Modern Family: Season 3, Episode 14 – Me? Jealous?

After a few weeks off, the Dunphy/Pritchett clan is back on your television screen. I have to say, I generally laugh hardest after taking a few weeks off from the show, but this episode was a disappointing one to come back to. Overall, I think the third season has been pretty strong, but this episode didn’t too much for me. Sure, we had some fun guest stars (Greg Kinnear, Phil Hendrie) but even they didn’t really live up to the high quality of previous Modern Family guests.

Phil and Claire are hosting a potential client of Phil’s, Tad. He’s a bit quirky, though, and kisses Claire on the lips one too many times for her liking. Long story short, Tad’s just affectionate and does that with everyone.

Cam and Mitch’s house is being fumigated, so they stay over at Jay and Gloria’s. Cam and Gloria send some stealthy jabs at each other back and forth (mocking small things about the other one, like their cooking or housework.) Long story short, they put their differences aside and cook a lovely meal together.

Mitch is also meeting a potential client, a former radio star of whom Jay is a fan. Jay crashes their lunch, and Mitchell shoos him away. In the end, the DJ actually liked Jay’s presence, so Mitch brings him home to play a prank on him.

As you can see, these story lines are all relatively simple, and can be summarized in just a few sentences. Sometimes, I can go on and on about Modern Family stories; the quips; and the touching, sentimental, family moments. This episode was lacking in all three.

What did you think of last night’s episode?

 

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Lawsuit Accusing SeaWorld of Enslaving Killer Whales Dismissed

As we reported earlier this week, PETA had filed a lawsuit accusing SeaWorld’s Orlando and San Diego parks of treating its killer whales as slaves. We felt the lawsuit was ridiculous on its face. SeaWorld officials called the lawsuit frivolous. Now a Federal Court has ruled that it’s unconstitutional too. The result is a dismissal that both sides claim as a win. SeaWorld avoids a silly legal fight and PETA gets publicity for its cause.

More at the LA Times.

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Amazing Fan Tribute to Star Tours

There are fan tributes and there are fan tributes. This amazing video celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Star Tours better than any other tribute I’ve seen, which is saying a lot. “Star Tours Origins (ST-45 Project)” is not an exact recreation of that ride, but rather a version the creators see as the “Ultimate Star Wars Adventure”.

The original Star Tours attraction opened in 1987 at Disneyland and gave guests the opportunity to experience the world of Star Wars from the mind of George Lucas first hand. This fan version imagines how it might have been if they had today’s technology back then.

Super fan Gregory Noacco did the visual effects, 3d rendering, and editing and Joachim Garraud mixed in the audio. The result is a unique adventure with many elements of the original attraction, but a few ‘improvements’ as well. I was tickled to see some of the great easter eggs from the original attraction included and how the mythology that has been added to with the new version was worked in. In fact, I would love to see a special edition of this added to the new version of the ride. I think Disney could make it work. What about you?

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The River: Season 1, Episode 1 – Magus

Editor’s Note: Please welcome Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley who will be reviewing ABC’s thrilling new drama The River.

The River is a found-footage style genre mashup of science fiction, horror, drama and suspense, and its first hour is just as complicated as that description sounds. It moves quickly—too quickly. But here are the basics:

Beloved television personality and explorer Dr. Emmet Cole and his cameraman went missing six months ago, and even though the official search party has broken up, his wife and friends refuse to give up the search. They head to the Amazon, track down Cole’s insanely tricked-out boat and find the panic room welded shut.

Believing Cole to be locked inside, they open the panic room, only to be greeted by … well, we’re not sure what. But it moves fast, and it seems pissed off. You can tell because it totally starts destroying everything and generally making spooky noises. Oh, and it kills someone. That’s a big clue.

When the explorer’s family and friends are finally able to regroup, they manage to trick the bad thing into a bad thing lock box so that they can get back down to the business of trying to find Dr. Cole. And we can move on to episode two.

But before we do that, let’s meet the cast:

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Earl of Sandwich Soon to Grace Disneyland Resort

Being an Earl in England is not quite all it used to be, but having a name like Earl of Sandwich and being a descendant of the inventor of the sandwich, does give you some unusual brand equity. And so it was in 2004 that the latest Earl of Sandwich and his son (coincidentally named Orlando) opened up their first restaurant in Orlando at Downtown Disney. It’s been a terrific success and they now have 17 locations.

Disneyland Resort today announced that Earl of Sandwich will open a new location at Downtown Disney in early summer 2012. The restaurant will offer guests a unique, casual-quick dining option while visiting Downtown Disney. It looks like they’ll be moving into the current location of Compass Bookstore.

“We pride ourselves in giving our guests a unique experience at Downtown Disney through different retail and food offerings,” said Tony Bruno, vice president of Resort Hotels and Downtown Disney. “This will be the only Earl of Sandwich in California and it is sure to be a favorite among our guests as it has been at Walt Disney World for nearly eight years.”

The new restaurant, which continues to have historical ties to the inventor of the sandwich, the Sandwich family, will be adjacent to AMC Theatres. Signature hot sandwiches will be available including The Original 1762, a sandwich of freshly roasted beef, sharp cheddar and creamy horseradish sauce all on freshly baked artisan bread. Soups, salads, wraps and desserts also are on the menu. Earl of Sandwich offers a vast array of hot and cold beverages including The Earl’s Grey Lemonade. Breakfast sandwiches and pastries will be available in the morning and a variety of catering options will be offered at this location.

“We are looking forward to the grand opening of our newest location at the Disneyland Resort,” stated Robert Earl, chairman of Earl of Sandwich. “The success we’ve experienced at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and our other 15 locations has proven that the quality of our food and our dining experience will bring guests back time and time again.”

Earl of Sandwich joins approximately 50 retail, dining and entertainment venues that comprise Downtown Disney. Bridging the two theme parks and hotels, the 20-acre entertainment, dining and shopping district offers an eclectic experience that includes the World of Disney store, Build-A-Bear Workshop, ESPN Zone and House of Blues.

The Orlando location is quite popular, often sporting lines out the door. Disneyland fans are in for a treat.

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Posted in Disneyland | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments