Characters Phineas and Ferb from the hit Disney Channel series “Phineas and Ferb” now greet guests of all ages in a new interactive meet-and-play experience at Disney’s Holllywood Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The characters appear near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in the theme park.
Gene Duncan, photographer
Reigning Olympic gold medal winner Nastia Liukin of the United States works with young gymnasts Friday during the ESPN RISE Girls Showcase at Walt Disney World and gives her most definitive remarks to date on defending her all-around title at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Liukin, 21, gave instruction and encouragement to four Orlando-area gymnasts – including Clermont’s Olessia Dunaeva – at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney.
Liukin, who trains in Plano, TX, also interacts with the USA Basketball Women’s under-19 team, including fellow Dallas-area hoops star Alexis Jones (Irving, TX), at the sports complex at Disney and gives her thoughts on the Dallas Mavericks-Miami Heat NBA Finals matchup.
The USA Basketball Women’s under-19 team is competing at the sports complex as part of the ESPN RISE Girls Showcase, which brings together one of the biggest collections of elite female youth athletes in the country. The three-week sports festival involves nearly 15,000 elite and recreational female athletes competing in basketball, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), softball, taekwondo and volleyball.
This year’s Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios had its ups and downs for my wife and I this year. One event we look forward to every year is the Hyperspace Hoopla, a Star Wars themed dance party, that involves characters from the entire Star Wars Universe competing in an intergalactic dance-off with a few funny skits and choreographed numbers.
This year’s version did not disappoint. The whole production value of the show was increased with the move from the Jedi Academy stage to the “Disney Channel Rocks” stage in front of the Sorcerer’s Hat. With the larger stage, multi-layered staging, arena lighting, LED screens and immense sound reinforcement the Hoopla was bigger and better than anything they have ever produced.
Quick Tip: Should you get a chance to check out the show get there at least 30 minutes early to ensure a nice spot toward the front of the stage. Most people line up during the “Disney Channel Rocks” show in order to get in spaces closest to the stage. Be sure to check your event/times guide for showtimes.
VERDICT: Must see! Be sure to check out this show that will leave your entire family singing and dancing… and perhaps twirling Lightsabers all the way back to your home resort!
Coverage of Star Wars Weekends made in partnership with CookingwithMickey.info, JediMousekteer.blogspot.com, and HalloweenExpress.com – be anything you want to be!
There are two different types of dining at Disney World: table service and quick service. Table service restaurants are dining destinations that offer either buffets or served meals with appetizers, main courses, desserts, and service. Meanwhile, quick service restaurants are set up like cafeterias offering quick, but tasty, menus where you pretty much serve yourself. However, quick service restaurants are not to be underestimated. Disney carries their use of theme, storyline, and design into these dining locations too; and some of the menus at counter service locations are incredibly delicious and a far cry from your standard theme park fare of simply burgers and fries!
1. Columbia Harbour House-This quick service location can be found in Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom and it offers a great menu and setting. Columbia Harbour House has a New England, nautical theme set in the colonial period with dark woods, brass accents, anchors, and items from old ships decorating the walls. You will also find cupboards filled with dishes and fireplaces with odds and ends on the mantle and more in the dining areas, making you feel as if you stepped backed in time into real early America! Also, many don’t realize that this restaurant has a second floor. It’s rarely crowded there, dim and cool, and has windows overlooking the park and a great restroom. It’s a great place to escape the crowds! However, the seafood inspired menu here is the real star. At Columbia Harbour House, you can feast on a vegetarian sandwich, tuna, fried fish or shrimp, salads, and delicious Clam Chowder!
2. Sunshine Seasons-This quick service location can be found on the first floor of The Land pavilion at Epcot! Here you can dine right in the middle of all the action taking place in The Land with Soarin’ and Living with the Land right next door! The food at Sunshine Seasons is very unique in comparison to other quick service locations as some of it is actually grown inside The Land pavilion and it is the only place in Epcot’s Future World that serves breakfast! It’s also some of the best quick service food you can find in all of WDW, and a great place for those looking for a healthy meal. Sunshine Seasons offers different stations, each with their own menu. Some of the selections offered here would be Sweet and Sour Chicken, Rotisserie Chicken, a Flatbread sandwich, Strawberry Shortcake, and Soarin’ inspired Creme Brulee! Also be sure to look above to see four hot air balloons representing each season hanging from the ceiling.
3. Captain Cook’s Snack Company-Located at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Captain Cook’s is a favorite quick service location among many guests. The breakfast menu offers standard breakfast fare, along with the famous Polynesian Tonga Toast, banana stuffed French Toast. For lunch or dinner, try to choose between a pork sandwich, stir-fry noodles, turkey club, chicken caesar salad, and a variety of flatbreads. In addition to being open 24 hours, this is also the only other place, besides Aloha Isle in Adventureland, where you can get a Dole Whip!
4. Riverside’s Mill-Port Orleans Riverside’s food court is one of the best! Here there are different stations to choose from, whether you are in the mood for sandwiches, salads, pizza, meat, or burgers. What makes this dining destination great is the setting and the Create-Your-Own-Pasta bar. Here you get to choose your own ingredients and the servings are huge! The food court is located in what appears to be an old mill with a huge waterwheel just outside. The high ceilings and variety of seating make this place appear huge! Plus, there are plenty of windows to let in light and provide a view of the waterwheel and the Sassagoula River; and the wooden beams, and relaxed, country atmosphere make it comfortable and charming!
5. Gasparilla Grill and Games-Located at the Grand Floridian, this quick service location offers a budget friendly, but yet tasty, menu for Grand Floridian guests or visitors and is open 24 hours. This dining location is both a mini food court and an arcade; but don’t let that stop you from giving it a shot. This Grand Floridian restaurant continues the resort’s light and airy decor, providing adults a pleasant place to eat and talk and kids a place to play! The menu here is also exceptional with a fabulous Caesar salad, the Grand Floridian Club Sandwich, stir fry, vegetarian lasagna, roast beef, and more!
So what is your favorite quick service restaurant at Walt Disney World? Did any of ours make your list?
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Wednesday, June 8 is World Oceans Day. Disney will be hosting some events to observe the global conservation celebration.
If you’re in EPCOT that day, head to The Seas with Nemo and Friends from 9am-4:30pm where you can learn more about the world’s oceans, as well as the creatures that inhabit them.
One display called “Sea-nanigans” will teach guests about ocean animals and how they protect themselves from predators and becoming another animal’s dinner!
Another will test your knowledge of how much different marine animals eat.
And there’s even one to show how shark’s have a special place in the cycle of ocean life and may not be as scary as we think they are.
Disney has donated over $4 million to support ocean wildlife and conservation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.
The Chip and Co T-Shirt Store is now open for business. I have been working hard at coming up with T-Shirt Designs so you can sport your C&C colors at WDW. Many of the shirts are customizable and range from children’s to adult.
I am still working on more designs so check back if you don’t see something you like right away. Also if you have any requests just email me and I will see what I can do.
Click here to check them out.
It is crunch time at my house. We’re not quite halfway through 2011 and I’m smack-dab in the middle of getting the 2012 edition of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers ready to send to the editor. Since I’m in the thick of things, I thought now was a good time to unveil the inner workings of Beyond the Attractions :).
First comes the longest phase – research, writing, and editing. Once that process is complete, I shift gears and move into publishing which takes a whole different skill set.
Research for the next year’s edition begins in September. Really, it starts the day after the current edition has been sent to the publisher but before it is available from retailers such as BTA on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. One of the most interesting, but challenging aspects of writing a Walt Disney World travel guide is the dynamic nature of the “World.” New changes are continually made to the Walt Disney World Resort to provide an even more magical vacation experience for guests. What that means for me is spending some pixie dusted hours every day reading the official Disney website, Disney fan sites, forums, and Disney blogs. I know, I know – it’s a tough job but someone has to do it 🙂
Changes to the Disney World Resort that would affect traveling with preschoolers get added to the Updates page of my website, Beyond the Attractions. I also make a note in a Notepad file on my computer desktop that keeps a running list of changes that need to be considered for the next edition. It’s pretty low tech but the simplicity of it works well for me.
Throughout the fall and winter months, I outline and begin writing new sections that I would like to add to the book. For example, in the 2011 edition, I added a section on attractions that were tame enough for preschoolers but that older siblings would enjoy at the same time. After all, family harmony makes for magical memories.
I know it’s early spring when I see the first buds on the trees and when it’s time for one of the most exciting parts of the process – creating a detailed list of research for my spring research trip! Lists are made for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, the Resorts, and “Around the World.”
Come spring and off my family goes to Walt Disney World for the research trip. Items are meticulously checked off the research list, photographs are taken, new foods are sampled, ideas for new tips and enhancements are chronicled, and park maps, times guides, and pretty much any piece of paper that contains Walt Disney World information that I can get my hands on are picked up.
Early June means intense weeks of fact-checking and a lot of long-distance phone calls. I have a very large spreadsheet that contains every “fact” in Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers that must be checked. My research list and the materials I picked up during my research trip, as well as the official Disney website, the Disney Parks Blog, publications from Disney, and other trusted source are used to verify information. Lastly, many phone calls are made to Disney to confirm items in the book. Each “fact” in the spreadsheet is updated with the date it was verified and the source used for verification.
Please check back next week and I’ll talk about the writing and editing process.
Lisa M. Battista is the author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers and the co-creator of WDW Fan Zone. When she’s not chasing after her little ones, you can most likely find her at the beach or in the kitchen trying her hand at a new recipe. You can follow her on Twitter @DisneyExplorer or become a fan of Beyond the Attractions on Facebook.
After a strong showing last year, it was announced today that Star Wars Celebration VI will be once again held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The official Star Wars fan event will happen August 23-26, 2012.
Tickets to attend Star Wars Celebration VI are available NOW. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday Passes are $55, Saturday Passes are $65, Adult Four-Day Passes are $135, Kids Four-Day Passes are $54, and Kids One-Day Passes are $27. VIP tickets and details will be available later this year. Official Celebration hotels are available starting at $65 per night. More travel info can be requested HERE.
Of course, attendees will also be able to visit Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, which recently reopened as an all-new Star Wars ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There may even be a special event tied to Disney’s Hollywood Studios similar to last year’s “Last Tour to Endor.” Only time will tell.
Look for Jedi Mouseketter and Cooking with Mickey to cover the event as part of the Sorcerer Radio Network!
Sorcerer Radio on-air talent, William Hershey, recently had an opportunity to chat with actors Francia Raisa & Ken Baumann who star in the ABC Family Original Series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Raisa was born and raised in Southern California and as a junior in high school, started modeling for print ads, starring in commercials, and even dabbling in the world of sitcoms. After shooting Bring It On: All or Nothing opposite Hayden Panettiere of NBC’s Heroes, Francia starred in the Nickelodeon film Shredderman Rules. She was also the female lead in ABC Family’s original movie The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream. Baumann started acting at the age of 11 in New York and Texas. After moving to L.A. at age 14 landed a role in a pilot for Fox. In 2008, he appeared in Whore (rated R) with Megan Fox and Johanna E. Braddy (aka Jordan on Greek). Here’s an excerpt of the interview that aired on Sorcerer Radio’s DW:60.
***WARNING THIS INTERVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!***
You’ve been warned!
Sorcerer Radio: Can you talk about how the loss of Adrian’s baby affects your characters.
F. Raisa: Sure. Adrian was really just all about having this baby. Her whole life revolved around it right now. She’s had a baby shower, she is getting married, she is starting a new life, and then for all that to be just be crashing down and I mean, there’s no baby now, so, it really affects her. It affected me as well to shoot the episode. It’s something that I’d hope never to witness again.
K. Baumann: It was rough. It’s a material that as actors we feel very lucky to take on because it is such a challenge, and represents an experience that you don’t often see on TV. So you feel lucky to be able to portray that, and give those people, who had the unfortunate experience, give them some representation, make them feel like they’re thought of, too. But at the same time, it takes an emotional toll on you. You’ve been just living in that situation for a short amount of time, it’s rough, it’s terrible. Nobody wants that to happen. So, yes, it was both strenuous and really pretty incredible opportunity. Ben was devastated as anyone would be, and he’s going to have to struggle for quite a long time to recover.
Sorcerer Radio: How does the loss of the baby affect the dynamic between Adrian and Ben, Amy and Ricky?
K. Baumann: Well, regardless at the very beginning before this event, it’s a pretty tricky situation, but I would say that it both kind of settles any disputes or conflicts they have just temporarily because everyone kind of bonds together in grief, paradoxically enough. But at the same time, once Adrian and Ben are trying to recover, it gets pretty nasty. And naturally, you’re going to have two people who are stricken by grief, and they’re going to look to make themselves feel better, and that may involve trying to reach back into the past, and go back to how it was once was, and reignite old loves and all that stuff. So, it gets even more convoluted, but temporarily, like I said, everybody comes together in this tragic event, which is very, very painful and bittersweet.
Sorcerer Radio: So in a sense, are they trying to bring others down into their misery with them?
K. Baumann: Yes. I don’t know if they are attempting to, but it certainly just happens. I think they’re like little black holes for a while. Like I said, however the course, it’s going to happen, but it certainly makes good television, I think.
Sorcerer Radio: If you could both go back to 2008 when Secret Life first began, and give us that one piece of advice with what you know now, what would you tell your other self?
K. Baumann: That is a good question. I would say, as a human being, I would tell myself to tell Daren Kagasoff to stop buying sneakers because he has a problem, and then as an actor performing on Secret Life, I don’t know. I don’t know if I’d have anything to tell myself. It’s been a really kind of a wonderful journey, and I’d really gotten to know and bond with all my castmates, and everybody is great and I love them all, and you know, just kind of a large one big happy family. I don’t know. I think I would stay mum, I’d keep quiet. It’s been great.
F. Raisa: Yes, I don’t think there’s anything I’d tell myself as an actor performing on Secret Life. We’ve all worked very hard since day one to what it is today. I’ve really no advice I’d give myself except prepare for all the emotional drama that’s coming.
Sorcerer Radio: Do each of you have a soapy, sort of guilty pleasure television show that you like to watch on a regular basis?
F. Raisa: I’m obsessed with Grey’s Anatomy. That’s my show. I’m obsessed with Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, and like most ABC shows and soapy, oh gosh, I watch a lot of Spanish soap operas, that’s my guilty pleasure.
K. Baumann: You know, I watched the first two seasons of Jersey Shore and then I kind of got over it, but I’ve got to say, now, I am obsessed with Breaking Bad. I think that show is incredible, and it’s really kind of sick how many, like I would sit down for eight to ten hours at a time and watch, you know, eight episodes. So, it’s a bit scary how much I watch that show.
Sorcerer Radio: Francia, let me ask you, Adrian’s realization that she has very few friends has really fueled the last few episodes, and then we saw the end of the baby shower episode that more people than she realized are actually in her life, and I was wondering with everything that’s going on, does Adrian start to foster these friendships, or do they not really affect her, and she just goes back to be more of a loner?
F. Raisa: Yes. Adrian was carrying the baby for nine months and she really felt emotionally attached to it. Like I said, her whole personality and her whole character changed into this welcoming person, and she felt blessed that everything was coming together in her life: her family; her friendships; educations; and then it all just came crashing down. So she becomes very angry and bitter, and she just wants to be left alone, and handle her own sorrows. Even if people try to come and try to be there for her, she just wants to be left alone. She just becomes, I guess, some sort of a loner again, and doesn’t really want to accept anyone because all she wants to do is grieve about her baby.
Sorcerer Radio: Can you share anything you did special to prepare for such an emotional episode?
F. Raisa: Yes, I didn’t know what to do. I was trying to listen to some really depressing music, and the best thing that I could have done is I went on YouTube and I typed in stillbirth and there was a few videos that popped up, and there was one in particular, I think it’s the first one that comes up when you research it, and it’s about a couple who actually went through what my character goes through. You see the woman pregnant and how happy they are and the whole process of waiting for her to be born, and then you see them hold their dead child and you see her in a coffin and you see pictures of her, and you just see the whole family just crying and grieving. So, yes, that sold me, and that’s how I prepared for it, and the song that they added in the video I had on my iPod and I just listened to it over and over again. The flashbacks of that baby just sticks and came back into my head every time they called action.
Sorcerer Radio: Adrian is a very interesting character. On one hand she is resident bad girl, and on the other, she has high grades. So how are you similar and different to Adrian?
F. Raisa: It’s funny. I always tell people that my character sometimes bleeds into my life. I am very similar to her in the fact that I am very sassy and I can have my little attitude sometimes. I’m a good student in school but I don’t ever consider myself this sort of bad girl. I didn’t have the life that Adrian had growing up. She kind of came from a broken home where she didn’t have a father at first and her mother didn’t really want anything to do with her in the beginning. So she travelled, trying to forget that she was a mother and just wanted to live her own life. She was sort of seeking love and the only way she could was through sex, but at the same time, she wanted to be smart and she did want a good future for herself, so she focused on school. So, I think Adrian is a very smart character; she is just emotionally drained and sensitive, and she was just trying to find some sort of good support system. I understand her because in this world and stuff in this industry, it’s hard to have a good support system. I can be a little bit sensitive sometimes, and put myself in situations that I wish I hadn’t; and so in that sense, I can relate to her. But at the same time, I feel like I have good common sense and I am smart in a fact where I’ve got to do something about my problems, and put forward in my future rather than just putting myself down and cry about it.
Sorcerer Radio: On more of a lighter note, I know that you had to wear pregnancy padding throughout Adrian’s pregnancy. What was that like and do you miss it at all?
F. Raisa: Yes and no. I had a lot of fun wearing it. You know, every girls’ dream is to picture what she would look like pregnant. You know, want to wear something like that every now and then. So, I had fun. It was just like a pillow. It became hot sometimes, so that’s when I hated it, and sometimes it’d be a little too tight, but other than that, it really didn’t bother me. I enjoyed speaking like I was a pregnant woman. I’d be out in the streets and talking about how it was, “six weeks along”, “I’m six months pregnant”. People looked at me like, you’re crazy, you’re not even pregnant. And I would start holding my belly like it was really scratchy, because I would see woman scratch it because it was itchy. So I had fun with it. I was just acting like I was really pregnant and having a little fantasy of my own.
Sorcerer Radio: Who can we expect Adrian to turn to and lean on through this devastating event?
F. Raisa: You would think she would lean on Kenny or Ben, and I think she does. She takes a lot out on Ben and a lot of her emotions out on Ben. But like I said, when things get tough, she just likes to be alone. But Ben, you know how his character is, and he does everything he can to be there for her.
Sorcerer Radio: You are a few years older than your character and I was wondering if that helps you understand what you’re experiencing, not necessarily with the pregnancy and all the other issues that Adrian has specifically, but just being a few years wiser per se?
F. Raisa: Yes. I think being older definitely does help me because I’ve been in high school; I know what the other experiences that she goes through are, with sex and everything. Like being pregnant, I’m around a lot of pregnant women right now, and so I’m educating myself a bit on what it’s like, and the journeys that they have to go through with their pregnancies. I think my mind is a little more open now that I’m older rather than when I was in high school, and you know, that was my life, and I didn’t know any better. Yes, I think it definitely helps a lot because I’ve been in the real world, and I’ve lived an adult life for enough time to like I said, have more of an open mind.
Sorcerer Radio: Before you lost the baby, what would you say was the most difficult part of playing Adrian up to this point, the most challenging storyline per se?
F. Raisa: The most challenging storyline I think was when I looking for my father, and I found him and I went to meet him and he rejected me. That was a bit difficult. I had never been through that and I know that’s happened unfortunately in some people’s lives, and trying to put myself in that position and play that character was tough. I mean, you know when the two people that are suppose to love you and be there for you when you’re first born, when you first come out of the womb, are your mom and dad. So to be rejected from that and broken from that, it can be very difficult.
Sorcerer Radio: What was your reaction when you found out that they were making your character pregnant and then finding out that the baby wouldn’t survive?
F. Raisa: When I first found out she was pregnant, I was shocked but I was so excited. I was like, “Yay! I get to wear a belly!” I could not wait to put on that stomach. I kept asking when am I going to do it, when is it finally coming. I was very excited, and then when I found out she lost it; I love kids and I was so excited to finally work with a baby and playing with the kids because I always play with Matthew and Joey who played John on the show. I’m always with him when they’re on the set. So I was a little upset and devastated when I found out that there was going to be no baby, but at the same time I was very excited to be able to play this role because it’s probably one of the toughest roles I’ve done since I started acting. So, I appreciated the challenge that the writers gave me, and I can’t believe they trust me to take on such tough material. So in that sense, I was very excited.
Sorcerer Radio: How did they tell you?
F. Raisa: I found out when I read the script. They were very good about not telling us. You know, they kept hinting it. They said, “I think she might lose it,” and I was like, “Really?” She’s like, “I’m not sure yet.” So she kept beating around the bush saying she wasn’t sure, she was sure, and then I read the script, and then I was, “Oh, my gosh.” I just started crying when I read it because I had been carrying this, you know it’s fake, but I’ve been seeing myself with a pregnant belly for, I don’t know how many months, and then all of a sudden it’s gone, and there’s no result coming from it.
Sorcerer Radio: I was wondering if Adrian would want to actually be friends with Amy still after losing the baby?
F. Raisa: I think Adrian and Amy will always and forever be frienemies. They’re each going to be jealous of something that the other has and I think after losing the baby, Adrian might be a little bitter about the fact that Amy actually received a baby after going through a pregnancy for nine months. I know that Amy is going to do her best to be there for her and try to console her in the best way she can. But like I said, forever will be frienemies because at the end of the day, Adrian stole her man and Amy stole Adrian’s man.
Sorcerer Radio: I was wondering if you think that Ben would go back to try to win Amy back seeing the fact that he loved her first?
K. Baumann: I think that desire is going to show up in these upcoming episodes. Again, when I first read the script, the script for June 6th, I thought, I started to think what possibly would be Ben’s future, and I had guessed that that would occur. It pops up in a really interesting ways. In the following episodes, he is stuck in the situation and he is kind of brought down by grief, too, so there’s nothing; he doesn’t really have any sort of impetus to move away from Adrian. He realizes, too, that, at least immediately after they lose baby that, he’s not going anywhere. He’s got to be responsible, and he really doesn’t have the energy to do anything else. But after that, once he starts to recover, yes, there’s certainly that draw, like I said, to go back and kind of relive the past or try to and fail.
Sorcerer Radio: Which Ben do you relate to the most? The shy guy or the more confident, forward guy, and why?
K. Baumann: Both. It depends on what day of the week it is. But I’d say mostly the confident Ben. I don’t know, maybe Francia would actually be a better, you know, she could answer this probably more appropriately because she gets to see me and you won’t get my ego influencing this answer, but I would like to say that the confident side. I’m a pretty confident guy. Okay, really confident according to Francia. So, there’s your answer. It’s definitely the confident then.
Sorcerer Radio: Do you have an official Twitter or Facebook fan page?
K. Baumann: I do. I have an official Twitter, it’s just @kenbaumann, and I Tweet pretty compulsively. Yes, you’ll find it.
F. Raisa: I have a Twitter handle. It’s @therealfrancia, and as far as fan pages, I haven’t made one personally, but I know that some fans have made it.
Also, be sure to tune-in to ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager, airing Mondays at 8/7c!
For more info check out The Secret Life of the American Teenager Official Site: http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/secret-life-american-teenager/
Did you know there is an old western town, a ghost town of sorts, just on the outskirts of Disneyland Paris? It’s Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne and the theme is loads of fun. Walt Disney himself always wanted to build a Western town in his park, and it’s nice to see this live on over at Disneyland Paris.
The Hotel Cheyenne is located between the Disney’s Hotel NY and Disney’s Sequoia Lodge. It is set back away from Lake Disney and hidden in the woods. The property shares a river with Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe.
It’s a nice walk though the wooded landscape from the Hotel Cheyenne to the Disney Village, Disneyland, and Walt Disney Studios.
If you are use to staying at Walt Disney World in Orlando, I would say this is similar to a moderate resort / Ft Wilderness.
The hotel theme is fantastic. It is literally an old western town with dusty old streets, a general store, watering hole, wash house and more. Exploring this resort is loads of fun.
The best part are the ponies. There is a place by the Chuck Wagon that little kids can take pony rides from down the dusty old streets of this western town. I could just image how much fun my two little girls would have doing that. It also makes for a fantastic photo.
Now in front of the Chuck Wagon is a fenced in stable of sorts. I have to assume this was a petting zoo, or pony stable or something when the resort first opened. This is in the middle of the main area that people gather. The disappointing thing is that now it’s filled with large inflatable balls that kids can climb into and roll around in. These balls look like something out of an Alien movie and they are in the center of this perfectly themed western town. It just does not fit. You can see what I mean here in my video. Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne Video
Downsides:
When I walked up to this ghost town after walking along the woodland path, I first thought it was an abandoned set of buildings. The grass is noting but weeds, and most of the area is dirt with patches of weeds growing. Some of the buildings need to be painted, or have some rotting wood trim if you look closely at some of the corners or backs. There are places in need of maintenance around the grounds and some of the building facades need painting. Also the purple directional signs that you see all over Walt Disney World, they have those at Disneyland Paris to lead you along the paths to each resort. Some of those signs are falling apart, or have not been cleaned in years.
The landscaping overall at all of the Disneyland resorts is not well maintained when compared to Walt Disney World or Disneyland in California. I don’t know if it’s lack of staffing or lack of funds or both, but when you walk around the grounds at Hotel Cheyenne and also at Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe you can see that they are landscaped but not the immaculate grounds and care that you would see at a Disney World or Disneyland California resort.
Now weeds and dirt fit an old western town theme so you can kind of get away with some of the landscaping issues at the Hotel Cheyenne.
Update: Today I went to Hotel Cheyenne again (two days later) and their were ground crews out cleaning up the weeds and also some buildings has scaffolding going up to repaint. So there is work in progress which is great to see.
Photo Tour:
Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne Video Tour
Steve Griswold
Pixie Vacations
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Vanessa Marano started acting in the theater when she was seven years old, performing in numerous plays working her way up starring in several national commercials. Vanessa is most recognized for her roles as April, the daughter of Luke in the highly popular show, “Gilmore Girls” and for the role of Francesca, the daughter of the Emmy® Award-winning Lisa Kudrow, in the HBO Original series “The Comeback.” Other credits include: “Scoundrels”, “Dexter”, “Without a Trace,” “Trust Me” and “The Young and The Restless.” Her guest-starring credits include “Parenthood,” “Medium,” “Love Bites,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Past Lives,” “Six Feet Under,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Grounded for Life.” Her ties with Disney began when she provided some background voices for the animated hit, “Finding Nemo,” which also marked her job in film.
I was able to chat with Marano about her new ABC Family Original Series “Switched at Birth”. She plays the role of Bay Kennish, a privileged, eccentric young woman who finds out that, as a newborn, she was switched with another baby. While she’s lived a charmed life with the family she thought was her own, the real baby Kennish grew up in a working-class, single-parent household. “Switched at Birth” is a one-hour drama that tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital.
Aljon: What was it like acting at such a young age. How did you handle all the scrutiny and the let downs?
Vanessa: Because I started so young, I didn’t fully grasp the whole rejection thing. I never thought – ‘What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with my performance? Why don’t they like me?’ That never crossed my mind. Instead, I just thought, ‘I’m going to an audition. And even if I don’t know what that is, I get to say lines and it’s cool.
Aljon: Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?
Vanessa: Oh yeah. I’ve been fortunate that I knew what I wanted to do when I was eight. Not many people know what they want to do even when they’re 30 and I’m so fortunate that I figured it out and have been able to learn so much and have so much experience in the business.
Aljon: Can you spill some details about your new show Switched at Birth?
Vanessa: My character does this school project where the students get their blood tested and discovers that her blood differs from her parents. She also gets the shocker that the other girl who was raised in her birth family is deaf. There is also the whole dynamic of the two families economic background and the ‘what if’ questions that surround the whole situation.
Aljon: Have you talked family about this, like how would you feel if it happened to you?
Vanessa Marano: That’s a question that we’ve all been getting and everyone has been asking. Kind of the consensus with everyone has been, from a kid point of view it’s an interesting question to ask, but from a parent point of view I still wouldn’t feel any differently about the child that I raised which is a great point about our show. The genetic bond between you doesn’t necessarily mean more than the bond than the person that you’ve grown with.
Aljon: Is it ever addressed that you don’t look like your mother, father and brother?
Vanessa Marano: Well, the story starts out with you meeting the Kennish’s and Toby and Catherine look exactly alike and John who’s the father has dark hair, but his coloring is not as extreme as my coloring. There’s some Italian on Catherine’s side of the family, somewhere in there, and so it’s not so far stretched out that we all couldn’t be related. It’s believable enough. What gets us going more is that our personalities are all very different and I’m completely drawn to art and being stubborn and difficult very unlike my mother who’s stubborn, but not very difficult. She’s like, ‘Okay, everybody be happy.’ Then the biggest reason why it doesn’t seem right is that my character does a blood test in science because they’re all finding out what their blood type is in their science class and it turns out that her blood type could never match her parents. It’s not even so much the coloring or the personality difference. The only reason that she feels compelled to seek this further is that there is factual information that she just happens to find out that she could never be related to her parents.
Aljon: Was there something about the project that you were really drawn to?
Vanessa Marano : What I really enjoy about Bay is that she’s very different than myself, very different than other characters that I’ve played and she’s not exactly the easiest character to play. She’s very difficult. She’s very spirited. She doesn’t get along with people well, and so it’s been really interesting finding bits of myself to put into her, finding likable points to her. I’ve been using comedy a lot with Bay because I think she’s handling the switch worse than anyone else.
Aljon: What’s the storyline that you’re most excited about seeing play out on screen?
Vanessa Marano : The hospital won’t admit that they made a mistake. They’re focus is trying to get that apology and the truth that the hospital made a mistake so that it’s not on their shoulders and they can stop feeling guilty that they didn’t know and that maybe it was something that they did even if there was no possible way it could be something that you did.
Aljon: Do you have any pointers you’d like to share to up-and-coming actors?
Vanessa: Do theater as much as is humanly possible. because it’s not worth getting into unless you absolutely love it.
Switched at Birth premieres on ABC Family on Monday, June 6 at 9:00PM ET/PT, following an all-new episode of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
For more details about Switched at Birth visit http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/switched-at-birth
Hunt for the Switched at Birth code and WIN HERE.
Interview made in partnership with Sorcerer Radio’s WDW Tiki Room and Chip and Company.
Sorcerer Radio air-talent Eric Allen recently had the opportunity to chat with Bill George of ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) about his involvement in the film “I Am Number Four” as well as “Star Tours – The Adventure Continues.” Read on for fantastic details about his incredible career and projects.
Bill George joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1981. Since then, he has worked as model shop supervisor, art director, matte painter, commercial director, and visual effects supervisor.
Some highlights of his career include miniature construction and design on Blade Runner, art direction and design for five of the Star Trek films, directing over 30 commercials at ILM and overseeing model construction on Ghostbusters 2 and Alive. In 1988, he received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on Innerspace. In 2002, director Steven Spielberg entrusted George to update the beloved character E.T. using digital character animation for the 20th Anniversary Edition of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.
George has gone on to earn nominations by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy and the Visual Effects Society for work on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as an additional VES nomination for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Of particular interest to Disney fans is his role as Visual Effects Supervisor on “Star Tours: The Adventures Continue” at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Q: How do you decide which movie you are going to work on?
A: Our executive staff reads a script and assigns a supervisor to it who they think is best suited for the project. Many times a studio who has worked with a specific supervisor in the past will request him or her.
Q: If you had to pick one scene that you liked the best that you worked on for I Am Number Four what would it be?
A: I really was happy with the destruction of the Mog commander. You can see in the special features section of the Blu-ray “becoming number 6” how little was shot and what was added. We shot practical explosions and sparks and bombs and there is nothing more fun than blowing stuff up! When we work on our shots we don’t have the final sound effects that are added right at the end and the sound design for that sequence was rockin’!
Q: There are tons of sci-fi movies out there. What did you try to put into I Am Number Four that would separate it from all other alien films?
A: Cute teenagers in love!
Q: How closely did you work with DJ Caruso?
A: On set the ILM team met with him every day. We kept him updated on the construction of Bernie and the Piken and I would discuss with him his plan for any of the plates we were shooting. Early on in post, we would travel down to LA for creative meetings and later at the end when things were super crazy we had video reviews. Early on I told DJ to think of Steve (The animaiton director) and I as the piken. Give us direction the way you would an actor and we’ll give you a performance. DJ directed every performance from the Piken and Bernie and he seemed to be having a blast doing it.
Q: Considering DJ Caruso hadn’t done a CGI-heavy film prior to I Am Number Four, did that put greater pressure on you to deliver the goods when it came to the effect sequences?
A: Part of my job was to make sure that DJ felt comfortable with doing creature effects. He is a super smart guy and has loads of post-production experience, so he didn’t have any trouble at all directing the Piken. In fact he really seemed to enjoy it. DJ was very clear about what he wanted in all the shots and that sure made my job a lot easier.
Q: The camera is always moving and the creatures really interact with walls, furniture etc – how were the scenes in the school shot to help you add the creatures later?
A: All of our tools are set up to make shooting the effects plates as free as possible for the director. It used to be that you had to use special cameras and motion control rigs that stunted progress and felt different. Whenever we can we want to make our shots to use the same techniques as the surrounding production footage. We also add into the shots additional camera movement to match what the creature ends up doing in the shots. A good cameraman has a innate ability to follow action and compose shots that they just do naturally. Of course it’s sometimes hard for them when there isn’t anything in frame!
Q: The film is based on the novel of the same name, which was written by Jobie Hughes and James Frey. Did you read the book before you began shooting the movie, and did the novel influence your work in any way?
A: I only read certain parts of the book that delt with our creature work but our blueprint was the script and DJ’s direction. Also, the book came out about halfway through shooting.One day on set I got to hang with James Frey and chatted about the books. That was a really unique experience for me, an effects goon.
Q: “Number Four” featured some of the best photo-realistic creatures I’ve seen in a while. Why do you think your creatures look so real while those in other films don’t?
A: I would say that you have EXCELLENT taste! The main determining factor in a shot’s realism is how long the artist gets to refine it. Everyone uses the same basic tools but on many of the lower budget shows don’t have a lot of time to polish their shots. On average we usually do about 25 to 45 takes on any shot. We also have some AMAZING artists who work here!
Q: The creatures initially are fast and only shown in glimpses before we get to the end of the film – was it challenging to reveal them slowly like this?
A: This was a decision that DJ made to keep them more mysterious. You don’t want to give everything away too soon. So much of what you see and perceive comes down to lighting. It was fairly simple to keep the Piken dark so you didn’t see much. The editors had ultimate control over how much the audience would see by keeping the shots short.
Q: Have you heard anything about a possible sequel to the movie?
A: I heard a little squeek, but nothing concrete. We’ve got the Pikens standing by just in case.
Q: You’re working on Star Tours 2. What could you tell us about it? What will we see?
A: It opens this Friday! I’m heading to Orlando tomorrow (Wednesday) and I’m really jazzed. The new ride is in 3D and has a branching story line that changes randomly for each ride. The whole ride experience has been amped up. The only bad thing will be the lines…
Q: You worked on some Harry Potter movies. Now that the saga is quite over, what memories do you have of this experience ?
A: Creating Dobby was such an amazing experience because he was a major character in the second film. After we were done with the show I felt a real connection to him. One of my favorite memories on Potter 2 happened when we were shooting Daniel on his broom against a bluescreen for the Quidditch game. The stage hands were helping him get on the broom with a ladder. For some reason there was a label on the ladder that Daniel pulled of and did a little commercial for the ladder. “Hello, I’m Daniel Radciffe, when I need to get on my broom I prefer Kingsley ladders! Kingsley, when you need a lift!”
Q: What initially got you interested in visual effects? Was it a particular movie (i.e., Star Wars) or were you always interested in art/design?
A: As a kid I was into sci-fi TV shows like Lost in Space and Star Trek. When I was in high school Star Wars came out and blew my mind. I knew then what I wanted to do!
Q: You have a background in matte paintings and models. Do you miss that tangible type of special effects creation?
A: I am still able to use matte paintings and models in my projects, I just don’t do the actual work myself. I feel so lucky to have these amazing artists that are assigned to my shows. Going to dailies near the end of a show it feels like everyday is Christmas! You never know what cool shot is going to be there.
Q: One of your specialties used to be physical models (and good ones): Are miniatures now obsolete in modern special effects?
A: Sadly they are on the decline. Whenever I can I use models I will, because I think you can get a great result. BTW I still build models at home for fun.
Q: Do you ever approach a model/miniature with no clear vision in mind and just start putting parts together until you find a configuration you like?
A: Never. We always work out designs ahead of time in the much cheaper “sketch” form. At least this is how any major assets are handled. What does happen sometimes is we will ask for some background vehicles or ships and will tell the model makers “just wing it”. Having no clear vision sounds like trouble. These days more and more directors are super savy about effects and WANT to be involved.
Q: You’ve had many different positions with ILM over the years. What has been your favorite part of creating and executing film effects? Further what department do you think you’ve learned the most from?
A: Being an effects supervisor brings with it so many lessons and experiences. Dealing with the clients, team building, coming up with creative solutions, shooting plates and elements. It’s a role that requires a great variety of skills. It’s a challenge.
Q: What, in your experience, has been the movie that presented the greatest visual effects challenges and/or that you’re the proudest to have overcome?
A: One huge design challenge we faced was on Potter 3 and the Dementors. The challenge was to get across emotions and intent from creatures that didn’t have a face! In the long run I think that is what made them creepy. We had to rely on thor body language and the action of the tattered fabric that trails off of them.
Q: What’s a specific example of something you do that’s actually much harder than most people realize?
A: I believe that most people don’t realize the tremendous time and budget pressure we are under to deliver our work. People will comment “they should have done this or that..” not knowing that we do have limitations. Our goal is always to maximize our artists time, to stay on track and get the most out of the effects as possible.
Q: I’ve noticed you’ve yet to do a 3D film. Is that something you’re interested in doing? Does the added depth of 3D make stunts and effects harder to pull off convincingly?
A: Actually, I have been working on Star Tours for the past 3 years that will be presented in 3D. I was drawn to the project for that reason, wanting to do something in 3D. It’s a very interesting project with a branching storyline that changes from ride to ride. My feeling is that doing a project in 3D means that you have another level of design you must consider. That fact that a project is in 3D will inform your choices as far as composition and focus. It’s a great payoff though for the extra effort.
Q: We’re now in an era of “all CGI”. How do you react with that?
A: The thing we used to dread hearing was “it looks like a model” Now we dread “It looks CGI”. I really LOVE working with miniatures but working with CG gives you a huge amount of contol that is hard to beat. Personally, I like mixing up techniques on a show to keep the audience guessing. In the shower scene in “Number Four” we used both CG water and practical water shot against black.
Q: How has CG evolved since you started?
A: The concepts have remained almost unchanged. The difference is that things like match-moving that used to be super hard have gotten easier. As machines and software get faster the shots have gotten more complex. Tools are always changing and getting more robust and our work has gotten more demanding.
Q: Do you think the advent of CGI has depreciated your profession or made it more imperative than ever?
A: Based on how many big money making films rely on effects work, I would say that effects have become even more important. Modern CGI is a tool that can help any director put his or her vision on film. The tools make almost anything possible.
Q: Despite the technology constantly improving, audiences are starting to grow savvy as to what is real and what is CGI in blockbuster movies. Do you see in-camera stunts making a comeback in the near future?
A: Most of the stunts in “Number Four” were done practically. There was a lot of wire work but they also had these AMAZING parcour guys who could do mind blowing stunts on their own. What you mention is so true though. Audiences are very sophisticated and they are looking to figure out our tricks. They certainly keep us on our toes.
Q: Who are some of your mentors and do you still refer/consult with them very often?
A: There have been may people who have influenced me throught my career. By just working with these people i was able to learn so much. Dennis Muren is one of them and he is still here at ILM. On “I am number Four” Dennis viewed the shower room sequence for us with fresh eyes and gave me a lot of great feedback for making the shots look better.
Q: Do you worry about what the critics may have to say about your movies, or do you strive to please your intended audiences?
A: It’s always nice to get positive feedback form critics but really the only people I “worry” about are the director and the producers at the studio. They hire us to create the shots for their movie and my goal is to make them happy.
Q: What is your favourite sci-fi movie? And the latest one you’ve watched?
A: I love 2001:A Space Odyssey. It’s unmatched in its technical and artistic achievement. Thor was the last sci-fi movie I saw and thought was awesome. BTW I usually enjoy other people’s films a lot more than the ones I work on because I can just sit back and enjoy them.
Q: Where do you keep your Oscars? What about your Emmys?
A: The Oscar sits on a shelf, kind of out of the way. The best thing about the award was it allowed me to move out of the ILM model shop and explore other departments, leading me to becoming an effects supervisor.
Bill George has made a tremendous contribution to the science fiction genre and I personally have been a fan of his work ever since Blade Runner. It was a privilege to participate in this Q&A session with him, which was made possible by a partnership between Sorcerer Radio and Chip and Company.
I Am Number Four is available now on Blu-Ray, DVD and movie download formats. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is open now at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and opens June 3rd at Disneyland.
*Images courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
