More YOMD Promotional Pictures

Disney has released a new set of promotional pictures for the Year of a Million Dreams by photographer Annie Leibovitz. These pictures feature celebrities as Disney characters. The first set had David Beckham as Prince Philip, Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella, and Beyonce as Alice. This new set has Rachel Weisz as Snow White, Roger Federer as King Arthur, and Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy. They're really nice. Rachel looks great as the fairest one of all.

 

Penguins - 4, Wild - 2

I wasn't able to see this game, stupid Versus! I have the NHL Center Ice package, which means I get every single game, except the ones on Versus. Ugh! I dunno what I'll do come playoffs time. Anyways, the Penguins' dynamic duo of Crosby and Malkin stole the show last night with Crosby getting 1 goal and 3 assists and Malkin getting 2 goals and an assist. The two of them together make a dominant pairing but it makes you wonder what effect that will happen on the other lines. Staal is the 2nd line center now but he's not really the playmaker they need there. He's better suited at wing or centering the checking line. We'll see how it goes.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

This weekend, I got a new computer, an iMac. I've been waiting on that so I would have a proper place to store my digital pics. Once I was able to do that, I was able to clear my camera and now I can use it for other things, like taking some video. I went to the Disney-MGM Studios today and took these. Other than Cinderella Castle, this is my favorite place to be. :)

Ariel sings "Part of Your World":

The Finale:

Canadiens - 4, Penguins - 3 (SO)

The Penguins came back from a 0-3 deficit to force the game into a marathon shootout. I didn't get a chance to watch the game but from the post-game reaction, the following things were noticeable: EC finally missed in the shootout. Fleury was inconsistent again. Sabourin played well in replacing him. Crosby defended Malkin after a hit from behind by former Penguin Alex Kovalev. Gary Roberts was out due to a cold. Tyler Kennedy was called up into action. Mark Recchi was placed on the 4th line, thank you! Come on, Pens. We gotta do better than this. 

Maple Leafs - 5, Penguins - 2

The Penguins played well for 2 periods and then, well, things just fell apart in the 3rd. I'm starting to get tired of this constant line juggling by Therrien. I know what he was trying to do, but putting Hall with Staal and making the 2nd line a checking line? Yes, we wanna be more responsible defensively but you can't make the Penguins play so cautiously like that. The Penguins are an offensive team. They have to play offensively. They can't be limited like that. There seems to be a lot of talk going around now about whether or not Michel Therrien is the man to lead this team.

New Broadway Pics

The official Little Mermaid Broadway site has a bunch of new pictures up! Go see!



Official Site

Cast Video

Check out this video of the cast from The Little Mermaid doing a photoshoot. The costumes look great... except Flounder, what's up with him?

Penguins - 1, Rangers - 0

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney, Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez... all these offensives threats in this game and it ended 1 - 0. Wow! Fleury was awesome tonight, making 36 saves and getting the shutout. It's great to see him back in form now after having a questionable start. But guys, one goal?

Penguins - 2, Capitals - 1

Fleury had a great game tonight. He finally looked confident and was the first star. I hope this continues and we can put those earlier games behind us. The things that stood out about this game had to have been the fights. Laraque vs Brashear was big, but the fight of the night to me was Pettinger vs Staal. Staal? Our Staal? Jordan Staal? The Staal that never shows any physicality Staal? Oh wow. He didn't really put up much of a fight. He couldn't get any punches off and looked like he was wrestling, but he sure looked angry! First goal and first fight of the season for Jordan!

Penguins - 4, Hurricanes - 3

A much better effort from the Penguins. When I heard that Dany Sabourin would be in net, I pretty much assumed this was one in the loss column. But Sabourin proved me wrong and played well. The game went into a shootout but a win is a win. Things to notice: Erik Christensen is still money in shootouts. Petr Sykora is becoming the king of garbage goals. Sidney Crosby is getting back to his point-producing ways. Evgeni Malkin has been the Penguin's best player so far this season. Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are up tonight.

California Makeover

It looks like Disneyland's little sister is getting a makeover, a $1.1 billion makeover! Disney now seems to be admitting that they made some mistakes with Disney's California Adventure. And while I like the park, I would agree that there is just something missing from it. From my experiences, there was nothing about it that made it special, that made you want to go there. It had a few nice attractions, Soarin' Over California, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular, and Disney Animation. But other than those, it didn't really hold much for me. Last winter, I spent two weeks in Disneyland and I hardly ever visited California Adventure. The allure of Disneyland is just so strong. California Adventure almost feels like Disneyland's ugly stepsister.

Well, it looks like times are about to change. It's just been announced that Disney plans a $1.1 billion overhaul of California Adventure. What they're aiming for now is "a second Disneyland." New lands and attractions are going to be added and the entrance of the park will be completely redone with a new hub and a new icon. The new icon is going to be a replica of Hollywood's former Carthay Circle theater, where Snow White premiered in 1937. With Disneyland's entrance bringing guests back to Walt's hometown in Missouri, California Adventure's entrance plans to take guests to Walt's arrival in Los Angeles, including an appropriate "Partners" statue. New additions included Pixar-themed attractions based off of Toy Story and Cars. Existing rides like the Sun Wheel will get a makeover. The park will also finally get a nighttime spectacular. And this is what excites me the most... a Little Mermaid ride! Anyone I've known who has had or seen the Little Mermaid Platinum DVD knows of the forgotten Little Mermaid dark ride and wishes it would have been made. Well, it looks like we're getting that wish! OMG, I am so psyched! It's going to be in Paradise Pier, which is perfect cause of the water and Ariel's Grotto already there. It looks like this overhaul is going to take about five years to complete. Gosh, that's a long wait but in my opinion, it's totally worth it!

You can see the official press release and concept art here.

Devils - 5, Penguins - 4

Ugh, this was one of the most aggravating games I ever had to watch. I'm done thinking about it.

Favorite Magic Kingdom Attractions

I thought it might be fun to do a ranking now and then. There's lots to do ones on. I think I'll start with the park that's dear to my heart. Here are my favorite Magic Kingdom attractions.

5. Tomorrowland Transit Authority

This is probably the most underrated ride in all of Disney, but it's a good one. It's just a tour around the attractions of Tomorrowland, but it provides a great escape from the hectic pace underneath. There's hardly ever a wait and it's one of the longest rides around. You're treated to different looks to familiar attractions and an amazing view of Cinderella Castle.

4. "it's a small world"

If this was Disneyland, "it's a small world" would rank even higher. While it doesn't compare to its West coast version, it's still one of my favorites. You either love "small world" or hate it. Count me in as one of those who love it. It's such a sweet and charming ride and there's always something new to see each time. Plus, it's fun to make wise cracks about the dolls.

3. Mickey's Philharmagic

Unlike the other 3-D shows at Walt Disney World, Philharmagic doesn't seem to ever get old. Maybe it's because it doesn't rely on jokes and gags but instead touches on many of the most cherished scenes in Disney history. Seeing Philharmagic is like listening to your favorite song and visiting your beloved friends again and again. The magic doesn't wear off.

2. Mad Tea Party

The Tea Party is insanity. I love spinning and getting dizzy. It's just so much fun throwing yourself around and laughing throughout the whole ride. It's something that must be done with others, but whenever I get the chance to go on the tea cups, I take it. The best part about the tea cups has to be dragging on a person who can't stand spinning and trying to make them sick. Good times!

1. Cinderella's Golden Carrousel

This is the most simple ride in the whole park, but I think it's the most magical. Yeah, you can find carrousels anywhere, but there is just something special about this one. There's no ride that exemplifies "fantasy" more. You're treated to the sights of Fantasyland while riding a gallant horse to the greatest of Disney songs. The experience is even better at night when darkness falls and the lights of the Magic Kingdom shine all around. Every visit to the Magic Kingdom usually must include a ride on Cinderella's carrousel. I even have a horse to call my own!

So I take it you've noticed that none of the major thrill rides made my list. They're ok, but to me, I come to the Magic Kingdom for magic, not thrills.

Penguins - 6, Maple Leafs - 4

Live by the sword, Die by the sword

That pretty much describes the Penguins throughout their history. They live and die by their offense. They have almost always been an offensive juggernaut but the defense has always had more holes than a Hollywood plot. It seems like this year's Penguins are continuing the tradition. Last night, the Penguins offense came to life and unleashed 52 shots on Toronto... 52! The Leafs only had 27. That is amazing! And while the win was great, their defensive issues are becoming more and more glaring. And to make matters worse, we lost Brooks Orpik to a concussion. The early word is that it's a mild one but it could still keep him out for some time. Orpik is probably our best defensive defenseman, and the perfect complement to Ryan Whitney. Orpik was also our only hard-hitter on defense. If Orpik is out, the question is now how can he be replaced? Alain Nasreddine is the 7th defenseman, so he would be the logical replacement. He's currently in a conditioning assignment with the Baby Pens. But the thought of Nasreddine in our corps doesn't help me sleep any better at night. Or perhaps Kris Letang will get the call-up. Letang, however, is better to replace Gonchar or Whitney, not Orpik. The Penguins lost Mike Weaver through waivers to the Canucks so he's not an option. Gosh, it really makes you wish the Penguins had signed Danny Markov. We'll see what happens and hopefully, our offense will continue to produce and keep us in this.

Ariel Swims!

Check out this newly released picture from the Little Mermaid on Broadway. This is the first picture showing how the mermaids actually appear in the show and swim around. They use Heelys to move around with a fin attached to their hips. It must make for a great illusion!

Canadiens - 3, Penguins - 2

I didn't get a chance to watch this game. (I was at Disney.) But from what I've been hearing, the Pens didn't put out a consistent effort. It's only 3 games into the season, but there should be some concern here. Only a handful of teams can rival the amount of talent that is on this team. No teams should better than this team. And if you lose to a team that's not better than you, it means one thing. You didn't put in the effort. What's with the Penguins? Is it overconfidence? Are they buying into all the hype? Yes, they have the talent to be Stanley Cup contenders but you need effort to go along with that talent. They need to play the full 60 minutes. The Penguins have shown bursts where they are just unstoppable and then they shows lapses in judgment and carelessness. I hope that message gets to them soon. We can't afford a slow start.

But to keep the excitement up, here's the video the Pens played just before their home opener. It's awesome!

Epcot has EDGE!

So today I found evidence that hockey and Disney DO go together! I was in Epcot, visiting the Canada pavilion, where I was met with quite the surprise... Rbk EDGE jerseys! Wow, that was my first time seeing an EDGE jersey in person. For those who don't know, EDGE jerseys are the brand new style of jerseys Rbk created for the NHL. They ditched the traditional baggy hockey sweaters (to much outrage) in favor of more form-fitting jerseys. This caused all 30 teams to make changes to their uniforms, some more drastic than others. I was pleasantly surprised to see them at Epcot. I doubted any place in Orlando sold them. Leave it to the Canadians to make me happy. Of course, they only had the six Canadian teams but it was cool to finally see them.



The store only had replica jerseys, no authentics. I don't think I've ever seen a store outside of the actual arena that sells authentics. The main difference is that the replica uses different materials. It doesn't have that stretch, waterproof material. And there's no fight strap. One difference I didn't notice until I finally saw them was that the replicas are actually cut differently at the bottom of the jersey. The authentics have rounded hemlines, which are weird and make the traditional horizontal stripes on a hockey jersey look really weird. The replicas, however, have a flat hemline with a triangular cut on the sides splitting the front and back, much like a polo shirt. Those make the horizontal lines on a replica look much nicer. I don't understand why the authentics couldn't do that.



Other than that, there aren't too many differences from the traditional hockey jersey. Yeah, it's more form fitting but they still look like hockey jerseys. I spent a good amount of time checking out the details of each one. I was happy to see the Ottawa Senators jersey, mainly because the Penguins one has the same style. I have a Penguins jersey on order and now I was able to see what it would look like before I got it. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens jerseys are still classics and I wouldn't mind getting one of those. But I'm getting my Penguins one first! I was surprised by the price. They were regularly priced. I thought Disney would jack up their prices like they do for everything else, but they didn't. The Vancouver Canucks jerseys weren't so bad in person. They've gotten a bad rap, mostly because of the "Vancouver" wordmark. But once you get past the wordmark, it's a nice jersey. Now I can't say the same for the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. What the hell were they thinking? Calgary tried way too hard with their jersey. There's too much going on with that jersey, from the laces to the vertical stripes, to the weird ram effect on the back, to having the flags on the shoulders. The Oilers were the opposite. It's like they were halfway through designing their jersey and just quit. It looks like parts of it are missing! I feel sorry for the province of Alberta.

And that my friends has been your hockey fashion report.

Penguins 5, Ducks 4

First win of the season didn't take long. The offense is back and kicking. Petr Sykora looks like he will be a 40-goal scorer. Malkin got points on consecutive nights. Crosby was hurt but should be fine. Georges Laraque looks great in the last two games... pretty good for an enforcer. Defense still has some issues. But hey, we beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions. I'll take it!

Greatest Commerical Ever!

This ad for NHL 08 makes me laugh so hard!

Hurricanes - 4, Penguins - 1

Ouch! What a stinker! We were thoroughly outplayed at pretty every facet of the game tonight. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. Nothing went right. The Canes played awesome defense, they weren't giving us anything to work with. There's still 81 games left in the season but you never wanna have a bad start. I remember the start we had two seasons ago. Come on Pens, get it together!

On other news...



Disney released some new photos of the The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I so want to go New York this fall. *sigh*

BATB needs an update

I was watching the Beauty and the Beast show at the Disney-MGM Studios last weekend and I couldn't help but to wonder why this show isn't getting a much needed update. Granted, I used to love this show. It introduced me to Beauty and the Beast. But after seeing Disneyland's Snow White, California Adventure's Aladdin, and now Animal Kingdom's Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast just pales in comparison. Watching it again, all the show's flaws just became so glaring. It doesn't even really tell the story of Beauty and the Beast. It's really just an excuse to perform a bunch of musical numbers from the movie. But the thing with that is they're really not even performed. Belle and Gaston are the only characters who actually sing, everyone else just lip syncs to recorded audio. The show doesn't really explain anything. How Belle meets Beast. Their relationship. They didn't even show Belle leaving. At the end, Beast says "You came back." She didn't go anywhere! And Gaston lives? What's up with that?! And why on earth does "Beauty and the Beast", the film's most important scene, turned into nothing more than a happy ending dance at the end. Belle's supposed to dance with the Beast, not the prince. The only number that really stood out for me was "The Mob Song." Other than that, the show really just feels hollow.

A lot of the same problems can be pointed at Voyage of the Little Mermaid as well. But The Little Mermaid is much harder to work with and the show has its own charm with the puppets and water effects. And Ariel performing "Part of Your World" makes the show worthwhile. I could sit there all day and listen to her sing... sometimes I do. Plus, the fact that its a 15-minute show that goes on all day tells you that it's not trying to be legitimate theater. But that's what Beauty and the Beast tries to pass itself off as. Being shown just 4 times a day, there is so much more you can do with it.

With Beauty and the Beast now off Broadway, Disney has a great opportunity to do something with their MGM show. It's quite simple. Take the Broadway show, remove anything that wasn't in the movie (which is a lot), make some cuts here and there, and boom, you have a great 45-minute show on the level of California Adventure's Aladdin. They'll probably have to make some changes to the stage but nothing major. I just don't see why they couldn't do that. It's not hard at all! The Hollywood Pictures Backlot at California Adventure is basically a mini-MGM Studios. If that can have a great stage show, why not the real thing? If they can tell the story of Aladdin in 45 minutes, why not Beauty and the Beast? Right now, there are high school productions of Beauty and the Beast around the country that are better than what they have at MGM. I think that's an embarrassment.

Yes, it's a popular show. But it's popular because people love the story and the music, not because the show is great. People will not mind if you take it away for a while to improve it. If Disney can shut down Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion to make them better, they can do the same for Beauty and the Beast. This is arguably Disney's greatest story ever, it's time it got the respect it deserves!

The journey starts again!

Tomorrow, the NHL season officially starts for my Penguins. I'm so excited! So excited that I'm not going to go to Disney on a Friday night... gasp, I know. But its the season opener. I have to watch! I'm thinking of just ordering some wings, sitting back, and enjoying some hockey. Last year was so amazing. After suffering for 6 long years, the Penguins burst back into hockey contention. Everyone said that the future was bright for the Pens, but to them, the future was now. Their turnaround caught people off-guard last season, but this year, they'll have a target on their backs. They're going to be carrying heavier expectations. It's not going to be enough to just make the playoffs anymore, they have to make a serious run.

Are they up to it? I would like to think so. When you look at the Penguins, the first place you set your eyes on is their newest captain, Sidney Crosby. Sid now takes on the responsibility of being a leader for this team. You know, being the youngest captain in history, the reigning scoring champion and MVP, and the face of not only the Penguins, but the entire league, it would seem like a lot of pressure to put on a 20-year old kid. But Sid's lived with pressure since he was a pre-teen. He not only knows how to handle it, he embraces it. Sid never needed the "C" to show that he was a leader. He shows it through his poise, his maturity, his work ethic, and his clutch play. From the moment that lottery ball came the Penguins way, he knew that this was his team. In his 3rd year, the Next One will not disappoint. He'll only get better, which is scary.

Sidney's supporting cast should be up to the challenge as well. Evgeni Malkin is stronger and more confident than he was last year and should be better prepared for the rigors of the full NHL season. Seeing how the rookie of the year got 85 points last season, it's not hard to imagine him breaking the 100 point mark this year. I hope we see Malkin stay dominant from October to June. I'm also hoping we get to see more of that nasty side we heard so much about in Russia. Jordan Staal may have been last season's biggest surprise. No one expected the 18-year to make the team, let alone play as well as he did. There's some fear going around about a "sophomore slump" this year for him. And I can see why people would think that, feeling that he may have overachieved last year. But he's filled out his big frame more this season and has experience under his belt now. He already has incredible defensive poise. I would love to see him produce even more offensively this time. Then there's the Flower, Marc-Andre Fleury. A 40-game winner last year, unfair as it is, more will be expected from him this year. Fleury is as integral to the success of the Pens as Crosby is. And he is the one with the biggest question marks. Can he display the consistency he needs to put him into elite goaltender status? Pens Nation has their dreams riding on it. Rounding out the Fantastic Five is Ryan Whitney. I feel this is the year he supplants Sergei Gonchar as the team's leading point-producing defenseman. If he can improve his defensive game, we're looking at a possible Norris trophy in the near future.

Without a doubt, the five phenoms are the face of the Penguins, but contributions from the rest of the team must be expected as well. Petr Sykora joined the team this summer and will bring a much needed scoring threat on the wing. I'm looking forward to a full season of Gary Roberts. The guy is one crazy S.O.B. You don't see to many 40-year olds play with such reckless abandon, but he does. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a great quote about Roberts. "One day, Gary Roberts will hit the wall. And the wall will groan." Even though he's past his prime, here's hoping Darryl Sydor brings stability to the blue line. Colby and Mad Max need to continue playing hard and Ruutu needs to keep making other players want to kill him. And lastly, please please, Laraque has got to fight more. His job is to protect these kids. He didn't do much of that last year.

The Pens won't have it easy. I see the Rangers and the Senators as their biggest challenges. The Rangers went back to their old ways this summer and bought their way to contention. The Senators have not changed much but they are the defending East Champs and the ones who ousted us last spring. The Sabres could pose a threat as well, even with the departure of their captains.

It all starts tomorrow! I can't wait! Bring on the Hurricanes!