poly (that is now being ripped out) and there is just no way that is possible because there were no plans for a Poy themed hotel when Walt died in 1966.

people say lots of things ...

 

[Darth Sidious]

That's for sure.

Each show just gets worse ... this Mixology crap ... you wonder how it ever moved into development.

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.

 

[WDW1974]

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

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 ...