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September 2009

Disneyland Culinary Academy

The folks out west must be jealous that EPCOT has just kicked off it’s food and wine festival. They’ve released this video that provides a peak backstage at a unique opportunity for Disneyland Resort cast members – a culinary academy. Disney’s Culinary Academy is a… Read More »Disneyland Culinary Academy

FlashForward Premieres tonight on ABC

FlashForward premieres tonight on ABC at 8 pm or 7pm if you’re on central time. That might be a bit earlier than you expected, so set those DVRs carefully. FlashForward is the most anticipated series to come from ABC so far this fall. I think… Read More »FlashForward Premieres tonight on ABC

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival’s new look

EPCOT’s International Food & Wine festival officially opens tomorrow, but if you head to the park this afternoon you’ll likely be able to experience some of the options during today’s test run. There are 70 new dishes this year and most of the old favorites (like Canada’s Cheese Soup). Look for more of an international street food feeling this year at the 27 food booths and showcases.

Orlando food critic Scott Joseph got to sample a few of the tasting sized dishes early this year and he has a review up on his blog. A downloadable guide and map are available at Scott’s blog or the official website.

Another change might come as a surprise to long time event attendees. The daily wine seminars and tastings are no longer be free. There is now an $8 fee. Tickets are sold through the reservation system. However, Disney is holding some tickets for sale in the park each day for guests who may not have heard about the change.

Food and Wine runs a long 45 days this year wrapping up on November 8th, which will make it a pretty tight turn around to get the Winter Holiday decorations up at the park.

One of my favorite parts of the Food & Wine Festival are the Eat To The Beat concerts. Plenty of big names this year, and, in what I believe is a first, an American Idol winner.

A full listing of which acts are scheduled below the jump:

Read More »EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival’s new look

Dancing with the Stars: Week 1 Results

Two nights, four hours, and twenty ballroom dances later, the first results show of season 9 is here! Based on this week’s shows, I’d say the season is shaping up quite nicely – but alas, the ballroom is cruel, and two people are going home.… Read More »Dancing with the Stars: Week 1 Results

Cypress Gardens Closes

I really hoped that Cypress Gardens could make it. But even in the best economic climate it wouldn’t have been easy. So it was not a shock to learn today that the historic attraction has closed its doors. After a turbulent last few years, Cypress… Read More »Cypress Gardens Closes

Dancing with the Stars – Season 9 Premiere (Part 2)

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Yesterday just wasn’t enough. We need two more hours of dancing. Specifically, dancing… with the stars! Tonight is ladies’ night, and they want to make sure we know it. The show starts with a group number featuring the female professionals, to the tune of “She’s a Lady.” It’s like all the bad parts of Solid Gold, and none of the good.

Cut to Tom and Samantha up on the balcony, with Tom blathering about how great everything is, and Samantha staring a hole into the camera with soulless, vacant eyes. And now, the celebrities! Nobody falls down the stairs, so really it’s not worth recapping. Although just like last night, the trumpet player goes absolutely crazy with a solo as we pan down the row of celebs. Trumpet Guy is now my favorite member of the cast.

The ladies will be doing either the Salsa or Viennese Waltz for their individual dances, and the Cha-Cha-Cha and Fox Trot for the relay.

Debi Mazar & Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Debi tells us that she’s an actress who specializes in strong female roles. I hear she’s more than a little bit crazy. She’s tickled pink to work with Maks, and she proceeds to drive him nuts in rehearsal by never shutting up. They launch into their Salsa up on the little stage in front of the band, and the first part is just a bunch of sexy walking. Finally about halfway through they start doing something that looks vaguely like a Salsa, although it appears that Debi keeps forgetting the steps. They do some cool turns at the end, but I just don’t think the content was there. We go to the judges while Debi is gasping and heaving for breath. Len compliments her energy, but notes there’s a lot of work to do. Bruno loves how she works her “bazooms,” and he “got a lot of value out of that.” It’s the most complimentary pervy insult ever. Carrie Ann thinks she’s thinking too much. Then Maks pinches Bergeron’s tush, which is way hotter than Debi’s bazoom-shaking. The scores aren’t shocking: 6-5-5.

Read More »Dancing with the Stars – Season 9 Premiere (Part 2)

SeaWorld and Universal Studios to be owned by Same Company?

Reports are growing that The Blackstone Group has put the final touches on its acquisition of Busch Entertainment Company (BEC), the division of AB-Bev that owns SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks. The Blackstone Group already owns about half of the Universal Orlando resort and… Read More »SeaWorld and Universal Studios to be owned by Same Company?