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Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis leaves company

Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis leaves company

According to the Orlando Sentinel the president of Walt Disney time-share business was fired Friday, according to several people familiar with the move.

A spokeswoman for Disney confirmed late Friday night that Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis was no longer with the company. She declined to discuss further details.

“We wish Jim Lewis well in his future endeavors and we plan to announce his successor in the near future,” spokeswoman Rena Langley said.

Lewis had been president of Disney’s time-share business since 2006.

Click here to read more.

Disney Vacation Club President Jim Lewis leaves company

VisitOrlando – Win a Second Summer Orlando Vacation Sweepstakes

VisitOrlando - Win a Second Summer Orlando Vacation Sweepstakes

Win a Second Summer Orlando Vacation

Enter VisitOrlando’s Win a Second Summer Orlando Vacation Sweepstakes for your chance to win a trip to Florida including activities like tickets to Disney World or other theme parks, dinner out, and more.

Enter below to win your very own Second Summer Orlando Vacation for four people including:

  • Round trip flights
  • Four-night accommodations with daily breakfast at The Hilton Orlando in King and Double Queen connecting guest rooms. The Hilton Orlando is an upscale, award winning resort-style hotel, and is the newest Orlando hotel of its kind centrally located to everything important that Orlando has to offer.
  • Hilton Orlando cabana rental for one complete day
  • Two (50 minute) Deep Tissue massages
  • Dinner at the hotel’s onsite restaurants David’s Club and Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops
  • Two days to visit your choice of Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld Orlando or Universal Orlando.
  • Full size car rental courtesy of Dollar Rent A Car

Click here to enter.

VisitOrlando - Win a Second Summer Orlando Vacation Sweepstakes

Steakhouse 55 A Cut Above With Indulgent Angus Beef, Award-Winning Wine List

Steakhouse 55 A Cut Above With Indulgent Angus Beef, Award-Winning Wine ListWith an vintage Hollywood ambience that includes classic photos of Walt Disney dining with movie stars, white linen tablecloths and servers in old-fashioned bowties, Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel is an upscale-yet-comfortable culinary indulgence.

“My goal is to capture the feeling of a traditional steakhouse, but with our own flair, and to celebrate a great steak,” said Chef Jason Martin.

The “55″ is an ode to 1955, the year Disneyland opened, an era when a night on the town was a glamorous experience. Start the evening with cocktails in the cozy adjoining lounge before settling in at a curving banquette or table in the handsome, 108-seat restaurant with touches of oak and etched glass, and an impressive wine cellar.

Beautiful, thick Angus steaks are the star, from the signature 18-ounce bone-in ribeye with steakhouse rub to a flawlessly broiled 7-ounce filet mignon. The ideal sidekick is Martin’s potato stack au gratin with countless layers of thinly sliced potatoes baked in decadent butter and cream.

If you prefer surf to turf, tuck in to the cold water lobster tail, broiled Atlantic salmon or the Chef’s sustainable fresh fish selection. Start with a taste of the sea – shrimp cocktail, Dungeness crab cakes or chilled ahi. Beyond other cuts of beef including New York strip, prime rib and a generous porterhouse, meat entrées include herb-crusted rack of lamb and free-range chicken breast.

Steakhouse starters such as Seven Onion Soup with Parmesan Crisp, “wedge” iceberg lettuce with Gorgonzola, Caesar salad or the Steakhouse Salad with bacon, tomato, cucumber, and cheddar pair nicely with any entrée choice.

Most of the servers, as well as Chef Martin, are sommeliers, and they happily will offer a taste or two or offer a vintage from the award-winning selection.  When he’s not too busy in the kitchen, Chef Martin said he enjoys a visit  to the restaurant’s wine cellar with guests.

“I enjoy sharing the celebration of fresh, vibrant food and wine, and introducing guests to new flavors,” said Martin.

Steakhouse 55 has been awarded “Four Stars” from the Orange County Register and a Golden Bacchus from the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association. Zagat rates the restaurant “amazing,” “a gem,” “elegant” and “the best ribeye in town.”

Prix-fixe and children’s menus are available. The private Oak Room may be reserved for parties of up to 22.

 

Breakfast Menu

Breakfast feels like a special occasion at Steakhouse 55, where guests tend to relax and sip lattes and cappuccinos – or maybe a hot chocolate with whipped cream. Specialties such as buttermilk pancakes with warm Bananas Foster or French toast with warm berries are an indulgent way to start the day, or fill up on eggs Benedict, omelettes, huevos rancheros or a hearty breakfast burrito. Splurge with the 7-ounce Angus steak and eggs, or behave with granola, yogurt and fruit or the Smoked Salmon and Bagel platter. For kids, Mickey-shaped pancakes, scrambled eggs or favorite breakfast cereals are on the menu.

Steakhouse 55 is located at the Disneyland Hotel and is open daily for breakfast and dinner. For reservations, call (714) 781-DINE.  For general Disneyland Resort information, visit the Disneyland Resort Web site at www.disneyland.com.

Steakhouse 55 A Cut Above With Indulgent Angus Beef, Award-Winning Wine List

Disney passholder sweepstakes to award stay in Cinderella Castle

Disney passholder sweepstakes to award stay in Cinderella Castle

Walt Disney World passholders are invited to enter a new sweepstakes just for them in celebration of the resort’s 40th anniversary. The prize is a much-sought-after stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite at Magic Kingdom.

The package for the winner and three guests also includes breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table, a $250 Disney gift card, one-day Magic Your Way tickets and transportation to Walt Disney World if the winner lives more than 250 miles away.

Passholders can enter once a day between Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 by downloading the entry form here and either submitting it at Uptown Jewelers at Magic Kingdom or mailing it to Disney Destinations, LLC, 2011 Passholder 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830.

Passholders have to be in good standing as of Sept. 1, at least 21 years old and legal residents of the 50 United States or D.C. to be eligible. See complete official rules here.

Disney passholder sweepstakes to award stay in Cinderella Castle

Monorail Peach is Coming to Disney World

Monorail Peach is Coming to Disney World

We are thrilled to announce that Walt Disney World Resort will bring an additional Monorail train into service. It’ll be identified by a new peach-colored stripe when it joins the fleet this fall. Over the next few weeks you may spot Disney testing the train on the Monorail beams before they bring it in to be painted.

The new Peach Line will bring their numbers back up to 12, which is the first time since the accident with Austin Wuennenberg.

Monorail Peach is Coming to Disney World

ABC Family Star, Cassie Scerbo Shows Her “Teen Spirit”

ABC Family Star, Cassie Scerbo Shows Her "Teen Spirit"
Earlier in the week I was able to chat with actress Cassie Scerbo of the ABC Family Original Movie Teen Spirit. Scerbo plays Amber Pollock, the girl at the top of the popularity food chain at Eugene Ashley High School with the goal of becoming the prom queen. Things take a turn for the worst as a freak cuts her dreams, and her life, short. Now she is given the task that could save her soul – to get the school’s least popular girl to be voted prom queen.
Cassandra Lynn “Cassie” Scerbo is best known for her roles in Bring It On: In It to Win It as Brooke and Make It or Break It as Lauren Tanner. Scerbo was formerly part of the girl group, Slumber Party Girls (SPG). Their debut album Dance Revolution was released October 3, 2006. In 2007, she signed a solo album recording contract with Geffen Records. Betcha Don’t Know, Sugar and Spice and Top Of The World were released on to iTunes throughout 2008.

Cassie enjoyed the challenge as well as working with her cast in Teen Spirit. Scerbo says, “It was really fun working with the cast, some of which I’ve worked on with Pretty Little Liars as well as 10 Things I Hate About You on ABC Family. It was really hard working as a spirit with green screen as well as hitting particular marks and special effects. It was also difficult not to touch various things and actors due to the fact that I was playing a spirit.”

When talking about being “typed cased” as the blonde mean girl she takes it in stride, “I can’t wait to spread my wings and play different roles, however I’m having a blast playing those types of characters. Those catty characters are just the ones that keep coming up. I’m trying out new things for upcoming projects like dying my hair black and having shorter hair. I’m just having fun right now and love to act.”

Scerbo also loves her fans and is very humbled and excited about meeting them and reading posts on the internet. “Yes, I’ve had so many. Honestly, when I’ve had a bad day if I just go on any of my sites, it makes my day,” Scerbo says. She continues, “It makes my day just to see people who care so much and are so supportive and loving and always just have such nice things to say. I’ve literally had bad days and like, I just wanted to go on my Twitter or my website and just speak to my fans or just look at some of their comments. It just makes me feel so good, and I love them for that. I’ve had so many great encounters.”

ABC Family Star, Cassie Scerbo Shows Her "Teen Spirit"

“It’s really not about how many friends you have; it’s about how great of friends you have. Quality not quantity.” – Cassie Scebo

She recounted times where she had bad days and would look for a pick-me-up by visiting her own website. “I’ll go on my website, and I would even cry. I’m not even kidding. I love seeing things from my fans and special letters and messages and notes. I’ve had fans; I have these two girls who I think one was from Norway. I think they’re both from Norway, make me a fan book. This thing is so intense. They sent it to me from overseas. It came to my manager. My manager sent it to me. It was a book of like 200 pages with blurbs from all of these different fans around the world and pictures people have drawn of me,” Scerbo mentions.

We also touched on some of the actors she would love to work with down the line even mentioning her love of the Twilight Saga. “I would love to work with Michael Pitts and Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Ashley Judd. I’d say those are some of my top priorities.” Scerbo continues, “Robert Pattinson. I’d want to work with Robert Pattinson. I love him. I’m a big, big Team Edward fan. So I would say those would be some of the people I’d like to work with.”

Not only is Cassie a great singer and stage performer but she also has other interesting hobbies as well. ” I just started a hobby with a friend of mine and we like to surf. We’ve been surfing all the time; we’re actually at the beach right now. It’s my new favorite hobby. I’m also a boxer. I like to box. I like to go on vacations if I have time, just go shopping and hanging out with my girlfriends and go hiking, staying active. I like to do a lot of things in my free time. I think those would be my top things.”

The topic of popularity came up, which her character Amber deals with in the film Teen Spirit, but something Cassie deals with everyday with a smile. “You get into this industry, you have to know, you have to expect that to happen. You have to want that to happen. I want to have as many fans as possible and to be able to change every single one of their lives if I can, or just bring joy to their lives, or just have a show that they enjoy watching weekly. So I love it.” Scerbo, like many other celebs loves Twitter. “I absolutely tweet every day,” Scerbo admits. “Some people think it’s silly and will say things. I don’t care. I’m a Twitter-holic. I do what I do for my fans. I’m in an industry where I’m performing for people. I’m giving things for the people. So, I love talking to my fans. I love having my own fans. There are certain situations that do sometimes get a little weird and a little pushy. But you’ve just got to take it for what it is and just always be cautious and careful because there are some people out there that are a little interesting. But overall, I really truly love all of my fans. The more the merrier. So I only hope for that to grow, and I just continuously feel blessed. I definitely don’t feel pressure from it.”

ABC Family Star, Cassie Scerbo Shows Her "Teen Spirit"

Lastly we touched on what people, especially younger viewers can take away from watching Teen Spirit. Screbo states, “It’s not about being popular. It’s about having the right friends. And in this film you realize, definitely, there’s certain people that you care about and certain people that matter and there will always be people that will stab you in the back. There’s some good people and bad people out in the world. It’s not about being popular; it’s about just having the right friends. And I think Lisa and Amber, by the end of the film, both know who their true friends are in both their groups, because there are people that turn on them on both sides. They both, by the end, realize who their true friends are. It’s really not about how many friends you have; it’s about how great of friends you have. Quality not quantity.”

Tune in Sunday August 7th at 7/6 central, for the premier of Teen Spirit only on ABC Family!

Hear the Sorcerer Radio interview with Cassie Scerbo on DW:60 with host Jeff Davis this Thursday (8/11/11) at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m./eastern on Sorcerer Radio – www.SRSounds.com.

*This interview is made in partnership with Sorcerer Radio, Chip and Company and ABC Family.

Teen Spirit Official Site:

Visit Cassie’s Official Site: http://www.cassiescerbo.com

Port Orleans Riverside Refurbishments and the Trundle Beds.

Port Orleans Riverside Refurbishments and the Trundle Beds.

For months now, we’ve been hearing that when all the Port Orleans Riverside refurbishments are complete, they won’t have trundle beds.  This was a huge disappointment for families of five because it meant that the moderates would only hold five people, further diminishing resort options for larger families.

Some suspected the reasoning was to fill up the new Art of Animation suites that will open in mid-2012.  Well, I’m happy to report that these rumors are false. I just got confirmation that cast members are being told that the newly refurbished rooms will still hold five. Those rooms won’t be done until as late as June 2012, but they will happen.

Most of the refurbishments, which include new textiles, the addition of queen-size beds, and flat screen TVs, should be completed by January.

Port Orleans Riverside Refurbishments and the Trundle Beds.

Disney World Cinema’s “Zokkomon” DVD Review

Disney World Cinema's "Zokkomon" DVD Review

What is it about?
Kunal (Darsheel Safary), an orphaned boy, discovers how cruel life is when he is abandoned by his heartless uncle (Anupam Kher). Left to fend for himself, Kunal soon realizes the hero within and begins his epic journey of adventure and transformation to become Zokkomon. Zokkomon will soar into the hearts and lives of audiences everywhere, to take his place alongside the world’s most beloved heroes.

The lowdown…
This Bollywood film takes the general template of Disney animated classics like Aladdin and merges it with a superhero origin story that children and adults will enjoy. From the very beginning I was engaged with the characters and the English sub-titles were not as distracting as I would have thought, although I would like to have seen an option for an overdubbed English soundtrack. There were no bonus features included and would have been nice to see some of the behind-the-scenes footage or at the very least some cultural background or special effects extras.

The characters throughout the movie served their purpose, from Kunal’s young friends, to his mentors and antagonist maintaining the comic book feel of the plot. The plot itself was not bogged down with sub-plot after sub-plot, but a very basic straight line that worked for me. There were moments of the film I could relate to, due to my Asian upbringing and my basic knowledge of Indian culture, which is fascinating. Some of the cultural aspects as well as scenes from within Kunal’s private school and small village may have to be explained by parents to children who will no doubt be asking all kinds of questions. There were several musical numbers in the movie and I think this film could have been a contender for a fully animated movie or musical in the grand Disney style. There were a few plot holes but overall the film’s story, acting and overall quality make this a good family film, one that deals with culture and self-discovery.

Disney World Cinema's "Zokkomon" DVD Review
Manjari Fadnis and Darsheel Safary in "Zokkomon"

Standouts…
Be sure to check out the performances of Manjari Fadnis playing the free-spirit Kittu Didi and Anupam Kher doing double duty as both Deshraj and Magic Uncle.

The verdict…
Critics have been very kind to the film and I must agree with them. This is a great popcorn movie for the whole family. It’s full of colorful characters and an upbeat story that keeps everyone entertained with a few laughs and tender moments. If you’re looking for a film with some culture for an upcoming family movie night than check out Disney World Cinema’s Zokkomon.

Cast
Deshraj/Dr. Vivek Rai – Nupam Kher
Manjari Fadnis – Kittu
Tinnu Anand – Shantaram
Sheeba Chaddha – Rajrani

Order Disney World Cinema's "Zokkomon" DVD ReviewZokkomon on Disney World Cinema DVDDisney World Cinema's "Zokkomon" DVD Review today!

3 ‘Wipeout’ Crew Members Arrested At Disney Ranch For Parole Violations

3 'Wipeout' Crew Members Arrested At Disney Ranch For Parole Violations

Interesting news coming from ABC’s Wipeout TV show today.

Sheriff’s detectives from Crescenta Valley Station doing a probation compliance search ended up at Disney Ranch in Placerita Canyon Friday morning, where three men were arrested on drug and firearm charges.

Sgt. Debra Herman said that the search began in Tujunga, where deputies arrested a woman when drugs and firearms were found at her home in violation of parole and probation laws. Their investigation at the Tujunga location led them to the workplace of three other parolees, who were working on the set of the ABC reality show “Wipeout” at the Disney Ranch.

Click here to keep reading more.

Billy Dee Williams, the King of Cool, is a HUGE Disney Fan

Billy Dee Williams, the King of Cool, is a HUGE Disney Fan
Billy Dee Williams

You may know Billy Dee Williams from his portrail of the sly gambler, Lando Calrissian in the original Star Wars trilogy. What you may not know is that he is an accomplished artist and Disney fan. I recently had a chance to chat with Willams for a press event promotion the upcoming 2011 D23 Expo where spoke about Star Wars and art.

Now that Star Tours – The Adventures Continue Billy Dee has heard nothing but great things about the attraction and hopes to check it out soon. He believes his character of Lando would have made a great host for Star Tours guests.”As long as Darth Vader isn’t following behind … as long as it’s not hostile, it’s quite welcome. I think Lando probably would welcome the whole situation,” Williams said jokingly. Hopefully Imagineers will eventually bring the Cloud City of Bespin into the attraction as originally thought. I believe it would be a perfect addition to the attraction for next year’s Star Wars Celebration VI.

Speaking of Disney, Williams is a huge Disney fan. He has not only taken part in Star Wars Weekends in 2010 but was also able to tour the hallowed ground of the Walt Disney Archives. Williams is also working on a Disney-inspired painting showcasing the Fab 5 (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto) playing jazz. “I was visiting the archives one day and thought doing a litho would be fun. I’ve been a Disney fan all my life,” Williams stated.

As of late the demand for Williams has been at a fevered pitch. He appears regularly on short clips on the Jimmy Kimmel Live as a semi-parody of himself. He played Toussaint Dubois for General Hospital: Night Shift and reprised his role as Toussaint on General Hospitalitself beginning in June 2009. Williams has also been doing voice acting for the animated series The Boondocks, where he voiced a fictionalized version of himself in the episode The Story of Lando Freeman as well as Robot Chicken and The Cleveland Show. In February 2011, Williams appeared as a guest star on USA Network’s White Collar as Ford, an old friend of Neal Caffrey’s landlady June, played by Diahann Carroll.

I was visiting the archives one day and thought doing a litho would be fun. I’ve been a Disney fan all my life. – Billy Dee Williams

Williams is no stranger doing fan events and conventions and enjoys meeting people and especially looks forward to the D23 Expo. Williams states, “I always enjoy it. … I’m looking forward to seeing everybody. I always look forward to the whole Disney experience.” Williams’ future projects include doing a production of Driving Miss Daisy on Broadway soon as well as working on new episodes of Robot Chicken.

Celebrate the grand re-opening of STAR TOURS 3-D with actor BILLY DEE WILLIAMS (aka Lando Calrissian) Billy Dee Williams will be at the D23 Expo from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Aug. 19 at the Coolwaters Productions booth #405 in the Exhibitor Showcase. (Fees DO apply)

Billy Dee Williams, the King of Cool, is a HUGE Disney Fan

CATCH THE SORCERER RADIO INTERVIEW!
Join hosts Kristen Hoetzel and Aljon Go on WDW Tiki Room as they chat with Billy Dee Williams and feature his thoughts on Disney, art, Star Wars and more! Tune into the WDW Tiki Room, the show about ALL THINGS DISNEY, Fridays 8:00 a.m. and 7 p.m./eastern on Sorcerer Radio – www.SRSounds.com.

Interview made in partnership with Chip and Company, Cooking with Mickey and Jedi Mouseketeer.

For more Billy Dee Williams, check out LANDO WEEK on Jedi Mouseketeer!

Disneyland Coming Soon to Russia

Disneyland Coming Soon to Russia

I read and article today from The Voice of Russia where they are talking about building a Disneyland in Russia near Kaliningrad. This is the first I heard of this so I though I would pass along their article. No official word has been released yet but stay tuned if this is true we will be one of the first to let you know.

A Russian Disneyland may appear in the Kaliningrad Region, the westernmost region of Russia. The idea of laying out a modern amusement park in the Amber Land has been supported by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

This Disneyland will be the second in Europe if it opens near Kaliningrad. So far there is only one park like this in the Old World. It opened near Paris in1992. The French Disneyland is visited by over 18mln people annually. The very first park with this name was laid out in 1955 in American California. It became the embodiment of Walt Disney’s idea of a park giving life to the world of animated cartoons and fairy-tales. At present, Tokyo and Hong Kong also have Disneylands. The largest Disneyland outside the USA is being built in Shanghai on an area of 67 hectares. It is planned to open in 2016.

Building a Disneyland in the Kaliningrad Region will be a priority project, Inna Moreva, the press-secretary of the regional administration, told The Voice of Russia.

Click here to keep reading more.

So what do you think? Do we need another Disneyland? Anyone interested in visiting? Let me know in the comment box below.

Disneyland Coming Soon to Russia

Top 5 Best Things About Port Orleans Riverside

Top 5 Best Things About Port Orleans Riverside

One of the most popular Walt Disney World resorts is Port Orleans Riverside! This moderate resort offers plenty of Southern charm and transports guests back in time to those old, lazy summer afternoons, along with some Pixie Dust too of course!

1. Quality-Port Orleans Riverside is the most popular moderate resort on property; and the reason for this is Riverside’s quality. This resort has great personality, warmth, helpful service, variety of activities, and a spectacular, leisurely setting. If a deluxe isn’t in your budget, Port Orleans Riverside is definitely your best alternative!

2. Variety-Unlike other moderate resorts, Port Orleans Riverside offers a great deal of variety. First of all, there are two different sections of this resort: Alligator Bayou and Magnolia Bend. The first offers rustic bungalos with log furniture and the like with small streams and thick foliage to represent the Southern bayous. Magnolia Bend can be found across the river where the grounds are more trim and manicured and rooms are found inside southern style mansion structures. If that wasn’t enough, Disney is now constructing special royal guest rooms at Riverside scheduled to open next year. Check out these rooms and other unique Disney guest rooms here!

3. Theme-Riverside takes Disney guests back in time to rural, river life in the Old South. Here you stroll along the banks of the Sassagoula River, check in at Riverside’s gorgeous, white lobby with giant paddle fans hanging from the ceiling, and enjoy a meal at the cavernous food court housed inside of an old cotton mill with a working water wheel just outside! This old Southern theme is not only picturesque, but comfortable and relaxing!

4. Dining-Disney’s moderate resorts typically offer a food court and one table service restaurant; and Riverside’s offerings don’t disappoint! The Riverside Mill is a large food court with different stations offering different menus. One station let’s you create your own pasta! Check it out here! Boatwrights is Riverside’s table service restaurant and what I consider to be a hidden gem due to it’s unique menu and fantastic service! Boatwright’s offers Southern and Cajun specialities, such as Crawfish, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Pecan Pie, amazing Banana Foster, and much more! Yum!

5. Location-Port Orleans Riverside sits right next door to Port Orleans French Quarter, providing easy access for guests to hop over to explore what it has to offer. Riverside is also very close to Downtown Disney and provides boat transportation to and fro. It’s a leisurely mode of transportation that gives guests views of the French Quarter, Saratoga Springs Resort and their treehouse villas, and a unique view of Downtown Disney. Learn more about this transportation route here!

What do you think is the best thing about Port Orleans Riverside? Is this one of your favorite Disney resorts? Be sure to let us know!

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