Greetings one and all!! Welcome back to the Two Minute Drill!! So two weeks left in 2005. Shall I be like every other website and do a "best of" edition next week? Hmm, we'll see. I'm shooting for at least 3 updates this week. We'll see how that goes.
Dodger Blues (Update) or Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
So you might remember a few weeks ago I was blasting Dodgers managment. (If you dont remember then scroll down and read up! ;-) ). But what a difference a week makes. Owner Frank McCourt may finally have this team back on track. He hired a respected baseball man to be his GM in Ned Colletti. Colletti in turn hired respected baseball manager Grady Little to be the skipper of the team. After that Colletti signed Rafael Furcal to be the new shortstop and leadoff hitter insuring the offense will have a new spark plug it so sorely needed last season. Then today Colletti finalized a one year deal with former superstar shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. So now the Dodgers appear to be the favorites to win their division in 2006 and go back to the playoffs. It looks like the McCourt family finally gets "it". With Colletti promising more moves, its once again an exciting time to be a Dodgers fan!
Disneyland News
Had the privlege of going to Disneyland on Saturday and was greeted with a sign at the parking garage that said "Disneyland Park is FULL". I didnt whip out my camera phone fast enough to take the picture, so sorry no visual. Inside it seemed like it was full, although several families were leaving. As promised last week, here are some tips to best avoid the crowds and make the best of your day
-Arrive early and do the major rides first. Everyone seems to shoot for Space Mountain and Indiana Jones first so if you can get a FASTPASS for one and wait in the standby line for the other you'll have a good shot at riding both with minimum stress. Also remember that FASTPASS for Space Mountain runs out quickly so get one of those as soon as possible.
-Schedule your meals for non peak hours. EVERYONE seems to eat at the same time @ Disneyland, but if you plan ahead you can avoid the huge lines and satisfy your craving for a Clam Chowder Bread Bowl. ;-) Usually the best times for lunch are 11am-12pm or 2pm-4pm. Dinner time at Disneyland isnt as crowded as lunch, but generally the best times are 6pm-8pm. Be warned that if you try to get something to eat right before the parades or the fireworks show you will encounter huge lines as people try to get something to eat while they wait for the shows to start. Also use the many Outdoor Vending carts whenever possible to grab a quick snack or drink.
-If you want to shop, the early afternoon is the best time. People stream into Disneyland between 10am and noon and head straight into the park, usually bypassing all the shops on Main St. The Emporium is usually empty or with light crowds between opening and whenever the first parade hits the route. If you wait til closing be ready for the throngs of last minute shoppers.
-Dont insist on the best viewing for the fireworks or Fantasmic. Yes, its awesome to watch "Remember, Dreams Come True" from the hub, but if you dont want to deal with the pain of getting out of that crowd afterwards then the view from "its a small world" is just as good. Also from Fantasyland you can take the shortcut right into Frontierland for "Fantasmic" (If you're planning on watching both). As far as "Fantasmic" viewing there is a spot that is right in front of the river that provides an awesome view of the show and isnt a hassle to get out of after its over.
If you walk over to the New Orleans Square part of the "Rivers of America" go past "Pirates" and the "The French Market" towards "The Haunted Mansion". To your right you'll see a set of steps that goes down to the "river shore". There you get a somewhat off-center view of the show and because seating is limited to 4 rows, it doesnt get crowded. This section doesnt fill up as quickly as the prefered "Front and Center" view by "Pirates" but it is becoming popular so make sure you head over there quick.
-Take some time to view attractions you wouldnt normally do on a slow day. The beautiful thing about Disneyland is that there's so much to do you sometimes miss the small things. If the park is crowded and you want to maybe just hang out for a bit, you should try some of the A and B ticket offereings. "The Enchanted Tiki Room" is a nice place to chill and enjoy a Dole Pineapple Whip while you wait for the show to start. Over at the Main St. Opera House "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" provides an indepth look at how Disneyland came to be. There are park models on display in the lobby along with other park memoribilia. There is also a short, but entertaining film hosted by Steve Martin and Donald Duck discussing the history of the park. You can also check out Innoventions or the Main St. Cinema as other non crowded offerings.
These are just some tips to help you out. The best thing for you to bring with you to the park though is PATIENCE!! If you have that, your day will be a breeze. The super busy Christmas Day and New Years weekends are coming up. If you plan on going either day, be ready for a HUGE crowd. Just go prepared and with some sort of gameplan and you'll do ok.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT
1) King Kong, $50.1 Million: The word underachiving comes to mind here. Universal execs are disappointed this film didnt do more business for the 3 day weekend. Since its opening last Wednesday it has taken in $66.1 million. They are hoping that word of mouth will boost its second week numbers. At 3 hrs long, it is a tough sell for some movie goers, even if it is a good film. We'll see how this plays out, but I'd be very surprised if this one doesnt make it to the $200 million mark eventually.
2) The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe..$31.8 million: Geez, that is one long title.I think I'll shorten it next week! ;-) Last weeks box office champ drops a notch. Its already crossed the $100 million-blockbuster mark. See how long it stays in the top 5.
3) The Family Stone, $12.5 million: Sarah Jessica Parker's first post "Sex in the City" role drew respectable numbers. Considering it openend up against "King Kong" its actually pretty good. We'll see how much staying power this one has though.
4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $5.9 million: Still alive and kicking a month later "Goblet" has taken in $252 million putting it ahead of "Prisoner of Azkaban" ($249 million) in terms of highest grossing Harry Potter films. It still MIGHT hit $300 million but it would take alot to do it. More likely I think it will outgross "Chamber of Secrets" ($261 million) but fall short of "Sorcerers Stone" ($317 million).
5) Syriana, $5.6 million: It drops three places to fifth on the list after two weeks of release. Based now on what I've heard, it might drop even farther. ;-)
OK, that will do it for this update. As always, thank you for reading and hopefully I can reach my goal of 3 updates. Til the next time.
DQ
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