If you twist my arm and force me to pick my favorite restaurant at Walt Disney World, I’ll probably say the iconic California Grill. It has certainly hosted many of my favorite meals over the years and a number of special occaisions. So when it… Read More »California Grill To Reopen in September, Reservations Available Soon.
Do you self a favor next time you visit the Magic Kingdom, stop in at the Main Street Confectionery to watch cast members as they assemble some of the scrumptious sweets available for purchase just a few feet away. With everything arriving pre-packaged at the… Read More »Main Street Sweets Delight
My son Indigo made it onto American Idol Experience as part of the Limited Time Magic Junior Performers. He’ll be in the 6pm show tonight. We hope to get a large group to come to Hollywood Studios and cheer him on. Please come on down… Read More »My Kid’s in American Idol Experience as part of Limited Time Magic Junior Performers
This week crazy-like-a-fox billionaire businessman Elon Musk introduced his latest revolutionary concept, the Hyperloop, and then gave it away to the masses as an open source project. Musk’s previous successes include Paypal (without which much online transactions wouldn’t happen), Tesla (an electric car company that’s profitable for a change), SpaceX (a private company that is helping NASA get payloads into space with an eventual goal of Mars(!)), and SolarCity (affordable solar panels for home and business; It remains to be seen if this will fall into the success category, but it seems likely with a net positive in the profit column last quarter).
Hollywood director Jon Favreau has said he modeled his version of Tony Stark, aka Marvel’s Iron Man, at least in part after Musk. But I think Tony Stark is the wrong model. Musk reminds me more of late period Walt Disney, when Walt had his eye on the future, not just of entertainment and the Disney Company, but of the planet as a whole and improving the lives of those who live on it. His gained steam with Monorails (mass transit), moved onto PeopleMovers (person rapid transit (PRT)), and dabbled in energy efficiency and recycling. Then Walt united all his theories and took on the mother of all urban planning projects – EPCOT, the experimental prototype community of tomorrow. With EPCOT, Walt wanted to build a working community where he could partner with industrial explorers with a similar vision for the future.
That is essentially the same vision as Elon Musk; which is why I think there is a natural partnership between Musk, his companies, and The Walt Disney Company. To get started, create the partnership for the purposes of building a working prototype of the Hyperloop at Walt Disney World. Musk, or his team, would be involved enough to oversee things, but most of the R&D would be left to Walt Disney Imagineering. The resulting prototype would be a great first step to making a full scale Hyperloop a feasible project to get past local and state governments.
Disney’s Imagineers already have much of the expertise needed to build such a system. They have experience with air-bearings (from the Flying Saucers ride in 60s to the revisited version at DCA), mass transit systems (Monorail, PeopleMover, etc.) and for years they used a garbage disposal system at the Magic Kingdom that magically whisked away trash right from the curb side down an air pressure driven pipe. They also have good contacts in the coaster and mass transit construction industries, so finding suppliers would not be difficult. Read More »Bring to Walt Disney World: The Hyperloop
The Walt Disney Company has a long tradition of supporting youth performers, from the original Mickey Mouse Club showcasing some of Hollywood’s best talent to Magic Music Days giving school kids the chance to perform in a Disney theme park. For one week during its Limited Time Magic promotion, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is extending that idea to the American Idol Experience.
The age limit for performing at American Idol Experience has always been tied to the TV shows eligibility requirements. If the winner got a dream ticket they couldn’t use, that would make no sense right?
From August 12-18, Disney will have one Juniors Show, where contestants aged 6-13 can perform. They won’t get a dream ticket, but they will get an amazing experience.
The special taste of showbiz will begin with an audition in front of a Disney producer, just like the regular show. The three contestants chosen for the Juniors Show will get a Hollywood-style showbiz treatment including cosmetology, a vocal training session and walk-through rehearsal before taking the stage in front of the live audience. The three finalists will also get feedback from the panel of judges. It’s not mentioned if the audience will vote for a winner or if some other ending will be involved.
If your child wants to enter, we’ve included the list of songs choices below the jump. Better get rehearsing right away.
Read More »American Idol Experience Opens to Junior Performers for Limited Time Magic
I am a child of the 70s, which means the “Mickey Mouse Club” with bright clothes, bellbottoms and velour shirts was my “Mickey Mouse Club.” Among that group was a teenage Lisa Whelchel. She went on to have a short but very high profile Hollywood… Read More »Interview with Former 70s Mouseketeer Lisa Whelchel who Returned to Disney World
They say Walt Disney World is the place for celebrations. I think it’s true and so do a very famous set of quintuplets. The five Gaither siblings were the world’s first African-American born in the U.S. to survive. They’re now celebrating their 30th birthdays at,… Read More »Gaither Quintuplets Celebrate their 30th Birthdays at the Magic Kingdom
Want to know what delicious goodies are being cooked up for the 18th EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival marketplace kiosks? Disney has released what looks like a complete list of all the marketplace menus. I remember reading somewhere that we were getting scotch eggs, but I don’t see them on the list. Anyone know what happened there?
The Kalua Pork Slider (not the liqueur Kahlua but the Kalua barbecue method of cooking) returns to the Hawaii tasting marketplace
Seared Scallop with Ragout of Tomatoes, Peppers, Hearts of Palm and Steamed Rice
Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Onions, Avocado and Cilantro
Cerveharias Kaiser Brewery Xingu Black Beer
Carnaval Moscato White
Frozen Caipirinha featuring LeBlon Cachaça
Seared Scottish Salmon with Cauliflower Puree, Watercress and Malt Vinaigrette
Vegetarian Haggis with Neeps and Tatties-Griddled Vegetable Cake with Rutabaga and Mashed Potatoes
Scottish Banoffee Tart with Bananas, Scottish Whisky Toffee, Walkers Shortbread Crumbles and Sweet Cream
Innis & Gunn® Original
Loch Lomond featuring Glenfiddich® 12 year
Glenfiddich® Scotch Flight (12, 15 and 18 year)
Read More »18th EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival – The Marketplace Menus