Category: Universal Studios
Universal Hollywood open Thanksgiving, Christmas
From mercurynews.com:
TweetLOS ANGELES—For the first time since opening in 1964, Universal Hollywood will be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
“Universal Studios Hollywood has always been a favorite destination for families to celebrate special occasions and also an ideal place to visit with out-of-town friends and family,” Larry Kurzweil, president of the theme park, said in a statement.
The holiday openings mean Universal Hollywood will be open 365 days a year.
Hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Christmas. More information is available at http://www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com.
Attractions include The Simpsons Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Shrek 4-D, Jurassic Park The Ride, and the Studio Tour.
Giant robots are coming to Singapore, Hollywood
From washingtonpost.com:
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Giant robots are heading for Hollywood and Singapore.
A new theme-park ride based on the hit movie “Transformers” is being developed for Universal Studios, the company announced Monday.
The new rides, scheduled to debut in 2011, incorporate robotics and 3-D, high-definition technology.
Hasbro Inc. and DreamWorks Pictures are helping to create the new ride, and “Transformers” director Michael Bay and producer Steven Spielberg will consult on the its development, said Tom Williams, chairman and chief executive of Universal Parks & Resorts.
The ride, like the film, shows humans caught in an intergalactic war between armies of giant robots that can change into cars, planes and other technological creations.
Crackdown at Universal: Hundreds banned from resort for underage drinking during nighttime Halloween fest
From orlandosentinel.com:
TweetNot one sip.
That’s Universal Orlando’s policy toward underage drinking — a zero-tolerance stance that is getting hundreds of people banned from the resort this month during its annual Halloween Horror Nights festival, which takes place evenings every weekend.
Robert Viands of Plantation learned the hard way Saturday after he bought an alcoholic “Jell-O shot” from a roaming vendor — then let his 17-year-old daughter, Ashley, have a taste. He said the two of them and his daughter’s friend, Sergio Jacas, 18, were quickly escorted out of the park and given trespass warnings that prevent their return.
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Universal Orlando to get Burger King “Whopper Bar”
From wsj.com:
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Burger King Holdings Inc. will open its first Whopper Bar in Orlando, Fla., in February as it lays plans to put the bars across the globe.
The fast-food chain plans to open six to 20 Whopper Bars in the next 12 to 18 months, said Russ Klein, Burger King’s president of global marketing, strategy and innovation. In addition to the U.S., the company is looking at locations in Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Orlando bar will be part of the Universal Orlando Resort.
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Will GE win the Spielberg race?
From bloggingstocks.com:
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Since General Electric (NYSE: GE) is reeling from the financial crisis that’s currently gripping Wall Street, there’s no doubt that a little Hollywood magic might be in order, something to take its corporate mind off reality for at least a little while.
Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, that might happen. Steven Spielberg needs to move his DreamWorks company over to a new studio, and it looks like NBC Universal is at the front of the pack in the race to secure his business.
The pairing of Spielberg and Universal would be logically sound. He certainly had a better time over at that lot than he did at Viacom’s (NYSE: VIA) Paramount. There is, however, one other studio that is in the running. The article seems to imply that Disney (NYSE: DIS) has a shot with Spielberg as well, although the way I read it, the Mouse is a distant second in the contest. Disney wouldn’t be a good fit. As much as CEO Bob Iger would love to hold meetings with the most famous director in Hollywood (and the world, for that matter), a DreamWorks distribution deal just doesn’t make sense since the company is really into getting a lot of bang for its capital buck.
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