Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!

Last week. Disney made a very surprising announcement at this years Comic-Con held in San Diego, California.

Director Guillermo Del Toro who was the director and creator of Hell-Boy, Pans Labyrinth, and who most recently walked away from “The Hobbit”, came out on stage and announced that he will be writing, producing and possibly directing a remake of “The Haunted Mansion.” Now hasn’t it only been 7 years since we last visited the mansion? Yes foolish mortals, it has. However, when the 2003 film was released, audiences thought they would be getting the same type of entertainment that made “The Pirates Of The Caribbean” films so wildly popular and instead received a basic slapstick family comedy starring Eddie Murphy. Del Toro joked that they weren’t returning Eddie Murphy’s calls for this, referencing the first film. Del Toro went on to say that he has been a lifelong fan of the Disneyland ride, and was collecting memorabilia from the ride long before he ever thought about making a Haunted Mansion film. (He was not a fan of the first film.)

“For some people, it’s just a ride, but for others like me, it’s a way of life. We’re serious fanatics. I’m a big, big collector of it. I’ve been collecting not only memorabilia but artifacts and original artifacts from the mansion for the past 10 years,”  Del Toro also announced that the Hat Box Ghost will be the main haunting in the film. He told one news outlet 

“It’s such a great character that there’s literally — amongst Haunted Mansion fanatics, the hardcore ones — a cult for the Hat Box Ghost. You can Google it, it’s pretty intense, and I am one of them,” he said. The legend around the ride’s Hat Box Ghost was that it was “a beautiful creature” that was discarded on the first day of ride operation because they thought it was too scary. “The reality is that Imagineers could not make the illusion work, so they took it out,” he said.
In terms of the plot, del Toro said Disney plans on taking the core mythology of the ride and are expanding it so there are many haunted mansions around the world. “They are all part of sort of a web and the spider sitting in the center of the web is what fans of the Haunted Mansion would know by the nickname the Hat Box Ghost,” he elaborated.
 
Fans who are expecting to see a return to the 2003 film’s tone will be surprised by del Toro’s vision, he teased. “The movie I see in my head of ‘Haunted Mansion’ is not, I believe, what everyone is imagining it to be,” he said. “It’s not just a regular world with a haunted mansion plopped in the middle. I really am thinking of a movie that has a heightened reality.”

I have to say I am extremely excited about the possibilities this new film can bring. While I didn’t hate the 2003 film, I didn’t love it either.  I don’t blame Eddie Murphy for that.  The man is a talented actor, and he can only do so much with what’s given to him in a script. However, one does have to look at the irony in the respect that Eddie Murphy could at one time be counted on to bring 100 million to the box office on each of his films,  is now being reduced to a punch-line at a comic book fan show. Sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit in-it-of-itself.

So after hearing Guillermo del Toro speaking of his sheer love of this property,  I think the mansion’s new caretaker will ensure that our sympathetic vibrations towards it, will be materializing into a wildly spooky ride come summer of 2012.

Keep Moving Forward!

After weekly appearances on the radio for 14 years as a member of The KSL Movie Show, I am often asked, “How did you get to be on the show?”  

My involvement with The KSL Movie Show starts in 1996. I was part of the management team of the Media Play Superstore chain. These were big box entertainment concept stores that had hundreds of thousands of titles in Music, Movies, Books and more. We were the “go-to-place” (before the internet) for your entertainment needs. While the store no longer lives on, my love and passion for entertainment still does and so does my involvement with The Movie Show.

In April 1996, I was working the morning shift when a call came from Amy Iverson. Amy was the producer of the very popular Doug Wright Show on KSL. She had called my store early that Friday morning, asking for the video department manager.  I spoke with Amy as she explained that Doug was on vacation this week, and his popular Movie Show program was being hosted by Grant & Amanda that afternoon. (Our program aired in the afternoon back then.) She wanted to know if I would be willing to come on during the final 15 minutes of the program to help the hosts out with any video questions the audience would stump them on.

I enthusiastically agreed and waited for the call at 2:45 pm.  At about 1:30 pm, Amy called me back and asked if I could come on the air now. The two hosts were being stumped by the audience on many video questions and the needed some help. I came on and spent the remainder of the show answering the many video questions that the listeners had.

Amy enjoyed the interaction with me, and the hosts.  After the show concluded, she contacted me and asked if I would be willing to come on next week with Doug and do the same routine.  Of course I said yes, and for the next 3 weeks I would appear in the final 15 minutes of the program. After those 3 weeks, Doug asked if I would be willing to come down to the studio and do the show in person.

So after 14 years, and more than 750 Movie Show episodes later, the program remains incredibly popular still to this day. I am grateful and blessed with what I have learned, who I have met, and for the many dear friendships I have nurtured along the way. You can listen to The Movie Show every Friday on KSL 102.7FM or 1160AM. We also have a Saturday program that airs from 6PM-7PM. You can also stream or download the program at ksl.com

Keep Moving Forward!

If you are in need of a website, and you have a limited budget or knowledge to create one, you need to check out Wix. Wix.com was created in 2006. The company released the open beta version of its website builder in June of 2008. Wix is backed by investors Mangrove Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and Benchmark Capital. Wix is based in NY with offices in Tel-Aviv.

The site is very intuitive and is not difficult to learn. The entire system is flash based which depending on who you talk to, is good or bad. On one hand, you have developers saying that your site won’t be found by search engines, or will be able to be viewed on an iPhone or iPad.

As far as the search engine aspect goes, Wix works well with Google Analytics as long as you use your own domain. You are limited to ten key words for search engines to crawl through, but if they are good words, you should be fine. Not being able to be view your site on certain mobile devices could be an issue depending on who you are marketing to. I weighed the pros and cons of that myself, and ultimately decided the ease and speed of using Wix was more beneficial than seeing it on an iPhone. I created my social media company site using Wix out of sheer frustration of dealing with dropped balls.

If you don’t own your own domain that’s fine too, you can get one on Wix for free. However, you won’t have a dedicated URL. Your address will have WIX in the address. You also will have ads on your site with the free service. My advice is, for as inexpensive as domains are, and for as inexpensive as Wix premium services are priced, I would opt for a paid plan. Plus, the premium support is worth it as they respond to emails very quickly which is not always the case on the free versions. (Which would be obvious to most, but I have still viewed complaints about it.)  

There are many templates on the system for you to utilize or you can fully develop your own. You can upload your own media files from photos, music and more. Wix just recently incorporated an easy to use HTML editor so you can utilize widgets on the site!  The HTML editor is still in beta so back up your site often and expect an occasional glitch.

Website creation is definitely a skill, I don’t pretend to understand it fully for a moment, however if you are in need of a site, have a good creative eye or know someone who does, and most of all a very limited budget, Wix would definitely be a very worthwhile option.

Keep Moving Forward!

In my social media company; I am always in need of phone numbers quickly. Have you discovered Google 411? I came across this phone number a year or two ago and I haven’t been able to live without it since. By simply dialing a toll-free number, you can get access to hundreds of thousands of business listings. The best part, It doesn’t require you to type a thing as its all voice recognition!

Even better, is when you locate your number, Google will then automatically dial it for you!

You will never have to open Yellow Pages again. Unless you want to! The Yellow Pages and Directory Assistance used to be the phone companies cash cows. I don’t think so any longer.

Google 411 Phone Number 800-466-4411

If you also need it, AT&T’s Toll-Free Directory Assistance 800-555-1212

Keep Moving Forward!

Last week, Sony released the new PSP Go! This device is being marketed as the next generation of handheld gaming. The PSP Go is a small, easy to handle device that Sony is hoping will give it dominance in the portable gaming arena.

They have a ways to go.

While the device boasts many amazing features, you will begin to ask yourself if it is worth the price and hype. First we’ll look at the price, at $249 this unit doesn’t come cheap. In fact, one would have to wonder who the core demographic of the unit is as I wouldn’t trust this thing to anyone under 15 years of age. With the price that high, you could easily purchase a regular PSP and still have money left over for games. The unit is also $80 more then the Nintendo DSi and over $120 more than the standard DS.

Now I could overlook the price if the unit boasted an amazing interface. Of which it doesn’t. You need to install the Sony Media Go software to your desktop in order to transfer files over to the unit to use. However, the interface of the software is cumbersome as you can’t easily drag and drop files into the software. You will have to set up monitoring on selected folders in order for the software to see it.  Also, don’t bother trying to transfer over digital copies of movies that you received when you purchased a DVD or Blu-Ray, because they are not authorized to play on the device . So theoretically the only movies you can play on the unit are ones purchased over the Sony Media Go interface. However, with most DVD ripping software, you can easily transfer files over. However in doing that, you do run the risk of copyright violation on something you already own. The next problem I have is the software. Before the unit was released Sony was toying with the idea of you being able to transfer games to the unit via your PSP’s UMD library, however Sony nixed that idea and now if you want a game that you previously had on your PSP you will have to repurchase it.

Here is where I have the biggest problem of all, and it’s not just with Sony but with the whole entertainment industry in general. In the entertainment field’s quest in moving the masses to a download business model, we tend to forget one thing. If I am tying up my bandwidth, my hard drive, and giving the publisher the ability to not have to create packaging, or physical product, then why in the heck would I pay the same price for a download that I would for a tangible piece of product?!

I browsed through the game library that Sony offered and I’m sorry, I have a problem paying $40 bucks for a download game. I don’t care how great it is. Will Sony be there to happily let me re-download the purchase if or when my Hard Drive fails? I doubt it. But while the PSP Go! display is vibrant, and is fun to hold and use, you could go broke trying to re-purchase your library to download to your new system.

So with it’s 16GB of memory ready to be filled, you will find yourself in somewhat of a quandary. Do you pay $250 bucks for a device that you have to then turn around and pay again to fill it up? Unless you plan on using the device to listen to music, or rip movies, I don’t really see an overwhelming reason to rush out and purchase a PSP Go! You would be better suited purchasing a lower cost alternative.

Keep Moving Forward!

Image Copyright The Walt Disney Company

In a little more than 2 weeks, The Walt Disney Company will host the first ever D23 Expo on the porch of The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim California. To say that I am excited to attend is an understatement. I will be going down to interview people and write some articles on the amazing things that Disney has planned for the attendees.

Many people have asked me what D23 is exactly. D23 stands for Disney of course, and the year that Walt Disney came to California. This is the first time an event of this magnitude has been undertaken by a company. While there will be plenty of naysayers as to the real motive behind the expo, I for one think it’s amazing that in light of the current economic climate,  a company would take on such a risk as filling up the entire Anaheim Convention Center with amazing exhibits and presentations. I will be photographing and videotaping as much as humanly possible to share here! Below is the calendar of events that are scheduled!

Exclusive Screenings & Sneak Peeks

The D23 EXPO will offer guests the chance to get sneak peeks of upcoming Disney movies like The Princess and the Frog, TRON: Legacy, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Rapunzel, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and many others. The D23 EXPO also will present the U.S. premiere screenings of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in Disney Digital 3D™.  More than that, the D23 EXPO will present several classic movies on the big screen, including the original Tron, Sleeping Beauty, The Shaggy Dog, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, along with other exciting screening events.  The ABC House Screening Room will present screenings of new television entertainment, including ABC’s vibrant new fall schedule.

Special Presentations and Panels

The D23 EXPO will offer fascinating explorations of the past, present and future of Disney.  Throughout the four days, scores of special panels and presentations will bring new insight into Disney history, let guests go “behind the magic” of Disney theme-park attractions and movies, and get fans up close and personal with the Disney legacy of unforgettable entertainment.

D23 EXPO Show Floor

A giant show floor filled with incredible pavilions and interactive areas assembles the entire world of Disney under one roof. From Disney’s global theme parks to the Company’s environmental initiatives, the show floor includes a collector’s area, a gathering of Disney licensees, an eight-room “home” showcasing an amazing array of Disney merchandise, and new technologies being developed by Walt Disney Imagineering. The show floor is the heart of the D23 EXPO. It will also be home to the “ABC House Screening Room,” a sign-up area for the “Lost University,” and kid-friendly play areas that make the D23 EXPO an exciting event for all ages of Disney fans.

“Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives”

The legendary Walt Disney Archives will assemble a never-before-seen collection of more than 100 props, costumes and one-of-a-kind items from more than eight decades of Disney creativity.  For the first time ever, the Archives also will present a retrospective of props and costumes from the classic “Captain EO” attraction in which Michael Jackson thrilled theme-park audiences in 3D.

Arena Presentations

The 4,000-seat Anaheim Convention Center Arena will be home to spectacular presentations throughout the four days of the D23 EXPO.  Disney President and CEO Bob Iger will kick off the entire event with an unforgettable presentation that includes a 30-minute glimpse at the upcoming animated feature The Princess and the Frog and a live performance by its vocal star, Anika Noni Rose.  Other Arena presentations will incorporate surprise celebrity appearances as D23 EXPO guests learn about the future of ABC, Disney movies, theme parks, animation and more.

Celebrity Appearances

Celebrities from both current and classic Disney projects (both on screen and behind the scenes) will be on hand throughout the D23 EXPO, and are currently scheduled to include: X Atencio, Jake T. Austin, Kathryn Beaumont, Richard Bellis, Tom Bergeron, Bruce Broughton, Cheryl Burke, Maria Canals-Barrera, Marge Champion, Ron Clements, Mary Costa, Alice Davis, David DeLuise, Joseph Fiennes, Michael Giacchino,  Blaine Gibson, Selena Gomez, Kelsey Grammer, Don Hahn, David Henrie, Patricia Heaton, Tommy Kirk, Steve Lisberger, Joel McNeely, Brendan Milburn, John Musker, Ed O’Neill, Marty Sklar, Jennifer Stone, Valerie Vigoda and many more.

Family Activities

Disney Consumer Products will give D23 EXPO guests the chance to explore a host of activities for the entire family, including a Disney Creativity Center hosted by Crayola, the Disney Princess Storytime and Royal Manners event, the Baby Einstein World of Discovery Center, and a magnificent live LEGO building event in which Master Builders will invite guests to join them to construct a life-sized mural of Disney characters, paying homage to the innovation of Disney and LEGO. There will be appearances by best-selling authors, fine artists, and toy designers. There will also be a series of fashion shows featuring the latest styles from Disney Couture, Disney Couture kids and the Wizards of Waverly Place collection. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the first-ever Disney Dream Home and to go “behind the fairy tale” at the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings showcase.

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

The four days of the D23 EXPO are packed with excitement and activity.  Below are selected highlights from the four-day D23 EXPO schedule.  Please note that because the D23 EXPO is a first-of-its-kind live experience, schedules, locations and descriptions are subject to change — so be sure to visit www.D23Expo.com for full updates and even more schedule details and surprises.

THURSDAY, Sept. 10, 2009

Bob Iger Presentation, 10 a.m. – Walt Disney Company President and CEO Bob Iger will launch the first-ever D23 EXPO with an hour-long presentation in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena, exploring the incredible future of Disney and exciting projects that are taking shape around the globe. Arena.

Disney Legends Awards, 11 a.m. – Men and women who have contributed to the creative legacy of The Walt Disney Company will be honored in a special presentation, hosted by Tom Bergeron and open to all D23 EXPO guests.  The full list of honorees will be announced shortly, and includes renowned celebrities, actors and artists. Arena.

The ABCs of Disney, 3 p.m. – Steve McPherson, president of the ABC Entertainment Group, and Emmy®-nominated Tom Bergeron host a D23 EXPO-exclusive presentation as many of the biggest TV stars of today preview ABC’s new series, with a very special “Dancing with the Stars” performance.  Arena

An Afternoon With Imagineering Legends, 4:30 p.m. – Recently retired Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering Marty Sklar hosts a panel of extraordinary artists who shaped classic Disneyland attractions, including X Atencio, Alice Davis, Blaine Gibson and Bob Gurr. Storytellers Theater

Top Ten for the Toy Chest: The Making of the Next Great Disney Toy, 12:30 p.m., Stage 23

Beauty and the Beast 3D Preview and Panel Discussion, 1 p.m., Studio Theater

The Magic of Disney in the Art of Disney Stamps, 1:30 p.m., Stage 23

The World of Vintage Disneyland – In Color, 2 p.m., Storytellers Theater

The Music of The Haunted Mansion, 3:30 p.m., Stage 23

The Music of The Lion King Panel, 4 p.m., Studio Theater

The Boys Screening and Panel, 7 p.m., Studio Theater

 Fifty and Fabulous Film Festival Presents Darby O’Gill and the Little People,
10 p.m., Studio Theater

 FRIDAY, Sept. 11, 2009

Disney Movie Magic: Inside The Walt Disney Studios, 11 a.m. – The Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook offers Disney fans an unprecedented sneak peek at new live-action movies from Walt Disney Pictures, incorporating exclusive footage from such movies as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and more. Special celebrity guests also will join in on the fun. Arena

 Tron Presentation, 4 p.m.,  –  Steven Lisberger, director of 1982’s Tron, is a special guest as the D23 EXPO offers an exclusive exploration of the science-fiction classic, including glimpses of the upcoming TRON: Legacy.  A fascinating discussion will be followed by the first-ever digitally converted screening of the original Tron. Studio Theater

 Disney Rarities, 5:30 p.m. – Academy Award-nominated producer and author Don Hahn joins Walt Disney Animation Studios’ creative director Dave Bossert to present several rarely seen animated short films from Disney history, including some of Walt Disney’s earliest animation efforts. Some of these shorts have not been seen in more than 60 years. Stage 23 Theater

 The Making of “Toy Story: The Musical”,  5:30 p.m. –  A preview of the newest stage extravaganza for Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Parks. Michael Jung, Vice President of Creative, and Matt Almos, Creative Director, host this musical sneak peek, and composers Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn will perform.  Storytellers Theater

 Walt and El Grupo and Saludos Amigos,7:30 p.m. ­– Filmmakers Ted Thomas and Kuniko Okubo and Disney historian and author J.B. Kaufman lead a panel discussion about the upcoming Walt and El Grupo, a new documentary that reveals the story behind Walt Disney’s influential 1941 trip to South America. After the discussion, D23 EXPO guests will be treated to a rare screening of Saludos Amigos, the colorful animated feature that grew out of Walt’s goodwill expedition south of the equator. Studio Theater

 Early Bird Books: Kingdom Keepers, 8:30 a.m., Stage 23

 Sailing to New Horizons with Disney Cruise Line, 9 a.m., Storytellers Theater

 A Day in the Life of an Adventures by Disney Guide, 12:30 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 Happy Haunts: 40 Years of The Haunted Mansion, 12:30 p.m., Stage 23

 Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Screening, Plus Tim Burton Shorts Frankenweenie and Vincent, 1 p.m., Studio Theater

 Special Preview: “The Wonderful World of Color,” 2 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 History and Preservation of Disney Animation Art: The Courvoisier Tradition,
2 p.m., Stage 23

 We Make the Music: Conversations with the Creators of Disney Theme Park Music, 3:30 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 The Evolution of Mickey with Dave Pacheco and Andreas Deja, 3:30 p.m., Stage 23

 Fifty and Fabulous Film Festival Presents The Shaggy Dog, 10 p.m., Studio Theater

 SATURDAY, Sept. 12, 2009

So You Want to Be An Imagineer, 9 a.m. – Marty Sklar hosts a conversation with more than half a dozen guest Imagineers, who will discuss the challenges and rewards of their careers … and the special skills that are needed to “make the magic.” Storytellers Theater

 Disneynature Presentation, 10 a.m. –The latest updates from Disney’s newest film label, Disneynature.  This prestigious production banner literally goes to the ends of the earth to tell the remarkable stories of nature. Studio Theater

 Imagineering the Future of Disney Theme Parks, 11 a.m. – Go behind the scenes with Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo as he unveils the magical entertainment and experiences on the horizon at Disney’s Parks and Resorts around the world … and offers a surprise or two. Arena

 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 12 p.m. – Don Hahn hosts a compelling discussion about the making of Walt Disney’s first animated feature film.  Following the discussion, D23 EXPO guests will enjoy a screening of a newly restored digital version of this landmark film. Studio Theater

 Disney Store: The Magic is Back, 2 p.m. – Jim Fielding, president of Disney Stores Worldwide, looks at the vibrant future of the Disney Stores around the world. Arena

 The Princess and the Frog, 3 p.m. – All-new footage from Disney’s upcoming animated musical The Princess and the Frogwill be screened, followed by a panel discussion with the film’s creators, including John Musker, Ron Clements, Andreas Deja and Eric Goldberg.  Studio Theater

 Prep and Landing, 5:30 p.m. – The directors of Disney’s new TV special explore the creation of this new holiday-time treat.  Studio Theater

 D23 Expo Live Auction, 7 p.m. – 49 lots of extraordinary rarities and specially designed items will be front and center at this D23 EXPOexclusive event, including a check personally signed by Walt Disney, a progressive dinner through the Disneyland Resort plus a stay in the Presidential Suite of the Disneyland Hotel, original animation production cels, movie premiere tickets, an authentic attraction vehicle, a very special “Lot 23” exclusive, and much more. 7 p.m., Arena (Note: Auction admission is free; bidders must purchase a $40 bidder’s package.)

 Trail of the Panda Screening, 7:30 p.m. – The D23 EXPO presents the U.S. premiere of Trail of the Panda (Xiongmao Huijialu), the second Disney Chinese-language film production, created specifically for audiences in China. Studio Theater

 Early Bird Books: The Alchemy of Animation with Don Hahn, 8:30 a.m., Stage 23

 Behind the Fairy Tale – Disney Weddings with Kristie Kelly and David Turturro,
11 a.m., Stage 23

 The Science of Imagineering, 12:30 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 Growing Up Disney with Roy P. Disney, 12:30 p.m., Stage 23

 Refreshing a Classic: Remaking “it’s a small world” for the 21^st Century, 2 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 Sneak Preview of The Walt Disney Family Museum, 2:30 p.m., Stage 23

 The Making of the U.S. Presidents, 3:30 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 Disney Kids’ Fashion Show, 4 p.m., Performances Stage

 Lost Chords – Never-Heard Music from Disney Animation with Russell Schroeder, 5:30 p.m., Stage 23

 Fifty and Fabulous Film Festival Presents Sleeping Beauty, 10 p.m., Studio Theater

 SUNDAY, Sept. 13, 2009

The Future of Disney and Pixar Animation, 11 a.m. – Get a glimpse of what the future holds at Disney and Pixar Animation Studios as Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter, shares sneak peeks of such exciting upcoming films as The Princess and The Frog, Rapunzel, Toy Story 3 and more.  Arena

 A Magical Afternoon With  the Cast of Wizards of Waverly Place,
2 p.m. – Cast members Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise join executive producer Peter Murietta for an exclusive preview screening of the season premiere episode of Wizards of Waverly Place.  Popular Radio Disney personality Ernie D also will join in the fun! Arena

 Toy Story 3 Special Presentation, 6:30 p.m. – Sneak a peek at what’s in store when Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the Toy Storygang make their big-screen return – this time in 3D. Pixar filmmakers Lee Unkrich and Darla Anderson host. Studio Theater

 Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Double Feature Premiere Screening, 7 p.m. – Following the 5 p.m. sneak peek of Toy Story 3, the D23 EXPO will host the U.S. premiere screening of this 3D double feature.  (Note: There will be a 10-minute intermission between the films.) Studio Theater

 Early Bird Books: South of the Border with J.B. Kaufman, 8:30 a.m., Stage 23

 The Making of Toy Story Midway Mania, 9:30 a.m., Storytellers Theater

 Collector’s Edition Fine Art Panel Discussion, 12:30 p.m., Performances Stage

 The Science of Imagineering, 1 p.m., Storytellers Theater (an encore presentation)

 Silver Banjo Barbeque Panel with David and Ron DeFore, 12:30 p.m., Stage 23

 Special Muppets Presentation, 1:30 p.m. - The Muppets Studios takes you inside the Muppet world for an exclusive frog’s-eye-view of what Kermit and Company have been up to in 2009 – and all the fun and mayhem they have planned for 2010 and beyond!  Studio Theater

 Disneyana Detective with Tom Tumbush, 3 p.m., Stage 23

 Imagineering Pixar for the Disney Parks, 3 p.m., Storytellers Theater

 From Annette to Miley, 3:30 p.m., Stage 23

There’s still time to get tickets! here’s the info you need!

Tickets to the D23 EXPO are available at http://www.D23Expo.com.  Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 EXPO and can be purchased for single days or for the full four days of festivities. Admission is $37 for a one-day adult ticket and $27 for children 3-12.  Four-day passes are $111 for adults and $81 for children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will receive a discount on admission, as well as early entry to each day of the D23 EXPO for themselves and their guests. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting www.D23EXPO.com, as well as by following “Disney D23” at Twitter and on Facebook.

Happy 4th Of July! It’s been a while since I have made a new post here, and I committed to myself to do better. So to celebrate our country’s Independence Day I decided to reminisce about a theme park that never was, but eventually came to be in different pieces.  Disney’s America.

Disney’s America was a project that was created during the early years of The Disney Decade. This was a period from 1990 to 2000 in which Michael Eisner, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company laid out many ambitious projects for the company to embark on. Many of these projects came to fruition, but an equal amount never made it off the drawing board.

Disney’s America was to be built on a 1200 acre of land in Prince William County, Virgina. The Governor of Virgina was on board as Disney quietly began placing options on land to create the park. However, soon word got out of Disney’s goal and the residents of the area began a literal village uprising as they didn’t want the noise, traffic and congestion that would follow a theme park.  While they eventually succeeded in stopping Disney’s plans, they still wound up with the noise, traffic and congestion that follows urban sprawl. So ultimately, what would have been better?

The local residents also didn’t want Disney’s version of history. They thought that the public needs to be shown history for the way that it was. While I agree completely, I believe there is nothing wrong with making history more interesting as it may spark even more thinking of an audience who otherwise may not have been interested in the first place. Right or wrong we may never really know. The park was cancelled and many of the attractions that were planned were actually re-purposed and placed into Disney’s California Adventure. While I would have found visiting Disney’s America a fun. and somewhat educating experience.  I don’t think the prophecy of Civil War soldiers graves being dug up and removed to place a parking lot down would have come to pass either.

You can read some great posts about Disney’s America by vistitng these other great sites!  Disney’s America , Disney’s America, Disney’s America 

Keep Moving Forward and Happy 4th Of July!