We’ve covered Duy Truong’s fan created take on Annie Leibovitz’s Disney Parks Dream Portraits a fewtimesbefore today. But he’s out with another small batch of photos that include a few of what I think are his best work so far.
I like this one of Constance Hatchaway, the bride from the Haunted Mansion. This is the WDW version of the bride who wears necklaces , each one representing a dead husband. She had five. Constance is also the old lady in one of the stretching portraits, the one holding a rose, that’s why it’s in the portrait.
Pocahontas, Rapunzel, and Esmeralda below the jump:
Dancemoms, budding bunheads, plus fans of Gilmore Girls and the writing style of Amy Sherman-Palladino will be sad to hear that Disney has order the cancelation of the ABC Family show Bunheads after just one 18-episode season. The show had been on the bubble for… Read More »Bunheads Dances Off The Schedule for Good
Editor’s Note: I have not been presented the opportunity to view Blackfish and urge you to consider both sides of the argument before drawing any conclusions. A good place to start is this NY Times article on SeaWorld Park’s and Entertainment‘s response to the movie and what it sees as distortions of the facts and message. I want to thank Mike Bastoli for continuing to post here on the blog; even when I’m not 100% comfortable with his topics, I’m glad I can provide a forum for his ideas.
First of all, I’d like to thank John for giving me the opportunity to comment on Blackfish here. Even though we are of different opinions on whether orcas—killer whales—should continue to be kept in captivity at SeaWorld and places like it, we both agree that everyone should have an opportunity to evaluate the facts and make up their own mind on the issue. Really, we are the jury.
Blackfish begins with a black screen and a terrifying 911 call: “A whale has eaten one of the trainers,” the voice on the phone tells the dispatcher. That call was made on February 24, 2010, moments after SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by Tilikum, a 12,000-pound male orca who had taken human life twice before.
ABC received 45 Emmy nominations this past week for the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards. Among them, Connie Britton and Kerry Washington both received nods for Best Actress in a Drama Series and “Modern Family” was nominated for the 4th time in a row for Best… Read More »ABC Emmy Nods include 2 fantastic tunes
Asaka, Braille, Nitty and Pipsqueak, four female sub-adult manatees, were happily released into the warm waters of Eddy Creek on Thursday July 18, 2013 by SeaWorld Orlando’s Rescue Team. Three of these manatees were rescued in December of 2012 after being trapped in a mosquito embankment in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and suffering from mild cold stress. The fourth manatee, Asaka, was rescued this past March due to buoyancy issues.
After spending months at SeaWorld Orlando being rehabilitated all four manatees, ranging in weight between 400lbs to 775lbs, were declared healthy and ready to return to their natural habitat. Each manatee was weighed and measured before being released. They were also fitted with a tag so that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission can track their movement and progress. The release was bittersweet for those who had the pleasure to work with these magnificent creatures, happy to see the animals swim away and start to thrive on their own but sad to see them go.
Let me take you back to 2006. I was 9 years old and High School Musical had just premiered. It blew up at my school, my day care, everywhere. It was THE defining film of my age group at the time. If you didn’t know the songs, something was wrong. Then the sequel premiered the following year to even larger numbers, thus making the film even more loved by my fellow pupils. The third film was released into the theaters in 2008 solidifying its popularity. Don’t forget that the movies also spawned live stage productions, ice skating shows, theme park entertainment, a live tour, a reality TV show, and enough merchandise to make you puke.
After some not so successful DCOMs recently, Disney tried to bring back the HSM formula with “Teen Beach Movie,” which premiered this past Friday night. Two teens go surfing and end up being transported to a 1960’s “Frankie and Annette” -esque beach film. When they accidentally hook up with the two leads, they change the course of the movie and only have so much time to reverse the film.Read More »“Teen Beach Movie” makes viewers Surf Crazy
Nicole says: Have you ever had such an amazing day at Disney that you wished you could hit rewind and do it all over again? This video was inspired by many happy memories at the Happiest Place On Earth. I knew exactly what I wanted… Read More »Videopolis: Rewind The Magic – A Magic Kingdom Day in Reverse
The following article is based primarily on documents on file with the Superior Court of California, County of Orange in the case of The People of The State of California vs. Larry James Allred and Robert Edward Smyrak, 11NF1191.
My research in these was supplemented by telephone interviews with the defense attorneys involved (I thank them for taking the time to speak with me); law enforcement press releases; public record searches; and, in a few instances, previous media reports from reputable news-gathering organizations such as the Los Angeles Times.—Mike Bastoli
S
eptember 29, 2011 was not a good day for Robert Edward Smyrak. At 8:00 AM in Courtroom N3 of the North Justice Center in Fullerton, California, the 52-year-old Anaheim man appeared before Judge Nicholas Thompson of the Superior Court of California, Orange County to receive his sentence.
Smyrak, who goes by Bob, was pleading guilty to one count of felony trademark infringement. The penalty, at least as paper, would be one year in jail, three years probation, plus restitution. In truth, because of overcrowding in California’s prisons, he would serve out his sentence entirely at home, through supervised house arrest. But it was still, to be sure, an unfortunate turn of events for the IT operations manager whose most serious prior conviction was for using a cell phone behind the wheel.
Smyrak’s journey into California’s madhouse corrections system had begun, at least in earnest, in the early days of 2010, with a little help from a friend, Larry James Allred, then aged 56 and a resident of nearby Walnut.
