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Michelle Snow

Michelle Snow is a huge fan of Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars in films and TV, as well as the Disney parks. She's also an award-winning writer who has written several guidebooks on Orlando. Follow her on Twitter @zengrrl. Her blog, CitySurfing Orlando has covered Orlando and the theme parks since 2010. Her favorite rides at the Disney parks are Star Tours, Big Thunder Mountain, and Indiana Jones Adventure, and she may have cried tears of joy when she first saw the Millenium Falcon at Galaxy's Edge. She collects anything to do with Star Wars original trilogy (she saw 1977's "A New Hope" on opening weekend), Snow White, Grumpy, Tinkerbell, and Stitch.

Dancing With the Stars Reveals Cast For 20th Season

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On a star-studded segment on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “Dancing With the Stars” revealed its celebrity dancers for its upcoming 20th season.

DWTS hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews got an assist from an excited Lara Spencer of GMA, to announce the new roster.

Here is the line-up of celebrities and their pro partners for the new season:

Noah Galloway with Sharna Burgess – Galloway is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq. He lost his left arm above the elbow and left leg above the knee in an IED attack, and currently serves as a motivational speaker.  He says, “The biggest challenge will just be learning the dancing. I want to make my children proud.”

Robert Herjavec with Kym Johnson – Herjavec is recognized as the “nice” Shark on ABC’s hit show “Shark Tank.”

Patti LaBelle with Artem Chigvintsev – LaBelle’s strong and soulful voice has left an indelible mark all over the world. She has won many awards, including Grammys, for her music, but she is also known for her cooking, and her line of products, Patti’s Good Life.

Nastia Liukin with Derek Hough – Liukin is best known as Olympic All-Around Gold Medalist in gymnastics at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Hough, a previous winner, almost didn’t make this season due to performing in a show at Radio City Spring Spectacular in NYC. But he and Liukin will rehearse in NYC and commute to L.A. to dance in the weekly live show, then red-eye it back to NYC, where she also goes to school.

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Jimmy Fallon Enlists Chris Evans and Chris Pratt for Epic Super Bowl Photobombs

“Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon has done several bits enlisting celebrities to help him photobomb unsuspecting people. Sunday night, at the Super Bowl, he convinced actors Chris Evans (aka Captain America) and Chris Pratt (aka Star-Lord) to take time out from their #twitterbowl bet to… Read More »Jimmy Fallon Enlists Chris Evans and Chris Pratt for Epic Super Bowl Photobombs

Marvel Partners with Funko for Marvel Collector Corps Subscription Box Service

File this one under “shut up and take my money!” Funko has announced it is collaborating with Marvel to build a first-of-its-kind subscription box service, called Marvel Collector Corps. Each box will feature 100% exclusive collectibles, apparel and accessories from some of the biggest events… Read More »Marvel Partners with Funko for Marvel Collector Corps Subscription Box Service

Disney Press Releases Book One of The Zodiac Legacy Series from Stan Lee

Stan Lee is the man behind some of the world’s most beloved Marvel characters, and now, with the help of Stuart Moore, he’s creating a new world with The Zodiac Legacy series of books. These are graphic novels, with artwork by Andie Tong. The series… Read More »Disney Press Releases Book One of The Zodiac Legacy Series from Stan Lee

Disney’s Bob Iger Confirms Timetable for Star Wars VIII and IX

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In Disney’s recent annual report, Chairman/CEO Bob Iger confirmed that Star Wars: Episode VIII will be released in 2017, and Star Wars: Episode IX will hit theaters in 2019.

Disney shareholders received the report last month, in which Iger states:

“As one of the few people allowed to visit the set during filming… and one of the fewer who’s seen most of the footage… I can assure the millions of Star Wars fans who have spent the last decade hoping for a new movie this one will be worth the wait. And it’s only the beginning of a new era of exceptional Star Wars storytelling; next year we’ll release our first standalone movie based on these characters, followed by Star Wars: Episode VIII in 2017, and we’ll finish this trilogy with Episode IX in 2019.”

This tightens the normal release window between chapters in a Star Wars trilogy from three years down to two.

Disney will release the J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens on December 18 of this year. There are also two spin-off/standalone movies that have also been previously announced.Read More »Disney’s Bob Iger Confirms Timetable for Star Wars VIII and IX

Disney Wins Several Awards at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards

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The Annie Awards, which honor excellence in animation in film, video, and television, were held last night, and Disney won many of its categories in TV, but got snubbed when it came to the movies.

Big Hero 6 was nominated for Best Animated Feature, and Outstanding Achievement Directing in an Animated Feature Production, but lost in both categories to Dreamwork’s How to Train Your Dragon 2.  Last year, Disney won both categories on the strength of the blockbuster film, Disney’s Frozen.  Big Hero 6 did walk away with one award, for Animated Effects in an Animated Production. Baymax would be proud.

Disney did much better with television, winning eight trophies overall. Five of them went to the Disney Channel’s “Disney Mickey Mouse” show, which had the second-most wins of any title.

The Walt Disney Family Museum also won the evening’s Special Achievement Award, which recognizes the unique and significant impact the winner has had on the art and industry of animation.

Here are all the Annie Awards that Disney won on January 31, 2015:Read More »Disney Wins Several Awards at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards

Some Great Disney and Star Wars Games For Your Christmas Gift Giving (or For Yourself)

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Games are always a fun Christmas present to get for families. They’re lots of fun and give them a chance to spend time together.

I recently got a box of games from Wonder Forge to try out, so one evening, I gathered my best friends and some kids (a 6 year old boy and 9 year old girl) to put these games through their paces.

I can happily report we had a lot of fun with these games, though a few were a bit challenging to figure out at first.

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Our overall favorite Disney Frozen Surprise Slides. This game is similar to the classic game Candy Land, but with the twist that you can pop out pieces on the board and change the game track. It adds an extra level of strategy to the game, but it’s easy to knock over game pieces doing this. Our 6 year old and 9 year old testers loved this game, and it was fun for the adults, too. Much laughter was had during the game. This game is for 2-4 players; Ages 3+ (beware of small pieces).

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Our second favorite was Pictopia – Disney Edition Trivia Game. This trivia game uses cards with pictures of various Disney characters, film, and park attractions, with each card having several questions on it. It really is a test of how well you know your Disney trivia, and it can be tough for younger players, even though it says for ages 7+ on the game box. Even our 9 year old tester had trouble with some of the questions. I would say the adults can play the game as is, but if you have younger players (say 13 and under), maybe fish through the card pile and find some of the easier cards with characters and movies they may know. This game is for 2-6 players; Ages 7+.

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We also enjoyed the Star Wars Face Off Dice Game. Played similar to Yahtzee, there is a Star Wars twist in that you can make matches based on the Jedi/Hero side or the Sith/Villain side, with different rules for each. Heroes get to try to make regular matches – a straight, 4 of a kind, full house – rolling until a villain dice shows up. Villains get one re-roll, and then must bluff what their hand is. If they win they get the points, if their bluff is called the other person gets the points. Our 6 year old was having trouble with the bluffing, but the 9 year old was starting to get the hang of it. Even if you omit the villains rules for younger kids, it’s still a fun game. This game is for 2-4 players; Ages 8+.Read More »Some Great Disney and Star Wars Games For Your Christmas Gift Giving (or For Yourself)

The Hundred-Foot Journey Begins Final Trip Home To Your DVD Shelf

100ftjrny-blurayFrom producers Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey comes the deliciously entertaining The Hundred-Foot Journey, available for pre-order today with delivery on December 2, 2014.

Based on the best-selling novel by Richard C. Morais, the film stars Helen Mirren as Madame Mallory, the chilly chef/proprietress of the Michelin-starred Le Saule Pleureur restaurant located in a quaint village in the south of France. All is well until the Kadam family migrates from India to the village, and Papa opens up Maison Mumbai, an Indian restaurant, only a hundred feet from her own doors.

To add to the complications, Papa’s son Hassan falls for Mme. Mallory’s sous chef Marguerite, and is also a fine cook in his own right – a fact noticed by the Madame, who takes him on as a prodigy.

This flavorful tale of cultural differences, shared passions, and the unifying nature of food makes this movie a delight for all.

In addition to the film, the Digital HD and Blu-ray Combo Pack come with the following bonus features:

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