The Goo Goo Dolls and Sugar Ray will perform atUniversal Orlando Resort’s Mardi Gras celebration, completing one the most powerful musical line-ups of the event’s history. Goo Goo Dolls will rock the Music Plaza Stage at Universal Studios Florida on March 3 and Sugar Ray will do the same on March 17.
With four Grammy nominations, more than 10 million albums sold and 13 Top Ten hits including “Name,” “Slide” and “Black Balloon,” Goo Goo Dolls has become one of the most globally recognized and influential forces in pop music history. Their hit “Iris,” from the “City Of Angels” movie soundtrack, spent nearly 12 straight months on the Billboard charts and held the No. 1 position for 17 consecutive weeks.
Sugar Ray first gained fame in the music scene with the hit “Fly.” Since then, lead singer Mark McGrath and his band mates have taken their combination of sunny pop and lightly funky hip-hop grooves and created several of the most infectious summer singles of the late ‘90s, including “Every Morning,” “Someday” and “When it’s Over.”
With the addition of Goo Goo Dolls and Sugar Ray, Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras musical line-up boasts a combined total of more than 350 million albums sold. Headliners include pop superstar Kelly Clarkson, teen sensation Big Time Rush, pop rock band Hot Chelle Rae, Grammy nominee for “Best New Artist” J. Cole and female Rock & Roll legend Cyndi Lauper. For a complete list of this year’s performers and dates see below.
Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras celebration kicks off Feb. 11 and runs every Saturday and select nights through April 14. The authentic and family-friendly version of the famed New Orleans street party combines unparalleled theme park entertainment with an elaborate Mardi Gras parade, dozens of colorfully costumed performers, authentic New Orleans bands, delicious Cajun cuisine and live concerts by some of today’s most popular artists. Guests can enjoy the Mardi Gras event and great theme park entertainment for the price of regular admission.
At Discovery Cove in Orlando, Halid Shokunbi took the plunge and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Kyla Brown, while 14-feet underwater during the new SeaVenture experience.
Both from the Chicago area, Shokunbi popped the question in a most unique way — surrounded by schools of exotic fish and velvety rays gliding overhead.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, there’s nothing more unique than celebrating with dolphins in a tropical paradise as part of Discovery Cove’s Special Occasions Packages.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomed a new baby female reticulated giraffe on Monday, January 27, 2011. At 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 176 pounds, the newborn is the calf of father, Jafari and mother, Cupid. This is Jafari’s second calf, and cupid’s fifth.
This new addition brings the park’s reticulated giraffe population to 19. Exactly one month to the day before this most recent birth, another female in the herd, Tesa, gave birth to Jafari’s first calf, which was also female.
The new mother and baby are currently in an area out of guest view so they can be closely monitored by zoo staff to ensure the baby is nursing and growing properly. The duo will join the other animals on the Serengeti Plain in about three months.
A reticulated giraffe’s gestation period is approximately 15 months, and the new baby will nurse for about one year. This birth is part of a successful long-term breeding program at Busch Gardens.The term “reticulated” refers to the giraffe’s net-like pattern of spots.
Busch Gardens’ 65-acre Serengeti Plain is a naturalistic habitat featuring a diverse population of free-roaming African animals including giraffe, zebra, white rhinoceros, eland antelope and several other species of hoof stock and birds.
You can view these amazing animals from the Serengeti Express, the Skyride or on a Serengeti Safari, an open-truck tour during which you can hand-feed reticulated giraffes and get up-close with the other animals on the plain.
The Mecum Auction in Kissimmee comes to a close this weekend and judging from the results of the last four days, we can expect a big finish to the event as some of the most valuable automobiles on the planet come under the auction block over the weekend.
At 2pm to 3pm today, NASCAR driver Ken Schrader will sign autographs in front of the Silver Spurs Building at Osceola Heritage Park and this is sure to attract a large crowd.
Days three and four of the event continued to bring high impact bidding action to the block, garnering an incredible sell through rate of 75%. The impressive mix of sold vehicles was led by a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Bloomington Gold Benchmark 427/435 HP, 4-speed (Lot T188 – pictured above). This unrestored Survivor brought $227,500.
Other top sellers include a 2007 Bentley GTC Convertible (Lot T206) that hammered for $101,000, a 1969 Shelby GT350 Fastback (Lot T177) for $85,000, and a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible (Lot I57) that went for $73,000.
Nearly 400 cars per day are currently crossing the auction block but perhaps the head of the pack so far has been a 1969 Corvette L88 427/430 HP, 4-speed Convertible (Lot F199 – pictured above) that brought the hammer down at a lofty $610,000! All three prior owners were on site as the yellow beast was auctioned.
Mopar’s were well represented on day 4, with a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi, 426/425 HP, 4-speed (Lot F170.1 – above left)) commanding $125,000, and a 1970 Plymouth Superbird 440/375 HP, Automatic (Lot F281.1) sold at $108,000. BowTie enthusiasts cheered when a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door Restomod, 454 CI, Automatic (Lot F74.1 – above right) fetched $127,500.
Today is Day 5 and it promises to be one of more frenzied activity as the 1961 Corvette Gulf Race Car (pictured above) takes center stage. The gavel action starts with Road Art at 8:30 AM, and vehicles roll across at 9:00 AM. Live coverage runs on Velocity from 2:00 – 10:00 PM. All times Eastern.
The 2012 PGA Merchandise Show opened this week at Orange County Convention Center and with it came a clear message that the golf industry needs to buck up its ideas and start thinking of some creative ways to attract people to the game.
A total of 26.1 million people played the game in the United States in 2010 and that’s one million fewer golfers than in 2009. Speaking about the new Golf 2.0 initiative, Fore Golf’s vice president of marketing, Fred Augenstein said “the goal is increase the number of golfers to 40 million by the year 2020.”
Golf legend Jack Nicklaus (pictured above) was also on hand to reinforce the message that golf needs to be made more relevant, more welcoming and more flexible to be able to attract a new generation of player in the future. Revealingly he talked about his own three children, one of whom is a scratch golfer, who no longer player the game because they have other things to do.
“I wanted to be part of growing the game around the world. This isn’t just a Jack Nicklaus initiative, this is a golf industry initiative” said Nicklaus of Golf.2.0, “We’ve got to bring them into the game having fun… we don’t want to bring them into the game and lose them right away.”
So, naturally, there is great concern among PGA members about the future of the game and that is why they have designed three strategies to tackle the issue; the first is to retain and strengthen the core, the second is to engage “lapsed” golfers and finally, to drive new players.
The first initiative involves two steps; getting to better know the customer and nurturing them. This involves delivering different experiences and nurturing current players to become the most loyal customers. The second initiative involves recognizing the influence that 73% of women have control on household spending and that the women’s game is becoming more influential, largely through the efforts of younger players like Lexi Thompson (pictured above) and Paula Creamer, both of whom were at the show. Also, part of the “engaging “lapsed” golfers strategy is targeting the 90 million Americans who aspire to play again while also appealing to the entire family. The aging Boomer population also presents another challenge as some of their skills fade away yet they still love the game and want to be involved. Technology will also play a part as not all golfers of the future begin in junior clinics, rather on their X-Box gaming machines.
Finally, the “driving new players” initiative will see efforts to reach families in the 84% of American households who don’t play golf. Alliances will be built with major youth organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and concentrated efforts will be made to make the game appeal to minority groups. “I’m ready to play” will be part of the theme over the next five to ten years of the long term strategic plan.
It promises to be an interesting time for the golf industry and here in Central Florida we’ll be monitoring the progress of how the area’s golf facilities perform. For many years, we have encouraged various golf clubs to find new innovative programs that can appeal to visitors and now the weight of the industry appears to be falling on their shoulders. Hopefully, we’ll now see a renewed willingness to work together with tourism partners to create a really great golfing experience and one that keeps the Orlando area as “Golf Central” for a long time to come.
We’ve now received more details about the plans at Universal Orlando this year and it certainly looks like there will be more adventure, excitement, laughter and awe-inspiring moments than ever before – making 2012 an extraordinary year to be here in Central Florida.
There will be something for everyone and every family. From a new Blue Man Group show and newly re-created experience inside one of Universal Orlando’s most popular attractions to a stunning parade, spectacular nighttime show and brand-new blockbuster attraction based on an incredibly popular film – Universal Orlando Resort is bringing guests more new entertainment across our entire destination in 2012 than during any other year in our history.
The new experiences will begin debuting in February. Guests will discover the exhilarating entertainment of a new Blue Man Group show; marvel at breathtaking new animation and effects in TheAmazing Adventures of Spider-Man; dance and celebrate with their favorite animated characters during Universal’s Superstar Parade and relive memorable moments from Universal Pictures most powerful and beloved films during the nighttime show Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular – 100 Years of Movie Memories.And coming this summer – families will laugh together as they are transformed into minions for an incredible adventure inside the new Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction.
Universal Orlando will also be marking the Universal Pictures Centennial Anniversary Celebration during 2012 with a series of events to be announced throughout the year.
“We are about to offer our guests a historic range of incredible new entertainment experiences,” said Alice Norsworthy, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Universal Orlando Resort. “This year will be filled with excitement and entertainment for the entire family.”
The new 2012 experiences at Universal Orlando include:
Blue Man Group ~ Opening February 2012 at Universal CityWalk
Universal Orlando’s Blue Man Group show is taking their unique and captivating mash-up of high energy music, comedy, audience participation and collective exhilaration to another level. Featuring a new show environment, new music, new technology and new experiences, the show will allow audiences to join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology. Signature Blue Man Group moments combine with breathtakingly fun new pieces for an explosive evening of entertainment. New show elements include the curious Blue Men interacting with enormous “GiPads,” a funny and insightful look at contemporary communication vehicles, and a pulsating new finale with an original Blue Man Group music score that will have guests jumping to their feet. Look closely – you may even see the Blue Men take a spin on one of Universal Orlando’s most popular attractions.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ~ Experience March 2012 at Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando is transforming what is already one of the most amazing attraction experiences ever created into what will feel like an all-new adventure. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man will soon feature all-new, 4K digital high-definition animation, new high tech 3-D glasses and upgrades to the set, audio and lighting systems. The re-animation of the ride film will include an entirely new level of detail for guests to discover, including a cameo by legendary comic book icon and Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee.
Universal’s Superstar Parade ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida
Some of today’s most beloved characters and stories will bring new adventure to the streets of Universal Studios during Universal’s Superstar Parade – an all-new daily parade that features larger-than-life floats, state-of-the-art technology and hundreds of energetic street performers. Guests will sing and dance along with characters like the minions from Despicable Me, E.B. from the hit comedy, Hop, Nickelodeon’s Dora & Diego and SpongeBob SquarePants during the interactive experience. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy performances and character meet and greets prior to the parade at select locations throughout the day.
Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida
Narrated by award-winning actor and recent Golden Globe – Cecil B. DeMille honoree, Morgan Freeman, Universal Orlando’s brand-new nighttime show, Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular, will celebrate the most powerful and emotional moments from Universal Pictures’ most iconic films – all on cutting-edge waterfall screens within the Universal Studios lagoon and surrounded by colorful fountains and pyrotechnics. The experience will take guests on a journey through epic cinematic moments filled with heroes, horror, laughter, good vs. evil and triumph. The new show opens this spring, runs all summer and then on select nights through the end of the year.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ~ Opening Summer 2012 at Universal Studios Florida
Universal Orlando’s newest attraction, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, will take guests on an unforgettable 3-D adventure with their favorite characters from the hit film – Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and the mischievous minions. The experience begins when guests enter Gru’s home, where they learn that they’re being recruited to become minions and undergo “minion training.” Things don’t go as planned, and guests find themselves on a wildly hysterical journey with Gru and his daughters. Once guests make it through training, they join an interactive, minion-inspired dance party where they can show off their best moves.
Universal’s Creative team is working closely with Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment to bring this all-new adventure to life in the most authentic way possible. In fact, the beloved characters in the attraction will be voiced by the film’s original cast: Steve Carell (Gru), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith) and Elsie Fisher (Agnes). The ride’s experience is being developed by the same creative team that brought you the award-winning film, Despicable Me. The motion-picture event Despicable Me 2 arrives in theaters on July 3, 2013.
Other New Experiences Opening this Year
Hollywood Drive-In Golf, a unique 36-hole miniature golf experience inspired by the classic drive-in movie era, will open in February at Universal CityWalk.
A great, new immersive retail entertainment experience that will become home to SpongeBob SquarePants and other characters from the number one kids animated TV series, Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. It will open inside Universal Studios this year.
Minutes away from Universal Orlando, the popular Wet ‘n Wild water park will open its first interactive family water play area this summer – allowing everyone in the family to splash and swim together. Amidst lush, tropical landscaping, the new area will feature 15 water slides and more than 100 soakers, jets, waterfalls and water cannons – making it the largest interactive water play experience in Florida.
Today, Universal Orlando Resort revealed details about a wide range of all-new exciting guest experiences that will open across the destination this year.
The new experiences will begin debuting in February and include:
A new Blue Man Group show – opening in February
HD enhancements and more to The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – experience in March
Universal’s Superstar Parade – a new interactive parade experience featuring characters like the minions from Despicable Me, E.B. from the hit animated film, “Hop,” Nickelodeon’s Dora & Diego and SpongeBob SquarePants that is opening in Spring
Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular – a new nighttime show that will celebrate the most powerful and emotional moments from Universal Pictures’ most iconic films – all projected on cutting-edge waterfall screens – and opening this Spring
The highly-anticipated 3-D attraction, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, which is opening this summer.
We’ll be bringing you more details in the coming days about each new attraction and event as more is known. Meanwhile, here’s some video:
Orlando City Lions coach Adrian Heath (pictured above) sat down with me this morning to talk about the upcoming 2012 season for the Lions. There’s no doubt that it’s an exciting time for soccer in the Orlando area as the team looks forward to defending their 2011 USL Pro Championship title.
The club has come along way in a short time and this time last year everyone at the club was just settling into the area after the move from Austin, Texas. Orlando City was originally named Orlando Pro Soccer when it was announced on March 4, 2010, and it was initially affiliated with the Orlando Titans National Lacrossse League team. Unfortunately the Titans ran into financial difficulties and in October 2010, the Orlando Pro Soccer USL rights were purchased by Phil Rawlins, a board member of English Premier League team Stoke City. It was his decision to move the club from Austin to Orlando and the team was then officially announced on October 25, 2010. At the press conference, Rawlins stated that he intended to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Orlando “within 3–5 years” as well as bringing international matches to the city as well. So far he’s half way to his target and it’s been an impressive start.
None of this would have been possible though if it wasn’t for the involvement of Coach Heath who has brought a style of play to the team that has many admirers throughout US soccer. The team ran away with the regular season championship and swept to the Championship final where it found a tough opponent in Harrisburg City Islanders, eventually winning on penalties after a thrilling last period of the game that saw the teams matched at 2-2.
The bar has certainly been set high by Heath and his squad. It remains to be seen if they can conjure up a repeat performance with which to impress MLS Commissioner Don Garber and perhaps seal that elusive MLS place but you can be sure that maximum effort will be exerted to achieve the goals.
The season kicks off with a friendly match against Philadelphia Union on February 18th at 6pm at the Florida Citrus Bowl and then a week later the team is involved in the 2012 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic. The Disney event runs from 24th February through to 3rd March and will feature six MLS teams (Toronto, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps) and Swedish Allsvenskan side BK Hacken. This action-packed event will be located at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World and the eight teams will compete in 14 games across the 7 days. It promises to be a soccer feast and the full schedule is featured below:
After that, the Lions will be looking forward to the start of the 24 game USL PRO regular season that kicks off in Charlotte on April 7th. A week later sees the home opener on April 15 at 6 p.m. against the Wilmington Hammerheads at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
The 2012 schedule sees Orlando City enjoy two visits from close rivals Charleston Battery on June 9 and July 28. In 2011, the Lions and Battery faced off five times in 2011 with Orlando winning the series 4-1 including a 3-1 overtime victory in the first round of the playoffs. In total, Orlando and Charleston will face off three times in the regular season, twice in Orlando and once in Charleston.
The USL PRO Championship Game rematch between Orlando City and Harrisburg City Islanders will be eagerly anticipated and it will take place in Orlando on June 22 ahead of the late season clash on August 1 in Harrisburg.
One interesting game sees City pitched against new opponents as they will face the Los Angeles Blues on May 24 in Orlando. The Lions will then face the Blues twice in LA in a Friday/Sunday series on July 6 and 8. The Blues were the only USL PRO side Orlando did not face in 2011 although LA qualified for the playoffs last season, but were eliminated by Harrisburg.
The 2012 season sees one major change to the league format as just 11 teams return to USL PRO in 2012. FC New York is no longer a member of USL PRO so now the 11 teams will now be grouped into a single table, resulting in the elimination of the divisions.
The shift away from separate divisions also brings small changes to the playoff format as now the top 6 teams will qualify for the 2012 USL PRO Playoffs. The top two teams will then receive a bye in the first round, similar to the NFL format and all playoffs will be single-elimination matches with the higher seed hosting each game. The 2012 Championship Game is then set for the weekend of September 7-9.
During the close season, Heath has been busy tweaking his squad (roster) and he’s recruited English midfielders James O’Connor (above left) and Anthony Pullis (above right) as well as forward Matt Luzunaris (pictured below) from San Jose Earthquakes. O’Connor and Pullis were much needed recruits as Lawrence Olum and Yordany Alvarez have both departed for MLS teams Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake respectively.
Of the three new signings to date, perhaps the one who needs the least introduction is Matt Luzunaris. Luzunaris made quite an impression on supporters last season as he played for the Lions on several occasions on loan and he scored a couple of vital goals to help seal the regular season title. In doing so he provided more than enough evidence to warrant the Lions permanently signing the former UCF Knight.
O’Connor is a 14-year veteran of England’s Championship division, and the 32-year old Irishman joins the Lions on a free transfer after playing the last three and half seasons at Sheffield Wednesday. In addition to his vast experience he also brings a UEFA “A” coaching license and will be assisting Heath and Assistant Coach Ian Fuller with the teams coaching duties.
Pullis is the son of Stoke City manager Tony Pullis and has played with several Premier League and Championship sides including Portsmouth, Stoke City, and Southampton as well as appearances for the Wales Under 21 National Team.
Heath isn’t resting on his laurels yet though and he insisted that every position could use one more player before the pre-season kicks off. “One player in each position would be the best to fill out the club,” Heath said “and we’re working hard to fill our roster.”
So, it looks like it’s going to be another exciting season and not content with adding new players to the roster, the club has also unveiled a new kit at its first ever supporters evening tonight in Orlando. Hundreds of Orlando City fans packed Mojo Cajun Bar & Grill in Downtown Orlando and the centerpiece of the evening was the unveiling of the 2012 kits. Here’s a look at the details of this year’s kit.
Purple is the new red. The 2012 Orlando City kit features one of the three primary colors of the Orlando City crest- purple. For the upcoming season, Orlando City will be wearing their all purple kit at each home match.
New features of the jersey include a white trim below the neckline and around the shoulders, making the purple even more evident for the 2012 Lions. The socks and shorts match the purple top with the same royal purple color. The socks have a break in the middle with a white bar emphasized with an Umbro logo.
Orlando Health will be entering their second year as the primary jersey sponsor of Orlando City Soccer. Their logo is predominantly placed on the chest of the jersey. The Umbro patch is located at the top left of the jersey, with the Orlando City crest on the top right. Also new to the 2012 Orlando City jersey is the updated crest. A gold star now sits below the three-headed lion in remembrance of City’s 2011 USL PRO Championship victory.
The new scudetto will also be added to the jersey before the Lions start the regular season, with three crowns inside the outline of the Orlando City crest. The three crowns represent the three titles Orlando City won during the inaugural 2011 campaign- the USL PRO championship, USL PRO regular season championship, and the American Division championship.
The new purple jerseys will be available for purchase next week and season tickets are still available at www.OrlandoCitySoccer.com
Here’s some video from our conversation about the upcoming season:
The world’s largest auto auction begins at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee today and runs through to Sunday 29th 2012. In that time, some 2100 vehicles will have passed through the auction block and sales will probably exceed $50 million!
The Mecum Auction is an event that has grown from a small regional event in conjunction with the NCRS Corvette Clubs to a stand alone Annual National Event which has captured the crown as the world’s largest.
Over 100 acres of grounds hosts tents, car parking, and truck and RV parking and nearly 6,000 registered bidders are expected to attend in addition to 50,000 fans who will be there to see some great vehicles.
The auction isn’t all about cars though as the auction also includes antique and classic motorcycles and collectible antique and wood boats. There’s really something for everyone, so if you’re in Orlando this week, make sure a trip to Mecum Kissimmee 2012 is on your hit list!
Legoland Florida is adding a new attraction to their theme park and with it comes the chance to cool off on a hot sunny day in Florida… the LEGOLAND WATER PARK.
The park is on schedule to open for the Summer of 2012 and with it comes a chance for all the family to relax as well as spark the creativity in young ones. The park will feature several areas and we preview them below:
• LEGO Wave Pool – Families can catch a gentle wave or simply cool off in this perfectly sized wave pool where the waves are just big enough for all ages to enjoy
• Twin Chasers – Friends ride tubes 375 feet down an intertwining pair of enclosed water slides before plunging into a refreshing pool below
• Splash Out – The thrill seekers of the family can ascend to the tallest point of the water park attraction and choose from one of three unique slides, then speed down a 60-foot drop and “splash out” into the water below
• Joker Soaker – A fun, interactive playground with various lengths, heights and types of slides that offer something different for every member of the family. Guests can wade in the surrounding pool and be surprised with a torrential spill from a 300-gallon bucket
• Build-A-Raft River – Families can imagine, design and build a unique LEGO vessel and set afloat on a maiden voyage around the 1000-foot-long lazy river, set amongst playful LEGO Friends, flowering vegetation and palm trees
• DUPLO® Splash Safari – Toddlers will rule at this water play area with shorter slides and interactive, larger-than-life DUPLO creatures
