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Here’s a great picture of a professional stunt driver taking flight on the set of “Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the theme park’s iconic “Earffel Tower” standing tall in the background. The new, 30-minute show features cars, motorcycles and high-powered watercraft piloted by highly trained stunt drivers. Later this summer the star of “Cars” and “Cars 2″ will join the cast of high-octane characters.
Newly crowned “American Idol” Scotty McCreery poses on May 30, 2011 with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in front of “The American Idol Experience” attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. McCreery was honored in a parade at the Disney theme park and performed his new song, “I Love You This Big.” On Wednesday May 25, the 17-year-old singer was crowned the new “American Idol” on the season finale which was viewed by an estimated 29.3 million people. Excited fans lined the streets, cheering on the 17-year-old singer from Garner N.C., as he joined Mickey Mouse in a convertible sports car and greeted fans before taking the microphone to sing his new hit single, “I Love You This Big” in front of “The American Idol Experience” attraction in the Disney theme park.
In addition to the parade, McCreery later surprised guests by making an unannounced appearance on-stage at “The American Idol Experience” attraction inside the theme park. “The American Idol Experience” – the first major theme park attraction in the world based on the popular television series phenomenon – was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering in conjunction with 19 TV Ltd and FremantleMedia Enterprises. In the attraction, Disney guests are able to experience the glitz and glamour of the “American Idol” television show, whether they are auditioning for a Disney producer, performing on-stage in front of a packed theater, or voting for their favorite performance from their audience seats.
Performers who receive the most audience votes in preliminary shows return to star in that evening’s grand finale show. In addition to their new-found theme park fame, the top vote-getting guest in the finale show receives “The American Idol Experience” Dream Ticket – which allows an eligible holder to schedule a front-of-the-line audition at a future regional audition for the “American Idol” TV show.
Pictured above “American Idol” Scotty signs an autograph May 30, 2011 for fan Sarah Solley while below is more video from the event.
George Lucas (above right) was among the first to see the reopening of the Star Tours motion simulator ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios today. The 67-year-old “Star Wars” creator came to the park to celebrate the ride’s 25-year-old story as it has been updated with a new tale, a digital projection system and 3-D effects. Lucas even armed himself with a light saber to share a stage with surprise guest, Disney CEO Robert Iger, (above left), as Darth Vader and other movie characters watched. “Lord Vader, prepare to meet your maker,” Iger cracked.
Pictured above, left to right, are James Arnold Taylor, voice actor from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”; Dave Filoni, director of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”; Iger; Lucas; “Star Wars” character C-3PO; Anthony Daniels, the actor who portrayed C-3PO in “Star Wars”; Ashley Eckstein, voice actor from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”; and Daniel Logan, who portrayed Boba Fett in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.”
The reopening of the “Star Wars”-themed rides in both Disney Hollywood Studios park in Florida and at Disneyland in California brings a new wave of attention to the franchise, which will get another boost and more than likely gain new fans in 2012 when all six original movies are re-released in theaters as a 3-D feature.
Lucas said the movies have now been around so long that they’ve become “part of the social culture.” “In the end, you do the best you can telling a story, and you hope people will come and see it,” Lucas said in an interview at the park. “Once in a while, you get something like this, where people love it, they can’t get enough of it, they take it in as part of their lives.”
He said the return of the movies to the big screen will give parents a chance to share with their children something they experienced when they were young. “It’s a chance not only for people to see it in 3-D, but more importantly it’s chance for fathers to take their sons and they’ll say, ‘I saw this when I was your age. You’ve only seen it on television,’” Lucas said. “And if the father isn’t doing that, the grandfather is doing that, because it’s been that long. We’re in our third generation now.”
The Star Tours ride at Disney takes place somewhere between the third and fourth movies in the series … confusing , I know … and it features the droid C-3P0 as reluctant pilot of a star cruiser on a deep space adventure. To keep things fresh, Disney created more than 50 different versions of the five-minute ride, each featuring various “Star Wars” characters and locales, so that riders have a completely different experience each time they go.
Lucas added that he’d been pushing to get the ride updated for years. “I was pretty much hands-on everything,” said Lucas, who’s ridden the revamped attraction a number of times. “When we did the first ride, which was 25 years ago, I have stayed working with Disney over the years. We started like three or four years ago saying now’s the time to do a new re-do on the attraction. We’ve been wanting to do it for a long time.”
LOVE IS IN THE AIR FOR DISNEY VALENTINES — Beloved Disney character couples are “feelin’ the love” at Walt Disney World Resort during Valentine’s month. Against the fairytale backdrop of Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom are Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Aladdin and Jasmine, Belle and Beast, Price Eric and Ariel, Cinderella and Prince Charming and Donald and Daisy Duck.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens poses yesterday with the “Beast” from Disney’s animated film “Beauty and the Beast” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Hudgens’ co-stars in the upcoming motion picture “Beastly,” which will be released in theaters March 4, 2011.
One of the wonderful things to do when visiting Orlando during holiday season is visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios and take a look at the fabulous Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
The story of how the lights came to be is quite fascinating;
Jennings Osborne, along with his wife Mitzi, founded a medical research facility in 1968 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The business’ success allowed the couple to eventually purchase a large estate outside of town in 1976 and four years later, in 1980, the Osbornes welcomed little Breezy into the world.
In 1986, Breezy made a very simple request of her parents for Christmas … to decorate their home in lights. Jennings gladly complied, stringing 1000 lights around their home. “Each year after that, it got bigger and bigger,” Osborne would later recall. So big, in fact, that Osborne purchased the two properties adjacent to his own and expanded the display into them.
By 1993, the display had over three million lights and some of the more prominent features included:
* an illuminated globe, with Little Rock and Bethlehem marked, mounted in the back yard;
* two rotating carousels of lights, placed on each end of the estate’s circular driveway;
* a 70-foot-tall Christmas tree of lights with 80,000 lights in three colored layers, mounted atop the home’s kitchen; and
* a canopy of 30,000 red lights over a section of the driveway
The lights were a wildly popular attraction, both in Arkansas and around the world, as news crews often visited to film the display.
The display was, however, not as popular with some of the Osborne’s neighbors. They claimed that the display created massive traffic jams near their homes, and in 1994 they filed suit to have the display turned off. Ultimately, Osborne agreed to several conditions on the display, such as a set schedule for when the lights would be turned on and hiring off-duty police officers to help the neighbors enter and exit their properties.
Much as generosity spurred the creation of the display, another act of generosity may have spelled its doom in Arkansas. After a family arrived just after the display had been turned off for the night, Jennings agreed to switch the lights on for them, in violation of the court order and netting him a $10,000 fine. The neighbors returned to court, which sided with them and ordered the display turned off permanently. Osborne appealed to both the Arkansas Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court, where Justice Clarence Thomas refused to hear the case.
The story of the light display’s court case brought national attention, including offers from several cities to host the display but it was Walt Disney World project director John Phelan who contacted Osborne’s attorney about moving the display to the Orlando resort, and eventually discussed the potential move with Osborne himself.
Osborne was intrigued by the offer, but initially understood that Disney wanted to put the display on another residential street in Orlando. What Phelan actually offered was to install the display on “Residential Street,” a backlot section at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park (then known by its original name, the Disney-MGM Studios). Being a fan of the resort himself, and realizing where the display would go, Osborne accepted Disney’s offer. In 1995, the display was set up on Residential Street as “The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights,” becoming an immediate success.
Residential Street was visited using the backlot tour’s tram vehicles. When the light display was in place, however, the tram tours would stop before sunset, allowing guests to walk amongst the displays. Initially the display was purely the original lights from the Osborne estate, but in subsequent years the display was augmented to its current size of over five million lights. The display’s Disney caretakers have also added a number of hidden Mickeys into the lights.
The display is made up of over 10 miles (16 kilometers) of rope lighting connected by another 30 miles (48 kilometers) of extension cords. The extension cords and lights are held together using two million ties. It takes 20,000 man-hours to install the display each holiday season, starting in September. The lights are turned on at dusk each night, starting in mid-November and running into the first week of January, and require 800,000 watts of electricity.
In 2004, the park began construction on a new arena for its upcoming Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show, that opened in 2005. Part of the construction included the demolition of Residential Street, thus necessitating another move of the display. The solution was to move it to another part of the park, the New York Street set (now known as the Streets of America). As part of the move, the Studios added an artificial snow effect to the display, made up of 33 snow machines that use 100 gallons of fluid per evening.
In 2006, the park added over 1500 dimmer relay circuits and control switches to the display to enable the lights to switch on and off electronically and this remains in place today. The switches are choreographed to a musical score during which the lights “dance” to the music. After each performance, the lights remain steady for about ten minutes before “dancing” again to another selection; other holiday selections play during the intermissions. The “dance music” selections include:
* “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12-24),” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
* “Jingle Bells,” by Barbra Streisand
* “A Mad Russian’s Christmas,” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
* “Feliz Navidad,” by José Feliciano
Admission to the display is free with admission to the park, and it’s a MUST SEE if you’re visiting Walt Disney World over the holidays. Here’s some video…
Disney’s contemporary Christian music event, “Night of Joy,” will celebrate its 28th year by presenting an unprecedented lineup of Christian music artists. After two years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the event will again be held at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
Performances will take place at several stage locations between 7:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. each evening following the regular closing of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Popular attractions will also be available for guests to enjoy during Night of Joy hours. The 2010 lineup features a host of inspirational bands, including these headlining artists:
Friday, September 10
Saturday, September 11
Night of Joy special ticket provides admission to the Magic Kingdom from 4:00 p.m. until until 1:00 a.m.. The park is regularly open until 6:00 p.m., but Night of Joy ticket holders will be issued a special wrist band allowing them access to the extended hours and concerts.
Prices for the special one-night advance tickets purchased online are $49.95, plus tax ($57.95, plus tax if available on night of event). Tickets for both nights — September 10 & 11 — are $89.95, plus tax. For more information or to purchase tickets for Night of Joy, call 407-W-DISNEY or go online and check out www.disneyworld.com/nightofjoy
September is a busy month in Central Florida with lots of events happening. Here’s the highlights:
First off is Orlando Magical Dining month that runs from 1st to 30th September. I covered this event in a blog last week here. Over at the theme parks “Halloween” seems to be the thing on everyone’s mind even though the day itself isn’t until 31st October.
September 10 – 11, 2010: One of the top contemporary Christian music events in the country, the Night of Joy now at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will feature some of the best Gospel Music singers.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
September 14 – November 1, 2010: Disney characters are decked out in their Halloween finest, and guests are invited to do the same on 23 evenings when Magic Kingdom hosts this popular after-hours event. September 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, October 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, November 1, 2010.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Rock the Universe
September 10-11, 2010: Chart-topping Christian music stars from across the nation highlight the annual concert.
Halloween Horror Nights
September 24, 25, 30, October 1-3, 7-10,1 4-17, 20-24, 27-31, 2010: Possibly the world’s most elaborate Halloween celebration with specially designed haunted houses, inescapable scare zones and hundreds of street performers.
Elsewhere, there’s a lot to choose from:
One of the “must do” things that was on my “Bucket” list for 2009 was to take a flight over the Disney area on a small plane. I’d done this trip by helicopter a few years ago so that whetted my appetite for repeating the experience this year and I was lucky enough to do that this week…just a week before the year ends. Close call!
Flying over the Walt Disney World area certainly gives you a different appreciation for the Central Florida area and you really get to see how things are laid out. It’s a great thing to do as not only do you see a wonderful landscape but you also enjoy a fun and exciting experience.
A flight like this can make for a great gift or present for that someone special so I thought you may like to find out a little more on today’s blog.
The trip begins with a short drive to Kissimmee Gateway Airport… just minutes from your vacation home. We can arrange to pick you up or you can choose to drive there yourself. Once you’re at the airport you’ll meet your pilot and then get strapped in for a dream flight that will last about an hour. (Longer flights can be arranged)
Magic Kingdom and Contemporary
You will fly around the Disney area where you will get a great view of the local area and the theme parks. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that you will fly right over the theme parks because this is controlled by Orlando air traffic control but sometimes they do allow this and if so, you’ll really never get a better chance to take some fabulous pictures of places like Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and Blizzard Beach. If you’re not so lucky and they don’t allow it, then don’t worry as you’ll still get close enough to take some good photos and of course, see the parks as you’ve never seen them before. It’s really a win – win, no matter what air traffic control decides that day!
Sunset Lakes Cumbrian Lakes
After your flight, the rest of the day is yours to do as you wish. The concierge at Florida Leisure would be pleased to arrange this trip for you and your family and also they can plan a meal around the flight to make it even more memorable. The only thing you need to remember is that it does take some advanced planning in order to book the airplane and the pilot.
Here’s a video I shot just to give you a taste…
It’s been a very hectic Christmas here at Florida Leisure Vacation Homes but we’re now able to sit back a little and proudly announce our “MY DREAMS COME TRUE” CLUB.
The idea of the club is to provide all of our past guests and members unique opportunities and experiences when visiting the Orlando area. It’s taken us around eight months to be able to put all the component parts together and we always had 1st January 2009 as our goal to launch the club. Well that date is almost here and we’re giving you a sneak peak via our blog.
The idea initially came about when we were having one of weekly staff meetings and someone said that it was about time someone did something unique in the Orlando area. We all looked at each other and said “sounds like a challenge!”.
We like challenges so we started to lay out our plans. Plans to give vacationers something different, something unique and after a lot of hard work we’re now at the point where we can offer some unique lifestyle choices and experiences.
For instance, how many people have wondered how Magic Kingdom really works? Or how many people have asked questions about how Disney looks after the animals at Animal Kingdom? Or how about learning more about the space program when visiting Kennedy Space Center?
Well, we’re pleased to announce that we are now able to give people those unique experiences. We have three backstage Walt Disney World tours where you can learn the backstage secrets at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We’ve even managed to get a look at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where you can see behind the scenes at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, otherwise known as The Twilight Tower of Terror.
Additionally we are also able to offer private tours of Kennedy Space Center with an astronaut or put you in a day long astronaut training program where you can taste the experience of space flight. There’s also a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly like Superman as you board G-Force One and experience zero gravity.
If motorsport is your thing, then we can fly you to our private motorsport venue where you can drive a race or rally car. You can learn to drive an ATV over a 3 mile safari course or you can learn “high performance” driving techniques.
The “My Dreams Come True” Club is exclusive to Florida Leisure Vacation Homes members and guests. Each experience will be planned by our concierge and will be unique to each member and guest. Nothing else exists like it and we’re proud to launch it.
