Category: Disney, News
From wsj.com:
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Since its 2001 debut, the Walt Disney Co. theme park Disney’s California Adventure has floundered in the shadow of its legendary neighbor, Disneyland. To fix it, Disney is now planning a $1.1 billion overhaul — the most extensive makeover the company has ever given to a theme park.
Disney’s board recently approved the investment, which will be poured into California Adventure over roughly five years, according to people familiar with the plan. The sum is particularly significant, considering the theme park cost around $1 billion to build and Disney has already spent more than $100 million trying to improve it.
Originally aimed at luring visitors to spend more time and money at the Disneyland Resort, California Adventure has been criticized as lacking Disney’s trademark creative spark. The California theme has fallen flat with visitors from the western U.S., who make up the bulk of attendance. Last year, the park drew just under six million visitors, compared with nearly 15 million at Disneyland and short of Disney’s original forecast of seven million visitors a year for the new park.
Disney’s California Adventure theme park, next to Disneyland, celebrated its grand opening in 2001.
Now Disney hopes to turn the park around by making it more like its successful neighbor, filled with references to company founder Walt Disney, say people familiar with the plan. A key project will be redesigning the entrance plaza, now a hodgepodge of California icons, and replacing it with something akin to Disneyland’s signature Main Street.
Continue reading the article by clicking on the link…
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Posted by RavenG4 on October 17, 2007 at 10:47 am · Permalink
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Category: News
From startribune.com:
The running of the bulls was an unexpected feature event on Friday at the Minnesota State Fair.
In a brief, frenzied moment, an angry bull charged through the fairgrounds, barreled past fairgoers, butted a faded red fire hydrant and died. No one was injured. And no damage was done to fair exhibits. “Even our fire hydrant is OK and good to go,” said fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette.
Usually, mornings are much quieter on the fairgrounds.
Leo Pritschet of Oakdale was daydreaming while he dished up Pronto Pups, Tim Radtke of Lakeville was serving Icees and Matt McClay of Shoreview was slinging hot dogs and fried onions.
But then the crowd parted. Shouts erupted. And there it was: a black bull careening down the street. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on September 4, 2007 at 1:38 pm · Permalink
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Category: News
From presstv.ir:
They said that you can hear the web screech from the millions of mosquitos trapped in it — wouldn’t it have been neat to have been camping in a tent under this and wake up covered in webs in the morning! Uh……or maybe not. Talk about arachnophobia times ten! - Dr. Disney.
A huge spider web, which has spread over several trees covering an area of 200 yards, has stunned Entomologists and visitors.
“Millions of mosquitoes caught in the web has changed its former white color into brown”, said an official with Lake Tawakoni State Park, where the massive web is found. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on August 31, 2007 at 6:39 am · Permalink
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Category: News
From washingtonpost.com:
David Hasselhoff accepted libel damages Friday from the publisher of magazines that accused him of being drunk and abusive in a Hollywood nightclub.
Northern and Shell PLC, the publisher of the British edition of OK magazine and Northern and Shell North America Ltd., the publisher of the U.S. edition of OK Weekly, “accept that their allegations were false,” Hasselhoffs lawyer, Simon Smith, said in court.
The amount of damages in the out-of-court settlement was not disclosed.
Smith said the July 3 U.K. edition of OK accused the 55-year-old former star of TVs “Baywatch” and “Knight Rider” of being “off his face” and abusive in a club shortly after winning a custody battle for his daughters.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on August 24, 2007 at 3:41 pm · Permalink
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Category: News
From startribune.com:
Divers searching the wreckage of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge on Sunday found the body of Richard Chit, according to the Hennepin County Medical Center.
Chit, 20, of Bloomington, had been riding in a car with his mother when the bridge collapsed Aug. 1. His mother, Vera Peck, 50, is among the four victims still unaccounted for.
“The weather is hampering our efforts,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek in a press conference this afternoon.
Stanek said increased current from recent rains in the Twin Cities and upstream has now shifted the focus of the rescue effort from a search for victims to concentration on debris removal.
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Posted by Dr. Disney on August 14, 2007 at 7:19 am · Permalink
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Category: Disney, Technology, News
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Posted by kurt on August 8, 2007 at 2:35 pm · Permalink
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Category: Technology, News, Travel
We’re at JFK airport right now, for the inaugural flight of Virgin America from New York to San Francisco, and Sir Richard Branson just stepped on stage.
9:27AM: “I don’t know who organized the weather today!” New York got nailed by some horrible weather this morning, and we’re running about an hour late. Stephen Colbert, who the plane is named after and is supposed to be christening the plane this morning, is stuck in traffic, along with a few other main figures. We’re going to carry on all the same. Sir Richard mentions how hard this has been to get off the ground, but it’s finally happening. “It’s time Americans get the airline they deserve, it’s been much too long.” Applause.
9:30AM: And we’re off to our gate! We’ll keep you posted on the proceedings as we can, and be landing on the west coast around 1PM PST.
9:58AM: A few comments have wondered what exactly this flight has to do with gadgets. Hopefully this hands on we did earlier this year speaks for itself, and we’ll be playing with all the gadgetry during the cross country flight to let you know just how great in-flight Doom really is. We’re also paying our return flight back, so it ain’t no freebie.
10:01AM: The plane is currently taxiing. We just added a few new pictures to the gallery.
10:08AM: We’re boarding now. They called out Group A for boarding, but there were no takers, so everybody has been invited on board.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/08/virgin-americas-inaugural-flight/
Posted by Jose Castillo on August 8, 2007 at 9:58 am · Permalink
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Category: Disney, News, Theme Parks
From orlandosentinel.com:
Florida’s popular back-to-school sales-tax holiday on clothing and supplies begins this weekend, but once again the discount won’t apply to Mickey Mouse T-shirts sold at Walt Disney World.
Florida lawmakers this spring again carved out an exception to the tax break so that tax will still be charged on sales within theme parks, including Disney, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando.
Part of the reasoning behind the exception is that the sales-tax holiday is intended to help Florida residents save on back-to-school shopping, rather than out-of-state tourists visiting the parks.
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Posted by Matt on August 2, 2007 at 11:19 am · Permalink
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Category: News
From cnn.com:
Video provided exclusively to CNN by someone who declined to be named as they werent authorized to distribute publicly.
• At least 7 dead in Minneapolis bridge collapse
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Posted by Dr. Disney on August 2, 2007 at 7:27 am · Permalink
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Category: News
From canada.com:
photo ctv.com
Fisher-Price announced Wednesday it is recalling nearly one million Chinese-made toys over concerns about lead-based paint.
The worldwide recall affects 967,000 Nickelodeon and Sesame Street toys, Fisher-Price said in a recorded message on its recall line, including popular items such as the Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego characters. The toys were made in China and sold in theU.S. between May and August, Fisher-Price said. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Dr. Disney on August 1, 2007 at 9:46 pm · Permalink
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