Disneyland Thursday

Hello again everyone. No excuses. Just no time to update. I’ve been bad, I know.

Lets get on with it.

DisneylandNews

Its been awhile so let me catch you up on some of the rumblings out in Anaheim

Plans for July 17th continue to trickle in, but the one constant has been that there  really isn’t going to be anything major that day. The governor will be there, along with Disney brass and co-ambassadors Art Linkletter and Julie Andrews. But aside from that, the day’s events will be on the skimpy side. They plan to hand out 75,000 cupcakes along with golden mouse ears for everyone. There will be a ceremony in front of the castle and in town square. At 4:30pm, the time that Disneyland was dedicated, they will play Walt Disney’s dedication speech over the loudspeakers. And that’s it.

Unfortunately, it seems that all the major razzle-dazzle was used on May 5th with little to no regard that Disneyland's actual birthday is July 17th.  So what to do?  It’s too late to plan anything major now and they still haven’t decided whether or not they will allow people to camp out outside the gates as people are promising to do. July 17th, 2005 may prove to be just as chaotic as July 17, 1955 was! At least we’ll have Space Mountain to look forward to. ;-)

Good thing its white again!

Speaking of which, Space Mountain is scheduled to soft open this 4th of July weekend. Because the 50th Anniversary is such a smash success, the “Rock It” Mountain version of this ride will NOT debut this year. Instead, Disneyland management will hold off until summer of next year to help the second half of the 50th. That, along with a newly reprogrammed drop sequence for Tower of Terror over in California Adventure, should help give attendance a boost next year.  

Yo-ho..yo-ho..

In other attraction news, Pirates of the Caribbean will be getting a facelift very soon. The original plan was to close Pirates in the fall for a quickie  2 month refurbishment as they touched up show scenes and went through the maintenance motions. But now with new management at the helm, Walt Disney Imagineering would LOVE to bring this ride into the 21st Century. But because the extent of the changes planned they need more than a measly 8 weeks. So the plan now is to close Pirates next Winter/Spring for approx. 4 months and really give it a makeover. What kind of changes? They plan to incorporate more of the movie elements into the ride, along with new effects and possibly a whole new storyline. We’ll see how it goes. What wouldbe really cool (But highly unlikely) is if they could do what they are planning to do in the <st1:place>Hong Kong</st1:place> park. That version of “Pirates” will be more of a water coaster type ride, complete with a HUGE drop at the end of the ride (ala SplashMountain). However, a lot of the new effects going into the Hong Kong park will be in the Anaheim  version so we’ll at least be getting something here.

Plug time: Don’t forget to “tune” into the Drill the week of July 11th. All that week I will be publishing my multi-part Making of Disneyland tribute. I’ve been working on it for a few weeks and I think you’ll all enjoy it. You’ll read a lot of the official history along with some things you don’t hear about how Disneyland came to be.

 

So that should do it for today. Hopefully it doesn’t take til July 11th for me to update again! I’ll be back tomorrow with more newsworthy stuff. Until then..

DQ

Taboo Tuesday

Guess who's back? Yup, its been along time coming, but I'm finally back. SO SORRY for all the delays. Its been crazy, but hopefully the worst is behind. Now..on with the show

 

Random Rants and Old News

 

Excuse me if I seem out of the loop or out of date, but the truth is I am. I missed sssoo many big news last week, that I dont even know where to begin!

 

Hide The Kids! Jacksons innocent!!

How many times have you gotten off?

 

OK, that was low and I'm sorry. The truth is I had a very strong feeling he was going to be accquited. I had always said that the charges against him were shady at best. I was never 100% convinced he did the things that boy was accusing him of. Well, in any event..its all over now. Now MJ please..if you care about your career and your life: STOP THE SLEEPOVERS!!!! He cannot be allowed to be put into this situation again. I think he can somewhat recover from this incident. Somewhat..But its going to take alot of hard work and some kick ass music to do it. I'm talking Thriller like album sales...we'll have to wait and see.

 

Lakers Re-Phil

No way..I still dont believe it!!

 

There was another Jackson in the news as well. PHIL Jackson is back with the Purple and Gold. Reaction to his hiring was mixed. Some fans see him as the savior of the team while others are skeptical he can even get along with  let alone lead the Lakers back to glory. I'm kind of in the middle on this. Phil does bring out the best in his players and he might just be what this team needs to get back on track. They couldve done a heck of a lot worse than Phil Jackson. I'm wondering if he's really up to the challenge of rebuilding this franchise. You think Michael Jackson is going to have it rough, he's got nothing on Phil. ;-) I predict a return to the playoffs for the Lakers, but not another title. Not for another 2-3 years maybe. Sigh.

 

Break me Off A Piece of that TomKat Bar...

 

Well this is a story that just doesnt end. It gets weirder and weirder by the second. Unless you've been livin in a cave recently, you know that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have been dating for about a month now. Then word came late last week that Cruise proposed to Katie in  and the couple is now engaged. People are still skeptical that this couple is even for real. My thing is, if it all is just a sham, then its a really elaborate one. I mean why go through all this friggn trouble to promote two movies that are going to do go anyway. They're emotions seem genuine, but then again they are actors. If they are really a couple, then more power to them. If not and this was really all a sham to plug movies...i dont even want to know whats going to happen to their careers. PR nightmare...thats all I gotta say.

 

Weekend Box Office Report

 Batman Begin$

1) Batman Begins, $48.7 Mil: The Caped Crusader returns!! Warner Bros is said to be very pleased with the opening weekend of its superhero franchise. Although they were expecting an opening in more of the $50-$70 million range, they are still happy. I think the memories of the last 2 Batman movies are still fresh in movie goers minds. Trust me: This Batman movie blows them all away. I think word of mouth will help this movie stay in first next weekend. FYI: The sequel has been ok'd

 

2) Mr & Mrs Smith, $26.0 Mil: Last weeks champ drops a slot. This movie actually came in with the most buzz and free publicity thanx to the alleged relationship that blossomed between a married Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It held up pretty well considering the competition.

 

3) Madagascar$10.7 Mil: Having already grossed almost $150 million, i think its safe to say CGI will be around a bit longer. Disney's got "Chicken Little" coming in the fall and all the advanced buzz around that movie has been positive. All those doomsday predictions are wrong for now.

 

 

4) Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith, $10.0 Mil: Wow. To pull in $10 million when you've got two other blockbuster movies in theatres is crazy. Its grossed almost $350 million and keeps climbing everyday. The Force is Strong in this one....

 

5) The Longest Yard, $8.2 Mil: Its really the only "guy" comedy out right now, so its numbers should stay strong for a bit longer. Sandler's got that market cornered!

 

 

According to his official website, film star Alan Cummings will NOT be appearing in "X3" as Nightcrawler. FOX decided not to pick up his option for the third film. All I can say is "WTF?" His character was one of the brightspots of "X2" and now they are dumping him? I guess some casualties were expected with such a largecast. It does suck though.

 

Well, that should do it for now. Til the next time

 

DQ

Teaser Update

Hello readers. Its me again, the world famous procrastanator. Just been so busy with work and personal things that I havent been able to update.

This one is gonna be quick. Like really quick. I just wanted to share with you the first poster for "X3: X-Men 3".

Looks like FOX wanted to get the jump on Warner Bros as far as superhero franchises go. It appears that "Superman Returns" didnt answer the bell as far as teaser trailer and teaser poster are concerned. It was hoped both would launch with the release of "Batman Begins" today. We might not be seeing either til July now. Either to coincide with the release of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or at the Comic-Con in San Diego. We'll see.

I WILL be back with thoughts on Michael Jackson, PHIL Jackson and various other notes. Til then

 

DQ

Two Minute Drill Begins

Welcome once again, to the Two Minute Drill.

Its been 5 days now and still no verdict in the Michael Jackson trial. Experts are split as to what this could mean and what side this protracted deliberation is helping most. I know I said I wouldnt be surprised if this phase took longer than a week, but now I think that this may turn out to be a hung jury. If thats the case, look for Jackson to be retried almost immediatley.

 Evil Fears the "Knight"

So I had the privlege of watching an advanced screening of "Batman Begins" last night on the Warner lot. I can honestly say without question it was THE BEST Batman movie ever. FINALLY a movie that does the "Caped Crusader" justice. I mean dont get me wrong the original Batman film was good too. And I liked "Batman Returns" as well. But after that the quality started to drop off. So much so that Warner Bros decided to put the franchise on the shelf until it could work out a better version of the Batman story. Well, the plan worked because they have delivered a movie that will thrill fans of the character, but also delight the casual moviegoers as well. Without giving away too much, it's a perfect blend of action,drama and comedy. The visual style and action sequences are both awesome and they even do the biggest tease for the inevitable sequel. (WB is planning to make this franchise a trilogy) All in all, I highly recommend it. Forget the other 4 movies, this one is in a league of its own.

The plans are still on track for the "Superman Returns" teaser to premier next week in front of "Batman Begins". However things may still change. WB MAY hold off on it until July and put it in front of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". We'll see. The teaser poster WILL be hitting theatres fairly soon though.

FYI: Space Mountain will open for soft openings 4th of July weekend. Everything is installed and ready to go.

OK, thats all for now. Hopefully I'll be back tommorrow to wrap things up. Til the next time!

DQ

Mid Week Update

Hello everyone!!! This is the Drill.

So after yesterday's news that production on "The Simpsons" movie is moving forward I thought it would be cool to share with you here plans for a Simpsons ride. Years ago, Universal Creative (The design team behind Universal Studio rides and attractions) approached the producers of "The Simpsons" with a proposal for a simulator ride based on the TV show. This ride would replace the "Back to the Future" rides at both Universal Hollywood and Universal Florida.

Here now, is the proposed ride as it was pitched. (Special thanks to Jim Hill)

The Simpsons: The Ride

The old science center that currently holds the "Back to the Future" ride has been rehthemed to look like Spingfield Nuclear Power Plant.   

In the attraction's pre-show, we learn that -- as parents of students at Springfield Elementary -- we've been assigned to join Miss Krabappel, Principal Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie as chaperones on a tour of the Springfield nuclear power plant.

So -- as we tour the plant -- we get to interact with Mr. Burns, Smithers, Lenny and Carl  before we finally arrive at Homer's control console in Sector 7-G. And -- of course -- as we're visiting Bart & Lisa's dad, he accidentally releases a cloud of deadly radiative gas. Which begins to cause various workers at the plant mutate horribly.

Clearly this isn't a place that we want to be anymore. So Skinner hurries us all back outside to the school bus. Where we learn that the gas has now leaked out of the plant and is now effecting the entire town of Springfield.  This is when the Principal gives Otto the order to drive to straight to Shelbyville.

Mind you, Otto or Principal Skinner or Miss Krabappel don't actually last all that long in the attraction. They're picked off in gruesome but funny ways by various monsters that we encounter along the way.

Take -- for example -- Otto's fate. As we come around a corner, we suddenly encounter a 50-foot version of Marge. Who -- after picking up the school bus and shaking it back & forth a few times -- swallows the stoner whole.

It's then that chronic under-achiever -- Bart Simpson -- comes to our rescue by taking the wheel of the bus. Which is when that the thrills & laughs start coming thick & fast.

This proposed Universal Studios attraction has dozens of great gags. Including this dig at "Ah-nuld"

As we're zooming through the streets of Springfield, who should pull up beside us in a speeding jeep but action film star Rainier Wolfcastle. Dressed in full "Terminator" regalia (I.E. The leather jacket, the sunglasses, the works), Rainer tells everyone on the bus: "Come with me if you want to live."

The only problem is -- as Rainer is talking with us -- he doesn't see that bridge abutment that's directly in front of him.  Wolfcastle's jeep hits the concrete pillar at full speed, then explodes in a ball of flames.

After a short pause, Bart -- while still driving the bus -- looks over his shoulder and says to the assembled theme park guests: "All in all, it's probably best that we didn't go with him."

So after more twists and turns and laughs we finally make it to safety.

This ride sounds like a blast and Simpsons producers certainly thought so. Unfortunetly, because the staff and animators are so wrapped up in working on the show and now the movie, Exec Prodcuer James L Brooks decided to wait until the show ends for them to begin work on the ride. Seeing as how The Simpsons is aiming for 20 seasons and the movie isnt set to release at least until 2007, it might be 2009 at the earliest that we'll get to take that crazy ride with Bart and Co. Still, here's hoping they do get this ride off the ground and running.

Alright, that will do it for now. Til the next time we meet.

 

DQ

 

Taboo Tuesday

 

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Drill!! Sorry for no update Monday. Just a crazy day work wise. On with the show..

So I've got a huge Harry Potter update. If you dont want to know ANYTHING about what MAY happen in books 6 and 7 I suggest you skip everything in GREEN. Especially if you havent read the books and have only seen the movies so far.

OK, last warning.....

Here we go....

We are a little bit over a month away from "Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince" hitting bookshelves. As we get closer to its publication date, you're gonna be hearing more and more as far as rumors and supposed plot lines go. Thanks to the good folks @ Mugglenet, I have compiled for you here a list of things that have been confirmed for book 6 and book 7 of J.K. Rowling's saga.

We will learn a lot more about Voldemort in this book.

HBP will be an intense book, but with light-hearted moments.

Harry will leave Privet Drive early again, for a "much pleasanter" reason than in book 5.

The opening chapter of book 6 was originally planned for the early parts of book 1, perhaps we get a more in-depth story of what happened the night Harry's parents died.

Neither Harry or Voldemort (including Tom Riddle) are the Half-Blood Prince

Arthur Weasley will not be the new Minister of Magic

By the ends of books 6 and 7 "you'll have all the back story you'll need", says JK Rowling, and a prequel will not be necessary

There will be a new Minister of Magic, no more Mr. Fudge.

We will find out what happened to Hagrid's half brother Grawp. He will be a bit more controllable in book 6.

The Dursleys are in the next book, but Harry's stay with them will be the shortest yet. In book 5 he stayed for 4 weeks, so we know his stay will be less than 4 weeks.

Cho Chang will not be a romantic interest of Harry in Book 6, however there will be a "little romance" for Harry says JK.

In books 6 and 7 we will find out exactly why JK killed off Sirius.

Harry becomes even more powerful in book 6.

In books 6 and 7 we will find out why Dumbledore trusts Snape.

We will find out what happened to Wormtail AKA Peter Pettigrew

More about the animosity between Snape and Sirius will be revealed in the last 2 books.

JK has said that giving away the form of Snape's boggart and patronus says too much. We'll definitely find out what Snape's worst fear is, and it'll be important.

We will find out what exactly Dudley saw when he looked at the dementors.

The reason Voldemort and Harry both didn't die when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, will be revealed.

We will see more of Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy, now that Lucius is busy.

We'll learn more about Harry's scar in the last 2 books.

Moaning Myrtle will make an appearance again, as will Tonks.

More about Voldemort's birth will be revealed, thus helping us understand why he is so evil.

Muggles begin to notice "more and more odd" occurrences in book 6, says JK.

The wizarding world is really at war in the sixth book.

Harry will tell his dearest friends about the prophesy after it sinks in to him.

We will learn more about Harry's relatives, including his grandparents (though JK says they aren't really important to the story)

We will find out what happened to Sirius's motorbike.

Book 6 will be shorter than the 5th book (or at least JK's 99% sure, but will not swear on her children's lives)

It's very important in the plot that Harry has his mother's eyes, and that her wand was very good for charms.

The choice between what's right and what's easy will be a pillar of the plot in Harry's last 2 years at Hogwarts

Harry's parents' profession will be a big part of the plot.

Something HUGE will be revealed about Lily Potter.

Damn..July 16th cant come soon enough!!!

 

Weekend Box Office

1) Madagascar, $28.1 Mil: We have a new champion! Madagascar rode good word of mouth to the top spot after opening in second last week. It looks like CGI may be safe after all. Will its numbers hold up for another week is the big question here. This movie appeals to all moviegoers so its a safe bet to say that yes it will be fine.

2)The Longest Yard, $26.0 Mil: Another flim that picked up ground. Adam Sandlers football film pulled in another solid weekend. Now that alot of the guys have seen "Sith" they can check this film out as well.

3) Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith, $25.0 Mil: After two weeks at the top it finally falls two spots. Intersting to see that this film was beaten by a previously released film and not by a new comer. Dont feel too bad: Its still well on pace to shatter all sorts of box office records.

4) Cinderella Man, $18.3 Mil: A HUGE disappointment for Universal films and Ron Howard. It was hoped this Russell Crowe film would do at least 25 million or more. What went wrong? I dont think anything. This may turn out to be one of those "Million Dollar Baby" sleeper hits. Will word of mouth save it?

5) The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, $9.8 Mil: A soft opening, but within what Warner Bros was expecting so it actually did ok in those terms. It outgrossed "Lords of Dogtown" which many thought would open high as well. Considering the competition, I would say they did great.

"X3" has a new director. "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner has taken over the film. What this does to "Rush Hour 3" is another story all together. That film was scheduled for a late summer/fall 2006 opening. I'm sure those plans are on hold now. Ratner was originally slated to direct "Superman" for WB and went as far as casting Anthony Hopkins to play the role of Jor-El. But when he couldnt come to terms with the studio as far as a who would play Superman or a script, he decided to drop out. I think its a good choice and hopefully he can get this project going again.

"Bart Wars: The Gathering Shadow"

The news Simpsons fans (and me especially) have been waiting for has finally arrived. "The Simpsons Movie" is now in production. Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart) confirmed in a radio interview that the entire cast had table read the first draft of the feature script. She would not go into detail about plot lines or a title but she said to expect it in a few years. wahoo!!! ;-)

OK, that will do it for this substantial update. Til the next time!!

DQ

TGIF!!!

 

Welcome back to the drill. I was doing pretty good this week update wise, til I skipped a day. Oh well.

As I write this, closing arguments in the Michael Jackson trial have wrapped up and the jury is now going to decide Michael's fate. It could be a slam dunk or it could be a long drawn out delibiration. I would be surprised if it is drawn out though. I would say no later than next wed we'll have our verdict. Barring any sensational delays of course.

So after seemingly being on track, the production of "X3: X-Men 3" took a huge hit yesterday when director Matthew Vaughn decided to drop out of the project citing family concerns. According to FOX, the film is still on track to begin production in a few weeks and WILL make its May 26th, 2006 open date. Now the question turns to just WHO will direct "X3". As far as the casting goes, Kelsey Grammer and Vinnie Jones were tapped to play "Beast" and "Juggernaught" respectively. The principal actors, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan have all agreed to return. Unknown at this time is the fate of "Storm" played by Halle Berry. More as it develops.

I will have the opporunity to watch an advanced screening of "Batman Begins" next week at the WB lot. Hopefully this movie can help kick start a franchise that suffered from overexposure and sillyness in its last few installments. Warner Bros is hopeful they can resurrect "Batman" into a money maker and have already planned at least two sequels if "Begins" does well.

Opening this week in theatres: "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", "Cinderella Man" and "Lords of Dogtown." So you've got a chick flick, a movie for the hardcore purists and a skateboard flick for the shredders out there. Should be interesting to see if any of these can knock off "Revenge of the Sith". I doubt it, but you just never know.

"Superman Returns" continues to chug along and here's a pic of star Brandon Routh as Clark Kent

 

OK, he makes a perfect Clark Kent. But as far as Superman is concerned. I just dont know.

 

Maybe I just dont like the costume. Hmm.. As long as the movie is good, it doesnt matter what he looks like!

Alright, that will do it for the week. I hope you all enjoy your weekends and hopefully I'll have more stuff for you all next week. Til then...

DQ

Mid-Week Copy N Paste Update

Welcome back to the Drill. So as a special treat today, I am providing for you here a ride proposal that Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilms have for updating the old "Star Tours" ride film @ Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studio park. Keep in mind this is just a proposal and if it ever gets off the drawing board may change dramatically. A special thanks to Mouse Tales author David Koenig for providing this preview. For those of you that want to know about old time Disneyland and several facts about the park, David's "Mouse Tales" series are must reads. OK, lets take a peek at "Star Tours v2.0"

As we enter the existing Star Tours building, we discover that we're no longer headed for Endor. Our new destination: the Lunar Olympics on Yavin.

At first glance, the StarSpeeders we board appear to be the same 20-year-old models. In fact, they've all been replaced with new, state-of-the-art flight simulators featuring the latest in video flatscreens, audio systems, and in-flight effects. (There's even a proposal that passengers strap on helmets fitted with fiber optics and devices for 3-D visual and sound effects.)

In this trip, there's no Rex at the helm. Our pilot is a more seasoned veteran. So as we taxi through the shuttle bay, we see the StarSpeeder 3000 ahead of us suddenly take that familiar wrong turn. “Must be one of those new droids from Sector 7,” our pilot surmises.

We remain on course and launch through the portal straight ahead. We first join a spiral formation with a large number of other StarSpeeders, before kicking into lightspeed. Seconds later, we put on the brakes, caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic. No problem; remember, we have a veteran pilot. “I know a shortcut!” he remarks.

Our pilot veers off to the side, but soon finds himself hopelessly lost. He takes us down to the nearest planet to ask directions of some locals-not realizing that they're one of the pit crews for the pod races. Due to the language barrier, the pit crew mistakes our StarSpeeder for a last minute entry inthe race. They strap boosters to the sides of our craft, cart us to the starting line, and…

Vroooom! Suddenly we're in the middle of the pod race. Withthe added speed and obstacles, our pilot struggles to control our craft. We quickly catch the attention and ire of the The Phantom Menace's villainous pod racer, who seeks to forcefully drive us out of the competition. When his maneuvers don't deter us, the villain resorts to throwing a bomb onto our StarSpeeder. Our windshield explodes as glass appears to shatter into the cabin. Taking off, the villain turns up his afterburners, seemingly casting a fireball through our detonated windshield. For a brief Backdraft moment, guests feel the heat of his discharge.

The scorching destroys one of our engines and we begin to freefall. Fortunately our StarSpeeder's descent is slowed by smacking into the villain's pod racer and sending him barreling into the side of a cliff.

We crash headfirst into the sand, skid forward and smash into the bleachers. As we finally settle amid the smoke and debris, our pilot laughs nervously, “I meant to do that. A little shortcut.”

We exit our beat-up StarSpeeder onto the old rampway, which has been redecorated with debris and smashed-up bleachers. As we walk out, we're heckled by audio animatronic aliens in the bleachers. They mock our unpleasant landing and shout intergalactic profanities at us. The demolished stadium theme carries over to the Star Wars shop section of the Star Traders souvenir store.

Sounds like a blast doesnt it? According to Koenig, this is one of two proposals that WDI will be pitching. Since this one has been in the works since "Episode I" was released, it will be pitched first. The second idea (which is being kept under tight wraps at the moment) would be pitched in late June. Usually the newer ideas win out, but we'll see what happens. Also, the EARLIEST any Star Tours update would be opened would be January 2007. However, with a new CEO taking the reins at Disney and Lucas eager to work on a new ride film, the possibility of this coming to fruition looks brighter than it ever has before.

Hope you enjoyed the preview. Til the next timewe meet.

DQ