Buckle’s Sweepstakes Gives You Chances to Win Trips to Disneyland

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March 25, 2010

If you could use a great getaway to shake off the winter blues, enter Buckle’s Spring Brand Event Sweepstakes for your chance to win one of eight big vacations or lots of other prizes.

The prizes include destinations like an $11,000 trip to Peru, a vacation to southern California including Disneyland tickets, a trip to New York for Fashion Week, a trip to the Supercross Finals in Las Vegas, and more. The vacations are worth between $1,675 and $11,500.

In addition, four winners will receive a $100 Buckle gift card while 20 more will receive a $100 Buckle gift card.

Entry into Buckle’s Spring Brand Event Sweepstakes is open to US Residents aged 13 and above, except for residents of Maine who must be at least 18. Enter daily through April 5, 2010.

Eligibility:

USA, 13+ (18+ in Maine)

Start Date:

March 15, 2010

End Date:

April 05, 2010 at 5:0 a.m. CT

Click here to enter

Source

Disneyland opens new kiosks to buy park passes

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Chip

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March 25, 2010

Interesting news from Sarah Tully at Around Disney/OC Register

Disney visitors now can buy park tickets straight from one parking lot.

Guests can use their credit cards to pay for tickets, park hoppers, annual pass upgrades and stroller rentals at four portable kiosks in the new Toy Story parking lot.

The lot opened Friday on Harbor Boulevard south of Katella Avenue across from the Anaheim Convention Center. Read more about the new Disney lot.

Disney officials hope that visitors can avoid the lines at the ticket booths in front of the parks and head straight into Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure after the shuttle drops them off.

The new kiosks look similar to food carts and can be moved depending on the crowds. On Monday morning, the kiosks sat next to the shuttle stops.

Source and Photo

Disney-ABC to cancel ‘At the Movies,’ Siskel and Ebert’s old show

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Chip

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March 25, 2010

“At the Movies” is fading to black after 24 seasons.

The cancellation will bring down the curtain on the Chicago-based nationally syndicated TV showcase for dueling film critics that traced its lineage to WTTW-Ch. 11’s mid-1970s pairing of the Chicago Sun-Times’ Roger Ebert and Tribune’s Gene Siskel.

Disney-ABC Domestic Television and ABC Media Productions finally yelled cut Wednesday, announcing the final show with current reviewers Michael Phillips of the Tribune and A.O. Scott of the New York Times will air the weekend of Aug. 14. It was anything but a surprise ending.

The plug nearly was pulled last year after one season with poorly received Ben Lyons of E! Entertainment Television and Ben Mankiewicz of Turner Classic Movies in the critics’ chairs.

That pairing was installed in a misguided bid to bring a new sensibility to the program, following a bitter divorce from Ebert and Richard Roeper, the Sun-Times colleague Ebert picked to succeed Siskel after Siskel’s 1999 death from a brain tumor at age 53.

Instead, last August, just weeks before the new TV season, Disney-ABC announced it had hired Phillips and Scott. Respected print reviewers, they were a throwback to the tradition and standards of Ebert, Siskel and Roeper. But their earnest, sometimes bookish approach — a sharp contrast to the slick, too often superficial approach of Lyons in particular — failed to restore the viewership the two Bens squandered.

“To their credit,” Phillips said Wednesday night, Disney-ABC “never tried to make us anything we weren’t.”

Click here to keep reading

Best-Dressed Disney Villain MIght Have A Movie Deal With Tim Burton

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Chip

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March 25, 2010

Great article from io9 talking about the upcoming movie starting Sleeping Beauty‘s Maleficent :

From her two-pronged headdress down to her pet crow, Sleeping Beauty‘s Maleficent has always been the baddest of the bad. She’s so delightfully evil she may be the first Disney villain to get her own live action feature.

Even though Cruella de Vil was brought to life by Glenn Close, she was always second banana to the pound of dalmatians. Rumor has it that Disney wants a Maleficient-centric script – they’re fat with Alice In Wonderland cash and ready to spend a little more. Hoping to strike it rich again Disney has hired Alice‘s screenwriter Linda Woolverton to write the screenplay.

But also by hiring Woolverton, they’re reignited the rumors that Tim Burton might want to direct this feature, since they worked so well before. Internet rumors are swirling that the dark director is very interested in the project. We’re just hoping the new script may have more of a Wicked feeling and less of the “let’s put Helena Bonham Carter in it” Burton style.

According to THR:

Woolverton’s “Maleficent” movie would tell the classic fairy tale from the point of view of the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil,” offering a new take on a classic tale as she did with Lewis Carrol’s “Alice.”

Source

Star Tours & Toy Story Mania Refurb Dates Coming Soon

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Chip

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March 24, 2010

Stitch Kingdom is reporting on the early closure of Toy Story Mania and Star Tours. They are stating these are not official but come from a very reliable source:

Our source informs us that Star Tours will close on September 8. This is earlier than announced by former Disney Parks and Resort Chairman Jay Rasulo at last year’s D23 Expo, but not unexpected. It’s also scheduled to take place after Celebration V, which takes place in Orlando this year, ends in mid-August.

The anticipated upgrade for Star Tours (aka Star Tours 2.0) features a 3D film (for which D23 Expo-goers were treated to a sneak peek) and reported ‘multiple destinations’ for the Star Tours Travel Agency. Initial rumors had it closing post-Star Wars Weekends in 2010 and pre-Star Wars Weekends in 2011. Our source gives us a scheduled re-opening date of May 20, 2011, so that’s cutting it pretty close!

Our source also informs us of an earlier and much shorter refurb, also at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, for Toy Story Mania which is scheduled to close on August 15 and re-open on September 5.

For more refurb news and information check out Stitch Kingdom here.

Toy Story 3 Welcomes Mr Pricklepants

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Chip

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March 24, 2010

Frolic your afternoons away on woodland adventures with Mr. Pricklepants! This charmin
lederhosen-wearing hedgehog is from the Waldfreunde collectionof premium imported plush toys. He may look prickly, but the plump and fuzzy Mr. Pricklepants is made strictly for cuddling! Hand wash and air dry. Restore fluffiness with fingers. Made in Germany.

Paper Artistry Inspiration for Disneyland World of Color

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Chip

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March 24, 2010

One type of art form being considered for World of Color is paper animation. Local Glendale, California artist Megan Brain has created 3-dimentional paper sculptures of Disney characters that are turned into models or puppets with computer animation. The result is very fun and very unique when it is projected onto a giant water screen.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLoruGy_Z90[/youtube]

The Mechanical Kingdom

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Chip

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March 24, 2010

This article comes to us from Disney Park Blog:

“Steampunk is like imagining today’s world with a Victorian-era perspective,” explained Mike. “For example, let’s pretend people in the 19th Century created the technology we use today. What would it look like? I think of these larger than life, steam-powered contraptions with lots of gears and switches.”

Mike was first introduced to Steampunk at a major science-fiction convention. Following the event, he did extensive research on the internet (the same place where I first learned of Steampunk). Quickly, he discovered a whole fan community. Mike wondered how he could present our Disney characters in this alternate world.

“I created a story outline and several sketches to sell the idea of creating Steampunk-inspired merchandise,” continued Mike. “Honestly, it was a long process explaining the concept as many folks were unfamiliar with Steampunk. Thankfully, the Disney Pin Team loved the idea and created a pin set.”

This collection contains five limited edition pins that will be sold individually. There is also a journal written by Professor Ludwig Von Drake that introduces the Mechanical Kingdom story. The journal literally looks like a book complete with a cover and several pages. The final page contains all five individual pins and two “completer pins” – Mickey Mouse and Pirate Pete.

Click here for the complete story along with more SteamPunk Photos.

Extra Time to Dine at Epcot?

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Chip

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March 24, 2010

Do you like the idea of an extra hour for dining in the evening at Epcot? Give it a try from March 28 through April 10, and let us know what you think — you can book your “extra hour” table at Coral Reef Restaurant, Garden Grill or Le Cellier Steakhouse. Then get ready to relax and sip a post-prandial cocktail or linger over dessert while the Epcot crowds dwindle.

We recommend the decadent Chocolate Wave (with a little sparkling rosé) if you’re at Coral Reef Restaurant; an extra scoop of all-you-care-to-eat strawberry-rhubarb crisp with cream at Garden Grill or the Chocolate-on-Chocolate Whiskey Cake at Le Cellier. You’ll walk it off on the way to the car.

Source & Photo disneyparkblog.com

Toy Story 3 Welcomes – Dolly the Rag Doll

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Chip

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March 23, 2010

Dolly is a soft and sweet dress-up rag doll, and is the perfect gift for any young child! Her floppy body and sunny smile will make her an irresistible new member of your family. Dolly has purple hair, googly eyes and gently blushing cheeks. She comes with a pretty blue dress, but templates are included to create and sew your own outfits! Machine washable on gentle cycle

Breaking News 8 Hurt In Disney World Bus Crash

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Chip

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March 23, 2010

A Disney bus was involved in a crash with a second bus at a toll plaza at Epcot Center Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities said one of the buses rear-ended another at the entrance to park’s parking lot.Seven passengers aboard the Disney bus were transported to Florida Hospital-Celebration Health with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes.The driver of the Disney bus was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in serious condition, Montes said.

Live Video

Motorists trying to reach Epcot are unable to enter the theme park’s parking lot because of the crash investigation, but the park is open. Passengers can reach the entrance by using Disney’s Monorail.

Source & Photo from WESH

**Update** – Click here to see updated photos from WFTV Channel 9.

Vote for your Top Disney World Dessert!

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Chip

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March 23, 2010

[poll id=”18″]

Be sure to check out our post of “Top 10 Disney World Desserts“